Tuesday 2 January 2007

Goodbye to all that

I hope New Year's Eve was a positive experience for you all and that you find yourselves in keen anticipation of the year to come.

Patsy123 and I were invited to the pied a terre of Buddy K and SuzieSue to see the New Year in, along with Mrs Sums, The Glum Architect and The Apologist.

As always, we had a good time. SuzieSue had prepared lots of antipasti, with stuffed peppers, meatballs in tomato sauce and a vegetable dish for The Apologist. Yes, you got it, traditional north-east food. We eased our way into the evening with a bottle of Prosecco and then red and white wines kept things lubricated. But I guess we're getting old. Nothing scandalous happened and we eventually settled down to watch good ol' Jools and his 14th Hootenanny on the telly.

I think most of us were surprised to find that the hairy man who conjured up a wonderful noise from a three string electric guitar was not called C16, but Seasick Steve.

Mostly we just talked over the music, however, barely even pausing to yell in unison, oh god, not Roland Rivron again! until the time came to fling open the window to hear a few ships' hooters on the Tyne sing in the New Year.

The fireworks that lit up the night last year were absent this time, probably due to the rotten weather (gusts of wind and rain) and I suppose I'm the only one who still hankers after a proper First Footing and a chorus of Auld Lang Syne. Anyway, we didn't have that.

On New Year's Day we met up again and after tea in Saltwell Towers, we wandered round the windswept lake in Saltwell Park. Then back to Stately Zip Mansion for blue stilton and biscuits with lashings of port.

2006 is in the ground, where much of it belongs. Now for 2007. It'll be so much better, don't you think?

5 comments:

ian gordon said...

Is it just me or has Jules gone downhill?

His new year show doesn't have the same sense of fun anymore...

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I wonder about Roland Rivron. But not very often. And now I come to think of it, I think this is the first time I've ever come across him being mentioned - either in print or in person. I'd been rather wondering (though not very often) if he was a figment of my imagination: someone who was inexplicably there on the telly from time to time but only I could see him. It's sort of reassuring (but not very) to know that he really exists. Happy new year, anyway. I hope it brings you more than too much Roland Rivron.

harry bell said...

Ian - glad you're now able to get through the Boogie Street iron gates. It might be just you when it comes to Jools, but it could also be just you and me. And my mates. I don't think we talked quite so much over the prog in previous years. It doesn't help knowing that it's recorded early in December.

Simon - Happy New year. I can never quite figure out what Roland Rivron is for. I think it's fairly safe to say that I don't expect to be troubled by him until the next Hootenanny.

The Crafty Cruiser said...

Roland Rivron is a Professional Mate.
We switched it off and put my Bruce Springsteen's Seegar Sessions CD on and danced like loonies.

harry bell said...

Ah, dancing like loonies. I remember when we used to dance like loonies. Buddy K's flat is a bit small for it, but I know he has the Seeger Sessions CD. Another lost opportunity.