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Tour Dinners 1998
Date: 22 November 1998
Location: Hard Rock Cafe, London
Written by Jan Berrington
I stepped on to the 11.45
a.m. train to London Euston from Liverpool Lime Street, overnight
bag in hand, for another GB FANS gathering – my second in a
week!
The train was due to arrive
in Euston at about 2.45 p.m. but the best laid plans of mice and
Berrington decided to fly out of the window in the form of a fire
on board a train coming in the opposite direction!!! Someone in
the buffet car had made a slight boo-boo and set the kitchen alight,
thus holding up all trains coming the other way by about an hour
and a half.
Fortunately I was able to
ring Julia from the train, although the signal kept going down so
the one call ended up being three to get the message across! She
duly met me at Euston and we headed across to Rock Circus where
we were due to meet up with some fans at 4.30 p.m., but we did not
get there until 5.30 p.m. so no sign of anyone! Julia and I paid
our £8 fee and went to see the Gary waxwork, which is not very
lifelike at all!! We did leave 3 GB FANS leaflets at his feet though
(LOL)
All was not lost, we had arranged
to go on to the Hard Rock Café to meet up at 6.00 p.m. and
there they were! Janin and Marie from Germany (they had also attended
the Manchester dinner earlier in the week); Linda and Ellen from
Belgium, Ann and Sue from London, then bringing up the rear –
Julia and me. We headed for our table and ate a hearty meal.
The language barrier was not
too bad because all the girls (including Julia) spoke very good
English! We chatted away about our homes, families and interests.
Janin won the Gary Open Road Poster (all 5 feet of it – we
wonder how she got it home in one piece?). Ellen won the signed
picture of Gary.
After the meal we headed for
Henry’s Bar, where we sampled the delights of the local beverages.
Unfortunately for Marie her trip to England was to be very memorable
for many weeks to come because she fell off the back of a London
bus and broke her ankle! However, like a true trooper, she did not
complain all night and did not fuss at all even when walking all
the way to the pub! You have to admire that, putting the interests
of us all above her own pain. When she got back home to Germany,
she was in plaster for 6 weeks. Marie – you are a STAR!
The evening seemed to just
fly by and very soon it was time to go home to our beds. Janin,
Marie, Linda and Ellen stayed in a hotel in Wembley; Ann and Sue
went home and I went home with Julia, who had kindly offered to
put me up for the night on the zed-bed in her living room, very
comfy it was too! As I had to be up very early the next morning
(6.30 am) to catch the 8.05 am train from Euston (only one they
had room on), I said my au revoirs to Julia (still not meeting my
lovely Oliver and Kai, nor Roy cos he was off shooting!).
Upon my return to Lime Street
I was met by my husband (Alf), who was at the door of my carriage
saying “give me your bag and keep walking down the platform, there’s
a film crew here with Robson Green and Niamh Cussack and they’re
filming now!!”.
There was a huge crowd around
and “Paddington Station” written all over the place – I thought
I had come to the wrong place (hehehehe). Alf had even asked Robson
Green for an autograph for me! All in all, a truly wonderful and
memorable weekend was had by all, and we will all be meeting up
again in December before the concerts.
In April this year the programme
was screened, it was called “Rhinoseros”. Just at the end
there is a crowd scene coming off a train and there is Alf in his
half of second of fame on screen!
End
of Report
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