Evening/Morning in Ironbridge
“Keep with me, I hope you’ll see that, we can speak, at slower speeds”
Before we begin, can I recommend the following track from Bombay Bicycle Club? It’s OK, you can pay me back in magic beans sometime as a thank you. This video is 15 years old and aside from the music feeling as fresh and vibrant now as it did when I first listened to their debut album “I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose” in 2009 (I was an early adopter), this video is 15 years old!
Blimey.
What a tune eh? Treat yourself. You’ll probably never feel more alive.
Anyway, back to the scheduled programme.
Wednesday the 18th day in the month of September 2024 was just as weird as any other Wednesday you care to mention but right on cue and as predicted by those strange looking men and women on the television standing next to a map of the country, the sticky and dark overhead clouds finally parted for good around 3pm and two hours later, after telling the world on Twitter I was heading for my spiritual home to feed some hungry ducks and swans and they were all more than welcome to join me (thankfully no-one did as it might have been a tad awkward), I was in Ironbridge once more. Two hours, maybe a little more, but time aplenty to enjoy a box of fresh and piping hot chips from the chip shop, people watch the young couple sitting on “Stephen’s Bench” and marvel at the late evening streaks of sunshine bathing this picture book toy town so magnificently. Tourists and locals alike sat outside the hotel in the last rays of the sun, the benches were full beside the war memorial where a little more early evening sunshine was available, and I made the same riverside stroll I’ve enjoyed hundreds upon hundreds of times in a quarter of a century of falling in love with this tiny piece of heaven on earth and of course, enjoying the simple pleasure of sitting on a riverbank and feeding those always hungry ducks and swans.
Only one swan this evening where normally there are anywhere between two and five, and only a small collection of ducks found the late evening energy to fly from the other side of the river and splash down in search of some bread. A poor showing it has to be said from my feathered friends but then again, two swans are heavily involved in a murder case and probably laying low until the dust settles on their heinous crime. My investigation is ongoing but should you require the background to this soon to be Netflix special: “Fred and Mary — The Strange Case of Murderous Swans in Paradise”, I’d refer you to my previous travelogues from this toy town on the banks of the River Severn.
This summer (when the sun has decided to shine and act like it’s actually summer) has formed into its own rather pleasing pattern and today, the 19th day of September and a Thursday just as crazy and chaotic as all the others, was no exception. My son and I drove to Ironbridge once more, Bruce Springsteen our musical guide, and soon enough we were walking across the oldest iron bridge in the world again before saying hello to Jeremy, the genial owner of the town’s “Old Fashioned Sweet Shop” and then leaving, after many in-jokes, smiles and handshakes, with a bag of chewy apple Bon Bon’s. As ever, toy town had transformed from the quiet introspection of last evening to a bustling and busy historical town ready for tourist business by day. It was just after Noon as we set out on our mile or so stroll along the riverside to the nearby public park for a picnic breakfast and some fun and games underneath a sun who threatened sporadically to shine before disappearing sheepishly behind yet more fluffy white overhead clouds. More ducks today and pleasingly far more swans, four in fact, and with our feathered friends fed and happy, we departed once more for the park and for what turned out to be a thumping day of victory for the giggling fool beside me.
It’s commonplace at this point in my travelogues to detail the scores and highlights from the day’s fun and frolics over bacon and sausage sandwiches and today, the addition of home baked chocolate chip cupcakes. Thankfully and as expected, these were delicious and a perfect distraction from the 3–0 defeat at “Uno” (a card game of colourful numbers and a game long since mastered by my giggling fool of a son), a 50+ point defeat at “Yahtzee” (a game my son is beginning to enjoy now he wins at it!) and then a thumping 150+ point defeat at “Tri-ominos” (think dominoes but triangle shaped). He always huffs and puffs before a game of Tri-ominos but see above for my comments in regard to his new found success at Yahtzee!
The giggling fool and I then re-traced our steps, mine of over a quarter of a century, the card and board games winning wizard for a decade and more before, as is custom, I turned to face toy town from the middle of the bridge to look at my spiritual home one last longing time before we departed. I always do. Ironbridge will NEVER change, and it’s reassuring that it doesn’t. So I looked at the ice-cream parlour and its snake like line of tourist customers stretching along the high street, some early afternoon customers drinking outside the hotel, and more tourists capturing the magnificent views afforded you from the oldest iron bridge in the world.
The bells of St Luke’s Church high atop the hill over toy town struck two glorious chimes for two glorious hours in our own private world, and I thanked Ironbridge for the memories once more.
This article was brought to you by a shamefaced and defeated man, and a winner and giggling fool.
Thanks for reading. As I have a hefty collection of unused images from both the evening and our morning in toy town stay tuned for “Evening/Morning in Ironbridge — Deleted Scenes”. Whilst you’re holding your breath in excitement (breathe you damn fool!) here’s volume 3 of my rambling musings collection. Volume 4 coming soon in the new year.
"Tales I Tell Myself" - link to Amazon
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.