Newquay, Wimbledon and other interesting places...

And so the holiday season unfolds in the Brilig House. In these stricken times, a foreign sojorn was out of the question and so the UK was to be further explored (again). Suits me, I like to be home for tea, anyway. Kids fancied the West Country and off we went. Steered the decision to Widemouth Bay - I thought that was where the MMT coach got stuck on a bridge and JL, in fit of pique, pulled the sign of the bud. No ! No ! Dummy ! Piss Poor Planning Precipitates Poor Performance ! Turns out that was Widecomb not Widemouth - what a dunce. Nevermind, quick trip to Newquay coz that's where the Fabs are pictured sitting on the headland. No ! No ! Thrice No ! That was Plymouth Hoe. Oh well, see attached photo of Atlantic Hotel where they headquartered (hate to verbalise) for three days on their MMT tour. I asked the receptionist if there was any lingering memorabilia from the Summer of Love. Apparently not but she was very helpful if not particularly knowledgeable of Beatle things - eyes seemed to glaze over as I mentioned the bridge and the Hoe and .... worth noteing that a double room for two with breakfast is a very reasonable £110 late summer. Anyone aware of which rooms etc..

And then back to the Brilig home for the second week of the hols and day trips to interesting places abound ! Today, I took the family on a Fab trip to where I used to live in South Wimbledon. Now, back in 90's my neighbour was a little old lady who used to go on about the good ol' days when the furniture store on the corner of our street used to be a dancehall. Never really used to listen much to her rattle on about things but recently discovered that the ballrrom 'at the end of our street' was the Wimbledon Ballroom mentioned in the Beatles' London where the Boys playewd in a cage. What ? Really ? Yep ! The pics below were taken today - the ugly great furniture store now an ugly great row of ugly, ugly houses.

Then heading north to Wimbledon Common. "Look ! They have a Jack Wills and a Cath Kidstone, Daddy !" Yeah, yeah - wait 'till you see the Windmill ! That did not go down well - especially when they spied the Beatle London book in the glove box and guessed what was about to happen. Straight through the village with no stoppin' ! Ok - so two of the clan refused to be bribed with ice creams and stayed in the car but the youngest - loyal as ever - joined in the Beatle fun and had to pose as JL, Dudley Moore and Norm. Not convinced I got the right spot but I think the common has changes a little.

Danoota

Danoota with Ice Cream

Danoota with Ice Cream (again)

Danoota - one more time

Deaf Ted

And Me !

Beatles London Re-visited (again etc one more time enough already...)

A change of plan. Rather than follow the route of the MDO I decided on a more random route through the metropolis via Portabello Rd. Further annotations to come but meanwhile prizes to those who recognise the Beatle significance of these snaps.





Where Harry met Sally



Where they partied - what ? A pound a drink ?








Beatle Travellers and transport workers welcome. All others - Bugger Orf !




Who ate here whilst waiing for a bus ? Using ivory cutlery ?











Ringo in disguise































Ringo and the milk bottles

OMG MDO TTFN

Preparing for a Mad Day Out in olde London Town. Beatles London in one hand, camera in the other. Family just asked whether I need two anoraks. Very funny. Wish me well, its gonna bit wet today.

Weston-Super-Mare

After a little unseemly haggling I acquired the above 1963 poster, dog-eared and frayed, for £20. Bargain ? What does that mean? The stall owner at the boot fair, tired and wet from the earlier downpour, asked me what it was worth. I don't know, I said slightly disingenuously (a framed version in the Beatle Shop on Baker Street has a £300 price tag but then it is frequented by nuts - self included). Not sure what I would have paid. Perhaps £50 max ? But having stumbled across it when really not expecting it, I had to have it. It started to rain again and the stall holders were packing up. So £20 it was.

Bored

Having bunked off work early on the excuse that I needed peace to complete my big presentation on the perils of vertical intergration and the merits of chucking it all over to some God-forsaken-shit-hole in the back end of nowhere, I ensconced myself in the wonderful calm of the reference library of Sevenoaks. Ah ! Calm. I pondered the subject.. I thought long an hard.. I considered the scope...I deliberated over moral issues ...God ! It just ain't happening. I retired to the cafe...I drowned myself in teas and knocked back several scones. Returning to library, I hesitatingly lifted the lid on notebook and faced the full horrors of the virgin canvas. Nothing coming...

Hold on ! What is this ! A whole wall of micro-fiche thingermebobs things ? Sweet Nelly Furtado - When did that arrive ? 'Hello there - do you have copies of the local papers from early '67 ? Why ? I think the Beatles visited Sevenoaks in...urm.. and I am interested in the sixties ...err... that is to say I am a bit of a Beatle nut...and.." There were some giggles from schoolgirls who appeared to be studying the Windmills of Kent. Bloody cheek - who are they to judge me ? Windmills indeed. Recogised one of them as a friend of my daughter. Oh crap.

Sky of Blue, Sea of Green

I have read that Donovan ("No kids, before you say it - not Jason ! What do you mean you don't know who Jason Donavan is ? Anyway, not Jason Donovan...oh to hell with it. Leave me alone in my world...") I have lost the thread of it now. Donovan (he of 'A Gift from a Flower to a Garden" the cover of which reveals him wearing a technicolour coat... - Hells Bells ! That was Jason Donovan ! Am I having a stroke ? Was it Jason Donovan I saw last night ?)

Start again : I have read that Donovan (Leitch) contributed the above line to the lyric of Yellow Submarine (got there in the end). I have had a bit of a soft spot for the Pyschedelic Scot ever since my much belated hippy days which started rather late for me, between the Winter of Discontent and the Pistols first LP (I've gotta stop this tosh).

And so in '77 when the rest of the class were either banging their greasy towsled locks to Deep Purple or pogo'ing out the top of their Mohicans, I (alone, it has to be admitted) was scouring the racks of the Notting Hill Tape and Record Exchange for dog-ear'ed knocked-down Donovan LPs on my regular Young Person Railcard day trips to the capital. And it was here that it started with the gem of Sunshine Superman snapped up for a mere 40 pence. It continued with a very pleasing Donovan Live in '68.

Now, those friends who were more, let's say, 'with it' were understanding of my Beatles obsession but they drew the line at Donovan and, I suspected, cast each other exasperated looks when....Leave it will you !

And so on Friday night I (alone, it has to be admitted) made my way to the Royal Albert Hall to witness the Pied Piper do his turn. Arriving early, I bought a cheap-seat for a mere £20 and quaffed at expensive lager but what a view ! I was very pleased to be offered a free upgrade to a box - must have a lucky face - where I quaffed again and 'meditated' for a few moments (it had been a long day) in anticipation.

Was it good ? Well, I am glad I went because Sunshine Superman still rates as one of my favourite albums ever and the venue is really something. It was joy to hear those songs and, although his voice was a bit 'vibratto' ...and the orchestra could have benfitted from a little more practice ...and Jimmy Page seemed to miss a few notes (!) this was Donovan ! He wrote a bit of Yellow Submarine, you know.

The 40 pence album was long ago lost along with my original Strawberry Fields / Penny Lane single (in picture cover). I lent it to my mate during the Summer of Much-Content - he left them at his girlfriend's house then she dumped him. If you're out there Sandra Brown - I want my records back. I miss them a lot.

Mad Wet Day Out

O the dedication and the madness ! For reasons too boring to explain, I found myself with much time on my hands in central London today. Alas, the suddeness of the opportunity caught me on the hop and ill-prepared - good camera sitting back on the Brilig mantelpiece. Ho hum - let's fire up the low res phone and bag us some Beatle Pics.

According to my second favourite book of all time, this restaurant on the King's Road was a popular eating place of the Fabs and their kind in the sixties. Now a Pizza Express



One more for luck



And another in same neighbourhood, a nightclub called Del Arousa back in the day.



One more for luck



The studio in Flood Street just off King's Road where Peter Blake worked his magic (for a paltry £200 apparently) to create the Sgt. Pepper cover.



And again



The 'other' Beatle boutique that dared not speak its name. 161 King's Road where, as it happens, a photo show is currently running with limited edition prints of some of the famous Beatle pics....



There you go, the light at the end of the Abbey Road...



Etc...



And look ! Here is the one of O'Boogie as posted by Mr Kenwood-Lennon recently...



Apparently, No. 3 Cromwell Road was quite a happening place. Major renovations currently underway.





Where once they quaffed, I quaffed too (or three if I'm honest). The Devonshire Arms just off Manchester Square, a stone's throw from the EMI House.



And on to Motague Square, the home of the true rock star. O the nakedness of it all. Which flat was it ?







Now when was the last time images of both the Beatle Boutiques were captured on a phone camera on the same day ? And what sort of freak would ask such a question ?



Now this is just silly. Anyone who can tell me why I walked a mile in the rain to take a shot of this wall will win a big badge that says "I Need Help!"



Back in the mists of my traditional upbringing, I coverted this plate which was owned by an aunt of mine. She promised to give it to me before I left for college but forgot. She broke it in 1985. Ho hum.



It had to be done.



Give me some retail therapy - but at that price ?!





So, a splendid time was had but Mein Gott, Willy - didn't it rain.