The Witch Inn

GOODBYE,GOD BLESS AND SAFE HOME.

2010-05-12T05:28:00.002Z

I am sitting here at half past six in the morning looking out over not quite the broad atlantic ocean,its probably the Adriatic Sea i would say but i realised i probably never said goodbye properly.So here it is.
Over the many many,too many some people would say years that i spent in the Witch,i had some of the happiest moments of my life and thats no lie.I also had some sad times,some bad times and some downright awful times.I could go through them all but that would take hours and this is not THE LONG GOODBYE so i will ention a few highlights for me.
I would have to start with the Horse Racing DAYS when we had some times and even a few winners but they were great days out.Ascot,Epsom,Sandown,Goodwood,Lingfield,Plumpton,Fontwell,Kempton,Salisbury,Worcester,Ludlow,Warwick,Folkestone,Aintree even the hallowed ground of Cheltenham, nowhere was safe from the green and black strpes of the Witch Racing Club.Then there were football matches one in particular i remember with great fondness was Brighton v Notts County in about 1991 when two bus loads of us went to Wembley to support the Seagulls and have a few drinks of course.We stopped off at my old pal Tony Grealishs dads pub The Halo on Harrow Road before and after the game.There were Darts nights,the Pool nights were brilliant we had so many great ones and we celebrated in the traditional manner on many many nights and mornings.We also had our own Sunday football team which had some great days winning leagues and cups on a regular basis.My abiding memory of Sunday football was after my 40th birthday party which finished at 7 o clock in the morning being knocked up at 9 o clock because i had said early the night before as i usually did give me a shout if your short lads,well they did and we lost 18-2,i came off drunk at half time it was only 9 at that stage.There were Quiz nights and all sorts of nights i would try to drum up trade not all successful i might add.What i would consider my glory years were from 1995 to 2005 when that pub rocked like no other pub before or since.My plan was simple but payed off hugely.Nobody wanted kids but i took them on,but under my rules and believe me when i say nobody broke my rules if they did they were out and they would not get back.I fought and scrapped and chased kids all over through those years but i believed in them and they came good for me.Not all kids are good but there is good in most of them.Those years brought on the Music nights,the Fancy Dress Parties,New Years Eve,Christmas Eve and St Patricks Day.Rocol were my great discovery.I met Ronan and Colin as 18 year old boys at a small wedding in Ireland ten years ago and the rest is history..During that time we had our own Rugby team which i took to Galway on tour and had a ball.My favourite times of all were the big Football tournaments from 1988 to 2006 World Cups and European Cups what days they were in the sunshine with the flags all round the pub and more tvs than you could shake a stick at but it was awesome,and never any trouble.I cant go without saying a big thank you to the MCFC Supporters Club(there is about 80 now) who are a great bunch of guys who support Man City till they die.Good days ahead lads.
Now i know i have gone on a bit but there is more.No i have given you a flavour of what its been like for me,i enjoyed every last minute but as you all know i suffered a stroke almost three years ago and its all too much now.I MUST say a huge thank you to all my guys and beautiful girls who worked and made the Witch what it is today and a special thank you to Christelle who has been my girl friday for the last year.
Well thats about it i probably wont be coming on here much now so Goodbye,God Bless and Safe Home in the words of Pele "I LOVE YOU ALL"

THE PHOTOS,WHERE ARE THEY????

2010-05-05T15:12:00.002Z

I had a job to find them but i did in the end.You have to go behind the red button and look under April 18th .I put so many other photos i found on there they got pushed out to another placeand i put them on differently so they only come out in ARCHIVE.Just thought i would let you all know this post comes from Sicily,Ciao

PHOTOS FROM PAST DAYS AT THE WITCH

2010-04-26T14:35:00.001Z

All the photos can be seen behind the Archive button

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For those of you interested

2010-04-24T10:01:00.001Z

The remainder of the photos can be seen behind the ARCHIVE button.What a night that was even sober you could not fail to have enjoyed it.

The one that got left behind

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PHOTOS FROM SAT NIGHT 17TH APRIL 2010

2010-04-23T15:48:00.001Z

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

2010-04-20T21:04:00.002Z

Into my last week at the Witch,and so far it feels fine.Had a fantastic party last weekend,once again the band were awesome,they just get better and better.On friday i found out at 5 o clock that Ryan Air had cancelled all flights till Monday,i was gutted because i thought there goes my band.However when i told Ronan he said they would still be there,he was going home to book a ferry,which he did ,and after a 12 hour journey those boys went on and kicked ass as the Yanks say..I wanted to look around and see a sea of faces that meant something to me,and i did.I want to say thank you to all you guys for my cards and presents,that is more than i deserve.This weekend you are all invited to Gerrys last party ever at the Witch.I have booked a London Irish band called Bible Code Sunday who are brilliant,they do a Pogues type thing,got a few Irish friends coming and as many of you as can fit.
All week people have been delving around in my skip taking away things that i have thrown out,which just goes to show one mans rubbish is another mans delight.It does not bother me in the slightest,most of them will come in and ask if they can look in the skip.
Not sure what will happen about my flight to Sicily if this ash will still be around in a couple of weeks,if it is i might go by train but it takes about two days.Will sign off now its not really flowing and when the telly is on its distracting.

TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING

2010-04-13T07:54:00.002Z

A funny thing happened last week.I had an email from a lady friend in America who told me she had an email from somebody at Haywards Heath golf club telling her my ex wife Simeon was taking over the Witch when i left,was this true?i have no idea i said but i will find out.I did find out and it is true.There is a song i used to like from years ago by Del Amitri i think called "The last to know",well that was me,because when i started asking the customers they all knew too.You cannot keep a secret in Lindfield or Haywards Heath.At least it is staying in the family said Naoise my daughter,and for the two of them it will be the same.
Funny how life changes.
Apart from that nothing much else has occurred.My packing is gathering momentum.Three big boxes packed now,mainly down to Christelle,who has been a great help to me over the last year.All my tickets have been issued for my party this weekend,if you have not got a ticket and you think you should have i can only apologise as i have a very large family and a lot of very close friends.Please do not come as you will not get in,there are door staff,and i will not come to the door.This will be my second last week end and i would like to enjoy it.

THREE MORE WEEKS TO GO

2010-04-07T10:56:00.002Z

When i started blogging many years ago,first of all with my old website and then with this new one five years ago,i never had a plan.I would write about whatever came into my head.Now that the time is getting ever closer to my departure i find myself looking back over my time here at THE WITCH.I have had many many happy times here,though not all were happy,i had sad times,desperate times when i could not see how i could survive,but all in all i have to say in general it has given me a great lifestyle over 24 years.My two children were brought up here and enjoyed their time here.I have met many many thousands of people here,not all of whom i have liked but most i have.All through the years people have come and gone,most people are sheep,and move on from place to place following the crowd,they go where the biggest crowd is.I had that but grew tired of it,but i know how it works.For me the Pub is a great institution,but its under the severest threat.They are closing at the rate of 50 a week all over the country as people desert them.Various excuses are put forward,Supermarkets,Superpubs,the prices charged,Bars,all of them are valid excuses but you as people are the ones who make a difference and you are the ones who are really closing the pubs,its in your lifetime this is happening.I know its pointless me going on like this but i have said it for the last time.Use it or you Lose it,simples.Dont turn around in 10 years time and say "where are all our pubs gone,why have they been closed?"because sure as eggs are eggs thats what will happen.I will be on here once or twice more before i disappear off into the mist to let you know how my party went.

PACKING UP,SLOWING DOWN,MOVING ON

2010-03-29T09:36:00.002Z

Started packing away my videos,dvd"s,cd"s etc last week,did not get very far but it was a start.Going to label my boxes so i know whats in them,figured that one out all by myself.I realised something when i started doing this,i have never done it before.When i moved house before i was working ,so was away when all the packing was done,i also realised i have loads of stuff that is worth thousands that i dont need anymore,so i will have to sell it on EBAY,only trouble is have never sold anything on Ebay before,i have bought stuff but never sold.Thats new and a wee bit scary.
Been slowing down for quite some time now,as has trade.We have our busy days of course but also a lot of quiet ones.I have EASTER next weekend,then the Grand National and Masters weekend,Then my party weekend .Now i have to say this here and now if you have not received an official invitation do not come,you will not be allowed in.There will be Door Staff on the front and back doors,this is where i celebrate my time at the Witch with my family,my kids and their friends and the people who have always been there for me.The place is not big enough to take all the people i know so distinctions have had to be made,i apologise if you consider yourself worthy but unfortunately there are others more worthy,that of course is only my opinion,but in this case its my opinion that counts.
Moving on from here may be difficult i dont know,but i intend to do what i like to do.I will start with a weekend in Ely,near to Newmarket,where i will attend the Guineas meeting at Newmarket,something i have never done,but will cross off the list on the first weekend of May.On the 4th May i go to Sicily for a few weeks,also something i have never done.There i shall relax,eat Italian food,drink Italian wine and read lots of books,oh and sleep in the sun,hopefully.After that i will head for the Emerald Isle where i shall traverse the country,visiting friends and family,going to the Galway Races,the Willie Clancy Memorial and a few Gaelic Football and Hurling matches.I shall also be thinking about my future in my quiet moments

BINOCULAR,THE CHAMPION HURDLE TROPHY,DOES IT GET BETTER??

2010-03-24T19:45:00.002Z

I was picked up at 8 o clock on the morning of Tuesday 16th March by my very good friend and former colleague Mr Liam Brady and his driver.We set off for the Holy Ground and arrived in great heart just before 12 o clock.I had all my horses picked out,some many months before.We said our hellos to JP,his wife Noreen,Sir Peter O Sullivan the famous commentator,Dermot Desmond the owner of Glasgow Celtic,Mouse Morris the Gold Cup winning trainer,Timmy Hyde and Frank Berry and my great friend Peter Hopkins.There was other people there like the McManus family,Charlie Swan and people coming and going all day.I was quite happy to let the first favourite run without my money,i thought he would win but i dont like them too skinny.However after a couple of glasses of beautiful wine ,i relented and joined every other Irishman with £200 on Dunguib.It finished 3rd.The next race was my banker of the meeting Sommersby.It finished 2nd.My next best bet was Bensalem in the 3rd.By this time i started to feel unwell,probably that wine,so i went out onto the balcony to sit down.I got up about twenty minutes later when i heard the immortal words of the commentator,"they are coming to the second last fence and Bensalem is going really well,he is cantering all over them oh no he has fallen".The Champion Hurdle was next and it was won by our hosts own horse Binocular.I dont think one person in the box backed the horse but you have never heard people shout like they did,every man ,woman and child went apoplectic.I have never seen the Champion Hurdle Trophy up close but i did that day, i touched it.Did not bet in the cross country race and we left before the last,so i ended up losing about £500.
The next day i started the day with £40 at 22/1 my first winner put me £380 up.I also backed Michael Flips whose place odds were 9/1.The next day i backed Ballabriggs at 8/1 but on the friday nothing.I would say over the four days i probably lost about £250 which for four days of unadulterated fun,from 8 o clock in the morning till 6 o clock at night is not too bad.Its now onwards to Aintree and the Grand National meeting.

Cheltenham approaches,my favourite time of the year

2010-03-08T11:02:00.002Z

Next Tuesday 16th March i will be at Cheltenham for the first day of Racings greatest festival.I love that place,its an amphitheatre of sporting excellence.The horse is a magnificent animal,full of life and power,but the horses at Cheltenham are a collection of the finest of the breed.It makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it.I have already made a lot of my bets,some will be right,hopefully,others will be wrong,because its not an exact science betting on horses.You have to back good trainers and good jockeys because bad trainers and bad jockeys do not win at Cheltenham.The course is too hard,the races are too competetive for that to happen.All year i watch the racing on tv,formulating my opinions,some are very strong others are more of a hunch,but there is a good reason for all my bets.Like i said,not all will be right because you will need luck,but at least i am backing my judgement,and if they lose i only have myself to blame.If anyone wants to know my selections,at the end of this there is a comment button just ask and i will give them to whoever wants to have a little bit of fun,as long as nobody gets moody if they lose.Now i cant be fairer than that can i ?
On a slightly different point just to bring you up to date on the current state of affairs viz a vis my future.After the little blood pressure incident last week i have once more changed my plans,Australia is suspended till i feel the blood pressure thing will not happen again,i am now going to somewhere in Europe then Ireland for the Summer and i will finish my book over there.

WHATS HAPPENED TO THE NHS????

2010-02-26T09:29:00.002Z

Luckily for me i have not had cause to use the system much,when i had the stroke i did and to be honest if left a bit to be desired but yesterday i was confronted with the less than caring attitude of our Health System.First of all i went to the Doctors Surgery because i did not feel well at all.They put me in a seat for the Day Clinic.I waited 45 mins while the only Doctor on duty had a coffee.When there was no sign of life Jarek my brother in law took me straight to Accident and Emergency at the Princess Royal.There i was seen straight away and underwent a whole series of tests,one of which revieled my blood pressure had risen to 250/130,which is very high. I was released about 4.30/5.00.I went home went straight to bed .Two hours later i woke up with a mother and father of a headache,and feeling like i was about to puke at any second.I tried to ward it off but could not so i got Christelle to ring an Ambulance.It took three calls from Christelle and Jarek before anybody came.A very nice lady came in a car and took me back to Hospital.There they put me in a cubicle where i was seen by a very nice man who took my blood pressure which was now 220/112 which is very high still.I then had to wait 3 hours for the Doctor who when she came was very nice and she sent me home with two more drugs.In my sons car on the way home i eventually puked my guts up,really sorry about that Daz.That seemed to settle me down a lot,i felt better.I went to bed,had a good nights sleep and woke up this morning looking like The Elephant Man.My face is enormous.So once again this morning am off to the Doctors Surgery to sort out my face and my blood pressure.You never know whats round the corner do you???

NOT BEEN THAT LONG I KNOW

2010-02-25T02:38:00.002Z

But its nearly three o clock on thursday morning and i cant sleep coz i had a couple of hours earlier from 5-7,bad idea.I woke up with a tooth ache which i still have,not good.I am hoping a few minutes staring at the computer screen doing this will help me sleep.Already i think its working my eyes are feeling heavy so i might just sign off.See you soon

TIME FOR REFLECTION

2010-02-21T05:15:00.005Z

There comes a time in every ones life when there is cause to look back and reflect on how things went overall.I go back to July 1986 when i retired from football officially and since that day to this people have asked me "do i miss it"?.I can tell you categorically that no i did not miss it and i will tell you why i did not miss it,I believe it is a destructive thing to keep looking back on what you did,be proud of what you did by all means,but who likes to listen to someone who goes on about past achievements all the time? Nobody thats who.I say this probably not for the first time but people say the same thing to me now,you will miss the pub game,but i will do the same thing i did with the football,i will close that chapter in my life and move on to whatever life throws up.But as i look back and reflect on my life here at The Witch Inn i think it has been a very happy time for me and my family on the whole,i made mistakes of course i did,but by and large i think i brought the Witch to life and over the years played an important part in a lot of peoples lives.
When i came here first it was a massive operation to first of all clear the site of old buildings,ten foot high grass and hedges in the kids garden,and an unbelievable amount of tv"s,washing machines and assorted rubbish which had been deposited in the garden.My father nearly killed me in that garden a few weeks before we opened.I was pouring petrol from a can onto the 30foot high pile of rubbish,my dad was throwing matches on behind me,luckily for me they blew out before they hit the rubbish or i would not be writing this.I had just finished the petrol when i heard this enormous explosion, i was thrown forward,my dad went flying past me,i got up and ran to the edge of the garden before i looked around to see flames rise a hundred feet in the air,a really stupid thing to do i know but we never thought what might happen.The Witch changed dramatically three times while i have been at the helm,in the beginning i was naieve and influenced by the wrong people,not bad people,they just wanted to maintain the pub the way they liked it.Then came my most inspired and enjoyable time with the kids and the sport.I love those years from 1995 to 2005,there was European Cups,World Cups,Rugby World Cups,Cricket World Cups,my Cricket team ,our tours and matches,all the football teams that represented The Witch,the Rugby team and tour we had,our Pool team that won the treble after years of trying,many many happy memories of great nights and days,very very late nights and early mornings.The music nights,some of which were awesome although i did have some bad ones i must admit.I would say a few million people have been through the doors in that time and in general most people have enjoyed their stay but as Abraham Lincoln once said "you can please some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time but you cant please all the people all the time".I have always borne that in mind.
Both of my children have been raised here and i think they turned out fine,i am very proud of both of them,they spent a large part of learning about life under my watcful eye although i did not interfere too much on their fun.I have many many friends after all this time here and i know i wont see you all before i go but i want to say thank you to all those who supported me .
The third and final change came about in 2004,when the Broadway Bars kicked in just about at the time when i was getting fed up dealing with the snotty little shits who did not respect anything,so overnight i quit that game completely.Took out the Jukebox,the Pool table,all machines,everything that kids liked.I wanted to change.It took about nine months to complete the job.I built a kitchen and made a restaurant and turned to food.People thought i was mad but it worked.Everything was well on track till i was struck down with a stroke in August 2007.I have been battling with it since then and with the Recession starting to bite a year or so ago i started to think my time had come.Its just too hard a business,and its very very demanding especially when my health is not brilliant.So when i started to negotiate a price i knew the time was right."Je ne regret rien" is one of my favourite songs,it was sung by Parisien Edith Piaf,but it sort of portrays how i feel about my life here at the Witch.

MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT,NEW PLANS AFOOT

2010-02-07T19:21:00.002Z

As the time gets closer my plans become clearer,or at least what i would like to do.My plan is to finish here at the end of April,have a few weeks pottering around sorting stuff out,then i would like to go on a very long sabbatical,to finish my book and have time off.Its many many years since i have had a two week holiday so i think i would like to go visit some friends in Australia.I will rent my apartment for maybe one year and have maybe six months out there.I would like to be back for October or early November when the National Hunt season really kicks into gear.As anyone who reads this will know i am a big horse racing fan and its one of my great joys to follow the horses through the season and on to the big festivals at Cheltenham,Aintree and Punchestown.I have already backed quite a few horses Ante Post fot Cheltenham.One ran on Saturday called Kalahari King,it won at 12/1 i backed it,but i backed it two months ago at 12/1 for Cheltenham its now 5/1.Mind you Ante post is dangerous if the horse does not run you lose your money.There has been very little happening recently,trade has been poor but thats pretty normal for the time of the year.We have had a few of the quietest days ever but you learn to deal with that

LOTS OF SNOW,NEW APARTMENT,SAME OLD STORIES.

2010-01-25T08:20:00.002Z

The snow arrived with a vengeance round about the 2nd January and probably lasted at least two weeks which for us here in the Sunny South East is a lot of snow.Its a funny thing with the snow but it brings people together.People go and walk with their kids because they cant get to work and they meet up with their neighbours and people they did not realise were their neighbours and its all great fun.Of course there are bits that are not great fun but hey ho i have been dealing with that for 24 years and should be used to it by now but it still annoys me a bit.I feel i have to take some people to task about an incident that happened one snowy day recently.Some people came in about 5 o clock having been drinking in the village during the day,which is allowed by the way.They had a few on board,lets say.About 7 o clock i was upstairs when i heard some noise downstairs,i came down to find a couple of lads singing.I knew them both and jokingly said "i pay people if i want to hear singing",one of the guys who was completely ossified by this stage said to me "there is no one in your **ckin pub",to which i informed him that no pub allowed drunken people to sing at the bar and there was no need for that sort of language,they then tried to tell me there were lots of pubs allowed this,well if there are i am glad i am getting out of the business.Can you imagine coming into a pub at 7 o clock with your wife and family and being met by bad singing at the bar,i dont think so.Same old story really,there are always people think they know your business better than you do,well very soon the lunatics can take over the asylum,i wont care,but till then we play by my rules.Glad i got that off my chest.Over the years there have been many such instances,some apologise and life goes on as normal others dont and we never speak again but i can live with that it will not change my life one bit.
Last week i went to Hove to be shown around New Church Road area by Sarah Brady,wife of Liam.After driving around for a bit Sarah said "do you want to go look at thev apartments you were interested in"? i didnt want to really but i went along.We chatted with the lady who was selling them,went to see it and it turned out to be gorgeous,one bedroom more than i wanted but i ended up buying it anyway,i have always been like that,impulsive.

MY NEW LIFE GETS EVER CLOSER

2010-01-04T06:26:00.002Z

Once more Christmas and New Year have come and gone and the big sigh of relief has been breathed,but this year for the last time.People say to me i will really miss it and in truth down the road i probably will but there are parts of it i will never miss,when i left the Football at a very young age people for years used to say "do you really miss it" but in all honesty the way i dealt with that is the way i will deal with this.I closed the book on it rarely talked about it and got on with my new life,in my humble opinion i think thats the way to do it.I will never forget the times i have had and the nice people i have met but there have also been some not very nice people and some not very nice times and those will be forgotten in a flash.But i will close that chapter of my life and move on to the next slice of my life,and rarely talk about it etc etc.My first project will be to finish my life story,that will take a few months but its something i really want to do.I have always wanted to live by the sea since i was a kid,dont care if i never go in it but i really do like to look at it i find it very relaxing and calming,cannot explain why apart from that.As kids tho we lived about 5 miles from the sea we rarely went there,except on Summer holidays when we would be in the sea every day no matter what the weather was like and sometimes it could be awful,but we didnt mind.I look forward to my new life and my whole new existence.I do not have anyone else to look after so i can be whatever it suits me to be,a writer,a painter,a gambler,a drinker,a walker,a talker,a nice man,a horrid man who knows its all stretched out before me if you believe in Destiny.I will look for an apartment now as the time gets ever nearer,and sort out my bits n pieces.I have not allowed myself get emotional yet because its a bit too far away and thats my prerogative when and with who i do that.Cant go off without passing on my congratulations to Leeds United for giving the whole of England hope that the big guys can be beat.

WINTER TIME IS HERE AGAIN

2009-12-17T09:59:00.002Z

And boy its got cold in the last week.I was just saying to someone in the pub that up to a week or so ago it was still tee shirt weather but in the last few days the frost has come and all of a sudden the heating is on full blast and very shortly British Rail will stop running because there will be leaves on the line or snow or rain or just a bag of crisps will do it really.The Joys of Christmas approach too,presents for family, and friends you dont even like,music laughter,tears the whole shebang and in a week its all over,great!The Pub has been flat until this week when we have been busy but i reckon we will get maybe three good weeks before it will all go flat in January and February.Its been a few weeks since i was on but not much has happened,met a few friends in Brighton for Christmas things and the only thing i noticed any different was the grey hairs have appeared all round and people are looking older.Saw Chris Catlin,Andy Rollings,Gerry Fell,Steve Foster,Liam Brady and Mike Yaxley from the football days and a lot of other old friends like Brian Roberts and Ray Williams.Had some food and some drinks and some head Aches just like usual really.Having some friends for dinner this Saturday night and all my family on Sunday so more head aches and more laughs i hope.For those of you interested The Piano Man will be here on Saturday night and i wont be in as bad form as i was last Saturday,when i was tired and emotional after too hard a session at the gym,i never learn.

MANCHESTER WEEK END

2009-11-30T12:38:00.002Z

Went to Manchester last weekend for a dinner on Friday night to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Manchester Citys official supporters club,where the guest of honour was UWE ROSLER,Uwe was inducted into the hall of fame the next day and was given a fantastic reception by the City fans.The next day went to watch Man City play Hull in what was a very disappointing game but i still enjoyed it.Had a lovely Chinese meal in the evening in Chinatown.I have to mention here the amazing faith that Man City fans have shown for years and years.There was 46,000 of them there on Saturday but you have to bear in mind they have won nothing for 30 years,unbelievable faith.I stood outside the ground on Saturday and watched the crowd go in,you have never seen a more diverse group of people.There was a Chinese woman with her son,youngsters in groups,boys with girls,men with women and children,old men,old women,men dressed in football strips that really should not do that,there were Swedes,Danes,Irish and people from all over Great Britain there,a real well of humanity.The Mid Sussex branch were very disappointed but i can assure them that happens and you never know when it will happen that is the beauty of the game.

HOW ANNOYING,BEATEN BY THE HAND OF FROG

2009-11-22T20:15:00.003Z

As most of you will know by know Ireland once again were the victims of sporting injustice,we wuz robbed in Paris by the the hand of frog Terry Henry,who handled the ball not once but twice in extra time to put France on the plane to South Africa and to confine us to another four years on the campaign trail.Now this is not the first time this has happened to us and not even the first time against France.Back in my day Kevin Moran scored a brilliant headed goal,but the referee disallowed it inexplicably for hand ball,because of that we failed to qualify for the World Cup.We accepted it in good grace as we always do but it makes you sort of angry that because we are small that people push us aside,and these things constantly happen to us.One day we will have our day,though i probably wont be alive to see it.
Went to watch Brighton play Leeds on Saturday with my friend Tim Southwell and his two boys Alfie and Sonny,all of them Leeds fans.Once again Brighton lost while i watched,well thats not strictly true,i watched the first half got a bit wet and cold so decided at half time to visit my old Captain Steve Foster who lives just up the road.Really enjoyed that bit, had a coffee and a couple of glasses of Rioja and watched the results from the comfort of Fozzies home.
Had a little bit of Nostalgia last night when Martin Smith celebrated his 40th birthday here.Martin was one of my first group of young regulars 22 years ago when he was 18.He met his beautiful wife Nicki here,she was one of my Bar maids and i remember them getting together and getting married and they now have three beautiful young children.There were lots of faces i have not seen for a while and all of his friends.It was a great night for us in these lean times.

CHRISTMAS WITH MUSIC BY THE PIANO MAN

2009-11-15T10:25:00.002Z

On Saturday 12th December and Saturday 19th December i am having two night of Christmas fayre with Music,not really done this before but hey its Christmas and its my last one.Book in the usual way by phone ot on here.

RAIN,FLOODS,HIGH WINDS,FALLEN TREES=NO ELECTRICITY

2009-11-15T09:53:00.002Z

Over the last few days Winter has arrived with a vengeance.On Friday the rain was unbelievable,with flooding all around me but miraculously i had no problems except blocked drains above,which resulted in me getting soaked trying to unblock them.Then Saturday morning i was looking at the Races on my computer when i heard a crash,then the electricity went out with a bang,then my neighbour came running around to tell me one of my trees had fallen in the road and snapped off the electric wires to the pub.I called the Fire Brigade who were there within minutes,EDF took a bit longer,about five hours longer to be exact.We had a tree blocking the road which was surrounded by live electricity,yet some dopes argued about getting through it all,maybe we should not have argued with them,just let them fry,but we stopped them frying themselves,not neccessarily for the good of Mankind.When the EDF did arrive they were truly amazing and within two hours they had everything up and running smoothly.
That night Ireland played France in the World Cup play off and disappoiningly lost one nil,though to be honest we probably deserved a draw.The game in Paris will now be very very difficult.Lots of people came in last night,for drinks, probably saw the tree down and it brought back memories of 87 when the whole neighbourhood had no electricity but i did,have no idea why that was.So ended another trauma filled day in the life of the Witch,and people ask me will i miss it???? Why of course i will!

OMG ITS NEARLY CHRISTMAS AGAIN!!!!

2009-11-13T10:10:00.002Z

Do you feel like me?Is Christmas really only once a year?The people i feel sorry for now are the ones who have been buying their kids mega expensive presents and putting it on credit cards and now cant do that.Where will the money come from,they already live way beyond their means,and this is a lot of normal people.So the kids will suffer,if you can call it that,by getting smaller,cheaper presents,the only trouble being that kids nowadays know when something is cheaper and they dont want to know about it.So what do we do about it?you cant cancel Christmas its Jesus Christs Birthday,now how many kids even realise that,the real reason for Christmas,its not so everyone can get sloshed with their mates,or gorge their heads off with the family over Christmas dinner with the Turkey and the Christmas Pudding.Dont get me wrong here i am not religous but i do know where Christmas came from and do appreciate the meaning of it.We all do it,We go for Christmas Lunches,Dinners,various get togethers and say Happy Christmas and smile but do we really appreciate the meaning of it because its religous whether you like it or not,or are we just free loaders along for the ride year after year.

Bonfire Night,Tradition and What it means.

2009-11-05T11:34:00.002Z

Tonight is Bonfire Night in Lindfield and a big night it is too with the Guy Fawkes parade and the burning of the Guy followed by the fireworks display.People and their kids come from miles around to take part or just watch.It is usually a very cold night,this year the weather so far has been very very mild so it should be a bumper crowd.Here at the Witch its a very busy time,with the crowds gathering outside our doors and following the procession from there,and afterwards returning for a drink or two and to catch up with old friends who come back to the village for the bonfire celebrations.Its a traditional thing to do and something to be proud of,though Health and Safety try harder and harder to mess things up for all.The tradition has been around for hundreds of years and i personally think its great that people carry on the task year after year because i know from experience that fireworks are expensive,and there will be other expenses too.

BEWARE,OR YOU WILL LOSE WHAT IS MOST PRECIOUS

2009-11-03T15:25:00.002Z

I am talking here about something that has bothered me for a long time now,the dangerous situation that has snook up on all of us over the last ten years or so,the plight of the local pub.Years ago there was one on every corner of every street,now they are disappearing faster than Usain Bolt runs his 100 metres.Even round here the Duck has gone along with the Sussex and the Royal Oak,Wivelsfield Green.This has been mirrored all round the country with pubs closing at the rate of six or seven a week.Lots of things conspire against the pub,drinking and driving,the smoking ban and round here the Bars that have sprung up in town,and take pretty much all the lunchtime trade and all the "cool" trade too,tho how cool it is to go to the same bar for years i am not so sure,but how and ever.Eventually more and more pubs will be lost and eventually you will be left with bars in towns,because they are doing business and good luck to them,but i will ask you this in 20 years time will people still want to go to bars? well they wont have a choice because i think the thing that foreign people admire about Great Britain,the Pub will be extinct,and who will be to blame? Joe Public thats who,because he and she have deserted pubs in huge numbers ,causing the above problems.Nowadays life is too fast,very few people are individuals anymore they want their mates like a baby wants its mother,everything must be on tap,and not too far away,does not matter that you have done the same thing in the same place for the last ten years.Life has always been similar i suppose except now its all happening in Bars and not Pubs,so whats the answer i hear you say,unfortunately i dont know,but hopefully someone will heed the warning signs before it is too late.

COMING TO TERMS WITH MOVING ON

2009-10-30T08:59:00.002Z

Over the last couple of days people have asked me where will i go what will i do and although i have not given it a huge amount of thought it does not frighten me in the slightest.I might go to Brighton or Hove Actually or possibly Galway or maybe go and live with my mother or even stay round here,really not that sure,but the point is i have some choices.The things i am looking forward to doing most are things i do not have time to do in the pub game,like go visit my daughter or son at the week end when they have time to see me,or visit my sisters or even my mother when she is not well which is not very often,i also love Horse Racing and Football,i will do both a lot more.I dont have the same insatiable desire for life that i used to have that has been taken a bit by my stroke and the fact i am finally growing up,i think,oh and also i am getting older.Life does not go on forever and there are a lot of things i would like to do before i depart the only problem is we do not know how long we got so one has to squash in as much as one can before the whistle blows.I am quite sure i will find it difficult to move on because this life i chose has a way of getting hold of you.I always enjoyed the vagaries of it and the different people and their different ways,dont think i have liked everybody,because i have not,but i also know that people have not liked me or my way.The ones i would really like to stick two fingers up to,are the begrudgers,that band of people who over the years spoke to me from their ivory towers,telling me i would not last six months as i heard on many occasions,and people who left because my opening hours did not fit in with their lifestyle,tough,and the guy who told me five or six years ago that i would be out of business in four more months,to you my friend i say,"you know nawting",you are a fool.I know who all these people are and i can tell you one thing for sure they will not be getting an invitation to my party,to say goodbye to all my great friends.

Gerry will be leaving the Building in April

2009-10-28T16:27:00.002Z

I have been dropping little hints for quite a while now,"summers almost over","the time is nigh","54 and almost out of the game" and the like.I have been in negotiations for months now,and finally agreed a price a few weeks ago.Today we exchanged and i got 10% of the price and will be leaving here on the 28th April.This news will be greeted with great joy by some but hopefully a few will be sad to see me go,i know i will be sad to leave.This place has got my mark and thats for sure but it is a difficult business,especially for someone with my ailment.Maybe if i had not had the stroke i might have stayed on,but i did have it and i am hearing loud and clear what my body is telling me.I will not leave without a party,with Rocol and Sillo and Malcolm and all my musical friends from all over will be here and i shall make a speech probably and maybe even sing a song.Tonight i am going to London to have a meal with my daughter,she is the only female in my life now and the one i most like going out with,strange how life changes.Anyway i thought i would come on here and let you know i am leaving,i wanted to let you know what is going on because i want to say goodbye to you all.

SILLO AND THE BAND NEW YEARS EVE

2009-10-26T08:07:00.002Z

I booked the "PIANO MAN" and his band for New Years Eve,might as well go out with a bang.I think they have a new girl singer.Also having two Christmas Parties with Music on the 12th Dec and the 19th Dec which i will attempt to sell to all you folks so beware.Another thing i would rally like to organise is a day at the races before i depart,i think a day at Sandown or Kempton or even Ascot over the sticks in January or February.Shall we go on a week day or week end,that is the question?Or maybe dear old Plumpton 3 miles down the road and a joy of a place,how many people have never been there?i will wager quite a few people have never been to the races in their lives,i think you are missing out on a great event.So heres your chance,roll up roll up!
Benitez done it again over the week end,he turned over Alex again,but can they go on and win the league,i am not so sure about that.As i have said before on here and you can check back i have been unstinting in my praise for Arsene Wenger and his Arsenal team,and i think they will win the league and possibly the European Cup.Thats my view and i am sticking to it.Sport at the moment is a bit like the pub trade,very iffy,but with great things on the Horizon.

THE TIME IS NIGH

2009-10-25T10:06:00.002Z

I remember that on placards in town when i was a kid,some guy would walk around with a placard on his front and back saying that.Who payed him to do that?must have been some underground church or maybe a watch company,but what a job?imagine if its raining who cares if the time is nigh,its already here, get out of the rain you fool.What does it mean?is it religous ?like the end of the world is coming but everyone knows it is we just hope its not soon.Maybe he is the Harbinger of Doom,some people are forever on about that side of things,but The time is nigh is a bit of a cop out. If your honest the time has always been nigh ever since that was first said,whenever that was,but it must have been a while ago,i have not heard anyone say nigh ever i dont think.Anyway getting off that subject,my Daughter came to see me last week to introduce her new boyfriend.He is Australian and his name is Cameron.This is not usual for Naoise only special boy friends get introduced to the oul fella.We had a nice meal and a few drinks,a sort of getting to know you dinner.I couldnt help but notice Cameron"s hair,it was very modern and very nice Naoise told me but it got me thinking what on earth my ex wifes parents must have thought of me when i first showed up with my hair down my back and a beard.The wild man from Borneo had nothing on me,when i look back at photos now it makes me laugh,it would make you laugh,but it was fashionable,believe it or not.I never considered myself a dedicated follower of fashion but i did have some real dodgy clothes and hair styles.I was once described as the man that fashion forgot,back in 1977/78.
Nothing exciting happening on the sporting front except Ireland drew France in the World Cup play offs.Hard game but not impossible.

SUMMERS ALMOST OVER SUMMERS ALMOST GONE

2009-10-14T09:31:00.002Z

Once more the opening line of a song by Loudon Wainright the third,who is the father of Rufus Wainright the first.I thought of it because today for the first time this year i have discarded my beloved flip flops and put on socks and trainers,and i pulled out my old jumper and put it on.Yesterday i got up early as usual went down into the bar as usual got my coffee as usual sat in the corner put on my computer as usual but i was freezing cold which is not usual.I suddenly realised it was the 13th october which incidentally is my mothers Birthday,so after texting her birthday wishes i went upstairs and got me a sweater and started humming the above song.That got me thinking about music and all the different genres of it and how my old man used to slag off my musical tastes,"sounds like jungle music" he would say "will never last" was another one,well it did last and is still going strong today and only goes to prove that my old mans musical likes did not stretch too far,but also that i have a much more open mind when it come to music and while i might not like Rap or R+B that much i do respect the people who do it and realise that its their way of saying things,i dont want to be like my old man was but occasionally one finds oneself slipping into it.I suppose its an age thing as well one cannot be cool forever i am talking now about old guys trying to be cool,not all that sure that works too well but what is cool anyway?

WHAT SHALL I CALL IT?

2009-10-12T08:40:00.002Z

Dont know if i mentioned it on here but a few months back i started writing down my memories,before i got too old to remember.Well its got to the point now where i think there might be a book in it.I have no idea what is involved in getting something published,but i have a few friends who are in that game. I know i can probably write 100,ooo words which a friend told me is about normal,then you add in a lot of photos your almost there.Now i am thinking what shall i call it,for me the name is very important,first of all to get a browser to browse it he or she has to be attracted to the book."From Walkinstown to Walking slow",might be a bit morbid i think that one though it works on some levels."Its all in the game of life" maybe a little too expansive that one i would say."The Corpo to Wembley" does that attract someone to look? you see where i am coming from with this?i have given just a few clues on here,i would like you to help me with this but its not fair to ask because most of you have no idea where i came from.Even the name is not easy to do,but it will come to me,probably in a flash when i am drunk and there is no pen to write it down,so i will forget it,then will have to start over again but such is life, a whole series of start overs.Now that is quite deep but true.I cannot go off here without mentioning the big game over the weekend,Ireland v Italy.We got in front with two minutes left of normal time with a really well worked goal,then inexplicably our Centre Half plus our man of the match Full Back are caught having a picnic 30 yards from the Italian goal.Has no one ever told them about "staying at home","putting up the shutters"or just plain "defending your own goal".It was criminal and embarassing to watch and typical of Ireland.2-1 was not enough for us oh no we had to go looking for a third.Ah well the only consolation when all is said and done is we would have finished second whether we beat Italy or not,well that is assuming Italy beat Cyprus and we beat Montenegro.We are still in with a shout of Qualifying for the greatest Tournament in the World and that is a big consolation.When is the draw???????????

Must try putting some pretty women on here

2009-10-06T07:14:00.002Z

As a matter of fact i have the perfect two to start with,Christelle and Samira,then i could ask all the pretty girls who have worked for me down the years to send me a photo and i will put them up in lights,is that sexist or politically not correct,i suppose i would have to say the same thing to the boys who have worked as well,ok i will say it .What a strange way to start my blog.Must have been thinking about women i suppose,tho the last thing i did before coming on here was read an article in the news section of Google which said that Glastonbury 2010 had sold out in mega quick time,its their 40th anniversary which is amazing, and U2 are rumoured to be headlining.Pretty girls and music,sort of goes hand in hand i would say,particularly pop music.I mean to say when did you last see an ugly girl singer,now girls will be talented who are not lookers but they will never make the big stage,why is that ?i cant even think of one right now who has made it,accept maybe the lead singer of The Gossip but she is part of a very small select group.Music is a visual art but it is also an audio art and most musicians love to perform and the powers that be do not think we,the audience,should have to look at girl singers who do not measure up.Is this fair? write in and let me know your thoughts on whether ugly singers should be allowed on stage.

54 AND ALMOST OUT OF THE GAME.

2009-10-04T16:06:00.002Z

Will you miss me when i am gone?now who was it sang that song?it is a song i am almost sure but is it a really old one?Well it was my Birthday today and last night i had a few drinks and a bit of Music with my friends Ian and Dan,it was real nice to see Lucy,Emma and Cass with boyfriends and husbands in toe,my friends Dave,Nigel,Conor and Phillipa,my sister Suzie,Jarek and Gary,my old friend Phil Gaffney,Paul my fridge man and his lady Wendyand Steve,Desula and Adam,Simon and Amy,John and Julie and to the 21 people who sent me texts to say they could not come thanks for letting me know.But my overriding thought last night was that i wont be really missed when i am gone,not that it will keep me awake at night because it wont but people are so busy nowadays that you almost have to give away free sweets to get people out,it also made me think about why people like me have music on and good music and people just ignore it and make excuses like he sings the same songs,i would like to remind you that most of the biggest artists in the world have been doing that for years and people want them to sing the same songs.Does this sound a bit moany? oh dear i guess i am falling into the old mans trap of things not being like they used to be.How and ever life goes on so i will soldier,i see the light at the end of the tunnel

Dont let your babies grow up to be Chefs

2009-09-30T07:31:00.002Z

Cowboys that should be in the title,and Willie Nelson sang it,and its a good song.Its just something happened last week which both pissed me off and reaffirmed an impression i have had for a while.Let me tell you the full story.My previous chef was an extremely hard worker and he was good,but like most chefs he had his problems,money being a major one,but not the only one.He came in early, sometimes at 8 o clock ,which i have never known any chef do,but he put all the cookers,fryers and grills on.So now for 6 days a week the electric and gas is going for 18 hours longer than neccessary thats about 1000 hours a year which comes to money.Anyway,thats just come to me.He drank energy drinks like they were going out of fashion,wrote most of them in my book which meant it cost me,he did pay for one or two mind.He told me he was splitting up from his wife and moving to London,then he told me he had got another job with Barclays Bank,but he was not going to let me down he was still going to drive down from Central London,when he had finished at Barclays,be with me at 6.30 and work Tues night,Thurs night,Fri night and Sat night Dean another chef was going to do Wed night and all day Sun and all i had to do was find someone to do all the lunch times from Tues to Sat.Now if those chefs exist, i dont know but if they do,but why should i put myself under so much pressure dealing with 3 chefs none of whom actually count me as their employer,with Christmas coming it would be the stuff of nightmares,i could quite conceivably end up with no chefs on some nights.Sorry to go on guys but it gets worse.On Friday,i went for a well earned massage and reflexology with Lisa at the Olympos gym.In the middle of it all i get a call from the chef saying his dad had had a heart attack in London and he had to rush up there,but he needed money,so i said come up i will give you some.I paid him for 4 days work even though he worked 3 and a half and he also owed me £30 pounds .I had to get an agency chef to work over the weekend which cost me an arm and a leg and he was meant to come back on Monday to do the two groups i had booked one 14 one 12.He rang me to say he would be in at 12 to do 10 hours work for £100 ok?i informed him that he owed me half a day and £30 he replied i wont be in then,so much for Honesty.I tried 4 agencies but none could supply me with a chef so at 4 o clock i cancelled both bookings.That was my weekend.Somebody said i should put an ad in a lonely hearts mag advertising for a lady chef,so here it is folks,form an orderly que ladies,step right up meet your next husband.

THE BIG GAME,BAD TRADE,MOODY WOMEN.

2009-09-20T09:08:00.002Z

Lets start with the Top of the Table clash between City and United to be played out at Old Trafford today at 1.30.Its been a long long time since Top of the Table clash could be used in reference to this fixture,but that is the case, though City are without their talisman Adeybayour,but if thats not bad enough they are also without Robinho,Roque Santa Cruz and Tevez,so its going to be very very difficult.Both teams will be well up for the game as their has been a lot more talk than usual,and bragging rights are very important to fans.I think City will do well to get a draw but you never know,stranger things have happened,and they still have match winners in Bellamy,Ireland and Wright-Phillips but i am just not sure that is enough against the second best team in Europe in the Theatre of Dreams.
Trade has continued in the same crazy way,Monday,Tuesday and Wednesday were bad,Thursday was really busy Friday was ordinary Saturday the same and Sunday will be busy because of the game making up to an ordinary week.I am guessing because i dont know for sure ,that things are the same everywhere and all we can do is keep battling on.
Moody women,is that the title of a song,if not it should be.I know women have periods which greatly alters their perspective on life but if you live with two you never know where you are with that sort of thing.I have become a much quiter,introspective type of person afraid to speak in case i say the wrong thing,am i hen pecked and i am not even married???well hen pecked might be too strong a phrase but it affects me and i would like some advice how to deal with it.Do i march up and front up to it or do i just let it roll,over me by the sound of this plea.Answers on a postcard please.

A new day is dawning,an old one is coming to an end

2009-09-16T09:16:00.002Z

The video has brought a new dimension to the business,it will give people a perspective on what the Witch is like and who the people are who work here.There are all sorts of options in a programme like this and we will explore some of them in the coming months.Trade has continued in much the same vein over the last few months with some very busy weeks and some quiet weeks,its been like that since May and it makes life a wee bit interesting sometimes.Staffing can be difficult because we run with one chef unless we have lots of bookings then if we get late bookings it can be difficult to get who you want but thats a problem we have to live with.We are running a promotion for September,October and November on mid week nights where we offer 25% off the food bill with a voucher and tokens,a good deal i would say.The vouchers and tokens can be found in the Argus.I have nothing else to say at this juncture except to wish my friend John Smith a happy retirement party on Mon 28th September.Johns lovely daughter Laura worked with me for years and she survived a bad scare a few years ago.Will be back on soon,i promise

THE VIDEOS ARE ONLINE NOW

2009-09-13T10:37:00.003Z

The videos which Tim Southwell of Mindhowyougo did for me are now on the home page and on the wine list page.Ithink its quite good but i am biased and its really up to you to have a look and feel free to comment or just tell me what you think.
This week end i went to Manchester for the first time in an awful long time maybe 23 years.The reason was John Joyce"s 50th birthday celebrations.The whole week end was fun but i got to see football from the point of view of real fans.Fathers,sons,wives,girlfriends,daughters,grannies even, all arrived at the Willow Tavern at 12.30 on Sat morning to get on the coach to the game,pay their £3.50 and wait for the coach to leave at 2.15.The crack was mighty in the pub,all were decked out in the sky blue of City or the latest away kit or really old kits that defy time,but these people men and boys,women and daughters had one thing in common they are so proud of their team,not in a boorish we hate everyone but our team way,but a funny light hearted serious sort of way,now i know that sounds contradictory but its not.These are people from the hard side of life,who show all that is good in life.They appreciate the joys of life and that afternoon they got a bellyfull of appreciation,with City beating a very very good Arsenal team by 4-2.The atmosphere in that stadium was electric,but i felt apprehension and a really not quite so sure we are good sort of feeling around until the third and fourth goals went in,then their was an outpouring of joy and out came all the songs,made up on the spot,very witty songs,very funny songs.We then went back to the Willow where about 10 Man Utd fans were watching their team play Spurs , there was light hearted banter but thats all,no bother.A great pub is the Willow Tavern,not swanky in any way but its got soul.

UPDATE ON THE VIDEO

2009-09-11T07:11:00.002Z

We had a few problems mostly of my making,locating stuff.We have now found it so Tim will do his thing when he has time which should be in the next few days.What about Engerland then??? as i said on many occasions this team CAN win the World Cup they have always been good enough for their clubs but Fabio has got into their heads,nobody plays around anymore this is a very serious business and requires very serious men to do the job.I will say it again England can win the Cup in South Africa and although its probably too late to win big money they are still 5/1 third favourites behind Brazil and Spain.Off to Manchester for John Joyce"s big five o party then Man City v Arsenal next day.I have not been to Manchester since i played there in the mid 80s so i guess i will see a difference.

A VIDEO IS HERE,YIPPEE

2009-09-09T06:42:00.002Z

I mentioned it last time but forgot to fill you in.Tim Southwell a very good friend and customer suggested to me a few weeks ago that a video might be a good idea.I liked the sound of it so over the last week or so Tim has put together a really good little piece.It will be online as soon as i find out who my service provider is.If there is anyone out there who knows about that sort of stuff get in touch please.
A big game tonight for the Engerland football team,though i think they are well qualified by now.I think they have a big chance in the World Cup,they have a manager who knows what is required to win and he is not afraid of the media.My team Ireland continue to play above themselves and after tonight will know exactly what they need to do to qualify.Its such a big event now the World Cup that we all want to be there.
Been writing my memoirs over the last couple of months,i do it early in the morning,i get up about six go downstairs where it is quiet, into the sofa area of the bar and i write for three or four hours,not every day but when it suits.Its coming along fine i think,my memory is quite good and even if its not published it will be a nice thing to leave in the family.It will be a recollection of days long gone now and a life of many happy moments,many funny moments and a few sad ones,but its a work in progress.

GREAT NIGHT WITH ROCOL,NEW VIDEO AND OTHER BITS N PIECES

2009-09-01T13:39:00.002Z

The wekend arrived ahead of schedule as most things do round here.Rocol did not disappoint and were better and tighter than ever.I will say this again because it is true they are the best band i have ever seen in a pub in my life.They were truly amazing.The wekend was the best bank holiday we have had this year,the weather was kind so business was good.
England won the Ashes in great style last weekend which made a lot of people very happy.Man Utd beat Arseal very luckily and in my opinion which has been the same the last two years and wrong every time,Arseal are my choice for the League.Man City have started very well and might well challenge for fourth but i think that will be difficult.
My new chef Neal is brilliant,very assured and good at his job,we get on real well at the moment .Gotta go as rushing a bit but will be back on soon i promise.One other thing all my family really enjoyed the bar b que and band with the Corkonian Suzie seeing off all Ryans,Jarek was first to disappear as is his wont,then one by one they fell with exhaustion and the drink taking their toll.I myself have not had a real session for over two years because of my stroke but i did this time round and i paid for it.Went to bed about 4 got up about 8 went back to bed at 3.30 for an hour was woken at 8.Agreat time was had by all

THE RETURN OF ROCOL,STRANGE HAPPENINGS

2009-08-23T12:25:00.002Z

Once more its been a while since i have been on but there has been excuses.Both of my chefs have gone to pastures new and i would like to thank them on here for their part in the Witchs History over the last year.I have a new chef starting on Wednesday,Neal Brunning and at the moment we have a relief chef Jamie Tandoh who has been very impressive with the job he is doing.Its always been a problem,the position of chef,its a very hard job when things get tough and you need a very strong man who is not phased.Also over the last while i have had interest in my kids garden as a building plot,so had a lot of discussions about that.Went to Goodwood twice which was the first long days out i have had since my stroke ,i had a fabulous time and i won money so cant be bad.It has given me the confidence to go again.
On the sporting front the summer has been amazing with the Ashes lying finely poised,the World Championship Athletics has been amazing with the incredible Mr Bolt breaking two more world records and a host of great performances,there has been so much going on its hard to talk about everything but one thing i have to mention is THE RETURN TO LINDFIELD OF ROCOL the best band i have ever seen in a pub bar none next Sunday night,when a lot of my family will be here ,four sisters,two nieces,the other halves of my sisters my daughter Naoise and my sons Girl friend Suzie.We are having a Bar B Que in the afternoon from about 5 so maybe see you there.Thought i would have a get together as i feel more like it now than i have done for a while.

TWO NEW GIRLS IN PLACE

2009-07-17T09:25:00.003Z

Well since i was last on here so much has happened.First of all Christelle arrived from Toulouse France.She turned out to be a fabulous girl in every way,beautiful,friendly,attentive to customers and a great room mate.She has a very exotic background,her parents were from French Martinique which is in the West Indies and i think she was born there but moved to France when she was very young.Then last friday her friend Samira arrived from Beaconsfield where she was working in a hotel.Once again the same things can be said about Samira,beautiful,friendly and very attentive to customers and also a great room mate.She too has a fascinating background,being of French Algerian Background,she really reminds me of Amy Winehouse tho more beautiful.Both of them are great workers and no matter how long they stay its been a privilege to know them both.
Sport this weekend is fabulous,the OPEN from Turnberry and the Ashes from Lords,as a matter a fact as i write i am watching the Open.My two against the field are Harrington and Goosen.In the next couple of weeks we have Goodwood and Galway Festivals of Racing and in Ireland the Gaelic Football and Hurling get into full swing.For a spotys fan this is Nirvana.

WHAT A GAME OF TENNIS THAT WAS

2009-07-06T17:14:00.002Z

Roger Federer became one of the greatest players of all time yesterday by winning his 15th Grand Slam event.It was a classic match played in a great spirit by two nice guys and it was a shame there had to be a loser but unfortunately for Andy Roddick in the 30th game of the 5th set he dropped his serve for the first time in the match.On the Rugby fields of South Africa the Lions got a deserved win but the game was meaningless except for the Lions pride because the nasty Springboks had beaten them when it mattered.On the Horse Racing front we saw one of the great horses of our time when Sea the stars romped away with the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park.That about wraps up the sporting weekend,next we have the Ashes and the Open oh and Sussex got to the final of the Friends Povident which used to be either the Benson and Hedges or the Gillette Cup.A great time of the year for sports fans of which i am one as if you didnt know.
Last week we had Glastonbury Festival which featured two of my all time favourite artists with Neil Young headlining on Friday night and the boss Bruce Springsteen on Saturday night.A band i really really like that my daughter would you believe suggested i might like the Fleet Foxes were my personal favourites,i love their sound and their harmonies and the lead singer can really sing.There are probably loads and loads of other things that i should tell you about but i think i have said enough.

MICHAEL JACKSON HAS JUS LEFT THE BUILDING

2009-06-25T22:53:00.003Z

Just heard the news about 10 minutes ago,a heart attack they are saying on the news.I personally was never a fan,i liked one or two of his songs but never bought any.I guess now for the next few weeks we will be inundated with all things Micheal Jackson,or until something major happens.Still like it or not he was a giant of the scene since he was a small boy and he will be missed by his legion of fans.May he lie in peace and may God rest his soul.

BEEN A COUPLE OF WEEKS,NOT BAD

2009-06-16T21:13:00.002Z

My new girl arrived from Toulouse the week before last.She is a very very pretty young lady who has settled in very well.She has discovered she has a very good friend who lives in Brighton,and so far so good in her life in the pub.Adriana is working away and passing on her vast knowledge of the trade.
In the sporting world England won a couple of World Cup matches at the start of June,are out of the Cricket World Cup very unluckily and today Royal Ascot started,Andy Murray won a tennis tournament that no Briton has won since Jesus was a boy which has to augur well for Wimbledon which starts soon.The Lions are doing well in South Africa and next weekend they carry their unbeaten record into the test arena against the Springboks.
There are probably lots of other things have happened,like last weekend we had Oathall School class of 85 celebrating a reunion as most of them are 40 this year,the next day Adam and Sally two of my former employees who got married had a baby boy Oscar and they celebrated the Christening here.Gotta go now as i cant think of nowt else

ME AGAIN ITS EARLY AND I AM UP SO........

2009-05-29T07:27:00.002Z

I decided to come on here and rattle on for a bit.As everyone,except Adriana, will know Man Utd lost the European Cup Final to Barcelona in what was largely an unexciting game,i thought.They started as though they were going to win by three or four but very soon ran out of ideas and the Catalonians as they prefer to be called ran out easy winners.Now we have some World Cup Qualifiers and then it all stops for a few weeks.
My new girl arrives next week from France,her name is Christelle,a lovely name,and she will be trained by Adriana in the ways of the Witch.She seems like a really nice person but it will be a new and hopefully interesting experience for her.
My daughter Naoise got a new job starting on the 8th June at Universal,they used to be called Universal Records but as they dont make records anymore i am not sure what comes after Universal,probably nothing.She will be working in International Repertoire which basically means they will market all the American Artists outside the U.S.A .Its a fantastic opportunity and i know she will love it.Good luck Neesh.
The rest of the world is in a state of chassis but we life goes on so we just keep our heads down and crack on.Cant think of anything else at the moment except lets hope we have that summer we have been promised and that the people rise up out of their armchairs and take a walk and naturally find their way to the pub,this pub.

The Times they are about to change again

2009-05-24T17:50:00.002Z

As most of you who frequent the pub will know my Romanian Princess is moving on to pastures new.At the end of June to be precise.It is an amicable arrangement as i always knew she was not here for too long.Initially she was going travelling but she has met a man is moving in with him and they are going into business together.I wish them all the very best in the business world,as most people who go into business on their own soon find out it can be a lonely place,but it has to be done.
Adrianas replacement will hopefully be here before she goes as i would like her to carry on in Adrianas footsteps and do things just like she did with a smile on her face always.She will be missed by all but especially by me.I have been talking to someone and we have agreed on things so hopefully she will come very soon.
I feel a wee bit tired after a very hectic and busy bank holiday Sunday.

SORRY,SORRY,SORRY THATS ALL I CAN SAY

2009-05-08T08:46:00.002Z

You would think it would be easy for me to keep this up to date,but its not.Last week i was in Cornwall for the first time in my entire life and it was really lovely.Went as far as you can go by train to Penzance.I went for a very special occasion,to attend the wedding of Deborah Ann Jones to Dean Ivelija apologies Dean if i got that spelling wrong.Debs as she is better known round these parts worked for me for about 10 years and she was wonderful and she actually met her match here in the pub,now how romantic is that.Debs parents moved to Cornwall about three years ago which is why the wedding was there.And what a time it was.On the day of the wedding it rained which wasnt too sad ,until later that night at the reception which was held in the grounds of a massive house we were all staying in,right on the edge of a cliff,when somebody text me saying that 6 miles up the road in St Ives three young people had lost their lives in the floods and they were air lifting people out.Well the weather was foul but in true style the show went on and on and on.Debs and Dean were the last to leave at 7 o cock in the morning which i think was a fabulous end to a fabulous day.We all stayed round for six or seven days and visited the sites,it was very relaxing.
Over the last month so much has happened in the sporting world that i am not even going to attempt to catch up suffice to say that Arsenal and ChElsea are out of the Champions League and Man u are not.We have had the first two classics on the flat the Grand National was won by a 100/1 outsider ridden by a lad from ARUNDEL the Masters golf was won by ANGEL CABRERA .Jensen Button started winning Grand Prix races,Leinster and Leicester are in the Rugby final and John Higgins won the Snooker again,now is their anything i have forgotten?? i guess there probably is because this is coming directly from my brain,which is not working too bad these days.
Just like to sign off by wishing Debs and Dean an amazing life together also Lucy my ex roomie who got engaged to Paul a few weeks ago,also met here and to all you other guys and gals whose first romantic steps were taken on this hallowed ground good luck to you all its not an eeasy road you are going down but its worth it.

CHAMPIONE CHAMPIONE GRAND SLAM CHAMPIONE

2009-03-23T08:41:00.002Z

Now its not often we can say that.Oireland beat Wales on Saturday in a traumatic game to win the grand slam for the first time in 60 odd years.We in Ireland do not get a huge amount of sporting success though we are a nation of sports mad people so whenever we get it and it realy does not matter what sport it is the whole country men women and children get behind the team and shout and scream like lunatics until they lose as they invariably do,on almost every occasion but on some momentous occasions the light shines on us and we win something.It could be a World Cup cricket match against Pakistan when the whole of Ireland discovered cricket which before then would have been considered a strange game,not by me, i have felt the full force of a cricket ball and know to my cost how dangerous a game it can be,but also how wonderfully skillful it can be,or it could have been Sonia O Sullivan missing out on Olympic Gold,or Michael Carruth winning Olympic Gold,or Eamonn Coughlan missing out by inches on Gold,Silver and Bronze but years later winning the World Championship 5000 metres Gold or Barry McGuigan winning his World Championship Boxing in London on that famous night.You can see from that list the variety of sports we become experts on and no one will ever forget the Charlton years in Irish Soccer when streets were deserted and pubs were full to overflowing as Ireland did battle in the World cup,oh what a time that was with mountain women coming to the cities to discuss sweepers and strikers and Irelands chances.We can get interested in any sport if someone has a chance of winning something.So when our Rugby team took to the field they took with them the hopes and dreams of many millions of Irish all over the world who will have been watching or listening and hoping for a bit of success.Because in a deep recession there is nothing succeeds like success.And boy it feels good,for a week or two.

MY BABY IS 25,CANNOT BELIEVE IT

2009-03-01T18:55:00.002Z

That all happened last week on tuesday the 23rd feb.Went to London with my x wife and met NAOISE and we had dinner in Da Paolo in Charlotte Place.I have been going there for about 15 years and its never changed.The food and the people are gorgeous.True to form,and like all great Italians from front to back they are all italians.My son has signed for a new team in Ireland namely St Patricks Athletic.I am really pleased about that.
On the international scene this weekend the Irish thrashed England by one point in the worst game of rugby ever staged,putting us in with a shout of winning the grand slam for the first time since god was a boy.
Sportswise there was great wins for everyone in Europe,except Spurs and Villa,but the horses go quiet for a week now with Cheltenham starting next Tuesday.Not got much else to say now feeling a bit tired but cant get no rest today so will grit my teeth and battle on,will be back in touch soon as i have noticed that more people log on when i write something.SEE YAWL

TIME JUST FLIES BY

2009-02-20T10:34:00.003Z

Its nearly a week since i was last on,amazing really.When i was a lad time went slowly,very slowly.Now it flies past and things you were looking forward to become a distant memory,which i suppose is about all your left with in the end is memories.Thats what keeps you strong,good memories.I think in that respect i am lucky,i have great memories of many many great moments in my life and around my life.I will always strive to attend the things i love.One of the things i have loved since i was a small boy is National Hunt Racing or Steeplechasing as we paddies call it.Most of the people who would read this probably never even get to my page but future generations will and just in case they ever become so politically correct that they ban steeplechasing i am going to tell you where the name came from.It originated in Buttevant Co Cork in 1752 where two men had a wager on a horse race between the church steeple at Buttevant and the church steeple at Donerail 4 miles away.Now theres a little bit of history for you all.The reason for talking about this is Cheltenham is just around the corner.This is the biggest Irish race meeting held in England,well thats just a paddy joke really,but boats and planes will be leaving Ireland in a few weeks to head for one of the most beautiful areas i know,the Cotswolds,and the annual battle held over four day every year.Its a mighty occasion and hopefully i will get there on one day at least.My nap for the meeting will be short priced but it will win i hope,KASBAH BLISS.So there you have it see you soon

VALENTINES AND ALL IT BRINGS

2009-02-15T09:39:00.003Z

As anyone who is in love will know yesterday was your special day.When i had a girl friend i always made an effort on this day, one, because most girls like it and most girls expect something.Last night the princess(Adriana) came into her special field of Romance with a capital R.She dressed the place beautifully with roses,rose petals,candles and Johnny backed her up with a magnificent menu.We also had romantic music mking it a very speial night for lovers.The rest of us had to make do with watching WALES beat ENGLAND at rugby which while not romantic was not too hard to bear.
Sadly Teresa and i are no more.Before you start thinking anything it was nothing to do with me,as a matter of fact i still love TERESA very much but as i have said on here many times it takes two to tango and she did not feel the same way,unfortunate for me,but one has to accept these things and move on.We are still very good friends and will remain that way i hope.
On a happier note Ireland beat Georgia on Wed night but i have to say for all you Georgians out there it was one of the worst penalty decisions i have ever seen the ref was a disgrace.But,and you wont know this, it was pay back for unbelievable decisions made against us over the years and believe me there have been many.
England came a cropper against Spain but there is no disgrace in that,Spain are awe some and England had a weak team,missing crucial players.Gonna sign off now its sunday morning and i need my weetabix

THE TROUBLE WITH GETTING OLDER

2009-02-11T18:33:00.002Z

My friends have started to die at rather an alarming rate.As most of you who bother to read this occasionally will know i am 53 years old,tho my friends who died were 57,70 and 77.All were men who lived their lives though none were ready to leave just yet.Two of them died over the Christmas period and i like to think they will both be in the after life picking Cheltenham winners,or arguing about football.Most of the men who i have as close friends are sporting men,and its what i will miss most about Michael,George and Cyril.All had the bug passed down from generation to generation of being lovers of horses,especially the jumping kind.Cheltenham is just round the corner and in years gone by i have had the time of my life many times over and laughed so much with those men,i will miss them all.I suppose thinking about it i could have been with them if i had not taken myself to the Hospital a year and a half ago.I saw an ad last night about stroke attacks and it was frightening.
On now to happier times,trade is not too bad for the time of the year,though we are doing a set menu at 6.95 for one and 10 pounds for two.Needless to say great food and great value.Valentines this saturday and if you want to come hurry up and book tables are filling up.Right i am going downstairs to see how things are

Just checking this works

2009-02-03T14:11:00.001Z

2009-02-03T14:09:00.000Z

BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE ROCK N ROLLED

2009-02-03T13:17:00.002Z

Now who was it sang that song????was it ACDC OR someone else? answers on a post card please.I was thinking about the words because we are having a party in a few weeks for one of my sons friends,its his 30th birthday.Now i was thinking about it because my kids and their friends have all had their 18th,21st and this is the first of the 30th birthdays.Now that makes me feel a little bit old but a little bit proud,that the kids are not all bad and that kids who drink and have a great time are only carrying on a great tradition handed down from generation to generation.There is nothing wrong with alcohol, you just got to respect it or it will bite you where it hurts.I have not written for a month because i wanted to see how the month went.Well i can report that of the 5 weeks in January 4 were good and 1 was bad,but only a bit bad so i guess thats pretty good overall.
The snow arrived the other day for the first time in years and as usual chaos ensued.Nobody could get to work the trains all stopped and the buses and the planes,but we were busy.Every cloud has a silver lining and in this case the lining was mine.Always amazes me how things get so bad,especially when you see millions of people sliding down hills with their kids.How do people get to the hills?do they drive?but i think its the child in us all we want to do kiddie things like sliding down hills when the rest of the time we spend sitting in front of the tv.I wonder how many people are limping around today?Still why am i complaining more leisure time means more pub time,usually.Will try not to make it so long next time,but you know how it is,i am not on the computer all the time so i forget.