{"id":729915,"date":"2026-06-27T21:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/729915\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T21:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T21:19:12","slug":"tim-dowling-after-35-years-in-the-uk-im-still-getting-lost-in-translation-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/729915\/","title":{"rendered":"Tim Dowling: After 35 years in the UK, I\u2019m still getting lost in translation | Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

The band I\u2019m in is cruising to the end of its tour, with two nights at Victoria Hall in Settle, headlining a weekend festival. The weather on the drive up from Manchester is unpromising, but by the time we reach Settle the sun is out, the festival already under way.<\/p>\n

Touring has been hard on our stuff. In the green room people are changing strings and swapping out faulty cables. Wives \u2013 not mine; she\u2019s not coming until the next day \u2013 begin to arrive by train.<\/p>\n

Performing some idle calculations in my head, it occurs to me that, with the arriving wives, the late-night convoy heading to our accommodation \u2013 a Travelodge 30 miles away \u2013 will contain one more passenger than there are seats. I think: just don\u2019t let that passenger be you.<\/p>\n

double quotation markI run up to the dressing room to collect my overnight bag, but it\u2019s not there. I run back down to the stage to search the wings. Nothing<\/p>\n

When I raise the subject with the drummer, he lists band members and wives while counting down available seats on his fingers, until he\u2019s holding up two closed fists.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t forgotten anyone, have I?\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d he says. \u201cDon\u2019t worry, we\u2019ll work it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

I try not to worry as I watch the other musicians perform, including Amber Lilly<\/a>, a singer-songwriter who shared a\u00a0bill with us last year. But even as our own set begins, I\u2019m still wondering how to avoid getting left behind.<\/p>\n

By the end of the night nothing has\u00a0been worked out except the identity of the unseated passenger: me. In a panic, I approach the festival\u00a0organiser, who is talking to\u00a0Amber Lilly, and explain the problem. I only get part way through my story when Amber Lilly interrupts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can give you a lift,\u201d she says, pointing to her partner, who is holding some car keys and wearing an expression of surprise unmodulated by enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going that way anyway,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be quick,\u201d I say. \u201cThank you!\u201d<\/p>\n

I run up to the dressing room to collect my overnight bag, but it\u2019s not there. I run back down to the stage to search the wings. Nothing. I consider the possibility that I left it in Manchester.<\/p>\n

I run upstairs again, and downstairs again, all the while thinking: you promised to be quick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d says the drummer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy bag,\u201d I say. \u201cI\u2019m sure I had it this afternoon.\u201d But I\u2019m no longer sure\u00a0of anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat does it look like?\u201d says Amber Lilly, letting her eyes fall on the array of overnight bags waiting at the foot of the stage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s, you know,\u201d I say. \u201cA valise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone turns to look at me.<\/p>\n

\u201cA valise?\u201d says the drummer. The stage crew, busy coiling cables, snigger.<\/p>\n

What I mean is: a soft bag with a top like a peaked roof, and a handle either side. My wife gave it to me for Christmas. I\u2019ve never had to describe it before.<\/p>\n

\u201cValise,\u201d I say, my face colouring. \u201cLook it up.\u201d Thirty-five years I\u2019ve lived in this country, and one slip can still make me feel like a foreigner.<\/p>\n

double quotation markWhile I\u2019m searching behind the stage curtains, the guitarist walks in with my bag. Evidently I\u2019d left it in a car. \u2018We found your valise!\u2019 someone yells. The room erupts<\/p>\n

\u201cHow big is your valise?\u201d says Amber Lilly. Everyone laughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s valise-sized,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

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While I\u2019m searching behind the stage curtains, the guitarist walks in with my bag. Evidently I\u2019d left it in a\u00a0car. People shout my name.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe found your valise!\u201d someone yells. The room erupts.<\/p>\n

I take my bag and show it to Amber Lilly\u2019s partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you call one of these in your language?\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cA holdall,\u201d he says. \u201cBecause it literally holds all,\u201d he says. I look down\u00a0at my bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt literally doesn\u2019t,\u201d I say. Then I\u00a0think: shut up; he\u2019s giving you a lift.<\/p>\n

I also think: I wish my wife was here. She would understand what a setback this episode constitutes for me.<\/p>\n

When I tell her the next day, she also laughs, but she gets it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been using holdall as a\u00a0synonym for duffel bag,\u201d I say. \u201cAll\u00a0these years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019re not wrong,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut mine\u2019s not a duffel bag,\u201d I say, \u201cIt\u2019s more structured, with a peak.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a Gladstone bag,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was never going to come up with that,\u201d I say.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr maybe a grip,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just thankful I didn\u2019t say portmanteau,\u201d I say. \u201cThey\u2019d still be\u00a0laughing.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that conversation is 12 hours hence: I\u2019m still in the backseat of Amber Lilly\u2019s car, following the band\u2019s van twice round a\u00a0roundabout outside Skipton, until a\u00a0Travelodge finally presents itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much for this,\u201d I say, opening the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget your valise,\u201d says Amber Lilly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The band I\u2019m in is cruising to the end of its tour, with two nights at Victoria Hall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[236,88],"class_list":["post-729915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}