In My Life in Ironbridge

“There are places I’ll remember. All my life, though some have changed”

The “Grand Old Lady” of Ironbridge, 13th July 2024 (Author’s Collection)

Star Date: 13th July 2024
Destination: Ironbridge Gorge
Reading Material: “Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone — The Essential writing of Hunter S Thompson”
Album Choice: “Bring it On” by Gomez
Favourite Song: “Tijuana Lady”
Highlight of the Day: Well there was a fleet of paddle boarders, a couple of swans, some incredibly hungry ducks and a beautiful springer spaniel by the name of “Pepper” who rather enjoyed stealing, and then hungrily consuming, a couple of slices of bread intended for the hungry ducks!

Oh, and Jeremy was in his sugary kingdom and “Old Fashioned Sweet Shop” and my affectionately titled “Toy Town” and beautiful spiritual home of Ironbridge was humming and bubbling with weekend life. I hope you enjoy the brief pictorial stroll that follows.

So why haven’t I chosen lyrics from “Tijuana Lady” as the sub-title to my article I hear you ask? Well, I wore my Beatles “Yellow Submarine” t-shirt today, a long ago birthday present from my son and I was thinking of him as I read the writing of my literary hero at his absolute mid-1970’s pomp, all in the shadow of the “Grand Old Lady”, and I couldn’t help but sing the opening words to “In My Life”.

It seemed rather more appropriate than the beginning to “I am the Walrus!”.

Anyway, here’s two gems for you and hopefully a mini-soundtrack to the images that follow. Forget the football theme to the second video. It’s a true gem of “In My Life”.

“Bloody paddle boarders everywhere Fred!” “I know Mary. There’s even some weirdo taking our picture again too” (Author’s Collection)

“Fred! FRED! Where have you gone? Excuse me, but do you know where Fred is please?” (Author’s Collection)

The best seat in the house (Author’s Collection)

A bridge with a view (Author’s Collection)

Ironbridge Gorge — “A World Heritage Site” (Author’s Collection)

A Tuk Tuk in Ironbridge! (Author’s Collection)

My spiritual home humming with weekend life (Author’s Collection)

Be still my beating heart (Author’s Collection)

Please excuse the indulgence (as well as the coming swear word!) but this brief paragraph never fails to tickle me “I don’t know how the doctor did it, but he came through. The interview with Muhammad was one of the best I’ve ever seen, and I thought that overall “Last Tango in Vegas” was brilliant, even though he did call me a pig fucker” (Author’s Collection)

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If you’re in the mood to buy a book, here’s one I’ve been relentlessly pushing like a cheap drug dealer for the past couple of weeks.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CZKZP28D (Author’s Collection)

"Tales I Tell Myself" - link to Amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CZKZP28D (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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