The Sounds of Summer

   The clickety-click in the still air of a distant train speeding along the tracks; children laughing whilst at play in a neighbour's garden; the drone of a lawn mower cutting the grass; the buzzing of insects pollinating the flowers; the thud of willow on leather at a cricket match; the crash of thunder as the rain teems down; the bells in the church tower calling people to worship on an otherwise quiet sunny Sunday morning, a Brass Band playing in the park - these are the sounds of summer.

Radioactive

   There was an entirely different atmosphere this Sunday afternoon though as The Carnaby Rocks, Radioactive (pictured) and the Midnight Pumpkin Trucks entertained in an event called "Summer Sounds"from the bandstand in Victoria Park. I suppose one of the sounds I missed in those listed above was the noise of a rock festival but at least we didn't get the squelch of the mud so frequently associated with the likes of Glastonbury!

Entertainment

   Whilst attempting to complete the Latest Images page on Saturday night I had one eye on the television. On one channel we had The Voice followed by the Eurovision Song Contest. It seems the object of The Voice is for the wannabes to shout and scream as loud as possible and "put their interpretation" on some well known songs. That version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was truly horrendous but the "coaches" offered their expert advice which most of the time amounted to "Yeah, well, er, like, it's great!" No doubt the winner will go on to overnight success but whether he/she will achieve the lasting success of someone like Engelbert Humperdinck I rather doubt.

   Now I saw Engelbert when he was still Gerry Dorsey and was only a support act but he learned his trade the hard way. Singing the UK's entry in the Eurovision Contest, he was unfortunate enough to be drawn first and fell victim to the political voting that has become a feature of the competition finishing near the bottom of the final scoreboard. He has a long and glittering career behind him but why on earth we, as a country, still participate in this farce is beyond me - why we still watch it makes me begin to doubt my own sanity!

   They say you can't have too much of a good thing but The Voice and Eurovision for Saturday evening viewing is too much mediocrity. How on earth did we allow our weekend TV programmes descend to this level? But whatever the programme, it seems there is more emphasis today put on dance routines, flashing lights and pyrotechnics rather than the songs. They could all learn from the likes of Don Williams (pictured) who just comes on stage, sits down, picks up his guitar and, backed by quality musicians, just sings his songs. That's entertainment!

Rock & Roll Party

The Erewash Museum in Ilkeston turned back the clock to the rock and roll years on Saturday 21st April 2012. With live rock and roll music from Glenn Darren and The Krew Katz, there were also period cars and fashions and the event was sponsored by the Friends of Erewash Museum as part of the Museum's 30th birthday celebrations.

Christmas Festival

A Christmas Festival took place all around the town centre this morning and into the afternoon where a variety of events and entertainment was put on for the shoppers. Ilkeston Brass were playing carols on Bath Street, a fairground organ was on South Street, a Helter Skelter stood outside the library and a number of choirs were also scheduled to appear at various times. On the Market Place I caught the South East Derbyshire Music Society also playing carols.

The enjoyment of carols has not always been an acceptable  part of Christmas though as they became a victim of Cromwell's rule in the 1600s when they were banned. They had also been banned from churches in the Middle Ages as they were thought far too frivolous, rowdy and jolly. Thank goodness they've survived until today - Christmas wouldn't be the same without them.

Blue Skies

When there's a spell of fine weather at this time of year it is often referred to as an Indian summer but whether the blue skies of this afternoon would fall into that category or not, I'm not sure. The clear blue heavens though just begged to be photographed and provided a pleasing backdrop to both the evergreen and deciduous trees. As the forecast for the rest of the week is grey cloud and light rain, I made the most of today to record the wide blue yonder for posterity.

It's also an excuse to continue yesterday's music theme with a few lines from Irving Berlin's classic song - "Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies  do I see"

Tradition

August Bank Holiday Monday afternoon. The Erewash Museum. Ilkeston Brass. It's become a tradition. Need one say more? 

Golden Memories

I went out in the drizzle this afternoon to get a photo for today. It seemed really quiet, more like half day closing than a Tuesday and I think the weather had put a lot of people off. There was nothing really that caught my eye so I returned home without a photo to play some music instead and ponder what to take. Looking through my collection of old vinyl records one particular collection just jumped out at me. I didn't play it choosing Sinatra's "A Man and His Music" instead but it did solve the photo problem - and took the gold theme into another day.

Sunday In The Park

A Brass Band playing on the Bandstand, people listening or chatting to each other, flowers in bloom, children playing - just a Sunday afternoon in the park. What more could you ask?

Alive and Well

Elvis is alive and well and will be appearing at the Larklands Hotel in Ilkeston on Saturday.

Don't know how many will be there to witness the event though as all football fans will surely be at home watching England play the USA. Anyway there's a rumour going round that it's an imposter but there is a prize for the best dressed Teddy Boy that turns up. Now I wonder if I can still get into those drainpipe trousers ....

Accordion Convention

You could be forgiven for thinking there was an accordion convention in Ilkeston today as there were two buskers on Bath Street. One was outside the Jonathan James shoe shop opposite the Albion Centre.

The second was further down the hill outside Wilkinson's store and he interspersed his accordion music with further pieces played on the flute.

Meanwhile in the Cantelupe Centre at St Mary's Church, our friend Janet who has only been playing the accordion for a year was undertaking a sponsored two hour play to raise funds for Christian Aid. I don't know how much the buskers collected but Janet's effort will raise over £300 for the charity when it is all collected in.

April Showers

To many people "April Showers" is synonymous with the song published in 1921 and made famous by Al Jolson but there have been several films with the same title made at various times since then in 1923, 29, 48, 93 and 2009. Another film with a similar title "April's Shower" was made in 2006 but today I'm using it in relation to the weather.

The BBC Weather pages say that the phrase "has become synonymous with the weather during the month but it is some way off the truth". It was not far wide of the mark today and as today is the last of April, I won't be able to use it again as a title until next year!

I Survive

Well the cold has not gone but I feel a darn sight better today than yesterday so when I went out for my daily constitutional, I was able to stop and admire some camellias that were overhanging a wall. Camellias according to the RHS are woodland shrubs that flower from autumn to late spring but my experience of this particular plant is that it is at its best in spring as I don't recollect seeing it in flower earlier than that. Mind you it is growing in a town location anyway and not in a wood and the petals are already falling from many of the flowers. I think I caught this one at just the right time.

Something else that brightened the day was the arrival through the post of the latest addition to my CD collection. Featuring stars like Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Paul and Linda McCartney, Argent's Russ Ballard, Bob Henrit and Dave Wintour with a cover photo by Lord Snowdon, it is a reissue of a 1974 album with bonus tracks. Although making little impact at the time it is now regarded as a classic album and is highly regarded by music critics. A single of the opening track is minus the Blackmore introduction and was featured on Top Of The Pops in October 74. It is of course "I Survived" by Adam Faith.

Irish For A Day

Anyone locally with any connection to Ireland was probably in Nottingham today for the annual St Patrick's Day Parade but in Ilkeston it appears to have passed largely unnoticed. There were of course window displays in the shops selling greetings cards but apart from that it was only outside the pubs that the day was advertised.


On the Market Place an A-board exhorted people to become "Irish For A Day" with live Irish music from 6pm and another to celebrate the day with a pint of the black stuff. It's been quiet during the day but no doubt there will be plenty of good craic tonight.

Shades of Les Mis

There has been water bubbling out of a hole on market Street for at least a two weeks and in the last couple of days some barricades have appeared opposite. It looks as though they are expecting a large number of people turning up to watch when the excavation team arrive on site and need the barriers to exercise some crowd control.


Or maybe some amateur group are going to assemble to rehearse for a new production of Les Misérables and if so, we'll know they've arrived when we hear the people sing.

Banking On A Deposit

It's more than ten years since I was in Sussex on holiday and at the time I was quite impressed by the quality of the buskers that were in the streets. Most of them seemed like professional musicians rather than the three chord guitar strummers with raucous voices that were prevalent in the East Midlands at that time. Since then there has been a significant improvement in this area and this duo in Derby today were really very good.


I was a little concerned though that they were stationed outside a Bank and just wondered if they were employees charged with helping to balance the books. If so, they'll be there a long time!

Choices

I was out in the car again this morning and Streisand had been replaced by "The Best Of Rod Stewart" on the CD player. I don't think anyone would argue with me if I said Barbra had a better voice than Rod but I found Rod's CD a much more enjoyable musical experience. After lunch we took a walk down town and caught the bus back so the music was on hold. Whilst waiting for the bus though at the bottom of Bath Street, I took this shot across the road of the window at Taylor's Corn Store.


It's another reminder that spring is fast approaching although to be honest the temperature dropped this afternoon and the breeze made it feel a lot colder than earlier in the day. There's a good choice of varieties in the shop window especially of potatoes (which we don't have room for in our garden) and at least three different onion sets to choose from (which we do). Now which should we go for - Sturon, Stuttgarter or Turbo? That decision will wait for another day - the bus is due!

War Con - Walk On

I went for a pneumonia injection this afternoon in my left arm but also had a 'flu jab in the right arm. The nurse said that my arms may ache for a couple of days and after returning home, the left arm was starting to ache a little. I took myself off for a walk and was by the Erewash Canal in less than five minutes where I watched the swans, ducks and coots for a while and all thoughts of aching limbs were soon forgotten.


I had been listening to "The Essential Barbra Steisand" in the car and the last track was "You'll Never Walk Alone" - you know the one "Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart". There are several tracks on the double CD where her diction is far from perfect (who am I to talk?) and her rendition of this classic leaves a lot to be desired. She sings "War con, war con" and puts an aitch in the middle of words where there shouldn't be one. It's really irritating but when I saw this duck trying to "walk on" thin ice on the canal I was trying to come up with something witty to say to link the two - but failed miserably!

Although I like some of Streisand's singing and I've also enjoyed her films in the past, I still find it rather puzzling how she has become the musical legend she is now regarded as. I'll probably be bombarded now by emails from Streisand fans but I've got my defence all ready - for breath control and diction you only have to listen to Frank Sinatra. When I next listen to this CD, I think there will be several tracks that I won't "walk on" by but more likely skip over.

Music For Skating

It didn't seem quite so cold today except when the wind caught you but there were still icy patches on Bath Street and ice skates could well have been an option in some places. I wouldn't have fancied sitting half way down the street like this chap playing his accordion. The music would have been ideal though for skaters.

It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without ....

There have been heavy snowfalls mainly down the eastern side of the country this week and I heard one weather forecaster say that it wouldn't be Christmas without snow. I don't think that is strictly true as a white Christmas in the UK is not that common but it set me thinking about the things that make for a modern Christmas.


For many people it isn't Christmas without hearing carols or popular songs including old favourites like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas", Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child", Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" or Judy Garland's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". Then of course there are more recent offerings from the likes of Cliff Richard, Wham, Wizzard, the X Factor winners and not forgetting the perennial "Merry Christmas Everybody" by Slade.

For others it's a Christmas film that makes the season - "Holiday Inn", "White Christmas", "Miracle On 34th Street", "Elf", "Santa Claus - The Movie", "The Grinch" - need I go on? There's TV regulars too like the Queen's Speech, Christmas specials of popular shows, endless repeats of programmes we've seen several times before but who would miss a Morecambe and Wise Show? "The Great Escape" or "The Eagle Has Landed" will probably be on at least one channel even if it is a satellite station and many would say that it just wouldn't be Christmas without "The Sound Of Music" - again!

For yet another group of people, it's the shopping, the baking, the turkey and the stuffing, the drinking, the merry-making and the family gatherings and while all the above contribute to making a good Christmas, isn't it time this week in particular to focus on the REAL reason for the festival - the birth of Jesus? However you celebrate, don't leave "Christ" out of "Christ"mas. After all it really wouldn't be Christmas without Him.

It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! - From 'A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

Bandstand Marathon

Band concerts took place all over the country on Sunday 27th September and twenty of them were in Derbyshire towns. Ilkeston Brass played in the Market Place outside the Town Hall as part of the national Bandstand Marathon.


The national event was part of the Cultural Olympiad which is a series of arts events to celebrate the run up to the 2012 Olympics. I believe one of the aims of the Bandstand Marathon is to bring bandstands back into use and Ilkeston is a prime example of where this is needed. The Victoria Park venue has not been usable for a couple of years and is in desperate need of repair and restoration. The local council were reported to be spending some money on it and I heard that some £20,000 had already been spent but it's difficult to see exactly where the money went. An application to the Heritage Lottery Fund was rejected in April this year because the bandstand "did not provide opportunities for learning" but Erewash Borough Council officials were trying to revise the bid to resubmit. So far nothing further is known but no news is good news so they say.

Unfortunately as winter creeps up on us it looks as though the bandstand will have to suffer the vagaries of the weather and suffer further deterioration which will then cost even more to put right. I may be naive in my assumption but surely a programme of preventative maintenance in the first place would have kept the bandstand in good order and made grovelling around for funds now avoidable! Derbyshire County Council’s Market Towns Initiative with funding also from Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership sponsored the Bandstand Marathon concerts and whilst this was welcomed by the participating bands, I question whether this was the best use of the money available. That money has now gone but investment in the structure and fabric of bandstands would have made sure that future concerts could take place in their right and proper place.

Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best. - Michael Johnson