Diary – Saturday 23rd To Sunday 31st May 2026

Me performing poetry at Manchester's Green Room - photo by Andy N

Quiet starting week that got busier later. The opening weekend was spent not going out, but concentrating on my writings and such. Even the bank holiday passed quietly. As I don’t work for health reasons, the joy of a day off for bank holidays means less to me and it generally ends up meaning I get no post with services shutting for the day.

Wednesday 27^th, things picked up. I had to go for a special diabetes 2 eye test screening. After a short wait they put some drops in my eyes and shortly afterwards I had to follow a green light moving in a rig they put over my eyes. I won’t know the results for a few weeks.

With time to kill before the weekly Vinyl Tap pub quiz I called in two city centre bars, The Guild Ale House and The Black horse for a pint in each. We came second in the quiz.

The Black Horse pub sign, Preston City Centre

Thursday 28^th – A return to the pub for a very well attended preview screening of The Worst Band In The World, a very short, even abrupt film made by students at the University Of Lancashire. The cast, crew and many of their friends came along to support the screening.

The film tells of the formation of a rock band after a Gregory’s Girl like collision on the school playing fields during an impromptu football game. The band are seen practicing, and preparing for gigs but there is little music to really decide if they are as bad as the film title declares. A strong moving scene has the lead singer (the only girl in the band), defying her mother’s wishes and fears to quit the band (you’ll end up on drugs), because the daughter finally feels accepted into a group of friends and like she has a goal she wants to aim for. Shades of The Commitments in what looks like the opening scene to a longer film.

Seating - Arc Cinema, Preston

Friday 29^th – More films, seven in fact, screened as the now monthly Firestorm Film Screenings events selection for this month at the Preston city centre Arc Cinema. My reviews of them are below.

Saturday 30^th May – My Landlord sent a friend round to do some intense Spring cleaning on my flat (tricky for me in my declining health). Window frames were ingrained in dirt and showing the threat of mould formation. My friend Tim cleaned that up and did other basic repairs around the flat, working very hard up to tea time.

Battle Of The Bands Performer - Preston City Centre

In the evening I attended the first half of the charity fund-raising Battle Of The Bands concerts outside the city centre market canopy on behalf of The Orchard Bar, a great set of performances all round. As it ended later than I imagined I had to get a taxi home.

Sunday 31^st May – A full day at the Battle Of The Bands, and to my delight, a brand new bus service has started operating on my home to the city route, the Stagecoach 111 service. This is more frequent and cheaper by the now overpriced and frequently unreliable PrestonBus 35 service.

Chip Butty Man - Battle Of The Bands Performer - Preston City Centre

The gig itself was great, with a real party atmosphere, finishing at just gone 9pm, allowing me to enjoy the 111 bus ride home.

Poem written by myself in this period – Snubbed By Friends https://arthurpeterchappell.wixsite.com/homepage/post/poem-snubbed-by-friends

Films Watched By Me During This Period

Birds Of Prey – The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn (2020) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/birds-of-prey-and-the-fantabulous-emancipation-of-one-harley-quinn/

Choked Up (2023) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/choked-up/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

Crooks Anonymous (1962) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/crooks-anonymous/

Cutter’s Way (1981) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/cutters-way/

Everything Is A Number (1967) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/everything-is-a-number/

Good Boy (2023) https://letterboxd.com/film/good-boy-2023/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

Journeying (2021) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/journeying/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

Lord Of The Free Range (Unknown year) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/lord-of-the-free-range/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

No Adams Allowed (2025) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/no-adams-allowed/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

The Snip (2023) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/the-snip-2023/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

The Stork (Unknown Year) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/the-stork-1/ (Firestorm Film Screening entry)

West End Jungle (1961) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/west-end-jungle/

The Worst Band In The World (2026) University film reviewed above).

Zip (2023) https://letterboxd.com/arthurchappell/film/zip/

Photos by me except the photo of me, taken by Andy N.

Arthur Chappell