Ronan, Robbie, Bradley, Archie - Four men. One awesome weekend!

Hello again!
Got lots to tell you this month. Yes another month has flown by, where has all the time gone already this year?
Last week I was up in Glasgow to spend time with two of my favourite people. My Scottish pal Karen, and my Irish pal (I use the word - pal more in a wishful sense there!) one Mr Ronan Keating. Although I wouldn't mind being the mic stand in this photo....

I won’t bore you with details of the two concerts that I went to see Ronan perform in - been there, done that (concerts I mean, not bore I hope!) but just some of the things that happened and also occurred to me while I was there.
On the first night I took my camera along to the show - you’ve got to take some photos haven’t you? Ronan’s just a little bit too photogenic not too ;-)


And on the second night I decided no, I’m putting my camera down tonight, I’ll just enjoy the show. And how much more I enjoyed the second night without the constant constraints of trying to snap a good shot, or the difficultly of holding onto my camera while clapping along to a song, or even in my case because we were lucky enough to be on an extremely spacious front row – dancing away all night without a camera dangling from your arm!
Concerts without cameras – I highly recommend them... Either that or bring someone else along to take the photos for you ;-)

Also the night we were there a certain footballer - Mr Robbie Keane made an appearance at the gig.

This got me thinking about all the celebs that I’ve either seen at Ronan’s/ Boyzone’s gigs over the years, or I’ve heard about going to them. Off the top of my head I can remember Dermot O’Leary, Frankie Dettori, Brian May, Gareth Gates, Katie Price, but I know there’s been many more.
I also found out recently that there’s a reporter on GMTV - Sarah Moore who’s a huge Ronan/ Boyzone fan. No reason why she shouldn’t be, but it’s almost as if you can’t be a ‘normal’ person and be a fan of someone at the same time. I know I was reticent to admit how I began writing when I first started submitting manuscripts to agents and publishers. But now I’m proud to tell my story. http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/4.html
Yes, there are an awful lot of fans out there that aren’t what you’d call ‘normal’ and take it that one step too far. (Oh I could tell you some stories...) But your average Joe going about his or her daily business, just taking a like to a band or a singer, or even a football team aren’t some sort of freak, they’re just doing something that makes them happy, and without them buying tickets to concerts and matches where would their heroes be?

I'm going to make a promotional YouTube film for my novel before it's published on 25th November, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notting-Hill-Love-Actually-Standing/dp/0751544957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262725812&sr=1-1

all about the different places my characters go during the story. So while I was up in Glasgow Karen and I popped along to the Radisson hotel where the characters stay for a night. Now remember that Scarlett, my main character lives for the movies, and when she stays at the Radisson she thinks the receptionist looks like Barney, the concierge from Pretty Woman (the one who helps Julia Roberts out with her cutlery etc.) So imagine my surprise and delight when standing behind the front desk was a small man looking not unlike Barney with grey hair a moustache and beard! I almost asked for a photo with him!

But here instead is me posing outside the Radisson.
While I was away in Glasgow it was also the big Eastenders storyline reveal. ‘Who killed Archie Mitchell?’
Being a big Eastenders fan I really wanted to watch the live episode without knowing whodunit, so had sky+ it to watch on my return. But with everyone talking about it and it being all over the media how was I going to get from Glasgow to Peterborough on the train, and then home after without finding out?
So in a day akin to the episode of the seventies sitcom ‘The Likely Lads’ where they try not to hear the result of a football match, I set out for home on the Saturday morning after the episode had aired, avoiding first a newspaper in my friend’s house which helpfully detailed exactly what had gone on the previous evening; the radio in the car on the way to the train station had to be switched off so I didn't hear any DJ's randomly gossiping about it; and then when I arrived at the station I had to avoid all newsagents and keep my head turned away from any fellow travellers reading newspapers. I plugged my ipod in all the way home to avoid hearing any passenger chit chat about the previous night’s TV; and then at Peterborough station my ipod was not removed from my ears until I was safely ensconced in my family’s car – where of course they had been primed not to tell me anything about the episode - even though my daughter was desperate to!
And what did I think when I finally reached home and was able to watch Thursday and Friday’s episodes for myself...
Absolutely brilliant! Well worth all the trouble & stress :-)
RIP Bradley :-( But long live Eastenders!
Happy 25th Anniversary.

Until the next time,
A x