cor! corrie street's on

Photo: rougerouge

This is not a picture from Coronation Street, but I've spent two hours looking for a pic I can legitimately use. I'm trying to be a good blogger and not use unauthorized, copyrighted stuff -- but it can be hard! Anyway, this is from Flickr, and it captures the feel of the Rovers Return, the pub where everybody hangs out on the eternal British soap. Can't you smell the beer?

I love the smell of beer and old bars, where the beer and ale have soaked into every wooden splinter. This may seem an anomaly as I don't like to drink beer, but there it is.

I've quite surprised myself by becoming, quite unintentionally, a dedicated Coronation Street viewer this summer. My sister-in-law says watching the show is like having a boring neighbour become an unwanted houseguest. But no! Maybe it's an acquired taste with age, like country music. It kind of sneaks up on you, and you think, yeah, I know these people; their incredibly prosaic lives are so fraught with nuance.

Everyone on the show drinks too much, smokes, eats ghastly English, deep-fried stuff, never exercises, has never-ending sex and/or street brawls right up until their 80's. Move me in!