Warming up at Alec Wall’s house in Tenbury Wells and discussing the arrangements for this Saturday’s Mistletoe Ball. (Tickets available from Alec on 01584 810479).
We wonder whether Stan’s coming – so I ring him up. It’s exactly 17:20. He answers immediately, and when he realises it’s me says he’s expecting an urgent call, at 17:20 and would I ring off. But Stan I say, I only want to know whether you’re coming to the Ball. Ask me later he says, and rings off!
Very odd.
But all is explained/revealed 30 minutes later when I’m on the road home, listening to BBC Radio 2 and the Chris Evans Show. Christoff is wittering on (as one does on radio) and suddenly says how nice it was to talk to the Mistletoe King just now. Of course! Stan was expecting the BBC – that’s why he was so bothered – and he’s been talking to Christoff about mistletoe.
And I missed it. But you can ‘listen again’ here (the official, but short-lived BBC link – it’s about 18 minutes into the prog.) or here (an unofficial recording – to be uploaded soon). Some of Stan’s info is a bit suspect: Amongst the fifiest rare plants of Britain? I don’t think so Stan! But it’s good stuff for the media…
(Tuesday Postcript: Stan apologises for the abrupt phone call when we meet at the auctions, explains that he was due to talk on the radio to Chris Someone… Not Chris Evans? I say Yes, says Stan, Never heard of him before! (Sorry Chris!).
Meanwhile, in a curious quirk of reverse media ageism my ‘Mistletoe Anorak’ piece appears in The Oldie magazine – the same day that Stan (74) speaks to the Chris Evans Show (popular with (30-)40-somethings like me).