2011-03-10: The Prestatyn Weekender - March 10th - 14th 2011

I wish to say "THANK-YOU" to all the Djs and Collectors,who gave up their time ,for the excellent Music that was spun on the Radio.I believe the 60s/Northern Side goes from strength to strength and it a pleasure to organise that side.There is a new Name that will soon be added to the Dj Fraternity(on the Rare 60s/R&B Scene),Lorna from Prestatyn itself.This was Her very first Show but the quality of Music was very High.Remember the Name-I will certainly have Lorna on the Radio again.Keeping my Fingers crossed for next Year.

Fantastic weekend,still recovering,really enjoyed my first time on the airwaves at prestatyn,bit of a surreal moment for me sharing the studio with jesse james,WOW!! think he enjoyed moses smith "keep on strivin"

I wish to say "THANK-YOU" to all the Djs and Collectors,who gave up their time ,for the excellent Music that was spun on the Radio.I believe the 60s/Northern Side goes from strength to strength and it a pleasure to organise that side.There is a new Name that will soon be added to the Dj Fraternity(on the Rare 60s/R&B Scene),Lorna from Prestatyn itself.This was Her very first Show but the quality of Music was very High.Remember the Name-I will certainly have Lorna on the Radio again.Keeping my Fingers crossed for next Year.

Fantastic weekend,still recovering,really enjoyed my first time on the airwaves at prestatyn,bit of a surreal moment for me sharing the studio with jesse james,WOW!! think he enjoyed moses smith "keep on strivin"

It was then a quick hop skip and a jump over to Arena 2 to catch the tail end of the Lifeline extravaganza. Cliff was on when we got there and so was the heating! OMG I have never known anything like it

Not many in but the music was top notch. Mick followed Cliff and by the end of his set there was about 10 of us left and we were all in agreement that a great time was had by all. Some of you would say it would be impossible for that few people in a room the size of a small country to have a fantastic time. Well those who were there will tell you otherwise. A dozen smiling, happy, sweaty faces had to be kicked out of there by the Pontins staff - all of us shouting for one more record. It was ace!

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I have to agree with what you said, not many in and all that, and me being an out and out oldies kind of guy i sat down utterly knackered ready for a little chill time and then Mick H treated me and i guess the others in the room (not many) that to my ears was all new and just feckin' brilliant!! i mean every single 45 he played just blew me away to be honest and i have no idea what it was - been told it was 70's crossover (rare) AWESOME STUFF!!

Well what can I add to what most have said already not a lot

Just like to say thanks to all involved in pulling this 10th Anniversary off after the negative start ( myself included )

Sorry but no pics or youtube this year i`m afraid its a little hard when I`m constantly trying to keep Mr Thomas out of trouble

Highlight for me was the jazz session in the modern room Saturday afternoon them dancers were something else and the music was`nt that bad too

Also had a fantastic time in there on Sunday night thanks to one and all of the dj`s who finished my weekend off very nicely indeed :thumbup:

Great to see old friends there and also meet a few new one`s

Hope to be back for 2012

Big thanks to my chalet sharers Kev, Imogen, Dave and lets not forget the mad one great company as usual

Julie xxxx

Where Lottie's concerned, I'm always wrong, know nothing and embarrass her - it's what being a parent's all about so I'm told

You're saying I'm wrong again quoting my post acknowledging I was wrong about Ethan winning so now I'm confused. Did he win?

soz Karen

What i am saying is that your original assumption although based on physical evidence was in fact incorrect, and furthermore i can confirm that your error once corrected by Lottie was indeed correct . i hope that clears thing up ok?

But. .......... to answer your question ......

No Love he came 3rd. or second runner up as they called it. ......

Beaten quite honorably by Sam Evans 2nd ...and Jane ( i think her name is ) 1st.

(IMHO) ....... It was close between the first two, had it been me I may have put Sam first.

The judges said that Ethan was in the first 3 on Merit not because of the aww factor.

Not forgetting the number of former winners and the quality of the dancers in that comp. His Expression on yr photo and the way he waved that trophy showed what 3rd means to him. As a treat and so not to pee on his parade he was allowed to stay out late as long as he was with Tommo , Chippy , Trixter or Ricky Davies ... And what really made his weekend was that when he got home there was an congrats e mail to him from the legendary Gethro .

Catch you soon Regards and Respect ... Brent X

I have to agree with what you said, not many in and all that, and me being an out and out oldies kind of guy i sat down utterly knackered ready for a little chill time and then Mick H treated me and i guess the others in the room (not many) that to my ears was all new and just feckin' brilliant!! i mean every single 45 he played just blew me away to be honest and i have no idea what it was - been told it was 70's crossover (rare) AWESOME STUFF!!

It was sad that there were so few of us to enjoy it. All the DJ's were awesome but the one upside I saw was that I wasn't vying for space to dance The Lifeline 70's and the C&M Rare room are the only two sessions that will be remembered from me this year from a dancing point of view.

It was sad that there were so few of us to enjoy it. All the DJ's were awesome but the one upside I saw was that I wasn't vying for space to dance The Lifeline 70's and the C&M Rare room are the only two sessions that will be remembered from me this year from a dancing point of view.

I agree.

The last two years there was only Carl & Maria's that did anything for me. So at least there was one more for me this year.

Mick H's Sunday morning spot in the main room was mind blowing! But that was the only time I spent in there all weekend.

Mick H's Sunday morning spot in the main room was mind blowing! But that was the only time I spent in there all weekend.

That's the one I heard when I was back in the chalet. I sat there sobbing because I couldn't move other than to check on here who on earth was banging out them awesome tunes and saw it was Mick. Definitely a major 'kick myself' moment

I did wonder if you were there to churn up the dance floor when Rob chucked Think Smart on after Mick's spot. I heard that too

That's the one I heard when I was back in the chalet. I sat there sobbing because I couldn't move other than to check on here who on earth was banging out them awesome tunes and saw it was Mick. Definitely a major 'kick myself' moment

I did wonder if you were there to churn up the dance floor when Rob chucked Think Smart on after Mick's spot. I heard that too

Oh yes. I didn't last much longer though. I was cursing Mick like you wouldn't believe. He almost killed me

Oh yes. I didn't last much longer though. I was cursing Mick like you wouldn't believe. He almost killed me

Excellent. I can at least believe I danced even if it was by Joan-Proxy

The Lifeline 70's and the C&M Rare room are the only two sessions that will be remembered from me this year from a dancing point of view.

The last two years there was only Carl & Maria's that did anything for me. So at least there was one more for me this year.

Mick H's Sunday morning spot in the main room was mind blowing! But that was the only time I spent in there all weekend.

Echo both above posts...

Friday - Lifeline 70's and a wonderful spot from Carl & Maria in Arena 1 - 2.00 am - 3.00 am

Saturday - Carl & Maria Rare Redemption Suite evening was excellent. Many thanks to all said evenings DJ's for playing some of the finest 45's on the planet.

Also a big thank you to the Prat who smashed the break glass for introducing me to the sound of the whole weekend....NE NAR NE NAR NE NAR on the Alarm Label.

The full 20 minute version lasted a tad too long. Unlike most new braking sounds it not only cleared the floor....it cleared the building. Shared warming Sambuca in the rain outside...memories are made of these occasions.

Sunday - Highlight had to be a wonderous spot 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm by Mark Speightman in Arena 1 totally mind blowing sounds ...Shrine a plenty...thank you Mark..

On the whole a Great Wedding ...Weekender..

Just to echo Colin Brown's comments earlier on the thread, a great big public thank you to all those good people who helped us with Channel 6 Radio over the weekend.......thanks a bunch guys and gals.

And it was pleasing to feel that the enforced changes had not compromised the weekend to the extent I feared it might, and credit must go to Fish, John, Mark F etc for that.

And lastly, thanks to friends old and new for some damn fine company over the weekend...................as they say, "it's good we do this!"

Cheers,

Mark R

Dont get across much now, but modern room again a great vibe, not all mindblowing and some remixes of records that dont need messin with but peeps up for a good time cheers to all for making the whole weekend happen, not easy in this climate, playlists i need to find

First our thoughts & prayers go out to Bernie O,Brian his family & close friends after the loss of their daughter the week before

Bernie put hell of lot of hard work along with John Poole, Mark Fletcher & Fish into making the Prestatyn Midnite Hour Weekender such a success over the years and it was a fitting tribute that the show on Sat nite was tribute to Bernies Daughter.

Me n Jane arrived Thurs lunch time straight into our hut no waiting around well done Pontins ! Spent a couple o hours with Andy McCabe watching James Bell, Rita Graham Volumes, ect go through their sets for sat nite Amazing James Bell sounded awesome... After several drinks decided to have a kip before the pre event party in the main hall, went in around 9pm with mi good buddy George Rouse and had several more lagers before going up to DJ at midnite played a hour of decent oldies

with a few requests thrown in plenty on the dancefloor so i must hav done ok finished off with Amazing Love for James Bell and the classic Atlantic 45 Willie Tee Walking up one way street for John Poole for all the work he had to put in the last week

Fri spent the morn mingling around then off to the Queen Vic for the Soultown Extraviganza i double decked with one of my fav DJ,s and all round top man Pete Hullett and enjoyed every min of the hour we spun our tunes even had few up dancin

Some terrific music played all day in the Queen Vic later that nite Soul Sam did the last spot and just as he finished off at

11-30pm he fell over a speaker and went flying over the stage ,sorry i could,nt help laughin i said to him you ok you know you should be in bed in yer sheltered accomadation you owd git not prancin around the stage like some 18 yr old

By that time i was feelin knackered miself stopped int modern room until 2-30 then big mistake had a chicken burger which made me ill all sat morn and into the afternoon Nurse Jane looked after me and after several brandys started to feel great again.

Sat nites show spent in the company of Jane, Joan & Tony and the lovely Kev n Sharon Spittle and what a show it was brilliant nd a fitting tribute to Bernies Daughter, spent a hour afterwards in the company of the artist had a laugh at Tony Else tryin to kiss

Lorraine Chandler his hero she took it in good fun , got a couple o cds off James Bell one of the nicest human beings on the planet is James he spent all weekend mixing and chatting with people top man and then some.... Off into Carl n Marias room to catch Joans set which had the floor rockin then Simon Hunts set which was brilliant all round top tunes Top Bloke Mick H Next up

amazin tunes one after the other dont come much better than the music being played in there sat nite had a good hour dancin

with a assortment of stars Keith Money Ricey, Jane n Joan ect ect ect i think it was my feet that set off the smoke alarm.

Finally got to bed goodness no,s what time but was up early for brekkie in the restuarant with George Rouse,

All in All a fantastic weekend spent in the company of wonderful people had the priviledge to watch those wonderful artist including Jessie James @ midnite fri who put on a wonderful show his voice and stage presence had to be seen to be believed

amazing truely amazin his voice must come from the angels within his soul................

Sold a few 45,s bought one of my wants sun off Mark Speakman Dorando Pulliam--How i got over thanks mate !!!

Many thanks to John Poole, Mark Fletcher, Fish for all the hard work they put into the event and to Andy McCabe for Thursdy nite

and the brill Queen Vic Fri ...Special mention to the midnite hour band and backing singers who where outstanding.

Most of all to all my friends for making the weekend a special occasion and to the happy couple who had their marriage blessed sat lunchtime thats something you dont see very often at a soul event a weddin

LOVE, PEACE & HAPPINESS

Ian Cunliffe & Jane Hamilton xxx

echo the sentiments about bernie o'brien and his daughter's tragic death

we know how much effort he puts into the artists and the show

(and how relieved he is when it all comes off!)

he was very conspicuous by his absence at prestatyn

our thoughts are with him and his family

dave and karen (kegsy)

Sunday - Highlight had to be a wonderous spot 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm by Mark Speightman (SPEAKMAN) in Arena 1 totally mind blowing sounds ...Shrine a plenty...thank you Mark..

Thanks Billy glad you enjoyed my spot, just to let everyone know my name is Mark Speakman (Funkyfeet Records), John Poole has trouble with his spelling.

I had a fantastic time at Prestatyn this year. The modern room was at times brilliant and had a great atmosphere. Bob Jones,Neil Rushton and Jamie Taylor both played excellent sets on Saturday night/Sunday morning. The 7t's Lifeline night on Friday was interesting lots of crossover being played which after a while became quite repetitive . Butch impressed me with his excellent and progressive set. Lots of new sounds heard. Boulevard sounded brilliant. He was definitely the highlight of a long evening and was disappointed not to hear him on the saturday night.

The acts were all impressive. I thought Jesse James was outstanding.

Sunday was spent in recovery mode I managed to get out to hear a couple of the Starpoint radio sessions some great 80's tracks played by Ian Dewhirst such as Jeffrey Osbourne. Sunday evening was great fun, Soul Sam played a good party set in the modern room.

It was great to meet Ian Dewhirst and Carl from Starpoint radio on saturday night. I'll see you both soon. It was also lovely spending time with Disco Colin, Tattoo man, Nigel, Chris Dalton, Julie and Mad Kev.

Great weekend hopefully see you all next year!

Imogen

Sunday - Highlight had to be a wonderous spot 4.00 pm - 5.00 pm by Mark Speightman (SPEAKMAN) in Arena 1 totally mind blowing sounds ...Shrine a plenty...thank you Mark..

Thanks Billy glad you enjoyed my spot, just to let everyone know my name is Mark Speakman (Funkyfeet Records), John Poole has trouble with his spelling.

Many Apologies for spelling error Mark...spelt as per this years collectable black & white non glossy 2 page Arena Guide 2011...

Once again many thanks for such a super spot...take a bow ...MR MARK SPEAKMAN....

Had a great weekend, just about fully recovered and spent the best part of two evenings sorting my photo's out. Nice to meet the gang up from the Isle of White Soul Club on Sunday.

Thanks to nthe organisers for another great event, personally I don't get to many events these days so plead guilty to spending far too much time in the main hall but I loved it anyways

And to the fella that came over in the main room and introduced himself along the lines of " I know you, you're from Manchester" if you are on here drop me a PM or something to say where you know me from...don't you just hate it when someone know's you but you don't know them and it's so loud up by the main speakers you can't hold a decent conversation.

Finally photo's are loaded here,

please take a look and give some constructive criticism. And they are all copyright even if not explicitly given. I have no objection to them being used per say but to ask first is only polite

And below is probably one of the best I have ever taken, in full flow, feet off the ground and catching the eye of the camera at just the right moment, hope you enjoy

Finally recovered from the weekend

Just a quick note to say thank you to all the dj's for their contribution over the event and also a BIG thank you to eveyone who attended and made the weekend such a overwhelming success.

There were a few setbacks prior to the evnt but as I said on here nothing that would spoil your enjoyment of the event and judging from the feedback both on here and other sites this seems to be the case.

I have spoken to Bernie since the weekend.. and he sends his thanks for all the messages of support for him and his family at this very difficult time.

We are in talks with the management and things seem very positive for future events

Once again thanks to all who supported the 10th Anniversary

John Poole

thoroughly enjoyed the time i spent in redemption on sat. glad i caught your set joan. best weekend for music in a long time.

Great to see the modern room rocking again...has not been like that for five years , thank god it's back to how it should be , the dance floor full most of the night and a great atmosphere, also the layout is back to as it was .and just happy to see it buzzing in there again ! almost did not go this year due to how the room has been over the last 3 years ...missed Mark R's set(s) this year as no listing anywhere to be seen,sorry Mark.. a shame as Mark was always on the money and got a buzz going even when other left him little to work with, as they say class always shines through ...but hope it's not the last one as the modern/dance room is back on track! Great to see new faces in there, lets spread the word and get some of the old ones back and take the roof off ;-)

Why was the modern room empty on Friday allnighter then Cambridge Soul?

But. .......... to answer your question ......

No Love he came 3rd. or second runner up as they called it. ......

Beaten quite honorably by Sam Evans 2nd ...and Jane ( i think her name is ) 1st.

(IMHO) ....... It was close between the first two, had it been me I may have put Sam first.

The judges said that Ethan was in the first 3 on Merit not because of the aww factor.

Not forgetting the number of former winners and the quality of the dancers in that comp. His Expression on yr photo and the way he waved that trophy showed what 3rd means to him. As a treat and so not to pee on his parade he was allowed to stay out late as long as he was with Tommo , Chippy , Trixter or Ricky Davies ... And what really made his weekend was that when he got home there was an congrats e mail to him from the legendary Gethro .

Catch you soon Regards and Respect ... Brent X

your time will come ethan when you'll be holding the trophy for urself, u just keep on keeping on billy

prestatyn was an awesome weekender and would like to thank john poole ,fletch,fish and anybody elso who made sure this was another

fantastic weekender !!!! and as for little ethan my side kick i was so proud of him getting third position i told him two weeks before dance comp if he makes the final be happy with that achievment but i told him he would get third postion and he did on merit well deserved, ive spent a lot of my own time helping him with the classic wigan arm movements and a few tricks .. so as casper,chippy,sammy dee and hes picked up a piece of all of us to make him into what he is already 13 yr old awesome dancer and dont anyone forget that? 2 years at the very most he will win prestatyn and blackpool out right so get ready for this... if anybody out there wants the young ones to learn the basis of northern dancing i would gladly help so would any of the above mentioned people in keeping this dance style still alive and kicking .... ktf to everyone at prestatyn and mick h parting words on sunday night was very moving so lets not forget time is passing us all by lets try and pass this music on to our youth all the best tommo.

prestatyn was an awesome weekender and would like to thank john poole ,fletch,fish and anybody elso who made sure this was another

fantastic weekender !!!! and as for little ethan my side kick i was so proud of him getting third position i told him two weeks before dance comp if he makes the final be happy with that achievment but i told him he would get third postion and he did on merit well deserved, ive spent a lot of my own time helping him with the classic wigan arm movements and a few tricks .. so as casper,chippy,sammy dee and hes picked up a piece of all of us to make him into what he is already 13 yr old awesome dancer and dont anyone forget that? 2 years at the very most he will win prestatyn and blackpool out right so get ready for this... if anybody out there wants the young ones to learn the basis of northern dancing i would gladly help so would any of the above mentioned people in keeping this dance style still alive and kicking .... ktf to everyone at prestatyn and mick h parting words on sunday night was very moving so lets not forget time is passing us all by lets try and pass this music on to our youth all the best tommo.

Janes a friend, i no Sam to say hello to and i see Ethan out and about all top dancers but the youngun has it, in my humble opinion all he has to do now is put HIS take on it with some good floorwork and move about a bit and he will be hard to beat, christ if i had come third in 1981 when i was 13 at a do like prestatyn i would have gone places with dancing thats for sure.

well done Ethan keep it up mate you never no where it might take you.

Here's hoping that we're on again for next March. The deposit was on last Monday morning. Can't wait!

prestatyn was an awesome weekender and would like to thank john poole ,fletch,fish and anybody elso who made sure this was another

fantastic weekender !!!! and as for little ethan my side kick i was so proud of him getting third position i told him two weeks before dance comp if he makes the final be happy with that achievment but i told him he would get third postion and he did on merit well deserved, ive spent a lot of my own time helping him with the classic wigan arm movements and a few tricks .. so as casper,chippy,sammy dee and hes picked up a piece of all of us to make him into what he is already 13 yr old awesome dancer and dont anyone forget that? 2 years at the very most he will win prestatyn and blackpool out right so get ready for this... if anybody out there wants the young ones to learn the basis of northern dancing i would gladly help so would any of the above mentioned people in keeping this dance style still alive and kicking .... ktf to everyone at prestatyn and mick h parting words on sunday night was very moving so lets not forget time is passing us all by lets try and pass this music on to our youth all the best tommo.

some very nice words there tommo :hatsoff2:billy

prestatyn was an awesome weekender and would like to thank john poole ,fletch,fish and anybody elso who made sure this was another

fantastic weekender !!!! and as for little ethan my side kick i was so proud of him getting third position i told him two weeks before dance comp if he makes the final be happy with that achievment but i told him he would get third postion and he did on merit well deserved, ive spent a lot of my own time helping him with the classic wigan arm movements and a few tricks .. so as casper,chippy,sammy dee and hes picked up a piece of all of us to make him into what he is already 13 yr old awesome dancer and dont anyone forget that? 2 years at the very most he will win prestatyn and blackpool out right so get ready for this... if anybody out there wants the young ones to learn the basis of northern dancing i would gladly help so would any of the above mentioned people in keeping this dance style still alive and kicking .... ktf to everyone at prestatyn and mick h parting words on sunday night was very moving so lets not forget time is passing us all by lets try and pass this music on to our youth all the best tommo.

some very nice words there tommo :hatsoff2:billy

Well Said Pikey Mikey and Billy

Once again, I said that your future would be in dance coaching.? Great Idea and great sentiment by Mick H on sunday

The sooner that the rest of the soul elite realise that this scene needs youngsters like Ethan and Lottie. ie Youngsters who are genuinely into the music and haven,t been press ganged, the better.

So If you would like any publicity and support for your Idea, then put my name at the top of yr list.

IMHO ........ If something is Healthy it Doesn,t need reviving. .... at the moment this scene only creaks.

Enjoyed the weekend highlight for us was Carls spot in the main hall and Jumpin Joan in theRedemption room.

Missed the usual saturday night djs in the main hall, (the bit we especially look forward to) that would be the likes of Butch and T. Brown etc.

to much of the regular stuff pushed out by the regular play it safe djs for our liking.

Redemption was great and needs a bigger room.

thanks to all those who do the stuff to make it work especially J.P

Chris

Agreed. Redemption was one of the successes of this year's Weekender and needs a bigger room. Some nice crossover also being spun in the Queen Vic. Spent some quality time in all areas though. And we kinda miss the House Of Soul and the R&B room....But, all in all another Weekender to remember. Thanks to everyone involved over the last ten years. We are Prestatyn veterans, attend every March and needless to say we have already booked for next year..

I didn't hear what Mick said... what did he say?

Why was the modern room empty on Friday allnighter then Cambridge Soul?

Karen the modern room was in the redemption room on Friday night New release soul & 90's connoisseurs cuts.

Ah, I see! They would have done better to swap the rooms about then really

WEEK GONE BY SINCE PRESTATYN.......A FEW THOUGHTS NOT NEGATIVE JUST OBSERVATIONS. WHY? DIDN,T THEY HAVE A LIFELINE SHOWCASE ON FRIDAY NIGHT (ALL THE DJ,S WERE THERE) INSTEAD OF THE LADS PLAYING SET AFTER SET OF MAINLY 70,S TO AN EMPTY ROOM (STILL IT ANSWERS THE 70.S/MIDTEMPO QUESTION AT NIGHTERS) BAD CALL IMO (and the crowd it seems ). WHY ALSO WERE SETS OF BIG CLASSIC OLDIES PLAYED IN REDEMPTION,WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IN THE MAIN ARENA. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW TOP UPFRONT DJ,S IN REDEMPTION THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE INSTEAD OF THE BIG OLDIES IMO......TEZZA

WEEK GONE BY SINCE PRESTATYN.......A FEW THOUGHTS NOT NEGATIVE JUST OBSERVATIONS. WHY? DIDN,T THEY HAVE A LIFELINE SHOWCASE ON FRIDAY NIGHT (ALL THE DJ,S WERE THERE) INSTEAD OF THE LADS PLAYING SET AFTER SET OF MAINLY 70,S TO AN EMPTY ROOM (STILL IT ANSWERS THE 70.S/MIDTEMPO QUESTION AT NIGHTERS) BAD CALL IMO (and the crowd it seems ). WHY ALSO WERE SETS OF BIG CLASSIC OLDIES PLAYED IN REDEMPTION,WHEN THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IN THE MAIN ARENA. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW TOP UPFRONT DJ,S IN REDEMPTION THERE NEEDED TO BE MORE INSTEAD OF THE BIG OLDIES IMO......TEZZA

Agree Babbers... logistics were completely wrong

MIGHTY MAGNETICS PUMP UP THE VOLUME, WHILST LORRAINE SPARKLES LIKE A CHANDELIER.

Boy, oh boy this time it's been a long haul back to consciousness, Chuck Wood said 7 days is to long,well

Spot Bott's telling you 4 days is far to long for this old body, I've only just woke up properly. So now for the

Weekends wonderment.

Thursday blast off to Dingbat Dell to pick up Rosey & Jim of Greetland, my God it's windier than a herd of

Heifers after a 24 hour Cabbage binge, so with doors flapping in the breeze we rearrange all our supplies

& order in a Pickford's van to take up the slack whilst Shirl say a long Goodbye to every stick of furniture

In the house & of course the cat before we re-enter the Wacky Race Track with all the other oscillating cars

& leaning or gyrating Lorries. Arrived, after some short de-tours to the sand dunes, beach etc, a few minutes

Past 4, bumping into Dave & Steph, Nige Brown plus Mick & Karen Howard, soon in our Boudoir le Chalet de

Wales, the buzz on the street is that Dame Nita of Northern Birds & Knee capers anonymous together with

Nuvile hand maiden & floor scrubber, Moaning,groaning,whining & pining, that's shit Steve, have arrived

Earlier than Saturday in the Lancashire love wagon & dust cart & have taken up residence where Nita is

Receiving guest & pests while Ed has stayed behind to flood the gaff till Friday.

A short period of R&R till 9'ish then it's out to join a plethora of Soul Starlet's in the shape of ; Chappers &

Michelle, Darcy & Jan, Dave & Steph, Kev & Pauline (Our Ken arriving Friday), Snowy & Lynn, Sharon & P for

Power Pownall, Babies yed Lynn & Lamb chop Jimmy, Rog & Jen, Jed & Mrs Parker, Prohibition Claxton's

Geoff & Sue,Kit & Kaz,Paul McKay, Vicky Green (Steve banned till later),Soul Girl & Lotte, Chrissie & Ali, the

Posh & Becks of Soul, mentioning those two, here's an aside that came to light that night; I don't know how

The conversation got round to it but Chrissie says, "I'm alright other than having to watch him defuse his

Nuts whilst I'm eating!", Me,"What!!", "Ask him to tell you the story", which of course I did, well it seems our

Ali likes wearing Budgie smugglers & not shorts on holiday, Speedo's to be precise & due to the humid &

Fertile conditions in the Pork Forrest he looked like (Allegedly) a overstuffed & burst sofa with Will of the

Wisps & Coconut fibres making a bid for freedom, so he was told to trim, so trim he did & trim & trim until

All was gone & his two favourite mates looked like an aged Telly Savalas, anyway the lads at work call him

Toe Toucher Ali, he says it looks 4 inches longer (So 5 inch then,YEH!) & Chrissies happy that everything's

All neat & tidy downstairs, Ali's had only one problem since & that was at the local baths where he's banned

For life after an unfortunate incident where the S detached from his Speedo trunks. Finally two of Fabulous

South Yorkshire friends, the smilies of Soul, His Royal Soulness of South Yorkshire Yocky & the lovely HRH

Joy.

Don't remember much about the music but it was all oldies, I remember Sue Claxton panicking thinking

She'd had a record nicked (She put it in wrong sleeve) & Jed Parker acting as her Rescue wine waiter &

Taking her up some refreshments to sustain her, what a gent. Stood with Mr MaC & Halina plus Pet Hul

Taking in the extravaganza that was laid before us on the dance floor, The Bell Ringer was there from the

Off, as was Mrs Haberdashery, Shirl joined in sprinkling fairy dust (Imaginary) far & wide, then came the

Tasmanian Devil Dancer who thinks he's the Dogs Danglies, trying to stamp a hole through the floor &

Rolling around like those Gymnasts that use Balls, Ribbons or Hoops whilst doing floor work, what is he

On or what should he be on????? Also what's all that about in front of the stage? Preening & fannying

About like Ballerinas at the bar or Madonna striking a pose to Vogue, stop your jibber jabber you fools,

Just dance like you know you can. Miss Ruby Slippers was there also trying to return from Oz & various

Amounts of Tiggers having bouncy,flouncy,fun, fun,fun,fun,fun, also was there a short persons convention

On? They seemed to be over running the place & I was expecting to see an influx of Snow White's arrive

By coach at any moment to take up the slack, having said that one of the lucky sods managed to do a lot

Of close dancing with various women & in the process getting lost in enveloping bosoms, he had the widest

Grin in the place, ALL NIGHT!!!!! Dame Neet Ma Teet graced us with her favour & presence, together with a

New Clairol nutrisse & John Frieda topping, both novelties, the first night outing specially as she normally

Take 2 days bathing in Asses milk,or is it milking an Ass, before she joins the lower ranks of Soul humanity

& the great unclean masses. Whilst all this is going on Colin is partaking of a little to much falling over juice,

To the point where he firstly became that embarrassing dancing Uncle Knobhead at a family wedding

Strutting his stuff, then becoming Mr Manly by informing Shirl, "Come on woman, we're off back to the

Chalet, now", Shirl beamed & grabbed bag & coat as quick as kid who'd been offered a free night in a candy

Factory & was ready for the off & the promise of Luuuve with the Stud of Soul before realising he had

Become a Webble Wobbles & he might fall down & there was more chance romancing the Laaav that her

With Luuv, never mind Shirl there's always next year. By 12.30 I'm flagging badly, as are most people around

Me, so I leave Gail in the capable hands of Dave & Steph before heading back to prepare mind & body to come out & play with the Big Boys starting Fun Friday afternoon, as the buzzing & whirring subsides in my head & my cup of Tetley's T does it soothing thing Gail & Steph decide to spend a last few moments & a nightcap with me. Shortly after Steph leaves we are paid a visit firstly from above by the Dutch Dickheads & Donuts Clog dancing & Yawping team, followed promptly by next doors Run DMC, P. Diddy party night with extra loud squawking on the side, so Gail being the caring person she is left the smoke alarm screaming it's wake up call for a longer than normal period next morning whilst crisping up my bacon, just as a gentle reminder about other peoples considerations you know.

So I'm almost refreshed for Friday kick off after collecting the papers, filling my face with Bacon & Tom butties plus a nice wash down cuppa, so I ring to arrange a bracing Sea front amble for our gang & Pauline & Kev are willing & able, although Kev seems to have been slipped a dodgy pint which on top of the "You look like you need feeding up so here is half a side of Beef & enough Turkey to feed the Isle of Man Carvery, plus I think I fancy you Mr Gay Icon", has taken it's toll & recovery time will be 11 am, Colin on the other hand cannot join us till we partake of the £3.60 Carvery at 2 pm, why I hear you ask?? Because Shirl has found to her amazement that she has only packed Night time clothes & not day time ones & as Colin won't lend her any of his shirts to get her by she must venture into Prest-tropolice, now I'm bemused as how this happened as we loaded enough outfits to cloth a small African Republic with enough coats on the back seat with Shirl & Gail to kit out an Inuit tribe for a harsh winter, I suppose it must have been the fact that we could quiet get that Schreiber double wardrobe with integrated draws tied down properly on the roof that did it or I suppose we could have discarded Colin & My luggage of 2 Tesco bags for life & an Iceland large freezer bag to make room for another 8 or 9 outfits of necessity, not very considerate on our part I know, we'll try more next time, anyway Taxi's here for Shirl & off she goes to scour the Hardware & Charity of the Town, later to return a multipack of Marigolds together with variety pack of 10 Dusters & Large Shammy leathers & a wing & pray that she may at least be able to cobble together some form of Fetish wear or modesty cover, well if Madonna can do it at her age why not Shirl, having said that I think you got your work cut out girl but good luck.

So it's out the main gate passed the Beaches Hotel & up onto the sea defences, lets go right this time past the sailing club, mistake as we go up on the path in the Dunes we enter dog she*t drive, some in bags, some Eau Natural but all disgusting, so the animal lovers of Wales are as bad as those in England, to those who leave the mess I hope it's your kids or Grandchildren that end up ill because of it, this Island is becoming a Dog Bog & it's my pet hate (Can you tell?) it's about time we started catching & prosecuting the buggars & giving big fines or kill the pet, I know it's not the pets fault but it would bleeding well make them think twice about doing it again, if need be I'd do it for expenses only & let the kids watch, she how Mum & Dad felt then, callous maybe but my old neighbour is ill & on medication for this reason ok, rant over. We decided to walk the way towards Rhyl, boy was it bracing, so after about 30 min's or so & much complaining about hair needing redoing etc we headed inland for a sheltered walk & refreshments bumping into Billy & Nita for a chat on the homeward leg before regrouping on Shirl's return to head out for lunch & to meet up with Mike Cog at the same time. Dave & Donna arrive as do Big Ian,Debbie & Sue but no Patto, they'll be joining Tony & Tracy for an intimate 5 share a Chalet, no time to stop as there's a Yorkshire pud with my name on it just a mile up the road. My it's funny how load 6 people can become & after having our fill of food & the Manager having his fill of us we left, before being bodily removed, boy did we have a laugh though,Shirley being the loo straggler comment on how all eyes turned to her & you could hear a pin drop a she scurried out, Ooop's. Back to Stalag 5 for a kip & refreshments, also giving for lunch/tea to settle, a couple of hours later it's sort Paul & Kev H's stuff at the gate as they won't arrive till after 10pm, then into the Vic to listen to some decent music from Keith Money, Karl Rhodes, Stu Cheetham etc then off through the Vale of Horse sweat to say a few "Hello's" before heading back to join Mr James & I'm glad I did, he was as good as I expected, left once we were back to 8 minute music, 4's more than enough for me. Found Big Ian, Big Paul & Kev H, from then on it was a lot of wandering between rooms so I don't remember that much but I do remember Cunnie playing a great 70's spot, infact I settled in for the full hour & scene of the night involves Dave Raistrick & some basic Gymnastic moves while leaving the stage after his spot, given the choice of 2 sets of stairs he is thrown for a minute & while wondering if he's chosen the correct one he forgets just how many steps are there & trys a Pommel Horse dismount into the dark two steps early,now this is easily corrected normally but not whilst lugging two large record boxes along, so becomes the Nadia Comaneci of Soul doing a Tsukahara with a kip dismount & Pike terminating with him head butting a large speaker, which in fact sorted the poor sound quality, so a bit of a result there then, no records or equipment came to any harm, Dave however had a lumpy leg & head, a blooded hand but a badly bruised & damaged ego, he will however recover before Skeggy Weekender, Donna & Gail being the caring ER/Holby City type showed their concern for Dave's predicament by almost wetting themselves with laughing & giggling & tittering about it like Frankie Howard till Sunday. Before to long it was 7 am so once more back to El Chal & another restful day after doing my paper round, the day is indispersed with Nita Greeter bombarding me with with Earthquake text's & updates on the noisy buggars she's sharing with & how she will reek her revenge in the dead of night,all this done in lilting rhyme & becomes the new Bob Dylan of Bolton, apparently Steve tried this later but sounded more like Bob Di*do than Dylan.

Up at 6 to catch up with Sport & a proper sit down tea of Spag Bol with my lovely lady, Gail gets ready as she has to leave & rescue Steph's hair again but we're both hi-jacked by Dick & Dom (Paul & Kev) & tales of yor, just one beer then we're off, my arse, 3 beers later & me stinking like a polecat (because of no shower) Gail rescues me by forcing them to chaperone her out, Kev is still hanging on for grim death & the last word, using the I'll finish my bottle first ploy, finally I hit the shower but wait who's that at the door? Oh it's Steph, even the sight of me in a towel can usher her out quickly, I may have to really frighten her & discard it altogether but she leaves just in the nick of time, so once more into the breech dear friend or shower as the case may be, no,no,no, not again, I'll never be ready, Oh lovely it's Big Paul come back to squirrel something away in his room & has decided he'd wait for me in case I get lost, I think he's scared of the dark really & bugg*r me he even takes my last Becks, can a man have nothing!!!!! By 11.25pm I finally make into the main Arena to help celebrate Pauline's 25th Birthday, soon Paul has deserted me to find his missing limb Kev, so I hit the bar & the company of Nige Brown & Pope John Ray (Ginger), we chat merrily & watch some of the acts while Gail joined Dave & Donna, Dave & Steph,Dave & Louise Welding,Dave Rimblock, Johnny Veston,Ted Massey,Mr & Mrs Soul, The Clackers with Joy Jelly plus Mr & Mrs Parker, M'Lady. Quick word with Chris King & the main attraction hit the stage, The Volumes who are as good as I remember them, there are John Poole & Mark Fletcher looking on like proud & doting parents taking in the scene all around of their baby hitting it's teen years.

After the event it's back to normal so spend sometime chatting with Ian Dewhirst about old times & pensions of all things then it's onto my exceptional good friend the Monacled Mountaineer, the Sat-Nav of Soul & South Yorkshires answer to Beau Brummel Nel & Jean the Countess of Coinisborough, after a dam good belly laugh as always with my mate Nel it's off to find Tony & Tracy,Ian & the witches of Eastwick,Nicola & Gilly,John & Jen, Tezza & Jan, Cog,Chris & Ingrid, Shorny, Mick H, Ian & the Ladies of Madison County, the Notts City Clunges, Mandy & Wendy, Mandy was supposedly wearing a scary mask but no I don't think so, she looked same as ever to me!!! Stayed for Sam, Joan, Mick H & Keith Money before the invading stench of rancid cooking fat & steam veg overcame me & I had to leave, I know I'm a wimp, before I left though Shirley got her bag & coat & left 3 times but when I left she was still there, talk about indecisive!!!!!!!!!!!!! So into the Horse sweat room where we spot Neil Rushton & Marie for a chat plus Steve Woomble & the Hull Quartet, also Andy & Debbie Riley & spend a little time with Terry & June (Lesley) of Donny, this is where the special ones congregate (Well they think their special) & there all in Red is Kid Creole & his Coco Pops, a lot of gyrating & preening along the bar edge with plenty of Bootyilicous shaking & shimmying all around & that was just the fella's, be careful you don't spill you Brandy & Babycham or Cherry B !!!!!!!!

Testosterone Tent closed & it's home for the light weights & back into the Lions Den for us till 7 again, there I almost missed the main attraction of the weekend, which was a Lovely Lady who it seemed had been sewn into a long Green dress which had a key hole front for her marvellous bosom to peak through, well actually it looked like two bald Sumo wrestlers trying to fight their way from beneath a tarpaulin & not quiet managing, by the look of all the swivelling necks, tongues on floor & gallons of drool it was very well received & highly appreciated by almost all the men in her vicinity, I however only noticed the lovely cut of the dress & the glossiness of her hair, HONEST!!!! After the long night I needed a long lay down but by Noon I had arranged the Birthday Lunch at the Hot Wok for Pauline & Shirl (Birthday Monday), so a table for 8 at 2pm, if you love Eastern food try this place it's worth the drive.

Sunday just a chill out day readying ones self for the return leg, so we arrange to leave for Mold at 1.25pm,Kev & Steph turn up & we drive round to Col & Shirl's, that's when it goes tits up, Pauline & Kenny can't find their way to Kev's car & Shirl is taking an eternity to get out of the room, after 20 min's we rang, "I just at the door with the keys", ten more min's & still no sign, is she hurt? Is she lost? Has she been abducted by Aliens? Or has she taken to saying Goodbye to everything in the Chalet as she does when leaving home in Greetland? We never did find out but needless to say we arrived extremely late at the Hot Wok, so late in fact they rang us to see if was a hoax booking, mind you the de-tour & roadwork's didn't help, having said all that the meal was excellent as always, with some of us getting a chilli surprise, specially Steph who's face looked like a bright red balloon about to burst. Back into Camp for Shave,Shower & Sh*te & back to see the weekend out, spending time with the diehards, there still a good crowd in & about but it's thinning out swiftly, I was however entertained by one of the Flowerpot men not sure which, Bill or Ben but does it matter, dressed in the rather fetching attire of Hat,Gloves & flap down Dungarees minus t-shirt he is a danger to shipping & anything in his way, he fires off from either on or by the stage like an Excocet Missile or Olga Korbut on crack doing cartwheels or flick flacks across the floor, he parts the people like Moses parting the Red Sea & the look of horror on the faces of the dancers as they scurry out of his way is exquisite, one day someone will become his victim in a tangle of limbs & extremities & need hospital treatment, his next outing should be Stoke Kings Hall where he will be warding off the evil spirits & hoping for a little rain, My God don't you just love em? A further wander about & it seems most people are losing or have lost their voices (Dry Heat in Chalets, me Nan always said it was no good for you) I bump into Babies yed (Lynne) who can hardly say a word, what a lucky fella Jimmy is, she's even lost her voice again so he can have a restful nights sleep & a peaceful drive home,bless!! By Midnight I was beginning to crash & burn until I just melted into a puddle & disappeared to the room & my final resting place, till morning at least.

Morning has broken like the first morning, I have been woken by frigging seagulls, they squawk when they hear me, they squawk when their near me, they've shit on my mate Kev & all over my car. Anyway it's Shirls Birthday proper so she gets a lie in, we load the Battle Bus & head round to theirs where we fill every corner, nook, cranny & crevice of the car & seem as always to be leaving with more than we came with, even though we have no booze left which took up a third of the boot & Shirl & Gail can make a pretend tent in the back with all the left over coats, before leaving the Royal Cavalcade carrying His Royal Smiliness & Her Royal Loveliness, King & Queen Yoxall of Yorkshire stop to wish us a safe & speedy return to civilisation before speeding off for their daily Royal duties, such nice people & normal for Royality not posh at all. Just time for Shirl to wish the Fixtures & fitting a good season & a goodbye before heading of to Canteen land so Col can replenish his sugar stores, there's already a straggly & weary bunch dining as we settle in, soon we're joined by Hoss & Tracy, Jen & Roger who look like they've all been pullede through the same Hawthorn bush a couple of times & Jester Banks is sporting a Nero Laurel Crown with a plastic 4 pack ring as glasses & an "Out of Order" sign on his chest, this we've known for years Rog, Jen's found the two bags of fags & the blue tack has been removed from inside her hi-heels (In Jokes), God only knows what Mr Bell thought as he sat silently eating his breakfast!!!!! Soon were all wedge into the car & heading for the hills, I know we've had a good time as Shirl's speaking in Patwa rhyme & an obscure dialect from a little known Amazonian tribe, Col's doing an impression of Bing Crosby crossed with Foghorn Leghorn, Gail's trying to silence Mrs Sat-Nav with a shrill & cackle, Me? I'm hanging on for grim death with white knuckles trying to keep the show literally on the road, which is hard as the beast sways, bounces & weaves with all the hugh belly laughs & rolling from side to side as we mull over yet another wicked weekend. So a BIG THANK YOU to John Poole & Mark Fletcher for once again aiding us in a cracking weekend & we'll see you next time but may be only for 3 days, cos the mind is willing but the flesh is weak & getting weaker by the minute.

Take care, be safe & remember," We walked him to the station in the rain, We kissed him as we put him on the train, We sang him songs of times long gone, Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again",

Spot.

FOOKIN AWSOME,,, SPOT!!

Ive just done the whole freekin weekend again!!

How the hell do ya do it,,, i never see ya takin notes or owt!!

AWESOME... well done that man!!

Nige

MIGHTY MAGNETICS PUMP UP THE VOLUME, WHILST LORRAINE SPARKLES LIKE A CHANDELIER.

Boy, oh boy this time it's been a long haul back to consciousness, Chuck Wood said 7 days is to long,well

Spot Bott's telling you 4 days is far to long for this old body, I've only just woke up properly. So now for the

Weekends wonderment.

Thursday blast off to Dingbat Dell to pick up Rosey & Jim of Greetland, my God it's windier than a herd of

Heifers after a 24 hour Cabbage binge, so with doors flapping in the breeze we rearrange all our supplies

& order in a Pickford's van to take up the slack whilst Shirl say a long Goodbye to every stick of furniture

In the house & of course the cat before we re-enter the Wacky Race Track with all the other oscillating cars

& leaning or gyrating Lorries. Arrived, after some short de-tours to the sand dunes, beach etc, a few minutes

Past 4, bumping into Dave & Steph, Nige Brown plus Mick & Karen Howard, soon in our Boudoir le Chalet de

Wales, the buzz on the street is that Dame Nita of Northern Birds & Knee capers anonymous together with

Nuvile hand maiden & floor scrubber, Moaning,groaning,whining & pining, that's shit Steve, have arrived

Earlier than Saturday in the Lancashire love wagon & dust cart & have taken up residence where Nita is

Receiving guest & pests while Ed has stayed behind to flood the gaff till Friday.

A short period of R&R till 9'ish then it's out to join a plethora of Soul Starlet's in the shape of ; Chappers &

Michelle, Darcy & Jan, Dave & Steph, Kev & Pauline (Our Ken arriving Friday), Snowy & Lynn, Sharon & P for

Power Pownall, Babies yed Lynn & Lamb chop Jimmy, Rog & Jen, Jed & Mrs Parker, Prohibition Claxton's

Geoff & Sue,Kit & Kaz,Paul McKay, Vicky Green (Steve banned till later),Soul Girl & Lotte, Chrissie & Ali, the

Posh & Becks of Soul, mentioning those two, here's an aside that came to light that night; I don't know how

The conversation got round to it but Chrissie says, "I'm alright other than having to watch him defuse his

Nuts whilst I'm eating!", Me,"What!!", "Ask him to tell you the story", which of course I did, well it seems our

Ali likes wearing Budgie smugglers & not shorts on holiday, Speedo's to be precise & due to the humid &

Fertile conditions in the Pork Forrest he looked like (Allegedly) a overstuffed & burst sofa with Will of the

Wisps & Coconut fibres making a bid for freedom, so he was told to trim, so trim he did & trim & trim until

All was gone & his two favourite mates looked like an aged Telly Savalas, anyway the lads at work call him

Toe Toucher Ali, he says it looks 4 inches longer (So 5 inch then,YEH!) & Chrissies happy that everything's

All neat & tidy downstairs, Ali's had only one problem since & that was at the local baths where he's banned

For life after an unfortunate incident where the S detached from his Speedo trunks. Finally two of Fabulous

South Yorkshire friends, the smilies of Soul, His Royal Soulness of South Yorkshire Yocky & the lovely HRH

Joy.

Don't remember much about the music but it was all oldies, I remember Sue Claxton panicking thinking

She'd had a record nicked (She put it in wrong sleeve) & Jed Parker acting as her Rescue wine waiter &

Taking her up some refreshments to sustain her, what a gent. Stood with Mr MaC & Halina plus Pet Hul

Taking in the extravaganza that was laid before us on the dance floor, The Bell Ringer was there from the

Off, as was Mrs Haberdashery, Shirl joined in sprinkling fairy dust (Imaginary) far & wide, then came the

Tasmanian Devil Dancer who thinks he's the Dogs Danglies, trying to stamp a hole through the floor &

Rolling around like those Gymnasts that use Balls, Ribbons or Hoops whilst doing floor work, what is he

On or what should he be on????? Also what's all that about in front of the stage? Preening & fannying

About like Ballerinas at the bar or Madonna striking a pose to Vogue, stop your jibber jabber you fools,

Just dance like you know you can. Miss Ruby Slippers was there also trying to return from Oz & various

Amounts of Tiggers having bouncy,flouncy,fun, fun,fun,fun,fun, also was there a short persons convention

On? They seemed to be over running the place & I was expecting to see an influx of Snow White's arrive

By coach at any moment to take up the slack, having said that one of the lucky sods managed to do a lot

Of close dancing with various women & in the process getting lost in enveloping bosoms, he had the widest

Grin in the place, ALL NIGHT!!!!! Dame Neet Ma Teet graced us with her favour & presence, together with a

New Clairol nutrisse & John Frieda topping, both novelties, the first night outing specially as she normally

Take 2 days bathing in Asses milk,or is it milking an Ass, before she joins the lower ranks of Soul humanity

& the great unclean masses. Whilst all this is going on Colin is partaking of a little to much falling over juice,

To the point where he firstly became that embarrassing dancing Uncle Knobhead at a family wedding

Strutting his stuff, then becoming Mr Manly by informing Shirl, "Come on woman, we're off back to the

Chalet, now", Shirl beamed & grabbed bag & coat as quick as kid who'd been offered a free night in a candy

Factory & was ready for the off & the promise of Luuuve with the Stud of Soul before realising he had

Become a Webble Wobbles & he might fall down & there was more chance romancing the Laaav that her

With Luuv, never mind Shirl there's always next year. By 12.30 I'm flagging badly, as are most people around

Me, so I leave Gail in the capable hands of Dave & Steph before heading back to prepare mind & body to come out & play with the Big Boys starting Fun Friday afternoon, as the buzzing & whirring subsides in my head & my cup of Tetley's T does it soothing thing Gail & Steph decide to spend a last few moments & a nightcap with me. Shortly after Steph leaves we are paid a visit firstly from above by the Dutch Dickheads & Donuts Clog dancing & Yawping team, followed promptly by next doors Run DMC, P. Diddy party night with extra loud squawking on the side, so Gail being the caring person she is left the smoke alarm screaming it's wake up call for a longer than normal period next morning whilst crisping up my bacon, just as a gentle reminder about other peoples considerations you know.

So I'm almost refreshed for Friday kick off after collecting the papers, filling my face with Bacon & Tom butties plus a nice wash down cuppa, so I ring to arrange a bracing Sea front amble for our gang & Pauline & Kev are willing & able, although Kev seems to have been slipped a dodgy pint which on top of the "You look like you need feeding up so here is half a side of Beef & enough Turkey to feed the Isle of Man Carvery, plus I think I fancy you Mr Gay Icon", has taken it's toll & recovery time will be 11 am, Colin on the other hand cannot join us till we partake of the £3.60 Carvery at 2 pm, why I hear you ask?? Because Shirl has found to her amazement that she has only packed Night time clothes & not day time ones & as Colin won't lend her any of his shirts to get her by she must venture into Prest-tropolice, now I'm bemused as how this happened as we loaded enough outfits to cloth a small African Republic with enough coats on the back seat with Shirl & Gail to kit out an Inuit tribe for a harsh winter, I suppose it must have been the fact that we could quiet get that Schreiber double wardrobe with integrated draws tied down properly on the roof that did it or I suppose we could have discarded Colin & My luggage of 2 Tesco bags for life & an Iceland large freezer bag to make room for another 8 or 9 outfits of necessity, not very considerate on our part I know, we'll try more next time, anyway Taxi's here for Shirl & off she goes to scour the Hardware & Charity of the Town, later to return a multipack of Marigolds together with variety pack of 10 Dusters & Large Shammy leathers & a wing & pray that she may at least be able to cobble together some form of Fetish wear or modesty cover, well if Madonna can do it at her age why not Shirl, having said that I think you got your work cut out girl but good luck.

So it's out the main gate passed the Beaches Hotel & up onto the sea defences, lets go right this time past the sailing club, mistake as we go up on the path in the Dunes we enter dog she*t drive, some in bags, some Eau Natural but all disgusting, so the animal lovers of Wales are as bad as those in England, to those who leave the mess I hope it's your kids or Grandchildren that end up ill because of it, this Island is becoming a Dog Bog & it's my pet hate (Can you tell?) it's about time we started catching & prosecuting the buggars & giving big fines or kill the pet, I know it's not the pets fault but it would bleeding well make them think twice about doing it again, if need be I'd do it for expenses only & let the kids watch, she how Mum & Dad felt then, callous maybe but my old neighbour is ill & on medication for this reason ok, rant over. We decided to walk the way towards Rhyl, boy was it bracing, so after about 30 min's or so & much complaining about hair needing redoing etc we headed inland for a sheltered walk & refreshments bumping into Billy & Nita for a chat on the homeward leg before regrouping on Shirl's return to head out for lunch & to meet up with Mike Cog at the same time. Dave & Donna arrive as do Big Ian,Debbie & Sue but no Patto, they'll be joining Tony & Tracy for an intimate 5 share a Chalet, no time to stop as there's a Yorkshire pud with my name on it just a mile up the road. My it's funny how load 6 people can become & after having our fill of food & the Manager having his fill of us we left, before being bodily removed, boy did we have a laugh though,Shirley being the loo straggler comment on how all eyes turned to her & you could hear a pin drop a she scurried out, Ooop's. Back to Stalag 5 for a kip & refreshments, also giving for lunch/tea to settle, a couple of hours later it's sort Paul & Kev H's stuff at the gate as they won't arrive till after 10pm, then into the Vic to listen to some decent music from Keith Money, Karl Rhodes, Stu Cheetham etc then off through the Vale of Horse sweat to say a few "Hello's" before heading back to join Mr James & I'm glad I did, he was as good as I expected, left once we were back to 8 minute music, 4's more than enough for me. Found Big Ian, Big Paul & Kev H, from then on it was a lot of wandering between rooms so I don't remember that much but I do remember Cunnie playing a great 70's spot, infact I settled in for the full hour & scene of the night involves Dave Raistrick & some basic Gymnastic moves while leaving the stage after his spot, given the choice of 2 sets of stairs he is thrown for a minute & while wondering if he's chosen the correct one he forgets just how many steps are there & trys a Pommel Horse dismount into the dark two steps early,now this is easily corrected normally but not whilst lugging two large record boxes along, so becomes the Nadia Comaneci of Soul doing a Tsukahara with a kip dismount & Pike terminating with him head butting a large speaker, which in fact sorted the poor sound quality, so a bit of a result there then, no records or equipment came to any harm, Dave however had a lumpy leg & head, a blooded hand but a badly bruised & damaged ego, he will however recover before Skeggy Weekender, Donna & Gail being the caring ER/Holby City type showed their concern for Dave's predicament by almost wetting themselves with laughing & giggling & tittering about it like Frankie Howard till Sunday. Before to long it was 7 am so once more back to El Chal & another restful day after doing my paper round, the day is indispersed with Nita Greeter bombarding me with with Earthquake text's & updates on the noisy buggars she's sharing with & how she will reek her revenge in the dead of night,all this done in lilting rhyme & becomes the new Bob Dylan of Bolton, apparently Steve tried this later but sounded more like Bob Di*do than Dylan.

Up at 6 to catch up with Sport & a proper sit down tea of Spag Bol with my lovely lady, Gail gets ready as she has to leave & rescue Steph's hair again but we're both hi-jacked by Dick & Dom (Paul & Kev) & tales of yor, just one beer then we're off, my arse, 3 beers later & me stinking like a polecat (because of no shower) Gail rescues me by forcing them to chaperone her out, Kev is still hanging on for grim death & the last word, using the I'll finish my bottle first ploy, finally I hit the shower but wait who's that at the door? Oh it's Steph, even the sight of me in a towel can usher her out quickly, I may have to really frighten her & discard it altogether but she leaves just in the nick of time, so once more into the breech dear friend or shower as the case may be, no,no,no, not again, I'll never be ready, Oh lovely it's Big Paul come back to squirrel something away in his room & has decided he'd wait for me in case I get lost, I think he's scared of the dark really & bugg*r me he even takes my last Becks, can a man have nothing!!!!! By 11.25pm I finally make into the main Arena to help celebrate Pauline's 25th Birthday, soon Paul has deserted me to find his missing limb Kev, so I hit the bar & the company of Nige Brown & Pope John Ray (Ginger), we chat merrily & watch some of the acts while Gail joined Dave & Donna, Dave & Steph,Dave & Louise Welding,Dave Rimblock, Johnny Veston,Ted Massey,Mr & Mrs Soul, The Clackers with Joy Jelly plus Mr & Mrs Parker, M'Lady. Quick word with Chris King & the main attraction hit the stage, The Volumes who are as good as I remember them, there are John Poole & Mark Fletcher looking on like proud & doting parents taking in the scene all around of their baby hitting it's teen years.

After the event it's back to normal so spend sometime chatting with Ian Dewhirst about old times & pensions of all things then it's onto my exceptional good friend the Monacled Mountaineer, the Sat-Nav of Soul & South Yorkshires answer to Beau Brummel Nel & Jean the Countess of Coinisborough, after a dam good belly laugh as always with my mate Nel it's off to find Tony & Tracy,Ian & the witches of Eastwick,Nicola & Gilly,John & Jen, Tezza & Jan, Cog,Chris & Ingrid, Shorny, Mick H, Ian & the Ladies of Madison County, the Notts City Clunges, Mandy & Wendy, Mandy was supposedly wearing a scary mask but no I don't think so, she looked same as ever to me!!! Stayed for Sam, Joan, Mick H & Keith Money before the invading stench of rancid cooking fat & steam veg overcame me & I had to leave, I know I'm a wimp, before I left though Shirley got her bag & coat & left 3 times but when I left she was still there, talk about indecisive!!!!!!!!!!!!! So into the Horse sweat room where we spot Neil Rushton & Marie for a chat plus Steve Woomble & the Hull Quartet, also Andy & Debbie Riley & spend a little time with Terry & June (Lesley) of Donny, this is where the special ones congregate (Well they think their special) & there all in Red is Kid Creole & his Coco Pops, a lot of gyrating & preening along the bar edge with plenty of Bootyilicous shaking & shimmying all around & that was just the fella's, be careful you don't spill you Brandy & Babycham or Cherry B !!!!!!!!

Testosterone Tent closed & it's home for the light weights & back into the Lions Den for us till 7 again, there I almost missed the main attraction of the weekend, which was a Lovely Lady who it seemed had been sewn into a long Green dress which had a key hole front for her marvellous bosom to peak through, well actually it looked like two bald Sumo wrestlers trying to fight their way from beneath a tarpaulin & not quiet managing, by the look of all the swivelling necks, tongues on floor & gallons of drool it was very well received & highly appreciated by almost all the men in her vicinity, I however only noticed the lovely cut of the dress & the glossiness of her hair, HONEST!!!! After the long night I needed a long lay down but by Noon I had arranged the Birthday Lunch at the Hot Wok for Pauline & Shirl (Birthday Monday), so a table for 8 at 2pm, if you love Eastern food try this place it's worth the drive.

Sunday just a chill out day readying ones self for the return leg, so we arrange to leave for Mold at 1.25pm,Kev & Steph turn up & we drive round to Col & Shirl's, that's when it goes tits up, Pauline & Kenny can't find their way to Kev's car & Shirl is taking an eternity to get out of the room, after 20 min's we rang, "I just at the door with the keys", ten more min's & still no sign, is she hurt? Is she lost? Has she been abducted by Aliens? Or has she taken to saying Goodbye to everything in the Chalet as she does when leaving home in Greetland? We never did find out but needless to say we arrived extremely late at the Hot Wok, so late in fact they rang us to see if was a hoax booking, mind you the de-tour & roadwork's didn't help, having said all that the meal was excellent as always, with some of us getting a chilli surprise, specially Steph who's face looked like a bright red balloon about to burst. Back into Camp for Shave,Shower & Sh*te & back to see the weekend out, spending time with the diehards, there still a good crowd in & about but it's thinning out swiftly, I was however entertained by one of the Flowerpot men not sure which, Bill or Ben but does it matter, dressed in the rather fetching attire of Hat,Gloves & flap down Dungarees minus t-shirt he is a danger to shipping & anything in his way, he fires off from either on or by the stage like an Excocet Missile or Olga Korbut on crack doing cartwheels or flick flacks across the floor, he parts the people like Moses parting the Red Sea & the look of horror on the faces of the dancers as they scurry out of his way is exquisite, one day someone will become his victim in a tangle of limbs & extremities & need hospital treatment, his next outing should be Stoke Kings Hall where he will be warding off the evil spirits & hoping for a little rain, My God don't you just love em? A further wander about & it seems most people are losing or have lost their voices (Dry Heat in Chalets, me Nan always said it was no good for you) I bump into Babies yed (Lynne) who can hardly say a word, what a lucky fella Jimmy is, she's even lost her voice again so he can have a restful nights sleep & a peaceful drive home,bless!! By Midnight I was beginning to crash & burn until I just melted into a puddle & disappeared to the room & my final resting place, till morning at least.

Morning has broken like the first morning, I have been woken by frigging seagulls, they squawk when they hear me, they squawk when their near me, they've shit on my mate Kev & all over my car. Anyway it's Shirls Birthday proper so she gets a lie in, we load the Battle Bus & head round to theirs where we fill every corner, nook, cranny & crevice of the car & seem as always to be leaving with more than we came with, even though we have no booze left which took up a third of the boot & Shirl & Gail can make a pretend tent in the back with all the left over coats, before leaving the Royal Cavalcade carrying His Royal Smiliness & Her Royal Loveliness, King & Queen Yoxall of Yorkshire stop to wish us a safe & speedy return to civilisation before speeding off for their daily Royal duties, such nice people & normal for Royality not posh at all. Just time for Shirl to wish the Fixtures & fitting a good season & a goodbye before heading of to Canteen land so Col can replenish his sugar stores, there's already a straggly & weary bunch dining as we settle in, soon we're joined by Hoss & Tracy, Jen & Roger who look like they've all been pullede through the same Hawthorn bush a couple of times & Jester Banks is sporting a Nero Laurel Crown with a plastic 4 pack ring as glasses & an "Out of Order" sign on his chest, this we've known for years Rog, Jen's found the two bags of fags & the blue tack has been removed from inside her hi-heels (In Jokes), God only knows what Mr Bell thought as he sat silently eating his breakfast!!!!! Soon were all wedge into the car & heading for the hills, I know we've had a good time as Shirl's speaking in Patwa rhyme & an obscure dialect from a little known Amazonian tribe, Col's doing an impression of Bing Crosby crossed with Foghorn Leghorn, Gail's trying to silence Mrs Sat-Nav with a shrill & cackle, Me? I'm hanging on for grim death with white knuckles trying to keep the show literally on the road, which is hard as the beast sways, bounces & weaves with all the hugh belly laughs & rolling from side to side as we mull over yet another wicked weekend. So a BIG THANK YOU to John Poole & Mark Fletcher for once again aiding us in a cracking weekend & we'll see you next time but may be only for 3 days, cos the mind is willing but the flesh is weak & getting weaker by the minute.

Take care, be safe & remember," We walked him to the station in the rain, We kissed him as we put him on the train, We sang him songs of times long gone, Though we knew that we'd be seeing him again",

Spot.

Is that all Spot?

Top stuff Spot and you've written more than me this time! Very funny read indeed!

Bloody brilliant spot, I'm now late for work Reading that but it's gona ave me chuckling all morning x x x