I can dream of the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Memories
Light the corners of my mind
Misty watercolour memories
Of the way we were
We wander through life, picking up experiences on the way and turning those experiences into memories as we get older.
There I felt like being rather poetic today. Whenever I go somewhere in Norfolk, the memories flood back and that makes it a good day.
Thank goodness for the help that the OFBP gives to us searching for memories. OFBP is simply the Old Farts Bus Pass. It gives us the chance to travel whilst helping to save the planet. Or to put it another way, it lets us travel for free. So we often take the opportunity to go somewhere slightly different.
As our bus goes from Hethersett to Lingwood, we took the opportunity to go almost to the end of the line and get out at Brundall. Brundall wouldn't win any prizes for prettiness. Basically it's just one strung out road with a few shops. But it does have important boat yards and a railway station.
It's all a bit confusing though as the boatyards don't really give you any real access to the Norfolk Broads. But we did find a cafe at the side of one of the boatyards and the sun was out. Later we found that by going down from the church you could go along a boardwalk to a small landing area where boats were moored and there was a seat. In the heat of the sun it must have been an amazing 25 degrees. Even out of the sun I reckon it was about 18.
Chance encounters are often what life is all about. As we went along the boardwalk we passed a gentleman and did the usual "good morning" only for all of us to realise it was well into the afternoon. We chatted about the clocks going forward and got confused about them going back (that's what happens with Old Farts). Of course it's Spring forward and Fall Back (I always think that should be Autumn back but that wouldn't make much sense.
We then sat on the bench (although to be really honest I disappeared into the woods for a wee) in the sunshine and the same gentleman passed us again and stopped for a lengthy chat which was only broken when we had to hurry away to catch the bus as I had a dental appointment back in Hethersett.
"How was that?" asked the hygienist.
"Excellent. I haven't enjoyed myself so much for a long time."
"See you in three months," she said as I left.
"That will give me something to really look forward to."
But I digress. The gentleman (unfortunately didn't get his name) said he was a professional opera singer and told us all about his career with the English National Opera. I would certainly like to chat some more with him. Gave him my contact details and hopefully we will be hearing from him. He was on his Broads boat which he's owned for more than 30 years.
As for the memories. Well there were plenty of them. Brundall is pretty close to Blofield where I worked at the very popular Globe pub at weekends many years ago. I worked there not because I needed the money but because I enjoyed working there. The landlord and landlady were Judy and Roy Jackson and Roy was an ex professional comedian who had once played the London Palladium. Every Saturday evening they had a karaoke session during which Roy always did a stand up routine. He was quite verbally vicious on anyone who went to the toilet during his routine. His put downs could be withering. There were a lot of crossed legs during his part of the show.
I remember a tall guy named Tony who would pretend he didn't want to do a song by hiding behind a pillar. But guess what he always made it to the stage and they had to virtually drag him off. The singers were backed by a drummer and keyboard player. I think the drummer was called Ken.
Memories of dear friends Mervyn and Eileen Thompson who used to live in Brundall and who are now buried close to each other in a North Norfolk graveyard. Mervyn was always good for an argument on politics.
Thorpe Green just up from Norwich Railway Station where I used to go regularly because I loved seeing the trains go across the river on a bridge.
Brundall Railway Station - just one stop on the line between Norwich and Great Yarmouth. Catching the train for a day at the seaside.
And even before getting on the bus in our village, chatting and reminiscing with a local resident about the chip and mushy pea stall on Great Yarmouth market and a fish restaurant in Lowestoft which I swear I frequented when I worked there back in the early 1970s.
Making a mental note - trip to Great Yarmouth next week to sample those brilliant little basins of mushy peas that will take me back over 50 years. Even as I write this I can almost smell and taste them. Visit too to St Nicholas Church where so many of my ancestors were married and perhaps tea in the Anna Sewell Tea Rooms where the author was born but not where she wrote her only novel.
And many many more memories.
Memories are what life is made of
They help us through each day
They take away our misery
And keep loneliness at bay - E. J Thripp aged 13
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Reminder to self. Don't use cheap chargers to charge up mobile phones. I have a number of these and connected my phone this morning. Thankfully I was sitting in the chair next to it when there was a smell of burning. I looked down and the charger was smoking. I quickly disconnected it and even then it had damaged the casework of the mobile. Thankfully the mobile still works. It could have been much worse, particularly if I had left it charging and gone out. A salutary lesson.
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Did anyone see the item on Breakfast Tv this morning on the beyond wonderful Neil Baldwin - the man who confesses that he is always happy? He was played in a BBC TV programme Marvellous by Toby Jones. For over 50 years Neil has welcomed every new student to Keele University and has an honorary doctorate there. He is also a registered clown and once worked for Stoke City FC. He was given a job by the then manager Lou Macari who told the BBC that he knew he wanted Neil to work for the club but hadn't an idea in what capacity. So he just offered him a job and then made one up for him. He actually became their kit man and Macari said it was "the best signing I ever made."
* * *
Which brings me finally onto The Everly Pregnant Brothers. Now this probably means absolutely nothing to most of you.
The Everly Pregnant Brothers is a madcap band that re-writes lyrics to some famous rock songs and it can be very funny. I was introduced to them by cousins Clive and Belinda and their friends Graham and Heather. For a start there's Chip Pan where the chorus is My Chip Pan's On Fire sung to the music of Sex on Fire by Kings of Leon. Then there was No Oven No Pie to the tune of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry and my particular favourite "69 to Rotherham" sung to David Bowie's Space Oddity. It's crazy and filmed on a double decker bus with Sooty and Sweep playing a stylophone with great gusto (yes that Sooty and Sweep). I must seek out some more of their nonsense. It breaks the day up and is huge fun.
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Didn't take too many photos at Brundall but hope you like some of those I did take.