Monday 30 September 2013

Good Things Happen

She Loves Me .. A New Rebecca Cother Picture - click for more
Well after the weekend, in some ways today has been apparently full of let downs. But actually those let downs then give way to more good things. I see a lot of sloganeering on Facebook saying that when something that isn't apparently to your advantage happens it's just God (or your favourite supreme entity) making way for the really good stuff to happen.

First of all I had no data signal between Newcastle and Darlington, but that gave me the opportunity to listen to music and read.

Secondly my peace and my table was disturbed by three people alighting at Durham, but we got on like a house on fire and the last part of the journey flew by.

Thirdly power failure closed down the Stand so I missed the Lit & Phil Benefit and my favourite comedian John Scott. That meant a nice meal at Dabbawal with Kirsty and Fiona, whis Juliet could have made it but she has course work to see to.

So today turned out rather well and I thought of this rather wonderful song by Lissie:




Sunday 29 September 2013

I'm In Love With Rebecca Cother......

Well her wonderful paintings and images......

There's a lot of things that I didn't intend to do this wonderful day. Yesterday I visited the Divine Bodies exhibition at The Laing , took some photos which ended up on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Todays CDs
I went to Reflex and ending up buying 9 CDs of 50s and 60s soul and rock. I have a lot of the tracks but the collections looked so good I just had to have them, listening to one of them now. And rather good it is too.

The weather is still fantastic, and I've just remembered I need to design a card for my friends 50th birthday fairly promptly as it's his birthday on Wednesday.





Alan is scared of flying
Anyway  back to the lady in the title of the post. She's an artist as well and started following me on Twitter . I had a quick look at her website on my phone and was instantly enchanted by her wonderful images and paintings. Really they are beautiful and you can just fall in love with them , I challenge you not to. Some are funny, all are inventive and just beautifully presented.




Owl-Vis
I've took this couple of examples from her website which you can visit here, or her facebook page which is here. I just love all these paintings and in our twitter exchanges turned her on to the brilliant Kelly Richardson, who is responsible for som amazing installation art pieces.

I saw her amazing Mariner 9 at Whitley Bay's Spanish City. Anyway I promised Rebecca she'd be the subject of my next post and this is it. Go visit her site , and be as enchanted as I was with her paintings. Have a brilliant day all!!





Another Glorious Day





As I went on about in my last post, summer is still here . We've had a bit of rain but it's still gloriously sunny in Newcastle. I also managed to mow the lawn again and hoover up the leaves, so that was good.

Cat in a Window

A slightly annoying thing is that when posting to blog posts to Facebook (should it have a capital?) , it's stopped including Youtube entries as a preview picture so you are stuck with an annoying selfie of me. I've included a photo of our garden and our neighbour's cat in their bedroom window which tickled me.





My Sunny Back Garden
So I remembered a song called "I'll Follow The Sun", which I'd forgotten was by The Beatles from their Beatles For Sale album, but it's an appropriate song for another gorgeous day.

Everyone enjoy yourselves and finish the weekend with a smile on your faces, because that's what I will do , to be ready for the week ahead.




Saturday 28 September 2013

Summer Means Fun

Kanye West is God?
Well we are getting so much sun that even the doom mongers are admitting we've actually had a good summer, and it's still here. I'm not sure what to do today , probably visit the Lit & Phil to have a cup of tea or coffee and take in the beauty of the building , maybe visit the Laing to see their Divine Bodies exhibition , but just wish I could take photographs, but will make do with just seeing the exhibition.

There are always some amazing thing going on in Newcastle




 Then again I might take the ten minute train journey to Durham and have a look round the cathedral and castle.

One slight down side to the fantastic weather we are having is that I have another lawn mow that needs doing but that is a very small price to pay for all the great weather we are experiencing.

But it is all irrelevant , another brilliant weekend lies ahead, and if you are in Newcastle you can have just as good a time. Wherevere you are have the most brilliant weekend.


Friday 27 September 2013

(not so) SAD



See Serpent #tabletart
No I have nothing to be sad about, but it is amazing how the weather and lack of light and sun SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) can bring on negative thoughts and just bring you down. There are easy ways to combat this, find something, however smal, to just spark a smile. So I got up and did a bit of #tabletart which I published on instagram and hopefully others will like it. It's not going to change the worlsd but already i feel much better for the day ahead.





I'm looking forward to the weekend and sure that lot's of fantastic things will happen. I have to get off to work, so this post will be short, but I will include today's #tabletart picture and I'm sure you can find my others on Facebook and Instagram , and there's only one song to describe my mood at the moment, one of my favourite Rolling Stones' numbers , "Happy"!

Thursday 26 September 2013

I Can Resist Anything But Temptation




Nothing much to speak of today. I'm just wondering how short a post I could get away with writing. I think possibly my first "Hello" post was the shortest one. Today has been one of those days planning stuff for next week , remembering things I need to put in my book and wrestling with various Microsoft products to try and get them to behave reasonably.

Eventually I always succeed , it's just that sometimes you need a different take on things, there are always positives and good things if you look in the right places. It's very easy to find fault , Ibut I find it just as easy to find the good in things. I don't do negatives, leave that to others.

I remember I worked for a while in Manchester and found that there were a lot of people who were only happy when they were miserable! There were still a lot of good people there but the weather wasn't too good but they never had to worry about a hosepipe ban. Anyway this post has now outstripped my first post so is a more that reasonable stopgap on this blog. I need to post a pictures and some music and maybe talking of Manchester it should be a band from there . We recently had John Cooper Clarke, so I think I'll go with my favourite New Order Song "Temptation".

"I can resist anything but Temptation"

Books Are Good
Oscar Wilde

Wednesday 25 September 2013

No New Job

The Wonderful Lit & Phil Interior
..but if you don't keep trying you don't get anywhere. Lot's of positive comments from lot's of nice people. And sometimes just by trying one door another opens for you. I've proved to  myself that I can succeed, I have had some great feedback and discovered that I can express myself to people who matter.

And tonight I decided that I will be going to see my friend John Scott hosting a benefit for the wonderful Newcastle Literary & Philosophical Society  (they're on Facebook here) at The Stand on Monday

This is just a short post to let people know that I didn't get the job, and an excuse to share a picture of the Lit & Phil
and a a bit of John Scott (which is always good for you). Have a great night , or day if you are across the pond

Tuesday 24 September 2013

It's Dark Now ... But The Dawn Will Soon Be Here




The Strypes do make a brilliant wake up call!

 One of the problems in getting up really early (4:30 am today) , is that it's dark and you know in a couple of hours you need to be in work. There's not enough time to go back to sleep (I had six hours which is enough for me) so you sort of are awake and wanting to do things.

The Sun Will Rise
My minds abuzz with thoughts and ideas and I'm looking forward to my my train journey south. I still need to take drugs and stuff, but it means I can do things at a leisurely pace instead of rushing around.

I can be sure everything will be on time and work perfectly for me, and I have a small but very interesting problem to solve at work. It's one of those things that's annoying and boring, but I want to get my head round it and understand what is happening.

These are the sort of things that keep us thinking and stop life from being boring. Yes it's a challenge , and yes I will find a solution , but at the moment I am still trying to work things out.

I also need to devote some more time to my book in order to get it up to maybe 10K words a week. Because I work during the day I am going to have to restructure my none work time , but ,that's life. It's what we all do.

I also have to prepare an answer for some anti Barack Obama people (this isn't work) but it is amazing how people pluck figures out of the air and wave them around like it's actually true. There are some figures for you here.

Anyway, feeling very positive about today , so you all go out and enjoy yourself, I know I am going to.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Good Day Sunshine




Well I've had an amazing couple of days and expecting more to come. Woke up this morning to sunshine and blue skies.

Written a bit more of my book , although Microsoft Word is being totally annoying as ever , doing things you don't want it to and then not doing things you do want it to, but a side benefit of this is that I'll probably be able to actually use Microsoft Word by the time I'm ready to publish. That's an amazing thing to be able to say , because you can e-publish you dont have to think about print runs or things like that, you just need a typing package that works and away you go. The only worry for me is the proof reading / editing of it , and maybe someone saying - it'll never sell , but in my life many times people have told me I'm wrong , but I went with my feelings and proved them wrong. I am very open to constructive criticism , but if someone tells me I'm wrong they need to be able to back it up with hard facts and 99% of of the time they can't or won't.

Anyway it's looking to be a great Sunday , Preston North End have had a brilliant start to the season and the team is looking good, have a concert from some up and coming bands (The Wave Pictures)  at The Cluny tomorrow, although I still can't find any signs of the fantastic pillow case / tote bag tioting Japanese Noiseniks - Xaviers - who I say supporting Wire last week. Three of the nicest guys you could meet , real long hairs , and I didn't get a photograph . So wish I had.


Anyway an appropriate song for you (or rather me) from The Beatles . This is my favourite Beatles track of all time. All of you have a totally brilliant day. Love you all.

Saturday 21 September 2013

A Brilliant Time in The High Bridge Quarter

Street Food Stalls
Another great High Bridge Quarter Festival today. Lots off food stalls with cupcakes from Sweet Petite Cupcakery , coffee from the Ouseburn Coffee Co , Pies and Chili Vinegar from The Red House , as well as food from Dabba Wal. So the setting was good from the off. The weather kept nice and there were some excellent records played by the DJs.

There were so many food options, I couldn't decide which one to try and ended up not eating anything, though got some things for later on , but we had Jamaica , Italy , England , India, Mexico and The USA all represented in one way or another,. Burgers , Curries , Gumbos , Jambalaya , Cupcakes and much much more.



RPM - Record Player Mecca!!

It was RPM's 25th Anniversary and they laid on free cake as well as knocking 25% off CDs for the day , which I took advantage of with the new Bill Callahan and Factory Floor albums. So the atmosphere was excellent , even The Beehive had tables outside for Al Fresco drinking!





Some Sweet Cup Cakery
The only band I caught were the excellent Transfigure , and I chatted with Grace after the set , a very nice young lady and a more than decent singer.


I sampled bits of the food and succumbed to some Carrot Cake from Cupcakery which I posted on my instagram feed here. The Carrot Cake was very nice and a great finish to an absolutely brilliant day.

Friday 20 September 2013

An Amazing Day



Wasn't sure what today would bring. I'm certainly a little tired after a 600 mile round trip, but feeling good and buoyed by good news about good friends and being inspired by some great TED talks. I have finished up with a head ache , but that's not really surprising.

No Reason For This Being Here
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's High Bridge Festival for music and street food, then I have another gig on Monday as well as getting involved with a patient focus group.

One of the TED talks was the Peacejam one , watch it love the story about Desmond Tutu when he married them and and the MC5 Manifesto mission statement.

Anyway quite tired , thanks for all your good wishes.

Thursday 19 September 2013

There's Always Something New - Like IOS7



Just had a phone call asking me to be part of a Patients Focus Group for my doctor's surgery, I've agreed to it but going to have to fit the first meeting in between work and a concert.

I got my IOS7 this morning and not impressed so far. Icons look rubbish and first TED talk failed. Download worked OK , but hate new pin lock on it. Still I will get used to it, whether it's Apple , Android or Windows you are locked into their system.

But this, in theory gives us new places to explore and visit , and maybe there will be new frustrations but there will be great things to discover. Though still think the new Icons look horrible.

On the plus side the sun is shining again, and I'm still buzzing after last night's Wire gig , plus there's another gig on Monday. Chapter one of my book is coming along .

So I have my suit out , shirt ironed , tie put aside for tomorrow's interview. I sure tomorrow will be an eventful and successful day for me , and looking forward to it.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Inspiration Comes From The Oddest Sources

My Bedside Book Pile
Although today's source of inspiration is actually probably quite a normal source of inspiration. On of the reasons I write this blog is the hope that one day it will provide me with the idea to actually write a book. Well in six years the inspiration hasn't come , although it has kept my hand in putting pen to paper , or rather fingers to keys.

Anyway beside my bed is a pile of books which one day I should get round to reading. One of the books was "The Ode Less Travelled" Stephen Fry's book on poetry. Within a couple of pages I saw the obvious subject for what could be my book . No it isn't poetry , and while I've written a few songs , a book of my poetry would be a complete no go, though I have a few Felix Dennis volumes in my collection - but is one of the few super rich people I have time for , along with Richard Branson and Chris Blackwell.

Anyway my book has a title and the first chapter is underway , I know how it will end , and know big chunks of what will happen between start and finish.  Once I'm finished I have at least two literary friends who can advise about proof reading , editing , and will tell me if it's rubbish or not.

So it's a case of watch this space. I've downloaded the Amazon Self Publishing kit , but the main thing is the inspiration has finally hit.

A Brand New Day - I Will Tell You Nothing


It's 6:30 am and today has the potential to be a disaster , but let's face it so do most days and they usually turn out to be good. I feel I'm jumping in a the deep end with something that HAS to be done and the sooner I get into it the better. Unfortunately I can't say what it's about but I know you will all send me your best wishes and I know I will come out of the other end probably battered but intact.

I do find it amazing that I can write about something giving no indication what's it's about , but shall we say it's as necessary and annoying as filling in a tax return. So it's not anything like last week's ECG thing.

Anyway because I've told you nothing I'm going to include The great John Cooper Clarke's poem "Nothing" as a YouTube clip and as text: Enjoy:

Nothing by John Cooper-Clarke

"Something is but nothing
Something it is not
Nil plus nil is nothing
Nothings what I got
Nothing on the tele
Nothing going on
Nothing to get worked up about
Nothing by the ton
Nothing times a million
Nothing minus ten
Don't say nothing to no one
It's nothing to do with them
Come all the way from nowhere
And now I'm nowhere else
Where nothing is out of place
No one lives
And nothing smells
Talking to no one
It's like talking to the wall
I give you what I get
I give you bugger all"

Monday 16 September 2013

You're My Inspiration

It's funny at the moment I feel the need to write. I still haven't come up with an idea for a book but obviously people are enjoying , or at least looking at what I'm putting down. While I know one or two of you are checking this out from things you have said to me , I also realise that there are quite a few others following this.



Today I was coming home from work and decided on a TED talk about the New Yorker catoons by Bob Mankoff. I'd not heard of him before , but he is one of the many intelligent denizends of the USA and very funny with it too. This is the talk and it is well worth twenty minutes out of your day if you haven't already seen it.




I do find it amazing that even though I didn't know what I was going to write about this talk made me put the words down. The thing I like about it is now , this will effectively be here forever and gives both me and Bob a sort of immortality bestowing God like status on both of us so to speak, except he is the talented one.




But really thanks for reading , love hearing from you all and have a great day and night, whichever part of this world you are in.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Beautiful Tits and The Vagaries of The English Language

A friend this morning liked a Facebook Group with that name , and I immediately thought it was a clever reverse double entendre for a page with pictures of birds. Well I was right , it was a page about birds , but there was no clever reverse double entendre applied. You can find the page if you look for it on Facebook. And it got me thinking just about the vagaries and rich tapestry that is the English Languages. By the way if you search for the phrase in Google you don't get pictures like the one below!

Beautiful Tits
I read a lot , and since the times of  Chaucer , Shakespeare who both used euphenisms and double entendres in their work. English folk songs are notorious. Let me tell you "The Bonny Black Hare" is not about an over-sized rabbit, although these days the use of the word rabbit takes you right back in there so to speak! And all the classical talk of swords and sheaths , well you know what that means.

Anyway thought I'd include the Reduced Shakespeare Company's Othello Rap which starts with a mis interpretation of the word "moor",another thread in the rich fabric that is our language. It's also very funny.

Rain Is Good



It's raining again, but only to be expected at this time of year. Maybe I should have mowed the lawn yesterday , but not to worry.

I'm almost shocked at the amount of good music around , if you want new stuff there's the excellent band from Northern Ireland The Strypes who are still under 17 , while at the other end of the age spectrum Yoko Ono has a brilliant new album out . Add to that new offerings from Franz Ferdinand, Janelle MonaeManic Street Preachers , Bill Callahan , Elvis Costello and The Roots, and many many more the music scene seems to be thriving. And next week I am going to see Wire for the first time in my life. You can find all of these on Youtube and Amazon or just go and see them if you get a chance.

Another success is that I finally manage to export a piece I'd put together in Garageband that I'd originally meant as an accompaniment for a World Book Night montage , but forgot about it and used some random Anthony Gormley images as well as the odd skyline. But it's nothing special , it just means now I can actually use Garageband as a studio now about 15 moths after gettin all the relevant bits and pieces.

So enjoy the rain , enjoy your day and enjoy your music.

Saturday 14 September 2013

Don't Dream It's Over



Nothing deep , but woke this morning to blue skies and sunshine , and it's the weekend, how good is that. It just shows everyone had decided that summer was over and the sunshine has just returned to lift our spirits once more. For some reason the Crowded House song "Don't Dream It's Over" came to mind ,  and they are a wonderful antipodean band who I've loved ever since I first saw the Finn brothers in the wonderful Split Enz.

So today will be spent, enjoying myself taking in the sun , finding good things to enjoy and maybe taking a few photographs if the sky gets blue enough , which I am sure it will . I hope everyone has an absolutely brilliant weekend.

Oh I also need to practice a few more songs using more complex chords , which if they turn out good , I will post on Youtube. Have a wonderful day.

Friday 13 September 2013

Fighting With My Left Hand:It's Alright Ma ... It's Only Severe Nerve Damage


...which may sound negative , but on fact it's actually very positive. The human body has a remarkable ability to just mend itself, in fact your body is continually repairing itself and you don't actually realise it. I learned that from my first brush with ITP when Juliet and Kirsty were around 4 and 2 and I was really frightened that I wouldn't see the grow up. When I was shaving and cut myself , the bleeding didn't stop , so I had to let a beard grow! Don't think the girls remember , but they were amused by it , that was around 1986.

Well I recorded me messing about on the bass, and I am trying to play some proper chords on the acoustic guitar. Electric is not an option to youtube unless I think of an instrumental to do. The thinkg is I still can't get Garageband to export a composition to iTunes, but I can record video as you can see above. The song is an extremely simple Neil Young composition "Love Is A Rose". Now this isn't about showing off or anything , it's just that a couple of months ago I couldn't hold a plate or turn a key with my left hand, now , with difficulty I can master a basic "G" chord. I've just used G,A and D and missed out the fancy bits , but I my hand is very slowly getting better.

So all in all things are improving , and the future is looking bright 


Don't Worry .. Be Happy


Just a short post today , but I'm quite surprised that I'm getting 50 views of the page and comments from unexpected sources , all positive. Hope you are all enjoying these.

There's only one song , obviously , the totally happy Bobby McFerrin number "Don't Worry, Be Happy". Well today we have rain , the weather is overcast , people are saying summer is over , but it can always be summer in your heart. The rain waters the gardens and plants which can feed is or give us something enjoyable to look at. That just reminds me of a wonderful TED talk about a guerrilla gardener in LA. I'm including it here. Watch it - it is inspirational and uplifting and may give you some ideas!!:


 
 
Anyway the weekend is here, and if you can bring your sunshine to others , spread the happiness, help others and feel good. Enjoy yourself and if you see me say hello !

Thursday 12 September 2013

Be Nice



The Second Coming
Last year I read a book called The Second Coming by John Niven , which posited that Jesus had to come back and win X-Factor to save the world . It's a great book, funny but with a lot of serious points to make, and worth a read by anyone.


When he came back Jesus had a simple mission statement "Be Nice":


It's easy to do that , generally you can be nice to people , smile , talk with people , offer help , accept help , give and take encouragement. It's easy to do.



There are situations which will test this, and yes they are sometimes exasperating to deal with , but by always keeping positive you will find the strength to get you through.

One thing I've found with Facebook is that I have made some fantastic friends from unexpected places and walks of life who have pointed me in good directions.

So I live my life to never regret anything , never to put off anything you can do , especially if it's talking and meeting friends and loved ones, always look for the positives - it makes life interesting and fun, and be yourself.

So please go out today and "Be Nice" , it will make you and someone elses day much, much better.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Another Fine Day ... A Week til Wire



No reason for thinking it's going to be particularly fine apart from the fact that I am feeling particularly happy. That comes from having certain things confirmed and that allows you to take control of things. Added to that I'm going to see my youngest daughter for the third time in a week at Starbucks (that must be some kind of record for recent years) , and in a weeks time I am going to see one of my all time favourite bands Wire and The Cluny in Newcastle.

So really this is just a diary entry, yes I have to go to work and do the mundane stuff , but I will be reading , maybe watching a TED talk or a downloaded Channel 4 program (Blackout) , have coffee and porrige when I get to work (unless they have sold out then I need to go for the fall back bacon sandwich , or god forbid sausage sandwich) , who knows what the day will bring. But I am going to make sure it is good.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

What Happened Today - The Clash, Electric Shocks, Fighting With My Left Hand Again (and Winning)



Before I tell you what's happened it's all fine.

Basically I have had about an hour of increasingly sever electric shocks put through both arms . The doc laughed when I told it was like grabbing an electric fence when you were a kid. He told me he used to do that but stopped when people started looking at him as though he were weird . "Why would you want to grab hold of an electric fence? they would ask" . The answer is to prove that you weren't soft , however when someone asks that question it becomes rhetorical.

Anyway I told him that I knew how to do chords on a guitar and it turned out that he had played cello since he was six , and said there's so way he could switch from left to right hand. I said like Jimi Hendrix could, ah but he was special came back the reply. All the while I 'm getting increasingly severe pulsing electric shocks , giving a mind boggling display on a biggish display , to which the doc annotated highs, lows and means. Although I still couldn't see where this was going, it was interesting, and I was trying to make sense of it. While chatting he was asking what instruments I could play , told I could make noise on electric and acoustic guitars and mandolin, but could play bass with just three fingers! He told me he had a friend who had designed and built his own mandolin!

Conversation then turned to to The Clash , and I mentioned the new Sound System Box set. Turned out one of the guy's previous patients was a friend of Joe Strummer who used to come it and visit her, which resulted in the doc getting a copy of the first Mescaleros album from Joe which he has to this day. We were talking for ages about the Clash and I told him my favourites and he told me his , White Riot , Train in Vain , White Man In Hammersmith Palais and Clampdown all surface and we agreed on the brilliance of the London's Calling album.

Anyway the prognosis is I have bad nerve damage around elbow on right arm , and sever nerve damage on left arm , as well as mild carpal tunnel syndrome on both hands. So I need to do more of what I'm doing , may have to form a band to get some real left hand exercise. The damage is caused by pressure on the elbows, so if you see me resting on my elbows shout at me. Going have sort something with doctor to see what happens next. Need to get some neoprene elbow protectors to force me not to damage my elbows. The human body is good at repairing itself so in theory I might get away without surgery.

The main thing is I know what the problem is , I can start doing something about it now , and its not anything that is life of any part of body threatening . I was worried that they might find something worse , or even nothing, so that , in my opinion is good news so now I can get on with doing something.


I've Got A Feeling .......


There can only be one song for this . Of to hospital as soon as I've posted this, I've been in for much worse and intrusive things than what will happen today , although in theory (and hopefully) it will result in the need for corrective surgery. The NHS is brilliant bar the odd pedantic nurse and obstructive receptionist , but they are so few and far between it doesn't matter to me. I expect, and 99% of the time, get excellent treatment and service in the NHS.

The weather is fine so will probably get the bus and take a walk over Leazes Park , then to negotiate the labyrinth that is the RVI. Have I given myself enough time? We shall see. Have a great day everyone.

Monday 9 September 2013

Relax - I Can Tell You Don't Love Me No More All Through The City


Well that's what I intend to do before hospital tomorrow. I have a certain amouth of trepidation , like what if it's not just a trapped nerve? But that's the whole point of going in for these things , if it's good news then that's a relief and if it's something else it means you can take the appropriate action whatever that may be. I have know people who would not go to the doctors in case they got bad news!! For the reasons above you just HAVE to go.

We are so lucky in this country to have the NHS which means you don't have to worry about health insurance or paying for care. It is a treasure we should jealously guard. I am going tomorrow , hoping and expecting I will be fixed , not wondering if I can afford it. It will be a pleasant experience , I have many friends who work in the NHS and would trust them with anyone i their hands.

There is a huge amount of lies and scaremongering , and they should be subject to the highest scrutiny before being believed.

Anyway that's enough serious stuff as I say I want to relax tonight , just need to find a way to do it !! Maybe some Dr Feelgood , Wilko Johnson is my all time guitar hero ..... two of my favourite songs ....... "I Can Tell You Don't Love Me No More .... All Through The City"

Sunday 8 September 2013

The Rain Has Gone - The Sun Is Back - Fighting With My Left Hand Part Whatever



We had the rain on Friday , the sun was back yesterday and this morning is shaping up to be good , too. Blue cloudless sky , which may make it initially cold cold but still it looks very nice outside.

During the week I managed to play G and C chords almost , and recorded me playing Ian Prowse's "Does This Train Stop On Merseyside" for a Youtube post. I wasn't happy with it, but do intend to post if I get a vaguely acceptable cut. The song is very easy to play, just the chords D, Am G and C played in repetition with it's 3 minute story of Liverpool. I've posted various Ian Prowse videos before , but will include the documentary on this post.

The song is John Peel's second favourite about Liverpool and has been covered by Christy Moore. I don't disagree with Mr Ravenscroft.

Anyway on Tuesday I am in hospital for an EMG session which will hopefully establish that I have a trapped nerve and that will account for what happened to my left hand and the muscle wastage and stuff. The session will take up to an hour but obviously there's all the getting there , waiting about and questions and form filling that goes with it. So  on Tuesday I expect to have some good news.

Saturday 7 September 2013

A Day Of Rain


Well yesterday was overcast and very very wet, and some people were saying well that's the end of the summer, winter's here , implying that it was all misery doom and gloom from now on. As I walked out of Darlington Station a guy was walking up wearing only a shirt, no jacket and no umbrella , and I thought why his is only wearing a shirt , when really I should have been admiring his optimism. Although he my have just not been prepared , but I like to go with the optimistic view,

On Thursday I mowed my lawn , saw the lawn and garden got a good watering, and it definitely was not walking out weather unless you had at least an umbrella. It's still warm here, and it's four in the morning , I've had six hours sleep , and the rain has finally stopped . There was a serious amount coming down last night.

We shall see what the weekend brings, but after a brilliant but hard week at work, it will be nice to relax with may a nip out somewhere to relax even more.

I'm just writing this because I realise that I should actually still be asleep for another three or four hours, although I am feeling absolutely great. Still buzzing from my doctors visit on Thursday for my diabetic catch up where she was so pleased with what's happening to me . I'm just feeling good and I love the rain as musch as the sun , because you need both in your life.

The song is John Fogerty with Bruce Springsteen performing one his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs, which I've loved since I first heard it in the seventies.

Now , I might go back to bed, I know that's where you are .

Friday 6 September 2013

Some Thoughts On Diabetes and Five Dollar Shakes

Five Dollar Shake from The Stateside Diner
Diabetes is a condition that effectively forces you to live your life as you are supposed to, eating and drinking in moderation and taking exercise. 

When you gave it you made have to take supplements in the form of tablets or injections.  People have said to me they could never inject, they'd rather die. Well that is your alternative. I do have a phobia about needles because they can hurt a bit and I'm not that much into pain. I inject 5 times a day. Sir Steven Redgrave does seven times a day. It's as easy as eating a sweet. The odd time you will catch a nerve but it's like stubbing a toe

It amazes me that there are diabetic jams and chocolates still on the market  they taste horrible. Just go for the real thing because they taste good and really appreciate.

On thing my brilliant doctor once said is that alcohol is the purest form of sugar so ideally cut it out. But if you want a drink just really appreciate it and don't get wrecked. Throughout my diabetes I have had two doctors , the first guy was great but went to Australia. I trusted him so much I let him do my vasectomy. 
My current doctor is a lively lady who combines her work with raising a family and is brilliant positive , always coming up with suggestions and really look forward to seeing her.

Living with diabetes is also about building a good support group,  lots of people want you to fall off the path, maybe not out of malice,  but even when you say no they keep trying to push you towards having cake, chocolate or alcohol. This is something you have to deal with as you see fit.

I'm actually writing this on my phone so hope I get a signal to upload and publish it

It's taken years for me to get somewhere near understanding what diabetes actually is , and for the first tine since getting it I actually feel in control  of it. There could be a number of reasons for this and I still need to confirm what it is, but a very positive mental attitude is help no end and when good things happen you tend to take actions that will cause more good things to happen.

This may not work for everyone but it seems to be working for me.  Another brilliant day lies ahead. Everyone have a fantastic one.

Oh and the picture is of a five dollar shake from the Stateside Diner. I can enjoy them because I treat myself once in a while.

Thursday 5 September 2013

...and the weather's good

 
 
It's into September and the weather is still excellent . We have had the best summer for a very very long time . We've had the odd storm , but that just meant I didn't have to water the garden , which is always a bonus. Most of the rain has come overnight, while during the day we have had bright sunshine. Every outdoor music event I have been to has enjoyed brilliant sunshine.

I have a Facebook group called For Everything That Happens In My Life Theres A Song and often songs come into your mind that you just associate with people.  Music really touches us on so many levels that you don't really think about it, there's probably some people that I associate aggressive or bad feeling s with but I would say 99% are good.

And I wonder what songs people will associate with me ? Probably the one one above (Li'l Devil by Spoon) , which I still think is better than The Cult's version , but then I have a vested interest in it. Also so glad in this digital age that that effectively stuff now lasts forever and is not subject to the deterioration of vinyl and cassette tape.

Have a wonderful day

Wednesday 4 September 2013

Morning Has Broken


Well autumn is here and the mornings are a little darker. The big benefit of this is that you get to see the sunrise , and that is something that lifts my heart everyday. After the dark the light always comes , some people attribute it to God and some to Nature , it does not matter enjoy the spectacle that is presented to you. It is a fantastic way to start the day as that big orange ball climbs the heavens and lights up our world bringing warmth and sunshine to everyone.

Paddington Flare

Fenham
I always love trying to get photographs of the sun , which you are never supposed to do as it can obviously damage your eyes if you are not careful , and the effects on cameras that the sun has is sometimes amazing. If you look through my Instagram galleries  and Weather gallery on Facebook there will be some. I'm sure there will be many many more.


Anyway , time to get ready for work and see what good things this day brings , and have Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens as was) as my song post.

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Happy Days



Another gorgeous red sky this morning after the ones last night . Is that a good or a bad thing. I can't say I really care because it's going to be a good day.  If it rains you don't have to water your garden , if the sun shines you just feel better anyway.

Me Then
Me Now
This morning my arms aren't aching as much despite another session on the Wii last night and I'm am feeling a lot better in myself , especially as I can now fit into a T-Shirt my daughter Kirsty bought me many years back , but was unable to wear without looking like Matt Lucas' Last Gay in the Village!






Anyway have a job application to complete , work to do , and need to get myself out the house. I've wasted loads of time this morning because I made the mistake of thinking that transferring photographs from my iPad to my PC via the iCloud Photostream wuld be simple. Yes I could see the photos , I could delete them , I could share them with people , I could make them public but I couldnt actually open them or copy them !! Thank you intuitive Apple . You know on Windows we have this thing called drag and drop. It is simple , intuitive and works.

That's my Apple rant over and for some reason the wonderful Television song Days came into my head!!


Monday 2 September 2013

NIce Things Come Unexpectedly



Today a friend told me that they really enjoyed reading my blog even though often they were not sure about some of the words I use. That may be really pleased and gave me a warm feeling inside. Sometimes i am not sure what to write about but I always try and put down the good things that happen and that is one of them. I know they will read this and know who they are and really  I need to think of some obscure words to use , but I am no William Shakespeare. Or even William Shagspear

Anyway such wordsmithery is probably beyond my ken or ability , so you will have to put up with the mundanity of my everyday life. Today I applied for a new job , based on the title , then read the job description and realised it was completely the wrong job. A word with a friend and we both searched the jobs list and couldn't find the job I was looking for, well it was there , just the title wasn't exactly what I expected . Anyway tomorrow I will be applying and hopefully will be successful.

Also pleased that I can fit into a Large T Shirt my youngest daughter bought me a few years back . I will take a photograph tomorrow and post it, although I managed to forget to take my drugs tonight , so ended up taking them late so loaded up with my new lower dose of insulin.

So for the music for this post I think the Othello Rap by the Reduced Shakespeare Company would be appropriate .

Month Nine

 
 
Two days into the ninth month and the weather is still very windy. September was originally the seventh month in the ten month roman calendar. September begins on the same day of the week as December every year, because there are 91 days separating September and December, which is a multiple of seven (the number of days in the week). No other month ends on the same day of the week as September in any year. Apparently it's also the sixth moth of the astrological calendar, but you how based in reality that is.

My arms are still hurting from my new non exercise regime , but weight is still coming down at a reasonable rate, The thing is as you weight comes down you start to do more and eat less so it becomes a self fulfilling cycly . I think. I only say this because at other times in my life it hasnt worked , this seems to be working.

 Also the heating has now gone on for this year as it is getting a little nippy. There's still blue skies outside which is good. Just seed some pretty clouds blowing pretty quickly across the blue sky so Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell is a good choice for today.


Sunday 1 September 2013

Windpower , Websites and The Fight with My Left Hand




The winds been blowing all through the night , wasn't sure if it was raining . September has blown in , the ninth month of the year is here for us. Woke up this morning aching all over, that'll teach me to to boxing on the Nintendo Wii !! Love all the stories about the complaints they got when it first came out . It's called exercise !!

Well another interesting week ahead , and I finally have got an appointment with a neurologist to see if I can sort out the potential trapped nerve in my left hand. It was funny when a similar thing happened ten years ago , I thought it was a trapped nerve and it was probably a stroke, this time they though it may have been a stroke , well TIA , and it's probably a trapped nerve , which is good because hopefully they can do something about it and I will be able to use the little finger on my left hand normally again.

Song of the Salesman Page Views Over The Years
Also found out that my website has had 26 million page views according to my hosts , Brinkster.  That' about four times what I thought it was , wish it translated into financial reward, but the website was just set up so I could bluff my way through .NET to get a job when I was made redundant at the turn of the millennium.

Also for the first time in ages going to apply for a new job , in the same company , so if anyone sees this it won't come as any surprise. I actually like what I do and love the people I work with but sometimes it's good to see if you can do something else.

Anyway , I was originally going to post Thomas Dolby's Windpower , but then the wonderful boxing song "No Mercy" by Nils Lofgren came into my head , so that get's my vote this morning.