Friday 10 December 2010

'Stories For Sale'

I went drinking with my very good friend 'Paul The Plumber' last night. He can drink even more beer than I can! Many people think he is always 'down', but really he's just a deep thinker. He doesn't suffer fools and always says what's on his mind. Some people don't like him for this, and it bothers him none! He often goes to our little bar alone, sitting by himself in deep thought, minding his own business. But if anybody, including strangers start a conversation with him he will gladly take you into his company. If he likes you. I, for some reason, have the ability to make him laugh out loud! Something that happened quite a few times last night, making the rest of the regulars stare at us more than once!

('PTP' was a guitar player in the very first band I was ever in, and we became friends instantly. He moved to America not long after the band split, returning about 10 years ago and bought a house around the corner from mine.)

Last night, as the drink flowed, and we ran out of things to say about plumbing and Celtic FC (his two fave subjects, Jimmy would like him!), we started to talk about music (my fave subject! REALLY!) and had a big chat about Christy Hennessy (RIP). A great singer/songwriter/performer. And a lovely man. He had the happiest face I've ever seen, it radiates peace and contentment, unlike Paul's! (Only joking!)

I didn't know Christy personally, sadly, but I'm more than glad to know Paul.

Cheers!

22 comments:

  1. oh, and i can just see the two of you, sitting in the smoked filled bar, chatting laughing blowing more smoke into the thick fog!!! maybe even humming a few notes every once in a while - but mostly swappin' those man-stories! ;) and just in the middle of it all, in swaggers the big guy himself - you know the one - sits down on the bar stool like he owns the joint - and then - and then - the man-stories REALLY begin!!! ;)

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  2. Sweetie, I rushed over here because Mr Jimmy's blog has updated...???? What's going on? Most curious.
    Sx

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  3. It's great to have a mate to drink the night away and have enough to say to keep the night ticking over.
    My drinking mate will be home for Christmas so there will be a lot to talk about.
    Scarlet is right--I got notification of a second post on Jimmy's blog address--but not him--unless he's German

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  4. love the image your story sets and then the song. well done you! xoxoxox

    @scarlet & clyde...kim figures that since jimmy gave up the blog, the name was available. check out ponita's post from yesterday for kim's full explanation in the comments. all of us who kept the link to him received the update. xoxoxo

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  5. If you make three friends in life like PTB, you're damn lucky. Glad to hear the prodigal son returned home.

    I don't want to turn poor Map's comment section into a postmortem for Jimmy's site but we all got the same update in Google Reader. How will we ever find him if he returns?

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  6. You've got a very good friend there, Map... they are the best kind, aren't they!

    Regarding the return of JB... he will let us all know of his return, of that I am certain. So no worries. The phoenix will rise once again!

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  7. I enjoyed that vid Map - a new discovery for me thank you xx

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  8. Map, Love the song and artist R.I.P indeed.
    Cheers, Sausage.
    ps how much brew are we talking aboot?
    6 - 12 - 18

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  9. Ah, wish I'd been there!

    Enjoyed the video.

    Pearl

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  10. That's the part of "writing" I love the best...LISTENING to the stories!

    Pon, we not only have to get Map a video going, we're going to need to get him to do an audiobook as well..."Tales of the Pub" or "The Beer Speaks". ;)

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  11. What a lovely man!
    Speaking of which someone - a Pole - has hijacked Jimmy's blog:
    "posted by jaa at nevermindthebollix - 1 day ago
    Charly Harper; Die peinlichsten und lustigsten FB Status Eintr�ge & Fotos; Deutsche Fussballnationalmannschaft. There are 9 people with the name David Bihl ."

    What a cheek!

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  12. Sorry - I commented before reading above.

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  13. GYPSYWOMAN; Irish pubs have been smoke free for longer than those in any other European country! I for one am more than thankful, having given up the nasty habit 7 years ago! Thank Jebus that drinking hasn't been outlawed though! For what would a man do? What? :¬)

    xxx

    Scarls; See other comments. :¬)

    xxx

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  14. Clyde; You KNOW what I mean. A good drinking mate is paramount to a man's existence! :¬)

    sav; Thanks missus! :¬)

    xoxoxox

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  15. UB; Ya know, I HAVE three friends like that, all different in their own ways, and I don't know that THEY would all be friends, but I'm damn lucky to have them, I know this for sure! :¬)

    Pon; Paul is a strange guy, but then again, so is I! We get along quite well. :¬)

    xxx

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  16. Lulu; He had a vast rep. Check him out when you get the chance. A very lovely man. :¬)

    xxx

    Sausage; He was grand eh?

    As fer the brew, all depends, 6 is a very quiet night. 12 is a great night. 18? well I can never quite remember for some reason!

    Pint? :¬)

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  17. Pearl; We'll buy each other a round some day, I'm quite sure of that! :¬)

    xxx

    hope; There was great excitement in the Map household yesterday! Our first Bloggy Christmas card, From YOU! :¬)

    xxx

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  18. Pat; Christy was a lovely man indeed!

    And yes, yer man's blog was hi-jacked!

    He'll be back one of these days! :¬)

    xxx

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  19. I can count the number of true pals I have on one hand, you're a lucky man. Don't you think boozers have lost their atmosphere since smoking has been banned.

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  20. I don' know why, but I like this post. Thank you.

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  21. Ryan; A handful of friends is all a guy needs. But, a lungfull of secondhand smoke is something I can gladly do without. My sister died from lung cancer, as did some of my very close friends. I have had much more fun in my pub since the smoking ban, don't miss them pal, or the 'athmosphere' they created, no don't miss them at all! :¬)

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  22. Olga; Why thank you, and welcome to Mapstew. Come back again. :¬)

    xxx

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