Band (should be) on the run

Sunday is traditionally a day of rest, so I was hoping that I could give my liver a rest for at least a full day, but it was not to be. The car boot sale at Ford was not as we had thought but was a market, the car boot sales happen on a Saturday but that nice lady decorator was undeterred in her quest for retail satisfaction and managed to buy, amongst other things, two pigs ears and two ears of beef. Yes, it is as bad as it sounds, pigs ear and cows ears featured amongst her retail triumphs.

So stunned was I at the sheer unpleasantness of being able to buy ears from dead animals in order to amuse other animals that I briefly considered becoming a vegetarian. Shocked, I think the only antidote was to be found in a pint of beer so we adjourned to the nearest pub, the Black Horse at Clymping for a restorative pint. That was not quite sufficient fully to suppress my distaste so we called in at the Ship and Anchor north of Ford on the way back. It is a lovely pub but it is set in a caravan park and sadly the clientele betrayed that fact. The menu was led by the phrase “proper pies” and once I had seen that and the number of caravans surrounding us, I knew we were in trouble.

It is not that all of the inhabitants are ugly fat thieving didicoys, that would be to apply an unfair stereotype, but most of them were. Perhaps I am being unfair being a camper myself, but there is a world of difference between owners of classic camper vans touring Europe in a music loving old hippy, free-love style of living to the chaps who have a static caravan which has never moved from a field near the south coast of England. One is a hedonistic chaser of teenage dreams of a utopian love-not-war theme, the other is a fat slob with a builders bum, a whippet in tow and a dog end hanging out of their mouths.

We managed to sneak out without being mugged and arrived back in Arundel to the strains of a brass band playing on the grass beside the Waterside Cafe, so what was to be done? Several glasses of wine is the answer. I have a picture of the scene today. The Worthing Silver Band were destroying, in a loving, caring, amusing and truly English sort of way the best that Freddie Mercury and Queen could offer. It was that nice lady decorator who was the first to identify “We Are The Champions”. Other triumphs included the theme from Grease and, no I cannot go on. A siesta was required.

The worthy Worthing Silver Band give Queen a run for its money

Like most of the population of Britain and I guess much of the world, I sat and watched the Olympic closing ceremony on TV. Was it only me? Could all the good bits could have been compressed into about 15 minutes? Why spend three hours laboring a point? Yes, we did it all quite well, and it was quite a good Olympic Games but what a load of fuss. Highlights for me were Muse, the Who, Eric Idle, Imagine, Russell Brand, Annie Lennox, Ray Davies and the Spice Girls, the rest if it should have remained on the cutting room floor, although I admit that is a bit tricky when it is a live show. Interesting that some of the performances sound quality was far superior to others. Pre recorded anyone?

As usual on a Sunday, no time to mention the benefits of opening an account with Currencies Direct. That can wait until tomorrow.

Chris France