The Village Idiot a.k.a Dennis Whitfield

Dennis Whitfield

The Village Idiot

Born 28-03-1952 Wimborne, Dorset

Married to Pam on 08-04-1972

Kids:- Tim 33 years & Emma 30 years.

Lived Ringwood since 1953

Enjoyed the sixties in the town with all the cafe’s and  coffee shop’s and what seemed like long summer days. Hooked up with a couple of good friends around that time and still keep in touch today. Worked in a small electrical retailers for 4 years before getting married and bought my first hi-fi for £26-10-00p from Alan Rouse. Met a young girl (called Pammy NOT the one I married in the end) and she bought me my very first LP. Aretha Franklin ‘Queen of Soul’. Still one of my favorites.

First concert I went to was a multi group gig from the Chrysalis stable. Jethro Tull, Ten Years After & Savoy Brown. Always remember that Ian Anderson stopped the set mid-way and told the usher to return the camera he’d taken from a guy and then they would start playing again. The guy got his camera and we enjoyed the rest of the evening. That was at Southampton Guildhall in 1967! With Paul (Nunk) Nourish. Talking of concerts. Best small gig was Genesis around 1983-ish at the Southampton Gaumont. Best big gig was Paul McCartney in the Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida 1993. To hear 45,000 people singing Beatles songs. Amazing. Have seen just about all the ‘big’ groups from Tull, Yes, Floyd, ELP, Sky, Genesis, Santana, BB King, John Mayall, Clapton and then some others like The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Natalie Cole & more recently David Gates from Bread. ( It’s not that strange really as I like anything that is done WELL.)

You know the stuff we did together!?! Don’t forget the ‘Cider with Rosie’ thing we did for Ringwood Carnival with Pam Baggilly

The photography thing started out at F1 motor racing and wildlife and now consists of all manner of stuff. Pubs and Ringwood before they knock it down included.

The address I sent must give you an indication of a favorite book as Rivendell is ‘the last homely house’ in The Fellowship of the Ring. That’s what we like to think of home as.

Village Idiot:

Born from a comment a work colleague said some 6 years ago. Something like ‘are you a complete village idiot’ Well of course at that time a was still green and in training!

Not married as being an Idiot precludes me from remembering anything so the marriage ceremony was beyond me. Also WHO do I marry. Someone has got to pick them for me. AND what do I do when I’m married. Is it like quarried, and digging big holes. Some of me mates talk  and say things like ‘and I said to her indoors yes dear and that were wrong so I says NO dear and that were wrong’ and then they says ‘I was just digging a big hole for myself’?? So I dunno what tis all about.

Lived in the Village all the time that I can mind. Had a cottage out at Bisterne for a while but had to move coz the tractor ran out of petrol and we had no garages to fill up so I had no way of getting to work or the PUB.

Love watching Wurzel Gummage on the b&w tv and listening to Adge Cutler & the Wurzels on me wind-up gramophone. Favourite song is ‘I got a Brand New Combine Harvester’ They don’t write them like that anymore. Loves to watch the old Morris Dancers. All them bells and smacking of sticks makes me thirsty!

Likes a tipple or two. New Forest cider is pretty good but Ringwood Brewery ‘Old Thumper’ is the stuff for falling over with.

Cant get me head round all this modern technology. iPods, camera phones?? Micro-wave’s. What’s that all about? Micro? I remembers micro skirts but I cant mind WHY!?

Best friend is Roger the Roe deer. He watches me when I’m working in the fields. No bugger wants to talk to me because I cant remember who I’m supposed to be talking too! So Roger and I have these quiet moments together when I stops for me lunch of cheese sandwiches. Lives alone in the shed of the ‘big house’ I works for. The mice tend to be a bit small and scamper about making noise at night but I don’t need to sleep since I got bit by a bat! Has to wear sunglasses a lot now and a hat.