From my Point of View
Chapter 10 (pp.118-133)
Join Me (the book) was written from Danny's point of view and events are recorded as he remembers them. Here are a few of my reflections on chapter 10, which may bring balance to the Force.
p.121 Gnomes playing cricket
"'Hey,' said Gareth. 'One of the houses round here has a load of gnomes in its front garden, and they're all playing cricket, you'll like that ...'
We slowed the car down as we passed the house Gareth thought it was, but couldn't spot even one gnome. Play must have been called off due to rain."
There IS a garden in Drumnadrochit with cricket-playing gnomes. Here is a photo I took of the garden.
p.122 Urquhart Castle
It rained that day. A lot. We got soaked. Here are a couple of pictures:
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This is Danny standing in Urquhart Castle. You will notice the fine sheen of his soaked-through coat;, and how his raw hands are clutching a Join Me sticker (also soaked-through) just in case he is swept into the depths of Loch Ness behind and needs something to identify him when his body is dredged up by a Nessie-hunting team of scientists. |
p.127 Guitar chronology
A careful reading of page 127 would have you believe that the chronology of my acquiring the eight guitars in our 'guitarsenal' was this:
- Acoustic (nylon string / classical)
- 'That one' (secondhand)
- Strat (in London)
GC80 (while in Bermondsey)
RP6 (not the coveted RP10) - CC157 (in Selkirk, while working in a textile mill)
- Rockwood bi-honor (from my brother)
- Two when I married Jane, so that's one...
- and two.
But that's just seven accounted for, and not even in the correct order, and two of those referred to are the same ('that one' IS the CC157). How do I know this? Well, they're MY guitars for a start. But the chronology of where I was when I got them doesn't fit either. Following university in 1993 I moved home to Selkirk where I worked for about 18 months in a textile mill. From there I moved to London for just short of 3 years (1995-1997), before returning to Scotland and to theological college.
The correct order is this:
- Acoustic (nylon string / classical; a gift from Mrs Lawson in Galashiels, in 1989)
- Ovation Celebrity CC157 electro-acoustic (bought secondhand at Clinkscales in Galashiels, for £199, in 1993 or 1994)
- Fender Stratocaster (Mexican) bought at Peter Cooks,
in Hanwell, while I living in Bermondsey, so that would be early 1995.
It was also £199, and in A1 condition.
After that I bought the Laney GC80A, a two channel amp with inputs for both electric and acoustic instruments. This was haggled down from over £500 to £340. This was also in Bermondsey in early 1995.
When I moved to live at Victoria I bought the Digitech RP6 guitar FX floor pedal, from Rose Morris on Denmark Street. This would be 1996. - Having bought the RP6 I didn't need my distortion pedal any longer (I don't remember the make, but it cost £39.99 at Clinkscales in Galashiels). So I swapped it with my brother Eddie, for a bass guitar, the Rockwood XXX. This was in 1996.
- When Jane and I got married in 1999 she added her guitar collection to mine: a nylon-string classical...
- ... and a steel-string folk guitar.
- Then next addition to the fold, was in 2001: an Ovation acoustic bass, the CC257.
- And my long-time wanted guitar, a Burns Brian May BHM1
That makes EIGHT guitars! And since then, to add to the fold I have a Vox 'Deakie' amp (Brian May signature treble-booster and 10W practice amp), and a Digitech GNX 2, to replace my now dilapidated RP6.
p.128 'Shit! I forgot my dog collar!'
Yes, I did say that. I've already apologized to my Mum. I didn't realise I was being recorded! But you have to understand: I had forgotten my dog collar.
p.131 Deaf Benny
For the many who've asked: there is no Deaf Benny. I made it up! It was a joke.
p.132 The Church Sign
My reworked sign actually said:
ATTENTION
DO NOTPARK ON THE GRASS
THROW THE HYMN BOOKS
SET FIRE TO THE CATHEDRAL
SHIT IN THE NARTHEX
WIPE YOUR ARSE ON THE CURTAINS
The Narthex is the vestibule between the main West doors and the inner doors into the cathedral building worship space. As for defecating there, and wiping your bottom on the curtains, someone had recently done that very thing. And we didn't like it terribly!
You can download it here (in PDF format):
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Cathedral mock-sign (PDF 83 KB) |
p.133 Before the airport
Before
we reached the airport in the morning I had to unlock the cathedral and
say Morning Prayer. Danny joined me (which was ironic, given the circumstances)
and as a reward I took him up into the belltower, and activity which is
not that dissimilar from aerial pot-holing, if indeed such an activity
exists. The journey into the belfry involved climbing an inordinate number
of stairs, sliding back panel after panel, and squeezing and turning yourself
through 180 degrees to reach hand- and foot-holds. This is a picture of
Danny proudly standing in the belltower.