in-car entertainment

I normally don’t drive into work because basically the traffic is rubbish in Manchester. I figured today, however, as is half term the traffic would be better …. and so it was. 20 minutes door to door!
Alas though not the case tonight. My journey took 1 hour 15 minutes to travel just 10 miles!

So Charlie & I sat on the M602 car park and listened to Hero Enrique Ig 3 times (thinking wow this is ace but repetitive music playing of one track isn’t that healthy)

Turned on the radio, got blasted by some indescribable track on Radio One (ah yes ‘er was in the car on Sunday) flicked through a few more channels… Galaxy, Classic, Smooth (hovered there for a while .. bit of Barry White) and stumbled upon BBC Radio Manchester. I recognize that voice I thought?
It was Terry Christian. I wondered what had happened to him… ...well he is alive and well on tea-time local radio.

Thought I would hang around and see what he was chatting about.

Within minutes he had me smiling and then laughing out loud…. It was getting dark by now so I don’t think anyone noticed.
His topic was - songs that you were taught to sing as a little kid at junior school (in the 60s aged 5 –11 years).

There was the first introduction to the French Language with Alloutte. (which apparently put a lot of folk going to France… I always thought it was ‘jaunty Allouetta, Allouetta jaunty plume aray’…… )

Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Je te plumerai la tête Je te plumerai la tête Et la tête, et la tête Alouette, Alouette O-o-o-o-oh Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai
Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Alouette, gentille Alouette Alouette je te plumerai Je te plumerai le nez Je te plumerai le nez Et le nez, et le nez

Roughly translated as

Lark, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you I will pluck you the head I will pluck you the head And the head, and the head Alouette, Alouette O-o-o-o-oh Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Lark, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you Alouette, nice Alouette Lark I will pluck you I will pluck you the nose I will pluck you the nose And the nose, and the nose

& Frere Jaques… where we would be split up and sing the lines out of sync from each other.

10 Green Bottles Hanging on the Wall – great for counting down but what a darned awful boring song. ‘Tom Tom the Pipers son’, who stole a pig and got a beating. Pussy in the Well … naughty boys trying drown a cat. Oh of course the favourite Ring, a Ring o’ Roses about the black plague.

Oh what about the Sea Shanties -What Shall we do with the Drunken Sailor - Some great lines as - Way hay and up she rises!! Put him in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him! Hoist him up to the topsail yardarm! Make him clean out all the spit-kids.

But what had me laughing was Soldier Soldier will you marry me?
A warning to all girlies in the 18th century not to be taken in by passing soldiers.

Soldier, soldier won't you marry me
With your musket, fife and drum
Oh no sweet girl I cannot marry you
For I have no coat to put on
So off she went to her grandfathers chest
And she brought him a coat of the very very best
And she brought him a coat of the very very best
And the soldier put it on

& as Terry so eloquently put it

‘When she got it out of her grandfather’s chest it probably smelled of wee and he put it on’

It was probably a ‘had to be there moment’ but it did amused me (hey I was going stir crazy!)

Thanks Terry you made the journey pass more pleasantly than I had first imagined.

Needless say it is back on the cattle truck to work tomorrow