Yet again, a superb memorable weekend, although Sunday could have gone either way had I not pushed myself.
Friday saw some email back and for from head of commissioning BBC Wales and then from head of comedy. I took it upon myself to get in touch with them by unconventional methods and flog my book idea to them. It would definitely work as small series I thought. Well, they didn’t tell me to bog off and I replied with quick responses from what seems to be two very nice chaps, and I am told to watch this space as it were. I do hope it goes somewhere but if not, I will hound other TV companies. It’s always worth try.
When I was 18, I used to write letters to company I wanted a job with. All handwritten with the most awful spelling and grammar. I had a phone call from them one day out of the blue and was offered a trainee job which took me around the world doing metal tests on oil tankers. They gave me the job because when they had a vacancy it was “how about that boy who bugs us all the time’. It still works to this day.
So, the last-minute guitar. The new Cardiff in Charles Street https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/gallery/new-market-cardiff-charles-street-21427087 saw me helping out as a high viz vest Marshall again. It means just loitering. Another beautiful day and a great vibe from the stall holders and the visitors. This market is going to be big, wait and see. The live music and street food is a big draw. Unfortunately, a couple of musicians couldn’t make it and we were left with a hole in the tunes for an hour.
Lloyd is an amazing musician and songwriter but didn’t have his guitar from him. A few text messages to friends with instruments who didn’t live too far away were not fruitful, unlike Pontcanna fruit and veg https://www.facebook.com/pontcannaveg/. My brain surprised me be coming up with an idea and I called up a few music shops in the city. All declined renting one to me apart from GM Music https://www.gmmusic.co.uk/about.cfm . Lloyd was surprised to see me arrive five minutes later with an electric guitar (the amps were there already). To the astonishment of the stall holders who just knew him as the guy who organises the market. He whacks out some amazing songs which went down well with everyone.
Sunday saw me down the Riverside market (insert here) to buy the last of the discovery apples for this year. I then found myself down Cardiff Bay again. The plan was to just chill out and read down by the barrage under the hot September sun. I didn’t make it as I my attention was drawn to a large gathering around the skateboard park there. A couple of hundred kids with an average age of 18 I guess were having a competition held by Cardiff’s skate club https://www.facebook.com/CardiffSkateboardClub/
I thought I would watch for ten minutes and carry on. I was there for two hours, totally enthralled in the tricks and the lack of fear on display. Only a handful had helmets on, yet they knew how to fall and fall they did. Lots of ouches going on. One skateboarder’s head came into the concrete right in front of me. Nasty cut above his eye which he just brushed off (I bet he cried when he got home though). I waited to see the boarders to show off their best moves in return for a £100 first prize which went to a kid who may have been half bird. I look back on those two hours now as I sit here typing in the library and can’t believe how much I enjoyed it. Another cracking weekend. (As the head crasher probably said)
Tonight, Lloyd and Olivia are taking out all of us who are volunteering at the market, a very fancy burger and an open mic night. Can’t wait.
Oh, and a big up to two very nice people I met down the bay. I’m very nearly in the last throws of buying a campervan. I will go into that more soon. Kate and (really sorry, forgot your husbands name, even though I made a point of sticking it in my mind yesterday) Mike? Dave?
Anyway, they very kindly answered many questions about their VW van and the pros and cons about them. Mostly pros. They let me sit in it and put the table up so I could pretend type. I also discovered that there is no need of me getting one with a push up roof to stand up and cook. You can sit down and do it. Such nice people and I hope to see them again soon. If you read this, you two. Send me a comment or subscribe. Thanks again.
Ian
Lloyd singing video is below. Going to figure out how to resize the file size for this site as it is too big for them( lightweights).So meanwhile here is a link to it.