Saturday 12th February 2022

After a late night caused by the gig in Canterbury, we were up and about late, but I had itchy feet as I had plans.

The plan was to go to Canterbury to photograph the cathedral. I had talked to a couple a week before and they reminded me how wonderful it was, and how I needed to return to.

So, bere there at ten when it opened, take some snaps, then get the big lens out to get detail shots of the glass and more distant monuments.

That was the plan.

We both had a shower and then mince pies for breakfast, before I packed the wide angle and big lenses in my smaller gadget bag, and we were off. A bit later than I hoped, but we were doing OK. Anyway, in these days of plague, visitor numbers are down, so more chance to get less crowded shots.

We parked near the ruins of the Abbey, it makes for an easy getaway onto the DOver road, even if its a longer walk, not by much, into the cty centre. Anyway, there's a cafe on the way before we cross over the inner ring road.

Are you hungry?

Always can eat.

So, we went in, only one other customer. We order the small breakfast, which is basically sausage, bacon, mushrooms, beans and scrambled eggs. I skip the tomato, as fruit has no place in a fried breakfast. It comes quickly, all freshly cooked, and washed down with a small pot of tea.

Yummy.

You go to the cathedral and I'll pay, Jools says. I don't need telling twice, so head off out, through the underpass under the ring road, down through the main shopping street and down along the narrow cobbled street with Bell Harry looming above the rooftops ahead of me.

It costs fourteen quid to get in, and for that you get a year to come back. But one of the reasons for me going was to see the two pillars from the old church at Reculver, which are in the cathedral crypt, but I was told the crypt was closed for a wedding until after two.

Bugger.

I can return another day though.

And inside, I find, the scaffolding is still there, but work is nearing completion and all wll be removed in the summer.

I walk straght to the door, put n a mask and get the camera ready, and get to work.

I take lots of shots of the monuments, and going through the screen into the quire, I find no people beyond, so snap away to get people-free shots.

There are many fine tombs too, of Bishops and Archbishops, and Kings, Queens and (Black) Knights. I take lots of shots of this, of their tombs, their faces and the mystical animals and less mystical ones too, asleep at their feet.

Once I had gone round the Chancel and Sanctuary, and back in the Nave, I switch lenses to the big lens and begin to snap detals of the monuments and tombs further away or higher up. ut my real target were the windows, hundreds of years old, and glorious.

The lens brough their detail to seem so close I could reach out and touch them.

Being quiet, there were guides ,milling around looking for groups to show around, I talk to a couple and find out about the scaffolding and that it is soon to come down. I tag behind a tour for a while and hear the story behind the Black Knight, his tabbard and his funeral helm.

But it is the windows, all roundals and losenge shaped panels, surrounded by styalised flowers and vines. I take lots of shots. I mean hundreds.

After an hour, I was done. I had close to 800 shots, some were doubles and trebles, but I guess 600 usuable shots, if they came out. I was fed up wearing the mask as I was hot and just wanted some fresh air, so I go outside and the freshness of the air hit me, and sobered me up.

I look round and see a large horse made of scrap wood, a statue to war horses, and looking wonderful in the bright sunlight. I take shots.

In fact not only was the sun bright, out of the breeze it was mild, warm even.

I see a couple of hundred yards away, a walled garden, lined with flower beds, with spring plants just coming into flower.

It was warm enough to sit on a bench and take the view in, of the cathedral beyond the war memorial.

I call Jools, and we agree to meet outside Christchurch Gate, by the buttercross, and once she arrives, with there being more and more people, we walk back to the car, trying to avoid people, but glad to get to the car and drive back home, back to where we could have a brew, and as if by chance, the football was about to start.

Jools was going to cook, so I was off duty, so settled in the chair to listen to the games kicking off at three and watch the scores come through via the red button on BBC.

Norwich were not playing until half five, a home game against Citeh, I gave us little chance. And anyway, as we were going out, I wouldn't have to watch it all.

I watch the first half hour, and Norwich just about holding on, but seconds after I close the player down, Citeh score.

We drive to Deal, leaving the car in the main car park and walk to the Just Reproach for a swifter.

I check the score, and seconds into the second half its 2-0.

Citeh score two more, the last from a laughable penalty. I am beyond being upset now.

By then we were in the venue, and one of the stewards was watching the game on his mobile. He was a Citeh fan, not old enough to remember when they were shit. But clearly his Dad is a fan too, and with the TV at home being ahead of the feed we were watching, his Dad messaged that Citeh got the penalty 90 seconds before we saw it.

Sigh.

And then came the band.

The gig was sold on the fact that a certain Kate Bush used to sing with the band and they would be doing some of her early songs as well as some of their own.

Now, Wikki isn't always accurate, but on her page, Wiki says Kate Bush sang with the band for just 5 months in 1977 prior to recording Wuthering Heights.

Hearing guitarist, Del Palmer, tell it yesterday, Kate was in the band for years.

I knew Kate was 18 or so when she became a star, so the stories of her singing with the band in the early 70s would have made her between ten and fourteen when they started. In fact, Kate was born in 1958, so would have been 13 when he said she was singing backing vocals on one of his songs.

Of course, it might have been singing backing vocals on the pub circuit in those five months.

Or not.

They have found a Kate look/sound alike and mimic to do the vocal gymnastics of Kate's early records.

While there is nothing wrong in that, I realised how unlistenable at times those songs could be, especially if, like us, you're not too familiar with some of those songs.

They did better with Hounds of Love and Running up that Hill, when they covered the mature Kate as an artist.

We left early. Jools was tired, falling asleep, and for me it was turning into an episode of Stars in Their Eyes where every turn did a Kate Bush song. I had heard enough, and it would do Jools no good to sleep, then have to wake her to go home.

We left.

And I have no regrets.

The old members of the KT Bush Band deserve to make a living, and they are a good band, very good musicians, I enjoyed Del's playing, and that of their keyboard player, who summoned up a variety of sounds to make the live versions like the studio recordings.

Its as close as I'll ever get to see Kate Bush in concert, but this version is Kate from 1979, and an acquired taste.

We drove home, both just about staying awake, getting home at nine fifteen.

We go straight to bed.

Shattered.