The weekend didn’t quite go to plan but it was hugely enjoyable, well the bits I remember were anyway. Friday night was a quiet night in due to work on Saturday. Saturday itself got off to a shaky start. I had planned to go and see Bo Diddley at the cavern and then onto that playground of the rich, New Brighton. As the Bo concert was cancelled due to his stroke a few weeks back, I had planned to go to New Brighton, hit a few bars including a new one that has just opened and then onto a club to see a band called Pixie Truck. At around 5-30pm mum announced she was going out with some friends from the Mothers Union. It’s very rare that she goes out and I felt obliged to stay in until she came back home. She was picked up and taken to her destination and I waited for her to be brought home. I don’t like not being in the house when she goes to bed in case she falls down the stairs. She insists on having her bed upstairs because its “what proper people do, you go up to bed at night and you come down in the morning”. A few years ago I went to work and when I came home in the evening I noticed that the house lights were not on. I found mum collapsed in the bathroom, she had been there for around nine hours unable to get to the phone and alert anyone to her plight.
In an attempt to ensure this is never repeated I try to make a point of being in the house when she goes to bed so if anything did happen then at least aid could be summoned in minutes rather than the hours she had to endure last time. So anyway, unable to go out until mum had come home and gone to bed, I waited for her to arrive home. Finally a car pulled up and I went outside to get her. She slithered out of the car with the words “It’s ok I am not drunk, I have only been drinking champagne”. Well she was and I managed with the aid of the Bean counter to get her upstairs and settled down for the night. Finally the Bean counter and me drove to New Brighton.
The bar itself was packed and fairly buzzing. Several drinks and hugs to all my friends who were there and a long chat with the band of whom I have known each member individually for 10 or more years. It was great seeing so many of my friends all in one place. I even managed to make friends with a Hungarian and Polish contingency. It would seem the most inviting word in the English language and also the shortest question is, Beer? The band were great and I finally managed to make it home some time around 3-30am. The following morning it was up early with a bad hangover to pick a car up from the promenade where it had been parked overnight. The bean counters kids turned up and duly pointed my gable end wall. I have been threatening to do this for years but never got around to it so when the offer came up it would have been impolite to refuse. With so many people around me working hard it seemed only fair that I got stuck in and mowed the lawn while waiting for the beers to cool.
At around 4 pm Little Miss Sunshine and her beau turned up and the beers came out. I don’t know how many beers we went thro but I do know we drank 2 and half bottles of Bourbon. I even dragged the neighbours from both sides around. I am fairly certain they humour me but they are great people and I am lucky as well as happy to have them both as neighbours. I really count myself fortunate that I have so many good friends. So here’s to you, a really big thanks for making my weekend great.