Phantom and Steve backstage at The Stables on my first trip to England to see Steve and the band. 2011

Phantom and I at the pub in Birmingham where we all gathered prior to the amazing Birmingham concert. 2012

Phantom and I at the Stables prior to Steve's acoustic band concert in 2012.

Okay, hopefully this time it will work. Thank you so much, Stella!

Love, Cheri

P.S. Maybe some others have photos of Phantom that they would like to share. I miss him terribly.

cheri wrote:Sorry for all the repeated and blank postings over the weekend ! Had a bit of confusion going on with smiley faces ! Don't ask ! Took the fab Andy to short it out . Many thanks for that .

I even thought Mr trowelsdale was maybe having a bit of a laugh at me ! cursing the internet ! ( or rather my stupidity ) !
Coz you know ! I like to think he's not far ! Sort of think he has gained exclusive access to all areas! All eyes ! It's the sort of joke he would play ! Mess with me postings !

Seeing the picture of him and Cheri at Birmingham with his scarf around her , so made me smile .
We'd traveled up together that day , and the conversation in the car was
" so ! Have you got mine / yours scarf ? "
I'm grinning ear to ear waggling the red tassels of my newly acquired yellow & red silky cockney rebel scarf ( circa 1975-76 ) that I'd found on eBay .
Marks quick on the uptake to continue to tease me .
" Yes I've got MY scarf with me " to explain
mark and I had this little battle of wills going on for years !
About who was the keeper of the scarf ! and who was the rightful owner !
He being the keeper , myself led to believe it was always mine.

To those who don't know the story it started years ago in the mitre pub in South East London on the eve of the fan convention Karen ( Morrison ) and I had a vision of organising , with a little help ! ( And it was little ! ) from the Big man himself Dave .( Hornby )

Anyway ! We who had congregated had lots fun reminiscing about the old days . We were talking about where and when we'd all seen cockney rebel , and I was recalling Wembley, and how the boys were all singing down on the stations and the tube stations . it was like a football crowd all singing oh dear look what they've done to the blooooze , blooz , blooze ( blues blues blues ) tumbling down , Echoing down the tunnels and Mark piped up ! " I went to that gig , I was there ! So I said yeah that's where I heard your singing then ! Oh and where I lost my Cockney rebel scarf ( I'd bought via the Fan club before I went ! )
I was mortified ! most disgruntled about it, bloody gutted to be honest !
I guess with all the pushing and shoving down on wembley station ( there was thousands spilling out of place ) to the tubes with all the crowds singing Rebel songs like football hooligans , it slipped off never to be seen again !
Ah and being quick on the up take Mark chimes in " I found a scarf that night ! "
Straight away I'm like ! " you didn't ? " did you ? " he's saying " yeah still got it ! It's in my sock and pants draw ! " ask my mum !
So straight away I'm saying , "what colour was it ? "
Marks said
" blue and white! "
" that mine !"
" It's gotta be mine ! "
I'm gob smacked !
He's laughing ! And he's said
" finders keepers " with a big grin .
Well I recon Karen had silently mouthed ( in secret behind my back ) the colours
So I've said " what sort of blue ?"
marks laughing saying turquoise Blue !
Well I'm shouting at him that's mine , it's mine , that's the one , that was the colour of mine !
How could it not be ?
" I lost it !"
"you found it !"
" It's mine".
Well over the years I'd say to him Oi ! trowesdale ! My scarf ! " You know your not the legal owner of it !"
Your only the keeper !
Turns out, on the journey up to Birmingham year before last, I was reminding him , about my lost property !
He was always the joker ! Kept it up for years, he'd take great delight on reminding me he still had this scarf he'd found back in 75-76 down on the wembley line that I'd lost . He'd led me to believe it was my long lost scarf , for years ! he was such a joker !
Well I saw the scarf the night of the Birmingham symphony hall concert in the pub down the road where we all met up !
I did laugh ! That's not blue ! It's not even turquoise blue ! Always the joker he just laughed !
"Deb, don't ever change ! "

Hi, everybody. I just want to say that I am SO SAD that I will not be at the Manchester concert. I just can't swing it as this has been an expensive year with the wedding, honeymoon, buying furniture and lighting for the house, etc. But, I want to hear EVERY DETAIL about it. Is there going to be a get-together after the concert like we did in Birmingham?

Would love to be at the Royal Albert Hall in June, but Scott and I are driving to California in late May for about three weeks. I want to see Steve and the band SO MUCH. I think I heard talk of them doing The Best Years of Our Lives as well as other varied songs in a UK tour next year. I can only hope to see them again. I am DYING that I cannot just come over and hear them play when I want to, but the logistics of planning such a trip is extensive, it has taken me weeks and months of planning in the past. I WILL see Steve play again, there is nothing like it. So absolutely thrilling.

Well, mostly what I want to say is to please fill me in on what happens this weekend in Manchester. I've come to know so many of you as friends and I'll really miss being there. Have a WONDERFUL time. I want to see you again, I just don't know when that will be.

Lots of love,
Cheri

Oh, I forgot to say that I thought Steve was going to go to Norway to a friend's house sometime after the Manchester concert to lay down some tracks for a new CD. Is that still happening??? I see he has some concerts lined up for May, so is he still going to record? The thought of a new album fills me with excitement. I CANT'T WAIT to see what he comes up with next. Anybody have any news on this?

Cheri

Scott just found out that Paul McCartney is going to play in Montana on August 5th in a town called Missoula, which is about 140 miles south of us. Steve, if Paul McCartney can do it, YOU can do it. Please, please, please.

Cheri

Hi Cheri,
Having seen the pictures posted recently of Mark (Phantom) in this thread (is that "Debora's" scarf you are wearing?) I have just spent a good hour or so flicking through the previous messages. I am not at all surprised that he was amongst the many willing to help any strangers coming to town (apologies for the paraphrase) on their first visit to England, not least if their primary purpose was a Steve Harley show or two. I remember meeting many of his friends at the Birmingham Symphony Hall concert, and thoroughly enjoying the show. I went to the Manchester show on 26th April with a friend of mine and both of us were mightily impressed. Fourth time for me but last night on the train home he was still talking about it. Well one less to convert! All power to Steve!
Regards
Alan