A few days on from the last post and I can reveal the main reason we went on a trip to the UK...
Pubs, the chippy, and going out.
Now, I have lived here in Winnipeg for 10 years and in all that time Buffy has been trying to get me to go out like we do back in the UK. The problem is that going out the way you do in the UK simply does not exist here.
The time difference is one reason. Back in the UK last week we went to the pub for the Liverpool game — it was wild, raucous and crazy. The pub was full and the game was live on TV at 3:30pm on a Sunday afternoon. Over here that would be 9:30am.
The crowd was different too. I have been to watch games over here with the Man United Winnipeg supporters club lads and it really is not the same. I am sure the time difference is part of it, but they tend to sit and watch the game in almost complete silence. There is a little bit of banter and chatter, but no shouting abuse at the TV or each other — no standing on the edge of your seat screaming at every bad decision. The feeling isn't the same.
Also, pubs over here are more like restaurants. You sit at a table, the serving staff come to you with a glass of water and a menu, and you don't really mingle with anyone else. And while kids aren't outright banned from pubs here, they are not allowed at the bar, and most places — anywhere with VLTs (gambling machines) — do not allow kids at all.
The pubs in Manchester are so much better. Obviously the footy on TV helped, but the banter between strangers stood waiting at the bar is something else. (Not queuing, by the way — queuing is when you stand in a line. In a pub you wait at a gap in the bar and it's up to the barman to decide who's next, or you sort it out by chatting with whoever you're standing next to.)
Back to the trip — we went to the pub a number of times. With the kids. To enjoy a few minutes' rest from the arcades in Skeg, to have dinner when we were in Yorkshire, or just to relax with Chris and his mates at their regular 4:37 meet at the pub on a Friday afternoon.
Every trip to the pub was memorable. For the footy, or the time Buffy was asked for ID and didn't have it, so I had to go and get her beers — she still got a drink, and the bar staff were really nice and complimentary when they found out how old she actually was, joking about "having stuff done" and laughing about the whole thing. The Liverpool game was brilliant, with about 15 friends and family gathering to shout, scream and drink. The kids were always welcome and made friends in the beer gardens and on the play structures where there was one.
I had a great night sat with brothers and wives, chatting with Chris's mates who I have known for 20-odd years and who still treat me like a brother after all the years away. I especially loved chatting with Paul, his brother Phil — my old school mate from 40 years ago — and Alan, the City fan in the group. Great times with all of them.
During the Liverpool game, Hannah was clambering on a table in the beer garden, fell, and smacked her nose on the edge. Luckily it wasn't broken — and her nose was okay too (ba-doom-tsh) — but I got her blood all over my hands and my top. Everyone showed concern, then got back to the game. Just how it should be.
Pubs and pub life is probably one of the things I miss most from home.
All the photos below were taken in pubs - Including the one of Ollie literally lying at the bar!!
The monkey bars and climbing frame were at a pub just outside Todmorden in Yorkshire — the Shepherd's Rest. We went there when we visited Buffy's old mate Kate, her husband Mark, and their son Clary. We had a lovely afternoon with them, first at their old house and then at their new one, which is currently undergoing renovation. The kids played on a trampoline while we sat in the back garden surrounded by rolling hills and a few sheep. A perfect afternoon.
There was even the majestic sight of a group of Orthodox Jewish children clambering back down off the hills and dales after wandering up to see Yorkshire's only reservoir with a beach!
In the early evening we took a 40-minute wander up the hill to the pub for dinner and to let the kids play. The food was great, and the kids got on really well with Clary — I hope they stay in touch and get to see each other again sometime soon. After the pub we headed back to their place for one last drink before bed.
The whole afternoon and evening with Mark and Kate was just lovely.
Anyway, that’s enough about food and drink—the real reason we went to the UK was to visit my hometown: Manchester.
It might not be the place I was born, but it’s been my hometown for 50 years this year, as we moved there in the blazing hot summer of 1976! I have so many fond memories (and some shit ones) of growing up in and around Urmston, Manchester. I should stick a few of them on here sometime, but for now, I wanted to show the kids a bit of the city and meet the people. The chip shops and the pubs are a huge part of the culture here, which I’ve already talked about, but it’s the people that I really love. It's just different compared to being in North America (which is where Canada is, for all you geographically challenged pillocks).
The banter and laughter when Buffy got ID’d was great. Even just talking with the lady in the garage after getting petrol—it didn’t feel fake like it can over here. So many times over here, the staff in a pub or store say the exact same formulaic things, like, "Did you find everything today?" or "How was your first bite?" There is a lack of individuality, and it’s almost like the staff are trying too hard or are too scared of upsetting someone. No one would say "Morning, love" to you, or "Alright, pet." And that’s a shame, because it’s friendly, wholesome, welcoming, and wonderful.
Every time I was in a shop or waiting to be served in a pub, there were just these little interactions that felt normal, honest, and natural. I miss that a lot.
Then you take Manchester, the accents, and the city itself—a modern metropolis, inspired by history and yet looking to the future. A city that was destroyed by one bomb and rebuilt, only to suffer another terrorist strike, yet somehow embraced both and came away from them as an even more welcoming place than before.
The kids loved playing in the parks, riding the trams and visiting Tim Hortons - which by the way was heads and shoulders above any other Timmies I ever visited.
Manchester still has the feel of a small city compared to London or Toronto. Like Winnipeg, it feels like everyone knows each other or has a mutual mate. Life seems and feels a little less serious than over here. I sometimes listen in to people talking over here, and most conversations on the street are serious and monotonous. I did the same in Manchester and heard sarcasm, self-deprecation, and laughter more often than not. It just felt different, and I love and miss it so much.
Add to that all the history and the "hidden in plain sight" surprises—like the fact that Chris lives in the middle of a city but can go out with the dogs for two minutes and be in a wonderful countryside nature reserve and pond. It’s quiet and peaceful and wonderful, and so are the people.
I
I also miss the rain—amazingly, it was sunny for most of the trip. But there was one evening when my brothers and I took the dogs out to the Dutton Pond nature reserve and wandered there and back in a cool, damp Manc rain. That half an hour—my brothers, me, and the dogs—was genuinely one of my favourite parts of the entire trip - That leads me onto the actual main reason we went to the UK
Friends and Family.
Everything I already mentioned was great—but it wouldn't have been as great without the friends and family around us. From Emma and Chris putting us up in their Airbnb-inspired bedrooms, Gareth and Tracey travelling all the way from Oz, to Paul letting us use his United box, and Phil popping over from Wales to catch up and watch the football. Jimbo popping up every five minutes for a beer, and Mikie and Hannah driving up for the wedding. Alistair, Georgia, Adam, Chris's mates in the pub, Catherine and Eleanor waving at the football, Mark, Kate, and Clary for taking us on a hike to the pub, and everyone else who we crossed paths with—thank you so much for putting up with us and the kids!
We loved nearly every minute. I wish we could have seen more old friends, and maybe next time we go home to Manchester, we will do it off our own backs instead of waiting for a wedding. Maybe we will stay longer and catch up with more people.
We have now been back in Winnipeg for two weeks and are enjoying the late spring and early summer weather. We HAVE already booked our flights and transport for our next big trip next year. It’s hopefully the first of many trips coming up while the kids are still young. More on that another time, but for now, here are a last few pics of our UK trip. Love to you all!
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