Back in 1970, when I was just eighteen years of age, a fledgling english rock band called Uriah Heep released their first studio album. That album ” … Very ‘Eavy ….. Very ‘Umble”, struck a chord with me and probably set the foundation of my musical tastes.
Over the years I saw the Heep live, several times, bought many of their albums and still listen to them regularly.
So imagine my delight when I found that they were touring…
So tickets purchased I waited with anticipation. Of course there were some concerns. After so many years, most of the original band members have passed on. Would the current line up sound anything like the band that I followed.
And so, last Thursday, I arrived at the De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill. Before I could answer the Uriah Heep questions I was going to be entertained by two support acts.
The first to perform was Tyketto, a band from New York, USA. Having never heard of them I assumed they were a relatively new band. How wrong could I be. They have been around since 1987!!!
Tyketto
They gave a very good account of themselves and were well received by me and the rest of the audience.
Following Tyketto, the next act very quickly set up their kit. They were April Wine and had also passed below my rock radar. Also not a new band, having formed in 1969, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
April Wine
Although categorised, like Tyketto, as Hard Rock, their style is very different and dare I say it, more complex. Once again their reception was very positive.
But then it was time for the main event, the reason most of us were there.
After a surprisingly short time, the support bands kit was cleared away and the stage was set for Uriah Heep.
Also, like April Wine, Uriah Heep formed in 1969. Fifty six years entertaining their fans.
Uriah Heep
In that time they have produced some 25 studio albums, 20 live albums, many compilation albums and singles.
Uriah Heep
Their sound is very much as I remember although the current lead singer Bernie Shaw has a different sound to David Byron who fronted the band back in the day.
Uriah Heep
There is no doubt he has the stage presence and the voice needed to front Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep
Of course they did all the favourites as well as some newer songs. For me the highlight was to see and hear the lead guitarist, Mick Box, perform his unique magic.
Mick Box – Uriah Heep
Mick Box is the last surviving, original band member.
Uriah Heep
All too soon the show came to an end. This show was the final one of their UK tour.
A few years ago this site was the home of Marconi Underwater Systems. The site was closed, and the Marconi buildings and surrounds became derelict. The site has remained an eyesore for many years.
Around 2012 I, as a member of the Waterlooville Residents Forum, attended a presentation on behalf of a potential developer. At that time, per the presentation, the plans were to build a 60 bed hotel and restaurant. They also planned a car showroom and a drive thru restaurant. The developer went to great pains. He assured us that the drive thru was not going to be another McDonald’s.
Outline Application APP/12/00652 was submitted 4th October 2012. The recommendation was that permission be granted for this application. Since that time, the Marconi (BAE) buildings were demolished but the site remained undeveloped.
Until that is, along came Lidl and, yep, McDonald’s. But the remainder of the site remained untouched.
And now the council appear to have given the go ahead for a new KFC, Aldi, and Costa.
It’s not as if our little town doesn’t lack for coffee shops and cafe’s. As for fast food drive thru’s, we are surrounded. Nor are we short of Aldi stores, we actually have seven within a ten mile radius. Costa Coffee is even more pervasive with ten in a four mile radius.
There is a significant amount of residential construction in and around Waterlooville. With all the new residents I would agree that there is a need for eateries. But I would argue that there is a greater need for entertainment centres. Waterlooville residents frequently call for a cinema complex / bowling alley. Sadly nobody hears the call
And so, the construction of these three businesses leaves me disappointed. I feel that we, the residents of Waterlooville, have been let down again.
If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?
I would re-open the shop previously closed down by Pressed Rat & Warthog.
Pressed rat and warthog have closed down their shop They didn’t want to; ’twas all they had got Selling atonal apples, amplified heat And pressed rat’s collection of doglegs and feet
Sadly, they left, telling no one goodbye Pressed rat wore red jodhpurs, warthog a striped tie Between them, they carried a three-legged sack Went straight round the corner and never came back
Pressed rat and warthog have closed down their shop The bad captain madman had told them to stop Selling atonal apples, amplified heat And pressed rat’s collection of doglegs and feet
The bad captain madman had ordered their fate He laughed and stomped off with a nautical gate The gate turned into a deroga tree And his peg leg got woodworm and broke into three
Pressed rat and warthog have closed down their shop They didn’t want to; ’twas all they had got Selling atonal apples, amplified heat And pressed rat’s collection of doglegs and feet
“Pressed Rat and Warthog,” is a song from Creams 1968 album “Wheels Of Fire”.
The song was written by Mike Taylor, with lyrics by Ginger Baker.
Perhaps calling this a song is stretching the definition, more a nonsense poem set to music with narration by Ginger Baker.
Still, I feel sorry for Pressed Rat and Warthog. After all twas all they had got
Oxford University researchers have discovered the densest element yet known to science.
The new element, Governmentium (symbol Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.
These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called pillocks.
Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.
A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.
Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2 to 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganisation in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.
In fact, Governmentium’s mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganisation will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.
This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration – this hypothetical quantity is referred to as a critical morass.
When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium (symbol Ad), an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium, since it has half as many pillocks but twice as many morons.
Everything is fair game as a subject for a laugh, and I can find humour in just about any situation.
I will laugh at jokes, be they one liners
I waited and stayed up all night and tried to figure out where the sun was. Then it dawned on me.
or shaggy dog stories
A tall, weather-worn cowboy walked into a saloon and ordered a beer. The regulars quietly observed the drifter through half-closed eyelids. No one spoke, but they all noticed that the stranger’s hat was made of brown wrapping paper. Less obvious was the fact that his shirt and vest were also made of paper. As were his chaps, pants, and even his boots, including the paper spurs. Truth be told, even the saddle, blanket, and bridle on his horse were made entirely of paper. The sheriff walks in, and of course, he arrests him immediately — for rustling.
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than sharing a “dad joke” or, in my case, “grandad joke” with my grandchildren, especially if it elicits a “Oh Grandad!!!” response accompanied by a groan.
What’s an owl’s favorite kind of dance? The hooooooola!
What’s a ballerina’s favourite numbers? Two-two!
To be fair, these usually trigger eye rolling from my wife and kids, too.
Also, I am not averse to a little schadenfreude
e.g. after a waiter treats you badly, you secretly enjoy seeing him trip and slop food on the floor
I am pretty sure my sense of humour has been developed due to exposure to my father, ex matelot, and policeman.
My dad had to deal with many incidents as a policeman, and at times, his humour was quite dark. I think most folks who work in emergency services develop dark humour as a form of protection. I think some of that rubbed off on me.
My sense of humour was further enhanced by my working life, initially as a Fitter & Turner in Pompey Dockyard working with like-minded colleagues as well as alongside more matelots on RN ships.
Matelots have a wide ranging, some might say, disrespecting humour. Brought about by the unique environment in which they work. Again, working alongside some of these guys has had an effect on me.
So, everything has a funny side, at sometime, you just need a warped mind like mine to see it.
And finally …..
1. Did you hear they arrested the devil? Yeah, they got him on possession.
2. What did one DNA say to the other DNA? “Do these genes make me look fat?”
3. My IQ test results came back. They were negative.
4. What do you get when you cross a polar bear with a seal? A polar bear.
5. Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up literally everything.
6. Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven eight nine.
7. What do you call a hippie’s wife? Mississippi.
8. What’s the difference between an outlaw and an in-law? Outlaws are wanted.
This was us, Gerry, me and a couple of friends out for a Fridays entertainment.
Honestly, we were in the stalls, somewhere just left of centre, three rows from the back.
The picture was taken at the very end of the show by Genesis Connected, a very competent tribute act.
I have been a Genesis fan since the early 70’s. In fact, the first time I saw them live, they were only 2nd or 3rd on the bill, still very much on the rise.
I followed them closely, seeing them live every time they visited Portsmouth. That is until Peter Gabriel departed.
After that, I found it very difficult to differentiate between Genesis with Phil Collins taking the lead vocals or a Phil Collins solo effort.
This new phase for Genesis saw the band transition from Prog-Rock to Pop-Rock, and my interest in Genesis waned.
Not having any prior knowledge of this act, I will admit to being a little disappointed during the first half of the show. I was expecting more offerings from Prog-Rock Genesis.
Where were tracks from Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ?
Turns out that I was being a tad unfair. The image below tells why.
“Celebrating the hits ….”
Genesis didn’t start to have hits until they transitioned to Pop-Rock, although they did enter the UK charts with a track taken from Selling England By The Pound. I Know What I Like was a minor hit, reaching number 21 in April 1974.
Once I had rationalised what this band was about, I began to enjoy the show more.
We were treated to crowd pleasers such as Living Years and Cup Of Coffee from Mike and The Mechanics, Biko, Sledgehammer, and surprisingly Panopticom from Peter Gabriel, but for the most part, this was a Phil Collins love-in with songs such as In The Air Tonight, Easy Lover, Turn It On Again, Invisible Touch, Sussudio and more besides.
Genesis Connected had the audience singing along, clapping, and even dancing for the final song of the night.
All in all, it was a polished performance. I sang and clapped with the rest of the audience but when it was over I was left hankering for the Return Of The Giant, Hogweed, The Knife, Watcher Of The Skies, just a little more Prog-Rock.
Having said all that, I would go to see them again. I’ll just have to get my Prog-Rock fix elsewhere.
Yesterday was a real memory jogger for me and my fellow travellers.
Sunday was Mothers Day or Mothering Sunday in the UK, but instead of the usual lunch or cream tea, we opted to visit Milestones Museum at Basingstoke.
LIFE IN HAMPSHIRE PAST
Milestones tells the story of how people used to live, the things they used and the work they did. The maze of Victorian and 1930s streets is packed with shops, factories and houses, most based on original buildings from in and around Basingstoke.
If you enjoy shopping, you’ll discover what the high street was like before the arrival of chain stores: the milliner, saddler, and ironmonger all offer a glimpse into shopping habits of the past.
Our group of six comprised four generations of family. My wife Gerry, the mother, Marie, our daughter, Becky, our granddaughter, and Junior, our great grandson. With Marie’s husband Karl and I, a couple of casual hangers on.
When you enter the museum building, you are actually up above the roof tops.
This view only hints at the true nature of the museum.
Steam Roller
I can just remember, as a small boy, seeing these fabulous steam engines being used to flatten newly laid tarmac. And, also the sound and smells of these huge beasts.
Down into the depths of the museum, your perspective changes as more is revealed.
Our first stop was to the “Penny Arcade,” which evoked memories of visits to the seaside and strolling along the piers at Brighton, Southsea, and Hastings.
Pac Man
Milestones helps to keep the seaside memory alive by piping the sounds seagull cries and the rushing of the waves on a shingle beach.
Super Mario Brothers
Here, you can purchase pennies to feed the machines, or in the case of these more modern video games, it’s fifty pence a go.
Super Mario Brothers
Having satisfied our gambling needs we moved out into the museum proper but not before lingering in front of the mirrors.
Well, it had to be done.
And so we came to this jumble of bicycles. I pretty sure the bright red one was probably a posties bike and the black one just behind was probably a butchers delivery bike.
I actually rode one of those to deliver papers when I was a kid. My round only consisted of around seventeen houses, but they were spread over a couple of miles, a four mile round trip every day.
One of the major vehicle producers in Hampshire was Thornycroft. They were founded in 1896, 128 years ago. The museum has many examples of their vehicles.
Thornycroft Handy – Type BE/FB4Thornycroft A10 ‘Bulldog’ Lorry
But the museum isn’t all about road vehicles. There is much to see that gives an insight into the way we lived back in the day.
Unfortunately, this “room” is more a work in progress. The next one is better, a bit cosier but no tele yet.
Post-war was a period of massive change both technologically but also on the social front.
As a child, I remember mum and dad getting a new fangled electric cooker to replace the clunky old gas one. Not long after, they got a refrigerator, and it even had a freezer compartment big enough to make some ice cubes.
How did we ever survive without the modern labour saving appliances.
This picture shows a Rolls “twin tub,” a combined washing machine and spin dryer.
My parents had a Hoover version, which replaced their gas-fired “copper.” There were no fancy programs there. Turn on the gas, light it, and wait for the water to heat up. I think all laundry was effectively boiled. Compare that to today’s multi programmable machines.
Hoover Keymatic
The Hoover Keymatic from the 1960s was a step towards today’s automatic machines. It was a front loader and had a plastic “key” that controlled the machines program.
Lose that key, and you couldn’t use the machine.
Part of the Milestones experience is to use a replica wartime Ration Card to purchase some sweets. The queue yesterday was significantly shorter than the last time we visited.
As it was Mothers Day, the alternative option was to go to the Baverstock Arms, representative of a typical British pub of the times. There all mums got a free glass of Prosecco.
Karl and I didn’t miss out as we were able to have a hand pumped ale.
I knicked this photo from Milestones’ website. How many modern devices can you spot in this “traditional” pub. On the mirror, you can see etched, the name “George Gale & Co Ltd”
Gales were a local brewery based in Horndean, just a couple of miles from where I live. They were famous for one of my favourite tipples, known as HSB, which stands for Horndean Special Bitter.
HSB was first launched in 1959. It was Gales flagship beer and is still available to this day. Gales brewery was founded in 1847 but was bought by London brewers, Fuller’s of Chiswick, in 2005. The Horndean brewery was closed in 2006. The brewery site has been redeveloped into residential properties, although the tower still remains.
Double decker bus waiting to carry us home from the Baverstock Arms.
Yet another fine example of a steam roller, this one manufactured by Tasker and Sons Ltd. of Andover. This Hampshire based company was founded in 1813, 211 years ago.
In the background is a representation of Webbers Garage with a fine pair of vehicles for sale.
And finally, an example of the old enameled advertisements that used to decorate our streets.
We are the Wrinklies. A small group of friends and their partners, who, at one time or another, worked together and are all retirees.
Today was the first of, I hope, many social lunches in 2024. It was certainly our first gathering since before Christmas due to most, if not all, of us contracting some kind of flu, which basically knocked us out of commission, in some cases for weeks.
The selected venue for our inaugural gathering was The Ferryboat Inn, situated on the easterly tip of Hayling Island.
I have been visiting this pub for over fifty years. My first visit was while I was an apprentice in Portsmouth Dockyard. Many subsequent visits were made on my return from boat fishing trips, disembarking at the nearby jetty. And then there are these purely social gatherings.
So it was not our first time at this pub, but it has been a while, certainly pre-covid.
There were seven of us in our group and all enjoyed their meals with the exception of me.
My wife had the Hunters Chicken, while Eric had Steak and Venison Pie, Mary had Scampi while the remaining four had Fish n Chips.
As I said earlier, all the others enjoyed their meals, with at least one declaring “best fish n chips ever”.
Unfortunately, my meal was sub standard. The batter was ultra crisp, just shattering when I cut into my fillet, the batter would not stay with the fish. And the fish, instead of being flaky and moist was dry.
So, I drew the short straw.
I didn’t complain as I didn’t want a replacement meal, meaning I would be eating when everyone else was finished. And it wasn’t inedible.
Will I go back ?
Yes. I never write a place off on the basis of a single meal.
One other negative comment. I ordered bread and butter to go with my meal, having noted that they were going to charge £1 per slice. There was I thinking it would be a nice crusty bread, maybe granary, ciabatta or something special. Nope, two slices of slightly dry sandwich bread from a loaf that probably cost £1.50 That’s not a bad profit.
I’ll end this on a positive note. The apple and ginger crumble dessert served with a jug of custard was lovely.
Overall, a very pleasant couple of hours were spent with friends in a great location. Had the winds been a little quieter and the temperatures a bit higher, we might have been tempted to go for a walk along the shoreline.
Looking forward to the next Wrinklies gathering and discovering the next venue.
WrAnTz 