Sat 02 Apr - We Don't Need No Insurance

Saturday, CAMRA AGM starts at 09:30, we wake up at 09:45 - whoops! Who was it who said "if you are going to be late, you might as well be really late and enjoy a good breakfast"? Plus it's slashing it down with rain. Still I get chance to try my el-cheapo new RAF Gortex over-trousers on the 1.7 mile walk to the station (see I told you we were going to measure it).

As we got into Central Station we got a text from Terry suggesting meeting up forthwith at the Augustus John pub. A good uphill stretch but the rain gave us the incentive to do it without stopping (unlike yesterday). Greetings exchanged and half-pints enjoyed (see I told you we were responsible drinkers) and time to go into the AGM's afternoon session. Well for Terry anyway; Phil, Liz & I took a bus down to the docks (whoops, sorry - a bus down to the new trendy Liverpool 1 area) to inspect Liverpool's only brew-pub, The Baltic Fleet.

Remember the "small world " from a couple of days ago. Who did we meet in the Baltic Fleet, Derek and Julia, better known as "True Rig & A Doxy", the organisers of last week's Shanty Festival. They were playing in the pub that evening (as they did every Saturday evening). We'd have loved to get back to see them but you can't do everything!

Whilst in the pub we came across this wonderful sign

 If you can't read the last couple of lines here's a close up

Pretty strong words, especially to someone who lost his great-grand-father on the most famous White Star ship, The Titanic!

Back to the AGM to catch Tim Martin's speech. For those who don't know Tim is the founder/owner of the Wetherspoons chain of pubs. An interesting and humourous speech mainly focusing on the inequalities of taxation on beer and food between pubs (high tax) and supermarkets (low tax).

Now Liz and I met in Liverpool 44 years ago and our first date was on the Kop watching Liverpool v Spurs, so it was fitting that we spend the early part of the evening watching the two teams battle it out again. We'd have loved to actually have gone to Anfield, but as I said earlier, you can't do everything.