Tonight's not the night

Norfolk, June 2011 by Susie Mallett

Susie Mallett, Rod Stewart fan and railway fanatic, is in the UK, actually in Norwich, until the eve before Rod Stewart, also a railway fanatic but probably not a fan of Susie Mallett, plays his Carrow Road gig.

Carrow Road, the home of Norwich City Canaries, now a Premier League Football Club, is across the road from our family home from where we can celebrate each goal that our team scores without actually being in the ground, if the wind is travelling in the right direction. I could have sat in the garden on Wednesday evening with my Dad to listen to We are Sailing or better still purchased tickets to see Rod in the flesh.

Luckily I have my memories of a brilliant open-air concert in Coburg, Germany, in the huge square in front of the Residence. So, instead of rocking in Norwich with the rock legend from Scotland I will be in Newcastle-upon-Tyne where I expect I will be wondering what language I should speak. I will have the choice with my colleagues of using German, Hungarian or Norfolk. I doubt that I will understand the locals' language and I wonder what the real foreigners in the group will think of my Norfolk accent, most of them having only heard me speak German or Hungarian before now!

I just met a lady on the train who has lived in deepest Norfolk all her life who was very surprised that my Norfolkness is more apparent, through my voice not my appearance, than her own, despite my absence from the county for thirty-five years.
I would have loved to have seen Rod Stewart, I might even have hung around at the “stage” door for a chat about trains, but I expect my few days in Newcastle-upon-Tyne will be just as interesting and entertaining.

Notes
Rod Stewart – Tonight's the night, Sailing and Smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cFm2R5yIpQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpbuqh12oj4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJWA0fUM7-4&feature=related