"Stormy Down" Track on Strawbs Website

Some exciting news!

I was contacted by long time fan and friend of The Strawbs, Les Cotton, a fellow Blackpudlian musician and we now have a mention on the Strawbs website along with a fully downloadable track, one of my solo efforts which is a cover of The Strawbs' track "Stormy Down" which appeared on their brilliant album "Bursting At The Seams".

I saw them on stage the year the album came out and the song bowled me over. It's a real privilege to be featured singing it on their website!

On the website click:

Downloads > Fan Downloads > Latest Additions

I'm not sure how long it will stay a "latest addition" though! You'll find tracks from Les Cotton also. His version of the Strawbs classic "Lay Down" is well worth a listen!

Les and I have never met, although we've swapped the occasional email for quite a while now. He even went trogging off down the North Pier that time when we were searching for Margot's telescope box!

Treasure Hunt - My Entry

Seeing as I was down there... oh, alright - this is why I was down there!

If you don't know what the treasure is try reading here, then here, and make sure you read the comments so you don't miss anything!

Armed with the information from Margot about the second hut on the right and the box being to the left of it I found it quite easily. A box with the front missing. Not much to see but a bit of Blackpool's heritage none-the-less.

It would be nice to have something on the side of the hut, perhaps with Margot's photo of her Dad to remind folks that some things were done much better in the past. I can't remember the last time I saw anyone looking through a coin-slot telescope from Blackpool Promenade and that's probably because apart from the Tower and lots of sea, they wouldn't know what to look for.

As can be seen from this new photo sent by Margot of her father, he used to point the telescope at points of interest. She says:

On the board my Dad would chalk which views he was showing depending on the weather. Sometimes it would even be Barrow shipyards also showing the Isle of Man steamers and he had photos of them all to identify them.

The blackboard, tripod and telescope all went in the case under the seat. On this particular picture he is showing the Lune Tower Light ship, whereby someone might be able to date the picture, as I was informed by a historian who wrote a history of the North Pier that the Lune Tower Light Ship burned out.

A Google search has failed to provide any information about the lightship - anyone out there with any knowledge of this? Margot, I suppose I should really ask if this is indeed the box?!?

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