The Monday Photo

This pub is on the Market Square, Aylesbury. It’s not particularly old or noteworthy, but for many years if you wanted entertainment, through the arch on the side of the pub to the building that stood behind it was the place to go.

At different times over the years there you could see performers like Genesis, The Who, Roxy Music, David Bowie, or Ronnie Barker, or even watched a film.

There’s been plenty of live music. Ronnie Barker might not have sung on stage there, but like David Bowie, there’s a statue of him in the town.

The North Bucks Wanderer is two years old today! Instead of looking back at the previous twelve months, I’m just going to take another look at what was going on from late March ‘till mid June in 2019, the days that in this year we have been in lockdown.

Clicking on the title of each of these posts takes you to the whole article.

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Aylesbury
Published 27th March 2019 Earthly Messenger.

Twelve months to the day before lockdown began, I took my camera to Aylesbury to see the first anniversary of the David Bowie statue, erected at the corner of the Market Square.

It’s called Earthly Messenger. The Friars music venue promoter David Stopps presided, and sculptor David Sinclair spoke about the making of the bronze statue.

David Sinclair, sculptor.

As I remember that day, it seems strange now how we all stood so close together. It was Sunday, 24th March.

If you want to see all the posts I made in order, during the dates of the lockdown but last year, this is the one to start on; you can scroll up from here.

The Flower of Saint George
Published 25th April 2019. By a path in Shenley Wood.

On Saint George’s Day, 23rd April, I travelled to three different woods in Milton Keynes, just to see the bluebells. Twelve months later this would not have been a necessary journey, and I would have not been be allowed to do it.

I also listed three other woods in the NBW’s area, and to suggest anyone visited any of these woods in April this year would have got me into some trouble. The flower of Saint George is of course, the bluebell.

Stony Goes Live
Published 13th June 2019 Simply Floyd, at the Cock Hotel, Stony Stratford.

This week last year, we would have been in the middle of Stony Stratford’s annual live music and entertainment event, Stony Live.

Last year, we had over a hundred different acts to choose from, spread over nine days from Saturday. I spent most of the week in the Fox and Hounds pub, but like all the other pubs there it’s closed now.

Band Substance, in the Fox and Hounds.

I stopped to take photos in Stony High Street on Tuesday night this week. A few locals walked dogs. Only resident’s cars could be seen in the High Street; usually there’s hardly anywhere to place to park during Stony Live, and live music fans walk from pub to pub.

In the Fox, I could dimly see the empty bars through the front windows, lit by glowing beer taps. At the other end of the High Street, the Old George is undergoing building work, when usually it would be open, with plenty of live music.

On Saturday this week I’m going to post some photos from last year’s Stony Live that you haven’t seen before, to help tide you over until next year. I’m going to try to post a video too; this will be an experiment; the first video ever on the North Bucks Wanderer.

Next year will be different.

It’s not widely advertised, but on one Sunday each June Horsefair Green in Stony Stratford is closed to vehicles, a stage is erected, and Folk on the Green begins.

It was the 47th Folk on the Green this year, and ten acts performed on the stage, including students from the MK Rock School. Stalls sold jewellery, beer, or tea and coffee, or you could have your face painted. There were food stalls, and an ice cream van.

Congregation members of the Stony Stratford Community Church gave out free bottles of water; their church is on Horsefair Green. Folk sat and listened, or got up to dance, or bumped into friends they hadn’t seen for a while; I did. Children ran about.

For a change, I concentrated on taking photos of the audience, not the musicians. There are some very interesting people attending this festival.

Well done to all the volunteers who took so much trouble to produce this fine event. It’s free entry, but the festival cost over £6,500 to hold this year; volunteers come round asking for donations during the day. I’m looking forward to next year’s event.

Stony Stratford’s annual music event, Stony Live, starts on Saturday 1st June and runs all week until Sunday 9th.

Stony Stratford seems to be full of musicians, and there’s a huge variety in the sort of music they play. At Stony Live there’s rock, folk, jazz, blues, a choir, and traditional music. Of course, not everybody who plays or appears has to come from Stony Stratford.

I like the old rock music and the heavy blues, so it’s likely I’ll be in the Fox and Hounds quite often over the course of Stony Live. I’ll try some other things too, as it’s not just music.

You’ll find art, drama, a barn dance, and on Sunday is Classic Stony in the Market Square, where you can see classic cars and motorcycles. I saw a Field Marshall tractor there last year, like the one my Grandad had. If you have a classic vehicle, bring it along.

Classic Stony, like most of the Stony Live events, is free. This is a list of events.

Here’s some photos from last year. The first four were taken in The Cock Hotel at last year’s Rock for Willen charity event. This year’s event, Rock for Willen 2: Blue Floyd, is on Sunday 9th, again in the Cock Hotel.

The green colour is because of the lighting.