Band: The Towers.

Venue: The Fox and Hounds.

Date: Friday June 9th.

Location: Stony Stratford.

Event: Stony Live.

Stony Live, Stony Stratford’s annual eight day live entertainment festival, was on last week.

Saturday 3rd of June, was day one of Stony Live, and that’s when I found One Foot in the Groove (with a couple of guest artistes) playing at the Old George, Stony Stratford.

Yes, that guitar is made out of a Duckhams oil can.

I was recently collared by musician Duncan Babbage (I’ve known him for years) on my way into The Old George in Stony Stratford.

He asked me to take a few stills and if possible video a couple of his numbers; his Duncan Disorderly Banned (band) was playing. Here’s the two videos I made that night. It’s the first time I’ve filmed a band in four years, and I'm quite pleased at the result.

Here's a look at some of my favourite posts from 2022, just to whet your appetite for next year.

If you can think of any new subjects you would like me to cover (In North Bucks of course) please get in touch! I can't guarantee to use them, but I'll certainly look into each idea.

Half a House is Better Than None

From February, a road widening scheme in Winslow from over 100 years ago. It had been a “a very sharp and dangerous corner” said the Buckingham Advertiser and North Bucks Free Press, when the work was completed.

The Distance Project 36
It’s been about a year since the Covid regulations were almost completely relaxed, and I’ve been returning to some of my subjects to see what has changed and what hasn’t.

I’m going to show you some of the earlier photos with their original captions, and some of the same subjects (mostly) that I’ve taken in the past weeks. There will also be excerpts from the original posts.

There will be more Distance Project posts this year, most of them showing you old and new shots like this post. Yes, I know the earlier shots are from two years ago, but it all depends on which subjects I can practically return to.

Not Live in Stony, and few folk on the Green
The Distance Project 7 (18th June 2020)

I wrote:

“On Sunday 14th June, another regular event had been planned to take place in the town, on Horsefair Green. It’s called Folk on the Green. In previous years the green is filled with people, there’s a stage half way down one side, and stalls line the edge of the green and the road that goes by it.

“Taking these photos has been a sad experience for me; I look forward to these two events every year, and normally I would have seen a score of bands by the end of the week.

And although this has been a fascinating photographic project for me, I would far rather have been in the pub, tapping my feet and bopping along to the music.

But next year, next year…”

Little did I know…

(2020) At 12:30 on this Sunday afternoon, Horsefair Green was supposed to be full with the annual Folk on the Green event. Instead, cyclists and walkers cut across between opposite corners. The stage is normally halfway along the right hand side, with stalls lined up to its left and right. Most of the grass would be covered by the audience, many on picnic rugs or camping chairs. I took this photo from the usual location of the outside bar.

Get ready folks! There’s just four weeks until Stony Stratford’s nine day festival, Stony Live begins.

There’s all sorts of live entertainment to see and get involved in; live jazz, blues, folk, and rock music, dancing, fairs, and comedy. The festival runs from Saturday June 4 to Sunday June 12th, and it’s spread over more than twenty venues; most but not all are pubs.