Sometimes I visit friends of ours who have recently had kids

[Burney]

Packet of crisps or nuts, sugar free soft drink. He may bring his iPad or play something on my phone and we will converse not 1 word.

A true modern day family scene.

See, I find this odd. Increasingly, I find I go to the pub specifically in order to be alone. Taking someone with me who hasn't even the merit of being able to go to the bar for me seems to defeat the object of going to the pub in the first place.