Well we have now passed two years of trading at the Plough and , guess what, we are still here. For clarity and to remind those who do not keep up with the blog there is no real ‘we’ its just me really but I feel better when I say ‘we’.
It is traditional at these points to reflect so lets give that a go. We now have staff, there is the inimitable Nick who reflects the very ethos of this pub as well as I could ever do. Did the barman raise his middle finger or utter an expletive? that’s Nick. Did the barman call over his shoulder whilst playing pool? that’s Nick. Did the barman slip seamlessly around the bar to serve you whilst I was serving somebody else? that’s Nick. In short if you see somebody who looks so comfortable at the Plough that you think they live here then check them out its either me or you are looking at Nick.
We still have a Lucy aka ‘little legs’ but for some reason that none of us can fathom she would rather be in Sri-Lanka playing with fish than earning a living in the real world (bloody students). We now have a Jade who is falling into the unique ways of the Plough and will soon feel as natural as the rest of us idiots I am sure.
We are a wall down, one of the longest standing irritations of the Plough is gone and the response to the change has been entirely positive. The oak floor is wearing wonderfully and looks so much better than the carpet. Windows and doors have been replaced with the next set commissioned and in build now. We have just finished replacing over 100 m of flat roof which should enable decorating to carry on with some confidence.
Last Sunday we hosted live music. I always said that I wouldn’t do live music to entertain the masses but rather to reward our customers and it was a true pleasure to see our Plough, the pub that we have created, enjoying live music. It was never about drawing a crowd it was about the pub that we know having the great and well deserved time and I can say that it was a proud moment.
The one thing that we are not short of here is challenges and there are many more changes to come as we work to put a wonderful pub back together. It’s great to see the faces of grockles as they see the changes that the pub has been through or congratulate you on ‘completion’ still wonderfully naive of the works yet to come.
Since this is my blog I should end with a personal note. feel free to give up now. It is often joked that I will be the next Bill Downer and sometimes I think that is true but not for the reason that it is proffered. The thing for me is that the Plough is inextricably part of me and it is the best of me, it is simply who I am. When people ask or worry about what life I have outside of here I smile because I know that I am no good at life, I’ve tried and failed at it. The pub does an excellent job of hiding me from the world and I think that I am about as comfortable as I will ever be with myself.
Those who know me know that work is my escape and I work hard. I don’t want, and never have wanted, a life it is a luxury that I do not need. So for me perhaps the best thing that has happened is that the Plough has become my persona. This may sound odd but for me it is perfect, like hiding in plain space.
Gav Young 