Double Celebrity Blip!

I wandered across the Meadows this morning, checking out the blossom. Yes. Looking good. In fact, I had my blossom blip and blue sky, but lo and behold, something better turned up.

I was on my way to Leith for my osteopath visit. I've had a Very Sore Neck for about a year now. Caused by - yes, all you addicted blippers take heed - sitting at a computer for long periods.

But who do I spy? John Byrne, sitting at the cafe, right next to the path. I walked on by. I was almost up at the gate in the background, saying to myself "Go and ask him. If he wanted NOT to be recognised/ accosted/ photographed he wouldn't be sitting right there..."

And so, I turned and came back down, and before I could change my mind (blipfoto does things to you) I went and interrupted his chat, told him I was a big fan, and shook his hand.

He was charming and wasn't at all didn't seem annoyed. He asked my name. I remembered not to use my formal title, Lady Marchmont , but I was all of a-dither. JB introduced me to the other chap and I told him he looked famous too. (I was thinking, 'Rock Star?'). JB told me he was famous. He's got one of his photos in the Portrait Gallery! *Swoon* His name is Ron O'Donnell.

JB said they were talking about Elvis, but Ron was too young. Oooh! JB and I were bonding - Ron was too young! But what did I say in my discombobulation?

"Oh, I was a Cliff fan!"

Where did that come from? I did have a passing interest in him and his hairy chest in his string vest tee shirt in 'Summer Holiday'. And I did accidentally go to a Cliff concert in Auckland in the 70s, but I have never said those words before!

After my torture massage, I hot-footed it to the Portrait Gallery to find and view Ron's work. And there it was. I'd already stood in front of it in awe when the gallery was re-opened. It's a HUGE photo montage called 'The Great Divide'. I only wish I'd noted the name of the photographer at the time, so I would have known who Ron was. But then I would have been even more frazzled, and who knows what I would have said, in the presence of TWO heros!

They were happy to have their photo taken. I was annoyed to see that I'd cut off a couple of JB's digits. I'm normally very careful about framing, but I was not functioning properly in the presence of greatness. Still, he was smoking a fag, so maybe those digits deserve to be cut off.

I'm sure the conversation afterwards was about JB's disappointment that it was a purple-camera-wielding-Cliff-fan who mobbed him!

Still, I was happy. :-)