previous | home page | this month | e-
Rhubarb Artist
Richard Bell’s Wild West Yorkshire nature diary, Friday, 2nd October 2009, page 2 of 2
previous | home page | this month| e-
LAST WEEK we spent a couple of days with the Experience Wakefield team and Deliciously
Yorkshire promoting the delights of The Rhubarb Triangle (if you haven’t heard of
it you can read all about it in my best-
Olton near Solihull was the home of Edith Holden who wrote The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady and we were delighted to discover a patch of countryside right behind our hotel on the NEC campus, where we saw fox, rabbit and squirrel on our evening walk across parkland with oaks, rough pasture and an attractively landscaped office park, which with it’s fountains, spiky planting and rocky ornaments reminded me of the campus of the Starfleet Academy in StarTrek!
As others see us
It was useful to meet potential visitors and people who’d already visited the Triangle during the Rhubarb Festival and find out what they’d like to get out of a visit. I could give up my day job and just work as a walks guide, to judge by the interest.
Tour organisers are on the look-
When I wasn’t drawing caricatures of tour organisers or lightning sketches of rhubarb crumble, Barbara and I got a chance to wander round the other stalls which included several places we’ve got on our list to visit before too long.
Rhubarb in Las Vegas?
There were also theatre breaks on offer including One Night in Vegas starring Martyn Lucas who during the day caused quite a stir, along with his sequined showgirls, by performing some of the songs from the show. Despite his success in conjuring up a Rat Pack ambience I’m glad to say that in character Martyn is not like the real Sinatra who, according to Andy Williams in this week’s Radio Times, was once so annoyed at a diner who had accidentally spilt a glass of wine near his table that he gave the word and the poor chap had his nose broken.
Martyn tells me that working in the music industry is something like being part of a family. You’ve got to get on with people. I think I’ve heard the Mob described as a family concern too!
Having appeared at the London Palladium he’s now got a booking to play in Las Vegas itself. He kindly gave rhubarb a plug after one of his sets, saying he hoped they’d be serving rhubarb as dessert at his show.
I wonder how rhubarb would go down in Vegas?
Didn’’t Barry Manilow write a song about the Rhubarb Triangle?
Doodling in odd moments, this is the best I could do in trying to come up with a logo for the Triangle.
On the road to Las Vegas: Martyn Lucas.
Visitors to the Experience Wakefield stall at the NEC.
