Moose!

What: Moose!
Beer: Nethergate Mad Bob
Receptacle: Standard pint glass
When: 1 October 2008
Situation: Waiting for Richard Queens to turn up, in the Green Dragon

Richard was late to the pub as usual; I'd been waiting most of the evening just for him to stop playing with his laser and turn his phone on again so we could agree when and where to go, and even after he claimed to be approaching the Green Dragon it was another half hour before he actually got there, as he went to get some fish and chips on the way, having remembered he'd forgotten to eat anything.

But although RQ still hadn't appeared, something definitely seemed to be appearing in my beer. At first, trying hard not to see an animal, I thought it looked like a withered, wind-blasted, tree stump. Then I gave in, and admitted I was looking at what was obviously the head of a moose. Despite not having full beer reading kit, I managed to get a fairly clear picture of it on my phone.

While waiting for RQ, I texted Victoria. "I've got either a tree stump or a moose in my beer", I claimed.

"I'm sure it's not a moose or any other kind of animal!" she insisted.

RQ turned up. "Hello Richard", I said, "I've got a good beer reading here."

"Wow, that's a moose!" he replied.

I sent Victoria the moose.

It is, she conceded, definitely a moose. (Or, in some parts of the world, it would be an elk.)

It's possible that the moose is advising me to watch tonight's vice-presidential debate featuring noted moose-slayer Sarah Palin. However, it doesn't start until 2am UK time, so I'm not going to take its advice on this occasion.