Unexpectedly awesome thing is awesome
May. 23rd, 2016 12:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnWe bought tickets ages ago to see a Fleetwood Mac tribute band (Fleetwood Bac by name) down at the Minack Theatre, which is a cliff-side theatre down at the far West end of Cornwall. Yesterday lunchtime, as the cold rain sleeted down and the wind wailed, this felt like a really bad idea. But the Minack seemed to think that things were not quite so awful at their end of the county, although the rain splodges on the webcam were not encouraging. So, we (chainmailmaiden, pwibethran, pp and me) gritted our teeth, resolved to be British and Not Put Off By a Spot of Rain, and set off.
It poured with rain as we crawled through the roadworks over Bodmin moor under dark grey skies, with the headlights lit and windscreen wipers on full. But there was a faint light along the Western horizon, so we went on. Soon there was a handkerchief of blue hanging over the many white whirling wind turbines of the West, and then more than a handkerchief.
The headlights went off.
The wipers went off.
The light became warmer.
We were undertaken by an appalling rider of a motorbike, who seemed determined to cause an accident, either by maniac riding, or by the enormous acreage of pink bum cleavage that he waved triumphantly at us as he shot past. The day was looking up.
And when we got to Porthcurnow, the sun was out and the sea a wonderful blue. We parked and went to the pub, where we sat outside under blue skies (everyone else was huddled in the bar) and had a meal. Then we went to the beach. There were bluebells and white three-cornered leek flowers everywhere. Hurray, we thought, and went up the steep steps you can just see in the middle of this photo. There is another more obvious route of course, but why would you go up the road when you could risk life and limb on narrow granite steps with a fabulous view?
There were bluebells posing on the edge of the sea. I loitered and took photos.
When we got to the top, there was already a huge queue. People turn up early to go the Minack, it seems, but all the same, we ended up with an excellent perch on the rocky steps, and had brought sufficient blankets and fleeces that it was not too cold. The band were pretty good too. I didn't want to spoil the performance with camera-fiddlings, but I did take one photo when things were just getting going.
All of them were good musicians who played their roles well, but the Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham players I thought were particularly good: her for the voice, and him for the mannerisms, although his voice wasn't quite so strong.
As the concert went on, the sun set and the moon came up over the sea. It was wonderful. The crowd were mostly enthusiasts too, although there were a few people who seemed to be in the 'We Go to Everything Because We Are Local' bracket and really didn't seem to be entering into the spirit of things, nor did they know the words of the songs....
There were two little balconies to the left of the stage, one of them had four people in it who were singing and dancing away, and the other had the WORLD's GLUMMEST people who sat there swathed in waterproofs like a lineup of grumpkins. The contrast was hilarious. We were repeatedly told not to dance, for the steps are very steep and were crowded - but the hen party behind us were drunken and defiant and danced anyway, adding greatly to the atmosphere. They didn't fall on our heads, either, thankfully. Our row and the rows in front of us were more law-abiding: we sat in place, sang, clapped and jiggled in a manner which the super-enthusiastic older lady in the row in front of us described as 'lap-dancing' :-D
On the way home, we met a hedgehog on the road. It's years since I saw a hedgehog, and fortunately Pp saw it in time and took evasive action. Home through the night, with Pp driving in a cautious and hedgehog friendly manner through the dark and empty lanes.
It poured with rain as we crawled through the roadworks over Bodmin moor under dark grey skies, with the headlights lit and windscreen wipers on full. But there was a faint light along the Western horizon, so we went on. Soon there was a handkerchief of blue hanging over the many white whirling wind turbines of the West, and then more than a handkerchief.
The headlights went off.
The wipers went off.
The light became warmer.
We were undertaken by an appalling rider of a motorbike, who seemed determined to cause an accident, either by maniac riding, or by the enormous acreage of pink bum cleavage that he waved triumphantly at us as he shot past. The day was looking up.
And when we got to Porthcurnow, the sun was out and the sea a wonderful blue. We parked and went to the pub, where we sat outside under blue skies (everyone else was huddled in the bar) and had a meal. Then we went to the beach. There were bluebells and white three-cornered leek flowers everywhere. Hurray, we thought, and went up the steep steps you can just see in the middle of this photo. There is another more obvious route of course, but why would you go up the road when you could risk life and limb on narrow granite steps with a fabulous view?
There were bluebells posing on the edge of the sea. I loitered and took photos.
When we got to the top, there was already a huge queue. People turn up early to go the Minack, it seems, but all the same, we ended up with an excellent perch on the rocky steps, and had brought sufficient blankets and fleeces that it was not too cold. The band were pretty good too. I didn't want to spoil the performance with camera-fiddlings, but I did take one photo when things were just getting going.
All of them were good musicians who played their roles well, but the Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham players I thought were particularly good: her for the voice, and him for the mannerisms, although his voice wasn't quite so strong.
As the concert went on, the sun set and the moon came up over the sea. It was wonderful. The crowd were mostly enthusiasts too, although there were a few people who seemed to be in the 'We Go to Everything Because We Are Local' bracket and really didn't seem to be entering into the spirit of things, nor did they know the words of the songs....
There were two little balconies to the left of the stage, one of them had four people in it who were singing and dancing away, and the other had the WORLD's GLUMMEST people who sat there swathed in waterproofs like a lineup of grumpkins. The contrast was hilarious. We were repeatedly told not to dance, for the steps are very steep and were crowded - but the hen party behind us were drunken and defiant and danced anyway, adding greatly to the atmosphere. They didn't fall on our heads, either, thankfully. Our row and the rows in front of us were more law-abiding: we sat in place, sang, clapped and jiggled in a manner which the super-enthusiastic older lady in the row in front of us described as 'lap-dancing' :-D
On the way home, we met a hedgehog on the road. It's years since I saw a hedgehog, and fortunately Pp saw it in time and took evasive action. Home through the night, with Pp driving in a cautious and hedgehog friendly manner through the dark and empty lanes.
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no subject
Date: 2016-05-22 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 09:10 pm (UTC)Perhaps I have a good imagination-I was totally swept away by what I saw in your photos!
Very descriptive...
Date: 2016-05-23 12:50 am (UTC)Cheers!
no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 01:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 04:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 05:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 06:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 08:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 08:56 am (UTC)"but why would you go up the road when you could risk life and limb on narrow granite steps with a fabulous view?" - j-yes! that sounds like something a russian can say and do. I wouldn't change that path with narrow steps for the official road. (I somehow feel that "change" is not the verb to use here, but cannot remember the right one.)
no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 09:07 pm (UTC)( I think actually 'change' is OK in that sentence. 'exchange' or 'swap' might sound more modern and less poetic :-D )
no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-23 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-05-26 09:53 pm (UTC)This sounds amazing!