Ward Thomas and The Shires - pure delight

Bush Hall is an old dance hall. I'm sure it's had many great nights in its 110-year history, but it can't have had many as fun and filled with vocal talent as last Monday night (10 November).

The Shires and then headliners Ward Thomas gave us more than two hours of delightful melodies and wonderful harmonies in their own UK country style.

Solo singer Jess Roberts firstly gave us 20 minutes of songs, backed by Ward Thomas's guitarist Dan Gordon. She did a fine job and was a worthy starter for the evening.

The Shires - Crissie Rhodes and Ben Earle, backed by a three-piece band - are a fairly new act, but could well be destined for bigger things. I had not seen them in action before, but was impressed  by their songs and harmonies and they were a definite hit for this audience. I'll be searching their album out on its release in January.

Headliners for this evening were Ward Thomas - the singing twin sisters Catherine and Lizzy Ward Thomas, from Hampshire - which must by definition be the heart of English country music! Since I discovered these two at Guilfest in July, I have been smitten by their music. Hearing it on CD is one thing, but live it is so much better! Good singers in their own right, the real magic kicks in when they sing together with exquisite harmonies on soaring melodies. It gives you a tingling sensation. I love all their songs, but was particularly delighted to hear 'Wasted Words' live for the first time. Current single 'Way Back When' and 'Push For The Stride' are real crowd pleasers, and the poignant 'From Where I Stand' could almost bring a tear to the eye. A cover off Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' was lively and the girls did a cracking job. Their fun demeanour and on-stage charisma helps bring a smile to the faces of all those in the audience. It is pure joy.

I cannot tire of these two, and the evening was always going to be too short!

The Shires joined Ward Thomas on stage for a joint encore of The Striking Matches' 'I Ain't Leavin' Without Your Love' - great fun and a perfect round-off for the evening.

This tour of The Shires and Ward Thomas is tagged #homegrowntour and stretches from London to Belfast, and Bristol to Glasgow. There are points in between - but there are simply not enough! Demand for these two acts will grow and grow. Do yourself a favour and get along to see them as soon as you can.

Roll on the next one!

Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red

I went to London to see the ceramic poppies around the Tower of London on Monday 10 November. What a fantastic display to mark Remembrance 100 years after the First World War began (technically, 96 years after WWI ended).

Stretching around all sides of the Tower walls, each one of the 888,246 ceramic poppies represent a British or Colonial military death in World War One.

It is a moving display, conceived by artist Paul Cummins and set by stage designer Tom Piper, and four million people are expected to have viewed it by the time it is taken down later in November. Deadlines have been extended more than once because of the display's popularity.

Marvellous.

Mad school-run parking is frankly stupid

Last week it was (almost) a pleasure to be out and about in your car. Getting to and from work by car must have been a joy.

This week, however, the madness has returned. The school half-term is over. The school run is back.

So between 8.30 and 9.15 and 2.45 and 3.15, make sure you're not a road anywhere near a school! Because you won't be able to move. In their desperation to park as near as possible to the school gates to avoid junior getting wet hair, they park in ways that can be best described as "stupid".

I've just been out to post a letter (on foot). There's a school not far from the end of our cul-de-sac. I don't mind them parking on our road, but NOT right on the corner at the junction with a busier road! I had a polite word with a mother who had parked in that way and was significantly adding to the chaos. "Oh," she said, "I tried further down, but there was no room."

"Well," I replied, "if you could avoid parking on the corner, it wold help. Look at the chaos you're causing."

On I went to post my letter, and then came back. As I did so, I was hailed by a woman from a car, waiting at traffic light. "I'm glad you had a go at her," she said (obviously referring to my 'polite' word with the bad parker), "she always parks there!" And off she drove as the lights turned green.

So my bad parking friend does it every day, does she?

I might have to have another look tomorrow!

The Serial Thrillers

My band The Serial Thrillers has just opened its new website: The Serial Thrillers.

This is us in action at Guilfest earlier this year.

And here we are in action.

Shameless plug.

Red Pike, High Stile and High Crag - the beauty of Buttermere

Oh my word! The beauty of the Lake District can hardly be surpassed on a gorgeous sunny day, can it?

I recently went walking in Buttermere with a mate and we were so lucky with the weather. We stayed at The Fish and climbed up to Red Pike, walked along the ridge to High Stile, thence to High Crag, down to Scarth Gap Pass, and back down alongside Buttermere back to the Fish and a welcome pint!

Eleven miles, six and a half hours, great pride, wonderful memories and a few photos.

If you're fit and able - do the walk! Good luck with the weather.

The Fish

The path up to Red Pike (it was a tough climb!)

Bleaberry Tarn

Looking down onto Bleaberry Tarn from the path up to Red Pike.

Red Pike peak - nearly there!

Looking back to Red Pike from the ridge path to High Stile.

Bleaberry Tarn and Crummock Water from High Stile.

High Stile from the path to High Crag.

Beautiful Buttermere (south east end).

Fleetwith Pike from High Crag.

Looking back up to High Crag from the path down to Scarth Gap.

Haystacks (not on today's itinerary) from Scarth Gap Pass.

Looking across Buttermere - nearly back on low level ground.

A deserved reward!

Faith restored after parking ticket challenge was accepted

I hate paying for parking. Don't we all!

It's another form of tax for motorists that councils seem to be able to increase willy-nilly without any justification at all.

Double yellow lines and single yellow lines abound to make sure that you have to pay. It's not about traffic flow or road safety - it's about raising money, plain and simple.

But left without any alternative, of course I stump up the charges whenever I have to.

Last week I was in the New Forest for a couple of days with my wife. On Tuesday we drove down to Milford-on-Sea to walk the two miles to Hurst Castle along the shingle spit. We paid £3 for a four-hour stop in Hurst Road East car park at 10:26.

We walked the mile and a bit to Hurst Castle, looked round, had a cup of coffee, then walked back, arriving back at the car at 13:25. Plenty of time to change our shoes and go to the nearby cafe to have lunch.

We arrived back at the car again at around 13:55, still well inside the four hours. Imagine my stupefaction then, when I sat down in the driver's seat and saw a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) stuck to the windscreen! I boiled with anger! How could this be when I had paid £3 for a ticket. It was then that I noticed the ticket that I had paid for lying face down on the dashboard about a foot from where I had placed it more then three hours earlier.

When I placed the ticket on the dashboard after I'd bought it, it blew away in the breeze from the driver's door until I managed to shut the door without it blowing away. It was perfectly placed as we left for our walk. (Notice that the ticket was not one of the stickable variety.)

I can only think that when we changed our shoes - only ever opening the back door - that there was breeze enough to blow the ticket and flip it over. Thus when the traffic warden came by at 13:43 (s)he must have been gleeful in seeing the ticket upside down on the dashboard: "Parked in a car park without clearly displaying a valid pay & display ticket or voucher or parking clock".

The fine was £50, with a reduction to £25 if you pay within 14 days.

Returning home I wrote to the email address to challenge the PCN, explaining what did happen and what I assumed must have happened. I sent them a scan of my valid parking ticket. (Incidentally, there was plenty of space in the car park every time we were back there throughout the day (10:26, 13:25, 13:55) so we could never have been denying another road user a space. It's just about making money.)

I was set fair for an argument and further emails if they denied my challenge.

BUT THEY ACCEPTED IT!

Quite right too, as I had paid for a valid ticket and was a victim of a stray breath of wind.

My faith in human kindness was restored.

Ward Thomas will be BIG!

I made an amazing discovery recently. At Guilfest on Saturday 19th July I went with some friends to try out a band on the second stage called Ward Thomas. We knew nothing about them.

On stage came two girls (20) who were announced as twins and having a "Nashville" sound. Oh dear, I'm not much of a country music fan.

Boy oh boy! Twins Lizzy and Cathy Ward Thomas blew me away. They were amazing. Beautiful voices in perfect harmony, backed by three lads on drums, guitar and bass.

Mark my words, these girls are going to go far. Keep an eye out for them. I can't wait to see them again.

www.http://wardthomasmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Ward.Thomas4?fref=ts
@wardthomasmusic

Maybe I am a country music fan!