Yesterday was gig day. I shared a post originally stating that I was playing at North Ormesby Institute.
Well as it happens that was not quite right. As it turned out we were actually booked to play North Ormesby WMC, a very different club two miles down the road.
We only found this out then we arrived at the first club, only to find that a band were already unloading their gear. Checking our contracts ours definitely said the institute, and theirs did too. Our first double booking ever?
Well a quick call to the agent made us aware that they’d accidentally put the wrong club on our booking form and indeed we were at the club two miles away. Problem solved then, and in a way that was acceptable to all concerned!
Ten minutes later we were at the correct club and started loading in. A nice flat load and very easy to get the van nearby. We loaded in satisfactorily and set up our gear in a nice room. Soundcheck was fairly effortless and we were ready to go in plenty of time.
The stage looked good, the gig ran well, very few mistakes or errors, and apart from a slight hiccup with the lighting during the interval where two of the lights decided to randomly turn green it was a great night.
The chips, on the other hand from the kebab shop next door; well the less said about them the better. They would probably have tasted OK if they’d finished cooking them and the fact that I had time to walk almost a mile (to a shop, to buy Strepsils) in the time between ordering and getting them was a joke – seriously – it took them almost 20 minutes to serve us with two portions of badly cooked chips.
We really appreciate the good feedback we got from the club, and as a result we got a rebook for next year. All good then!
On the way home I kept looking out for aurora, but sadly didn’t see any; and we finally got home just after 2, although it was 1 due to the clocks going back.
Today is Hallowe’en, and since it’s my day off I tend to take a lazy one, however today I had a cycle up to Mum’s on the Fiido. It was a decent ride, although sadly most of the route there is on roads which aren’t good just because too many drivers basically are arseholes with cyclists.
Now on the way up to Mum’s I pass under a railway bridge. It often floods under there, and with all the heavy rain last night and this morning it was indeed flooded. I know it well and I knew that I could stick to the footpath which is about 8″ higher than the rest of the road and easily make it through – however as I was just starting through a Renault came from behind me on the road and ploughed through the flood at speed, sending a huge tide of water all over me and soaking my jeans, although I did have a raincoat on so my top half stayed dry.
The Renault moron received his karma though, as about half way through he hydro locked his engine. Solid. Dead. A 2019 registration car, killed by a fool. That will now require a full engine rebuild at a cost of over £4000, and it will probably never be quite the same unless a new engine is fitted.
I would like to say I didn’t gloat, but I did shout to the driver (after the “you f**king c*t” when he soaked me) that I would be reporting him for soaking me, you see, in the UK it is an offence to deliberately wet a pedestrian or cyclist and I have heard that it can be dealt with as a form of assault. I got up to Mum’s and sat in front of her fire to dry off. I’ve also reported the driver. Yeah Karma is a bitch and has already dished out her punishment, but I was fucking drenched. Honestly. I got home and all my clothes went straight in the washer because they smelt like a dirty pond, also, I know my Fiido has an IP rating for water ingress, but what if he’d damaged my bike electronics?
On my way back I went a slightly different route, and was confronted by this.
I poked it with a stick an assessed it to be about 6″ deep, so I went for it. I’ve certainly tested the little Fiido today with the water.
I went through it slowly and steadily, and the little beastie took it in it’s stride.
Tonight is Hallowe’en night, and I’ve already carved a pumpkin. It’s got two sides. One for the kiddies…
…and one for the adults…
And if you don’t know what The Game is, then here you go…
There are three rules to The Game.
1. You ARE always playing The Game because you are aware of it.
2. If you think about The Game, you have lost it and you must tell someone “I have lost The Game” and you are out until the next day.
3. If someone asks about The Game, you must tell them about The Game, and then inform them that they are now also playing The Game.
Oh, and, I made you lose The Game. You can say thanks later.
The aurora is tonight. That’s when the protons hit. Look out for those pesky deuterons. Great gig story. Even better bike story. But raw potatoes are just bloody effin gross. To hydrolock an engine. I didn’t think the U. K. had anyone that stupid. He probably was a Boris voter and thinks Brexit was a good idea.