4. Did you know that Finchley has its very own Bollywood star!
After a string of hit films Katrina Kaif, 24, from Finchley, has become a Bollywood goddess, worshipped by millions and mobbed by fans whenever she steps out of a limousine. (in 2009)
Reuben Falber would meet the Soviet #KGB at Hampstead Heath or Barons Court tube station, receive bundles of cash that he would store in his loft in Golders Green, and use this to keep the Communist Party of Great Britain running. https://t.co/caHWodvskw
9. Do you want the chance to see Mill Hill, Hendon and Cricklewood as you've never seen them before. From an Intercity 125 train cab zooming through at 125 MPH!
Putting some feelers out.... If we did a raffle for an hst cab ride, once in a lifetime opportunity, EMR sheffield to London service would you be interested at £10 a ticket? All proceeds go to western park hospital. pic.twitter.com/6KNP0Eo7Wp
I was speaking to Roger on Monday and suggested compiling a list of Mill Hill Characters. The first five are ones you will all know. The second are larger than life local characters you would have most likely come across if you were living in Mill Hill in the 1960's
1. Patrick McGooghan - Star of The Prisoner, famously bought everyone in a drink in the Mill Hill Services Club when he got paid for it. Used to live on the Ridgway.
2. Roger Moore - Former James Bond. Had a house in Millway with Dorothy Squires, moved out tp Denham when he got tired of finding fans in his front garden.
3. Graham Hill - Former Formula One racing champion. Died piloting a plane from Elstree Aerodrome in thick fog, crashing on a golf course in Arkley. Lived in Parkside Mill Hill.
4. Don Black - Grammy winning song writer - wrote the theme tune for the Man with the Golden Gun, which his former Millway Neighbour Roger Moore starred in. Happily, unlike the first three former residents is still very much alive and well.
5. Bruce Forsyth - TV Presenter. Lived in Mill Hill and his daughters attended St Marys Abbey school on the Ridgeway.
6. Robin Elliot - Former WWII submarine commander and former chairman of the Mill Hill Services club. An interesting character and very much a gentleman. A good man in a crisis and an even better man to have a drink with.
7. Charlie Dawson - Local Policeman. He was the local bobby, a large man who commanded huge respect and dealt with matters with common sense and a clip around the ear for any local herberts, in the days before paperwork was the top priority. Used to provide the security for the drinking club at The Sacred Heart Church social club, ensuring good order at all times, until it was closed on orders of the Parish Priest in 1972. You didn't mess with Charlie.
8. Rex Godwin - local shoemender and pools agent. Back in the days when people had shoes repaired Rex owned the local cobbler service on the Broadway. Acted as the local agent for the pools, and so knew all the Mill Hill gossip. The Godwins were a Mill Hill institution, his son David ran the large plumbing supplies company before passing away.
9. Bunny Ennis - colourful character who used to prop up various bars, including Hendon and Edgware cricket club in Mill Hill Park. Was involved in the car trade, rumoured to be an inspiration for the Arthur Daley character in Minder, as there was a rumour that he sold Leon Griffiths, the writer a dodgy motor, with a no money back guarantee, but this is probably a tall tale! If you knew Bunny you treated his tales with several pinches of salt, but they were alll highly entertaining.
10. Derek Tyne - TV salesman. Derek ran Mill Hill Television in the Broadway in the 1960's and 70's, an entrepreneur who always had a good eye for a business opportunity. Turned the back of his shop into a record store, being very popular with the local teenagers in the 1960's. Had a big stroke of fortune around 1970, when an Irish lady lost control of a newly purchased automatic car, which ploughed through is shop, fortuitously destroying every single black and white TV in stock, at a time when everyone was switching to colour TV's. The unexpected windfall when the insurance payment was made meant he was able to make a killing as everyone upgraded their old sets. Famously Derek bought a plane and would buzz his friends as they mowed their lawns in Mill Hill on sunny sunday afternoons.
Sorry. This isn't a week when I can share a joke with you. I was trying to best sum up my feelings, I can't find the words to do it. So instead, here is the saddest song I know. Johnny Thunders wasn't the workds greatest singer, he wasn't the worlds greatest song writer, but he managed to capture the sense of grief, hopelessness and fear that we all sadly experience at times in our lives. Sadly he's right, you can't put your arms around a memory.
It doesn't pay to try
All the smart boys know why
It doesn't mean, I didn't try
I just never know, why
It isn't 'cause I'm all alone
Oh, baby, you're not home
And when I'm home
Big deal, I'm still alone
It's so restless, I am
Beat my head against a pole
Try to knock some sense, down 'side my bones
And even though it don't show
Those guys are so old
Can't put your arms around a memory
Can't put your arms around a memory
Can't put your arms around a memory
Don't try
Don't try
You're just a bastard kid
And you got no name
Could you live with me?
Go on and say
And even though it don't show
Those guys are so old
Can't put your arms around a memory
Can't put your arms around a memory
Can't put your arms around a memory
Don't try
Don't try
Just a few footnotes. Johnny Thunders wrote the song before he joined the New York Dolls and before he tried heroin. Thunders died of a heroin overdose in suspicious circumstances in 1991. I saw Johnny many times live, sometimes he was brilliant, sometimes he was strng out and awful.
Thursday is our local news day at the Barnet Eye, where we bring you a round up of local community news. Edgware.
As regular readers will know, the Barnet Council local plan is out for consultation. The community facing the biggest change is Edgware, with over 5,000 new dwellings. A public consultation meeting has been organised. We urge all local residents to attend
Click for a readable version
Sadly there has been no action from the council with regards to securing and renovating the Railway Hotel.
You may have seen my recent posts of The Railway Hotel in Edgware, as it was in the past. This is what the back of it looked like this morning. pic.twitter.com/zi3QWxGDeK
Just across the Borough border in Brent we have the Matalan site planning application
Deadline for comments is today, 20 February 2020 on planning application to
replace the Matalan building with residential blocks up to 9 storeys
high. https://www.northwesttwo.org.uk/matalan-site-planning-appl…/
We will also be seeing tree removal by Network Rail
These tress will be going behind us this weekend... fingers crossed they don’t chop down the big one!! I think cricklewood needs more trees not less... pic.twitter.com/JFeo8pfPsX
The BBC reports that @BarnetCouncil have frozen the loan to Saracens
Barnet Council "considered" terminating its £22.9m loan to redevelop Saracens' stadium after the club's relegation but instead have frozen further payments.
PLANNED ENGINEERING WORKS Be aware that tonight Thameslink is planning engineering works. Find out how this might affect you: https://t.co/7iHFTDiAGw?amp=1
Local Plan
SAVE THE DATE: BARNET'S NEW LOCAL PLAN EXPLAINEDWhen: Monday 24th Feb @ 7pm. Where: LBB Offices, 2 Bristol Ave, Colindale NW9 4EW
The new Local Plan sets out a vision for how Barnet will change as a place over the next 15 years and forms a strategy which emphasises the borough’s attractiveness as a place to live, work and visit. Together with the Langley Park Residents' Association, the Mill Hill Residents' Association has arranged for the Planning Policy Team to explain this plan to our residents. This is a public meeting and everyone is invited. If you are planning on attending, please send an email to chair@millhilllresidents.org.uk
Let us know if you have any news items. Tab us in on Twitter or Facebook
For a blogger, I guessI am extraordinarily badly read and badly educated from a literary point of view. I had no interest in books as a child. This was a direct result of the fact I am dyslexic. If you've read my dyslexia blogs (if you haven't there is a short summary at the bottom) before you'll know that I had trouble reading until I was around 12 years old. Like many moderately dyslexic people, I developed a coping strategy and got my head around the matter. I am a slow reader and unless I have a deep interest in a subject, I find it very difficult to concentrate whilst reading books. I found that when I was 12, I could read them. I had never read a childrens book, but my sister gave me a copy of 1984 by George Orwell and told me it was the best book ever written. She gave me a short description. I found it fascinating and ploughed through it. I loved the idea of dystopian world and I realised that there was something there for me in books after all. I thought I'd raid my bookshelf and explain how each of these books, all of which are precious gems in my life, have played an important role in my literary journey.
Jeff Hawke, pilot of the future was a comic strip in the Daily Express. It fascinated me. Jeff Hawke was a rocket pilot, a hero. Hawke was originally conceived as a sort of James Bond in space, but morphed into a diplomat and advocate of reason and logic. Hawke would see through the often grotesque appearance of strange aliens, to forge friendships and learn. I was obsessed with space, so I would be fascinated. My mum used this as a tool to get me reading. She'd help me with words and realised that I loved comics, so that was my one extravigance.
Next up are two books about a passion of mine. Manchester City FC and music.
The Manchester City football book no 2 was a vain attempt by my mum to try and engage me in reading, as I was a fanatical City fan as a child. She thought that this would engage me, but sadly it didn't. But I loved the book. I mostly loved the pictures and the lists of appearances, etc. I would start to read a chapter and just get bored or distracted. But it was a prize possession. At present City are mired in scandal over financial fair play. I hear Arsenal fans claimin City 'came from nowhere' and have 'no history'. Sadly this is a product of the lack of football education of many of them. When this book was made in 1970, City were the best team in the country and had won four trophies in three years, including the EUFA cup winners cup. Sadly mismanagement saw a long, lean period, but this book is a treasure from a better, more innocent era, when the words 'Fair play' in football had a different meaning. It is revealing that the obsession with stats was just starting in 1970. Page 57 states "A University professor and his student boffins have revealed hard and fast statistics to prove that Colin Bell is twice the player than was legendary Ferenc Puskas" Whilst I now find that interesting, as a dyslexic eight year old it might as well have been written in heiroglyphics.
Next up is Pete Frames Rock Family Trees. A music obsessive this is golddust. Learning little snippets such as that Jimmy Warner was the only member of 1960's psychedelic San Francisco rock band Frumious Bandersnatchers not to play in the Steve Miller band is essential! What I loved about this book was it is completely non linear.
You can look at it for 30 seconds or an hour and you will get something out of it. I think this is a perfect format for engaging a Dyslexic brain. I was given the book by Dav, the former False Dots drummer, as a present when he moved back to Shrewesbury. I will eternally be grateful for the gift.
Next up we have two very different books. A collection of poetry by John Cooper Clarke and a Brian Clough biography.
John Cooper Clarke is a huge influence on me. The first and best known of the punk poets. I had always thought of poets as purveyors of meaningless slushy gobbledygook. I now know how wrong I was and this is as a direct result of seeing John Cooper Clarke. He taught me the power of words.
I doubt I'd have every written any poetry myself without John Cooper Clarke's influence. Although I was writing lyrics before I heard JCC, his influence was liberating and I realised just what a powerful tool words are. I think he should be a key part of the English syllabus. I am sure his work would be an inspiration to many dyslexics, who often struggle with the very concept of words. Like all of his books, this is entertaining and can be enjoyed in short chunks, something I beleive is a key element in engaging dyslexics with reading.
As for Brian Clough. He was an icon of 1970's/80's British football. If you were fascinated by football, you were fascinated by Clough. The book is pretty unremarkable, but it was the first autobiography I read. I realised that learning about the lives of interesting people can be fascinating. As with many books, I struggle with the sections that don't interest me, but it was worth the effort.
First up, we have Judge Dredd. I am a massive fan of 2000AD and espcially Dredd. I am not so much a fan of some of his more epic stories (although some are brilliant, such as the cursed earth chronicles), I can stand the more ridiculous supernatural foe's such as Judge Death. I love the short stories of mundane human stupidity best. There are many pearls of wisdom. As the comic strip has pictures, it is easy for my dyslexic brain to follow it in a linear pattern and make sense of it.
As for Steve Bell, as with Jeff Hawke, I've always loved newspaper comic strips. As regular readers might have noticed, I am also fascinated by politics. Steve Bell encapsulates both and is far better at it than anyone else this side of the pond. Only Doonesbury can be considered anywhere near him. This collection is classic.
This is a great example of his work for the uninitited
First up is the autobiography of the acerbic lead singer of PIL and The Sex Pistols, John Lydon. For all of us 1977 punks, Lydon is a mythical figure. However, whilst I bought the book to learn about the music, the chapters on growing up as part of a family of Irish transient workers in North London was far more fascinating. John Lydon was a teacher before he became the lead singer of the Sex Pistols. I suspect if he'd taught me English, I may have engaged with the subject.
The next book is about Joseph Stalin. As my wife was studying Russian when I met her, I developed a fascination with the country. Of all it's leaders and periods, the Stalin era was the one which has most fascinated me. Stalin is a figure worthy of study. His reign of the USSR was a period of paranoic terror, but also a period when the country became a Superpower. This book was published in 2004. Simon Sebag Montefiore is a fantastic author who makes a subject that is at times rather dry extremely engaging. It made me realise that for those of us who sometimes struggle with reading, if a book is well written it is far easier to read and engage with. You need an interest in the subject, but many history books are often simply attempts by the author to show how clever the author is, with scant regards for the reader. Personally, I believe that there should be a dyslexic syllabus, where books that are hard to read on subject such as history are banned.
And we finish our literary tour with a book by one of our own. Ex Orange Hill boy done good Robert Elms. Robert talks a bit like me, loves football, likes the music I like and he has written a book almost unique in documenting the London I know.
If you love London, you will like Roberts book. It is the story of ordinary London. As with just about every other book I've mentioned, it is easy to read and not written by someone trying to show you how clever they are.
For me a good book is something that lives with you after you have finished it. All of these books have done that
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Let me give you a bit of Background so you know who I am and what I do. I was born in 1962. I didn't start talking until I was 4 years old (at all, not a single word). My parents thought I was deaf. My reading age at eleven was 5. When I was fifteen I started a rock and roll band called the False Dots, the band is still going strong. When I was 16 I started a business called Mill Hill Music Complex (although then it was simply called the studio), a rehearsal studio, as we had nowhere to rehearse. The business has grown into a very successful enterprise, one of Londons biggest and most well respected independent studios. We now have 17 studios and a music shop and also have a photography/video studio and a dance studio. I also have done IT work, mostly on a freelance basis since 1983. In 2012 I also moved into film production, producing two highly acclaimed documentary films, both of which had screenings at the House of Commons. When I was 31, I had a dyslexia test. To my surprise I was told I was moderately dyslexic. This made me interested in the subject. To my amazement, what I have learned over the years is that my lack of educational aptitude, my feelings of anger and injustice and the core of my personality have been formed by the fact I cannot read words in a linear fashion. In 2013, I have set one of my objectives to use this blog to let dyslexics know they are not alone, to suggest that people who think they may be dyslexic to get an assessment and toget people who have dyslexic children or siblings to understand the issues that they face.
Mental health and social media is in the news at the moment for the most tragic of reasons. Mental health is a medical issue. It is something that will affect us all in some way during our lives. Sadly some still see it is a subject that can be weaponised or used to hurt people. I saw an example of this last week. As a few readers will know, I've been the target of a local twitter troll for a period of several years. My response has been to simply block all of his accounts and ignore the nonsense he writes (a course of action I thoroughly recommend). Occasionally, friends spot something that the Troll has tweeted and alert me, when the comments go beyond the pale. Last week I had one such message. They sent a screen shot of the offending tweet and informed me that it had been reported to Twitter. As it has now been removed and hopefully the miscreant has received a slapped wrist, I think it is worth discussing his comments, especially in the light of Caroline Flack's suicide amid a social media storm.
The comment sneeringly claimed that I was seeing the doctor for mental health issues. It was clearly meant as a damaging and hurtful putdown and to undermine my credibility. My first reaction was to ignore the comment. Virtually no one follows the account (apart from spambots and follow back accounts run to harvest data) and as such it has no influence over anything and is locally perceived as a complete joke. But there was one aspect of the tweet which did bother me and on reflection I felt did deserve some analysis and comment. For the record I am not seeing the doctor for mental health issues. Before writing this blog, I took the precaution of asking Mrs T (The wife, not the former Prime Minister) whether she thought any aspect of my behaviour warrented a trip to the doctor. Clare is a sensible soul and gave a sensible answer, informing me that I should ignore comments on social media and that as far as she was concerned I had no issues. However, if I did have such issues, should anyone have the right to demonise me and belittle me for it?
Whilst I beleive I am in robust mental health now, it was not always so. As a teenager, between the age of 12-13, I did have such issues and was treated by specialist for depression. I spent several months on medication and was in a very dark place. I have recently been writing a book about my life. At the time, I completely refused to open up or discuss my issues. I would get violent and angry, or sullen and withdrawn when anyone tried to get me to open up. I now realise that I was suffering a form of post traumatic stress disorder, following my mother having cancer in 1970. At the time, it was expected that she would pass away. I had to see her in hospital, shrunken and pale, wasting away, with drips in her arm. I was seven years old. I was teased that "mum was going to die and I was going to become an orphan". I retreated into a fantasy world. A friend of mine, who I have known since I was four and used to live up the road and attend my primary school told me, not knowing why, that everyone used to joke I was "lost in space". I have no recollection of this, but I'd knock on his mums door and demand they put the telly onto Lost in Space and other similar shows that fascinated me, but no one else was interested in. His mum, a lovely, compassionate Irish lady, clearly understood something was wrong and indulged this, bringing me tea and buscuits. My friend confided that they all just thought I was a bit weird. For me, the clouds lifted at the age of 14 with the discovery of punk rock and an identity. Suddenly it was OK to be a bit weird. My friend, who had not enjoyed sharing Lost in Space, became a firm friend as we'd go to gigs together and listen to the latest punk rock releases. I have since concluded that whilst I could keep the lid on my feelings as a child, the hormonal changes of puberty meant the pent up feelings overwhelmed me, hence the breakdown at age 12-13. I have sought to wonder whether many other children who have to deal with such trauma experience similar feelings at the onset of puberty.
It is only now that I realise just how low I was, and fortunately I've not been there since. Whilst it was an awful period, I am now pleased that it has given me an insight into the human psyche. In my 20's I became fascinated with the subject of psychology. I even considered doing an Open University degree on the subject. I read many books on the subject. I realised that I wasn't really interested in formal study. I hadn't discovered the joys of blogging then (mostly as the internet and blogging hadn't really been invented), so it was just an interest. I am someone who goes through phases of obsessive interest in subjects. Once I have had my fill, the knowledge is filed and I move on to the next subject. As with many of these obsessions, the knowledge acquired has come in extremely useful. Both in friendships and as an employer, understanding mental health issues and treating people affected with compassion has been a great asset. I'm not a qualified professional, I don't give medical advice which would be irresponsible. I have, however been able to provide support and assistance. I've always said to friends that I will be there for them, 24 x 7 if they are in crisis. As an example, a good friend of mine confided to me several years ago that he was contemplating suicide. This was the most serious challenge. I asked if he was serious about it. His response was that he was considering it as an option to solve his problems, but not as an immediate action. As we discussed it, I pointed out the effect this would have on his close family and friends and that many people would be devastated. He told me that he felt no one really liked him and that no one would miss him. I told him that it would break my heart if he did it and that I valued his friendship, listing many times when he'd supported me. He looked quite shocked and told me that this was a surprise. I don't want to go into too many details, but he is still around and now back on his feet. He still has mental health issues, but these are tempered by the realisation that people love him and he has value.
When I read of the demise of Caroline Flack, as I do whenever I hear of such a tragedy, I think of the appalling waste and the appalling loss. I have to be honest and say I'd never heard of her before she passed away, but the impact this has had shows many felt a connection. The sad thing is that she probably didn't realise. My own experience aged 13 was that you push people away and close down. People say "I'm fine" when they are not. They say "No" when asked if something is bothering them. Finding the right thing to say is almost impossible. My only advice is to take the time and make the effort. Don't think you can solve the problem, but you can be a part of the solution, just with support and kindness. I'm lucky that I often draw on music for inspiration in dark times. It is a connection with most of my friends. Finding such connections is one way through, but if the issues are serious, then get professional help.
The reality is that mental health can affect anyone. Statistically, 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year. That’s why our work is so important. No one should have to fear being treated differently because of a mental health problem.
We must end the demonisation of people and the lazy slandering of those affected. If you see such abuse online, please report it. This is one area where zero tolerance is the only acceptable response.
This video from the Open University may be of some assistance
Note: This article was written in February 2020. Since then, some of the advice has changed, so I have edited it so that anyone finding the advice does not get mislead.
We have now seen cases of the Corona virus locally. Whilst there has been plenty of coverage of the virus, many people are very unsure of the risks and the best way of preventing it. There have also been wild claims, none of which are based on science or even common sense. So here is a summary of all the information you need to know.
How dangerous is the Corona virus.
The current estimate is that the Corona virus currently has an estimated 2% 1.4% mortality rate. This may well be an overestimate as many may have contracted the virus and have not presented symptoms. This is also likely to drop as the virus and its treatment is better understood. Generally flu strains have a mortality rate of around 1%.
Who is most at risk
For healthy people with a
working immune system, the risk to life from Corona virus appears to be
low. That does not mean you will not get flu like symptoms and feel
rotten, but you should be able to shale it off after a few days.
However, if you are elderly or have a compromised immune system (for
instance if you've been undergoing chemotherapy), then your risk levels
will be heightened.(Young children are also more vulnerable as their
immune systems are not fully developed This statement turned out to be incorrect, children seem to be most unlikely to contract the disease). If you have contracted the
virus, be mindful of this.
Symptoms
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, Loss of taste and smell is another marker.
What should you do if you think you have contracted the Corona virus?
The advice from the NHS is to call 111. Do not go to the Doctor or A&E. If you live alone and don't have two weeks food in the cupboard (the advised isolation period), then you will need advice from the 111 service as to how you can get supplies without putting others at risk. As with any virus, it is important to remain hydrated and keep warm. I'd recommend reading the NHS guidelines fully when you have finished this blog https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public
Prevention
The NHS has given guideance. The most likely way of catching the virus is through contact on your hands. Someone coughs on their hand emitting active virus, they touch a doorknob, handrail or escalator rail and then you touch the same thing with your hand and rub your eye or pick your teeth.
Avoid close contact with anyone displaying any symptoms. Wear face masks on public transport.
The message is that if you've touched anything which may have come into contact with the virus, then you need to take precautions. You also need to think of other people, which is why these are the most effective measures.
Do
cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
put used tissues in the bin straight away
wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
Don't
do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
Is the government managing the crisis properly?
The honest answer is that it probably far too early to say, as there are always lessons to learn, but probably yes. The UK has a very well developed health service and is one of the best equipped to deal with pandemics. That doesn't mean that there are not lessons to learn or things that could be done better. It has been suggested that the Mayor of London and the government should ensure that all public spaces, such as rail/tube stations and other such places have antiviral hand gels available and promenent signage informing the public to use it. If any of the information in this blog has been useful and it's the first time you've heard it, then that would seem to imply that they are not getting the message across. (Note - It is now clear that the UK has had one of the most ineffective responses of a developed economy. It is probably too early to fully list the problems with the response, but having the highest number of deaths in Europe is clearly a massive failure by the government)
Is there a conspiracy to kill off the sick and elderly to save the Government money
This blog has seen some wild claims on the internet, stating that the virus was manufactured and part of a conspiracy to kill off those people who are 'economically ineffective'. For this to be true, the US, UK, EU, China, etc would all have to be part of the conspiracy and tens of thousands of people would have to be complicit. As humans live ever closer to each other and travel becomes easier and cheaper, we will constantly get exposed to new diseases from remote regions that would previously remain localised. Back in the 1970's, when I was studying A Level Biology, I worked for a couple of weeks at the National Institute for Medical Research. My role was as a lab porter in the immunology department. I recall a conversation with one of the professors over lunch as to whether the government would ever manufacture a doomsday virus to kill off people deemed surplus to the countries requirements. His response was very interesting. He pointed out that the effects of such a scheme would be completely unmanageable. The chaotic nature of how diseases infect a population would be unmanageable. It would be impossible to manufacture and distribute vaccines on a scale large enough to protect the elite without the general population getting tipped off.
He informed me, rather jokingly, that if there ever was such a conspiracy, the virus would have a three day incubation period, followed by a two day asymptomatic infectious periood and a four day duration of illness for normal people. It would be sprayed at football matches and tube stations four days before Xmas. The logic being that Xmas is the time of year with least economic activity, when people see their grannies around etc and when people have full larders, so the damage to the economy would be minimised. It appears that the Corona virus does not meet any of these patterns. He pointed out that the people who such a scheme are likely to target are those least likely to be on the tube or at football matches, so it would be very difficult to make such a scheme work, unless you sprayed old folks homes, and that would be very difficult to get away with.
As doctors by definition care about public health, they would not play ball. Most people would not put their own grannies, babies and friends at risk. That doesn't mean people won't speculate, but it seems extremely unlikely.
It's Sunday, so what has been happening in the Borough of Barnet? Lets see what caught the eye of our local tweeters? I must say that it's a great list this week. Lots of great stuff.
1. One of our favourite contributors has a Tweet that is literally out of this world! If aliens from outer space arrived above Edgware, this is what they would see!
2. We live in an era of #FakeNews (and some dodgy tweeters around here!) so what better than an exhibition of fake news at one of our favourite local art galleries. Well worth a view.
10. There has been some amazing music made in Mill Hill over the years. Mill Hill has had its first major music release of the year. There are some nice shots of Mill Hill and around the Borough in this great track from C-Def (please note it contains a few naughty words). See how many local locations you can spot. Click here for some more videos with Mill Hill musical connections
#MHMCVidOfTheDay Today's video with Mill Hill connections is a brand new release by C-Def - GET UP [Official Music Video] on TyTyDreamWaveMusik Some nice shots of Studio 1 featured@Cdefraphttps://t.co/H4UEEgchg9
I've just seen that the Hadley FC tie against Walthamstow this afternoon has been cancelled. I'm a Hadley season Ticket holder and this has been the first game for ages at home that I've been able to go to, due to a mixture of most games recently being away, and those at home being when I've had other arrangements. It got me thinking of events that I had tickets for, that were cancelled. You know the feeling, you get your tickets, you look forward to the event, then bang. It's gone.
I thought I'd put a list of these together.
1. The Plasmatics live at Hammersmith Odeon, 8th August 1980.
The Plasmatics were an outrageous band, lead by porn star Wendy O'Williams. Their stage show involved blowing up a car and chopping up guitars with a chain saw. Ms O'Williams was famously raunchy. Back in 1980, there were no videos or youtube clips, so the only way to see such a show was to turn up. I duly bought tickets, made the long schlepp from Mill Hill to Hammersmith, only to find the Council had banned the show (no mobile phones then). It was infuriating. Maybe this was where I developed a dislike of Councils. I'd sort of forgotten about the Plasmatics, but found this clip. The band seemingly disappeared without trace. It seems I missed quite a show. Seeing the likes of the Madonna and Lady Gaga shows, maybe MS O'Willaims was just a little bit too far ahead of the times.
These days, gig cancellations are a pain, but you don't have the fun of the hour and a half journey to be disappointed.
2. Stand stoned starkers festival in Hampstead.
As most rock musicians will know, the holy grail for new acts is to be booked for a Festival, such as Glastonbury or Reading. Imagine my delight when my Band, the False Dots were booked to play a festival in Hampstead. The date was the 18th July, and it had been organised by Nik Turner of Hawkwind. What we didn't know as that the stand stoned starkers festival was one where all of the audience would strip naked and smoke joints. We turned up to find that the Police had other ideas. A mini riot and a stand off ensued, only broken when someone had an epileptic fit and an ambulance was called. We stood around for a couple of hours like lemons, then went to the pub.
3. The Railway Touring Company Steam train to York.
Three years ago, I arranged a special birthday treat for my wife, we were going on a day trip to York on a luxury train pulled by a steam engine. The trip involved a champagne breakfast and a five course dinner. My daughter was at York Uni so we'd see her. Sadly, when we arrived at Kings Cross to get the train, there were lots of very sad people, all dressed up with nowhere to go. The train had broken down and so we had to go home. A very big anti climax, that was all my fault!
4. Amy Winehouse's unplugged album.
In mid July 2011, I was in studio reception at Mill Hill Music Complex. The phone rang and it was Amy Winehouse. Amy was a long standing customer of ours. She'd rehearsed and recorded demos at the studio. At the time, we'd not seen her for a while. Her life had become very turbulent. She said that she wanted to book a months worth of studio time. She felt that her music had got too overblown and overproduced and she wanted to record a very stripped back album in an unplugged style, to reconnect with her musical roots. She wanted to do it her way and the project was top secret. We weren't to tell anyone. We booked it under a pseudonym, so that no one would see the diary and get word out. I was going to France for a week on the 22nd. I was with a charity group and had no access to the internet or papers. When I got on the plane home, I learned she'd passed away. Tippex'ing out her booking was genuinely one of the saddest moments of my life. Who knows what we would have been treated to if she'd seen her project out. Amy was always lovely around the studio. I feel so sad at her loss to this day.
5. Auntie Audreys Golden Wedding Party.
My mothers youngest sister Audrey is my last surviving Auntie. She is lovely and lived in Mill Hill for many years, being well known as a cashier in Lloyds Bank and active in the local Church. Her husband Michael was my Godfather. Mike was a lovely bloke. He'd been stricken with dementia, but on a good day was still good company. Audrey and Michael were planning their 60th wedding anniversary party for November 2018. It was going to be a big family party, with people coming from far and wide. Sadly Michael died somewhat unexpectedly on the 9th of October. I wrote an obituary for him for the blog and got a dedication for him on the Family Favourites slot on the Robert Elms Show. It was horrible crossing that off the calendar.
What are the cancelleations that have upset you the most.
Flintstones copyright 20th Television and Warner Bros
It's Valentines day, so be like Fred, spoil the one you love! I think it's quite interesting how our idea of what is socially acceptable has changed, I wonder how many of you will be saying to your beau "Put your feet up, have a gin and tonic and a ciggie and I'll do the dishes".
I was giving this a moments thought, today it is flowers, chocolates and takeaway from Deliveroo (other services are available) that seems to the way to celebrate Valentines day.
In our home when I was a kid, it was a big bunch of flowers, my Dad would bring a big bag of steak home and my mum would cook it. Then they would settle down, knock back a few bottles of Guinness, smoke a couple of packs of ciggies and watch the Morecombe and Wise show, or whatever the BBC served up for us. I always associated a big, juicy steak with the day, which became awkward when I married Clare as she's a non meat eater. Anyway, enough of that, here's the joke! My favourite Valentines joke?
A guy walks into a post office one day to see a middle-aged, balding man standing at the counter methodically placing “Love” stamps on bright pink envelopes with hearts all over them. He then takes out a perfume bottle and starts spraying scent all over them. His curiosity getting the better of him, he goes up to the balding man and asks him what he is doing. The man says, “I’m sending out one thousand Valentine cards signed, ‘Guess who?'” “But why?” asks the man.
“I’m a divorce lawyer,” the man said.
And my favourite Valentines day song? Has to be New Rose by The Damned!
