At home he feels like a tourist...

Who said that ? Tourists come to mind but that's just damn stupid. Was it Magazine ? Oh who the hell cares ?! I felt like one this afternoon as I snapped away once more in happy delerium as I stumbled blindly as I made my way across the great pages of the Beatles London book.

It seems to me that everyone has a Beatles story 'cept me.. since sharing my obsession with trusted work colleagues a few weeks back, I have been regaled with many very interesting (gotta calibrate that one) stories including one of a neighbour who worked as a Nanny at Kenwood, one who worked as a young engineer in the sixties at Abbey Road (blimey !) and another who knows someone who was in the Swinging Blue Jeans and there was a Beatle connection but...I ...can't ...remember quite what that one was. And then today I spent a very pleasent afternoon with my oldest mate (longest serving might be a better description) who was too polite to remind me that back in the land of 1978, he once spent some time with Macca at his Sussex Farm. I recall being jealous beyond green when I saw the photos and wondered briefly whether I would have to end the frienship - Bloody Hell stop thinking about that....and then, just 4 hours ago in the Devonshire Arms Public House just off Manchester Square, the barmaid, asked me what I was reading and, when I showed her the Beatles London Book and the entry therin of the very establishment in which we stood, she casually remrked that she has another job in a nearby hair salon where she frequently 'does the hair' of the niece of Brian Epstein. Well how-do-you-do !

Hold on, where the bloody hell is this blog entry going ?

And so, Dear Reader (I would not be so presumptious as to assume the plural), can you identify the relevance of the folloing pics. A point for each correct comment... and what do points make ? A sure sign that you spend far too much time thinking about events 40 years old ! Why is that ? No, I mean it ! If you can explain that one then there really is a prize.






He fills his mind with culture.
He gives himself an ulcer.

(Gang of Four - so you don't have to)

Nothing is Real

This Saturday, the early morning joggers of the great Knole Park were once again exposed to the unseemly sight of an obsessive-with-camera hopelessly snapping away like a mad'un in an increasingly frustrated manner around the aforementioned stumps known, inventively, as One and Two. Which one was it ? One or Two ? I canna take it captain ! I gotta know ! On the way back down Sevenoaks high street, a few more snaps of the probable Beatles restaurant and the probably Mr. Kite Antique Shop and the possible Beatles hotel (did not mention that before but maybe true) but its the tree we need to know ! We need to know ! We just HAVE to know !!!

Haha.. a quaint Musical Instrument shop nestled between these imagined places and a Hard Day's Night poster in the window. Maybe the owner just might....I started gentle, did not want him to think he had a freak in his shop. Lovely morning - agreed. Browsed the harmonicas and banjos...Like the poster, love the Beatles I do... Did you know they visited this area back in the day, yep - he did. They filmed in the park..he knew that. Yes, SFF and Penny Lane filmed around the tree....(here it comes, here it comes)..Which tree was it ? He's looking surprised and the friendly smile is slipping away..What-da-yer-mean, which tree ? The trees in the park ! Bit strained suddenly. No - I mean do you know which tree, err exactly...he seemed to be backing away from me and answered his phone which I did not hear ring.

So, yet more time on the information super-highway last night and more hours wasted in trying to unearth the killer archive photo proving once and for all, the Number of the Stump. Nothing, zilch, bit-fat-zero...hold on ! Sweet Nelly Futardo ! What in the name of all things Pepperland is this ! A renunion back in 2008 of West Malling residents to reminise on The Day the Beatles came to West Malling ?! A bit of a do at the Holiday Inn not a stone's throw from Cassa Brilig ? What ? I said, What ? How can this be ? Why wasn't I told...it just ain't fair. The truth is out there and know to some old codgers who will not let me into their club and the twits are bound to forget.

Do I care about all this..the fact I cannot seem to get to the truth about the tree or, indeed, the Walrus scene in MMT at West Malling ? I re-assure myself that I exist and all that is not-I is mere phenomenon dissolving into phenomenal connections. JL put it better

http://www.thisiskent.co.uk/news/Undefined-Headline/article-289462-detail/article.html

Those were the days..

Yesterday is another country - or is that tomorrow. Never sure about that. Anywho, it was not so long ago that the rest of the Brilig clan were willing participants in my ridiculous obsession - interpretations of the Fab classics. Then we went into a phase of bribery involving ever increasing amounts of sugared confectionary then it rapidly descended into copious amounts of cash, cash, cash. Those days are gone and any suggestion of video fun is met with stoney, verging on aggressive, resistance.

Long, long ago back in my sleepy hollow home town, a small, smokey bar in the basement of of a decrepid Victorian hotel and within a stone's throw of the beach, was, briefly for one summer only, the place to be. It may have had similiar moments of fame with the the 'youff' of the sixties, fifities forties etc but who knows ? It was here that the seventeen year olds of that summer gathered each Friday night to drink and get drunk with the sparse notes of the Pete Stacey Jazz band whafting through the cellar. Now the average age of this trio must have been 90 but we did not care. It was music and there wasn't much of it about. Rumour had it that one of the three had been involved in a Beatles recording - I can't recall if it was A Day in The Life or Penny Lane. In hindsight, I suspect the latter as I think the guy was the trombonist ? Why did we not just ask him ? Now I have to add this to the list of things to sort out - I've gotta know !! Oh damm it. Sleep now.

Jeweler, you've failed !

Ok, maybe not quite the thing to do in these troubled times but I am an innocent abroad ! I caused some quizzical faces from the well-heeled onlookers of Bond Street as I snapped away outside Asprey Jewellers but then noticed I seemed to be attracting more concerned looks from the staff within. What exactly is that middle-aged, slightly unkempt looking (kids' words not mine) chap with a camera and anorak doing ? Moving on swiftly, I was drawn once more like a moth to the flame of No 3. I think in the last few months the graffiti count is up big time. Looking down into the basement I pondered on the issue around the Beatles Studio and Magic Alex's promises of wanderment and the musical nirvanah of a 72 track recorder. I have always had a bit of a fascination with this Uber-Hanger-On. The fact that he somehow kept the arch cynic Lennon on board with his promises is peculiar. However, I recall my own interest when reading as a teenager back in the 70's that MA had promised endlessly flashing boxes and telephome answering machines. Some interesting words from George Martin's autobiography (see ealier entry) on Magic Alex :-

"Of all the army of hangers-on, the one I recall most vividly, because he impinged on my work and my musical relationship with the boys, was Magic Alex. I can never remember his real name, but he was a Greek who had ingratiated himself with John Lennon, and who was so preposterous that it would have been funny had he not caused so much embarressment with me in the recording studio.."

I've Got Sunshine in a Bag

Pursuing something of a trivial theme if I may for just one more blog entry,further to the 'cakes' of previous entry, here is an interesting (you gotta be kidding !) insight into the mind of a 40 something Beatle fan well past his sell-but date. The above snap is a Sgt Pepper cushion of the highest quality ! whatever next ?! Well, you can get the whole 3-piece suite ensemble in the same pyscedelic style should you be that way inclined (I am ! I am !) A very, very well received birthday present from my sometimes-disparing-always-curious-increasingly-worried family. Interestingly (again, you gotta...) my camera, having a whizz-bang-cutting-edge facility of face recognition, would only focus on the Macca Mug. No mattter how hard I tried to nudge it in the direction of the Dr. O'Boggie visog it refused the invitation. I could practically hear the scathing sarcasm of the be-spectacled one.

Beatle Cakes (and Books)

Rain again sweeps the Borrowgroves and greyness abounds. So to cheer ourselves up (ok ! Just me of course !) a hunt around the musty, dusty, crusty (enough of this) bookshops and charity outlets (of which there are scores) in olde Worlde Wells of the Tunbridge persausion. A few good finds although not sure about parting with six squids for Lennon Remembers. Most of this can be found on the intraweb but I have an obsession and I need to feed so it was straight into the brown bag. Next up was the memoires as of 1979 of George Martin. A fairy substantial first edition hard back for a reasonable £3.49 - a bargain indeed.

Now I knew about the memories of Lennon as recounted to the Rolling Stones interviewer back in approx 1971 and some kind of surpressed memory from my formative years caused me apprehension as I turned its somewhat sepia'd pages. Please don't say it ! Damm - yep he said it. Words to the affect that he hated the whole damn thing - including Paul. Oh woeful day - and its still raining.

Quick, what did the admirable Mr Martin have to say about things whilst he was this side of 100 years old. Well, quite a lot actually but not so keen to hear about his successes with the likes of Bernard Cribbins and the joys of Right Said Fred. But its getting interesting...

So kids, let's make some cakes. I've got the mix, the icing and the templates. What do you mean you don't normally have templates. You gotta have templates if you're gonna get the images right. Kids ! Come back ! We will have fun.....

Minor Health & Safety Incident at Kentish Beatle Site

A rainy, rainy day in West Kent. Ho-hum, let's cheer ourselves up (or myself up, not sure about the rest of the family unit) with a trip (again) around the local places of Beatle interest. I was much encouraged this morning by discovering that, back in 2007, a local historian had conducted a Magical Mystery Tour of Sevenoaks taking in places of great interest (to those of a certain inclination). Ok, 4 years late but at least I had discovered that somemone out there had a notion of the whereabouts of the mysterious 'Antique Shop' - historic site of the Mr. Kite poster purchase, and also the restaurant where the Fabs may have eaten during their time in the town filming the SFF and Penny Lane videos.

I must say that the youngest of the clan is by far the most supportive of the idiot father - all others quickly finding excuses for not joining in with Beatle Fun. I just don't understand them. As I reflect on the past several years, I can see the stages during which I have been viewed as - Funny Dad (age 4-8) Quirky Dad (age 9ish-10), He-Can't-Help It Dad (11ish-11.5ish) and then into the less happy state of Irritating Dad (age 11.5ish-12) and then the untold misery of 'Down-Right-Annoying Dad and no, I won't bring my boyfriend along coz it ain't fun.'

So, with camera in hand along with notes made from the historian's site and, of course, with the Beatles London book (second best gift ever received) we set off from the Borrowgroves heading towards the famous Tree one more time.

After many false starts over the past couple of years and much tree action around the Birdhouse, could this be the stump of that SFF tree ? Oh no ! Two tree stumps within 50 yards of each other and both quite consistent with the rough sketch in Beatles Book. Can someone please help ?! See the panoramic views - surely we can compare and contrast with the video - a busy night ahead.

Let's call this Stump 1..

..and introducing Stump 2


Stump 1 ?



....Stump 1 with child



Stump 2 with child

Stump 2 gets her vote

A panorama around Stump 2 - or is it Stump 1 - Oh Hells Bells I can't remember which is which !

Another panoramic view around the other Stump...enough of Stumps already..I'm getting bored of this.

And in pulling a very small piece of the dead bark from the stump of the tree - 1 or 2 - who the hell cares now (for goodnesssake it is just a stump - hardly environmentally unfriendly), I cut my knuckle. My daughter had not been keen from the start and when hopping around the tree in pain I knew she was trying to recall her Wow-Word-of-the-Month; "It starts with K" I winced trying not to say a few wow words myself. "Karma !" she said proudly, "Serves you right for damaging a tree." Karma in an instant. It look like it may leave a small scar...uhmmm.

The Birdhouse yet again. Selling eggs, I thought about going in and asking a few questions "Isn't this where The Beatles stopped for refreshments ?" Maybe another day

The arch, again.

And we found the pond ! The Beatles Feast etc.

And so back to the High Street. Here at number 48 is the site of the restaurant where the Fabs are reported to have eaten. It is now a solicitors.

And could this really be where JL bought the Mr Kite poster ? Could it be true ? It is number 44a The High Street. My sources say 'yes' but confirmation needed.

And this is the pub included in the 2007 tour - was it that they drank there or was it just the starting point for the tour ? Bit embarrasing if simply the latter.

Enough already of Beamish thoughts - thanks to the small one who still regards me as Quirky Dad.

London Sales and Beatle Postcodes

Remarkably, another London trip. O Joyful Day ! This time the excuse is two of the daughters (plus friend) with Christmas vouchers that just can't wait - little do they know their fave shops share the same postcodes as Beatle spots documented (so interestingly) in my second best Christamas present ever - 'The Beatles London'. Abercronbie and Fitch ? Yes, no problem girls ! Where is that exactly ? Saville Row ? Sure, no problem. (Sinister hee-hee-hee laughter). What's that girls ? You would like to dine at Wong Kei's ? No problem. I think that's near to a pub called the Blue Posts. Your wish is my command.

And so to Saville Row once more - how embarressed they all were as they posed in front of the A&F queue they had been stood in for an age

Above you, girls. See that roof ? That's where....oh never mind.

As pictured on the front of my new favourite posession the Bea... enough already...

Magic in West Malling

Unplanned and unexpected, on the first morning of the new year I found myself, once again, in the environs of Kent's zombie town - the hapless, soul-less Kingshill Estate (bit harsh, maybe) looking for 'Beatle Spots' of the Magical Mystery Tour home movie. Previous visits involved driving my disinterested family around in circles to the point of nausea in ultimately fruitless attempts to find the fabled Durello Avenue - the site of the 'I am the Walrus' episode of the Beatles' MMT. Since then I have received directions from KenwoodLennon and cousin American Jim but alas, due to the randomness of the morning, I was without them. However, with new Christmas presents to hand - decent camera and the fabulous Beatles' London book -I embarked on a photo rampage of the 'generel area'. Not generally given to disobeying ''Das Betreten !' signs, I was overcome with the potential of the moment and bravely marched across forbidden fields and snapped away like a good-un. Now, I have come to the conclusion that Durello Avenue is a 'virtual' road, a figment of the greedy imagination of the Greater Maidstone property developers prior to the recession. Nevertheless, I became aware of patches of earth resembling the blast wall areas and very small concrete outcrops. Let joy be unconstrained ! Some time is now needed to match the general landscapes captured below with the 1967 backdrops. I can't wait. Hold on, what's this ? Beatle London, he say 32 blast walls...ummm

A panoramic view - nice camera !

New roads a-comming ! Yeah, right.

To many a simple field - and they would be right

Onlooking locals cast me unsympathetic looks suspecting a care-in-the-community type had ventured into their don't-care-community. Hey Buddy ! I'm not the one worshipping at the alter of Asda. At least we allow Learner Drivers to drive down our roads in the Borrowgroves !

Will I really being comparing profile of bushes later ? Probably.

And telegraph poles ? Yes. yes - I am a Beatle freak and I need help.

Nice camera - I may have mentioned the new camera.

From the airplane fields, I moved to the heart of the place. The desparately, desparately miserable Asda store and the accompanying mock 1990's Surrender all Hope Public Inn behind which stands perhaps the last airfield building. Was this the site of the Victor Spinetti / Paul McCartney clip ? I think I recognise it but maybe mistaken as my mind is adled with Beatle Kent images.

A panoramic of the building behind Asda.

Watch this space for updates on the location matching.

With another half an hour left before ascending once more into the 'family orbit' and ignoring the on-the-minute texts reminding me of this very fact, I boldly headed towards West Malling high steet with another address in mind - 90 Hight Street (thanks again to Beatles' London). So, here is the newsagents where Ringo purchased his MMT tickets from a masively mustashioed Dr O'Boogie. I wonder if the owners of this fast food establishment know of their role in the Beatles story or whether they just muse on the strangeness of people as they step back into the high street and nearly get run over trying to get that all important panoramic shot of their shop front. What do you mean, 'Who the hell does that ?'. Surely I am not the only one....No, honestly, am I ?

Always look behind you when stepping back to get that extended shot.

Hi kids - times-up ? Yes, don't panic I have your camera. Yes, I am looking after it.


Happy New Year from Lost-in-the-Community.