The Lock-Down Diaries Day 20

Today I walked the dog, down through Coed Y Cwm, picking wild garlic and planning today's diary.

We met no-one till, coming past the chickens, we chatted with a newish neighbour and his lovely bouncy dog.

He turns out to be completely barking (were you aware of the link between the new £20 note, 5G masts and the Coronavirus? No, me neither...)

Today's thoughts are all about visual and musical memories, both true and false:

My sister's Easter message, when I turned my phone on this morning, was a chick-and-bunny animation, with, as its soundtrack, Louis Armstrong's 'Wonderful World'  from 1967 - the way to reduce me to weeping to start the day. Probably my 'rescue one track from the waves' song. Ah, innocent days...

Of course, as Ben would quickly, and rightly, point out, the late sixties were not the idyll I remember - only we children were innocent, the century was recovering from two World Wars, the Holocaust, Cuba, the assassination of Kennedy, South Africa was in the grip of Apartheid and the US (in particular, though not exclusively) was riddled with racism...

Nevertheless I have loved that song forever, and have a clear memory of a black and white film accompanying it on TV...smiling faces in the streets, children playing, daisies - you know.

I've always been unable to find that film on YouTube, though there is a lovely live gig version here:

https://youtu.be/CWzrABouyeE

There are one or two other songs which I have remembered in clear visual detail from those days. One of them, Pans People, dancing to Nilsson's  'Without You' , which I remembered as beautiful contemporary dance, turned out to be excruciating when I tracked it down! Here it is from Christmas 1972's ToTP:

https://youtu.be/gSCEgCUW2M0

You're welcome!

The other song  was The Hollies 'He Ain't Heavy...', which I seem to remember showing with a film of disabled children on a bus (probably as well I can't find that!)

I am notorious for false memories - only yesterday I sent my brother a link to a mention of a book I have always loved and raved about and 'remember' recommending it to both him and my Dad, and that they both loved it...

Back came the reply 'I've never read it!' 

Ho hum.

It was 'Riddley Walker' should you be interested...best post-apocalyptic book ever!

My greatest success though is the words of another song. ..

In his sensitive teens, Ben would cringe when I spoke of 'riding on trains' and would say it made me sound like a hobo!

Ah, but the phrase came from a song from 1970, of which I could remember only one verse. 

And try as I might, I couldn't track down any more of it, with the help of Google, YouTube and so on...Ben and Alistair were convinced I had made it up...

UNTIL I contacted the 'boy' who had listened to it with me...and he came back immediately with ALL the lyrics and necessary links.

And now I listen to it every time we 'ride on trains through the mountains'

https://youtu.be/Ciw9RMvymak

Enjoy your evening!