Quite often on my life I've been at an event, or met someone famous, and thought to myself: "Can this really be happening to me?". Here are five of those occasions...
1983: At the age of 20, attending a reception at Number Ten. I remember walking up the famous stairs to be met by Mrs T at the top, and thinking to myself: "I can't believe how tiny she is". Later on in the evening, I nearly threw up at her feet, but that's another story.
1985: On my first day working at the House of Commons, walking along the corridor between Central Lobby and Peers' Lobby encountering former PM Jim Callaghan and former US President Gerald Ford coming the other way. We nodded, with me thinking to myself, "what's a lad from Essex doing mixing with these people?"
1991: I had an SAS guard while I was in Beirut, speaking at a conference. Being driven through downtown Beirut in a convoy of armour plated Landrivers with SAS soldiers pointing their machine guns out of the window was an experience in itself. The hotel was also heavily guarded by the Lebanese army (see pic). It turned out I was the first British visitor there since John McCarthy had been released from captivity. I hadn't known that in advance... I wrote a full account of the trip HERE.
2002: Meeting the Queen at Buckingham Palace with my partner. We talked to her for for several minutes about Politico's. We were surprised (although I don't know why) that she didn't know where Artillery Row was, even though it is only a quarter of a mile from her home! Contrary to our expectation, she was very easy to talk to.2008: Visiting the White House and blogging from the Oval Office.
I nominate the following five bloggers to continue the Meme.
Dizzy
Donal Blaney
John Redwood MP
Fraser Nelson
Tom Harris MP
Feel free to share your own Can This Really Be Happening to Me? moments in the comments...
14 comments:
Just over 20 years ago (when I used to be a good Catholic) I played the organ at a church service in Cambridge. Nothing amazing about that, except that the guy taking the service is now the Pope. I didn’t think “can this really be happening to me?” but I guess I would have done if I had known. Hey, maybe I would even have punched his lights out!
Can This Be Happening To Me?
I often think that when I'm in the Job Center.
Nothing exciting to report :(
When I was a student in Bradford there was a knock at the door in the morning which of course woke me up after a heavy nights drinking.
I went to the door in my boxers (not a pretty sight), to be confronted by the Labour candidate and a Labour party bigwig canvassing. I told them to f**k off and closed the door and went back to bed.
The bigwig was Tony Blair...
An interesting insight but please use your spellchecker more frequently - descendants.
As for the theme of the blog: I'd cite the birth of my sons, a divorce and the death of my mum (courtesy of the NHS and which obviously didn't happen to me but certainly affected the entire family). No Kennedys, no Litvinenkos, Blairs or Browns, yet, strangely, I feel I've had enough reality to last me a lifetime.
Every time I read your blog, dear.
Walking out onto the platform at Slough train station, only to see Tony Blair and Nick Robinson (amongst others) boarding the train to London.
When I was a boy Animal Magic was a big TV programme for kids and Johnny Morris a much loved TV personality.
My father was invovled in an animal charity and one day Johnny came to our house.
Unbeknown to me from watching the telly was that Johnny was funny as hell and very cool.
He told us all about an Orangutan called Billy he knew at, I think, Whipsnade that used to love shaking people's hands through the bars - only Billy made sure he had wiped his hand in his own mess first - and would then run off cackling in fits of Orangutan giggling.
I've met loads on celebrities since but none have left me with anything like the childhood admiration of Johnny Morris.
I was on a football field today comparing notes with a former international football captain. So what?
Bending over to get six of the best at school.
And Patrick, agreed, Johhny Morris was a top man!
Trafalgar 200 Jun 2005. I was nominated to host VIP guests at the Fleet Review to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Amid the usual VIP dross was a genuinely great man - Lt Cdr Ian Fraser VC, who won his VC laying charges under a Japanese cruiser from a midget submarine in 1945. He was modest, engaging and thoroughly good company. He died last week. I was honoured to have hosted him.
Meetuing Alan Moore in the pub after his performance/recording of the Birth Caul CD, talking about the never published Twilight Of The Superheroes.
I went out to enjoy a meal on my own at a restaurant in Lincoln, many years ago. Alan Bennett was at the next table and he kept staring at me and smiling. Constantly.
Not one I remember with any fondness.
Bumping into Jane Russel's breasts at Ronnie Scott's. I said, excuse me, Ma'am and she looked down at me and gave me a withering, but quite smouldering (I thought) grimace. That was a good one.
Sitting in the Dorchester chatting to Kenny Everett and Hank Marvin at a party for Cliff Richard and observing the commotion as Joan Collins walked through the door.
Watching an old Rock Star wandering about his hotel room in his pants, making sure he had taken his heart pills before doing the gig.
Getting lost in Buckingham Palace (the non-public parts were very shabby)and having to ask a footman to get me to the Throne Room.
There are many more but,modesty cannot permit.
Chatting to Michael Palin at art exhibition - utterly lovely chap.
Walking through the House of Commons chamber on a tour with a peer and standing at the dispatch box.
Walking past Rupert Murdoch in the corridor in news corp headquarters.
Chatting with Tobey Maguire while waiting to get off a plane.
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