Few customers on the boiling hot first day of the second week, updated the tri-weekly professor meeting on progress at Fourth Portal and there was a bizarre conversation about the council converting perfectly good maisonettes into single houses.
Monday of Week Two was quiet with only one couple coming in who occasionally frequented over the years. The lady loved the garden and the Wildcraft IPA, the gentleman enjoyed his Panther Hunter lager and the Norfolk Raider Wingman cider, which he found dry, crisp and perfect for such a boiling hot day.
Selection of Beers
Maisonette to Houses: Housing Programme in Reverse
Had one of the more bizarre conversations was with a neighbour while watering the Paget garden area. He explained how he and all the neighbours opposite had to move out for two years while the council converted the perfectly fine block of maisonettes into individual houses. Being a ground floor tenant at the time he was allowed to return while those on the upper floor were moved elsewhere. Why the local council decided to spend resources on such a building programme that reduced the number of properties seems clouded in mystery.
Houses Once Maisonettes
Weekend
Reflecting on the weekend. I decided to closed on Saturday. I did open for a few hours on Saturday afternoon as a retired GP friend took a detour on route to his holiday to pop by. In four hours only three other men walked in together and were pretty rude and annoyed that there was no draft ale on pump and uninterested in even listening to anything I had to say and stomped out. Little can be done really about this kind of reaction. With Preston closed down again the day before with just a few hours notice it remains too risky with such limited passing trade and risk of a Covid outbreak to have casked ale on pump. Cask ale once open really needs to be fully poured within four days at a maximum to taste fresh.
Tiredness
By 4pm on Saturday, having replanted the new trees into bigger pots the long week finally caught up with me and I had to close and go home for an afternoon sleep. On waking I decided it was better if I took a break from Great Yarmouth and take the rest of the weekend off, so headed out of town. On returning on Monday morning I felt totally reinvigorated.
Professors Meeting
The research and development of Portal B stretches back many years with serious preparation to open the first Fourth Portal beginning during winter 2019. This research and journey to Great Yarmouth and Portal B is being documented on a separate blog www.haphazard.business outlining some of the broader thinking behind the concept. Beginning in 2020 there is a tri-weekly Haphazard.Business Zoom meeting with professors from various UK universities discussing progress and providing suggestions and ideas, including the links between technology, environment, social, business and entrepreneurship. This Monday's meeting focused on the experiences of being open, comments of those walking in and supplier difficulties during these Coronavirus times. The next meeting we hope to make open in the Portal B using the existing screens.
Haphazard.Business website
John M