Guest Blog - Part 2: Watling Car Park - It’s all about the money, honey! - By Concerned Resident

 The second in our series of Guest blogs by Concerned Resident (read episode one here - https://barneteye.blogspot.com/2025/02/guest-blog-first-there-was-capita-then.html)

Part 2: WCP - It’s all about the money, honey!

What does Watling Car Park (WCP) have to do with the ousting of Naqvi, the Council Finances and the incredulity of a Labour safe seat while WCP motors ahead?

Bear with me! I’m just getting to that!

Point 1: Naqvi sat, believe it or not (because I barely can), on the Strategic Planning Committee for about 8 or 9 years.  So, he should have been best placed to raise concerns about the unsuitability of Site 6 when the Local Plan was consulted on.  Similarly, when the H&G Committee agenda item arose 18 months later, he again would have been best placed to tell our other Councillor (Sara Conway), what needed telling.  She was one of the three Labour Councillors on that Committee who ‘Abstained’ when the time came to vote on the disposal (when one would hope and expect the them to vote ‘Against’ it, given all that we now know they should have known).

Point 2: the Council-owned land disposal is arranged as a ‘Sale and Leaseback’ transaction.  Happy to be corrected, but from what I can see, if the planning application is approved, the Council will receive a whole lot of wonga in an instant.  What is not clear to me, is how much of the money stays with the Council, and how much goes to the developer to commence the build.  Naqvi should have known the details, but alas, residents can’t quiz him on that any more and even if he had refused to resign and then decided to tell the truth (ha ha ha!), then who on earth would ever believe him?

Point 3: If the source of the ‘wonga’ comes from outside the public sector (i.e. NOT the PWLB), then the development will sit OUTSIDE of the ‘Housing Revenue Account’ (“HRA”).  The HRA is a ringfenced area of the accounts which contains income and expenditure relating to the Council’s housing portfolio.  If a development is outside the HRA, this means that the Council can spend any of the rental income from tenants on anything it likes – it could, if it chose, neglect to spend it on housing maintenance.  But who cares about the quality of housing when the party’s reputation for financial management hangs in the balance?  To be hailed as financial equivalent of Einstein or Merlin ain’t no bad thing.  Did Naqvi know this?  If so, was he OK with this and intend that the money be used in this way? And what of the other Councillors?

Point 4: The Labour Party’s 2022 manifesto strongly argued against “No Tower Block Blight”.  Indeed, less than a year earlier, the Labour Group’s response to the (then) Tory draft Local Plan stated, “The document does not go far enough to protect the Borough from over‐intensification, inappropriate density and inappropriate height of new buildings ‐ especially in town centres which in Barnet are suburban in nature.”  It’s worth mentioning at this point that WCP is within the Watling Estate Conservation Area (which is a low-rise Garden Suburb development)!  At the time of writing, live planning applications for two other Council-owned car park redevelopments contain proposals for residential buildings of no higher than 6 storeys (while WCP STARTS at 6 storeys!). This is the case, despite neither of the other two sites being in a Conservation Area (let alone on a floodplain nor removed from the Local Plan!).  The illogicality and unreasonableness of these contradictions presumably seems perfectly fine and dandy to Naqvi et al…

Point 5: Strictly speaking, the current administration did not “inherit” the WCP regeneration proposals.  They themselves converted the previous administration’s “Preferred Developer” into the official developer (in January 2023).  They did so in full knowledge of the fact that the main site was due to be removed from the Local Plan on the grounds that it “has been found to be not developable due to constraints arising from the extent and magnitude of flood risk affecting the site…”.  Quite apart from the draft Local Plan, long-standing Councillors would have been in full knowledge of the fact that the Car Park is a flood risk because of the Silk Stream (part of the Brent River Catchment), is responsible for flooding houses in Colindale. Their flooding will be made even worse if the functional floodplain is undermined upstream should people see fit to pile buildings on top of it!

If like me, you know that Labour councillors and MPs consistently support residents elsewhere in the borough who object to oversized, inappropriate and downright reckless redevelopment proposals, you have to wonder why, those same Councillors / MPs won’t do the same for this locality.  Indeed, you would also wonder why they are in favour Tall Buildings in hazardous places for which there are conservation ‘planning constraints’ yet they object to buildings that aren’t even Tall which have no conservation planning constraints and aren’t in hazardous locations!

Burnt Oak Ward is still a “Safe” for Labour, probably because the Party is confident that a lot of the Burnt Oak electorate have been blissfully unaware of the WCP proposals (which is true); possibly believe that the decision has already been made (ditto); and don’t tend to understand how to engage in the planning system as confidently as residents in other localities (ditto). 

I am left thinking that people are happy to ‘sell Burnt Oak residents down the river’ purely because of a lack of ‘Postcode Parity’.

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Concerned resident is a Barnet Resident. Guest blogs are always welcome at The Barnet Eye

The deeply unpleasant truth about the UK today

Donald Trump is teaching the UK a very harsh lesson, before our eyes. You can’t outsource security. We have relied on the comfort blanket that is the USA since 1945 to guarantee our security. Trump has told the truth, even if you don't like it, that the US taxpayer has paid to keep us safe. Now we are reaping the harvet we've sown. The trouble with democracy is that you sometimes get a result you don't like. When that result is in a foreign country and you suddenly find the carpet pulled out from under you, it is only your own fault. Britain used to have an independent nuclear deterrent, we had our own capability for launching ballistic missiles (blue streak), we had the best fighter project in the world (TSR2), we even had our own capability to launch spy satellites. We gave them all up and bought cheaper versions from the USA that we didn't control.  Successive governments both right and left have run down everything so things just about work most of the time. Railways, water, energy, schools, hospitals the lot. All are on the edge. The tragedy is that in all areas we used to lead the world. Until a party steps up, calls it out and tells the truth about how they can fix it, we’re fucked. At my bands gig on Sunday, I gave a tirade between songs and said that if you want to stay sane, turn off the news and listen to music. The news is all complete bollocks these days. The fundamental truth Is the rivers are full of shit and if we got an exceptionally cold winter our power network might collapse. If you get hit by a car, there may not be a bed in A&E and God help you if your landlord learns he can get more cash if he slings you out. If you get robbed, beaten up or scammed, don't expect the perpetrator to get nicked. All you might get is a crime number for your insurance. The bonkers right claim we live in a Police state, but how can you have a Police State with no police?

But look on the bright side. You pay a bit less tax than you would've if we'd had a country that is safe, secure and worked properly.   Take your prozac and enjoy this lovely track. It is the only solace you will have, if you open your eyes to the truth about the UK. And if you seriously believe Reform UK are the answer, ask them how much they will put up taxes. If they say they won't, you will know that they are as useless as the rest of them and are a bunch of conmen and conwomen. 

Wellbeing Wednesday #4 - Falling by the wayside?

 Last year, in a vain attempt to get myself fit, I started the Wellbeing Wednesday series, full of the joys of new year resolutions. My plan was to get my weight down, get my BMI down, get fit and get back to playing football if possible. I thouht that writing a blog chronicling my outstanding successes would spur me on. In the event, I failed miserably, the diet and the fitness regime collapsed and by November not only was I heavier than ever, but I was moving dangerously close to being diabetic, let alone pre-diabetic. What went wrong? Well, as Harold MacMillan once said, 'Events Dear boy, Events'. I managed to slip on some mud in June, walking back from the Adam and Eve pub and badly damaged my shoulder. I could hardly sleep, let alone exercise. My ankle was playing up and walking was extremely painful. I am not good at being bored, so I did what I always do when I am bored with nothing to do, I eat and drink to excess. My one saving grace is that I don't have a sweet tooth and I don't like processed food. However, when I had my check up in November, it was a real shock. My weight had balloned to 17st 13. My glucose level was just 2 below diabetic. It was just what I needed, a real kick in the backside!

I immediately started a 20+4 fasting regime 2-3 days a week. This is meant to be the best way for a man of my age to get their glucose levels down. I also went back to the gym and somehow actually hit my target of doing 1,000km in 2024 in the gym on the bike and rowing machine. By the end of December, I was down to 17' 2. I set myself a target of 1,500KM for this year. My target for the year is to get the weight down to 14' 7. I am at 16'9 at the moment. Experience has taught me that the first half a stone is easy and then it get harder and harder, but I've got to 16'9 since the start of the year so it is on track(ish). My target is to lose 4lbs a month, so if I hit 16'8 this month, I am on target. I expect to do this. So long as I stick to 2-3 fasting days a week, I expect no problem. I am trying to go to the gym 3 times a week as well. This is on track with 205km logged so far on the bike and rower. I need another 45km this month to hit my 125km a month target. 

On Tuesday, I am seeing the 'healthy vessel clinic' at Millway medical practice, to discuss all of this. My absolute no 1 priority is to get my BMI down below obese, which is under 30. It is currently 30.7. The next target is to get the glucose level down, so the threat of diabetes goes off the calendar. I believe that the two things go hand in hand. My shoulder took 3-4 months to heal completely. My ankle injury has been partially mitigated by getting some suitable footwear.

I also realised that when I started this blog, I was not in the correct frame of mind to see it through. I was still in the recovery phase from my radical prostatectomy in August 2023 and I was bordering on depression at times. I feel in a better place. I set myself a series of punishing personal goals last year and failed in all, apart from those relating to the band. We did more than 12 gigs and we released our album. Why did I succeed in these and fail in everything else? The answer is simple, I would have felt like I let my band mates down, if we'd missed our goals. Letting myself down seems to matter less to me. I have come to realise that it is impossible to get physically healthy if your headspace is wrong. When you feel down, it is hard to motivate yourself and easy to fall by the wayside. I have come to the conclusion that the people we lie to most is ourselves. Maybe that's because there is less guilt in conning yourself.  But it is the most harmful thing. I don't know if I will keep this particular feature up. It is hard admitting you are a  useless failure, it is more fun when there is something to boast about. Naming and shaming yourself is a difficult thing to do. I only really did this as my BMI was below what it was in the last entry, but hey ho that is progress!

Also I am not sure whether talking about my weight and failed attempts to lower it is that interesting to anyone, but oddly the blogs I thought would be least interesting seem to get the biggest response. Just as an example, the most read blog this week on my site is a guest blog from 2013, by someone telling me what they thought of a blog I wrote about Richard Dawkins. I've no idea why thousands of people have started reading it, it didn't get a huge response when published. It is an interesting read, but a good example that you really can't guess what people are interested in. I don't know if Andrew Evans, who wrote the blog still reads the Barnet Eye, if he does, I wonder what he'd make of this?

Anyway enough of that, got to go to the gym!

Rog T's Food Blog #5 - Why I hate Deliveroo (* Other delivery services are also hated)

 The reason I write this blog is because of my love of food. I'm not snobby about food, I prefer the burgers at Burger King to most of the 'posh' chains. My idea of heaven is lunch in the Pie and Mash shop. Having said that, I also love top quailty restaurants, who serve food that is creatively prepared and have a wow factor. Another key ingredient is that the ambience should be comfortable and non intrusive. I hate loud restaurants were noise echoes around and you can't hear what your companions are saying. I also love cooking at home, experimenting and finding new tastes.

You may think I'd have been delighted with the rise of Deliveroo and all of the other delivery services. What could be better than eating delicious, restaurant prepared food in the comfort of your own front room? Well, in my book, everything. Firstly, the idea of delicious food turning up in plastic conatiners repulses me. The second is that it is invariably slightly cold and soggy. When it comes from a kitchen, to your table, it takes about 20 seconds. When it has to be slung in a plastic container, transported on a bike to your house, the decanted onto a plate, it is about 20 minutes. If you got tepid, soggy food in a restaurant, you'd send it back. When it comes from a delivery service you just scoff it down and ignore the fact that it is mildly revolting. 

There are some foods that seem to just about cope with being delivered. Pizza's seem to work. Fish and Chips as well. But when it comes to decent restaurant food, for me, the slopification of the food is something beyond my comprehension. Even things such as McDonalds get ruined, as the chips become soggy, as does the bun. In some cuisines, some dishes survive contact with the plastic box. In Indian food, curries and rice just about manage, but most grilled meats, starters etc go soggy, The same with Chinese food. 

Then there is the effect these delivery services have on the restaurants they procure food from. I find the hordes of delivery drivers constantly coming in and out highly irritating if I am eating and it also irks me when my dinner is late and a stream of deliveries are going out. I get why restaurants feel they need to top up their turnover with deliveries, but when it detracts from the core business, I feel it is a bad move. The reason we pay silly amounts of money for food at nice restaurants, is because it makes us feel a bit special. When it comes out of plastic containers, it is anything but, and it gets us out of the habit of eating out. As a business owner, I am always wary of making moves that make our business cannabalise itself. When the dodgy plastic containers go out of the door, so does all of the profit on drinks and the notion that the restaurant is special. 

Just my point of view, biut if you want slop from a plastic container, just buy a microwave meal from M&S or Tesco's and save yourself a fortune. 

Atoning for my sins!

 How are you feeling today? Great, I hope. Me, well lets just say that the worlds oldest man is João Marinho Neto  who is 112 and right now, I feel about ten years older than him. Everything that could possibly ache is aching, my ankle, knees, back, shoulders, neck and even my wrist (which I broke when I was playing football when I was 22).I also feel rather ill. Oddly enough though, yesterday, I felt about 23 years old and made the mistake of acting like it. So you could say, it is all my own fault. Yesterday was my band, The False Dots 46th Birthday party at The Dublin Castle. It was an absolute blast. For about an hour, I was jumping around like a looney. I also had perhaps one of two sherbets more than was sensible, not totally wild as in the good old days of the Dots, but when you start at 2pm, and don't finish until 8pm (we went for food and more drinks with friends after the show), it is a long day. 

I woke up in the night with both my knees hurting, as they used to after I played 5-a-side football and I changed my plan to go to the gym. If truth be told, I'd be quite happy to go to bed right now (it's 6.30pm), but we've got to walk the dogs etc and I've learned that all that happens is you wake up at 3am and can't get back to sleep if you retire too early. The human body is an amazing thing. How can your mind trick your body into shedding 40 years of wear and tear, and then shovel it all back on with interest the next day? 

What surprises me most, is just how good our band has become in the last two years. I've always loved playing, always enjoyed being in a band, always been excited to play gigs and always enjoyed the comradeship of the setup. The difference over the last two years, and I put this squarely down to the addition of Tom Hammond on Trumpet, is that we make a sound that truly excites a crowd. When you are a non chart band, playing the Dublin Castle, I think it is some mean achievement to suddenly find the crowd launch spontaneously into a Conga! I even had knickers thrown at me, a real first for the band! We don't take it too seriously, but when you see all that going on, it is the best feeling in the world for a musician!

Today I am atoning for the sin of having far too much fun yesterday. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone! 

Please note, I fell asleep so am posting this on Tuesday morning! Here's a short clip from the gig. This is Wrong, which was the first song the False Dots played at our first ever rehearsal in 1979, and we've never played publicly before! Tom sings it. A bit of a blast from the past, proper punk rock. 

Guest Blog - First there was Capita, then there was Long Capita: Part 1 - By Concerned Resident

By Concerned Resident,

The idea for this blog started after reading the one from 22 January 2025 about the origins of Barnet Council’s woeful finances (Capita), the armchair auditors that uncovered it (‘Barnet Bloggers’) and some of its legacies (the unaccountability of the Barnet Group/Council). 

Crucially, it also referenced the (no longer new) Administration’s lack of interest in “critical scrutiny” and its failure to properly expose the finances it inherited, the disgraced former cabinet member for ‘Financial Sustainability & Reducing Poverty’ (ex-Councillor Naqvi) and the (then) forthcoming by-election in the (still!) super-safe Labour seat of Burnt Oak Ward.  

The Leader of the Council was invited to write a guest blog, but from the look of it, he wasn’t keen.  

So, I thought I’d have a go - only it won’t be in the Council’s defence, seeing as I happen to live in Burnt Oak and because what the Council is now attempting to do to Burnt Oak, is a symptom of what I now call, ‘Long Capita’.

Part 1: You can take the employees out of Capita, but can you take the Capita out of the employees? OR “Floodplain?! What floodplain?!”

A quick recap may be in order for those who haven’t been following what has taken place in Burnt Oak over the last few weeks and months.

Readers are no doubt aware of the jaw-dropping redevelopment proposals for Edgware Town Centre.  But what people are barely aware of is the similarly jaw-dropping (but comparatively smaller scale) redevelopment for Burnt Oak.

The planning application for what is often unhelpfully referred to as the ‘Watling Car Park’ (“WCP”) redevelopment went out for formal consultation in late November 2024 and officially concluded in the first week of January.   The “WCP” name is unhelpful, because it involves at least five sites not just the Car Park area.  The other four sites are Burnt Oak Library (Site 2), a former builders’ yard (Site 3), plus two areas adjacent to the car park a car lot and fenced-off greenspace (which together with the car park are known as Site 1, which is the main site).  

Developers propose demolishing the library and relocating it to the builders’ yard (which is on a residential side road, barely a 5-minute walk away from the current library).  In its place, they want to build flats instead.   If that wasn’t stupid enough, the worst of it is, they want to build flats, 6 to 13 storeys high on ‘Site 1’, which is on a functional floodplain. 

The fact that the site is on a functional floodplain shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, because Council minutes prove that this is precisely why Lidl failed to build on it in the noughties.  Council minutes are silent about why Tesco’s/St James’s Investments failed to build on it a decade later, but we can guess!

The current attempts to build on the floodplain is all the more alarming because in 2021, the Environment Agency objected to the very notion of Site 1 being part of the Local Plan’s ‘Site Allocation’ list (although in that document it is known as ‘Site 6’).  Their objections resulted in the Planning Department agreeing to remove the Site 6 from the Plan in September 2022, just before the Planning Inspectorate arrived to conduct Local Plan Hearings.  As a result of the agreed removal, the EA did not need to turn up to the Hearings and make representations in person, for all to hear and see.  This may have been seen as a win for the EA in policy terms, but problem for us is, their floodplain objections remained under the radar for another year, and unfortunately would have made it easier for interested parties to carry on with redevelopment ideas regardless.

Thus, in a parallel universe down the corridor to the Planning team, the “Re”-gen Department had their own ideas:
- Spring 2020: they invited developers to express an interest in the redevelopment;
- July 2020: H&G Committee’s ‘Development Portfolio Programme’ paper includes the Car Park along with another site, and the combined number of housing units is 300;

- June 2021: the disposal of the Car Park was approved at a Housing & Growth Committee meeting.  Only at this point, the library site is included as part of the mix. 

The inclusion of the Library is an eye-opener, because until June 2021 it isn’t mentioned.  Furthermore, it doesn’t crop up in the first or second draft of the Local Plan.  On top of that, EA’s initial objections to Site 6 (made during the first draft consultation of Jan-Mar 2020) only pop up in the papers for the Policy & Resources Committee, which takes place TWO DAYS AFTER the H&G Committee in which the disposal vote was taken!  

So, the likelihood of any newbie on the H&G being asked to vote to dispose of the sites for redevelopment actually knowing about but the flood risk is likely to be nil: the officers report recommending disposal doesn’t mention it and the ‘Background papers’ list does not link to the October 2012 Cabinet & Resource Committee minutes (which provide chapter and verse about Lidl’s abandonment of its aim to develop the site and Tesco’s, presumably misguided interest in acquiring the freehold!).

If that isn’t iffy enough for you, bear in mind that the most of the above meetings are scheduled during a global pandemic, when the last thing the average person cared about was what may have been going on in largely obscure Committee meetings.  And even the most committed geeks are unlikely to notice the blatant inconsistencies between the housing numbers fed into Regen-driven committee papers (which doubled in the space of one year from c.150 to 300) vs those found in ones concerned with the Local Plan (which dropped from 229 to 160 during the same time period).

Two years later, things get even more iffy, when, from Spring 2023, the redevelopment was introduced to the Council-sponsored Burnt Oak Partnership Board (“BOPB”).  During the months that followed, the developers revealed their early proposals and then commenced their informal consultation (Autumn 2023).  Not a dickie bird was spoken about the floodplain!  But residents discovered the issue at the tail end of the consultation and fed it into their responses.  It was not until December 2023 that the Comms Officer (who quit Barnet in the Summer - for a job as Head of Comms at a Property Developer!), dared to mention the floodplain.  But the BOPB minutes neglected to mention anything he had said.  Even after corrections were sent, guess what? Nothing again.

To misquote Suella Braverman (with whom I share absolutely no political allegiance whatsoever), “Pretending we haven’t got a functional floodplain, carrying on as if everyone can’t see that we have a functional floodplain, and hoping that things will magically come right is not serious community engagement”.

Then a rumour started -seemingly from within the Council, but diffused through residents- that the redevelopment was/is a “Foregone Conclusion” as.  There is a kind of poor and self-sabotaging reasoning going on in the mind of any resident who goes around spreading this stuff, which I hope is rather obvious to this readership…

The iffiness didn’t end there.  The start of the Council’s formal planning consultation (winter 2024) was inexplicably delayed for two weeks after the application was validated.  This pushed the consultation period deep into Christmas and the New Year (instead of it finishing on Boxing Day).   Again, normal or abnormal, who is likely to be noticing, let alone responding to planning applications at that time of year?

The only thing I can conclude from all the nonsense is the following: the WCP redevelopment phenomenon could ONLY arise and be sustained under a Capita (and later ‘Long Capita’) Culture, within which Officers have been stewing for years.  Because to pursue what looks like some kind of “Shhh, don’t mention the floodplain!” injunction, then a super-injunction about NOT mentioning the mentioning of it, and then a super-super-injunction as if to gaslight everyone into thinking there isn’t one at all, is a kind of madness, both morally and legally.

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Concerned resident is a Barnet Resident. Guest blogs are always welcome at The Barnet Eye

The Sunday reflection #42 - What makes us happy?

I can think of four moments that I've felt truly happy this week. The first was briefly, on Thursday, when the Sun came out after a week behind the clouds and I felt its warmth on my back. It was just a moment, but for a few seconds it seemed like the world was actually alright. The second was yesterday. We had a family meet up and for a little while, whilst enjoying some rather good fish and chips and having a chat, things seemed good. Seeing people you love that you've not seen for a long time and having a chat with them is always nice. The third time was about two hours later when the referee blew the final whistle and confirmed Hadley FC's 4-0 victory over Northolt. The fourth was this morning, when my alarm clock went off at 8am and I realised that I had to go to the Dublin Castle to play the False Dots 46th anniversary gig. I feel proud that I've kept a band going for so long and also that I think we play great music and make other people happy. The best thing about the gig is not so much being a big rock star and showing off. It is that lots of people I like will be there and hopefully we'll all have a great time. A few of us are going for dinner after at Andy's Taverna in Camden. I am looking forward to it immensely.

Happiness to me is a moment, a feeling. Sometimes it is just the joy of being alive, when the Sun shines. Sometimes it is being surrounded by love, as I was when I saw my family. Sometimes it is just being there in a moment, as I was when Hadley won. Sometimes it is being able to be happy with something you achieved. Whatever it is, appreciate it and give thanks to God (or whatever you want to thank for the blessing of happiness). Life has too much sadness, hurt pain and hatred in it to pass up the chance to appreciate those fleeting moments when everything is alright. Have a great Sunday and if you've nothing better to do, come and share some happy moments with me at The Dublin Castle. The fun starts from 2pm and we are on at 4pm.

The Saturday List #472 - The Top Ten bands/Artists who've appeared on the bill with The False Dots

Click for tickets

And on to this wee Tomorrow, the False Dots celebrate our 46th year as a band at The Dublin Castle. In the course of of our career, we've appeared on the bill with some very good bands, some of which you may have heard of! Here is our list

1. The Foundations - 1960's legends. We appeared with them at The Arts Depot on 29th January 2011.

2. Kate Nash. Brit award winner supported us at The Mill Hill Sports Club 3rd November 2006.

3. Chris Spedding & Lee Thompson (Madness) at The Bull Arts Centre 3rd March 2008.

4. Way of The West at The Midland Arms 3rd April 1981. Almost forgotten now, but their single Don't say it's just for White Boys was Radio 1 single of the week at the time.

5. Dell Richardson (Osibisa) at The Fiddlers Elbow 6th Nov 2015

6. The Silencerz (feat Lee Thompson Madness), Numerous times

7. The London Sewage company (Punk supergroup) The Dublin Castle 23rd December 2023

8. Tokyo Olympics (Featureing Shane MacGowan collaborator Paul McGuinness) The Moonlight Club, 23rd Feb 1983.

9. The Bollock Brothers The Purple Turtle Camden 15 June 2011 

10. Huw Lloyd Langton (Hawkwind) Mill Hill Music Comple 7th September 2002.

Friday Fun 14th February 2024 + local gig round up

 As is the way with the Friday Fun, we always start with a bit of humour to set the weekend off properly. So I'll share with you a sad little tale of romance from my past. Back in the 1970's, when I first started taking an interest in things romantic, we lived in a different world. I met a beautiful young lady at a gig in Camden. Things were very different then. We didn't have mobile phones. Where she lived did not have a telephone. She lived in Camden Town. She wrote down a number and said "This is the telephone box at the end of my road, call me at 4 O'Clock tomorrow and we can arrange to meet up". Our family only had one telephone, it was in the front room. The last thing I wanted was all of my siblings listening in and winding me up. So I decided to go down the road to the phone box. The only problem was that when I got down there, an old lady was in there. She seemed to chat for about 20 minutes. I was desperate. In the end, I knocked and said "Please can I make a really quick call, it's urgent", she told me where to go in no uncertain terms. After another 20 minutes, she eventually finished. I jumped in and excitedly dialled the number. It was engaged. I tried another ten times, it was still engaged. In the end, I gave up. I was dejected. 

About two weeks later, I went to see another gig at the Marquee. As I entered, I saw her at the other side of the club. I thought she'd be really cross at me for wasting her time and not calling. We made eye contact and she just looked away and stared at the floor. I've always been one to apologise if I screw up. I plucked up the courage to speak and made my way over. I said "Hi" and I was just about to launch into my long apology when she said "I am so, so sorry. I went to the phonebox and there was this old lady in their calling all her kids, she was on the phone for an hour. You must have been so fed up". I then explained what happened to me. We'd both spent a fortnight thinking that the other one would be really cross. Youngsters today have no idea of how easy things are. 

And on to this weekends gigs. A very special one on Sunday, my band The False Dots celebrate our 46th Birthday with an afternoon gig at The Dublin Castle in Camden Town starting at 2pm. Please come down and say hi! It will be a great afternoon. The last 46 years have been a blast. When we started in 1979, I'd have thought you were mad if you said we'd still be playing trendy Camden venues when I was in my sixties. But here we are. 

And perhaps there is a lesson to be learned. I have realised that age is a false measure of who we are. What matters is what we do. If you do something and you enjoy it, then it would be the height of stupity to stop doing it, wouldn't it? Apart from my family, my two passions in life are music and football. I'd still be playing football if my ankle hadn't given up the ghost. Fortunately, I can still make music. And we are not the only ones. Here are the best of the other gigs in the Borough this weekend.

Friday 14th

Fri

Feb

14

Blue North (Covers, 6 piece) at The Catcher In The Rye, West Finchley 

8.30pm - 11pm

The Builders Arms 8pm – 11pm Food Of Love (Covers) Duo

Butchers 8.30pm – 11.30pm Tracer (Indie rock, Alt, Dance)

The Catcher In The Rye, West Finchley 8.30 - 11pm Blue North (Covers)

Barrington 8.30-midnight Karaoke with Neil

Ye Olde Monken Holt 9.30 pm – late DJ Sadie (DJ) 

Saturday 15th

KD Band Duo (Covers 50s - present) at The Bodhran, Hendon Central 5.2 miles

9.30pm - midnight

The Builders Arms 7–11pm Vinyl Countdown

East Barnet Royal British Legion 8.30pm – 11.30pm Dream Circle

The Butchers Arms 9pm – midnight  Hot Fondu (Covers)

The Arkley Club 8.30pm – 11pm £5 cash The Latest Flames

Maddens 9.30pm – midnight Odyssey Blues and Soul Band (Souls/blue/jazz)

Ye Olde Monken Holt 9.30pm – late Tyler

The Barrington 8pm – midnight - Rebska plus Less Kix Thompson (Ska/Reggae/Motown and soul on vinyl)

Sunday 16th

Ye Olde Monken Holt 7-9pm Brian Connell and Dave Williams

Butchers 8.30pm – 11.30pm Pauls Jam

Monday 17th

Mon

Feb

17

Jan's North London Jam at The Three Wishes, Edgware 4.5 miles

9pm - 11pm

Ye Olde Mitre Inn, High Street 8pm – 11pm (stables room) Barnet Acoustics Sessions

Wednesday 19th  Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30pm – 11pm Open Mic Night

Thursday 20th 

Ye Olde Monken Holt 8.30pm – 10.30pm Traditional Irish Session (Irish Folk)