Sunday 14 April 2019

Power To The Allotment Cats.

Have you heard of Robert the allotment cat?  I hadn't until yesterday.  Did you see the superb BBC 4 documentary: "Last Orders" on Friday night?  It was about the legendary pub rock band Chas and Dave,  They even supported Led Zeppelin at Knebworth.

Any way I read that Chas had an allotment and he wrote a book about it.  Sounds like my kind of book: rocknroll and growing stuff.  While I was Googling this I started reading about a cat who lived with seven other feral cats in Birmingham.


Apparently the local council wanted to build a carpark for the Commonwealth Stadium.  Robert and his friends the allotment holders started a campaign and thanks to public reaction the local council have had a change of heart.  The allotments will not be being tar-maced over.  

I looked at the excellent website of the Walsall road allotments.  It's very good and the allotment holders originate from all over the world.  I bet they could show me how to grow some weird and wonderful vegetables?

Any way.  Well done Robert and the gang.  The paw is mightier than the council pen.  Perhaps you played this song when you heard the council chief was coming to see you?


14 comments:

  1. I see what a talented couple of blokes they were now. At the time they were often thought of a kind of comedy song duo and probably overlooked by many. I didn't see the programme but see it has been shown before a few years ago. Perhaps I will see it on its third showing! I like the Robert the Cat video. Lovely cats. Thanks Dave.

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  2. Thanks Rachel. Its on the BBC I Player. Its well worth watching. They combined music hall with pub rock and took it into everybody's homes. I watch their Christmas special with Eric Clapton every year.

    Robert has over 6000 followers. What a cool cat!

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    1. I will download it where I have finished Fleabag. Thanks Dave.

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    2. Great stuff Rachel. Please let me know what you think of it? Thanks.

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  3. My family have laughed at me for years for loving Chas n Dave....I saw them live too and they were marvelous.....and I had actually fancied Chas since his long haired 'pretending to be american days'...and 'ain't no pleasing you' is one of my favourite songs!

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  4. Hi Libby. I just find them fun and like a comedian they could make people laugh and sing and forget about their worries for an hour or two. In the documentary Chas talks about not singing in an American accent and being proud of their working class roots. The Libertines (Pete Doherty is one of my heroes) often play Chas and Dave songs before one of their gigs. London Girls and Rabbit are mine. What a line: "You've got more rabbit than Sainsburys."

    Thanks Libby.

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  7. If I want to know anything, look on line! Seriously, Dave, this is the first I have heard of what's happening just up the road!!!! Thank goodness you are able to keep me in the picture, so to speak. I too like Chas and Dave.

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  8. Hi Valerie. I couldn't believe that I had not heard of Robert the cat and his allotment comrades. Its brilliant that their homes are safe.

    Yeah Chas and Dave made a lot of people smile and sing along to their songs. Thanks!

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  9. I enjoyed the cat album and was happy to see that the cat with no ears has a good home.

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  10. Me too Gwil. Apparently there are seven feral cats who live on the allotment site and the allotment holders feed the cats and reward them for working there and making rodents very unwelcome. Thanks Gwil.

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