Down by the riverside with The Proclaimers

“Your beauty, and kindness. Made tears clear, my blindness”

Ironbridge Gorge, 5th May 2024 (Author’s Collection)

“Sunshine on Leith” by The Proclaimers (due credit given to the Scottish brothers for my use of a favoured lyric from a stunning song as the sub-title for this article) was my musical companion on the short drive to my spiritual home of Ironbridge this afternoon and boy was she gleaming in the bank holiday sunshine. Toy Town was teeming with tourists, my friend Jeremy and owner of the “Old Fashioned Sweet Shop” absent on his own holiday and no doubt sailing the waves on the nearby coast of Wales whilst Samantha was reassuringly flirtatious in the village chip shop as we jostled back and forth on today’s prospects for our respective football teams. Sam wanted my guidance on her “cheeky bet” for the game and even after all these years she still fails to see the irony of asking of a non-betting man for his considered opinion. I said her team dressed all in white will score first before my team dressed all in red will score 3 without reply for a comfortable 3–1 victory, but time will tell.

It always does.

Here’s my spiritual home in all her glory.

Oh, and here’s 5 minutes of perfection first:

"Sunshine on Leith" by The Proclaimers - Youtube

View from fishing peg number 13 — Part 1 (Author’s Collection)

View from fishing peg number 13 — Part 2 (Author’s Collection)

Please have your pennies ready for the toll! Part 1 (Author’s Collection)

Please have your pennies ready for the toll! Part 2 (Author’s Collection)

View from the middle of the oldest iron bridge in the world — Part 1 (Author’s Collection)

View from the middle of the oldest iron bridge in the world — Part 2 (Author’s Collection)

(1) A sunshine hat-trick from the beautiful “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge (Author’s Collection)

(2) A sunshine hat-trick from the beautiful “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge (Author’s Collection)

(3) A sunshine hat-trick from the beautiful “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge (Author’s Collection)

(1) My pride and joy to date. All available via Amazon (Author’s Collection)

(2) My pride and joy to date. All available via Amazon (Author’s Collection)

Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering and the right way up in an upside down world.

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