Monday at home in Berkeley

A relaxed day today, Monday 10th,  with a sleep in and admin such as blog updates and planning for the rest of the week. Well, Lady P does the planning (excellent job too) and Flashy makes the coffee.  Mid afternoon we decide to walk up the hill and do a right hand circuit of the main street, Solano Ave, which our street, Neilson St, sort of cuts in half, one part being the suburb of Berkeley and the other being Albany. So, today Albany gets the nod. Down one side and up the other is the plan and it is a lovely walk looking at the various Tibetan, Indian, Thai and such restaurants, little bars and a whole lot of hair and nail salons. A quick text to Joanne and Lady P has the correct pharmacological name for tummy upset medicine and an equivalent of paracetamol, which we purchase at the local chemist. At the end of the street we hit San Pablo St and guess what we find, which delays our return? Well, it's not a flower shop matey, it's a bar with 37 different brews on tap. Oh so much choice. Lady P suggests Flashy have a flight of beers so he chooses carefully, making sure to progress from a light IPA through to a serious stout. So, 'Heretic Evil Cousin Double IPA' is followed by 'Sonoma Springs Uncle Jack's Kolsch', 'Sierra Nevada Hoptimum Imperial IPA' and 'Port Brewing Santa's Little Helper Bourbon Barrel Stout'.
 

 All were exceptionally delicious, with Lady P stealing most of the Kolsch. The star of the flight was the stout. Without doubt the best stout Flashman has ever tasted and you know he has tasted a lot. A decision to have another (stand alone) stout was brought about by his suspicion that Santa's Little Helper was even better than Guinness. At 13.5% alcohol, he decides on a small glass rather than a pint. The verdict is in. Best ever stout. It tasted like a liquid Christmas pudding and certainly time in a bourbon barrel before bottling has imparted exquisite flavours. So, refreshed we head up the other side of the street and again discover more of our little neighbourhood, including Schmit's Pub. What another find that is. 


A real public house in the old English fashion including a nice fireplace in the 'lounge room', a garden out the back and a porch in the front and Guinness and English beers. In one corner is a display of smoking pipes and large glass jars of tobacco. While relaxing in a lounge chair with a glass of 'Speckled Hen', we notice a lady pay the barman and get a single cigarette paper. She proceeds to the tobacco jars, selects her blend and rolls a smoke. Soon after a gentleman does the same. They enjoy their rollie on the veranda. A quick stop at Safeway for some steak and veg for tonight's dinner and we complete our little neighbourhood walk.