retiredmartin

July 2024. Penkridge.

Yes ! Get yourself down/up/across to Penkridge’s annual music festival NOW and catch Timmy Mallett.

Forget your Cyndis and Shanias, Timmy is the “Heritage” (ugh) act that Glastonbury needs in 2025.

I was a day too early for Penkridge Fest, arriving from Welshpool to stick the van in another free car park by the bridge on Wednesday morning.

Sometimes I think being Retired Martin is the bestest job in the world (apart from being Mrs RM, obviously), and as I surveyed the little known joys of this unsung South Staffs town village I could barely contain my excitement.

A bar called Jaspers, an auctioneers, retirement living, an acclaimed Chinese takeaway, a quick train to Stafford, and a Wednesday market.

Perhaps some of you would like to see an authentic British market,

but do I care if you’d rather see a pub ?

Knickers, dusters, flannels (I bought two, for the campervan),

and every possible item you can no longer buy for a quid from the pound shop due to inflation.

“Everything cheap today, all stolen” says one Old Skool salesman, and you’re not absolutely sure he’s joking.

I bought two pies, beef and stilton and steak and kidney, because you have to justify having a fridge in the van, and an assortment of “deli items” from someone called FeinKost.

Prawns in garlic, garlic hummus, feta filled garlic peppers  (“they’ll go well with Tiger bread” says the man), all wonderful, all brilliantly oversold, and I’m still getting the smell out 3 days later.

I feel I’ve spent some of my savings from a free night’s kip wisely, and warm more to Penkridge on the way to the station via the graveyard.

How I wish I could have stayed an extra couple of nights to catch Dick & Dom.

But at least I had Paul and Will to look forward to that afternoon.