I've had a rather busy day. I got up at 8am, early for me on a Saturday, as I was running the PA for the Sacred Heart Church open air mass, parish picnic and football tournament at St Vincents School on the Ridgeway. This is a (weather permitting) annual event. The parish organises it to build the local community and give everyone a nice day out. I awoke at 5.30am to hear rain on the velux. I was worried that the whole thing would be cancelled at the last minute. As it was, no text came to say the mass was off. So I picked up the system and arrived at 9.30 and started to build the system. The start time was 11.30, so plenty of time to rig the gig. At 10.30 the choir started to arrive, and by 11.30 we'd got there. The mass lasted an hour, then we had the picnic. As luck (or divine providence) had it, the sun came out and we had a great time. My children went to St Vincents and the event gave me a chance to catch up with a few friends. At around 1.30, we broke the PA down and back to base.
Then it was off down to Fortune Green. My friends Boz and Lynne Boorer run the music at the Jester Festival - http://www.jesterfestival.co.uk/programme.html - in West Hampstead. We'd provided the PA and Boz was running the sound. I arrived as Big Joe Louise was on stage. The festival is a community event, with all manner of stalls and events. I went off to get a cup of tea, got chatting to the team at the Yi Dao clinic who were running a massage therapy stall. I paid a tenner, and got a massage that eased a very tight shoulder. Best tenner I've spent for weeks. If you have any muscular or skeletal issues, check them out http://yidaoclinic.co.uk/http://yidaoclinic.co.uk/ - I also picked up a few cheap CD's and some vinyl. They had a funfair and even better, a climbing wall!
As ever I had a good chat and laugh with Boz. He's back from a world tour with Morrisey. What I love about Boz is that whether he's playing to 50,000 people with Moz or DJ'ing to a few hundred locals in a park on his doorstep, he brings the same energy and enthusiasm.
All to quickly the event met its 6p curfew and we loaded the PA up and I was back at base in Mill Hill by 7pm. Unloaded, home to walk the dogs to the Adam & Eve for a pint and a well earned bite to eat!
As I sat staring into my beer, I realiseed that althoug Fr Kevin at The Sacred Heart and Boz and Lynne at the Jester festival are in many ways very different, they have one thing in common. A massive love of their community and a desire to give the people in their locality a lovely day. And for that, I take my hat off to both of them.
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