Royal Mail, Belper Town and Barclay James Harvest ...

... that was one busy Saturday !!!

Up with the lark at 0530 for a 'bit of work' - slightly damp, still effing cold (those blooming metal letterbox flaps tend to "fuse" to your fingers - and some of 'em are like razor blades when you try to lift 'em up !!), but got progressively better as the morning went on. Home "on time", quick change and headed off to Belper at about 1300 hours, arriving and 1445. Jumped out of the car and headed straight for Christchurch Meadows to take in Belper Town v Rainworth Miners Welfare (apparently it's pronounced "Rennath" !). In short Belper - 2-0 up at half-time should really have been "home and dry". Chance after chance went begging (overcomplication is a good word ...) and yes, you've guessed it, Rainworth came back in the second half to pinch a very undeserved point. My take on the game can be found at

Belper Town 2 Rainworth MW 2

Couldn't stop for too long after the game (more to do on this busy 24 hours !), but it was good to see all the "usual suspects" for a bit of a natter ((and see Tim and Ken parading their "new toys" !)- strangely enough this was my first visit to Belper this season - and it's nearly March !!

So - back to Mother-in-Laws for some tea, another quick change before heading up to snowy Buxton to see John Lees' Barclay James Harvest at the Buxton Opera House (almost two years to the day since we were last there - to see the Peatbog Faeries)



My one and only picture of the night - can't be doing with this photgraphy lark !!

An awesome gig - a true celebration of all things BJH (and as bassist Craig said, "Woolly's fingerprints will be all over tonight's set") - Buxton Opera House is a wonderful place and the sound was so ... "full" (we were up in the circle). Can't furnish you with a full set list (I'd left my anorak in the car !), but there were many old favourites such as "She Said", "Child of the Universe", "Galadriel", "Summer Soldier" and "Medicine Man" (with a gap between them !!), a bit of a new take on "Mockingbird" (Mrs Smiffy well impressed !) and encoring with "After the Day" and "Hymn". A wonderful wonderful night.

Finished about 2230 - and then a tricky drive home (through a pea-souper of a fog as far as Dove Holes before it eased off) to be rewarded with a small can of pop (he he !) on arrival - followed by another very soon afterwards !! A quick wander around the internet - we have a strange problem at home at the moment - the phone is NOT working (reported to BT who confirmed there IS a fault on the line) although there seems to be no problem with t'internet (no doubt some "anorak-wearer" can explain why !) to see that Mossley lost ... and there appears to have been all sorts of trouble at Chorley v Chester (a 3,000+ crowd and many scrotes appearing out of the woodwork - there could be some serious fall-out here ...) - finally went to bed about 20 hours after getting up - so a lie-in until 0830 (yep I call that a lie-in !) was most welcome today. So far - a quick flirt with the photos ... and this. Must pop out sometime for a "Non League Paper" - and I'm on cooking duty later on ...
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