Not that I go out that much, but the smoking ban seems to have started an interesting trend: the rise of the outdoor lounge. The old smokers' corner became a couple of picnic tables, then a patio heater appeared here and a gazebo there. Now, less than a year on after the ban there are virtually rooms outside springing up absolutely everywhere as pubs and restaurants compete for the smoker's pound. I notice at the oldest drinking hole in Tonbridge (or at least I think it is) the Rose and Crown they have a black board advertising a smoking and drinking area in the courtyard. I went in to investigate and found not just a couple of tables and patio heaters, but a whole outdoor covered lounge complete with large plasma screen TV. At the Somerhill on Pembury Road they have a similar area with an added extra, a full size pool table in a covered outdoor area. It's amazing how innovative landlords can be when they have to be. At this time of year the inside of pubs are virtually empty and the outside is positively bustling. Maybe I'll close the bookshop down and buy a marquee to plonk on the park or by the river; I'll open a pub in it, where people would presumeably be allowed to puff away to their heart's content, I'd sell cigarettes, cigars, even sheesha pipes it would become the Mecca for smokers all over Kent. Any suggestions for a name? How about Mr. Fags!...
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