Well for me one of those days was yesterday. There are a few things in our lives that have been a tad stressful of late and it was so good to get away for the day and forget them for a while hence the phrase "I needed that day."
It was a day in Cambridge and included a co-incidence that had a connection with one of my recent blogs.
We caught the train from Wymondham to Cambridge North - a journey of exactly one hour. Going out, this seemed a long journey. It was only 9.40 but there were people on the train who were "well tanked up" with empty bottles of Prosecco on their table. They were raucous to say the least and we moved to another part of the train where it was preferable to share a coach with bikes than these loudies who may have been on their way to catch a flight at Stansted. Good luck to anyone who went on a plane with them.
Coming home, it was much more pleasant and the hour passed very quickly and I would have been happy with a much longer journey. It's still strange to me how a small mobile phone measuring a few inches can be a complete entertainment centre for music, television, audio books and reading books and much more.
As for our day in Cambridge. We are very grateful to my mate John and his sister Janet and brother in law Mike for looking after us for the day. John reacquainted us with Cambridge, even pointing out that on one of the historic buildings Henry VIII is actually holding a chair leg. I believe it may have been a students' prank originally but one that has now entered Cambridge folklore.
We lunched at the Eagle pub in the centre. This is very unusual due to its connections with the RAF during the Second World War. The RAF bar has signatures and wartime graffiti on walls and ceiling and some of my photographs illustrate this. It would take a lot to trump that but I believe that there is something that makes it even more famous.
This was the pub where Francis Crick and James Watson announced their discovery that DNA carries genetic information. This announcement was made way back in 1953. I wonder how it was announced and couldn't help imagining the scene.
Francis and James have just made their earth shattering discovery and decide to go to the Eagle for a pint or two. They march in bang a spoon against a jar and announce:
"We have just made a discovery that will change the world."
Cue general laughter from other customers:
"We've discovered that DNA carries genetic information."
To which the reaction was probably "So."
"We said it will change the world."
"Yep that's what Hitler said 10 years ago and what the hell is DNA anyway?"
Well I'm sure it didn't go like that. They probably got a round of applause followed by many free drinks. None of this detracts from the fact that this was history in the making and we all know how DNA has revolutionised our lives.
Anyway to progress with the story of my day. The next bit comes from the book of ridiculous co-incidences. We grabbed a table inside and just as our food was arriving a couple came in and sat on the table next to us in close proximity.
We talked with John about this and that, reminiscing about the past as us old farts now tend to do. Conversation got round to seeing jazz and blues singer Dana Gillespie in a cafe in Wymondham (something I featured in a previous blog).
The man next door said "excuse me from butting in but did I hear you mention Dana Gillespie?"
There followed a lengthy and very enjoyable conversation about rock music. Martin turned out to be a music promoter who just happens to be putting Dana on in October. So what are the chances of sitting next to a person in a pub 60 miles from home and finding that you have so much in common?
Martin runs the Shakedown Blues organisation that organises gigs in Cambridgeshire. He also has a Sunday night show on Peterborough Community Radio. We all got to talking about gigs we have attended and gigs we missed out on like seeing Hendrix and the Beatles. Then the chat got a touch heavy as we shared a love of the likes of Can, Gong, Amon Duul, Colosseum and then there was a real co-incidence.
Over the years I have been aware of a particular album because of its ridiculous title which is one of the longest titles of all time. This is "Things May Come and Things May Go But The Art School Dance Goes on Forever" by Pete Brown and Piblokto. Now this is about as obscure as I get, but for some reason Martin started mentioning the title and I automatically finished it for him, aided and abetted by John whose knowledge of obscure rock is second to none and who once had an obscure rock show entitled Solid Air on Radio Derby.
Now the particular co-incidence here is that, although I have been aware of this album, it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I got round to listening to it. Something made me put the headphones on and play it. Perhaps it was a preparation for our conversation.
Anyway the result is Martin has promised to play a track and give us a mention on his show which will be delightful.
The other delight of the day (apart from lunch and then coffee and cake) was a lengthy walk along the banks of the River Cam and a meeting with a Spanish couple, one of whom is involved in some interesting research into disease and bones of centuries ago. I'm afraid more than that I didn't really grasp but I'm sure friend John will leave a message on here to explain it much better. Anyway overall it was a delightful day and one that I really did need.
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As I write this, I am watching an episode of Endeavour on the telebox. Fans of the series will know it is about the early years of Inspector Morse. The lead role is played by Shaun Evans. The character he portrays is quite posh in a kind of Oxford sort of way. His character is also rather withdrawn and almost shy and certainly understated.
Shaun Evans was interviewed a few days ago on the Steve Wright show on Radio Two. He had a broad Scouse accent and was quite hilarious and very different from the character he plays.
It's always interesting to me when actors effectively put on an accent very alien to them. Another example of this is Martin Compston who plays one of the lead roles in Line of Duty where he speaks with a quasi London accent. In real life he has quite a broad Scottish accent.
I hope you enjoy the photographs of Cambridge. I have a couple more things to mention about our day trip but will leave them until tomorrow.