Picture the scene.

A backstreet pub in downtown Bedford last Friday afternoon.

In comes the weekly karaoke team to set up their 4 to 7 pm slot.

I’m there with my good friend Max about four pubs in on our annual bike ride pub crawl. The Karaoke leader kicks off with Bolan’s Get it On.  Another chap gets up to deliver The Eagles Already Gone. Abba and Dido tunes are duly hammered out. Then it happens. I spot Led Zeppelin’s Ramble On amongst the karaoke catalogue that adorns our table. ‘’Are you going to get up there?’’enquires Max.

Now I’ve only ever sung on a karaoke machine once and that was about 15 years back (Jumping Jack Flash as I recall -remember that night Terry B!)….but hey what the hell you only live once.

A moment of Fosters fuelled bravado follows. I fill in the request slip and take it up. Minutes later your TBL editor is on stage delivering a unique version of said Led Zep 2 staple. ‘’Never had that one sung before’’ says the somewhat startled karaoke host. The pub locals offer polite applause. I swear the guy in front of me was tapping out Bonzo’s part on his lap throughout my performance.

Max has a look of sheer bemusement as I return to our table not least for my ability to get in character (I spent years in front of the mirror back in Dents Road perfecting those Plant stances knowing they’d come in handy one day!)

Soon we are back on our bikes bound for the next ale house, the strains of Boyzone’s No Matter What drifting out the door as the next karaoke hopeful does his best Ronan Keating.

Believe me It was nothing on my Plant impression. So if there’s a Zep tribute band out there in need of a singer I could well be the man. Mind you it would have to be on the proviso of supplying a bicycle capable of whizzing me across ten pubs to supply the necessary dutch courage before I get on stage.

Once again you couldn’t make it up.

52…could prove to be a funny age…

Meanwhile back to reality. Suffice to say the pub crawl bike ride was immensely enjoyable, the ensuing hangover not so… but since then it’s been back to the slog with a batch of e-mails and such like to catch up. TBL 22 to kick start and a whole lot of stuff going on at work.

Most importantly it’s time to bid a fond farewell to our Sam who commences university at UEA in Norwich next week. Well be taking her up on Sunday. I’m terrible at goodbyes at the best of times and fear I will be not be in good emotional repair come Sunday night.

It seems only last week that she was dancing around the room to the Page & Plant version of Four Sticks (always her Zep favourite back then) as the Unledded film aired. It was actually 14 years ago when she was four years old (‘’and that’s a sure fine way to start’’ as the singer once put it).

Time the wheel rolls on and who knows where the time goes

Our not so little lady has developed a will and drive to succeed at what she does that has made us very proud indeed.  A journalistic career is her aim as she undertakes the three year politics, culture and literature courses.

Good luck Sam

We will miss you terribly but..

‘’It’s time to ramble on’’ as your Dad once sang…last Friday.