Mark Ronson, Steam Trains & Pooh Sticks

Admittedly Mark Ronson, Steam Trains and a game of Pooh Sticks are three subjects seldomn found in the same sentence but then again, that is precisley why this blog is called "weird weekends" and not "mundane weekends" or "same as last week?". Anyway, Shorty very kindly invited me along to see Mark Ronson play in Liverpool. Now I have to state that I thought Mark was a hot music producer. I didn't realise that he was a live performer. I did wonder whether I was going to spend a couple of hours watching a guy sitting behind a mixing desk doing producer type things and drinkng endless latte's but no, he came onstage, slung a guitar around his neck and started playing. It transpired that Liverpool was the first night of a 12 night tour around the UK promoting his album "Version", a collection of cover versions featuring a host of big name artists, all produced with Ronson's signature funky bass lines, heaving drum beats and strong horn rifts. Clearly the big name vocalists featured on the album weren't going to show up but Ronson had put together several able deputies.

Daniel Merriweather sang various tracks including Britney's Toxic and the Supreme's "You keep me hanging on". The lead singer of Phantom Planet, Alex Greenwald sang Radiohead's Just, his own bands composition "California" and several other tracks by artists such as The Smiths. The highlight of the night though was saved until last and this was Valerie, the Amy Winehouse / Mark Ronson collaboration of The Zuton's biggest hit. The vocalist, whose name escapes me now, did a brilliant job and the whole venue was on it's feet. A suprisingly good performance from someone I didn't know could perform and a fantastic night out. Finally, from my vantage point, the trumpet player in the middle looked just like Jimmy "The lips" Fagan from The Commitments. He probably looks nothing like him up close but he certainly did from the back of the hall ! Fab night out. Thanks Shorty !

The following day, I rose early and caught the BA Shuttle from Manchester to Gatwick as I was staying with younger Bro and his family for the weekend in Sussex. I caught the train from Gatwick to Horsham where I was eagerly met by the family for a weekend of fun and frovility. According to the little leaflet we later picked up at the Bluebell Steam Railway at Sheffield Park Station, south of East Grinstead "The volunteer run Bluebell Line was the UK's first preserved standard gauge passenger railway, re-opening part of the Lewes to East Grinstead line of the old London Brighton & South Coast Railway in 1960. Since then it has developed into one of the largest tourist attractions in Sussex, yet it still remains true to its objectives of the preservation for posterity of a country branch line, its steam locomotives, coaches and goods stock, signalling systems, stations and operating practices." I couldn't have put it better myself. The weather was glorious, warm autumn sunshine certainly not typical of mid October in the UK. This did seem like the perfect day to take an old fashioned train ride. The volunteers were respendant in their uniforms and clearly loved playing Station announcer, Guard, Ticket Inspector, Fat Controller or whatever names they have for the varying roles they performed. Everybody was very polite, cheery and attentive. So attentive in fact we had 3 ticket inspectors, inspect our tickets....at the same time . However, the most cheery official was also the one with the shiniest shoes, the sparkliest buttons and the widest smile. Why was he so cheery ??? He had the all important station whistle, which he gripped tightly like a winning lottery ticket and then repeatedly checked he hadn't lost it at 2 minute intervals, rather like you do when you're leaving for the airport and you keep checking you've got your passport and tickets. I swear that he gave the whistle one last shine on his sleeve before puffing out his chest and lustily blowing his whistle to announce the departure of the 12:00pm service from Sheffield Park to Kingscote. Now as someone who loves travelling and transportation - I am officially licenced to drive, fly and sail and as a proud owner of a cycling proficiency certificate circa 1977 I can claim cycling as well - I'm rather embarressed to say that I've never been on a steam train before now. I was rather looking forward to it. Especially as Sister in Law had prepared one of her finest picnics, which is always a winner. The 6 of us (me, little Bro, Sis in Law, the rinkies and Wally the dog) managed to spread ourselves out to such an extent that nobody fancied joining us in our compartment, meaning we had it to ourselves... Result ! The trip was a very agreeable affair as we chuffed past rolling open countryside, farm animals, hedgerow flanked lanes, small stone bridges and finally through a long tunnel. Even putting my head out of the window to smell the smoke filled air and savour the wind in my ever decreasing hair, only to receive a face full of water vapour and soot, was enjoyable. If you should find yourself in Sussex and have a handful of hours to spare then I heartily recommend a visit to the Bluebell Railway. I've posted some of these pictures in B&W and "digitally aged" to give them a more authentic feel. But rest assured all the photo's were taken on the day ! From the Bluebell railway, we headed out through glorious sunbathed scenery to the picture perfect village of Hartfield. This village is famous as being the home of AA Milne, author of the Winnie the Pooh Stories. Winnie the Pooh was set in '100 Acre Wood' which in reality is '500 Acre Wood', a part of the 6000 acre Ashdown Forest. The point of our trip was not only to walk through the forest and burn off some of Mrs T's picnic but also to find Pooh Bridge. It was at this rickety wooden bridge deep in Ashdown Forest where Milne would visit, with his son Christopher Robin, and where they invented a game that became known throughout the World as Poohsticks. We therefore went in search of the bridge in order to play our own game. The bridge was fairly easy to find although we did miss a crucial direction sign and ended up in a very affluent country lane with Million Pound houses on either side. We could easily have blended in to the surroundings, giving the impression of a normal family out for a Sunday walk, albeit a slightly bizarre family with one too many "husbands", If it weren't for the fact that we each had handfulls of poohsticks, which we had carefully gathered along the route. This clearly blew our cover to all passers by and after a 20 minute period, having realised our error we turned around. The bridge, once found was small and unassuming and featured an almost unnoticeably tiny sign announcing that this was Pooh Bridge and was the real life location for the creation, and first ever game of pooh sticks. Now, I'm sure you don't need telling that Pooh sticks is a game where you drop a small stick on the upstream side of the bridge and then you rush across to the downstream side to see whose stick appears from under the bridge first. Now as all sticks look the same to those of us who aren't stick experts, this can provoke some hearty discussion over whose stick has won. Everybody naturally shouts "that's mine" with every passing stick, even if it was thrown from somebody else in a different party.

In the interests of a quiet trip home, and also because she's the youngest and smallest in our group, we awarded the winner of "most winning sticks" to little Bro's daughter. Her prize was to give us all a kiss, including Wally the dog - who I'm sure would have much preferred a tummy rub or an enthusiastic pat but rules is rules so a kiss he got nonetheless. I'm just pleased that I wasn't next in the kissing line ! A fantastic weekend. Thanks very much to the T family in Sussex.

Things I've learnt this week:-
1. Yogi & BooBoo are worse at getting up in the morning than me.
2. That all sticks look the same really.
3. That no matter where I sit on a plane, I'm next to the wing !
4. That I have the Worlds largest collection of aeroplane wing photo's.

Things that have made me smile this week:-

1. Painted on the back of a McVities HGV proceeding Northbound on the M6 "No Jaffa Cakes are left in this trailer overnight"
2. Scrawled on a truly filthy white van, travelling Westbound on the M56 "Professionally cleaned by Stevie Wonder"

And on that bombshell....Until the next time.