All things change. Nothing stays the same for long.

Take for example the sadly missed number 23 bus. A good friend lost forever.

But we have to face the fact that, as I say, nothing lasts forever. And as time goes by, I have actually become quite fond of Port Erin.

The same thing has happened to another of our traditional pastimes. The Public House.

The local pub has changed beyond all recognition. Fifty or so years ago, rules were rules and, as far as pubs were concerned, rules were strictly applied.

The rules made it quite clear when the pub was to open and when it had to close. The only exceptions or alterations to the rules had to be approved by the licensing court.

With rare exceptions, the rules did not allow children to be on licensed premises, but the same rules did allow a customer and his pet to drop in for a quickie if he was out walking the dog.

Pubs were drinking establishments not restaurants.

If a customer was suddenly overcome by hunger, he would have to soothe the pangs with a bag of ready salted or a pickled egg. If he was a gambling man, he could satisfy his urges with a shilling or two staked on the weekly football sweep and, if he was more into sports, he was well catered for with darts or dominoes.

Fast forward to current times, and haven’t things changed?

For a start, you may have to look hard to actually find a pub. Like many small businesses, the licensing trade has suffered many closures. In the towns, more and more of the residents and customers were moving to new housing estates on greenfield sites and, in the country, the local pubs were losing their regulars to the reality of the ’drink driving’ laws.

This is when the pubs that survived the closures, and were now with rare exception owned and operated by the breweries, began to diversify their business pattern to include serving food.

One of the pioneers of ’pub grub’ on the Island was a blast from the past called the Highlander.

The Highlander was originally a roadside country pub on the Peel road just past Crosby.

In latter years it became a restaurant and is now a private house.

But in the early days of pub grub it was a public house that was run by two fine ladies called Maureen and Kay. From memory, I think that the ladies were sisters-in-law, but I do know that the Highlander was one of the first public house to serve pub grub.

The dish of the day, every day and without exception, was soup and a sandwich.

It was an instant lunchtime success and in the days of little traffic on the road, it was within easy lunchtime reach of the offices in Douglas.

As they say, every banquet begins with a single biscuit and just take a look at where we are now.

Pub grub is big business. Most of the food trade is lunchtime or evening, children are now welcome but dogs are not. The public bar piano has been replaced by the jukebox and the click-clack of dominoes has given way to the flash and ping of the gaming machine.

But in spite of the fact that all things change, thankfully, there is still the occasional pub with enough space for an old man to park his mobility scooter outside while he enjoys a pre teatime lemonade.

The other day, I happened to call in to the Manx Arms piano bar to satisfy a sudden thirst.

I was interested to see a group of regulars enjoying a quiet drink and discussing the sport being played on the bar room TV.

Television in pubs is another relatively new feature that can sometimes be just a little irritating.

Usually the sport of choice is football or racing. But on this occasion they were watching a women’s tennis final. I was impressed by their knowledge of tennis.

Some things never change.

A decade ago Pullyman - aka Michael Cowin - was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, a condition that affects people in different ways. Michael discovered writing and Island Life is featuring some of his musings. Sometimes topical, sometimes nostalgic, read about life as seen through the eyes of Pullyman