Friday 29 April 2016

#150 Noah's Ark

On Thursday night I made my way to Kemsing to celebrate my father's stag night. There were a lot of men there and none of my age. Dad was, as usual, in good spirits, being close to draught bitter and people to talk to.

I was introduced to a fellow who announced that he would soon go to a Rolling Stones exhibition in London. He had booked the tickets six months in advance. In this I was uninterested, perhaps because I had never been drawn to their music.

Next I met a man who supervised a large warehouse. Dad beamed as he gave his name, remarking that I had once expressed an interest in a similar career. I listened as my new acquaintance recited the sizes and capabilities of the forklift trucks that he was licensed to operate. His friend, who stood beside him, was a cheerful bloke and they moved the discussion on to exchanging tales of finding unconventional routes along local roads in order to avoid traffic jams.

I was pleased to be in The Bell and more so when John the quintessential Irish pub Landlord appeared. He had a most gentle smile and was pleasant to be around. At one point I had rare occasion to talk for more than five seconds about the services of the department that I worked in, as there was an accountant there, with whom I chatted until it was time to move on to dinner. As we had begun to gather our things, a very old friend of Dad's from school appeared unexpectedly. He was elated to see him and we stayed for another drink before leaving.

The Taramind in Kemsing is a good restaurant with attentive staff. It was satisfying to see Chicken Naga on the menu as I had recently become fond of it, providing it was a shade less spicy than average, which it was. Several of us agreed that we would return, among them a close and more senior friend who had housed my Dad before he moved into his current home.

There are no queues at the bar in The Bell. There's no annoying dress code and as far as I can see, you're very unlikely to get into any trouble. Perhaps you might consider the village of Kemsing if you are in need of a location for your stag night.