22nd Febuary 2006

Nigel and Carole Davis work magic on the Marston Inn

Nigel and Carole Davis are weaving their magic at the Marston Inn, Marston St Lawrence.
But their success as the new tenants of the Hook Norton pub in Oxfordshire will be no sleight of hand – it will be down to hard work, enthusiasm and a commitment to make their pub the best and friendliest local in Oxfordshire.
A former postman Nigel is also a highly proficient magician and a 30-year member of the Magic Circle. And when he is not pulling perfect pints of Hooky Bitter he will often work his magic on customers.
Carole used to run the catering for Banbury United Football Club and her home cooked food should delight customers.
“We want people to come and enjoy themselves when they come into the pub,” says Nigel.
And enjoy themselves they certainly will for Nigel is much more than a magician he is also a leading Geocacher.
Now Geocaching is a fairly new pastime to sweep it's way across the UK. Often likened to a treasure hunt, geocaching is an enjoyable way to enjoy the great countryside and get out into the fresh air and away from the TV/PC or whatever. Many find that it is a gentle and easy way to get some exercise and the kids love it too.
A Geocacher will go to a location which has usually some special interest or beauty. At the location, they will hide a small waterproof box containing a few varied bits and pieces (usually of little value) a logbook and a pen or pencil.
Using their GPS receiver, the cacher records the coordinates of their cache and returns home to log it's existence on a website.
And Geocachers can soon expect to find a cache stashed in the area – and Nigel is even planning a Geocache-crawl of Hooky pubs - more information can be found on www.geocaching.com
A giant custard pie fight is planned to raise money for Leukaemia Research, as are treasure hunts, BBQs and family fun days.
Regulars can vote for the guest beers that they would like to drink.
Darts, dominoes and Aunt Sally can all be played and Nigel and Carole will be supporting the village cricket team
Friday night is fish and chip night, Tuesday is quiz night, and Monday night is steak night, a Thai night is planned with the menu prepared by their son Ben and on Sunday lunch will be served until 4pm. All day breakfasts will be served on Saturday.
On cold days there is a big roaring fire - walkers and ramblers are welcome.