By Miriam Erasmus
“Gypsy without a road” produced by Saffron Summerfield of Mother Earth Music in 1976 was my only L.P. Over the years it has become a collector’s item and sells for a good price. If you have one, hang onto it !!
I still have some of our rerun CDs and they trickle out as the gigs go by.
Well, dear ones, this 2025 singing and driving tour is now over for another year.
I hired a car for this last week. I usually name my hire cars, and this one became “Little bus” and I thanked it for every journey !!
I had a concert in Nettleham village hall just outside Lincoln on August 30th, and the next day our Wallands gang had planned an afternoon in Sussex.
Apart from these two planned visits, I decided that I would go back home for the rest of the week and literally wake up and go where the fancy took me. No particular place to go and definitely no planned deadlines to meet up with someone. I also decided not to take any photos and to use my memory and imagination should I wish to describe these travels.
Panic set in almost straight away, as the hire car did not have a usb port for my phone, and I have absolutely no idea how to use the onboard screen !!
I spent half an hour searching the house for a cigarette lighter connection, but to no avail, so remembered that long ago, I used to use the giant AA maps, so quickly looked up how to get to Lincoln from here on Google maps, and, wow – straight up the Roman Road – Fosse Way or A46 as it is now known. A quick use of my ( sometimes reliable ) photographic memory, and off I went.
I had enough charge on my phone to use the satnav for the last few miles, but it took me to the wrong place twice, before it finally got me to the destination. Thank goodness I had planned to be there well in advance.
What a super night. There were friends there whom I hadn’t seen for 50 years, and others who had supported me over the years and reminded me of good times over the decades. Most of the audience were brand new faces, and now, I hope, are folks I look forward to seeing again.
Daisybell minus one, were amazing and Andy the organiser along with everyone involved made sure that it was a night to remember. I even sold half a dozen “Gypsy without a Road” CDs, as I got requests to play some of the songs from it. One group of 5 songs had 5 different guitar tunings ! Thank you.
I am now on an adrenaline high and my friend and I stayed up until the early hours chatting about shared memories and future dreams.
In the morning I made a list of the roads required to get to the gathering in Sussex – remind me to avoid the M11 in future !! I put the phone satnav on for the last few miles as there was a diversion that the map couldn’t possibly have shown.
We had another amazing Wallands gathering that I think Lyn will write about.
Next day, after purchasing the connection required, I drove off to visit my darling Uncle Ivor who is 96, and home via a quick visit to friends in Watford – which I was very grateful to the satnav for finding !!
I love Sussex, and driving through the beautiful country lanes with the pretty green leaves flickering as the sun shines through the tree tunnels is always thrilling. The familiar flint buildings as I drove through Ringmer and Lewes made my heart skip a beat as usual. I know the road numbers and the villages like the back of my hand and as I went along I was literally driving down Memory Lane.
For the next few days, true to my word, I got in the car each day and just drove where fancy took me. Bromsgrove, The Malverns, Warwick, Shopping Malls. Literally nowhere to go and all day to get there.
A true “Gypsy without a Road.”
Author Bio:
Singer / Songwriter Miriam was born in Lewes, Sussex in 1948, and has a lifetime of making music.
From 1993-7 she was “Miriam Backhouse. The First Lady of Folk”.
She still tours Europe with her own songs and traditional ones.
In 1977 she married John Erasmus and moved to South Africa.
They raised a family as “Mim and John” playing music for all ages, but mostly touring the local Schools from 1987 to 2018.
She wrote 300 Educational songs and poems for children.
Now a journalist, she writes of life in South Africa and her travels.
Contact Author:
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnpj8REUlOzHPXnPnULwpKg
Facebook link: https://web.facebook.com/miriam.erasmus
This was very interesting and enjoyable.