Stockport

[paul and sue]

We stayed in a wonderfully quaint hotel called "The Empire" last night and it did conjure up images of the British Empire with an old colonial style, the hotel was littered with antiques and Russell Flint prints on the walls and the rooms were very chic. I half expected the reception staff to greet us in military uniform. The car parking format was slightly different in that you had to park in such a way as to block several other cars from moving and once sardinned in you handed the keys to the night staff for them to move the vehicles if need be. Because of the added security worry of other people accessing the car I insisted on moving all the merchandise into the hotel room for the night, not the easiest of manoeuvres without a trolley. And so to bedzzzzzzz

7.30am and a telephone call to my room asking me to move the car, you've already got the picture, the night staff had lost the keys and the day staff, on not being able to find them rang the room thinking I had them on me. I was royally "not amused" Several hours passed and umpteen phone calls later the keys mysteriously reappeared but by that time we were late leaving which normally would not have thrown me but on this ocassion I had to get Matt to Channel M TV for taping at 3.00pm. Llandudno to Stockport is not the shortest of drives, to top that the traffic was a nightmare and if I had thought that I had gone to hell and back driving in Glasgow, I was wrong, Manchester tops it, one way systems, ring roads, no entry streets, gridlock traffic, speed cameras at every corner - grhhhhhh

We did make it, I was ruffled, Matt of course was not. The television show was aired at 5.00pm tonight and on we went to the Stockport Plaza Theatre. I have to tell you the whole venue is run by volunteers and you could not have asked for more wonderful people. Another massive crowd and I was overun on the merchandise stand. Stephen Garner came in to watch the show, he has a show on BBC Radio Manchester and also Andy Prior of Andy Prior and the Night Owls. I also met Vince Miller who was the compere for the Poco Apoco when Matt's dad worked there, what wonderful stories he had to tell.

It was a great night and I'm off to The Brittania Hotel in a minute. I thought Matt's virus had gone but this illness is a funny old thing, one minute you think you are all better and than it hits you in the face again. He has generously passed it onto me which I am really cross about, not because I feel ill but because I now have singer's throat - which loosely translated means I won't be able to sing along in the car tomorrow - maybe that's why Matt gave it to me.

Off to Stevenage in the morning and Matt is doing a couple of radios on route. That is the good thing about phone interviews, it doesn't matter where you are as long as there is decent reception. It's a 1.30pm show on BBC 3 Counties Radio for Georgia Mann, tune in if you can.

See you tomorrow
Bye for now
Paul

[ROBERT M.]

Thanks very much Paul for all your regular updates. I really look forward to reading all your stories about the tour, the different venues, the hotels, the whole "picture". Thanks.

[Marian]

Really enjoying your write-ups Paul. It really brings the tour to life to hear all the travel news between shows etc. Thank you so much.
Hope to see you Monday.

Marian.