Count Arthur Strong -The Castle Theatre Wellingborough

The Count

It's very nice to be at The Castle Theatre in Wellingborough for the first time. Quite surprising as it is only 8 miles up the road! First impressions are good. Plenty of parking, the staff are really helpful and it has a very personal feeling about it.We are here tonight for the 'Count Arthur Strong' take on the Dickens Christmas classic 'A Christmas Carol'. For those of you unfamiliar with 'The Count, he is the creation of 'Steve Delaney' back in the 1980's. The opinionated, muddled and ageing thespian is not to everyone's taste. I found his BBC series hard work compared to the superb radio shows.

The first half is The Count in the role of Charles Dickens. However it may well be Charles Dance, David Dickenson or Dickie Davies? Such is the confusion as he tries to merge Dickensian life into that of the modern day. It is very hard to keep up with where we actually are. The distracted ramblings are great fun though. Somewhere along the line we delve into a monologue about a 'Hillman Minx', amongst many others. The first half ends with a magic show, the Master of Confusion attempts to become the Master of Illusion. All with catastrophic results as you might well have expected.

The second half is the one man portrayal of 'A Christmas Carol'. He is assisted by a ventriloquist dummy playing the part of 'Tiny Tim'. Further support is provided by the ghosts of Jacob Marley, and Christmas Past, Present and Future. These all appear on a large video on the back of the stage. The only two I recognised were' Julian Clary' and 'Anita Harris'. The chaos continues at pace and it is non stop hilarity. It all ends with a happy ending tough some how, which is the main thing. The show ends with a brilliant version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. This is interspersed with a 'Shot' for each round of the song. The results are easy to predict and it is complete and utter carnage but very funny. It was a great night and lovely to catch up with Steve afterwards. I did ask him if he was the person to see for a refund? This had been something of a standing joke throughout the show. He was as good fun fun out of character , which is always nice to witness.Catch him while you can , you won't regret it! 
 

The John Bunyan Trail (11) Kempston & Wootton

It's been a while but we are back on the 'Bunyan Trail'. A fairly short walk today that will pick up from the last Kempston walk. Our starting point is in the Ramsey Green and Gibraltar parish. About 5km South West of Bedford town centre. Rather than taking the road we cut through an area of community woodlands called 'Buttons Ramsey'. Part of the Forest of Marston Vale. A series of Gateway Woods between Kempston and Wootton.  

It's a pleasant diversion away from the road. It only spans an area of about1km and is very flat. A passing cyclist stops us and asks if we have visited nearby 'Kempston Wood'. He tells us that it holds some great walks with excellent views. Certainly one for the notepad for a visit on a future date.

 

St Mary's Church Wootton

Continuing in a clockwise direction we reach 'Church End'. The Grade II listed Church of St Mary. 

We pass through the Churchyard leaving past a row of cottages. Standing on a small green leading to the church is the war memorial.The memorial was first unveiled in 1922. It is particularly poignant as this weekend is Remembrance Sunday.    

I had to smile as we rejoin the road. An old Austin 30 or maybe 35 was perched in a small trailer. These cars were first produced in 1952 until 1956. It was launched as Austin's rival to the popular Morris Minor. At launch, the car cost £507 (equivalent to £15,793.36 in 2019) undercutting the Minor by £62.

We start to turn back on ourselves when we reach Wootton Green Farm. There are a large number of 4 wheel drive vehicles parked up. They are either hunting or shooting . Sure enough as we proceeded through the open countryside shooters were spotted in the adjacent field. A huge black cloud has descended , an ominous sign for the poor Pheasants. the 'beaters' were trying to drive the birds from the ridge towards the rifles. Thankfully I only saw one bird shot out of the skies. We then come a cross a wounded Pigeon, lots of feathers across the pathway. It might have been winged by gunfire? Or perhaps more likely a bird of prey has seized it and then been disturbed by our presence . Hard to tell really , but little we could do for the unfortunate creature.  

Autumn colour

It's a great time of year to be out walking with the fantastic Autumn colours. The leafs are falling off the trees with some momentum now. Another couple of weeks and the branches will be empty once again. As a keen Mycologist (someone who loves fungi) it is great to see a display such as the ones pictured. I believe they are of the variety 'Coprinellus' 'mica cap'. It is quite a common and grow in clusters. Bizarrely they are an edible species , and considered good for omelettes. There is no chance that I will be putting them to any sort of culinary use though!

 

Remains of 'The Chequers'

Back in Wootton we pass the charred remains of the 17th century pub 'The Chequers'. I asked a local resident what on earth has happened. She explained that in September the current Landlord had set fire to the premises and taken his own life. There is some hope that the Pub can be repaired, but the villagers feel this is probably unlikely. It is a sad end to a good walk. 

 

 

 

 

Rick Wakeman The Return of the Caped Crusader Part 2 - Royal & Derngate Northampton

The Stage is set

Always good to be on 'home turf' for a gig. Tonight I will be in the presence of a 'Prog Rock' legend 'Rick Wakeman' CBE. Probably best known for his time with  the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004. He has also had a prolific solo career as a highly acclaimed Keyboard player and Composer. Along with his band the 'English Rock Ensemble he will be performing two classic albums in full. Act 1 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1973). Act 2 The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table (1975). 

Prior to the 14 date tour Wakeman was quoted as saying 'playing both of these suites of music at the age of 76 is a remarkable milestone. He tells us he has a special affinity for '6 Wives' as he has almost had that many himself. Unlike the studio album the running order will be in continuity order of the marriages. Joining Rick in his band are Guitarist and backing singer 'David Colquhoun', 'Adam Falkner' on Drums, Bassist and Backing vocals 'Lee Pomeroy'. Also on Keyboards and backing vocals is his son 'Adam Wakeman'. There are also three ladies providing backing vocals. We are all set and the we kick off with 'Catherine of Aragon'. 

I'm in row E, 5 back from the stage to the left facing the stage. It's a pretty good view as well. Nobody seems to be taking photos, they haven't announced that you can't. I brave a couple and seem to get away with it. There will be more to come in Act 2 though. Rick did look rather resplendent in his trademark purple sparkling cape. There is a strong audience demographic of  'Over 60's', mainly white and lots of couples. I always find the audiences at the Derngate very subdued as a rule. But that's fine, we are here for the music ultimately. Highlight of Act 1 was the closing track 'Catherine Parr'. I heard a bootleg version of this years ago and it mad a big impression on me. It was another great rendition, and the band leave to a standing ovation as the interval arrives.  

'The Progettes'

After a very lengthy interval, must have been a good 30 minutes we are back! A new face is introduced, in the form of 'Jesse Smith'. It was announced at the end of September that vocalist Mollie Marriott was no longer able to join the English Rock Ensemble on  the upcoming UK . At short notice Jesse was recruited to fill the gap left. He is regarded as a stunning singer and charismatic front man, He has worked with some of the finest musical talent in his long career, so a very capable replacement indeed. As sort of promised there will be a few photographs this half. We kick off with 'Arthur' from the album 'Myths and Legends'...... Oh and Rick has changed his cape, still as glittering and sparkling as before though. An album that was allegedly written from his hospital bed whilst suffering from life's excesses,resulting in a Heart Attack. 

The band are getting into full swing now as the tempo increases. Am I the only one itching to get out of my seat and wave my arms about? It would seem so for the time being at least. There is more movement as Adam emerges with his 'Keytar'. Against the better advice of Rick, something about not being insured .....he mounts the stage amps regardless. 

The band is excellent! Dave Colquhoun on guitar and Lee Pomeroy are both veterans of the Prog , and sometimes Pop scene.Meanwhile Rick Rick just move from one side of his keyboard rig to the other creating a variety of sounds.The maestro then takes to the journey to the centre of the stage. He is ably assisted by two of the glamorous backing singers (Progettes) in lifting his organ. Please don't titter ....

More 'Keytars'

 As the strains of  'The Last Battle' die down the second Act is drawing to a close. Rick had earlier told us that the his great friend 'Ian Lavender' had provided the narration on this track. He also points out that we might have noticed there has been one glaring omission from the setlist 'Merlin the Magician'. Of course, he tells us Merlin was never actually a Magician. In truth of fact he was a 'Physician'. However selling that idea to the record company proved quite a problem. So the Magician it remained. 

It has been a fantastic two hours though. A pretty near full house has been entertained royally. Proof if ever it was needed that there is still an audience for Prog. A genre that has had it 'naysayers' over the years. Not least the Punk generation that thought they could kill it off!

     Set List 

Act 1 The Six Wives of Henry VIII

• Catherine of Aragon
• Anne Boleyn 'The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended'
• Jane Seymour
• Anne Of Cleves
• Catherine of Howard
• Catherine Parr

 Act  2 The Myths and Legend of King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table

• Arthur
• Lady of the Lake
• Guinevere
• Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight
• Sir Galahad
• The Last Battle

Encore 

Merlin the Magician

 

 

 

Jubilee Way (Leics) Stathern to Belvoir Castle

It's god to be back on the Jubilee Way in rural Leicestershire. It has taken over 7 years to return. My walking Buddy was here last walk and lost his dog in the area. Thankfully after 4 days awol 'Little Archie' turned up none the worse for his adventure. Therefore today was about taking down the 'missing' posters and saying thank you to those involved in the safe return.  Our starting point is the village of Stathern.

Stathern is part of the picturesque 'Vale of Belvoir'. About 10 miles north of Melton Mowbray. It has a rich history dating back to the Domesday Book. There is a steep climb out of the village to the Bridleway via Tofts Lane through the woodlands. Over to our left are stunning views of' 'The Vale'. Much of the land is owned by the Duke of Rutland. It is a lovely Beech Wood, although Oak; Birch, Cherry, Pine, Spruce and Deciduous Larch are present. Rhododendron and Laurel are also common shrubs. The tree branches above us are blowing well in the aftermath of 'Storm Amy'. It is quite a cloudy day but at least the forecast is for a dry day.

Beacon Hill Memorial

We pass the Beacon Hill memorial. In 1588 a chain of beacons was created across the land. An early warning system should the Spanish Armada be sighted. Belvoir (pronounced Beaver) being the highest point in Leicestershire was one of the sites involved. We continue on our way towards 'Belvoir Castle'. A Sweet Chestnut has spilled lots of its fruit on the path. I was more than happy to forage some of Mother Natures harvest. The word 'Belvoir' comes from the 'Norman French' for 'Beautiful View'. It expands into three counties, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. The area is very famous for the production of Pork Pies and Stilton Cheese. You can keep the cheese but I am more than partial to a nice Pork Pie. Melton Mowbray is the traditional home of the pie though. produced by traditional methods using uncured Pork and hand formed pastry and served cold.  Both Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pies are covered by European Protected Designation of Origin orders.   

Memorial Bench

As we reach the end of the outbound leg we come across a lovely memorial bench to a local resident 'Charlotte Louise Stevens'. The view of the 'Monkey Puzzle' tree opposite was her favourite spot. Charlotte sadly passed in February 2024 and was clearly dearly missed by her friends and family in Stathern. We then arrive at the car park for 'Belvoir Castle'. There is a review on my blog of a previous trip posted below.

http://peterja-storytellersnight.blogspot.com/2017/09/belvoir-castle-leicestershire.html

After a quick visit to the Retail Village we make our way back towards Stathern. Away from the sheltered footpath previously, it is like walking into a wind tunnel! Looking back, the shape of the castle emerges above the treetops. The large field on the left is known as the 'West Wong'. Not to be confused with the 'West Wing'. I believe a relic of the Norse settlement originating from the Norse word 'vangr' meaning a garden or field. It is with some relief that our route takes us back into the shelter of the woods. The trees in this part are largely 'Pine'. There is a golden Autumnal carpet of leaves on the ground.  

Golden Scalycap

It's that time of year when mushrooms or Funghi can be found. Autumn, between September to November is prime mushroom season. This is due to the right balance between warmth and moisture. The first one pictured is 'Dryads Saddle' or 'Pheasants Back'. A large, common fungus found on dead or dying trees. The 'Golden Scalycap' also thrives on dead wood.  

We drop down back towards our starting point in Stathern. A very pleasant walk of 9.3 miles.