The Feltham Circles.

Last Monday when we were in Feltham, I couldn't resist a trip to the 'Feltham Circles';

Behind Hanworth Crematorium, you can find the circles by taking one of the paths off Pevensey Road or Hounslow Road.

Years ago these were part of a sewage farm but when it was converted to a nature reserve the concrete outline was left behind and became a place where for thirty years graffiti was tolerated.

Now you can see things like this;

It's a magnet for some of the best graffiti artists in London, the only problem is that the art changes on a daily basis.

So, in the week since I took these pictures, many of these pictures have probably gone.

I was hoping to see a piece by 'Weareskyhigh', which I know went up in July - it's not there any more!

But you can see this;

And we saw this work when we were at Wokingham a fortnight ago;

This was cool;

So was this 'No Frills' piece;

Loved the figure;

It's an amazing place - a constantly moving canvas.

Sometimes it can be infuriating; like when some dumb kid sprays the stoopidest, easiest, pointless tag over something great.

But that's street art.

Sometimes it's a big picture;

Sometimes, if you look carefully, you can see that it's more than the big picture....there's some really interesting detail.

Here that graffiti contained a view of the whole city too;

I liked this;

And this was just the best (for me);

So good I had to post it twice;

While we were there, there was a small audience of dog walkers and passer byes. A couple of artists were working on one of the walls;

I'd like to have stayed to take pictures through the whole process but I wasn't well enough and we had other stuff to do.

I'd also like to have come back in a day or two to get the finished work - but by then it may be gone.....

The circles are a real tourist attraction - free and constantly changing. It's one of very few places where  people can make this style of art without fear of arrest or harassment.

We need to safeguard it and fight for some other walls too.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

It's a kind of magic; Freddie Mercury in Feltham.

We went to Feltham to do a tour of the Freddie Mercury sites - Robyn is a big fan of 'Queen'.

Last month, his 'Blue Plaque' was unveiled by English Heritage on Gladstone Avenue and here it is;

Two years ago on our second night out, I took Robyn to see Freddie's house but fairly soon I had doubts about whether I had got it right or not. I'd looked it up on the internet and you can never be too sure.

So, when the plaque was unveiled we had to go back.

Freddie Mercury escaped from Feltham fairly soon but the family stayed on. Mrs Bulsara was very well known in the town and was seen most days walking to the high street for their shopping, well into her 90's.

Feltham wasn't a particularly tolerant place back then and the Bulsara family didn't have it easy when they arrived as refugees.

I can't imagine that Freddie's flamboyance fitted in too well either!

But now they are, rightly, honoured as Feltham's most famous family.

And in addition to the Blue Plaque there is a commemorative tree on the High Street;

So we checked that out too.

It's a kind of magic.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

Sunset Boulevard at The Three Horseshoes, Feltham.

Saturday – lousy day, magical night.

I’d been ill for a few days but by Saturday I was really ill and feeling fairly C@#p. If I hadn’t had a dental appointment I would never have gone out. Because the dentist was too scared to pull the remains of my tooth out I had to have pins driven into my tooth and a resin stump constructed out of nothing.

It hurt when it shouldn’t have but I’m a little bit impressed.

I slept most of the day and whenever I woke up I was worse, it was that kind of day .

So we went out!

In fact we were planning to see a favourite band but when we got there all we found were cars leaving.

So we drove off to Staines, parked, went into a Pub and found that the band there was truly dreadful – we lasted about 30 seconds and left.

So finally, we spent the evening at The Three Horseshoes in Feltham watching my old favourites ‘Sunset Boulevard’.If anything they are an old fashioned ‘Showband’ – no pretension but great fun. A six piece with a full brass section and all the trimmings.

I last saw them on Christmas Eve and I might do it again this year, if I make it.

They are that kind of fun;

They play covers (of course).

There is always some soul and some blues and a lot of Rock ‘n Roll. Not so much my thing but we did enjoy it – dancing in the back of a crowded bar – making up our own silly dances.

Just Jivin’.

And Robyn is even a cousin by marriage to Little Richard. Although now I think about it, she has so many cousins she’s probably related to most people.

And we got complimented –“such a cool couple”, which was really nice.

They play covers (of course).

There is always some soul and some blues and a lot of Rock ‘n Roll. Not so much my thing but we did enjoy it – dancing in the back of a crowded bar – making up our own silly dances.

Just Jivin’.

And Robyn is even a cousin by marriage to Little Richard. Although now I think about it, she has so many cousins she’s probably related to most people.

And we got complimented –“such a cool couple”, which was really nice.

It was a strange evening – we saw an amazing Custom car but it passed us far too quickly to take a picture; it was just a blur of chrome and wheels.

It’s also Diwali (the Hindu festival of light) and as we left at midnight we passed a Hindu family, a couple and their kids all dressed in traditional clothing and garlanded with chains of flowers as they made their way home from a party.

Charming.

And then we ended up at ‘Burger Plus’ in Ashford.

Buyin’ fries and just chillin’.

And I got the second compliment of the night – for my hat.

So it was a magical evening after all.

Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)

Home:  helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact me:  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

The SkaSouls down at The Airman.

ska

Friday and more nostalgia – it’s got to stop and I’ve lined up a cure on Saturday night…..but once more couldn’t do at once more couldn;t daythe ny harm, could it?

I’m back at my old patch; Feltham and the Airman Pub to see The Skasouls.

 

I’ve been there when it’s all been about to go off and I’ve been there when it really has gone off but tonight there was a great atmosphere. It was a mixture of young people celebrating the end of a week before they went on ‘somewhere else’ and us old ‘uns enjoying a special band. It was packed solid.

There was dancing till midnight and a lot of familiar faces;

 

On the 25^th May at Chertsey, The SkaSouls are launching their new album with a big fanfare in front of a really big crowd – I’m guessing 500 will be packed into a marquee at The Chertsey Social club (you need to get tickets in advance for this one).

It’s going to be a bit too big for me, which is why I’ll probably give it a miss – but it will be great.

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production) 

Home: helpmesortoutstpeters.blogspot.com

Contact;  neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com

 

 

C'est la vie said the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell.

Saturday night, I’m ill, I’m aching, and I’m fed up with nowhere to go. Nowhere to go in so many different ways.

What did I do – did I sit in watching the ‘Last night of the Henry Woods Promenade Concerts’? Did I weave a basket or compose a Haiku?

Noooh Waaaay!

I went to The Three Horseshoes Pub in Feltham. Never been there, driven past it many times before – this time I stopped by.

‘Sunset Boulevard’ were playing. When I looked them up on the net later I found a band in matching suits with hair and the look of a band you might have found playing in a small mid-western American hotel cocktail bar around 1962. (Hi folks, I guess we’re all mighty sorry Richard Nixon lost too)

Wrong website !

This group looked like they’d broken rocks on a chain gang, got probation, broke the terms of their order, hitched a ride on a freight train and wandered into the pub.

They had set up in a bay window and there wasn’t any room. They started late. They had a drink first. And second. I was looking at my watch and wondering if there was still time to get back to watch ‘Match of the day’.

When they started with ‘Take me right back to the track, Jack’ or whatever it was, I wasn’t that impressed. A Haiku was forming in my head.

Then it all came together. No really, it just came.

The drummer was lean and hunched. He just started to hit those drums. The pianist, who’d been so preoccupied with his mobile – he started to do the stride. The Bass – he was thwacking. Lead guitar and vocals – he found it, somewhere.

 

 And the three elderly men? Those three pretty quiet and unassuming types? They turned out to be a three piece brass section, two saxes and a trumpet. They were tight and bright and stompin’.

 

 In case you are keeping count, we’re already up to a seven piece in a small pub. It didn’t stop there. They seemed to have brought a load of friends with them.

The rug was cut. The jimmy was jammed.

The joint was jumping!

Several times through the evening Mr James Brown appeared to say that he ‘felt good’. Mr Ray Charles made an appearance, as did another late, great and sadly missed – Mr Rory Gallagher. Jackie Wilson was ‘Reet Petite’ and Little Richard was big – ‘Good Golly Miss Molly’.

But if you want the real flavour of the evening it was Chuck Berry’s ‘You never can tell’ – “It was a teenage wedding and the old folks wished them well” – straight out of Pulp Fiction – remember the dance contest at Tarantino’s film star burger bar?

But the 7 piece didn’t stop there. There was a guest drummer who stood in for a couple of numbers and ‘Hayley’ who guest vocaled a couple of times.

My highlight was ‘James’ who borrowed a guitar for three numbers in the interval. A couple of rock n’ roll numbers that were OK – well played, but just OK.

Then as a special treat for me he did a solo version of ‘The Butterfly Collector’ – that was the ‘B–side’ of ‘Strange Town’ by The Jam. It was always a Paul Weller favourite and he still does it occasionally. At the time I knew as soon as I heard it that it was the start of a new direction for Paul (as indeed it turned out to be).

And James? He did it really well. A real unexpected treat.

 And the band? There were several encores, a late finish to match the start and a happy journey home I didn’t expect.

“C’est La Vie said the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell”

 

Neil Harris

(a don’t stop till you drop production)