Orange

At some point yesterday I booked a walking tour of Bristol for this morning. It seemed a good idea at the time. Unfortunately today was a day of torrential rain and, although our tour went ahead, it wasn't as enjoyable as perhaps it might have been if the weather had been kinder.

It was, however, interesting enough and the guide was very knowledgeable and informative. One of the places we stopped at was the King William Ale House (pictured), named after King William III (better known in some parts of these islands as William of Orange or, indeed, King Billy) and the exterior of the pub has been painted in a rather 'tasteful' orange colour.

Apparently King William is popular down these parts for his decision to reduce the taxes on beer. They don't, however, seem to have parades in his honour as they do in the part of the world from which I hail. They don't know how lucky they are.

I returned here in the evening for a beer or two and some pub grub. (What else would be expected of a West of Scotland proddie?) No-one asked what school I attended or offered me a strange handshake. It was all so reassuring to note that the West of Scotland disease hasn't spread to this part of the UK. And it had finally stopped raining by the time I left.