Friday 9 October 2009

Migrants & Rolling Stones

The Strolling Bones - anyone for a spoon of 'Brown Sugar?'

The Liftons arrived at 19-30 and we immediately got down to discussing strategy for tomorrow over a slice of pizza and a cup of tea. Two days of local birding, when us 3 get together we usually have a side bet as to how many species we may see during the time allowed. Tess decided on 86, Paul (my Winger) thought 90 while I went for 96, obviously I'll let you know the score after the week-end. With that out of the way, we headed for Pete Smith's No6 on King Street for an evening of Rock 'n' Roll. Robbie McIntosh, who never leave a 'tern unstones', was at it again after the blistering performance of 9 Stones (Polygenes) on Sunday, this time with a Rolling Stones set. Part of this combo was Marco Rossi of Gothic Chicken fame and leading 'gig' scribe with the Dorset Echo. Multi skilling is one thing, but among all his talents I had never seen him behind a drum kit, but he fitted the bill beautifully. As the evening wore on and the classics rang out, a few faces from the past turned up, with the combination of both taking me back a few years, in fact to 1964. That was the year the Stones themselves played the Gaumont, Weymouth, (where the Old Rectory now stands) my eldest sister queueing all night to get tickets. I also remember no hearing one chord above the then craze of girls screaming, but nonetheless a night to remember. As people came over to say hello, I decided to ask if any of them had been at that gig, and it turned out 2 others as well as myself had been there!

Unknown, Margret, Mole and Russel Edwards, Bowie's brother recently returned from 3 months in Zambia, getting 'Satisfaction'

Barbra Perry - who's name is synonymous with that top Weymouth restaurant, a real 'Honky Tonk Woman' (one of the three of us at the '64 gig)

Roger Davis - Councilor of this Parish, no 'Sympathy for the Devil'

Sooty Stockley - he knows 'em all, 'Paint It Black' (also at the '64 Stones gig)

This really was a night to remember, as much for the characters as the music, great to see all those faces again.


and a few more migrants from Buchan Alpha



Sand Martin - not at all common off-shore

House Martin - a little more frequent than the above, but still scarce

Swallow - by far the most common and frequent of the Hirundines

Pied Flycatcher - sparodic, with a couple of good years reaching double figures

Collared Dove - common and regular at both seasons

You've gotta larf ain't ya? - Quote of the Week had to be that from the BBC 's Washington correspondent who, reporting on President Obama controversially being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and NASA's search for water on the Moon. He suggested "the American people must be waking this morning , bewildered, to find Obama has the Peace Prize, and America have attacked the moon". It could only happen over there!