Fathers' Day

I thought we were onto a good thing – the Mermaid Inn at Wightwick has a link to some sort of gourmet club. The first three months' membership is £1 / month, and for that you get 25% off your bill for food and drinks. That sounded like icing on the cake for our combined Fathers' Day / best beloved's birthday celebration. Then I noticed that you had to tell them at the time of booking that you were a member – but I thought perhaps I could unbook and then rebook. Then I saw the exclusions – Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, December, and anything that wasn't part of an à la carte menu. That ruled out today's meal on at least two counts, so I kept my pound in my pocket. But lunch-time found us being greeted warmly at this easily-accessible and friendly pub.

When the starters came, they looked good and tasted delicious, while the rustic bread was suitably rustic. The roasts, on the other hand, left something to be desired in terms of presentation (messy), temperature (too low) and the over-cookedness of the veggies. The beef part of my "roast platter" was so tough as to be inedible, though the waitress unhesitatingly brought along an extra slice or two of pork to compensate. I always feel a bit cheated when a meal I'm paying somebody for is nowhere as good as what I could produce myself, even on Erin Mae.

But this is not a day to be sad! Hamilton finished fifth, but Andy Murray won at Queen's. It's raining again outside, but we're dry and comfortable in the boat. I don't really approve of Fathers' Day, since I think it was probably invented by the greetings card industry, but I remember my own father and what he was and did. And I think of all that being a father has brought me. It's a day to be grateful.