It has been a super Sunday of sunshine, work, concert in the park, TV, the internet and some work. I did not mind that there was no email from the national lottery to say that there was some exciting news. I woke up for the third time before 9 am, still fixated on an earlier dream, quickly switching to the novel 2007 which I had worked on before feeling tired and going to bed shortly after midnight, leaving the residents of the Big Brother House who were all expressing anti climax after eviction Friday and the provision of a Caribbean Pool Party following the extension of the garden and pool and a cocktail bar.
Novel 2007 is slowly emerging as a comprehensive rewrite with a different time scale, greater depth and role for one character, a different format after the prologue and a different explanation for the key event.
For the first time in several days, the night before plan for the day was followed, remembering to heat the oven and commence the lamb roast for eating around 12.45. I did forget to put in the roast potatoes, so had to settle for two portions of carrot, peas and runner beans, and two bananas. I had no breakfast. This evening I started with a Ciabatta, eight mixed Bhajis and then a salmon salad and some salted peanuts, followed by a cup of tea, a concoction of a meal which required the minimum of attention because I wanted to do other things.
My preparations for the afternoon concert went well, except for forgetting the sun tan lotion, and as expected there was no parking anywhere near North Bents Park, but I varied a decision to park on the New Crown side of the Coast Road by finding a space at the end of the next parallel road. I brought with me the single movement assembly chair and the rucksack with a bottle of cold water the small cool bag with ice, plus notebook and pen, and a read.
I joined a continuous stream of people entering the park behind the stage where some enthusiasts were more interested in backstage goings on than joining around ten thousand people having a relaxed Sunday picnic lunch/tea, and found myself a suitable spot with a good view. The artist already on stage was Natalie, three young girls with a Myspace web site which I am yet to find. A previous group was Nylon. The stars of the show were the mid concert group the Sheila's (of the Sheila's Wheels Car Insurance) which excited the younger members in the park and which they performed as a finale, after a good selection of Motown type numbers.
The headliner was Ben Mills. It was six months ago that I discovered Myspace before attending the X Factor finalist concert in Newcastle and noting than Ben Mills had a site on Myspace, downloaded and the rest as they say is now history. Since then the site has developed in phases, finding a suitable layout, investigating the possibilities, undertaking component projects and various experimentations. There has been a trickle of new friend requests, mainly from music groups, artists and writers, now forming a third of friends, early on a Newcastle based group and today a site linking the Amphitheatre on the South Shields promenade with the Cave, Tyne Dock because on August 1st bands from the Cave featured at Indie night and this Wednesday bands from the Cave will provide a Rock Night. Throughout June there were 8 nights and in August 4 nights of free music starting at 7p, alongside the beach and sea. I suspect that there are few if any other towns where in addition to the concentration of 50 take-aways, restaurants, pubs, bars and night clubs within 500 meters (I have counted after previously suggesting 30-40) there are several other live music venues with regular followings.
Ben Mills is a rocker with a stronger voice the Rod Stewart and I immediately signed up for his autumn concert tour visit to the Newcastle City Hall, only to be told last month that it was cancelled and money refunded. I therefore looked forward to hearing a full set performance to judge his progress since coming third in the contest. He got off to a bad start indicating that having been asleep he had woken up to be told he was at South Shields near Newcastle, and after warming up with a couple of numbers seated with his guitar he moved to the piano organ to start rocking, but after a warm up, and starting the Joe Cocker anthem to friends he stopped, alleging this was under band instruction, switched to something else and ended the concert abruptly a couple of numbers later leaving the majority who remained to listen dissatisfied, myself included. The only explanation is that the organisers were concerned at the late running and the finish had been scheduled for 4.30.
The concerts in the park are difficult gigs with the audience closest to the stage seated in an enclosed area which includes the sound control unit. Beyond this the majority picnic and comprise family groups with young children, the baby in front of me looked only weeks old and the general chatter was significantly worse than most working men's and social clubs especially as parents have to keep the young children amused, with always some being taken to the entertainment area provided for them, or over to the neighbouring park for a train ride or the adventure playgrounds, or trips to the ice creams outlets or for some chips, or for a walk along the promenade. Even the North East home lass LIz McClarnon from Atomic Kitten struggled to get an audience response although a brave effort was made by Katrina Leskanich formerly of Katrina and the Waves who won the 1997 Eurosong contest for the UK, born in the USA and moving around her homeland with her parents, her father was a Colonel in the US Airforce, and then to Germany and Holland before coming to the UK in 1976 when she was 16.
After what had been a three hour show for the early arrivals I went to visit my mother where we watched this Sunday family film offering of a Return to the Secret Garden before the day was rounded off at midnight with a reply of Newcastle's 1.0 at home against Sampadoria I was most impressed with Geremi as the spine centre back and with Alan Smith. Viduka also impressed in the Alan Shearer role for the first 45 mins, perhaps with as much or more skill, but unlike Shearer I do not see him playing every game, or for the full 90 minutes. News of the purchase of a left back suggests that there will be several departures before the start of the season, especially when Joey Barton and Michael Owen return. The overall quality of the football going forward and the organisation of the defence was superior to most games suffered last year.
I wish I could express similar confidence about the Sunderland Performance against Juventus on Saturday, although it was the best of the pre season games and Sunderland deserved a win rather then the visitor's equalising goal just before the end. It is evident that a quality striker is required up front, but there were signs of the 90 minute fighting spirit of last season is emerging and which will needed to make up for the lack of skill and experience at the Premiership level.
It is 2.30 am and five housemates are having a swim while others have been having wicked chats in the bedroom or the smoking bench, after the four longer participators Carole and Tracey from week one Ziggy week 2 and Gerry were taken out to undertake a series of challenging tasks for the greater part of the day. The selection of these four was deliberate because it removed the individual who has taken over the running of the kitchen and the cooking of meals and the three others who knew where things were and had helped Carol in the past. This left the others in a dilemma as only newcomers Kara Louise and Amy offered previous cooking experience, albeit limited and not for a party of 11 Carole had undertaken the basic work preparing two large chickens, her home made stuffing and the made up ingredients for the Yorkshire puddings. Through a process of trial and error the meal was got underway, but disaster struck early as they realised that one of the chickens had been stuffed with Carole's and Jonty's roast mix.
The four tasking participants were only allowed back when the meal was ready to be served thus confirming the day's subplot of how would Carole react. Unfortunately she was already unhappy because she had lost her original microphone, security such as a baby's comforter and was complaining bitterly about the one provided before discovering the others had managed without her, so she fixed on their failure with the nut roast mix and that they had removed the remains of the meal she had been eating when they had been taken off to undertake the tasks. Earlier at 8pm the analysis of four subject matters by psychologists had yet provided the programme of the week. Alas, because I do not like the way she has been picked on or the way she has been treated by Liam my support for Amy was undermined when it was confirmed that she is playing a game with a set agenda although the nature of which is to be revealed. Liam has ended his spell as the good guy and is showing himself to be weak and with an unhealthy attitude towards women. If Amy has badly miscalculated and has become dead woman walking in terms of the game outcome, Carole has for the second time within a week shown a nasty streak and severely undermined her cause. At present I can foresee Brian winning with Tracey making the last four, perhaps Carol if she can avoid a public vote and outsiders Kara Louise, Jonty and Gerry in that order. The analysis of humour and separate analysis of body gestures and movements again had its effect on the presenter, Davinia. It is 3amthe pool party continues but I must abed if I am to put the bin out first thing.
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