Not Getting Art and Music

I can't believe it's a week since my last post, it's amazing how time can just fly away. I had my annual diabetic review on Monday thinking I had done OK having lost 6Kg , reduced my insulin intake by 30% and improved my three month blood sugar reading (H1C ? ) , the consultant was unusual in that they seemed to want to find something to berate me so told me I was still overweight and if I hadn't reduced my nsulin the my H1C might have been better. How motiovational is that?

Part of the reason for the improvement is my Million Step Challenge , and general walking . I'm at 850K so am going to hit my target, and when I've completed it I will set a target of 350K a month for the future.

I've also got problems with drains so that may be an insurance claims as it may be a rogue tree root that's the cause of the problem. Again that takes time out of your day to sort out.

Yesterday morning on my walk to work the music that came on was Van Der Graaf Generator "Mr Sands" and "Splinter" , plus Peter Hamill's "Gaia" and Genesis' "Harlequin" not exactly inspirational listening but better that Radio One and it wasn't exactly lifting my mood, then walking down Barrack Road Half Man Half Biscuit's "Eno Collaboration" from "Voyage To The Bottom of the Road"came on. That did lift my mood and really set me up for the day.

Fur lunch I sampled some Thai Potato at Wildflower and I am really tempted to to have it again today. The day went well.

After work I visited "You’re Reading Into It: Queering Contemporary Minimalism"at Art Event at VANE which I didn't even know existed, curated by Oliver Doe , a really nice guy wearing a totally amazing suit. I was speaking to a girl who came in because she'd finished work and was also a fan of Wildflower, but said she didn't get  Art. I said my opinion was that if it had an effect the Art worked, that was the point of it. I took a couple of instagram videos which you can see here, but I suggest you get along and visit. It's a brilliant Art space and this is an excellent exhibitions.

So the song that set up my day is the one you get.

Have a good Thursday everyone.

Losing It

It's weird, you lose something, you go through all the scenarios of where and how you could have lost it, eventually give up and know that it's just lost, think about replacing it, but it isn't a life or death thing, so it slowly slips from your mind and thoughts. Then your friend Lynn texts you to ask if you are going to see The Coyotemen tomorrow night at The Doll at The Black Bull (They're supporting CBGBs royalty The FleshTones , you pull on your "Lawyers, Guns and Money" T-Shirt , grab the black denim jacket for a change, there's something heavy in the pocket, well heavier that normal , you fumble in your pocket and there is your lost camera complete with Pirate Ship video from Whitby.

The night got better, I met my mate Tom and we talked proper computing with testing, and nailing down specifications while dissing "Agile" "RAD" and "OO" before spilling my coke by placing it on a cunningly sloped table and finding out I'd missed a Garage Band festival in Leith by about fifty yards.

Anyway I hadn't written for a bit but thought it's never a good idea to give up hope, even when you've forgotten about what you had given up hope on. On Monday I hit my annual diabetic review having reduced my daily insulin intake by more than 50% basically thanks to walking, hopefully they will send me away with a gold star. I am 80% complete on the Million Step Challenge and when that is complete I intend to keep up at least 10K steps a day.

I was wondering if I could write 100 words tonight. I think I have, though not been too active in July, but we are only seven days in.

Where Did That Weekend Go?

It's ten o' clock Sunday Night and another weekend where I feel like I've done nothing when I should have done stuff. Friends have been at Glastonbury, and I've just been here. I watched some of the Glastonbury footage on TV.

On Saturday I hardly did much walking , a mere 7.5K steps so I feel incredibly lazy.... and it's work tomorrow.

But yesterday I mowed the lawn and cut back a tree in the garden (still need to dispose of that). I managed to get my recording stuff working using Audacity and my Digitech guitar processor. Then my old laptop died, so I had to kill it properly with a lump hammer before ordering a replacement and setting that up.

Today I did of 15K steps and am now 40K steps ahead of the game almost 2/3 complete on the Million Step Challenge, taking in some video from Cow Hill (where there a lot of Cows , and I could see the full extent of the Hoppings, so Instagram stuff here)

Then my catch up TV included "Lemmy", "American Gods", "Doctor Who", documentaries on Heavy Metal and David Bowie, "Ripper Street" and The Jo Cox "Last Leg Special" which was incredibly uplifting with even Tony Blair and David Cameron being OK ...

So all though I've been pretty anti social (as usual) I have actually done quite a lot this weekend. So maybe I am being a little hard on myself.

While I was walking today Half Man Half Biscuit's "Asparagus Next Left" came on and was followed by another song , which I though was them again, but was actually David Bowie's "Dancing Out In Space" from "The Next Day". Two great songs, so I'll include both of them.

Sleep well my friends

Six Hundred Thousand and Ice Cream at Closing Time

I passed that mark today on my Million Step Challenge, so I thought I would tell you. Given this morning deluge and thunderstorm I wasn't really expecting to get that much walking in, but I managed to walk all the way into work and post a couple of things on my instagram channel here.

I must say the colours on my Sony Xperia XA phone are sometimes a bit too ultra vivid, but sometimes the pictures and video are amazing. Generally it has been a cheap phone that is doing it's job, but still not up to my Samsung Note 4 (but that gave up the ghost), though I am tempted to go for a refurbished one maybe, but I shall see.

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I was looking at some posts from 2015 and was surprised how brief they were. I'm sure I mentioned this two posts ago, but I was wondering why I couldn't get a post done in ten minutes like I used to and obviously I must be writing more. I like to think that I write at least 250 words, and seem to remember that at school we had to write 100 word essays, but these days I would struggle to keep to 100 words (I think).

In work I do documentation and am a great fan of white space, as I believe it makes the document easier to ready, and therefore it's better for getting information across. I've read books recently that had small writing on densely packed pages and that would have put me off had I not really wanted to read the book (I'm thinking Tom Waits on Tom Waits) and that segues nicely int a song I heard on my ramblings this morning, somewhere in Arthur's Hill, I didn't recognise the voice at first, or in fact during the song. The music , phrasing were wonderful but I had to check and it was Tom Waits singing "Ice Cream Man" from Closing Time

One of Those Weekends

I usually write, when I feel inspired or happy. I really don't like complaining or saying that I'm down. This weekend was an opportunity to do lots of things and, actually I've done nothing. I'm feeling apathetic and lethargic and divorced from any social interaction.

Yesterday I just about managed my 11K steps but today I doubt I'll hit 5K. I haven't been feeling that good, but as I write this I feel some sort of Adrenalin buzz. Yesterday and today I thought maybe I should write a blog post, but just couldn't motivate myself to do it. Now as I'm writing this , I know that after I've posted it , I will go out and do half an hour's walking , listen to some music, and feel much better for it.

It's ironic that the extremely good warm weather today is one of the reasons I haven't walked , the week before last it was bad rain one day that kept my waking down to 3K steps. In the Million Step Challenge I am more than 25K ahead of schedule and the intention is to hit a million steps by the last day of July. I think that will happen. It's quite funny to see some people's reactions when you say you are doing a millions steps. My friend Karen (proprietress of the wonderful Kazbat's Den) does 20K steps a day (she has a dog) making my 11K steps pale into insignificance, and you can see she is far fitter than me. I bought a studded belt from her two years back and despite repeated wear, though it's quite thin leather, it's still like brand new. If you want a leather belt or anything Goth , pierced or Majickal go there, it is absolutely wonderful.

Anyway, I am already feeling better. I've done catch up TV this weekend (American Gods, Ils, The Aliens, The Blacklist, Doctor Who)

Oh and this morning moved my record player this morning downstairs into the front room. I know my mate Marek from RPM has told me to get a proper one, and RPM have some beautiful vintage ones (take a look here), but my GPO is fine for me. I'm not an audiophile so that with my soundbar will be fine.

That was another thing, I needed a one plug AUX adaptor so went to the box in the garage where my cables, plugs etc are piled , as I was sure I had one, but no, it just looked like mass of liquorice strands so I though I may have to go to Maplin. This also was a bit of a downer for me, and I am not sure why, because I had solutions.

Then I ordered a cable from Amazon, went down again, thought I would look in the box and the first cable I pulled out was the one I needed. So I sent a cancellation request to Amazon, and played my first record downstairs , the laser-etched "History Never Repeats" by Split Enz (a bargain £3 from RPM) so that ended up fine, and I have a bit more room upstairs andmore music downstairs.

It is amazing how therapeutic that just writing this can be, There are a hell of a lot of my friends who have a lot more to deal with than me, and I do think about them and am there for them  when I can be, and when I think of the horrific events of the last few months I do realise how well off I actually am. I have spoken with people including my dad over this weekend, and he is dealing with stuff (by building extensions and putting roofs on at 82 like you do).

Sometimes just doing things actually kicks off the good stuff in you.

Anyway it's a new week and there will be lots of good things to come this week, I am sure, enjoy this gorgeous weather my friends.

Doing Things By Halves

Today I hit half a million steps three days before the half way point in this challenge. I didn't doubt I would be able to do this but some days getting started is a slight chore. I think it's improving my diabetes, possibly making me a bit fitter. I've reduced my insulin by 20% and blood sugar readings have improved. Weight seems to still be hovering around 105 Kg (roughly 16.5 stone) which is a damned site better that the 123 Kg( 19.3 stone) I was at my heaviest. I still need to trim 30 Kg so am still a total lardy person, but it gives me something to aim for.

I still love chocolate and fish and chips, but don't indulge in them every day, maybe I should fast more, as that is another way to reduce the need for insulin, but I am enjoying the walking and I have gone through winter with it, so I am sure that, even after the Million Step Challenge is over, I will still maintain at least 10K steps a day, which is around four miles.

I know I've not written for the last few days, even though I've meant to, and I also have another #LikeNoOther song lined up, but today, there can only be one song, and it's a classic from the band everybody hates to love, Carter USM one of my theme songs "Sheriff Fatman". Sleep well my friends

Idiots on Wheels

I went out for a short walk this morning and getting towards the end of the road I saw a car which I thought was turning into my road, so I got on to the grass verge as Yorkshire seems to be very short on footpaths. The car stayed there, then I realised it was positioned to possibly cross the Pickering road, blocking the road, then another car came up behind it. The car blocking the road was a BMW and you start thinking about the stereotype expensive car owners and their habits.

German cars are a beacon of engineering excellence, and that makes drivers feel much safer, and some drivers start to think that they own the road and screw everyone else.

The the passenger got out of the BMW, walked round to the drivers side and open the back door and take out a road map, walk back and get in then they started looking at the map. All the while there is the car behind being blocked in. They then sounded their horn. No reaction from the BMW driver so the car behind was forced to overtake on the wrong side of the road (very dangerous, but the BMW driver was oblivious) and get on their way.

The thing is, if you're lost you find somewhere safe to park up then look at where you are and need to go, but this BMW showed absolute idiocy in what he did and could have caused a serious accident. The Helmsley to Pickering road gets quite busy and the car forced to overtake could have been hit because they couldn't get a good view of the main road, or a car may have tried to turn in off the main road.

I think an appropriate song for this post is one of my favourite car songs from Chuck Berry, the excellent "Maybelline". I need to hit another eight thousand steps so maintain my holiday step average for my Million Step Challenge, which I think should be well within my capability.

Waiting For The Great Leap Forward

It was raining today but I thought I would try and catch up on the steps I missed on Tuesday.  I was thinking I might get 7 or 8K in, but ended up completing my 11K for the day. I then thought I might try a few more and this pulled into place advice and wisdom from people who have helped me in the past.

My dad suggested that no matter how far you are going you should identify small targets and hit those. So you may be walking ten miles, but in that walk identify a lamp post or a tree and aim for that , then identify your next lamp post or tree, and so on and so on until you finally hit your target. You break up your task into manageable chunks and eventually you complete it.

My doctor suggested that I should walk for half an hour and work up a sweat to  properly exercise your body. That has happened several times this week, so I think I am doing the right thing.

My son in law Mark told me that once you hit half an our of walking, then your metabolism starts improving and kicking properly, so I now always make sure I do at least forty minutes in a walking session and try to do 10K a day. I'm almost half way through my Million Step Challenge and today I kept going to record my highest daily step total since I started this on the first of May. I'm just over 17K but may nip out and do a couple of thousand more before today is over.

I was thinking of the election and the effort that the Labour Party has put in while the government has just assumed it would be a walk over backed by the right wing press printing desperate front page lies to sway the electorate. There's only one song for this, Billy Bragg's "Waiting For The Great Leap Forward", I found a great live updated version for you all.

Walking Through Pockley

Today I returned from Whitby, where I had hoped to do a lot of walking. I didn't do that much. I decided to take a walk to the end of the south pier, but half the wooden walk way is no longer there, and it was chained off due to the waves (and the fact there are no real safety rails). Still I took some video of the waves.

I got home and decided to walk towards Pockley (in the semi hope of finding a shop). One of the problems with this part of Yorkshire is that it's not heavily blessed with footpaths, so a walk to Helmsley, say, is virtually impossible without severe risk to your personal existence.

Anyway I walked up the hill and came across a large barn conversion that is in mid project, then I came up to the first house in the village. It is a nice one road village, with a church, a house that sells free range eggs, then at the end of the village was a field with two ponies in that you can see here.

One of the oddities are there are lots of signs for public footpaths, but they don't say where they go to. Now I don't know about you, but I think setting off on a walk across some fields to an unknown destination is not the best idea.

Still I managed 14K steps today and that has put my Million Step Challenge back on track, well almost. Tomorrow may be more rain, so there may be another setback , but Friday may be another trip to Whitby.

There has been no TV today, but I think I'm going to go with The Dictators "Sleeping With The TV On" which is something we've all done, or should have done.

Stranger Things When It Rains

Yesterday it just sheeted down with rain. I was surprised I managed to get 2.5K stems in given that the cottage is quite small and the opportunity to go outside was almost non existent. You can check it out here and it is extremely comfortable and quiet with options to walk (weather permitting).

Today will entail a trip to Whitby (as the skies are blue and there's only huge puddles and the odd pummelled plant to remind us of yesterday's awful weather). There was rain on Monday but an umbrella was enough to keep me mostly dry, yesterday and umbrella would have been just irrelevant, today the weather looks fine.

The Whitby trip might enable me to make up some of the steps I missed yesterday, but to fully make them up I'd have to hit 20K, but we shall see. Overall I'm still ahead of the game and I know I can make up the steps.

We are now up to episode six of the excellent "Stranger Things" so I expect to finish that tonight. The series is excellent and Fiona reckons it's a cross between Stephen King and "Outnumbered" which is an accurate analogy. As well as being an excellent series the soundtrack lives up to it, and I am going to include Joy Division's Atmosphere which opened the last episode. I've used this video before but think it fits in with the sometimes nightmarish episodes of "Stranger Things".

Have a great day everybody

Welcome To The Machine

I've just been struck how much machines are encroaching on our working lives. The Luddites smashed the machines during the industrial revolution because they feared that their jobs and therefore their livelihoods would be threatened. The French threw their clogs (sabots) into the machines to wreck them (hence the word "sabotage"). It turned out the Luddites were wrong , the industrial revolution produced great economies of scale for goods that could be mass produced, and generally standards of living improved.

Production lines had people doing repetitive tasks aided (and driven) by machines and wages enabled people to buy goods, creating demand because people had disposable income.Everyone was a winner.

However when I see staff being replaced by autotills at the supermarket (which often break down or don't work) but we as customers have to put up with it because there is no other option. If one doesn't work you move to the next one.

Bookmakers are turning into slot machine arcades, often opened in poorer areas (I have two with five minutes walk where I live), again replacing staff and making existing staff work more than twelve hour shifts often alone. Both these examples I do not see a benefit to the customer or staff only to the business owners.

I don't see myself as a Luddite, but I am worried that a lot more people will soon be out of work with no way of getting back in , and then I see this BBC article on future inequality, read it and frighten yourself because it could happen if we don't do something about the world.

In our own lives think about the phone numbers you can remember. I know my own. That's it. I used to know lots but my phone remembers for me. This is a good use of technology because it doesn't reduce what I can do , it enhances it and that's what the introduction of machines in the workplace should do for people. I also use my phone to measure my steps on my Million Step Challenge, though the app (Google Fit) needs resetting every couple of weeks as it keeps stopping or slowing down .

So I could have gone with The Beastie Boys "Sabotage", will will go for the more obvious "Welcome to The Machine" by Pink Floyd. And remember that alarm clock that wakes you up for work tomorrow, that's another piece of good technology, though I think most of us hate it.

Sleep well my friends

Listen If You Dare

Well it's late for me. I started this before the journey south and am just picking it up now. Have had an unsuccessful search for a disused railway line which actually may be a lot closer than I thought, finally got to eat at Helmsley Spice, which I was very impressed with, and have started the holiday just missing out on my 11K steps, though I did drive down here.

I am very glad to see some of the country starting to think about who they want to govern them next week and have been very very impressed with the slick and professional attitude of Labour as opposed to the shambolic mess of the current government's campaign.

I can see a lot of walking this week and I want to hit 30K steps in a single day, that will be about 12 miles so we shall see if I can hit that many. I won't be distracted by work so there is a small chance that I might be able to do it.

I'll bet you will be glad when I finish the Million Step Challenge. I will be, but I will find something else to aim for.

I sometimes wonder who reads this, I know I have a few regular readers, as they leave comments, but I wonder if the majority are sponsored and government robots checking to see if I am a threat to national security or their sales figures. Paul Nuttall would probably want me locked up for visiting Helmsley Spice or if I mentioned ISIS, or said that I sympathised with Yemen who are being targetted by British weapons.

But it's late Saturday Night and it's the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Sergeant Pepper which Liz Kershaw devoted her show to today which you can listen to here for two weeks. She ran a poll to choose the nation's favourite track from the album and of course it came out as "A Day In The Life". Now I think it would have been a nice anarchic touch to play The Fall's version or The Residents' "Beyond The Valley of A Day In The Life" both of which I will include for you here.

Liz kept listing all the tracks on the album which highlighted to me that "Revolver" and "Abbey Road" are far better albums. OK goodnight and listen to these if you dare.

Here Comes The Weekend

Well today it rained, but I still managed to walk into work and take some videos of a vaguely disturbing area where there is a fenced school and fenced housing. It's almost a Ballardian dystopia and you can check it out here . It is probably all very pleasant but as I said in the last post, "Eden Lake" has left it's mark on me and this is reinforced by Ballard novels such a "Running Wild", "High Rise" and "Concrete Island".

I have managed 14K steps today which is about 5 miles, no great shakes, but it keeps me ahead of my game and this weekend I expect to his 40% of my Million Step Challenge. The thing is you don't realise how many steps you take in normal everyday life , but having said that as soon as you start watching it , the step counter seeps to grind to a halt.

The thing is I find gym's , exercise regimes, and atrict eating regimes incredibly tedious. Having said that I do prefer vegetarian / vegan meals to meats though I am fine with  dairy, eggs , cheese and fish. I knwo some people will boak at me for that, but I like eggs and fish, not all the time , but sometimes.

Anyway the weekend is here for us all to enjoy , so what better song that Dave Edmunds' "Here Comes The Weekend".

Sleep well my friends.

The End of May

This is the last post for May, I've just watched the Tory / UKIP roadcrash of an election debate and will leave it to others to comment.

It's funny , after driving 450 miles yesterday and feeling wide awake, today I am actually tired, maybe work does tire me out because I have to think more. Also I have to cram all my start of month stuff into two days, but I should be able to prioritize and get the main stuff done.

My step challenge is back on course and tomorrow I have to go to the Post Office depot to pick something up, so should have a good start as well tomorrow. I'm way past a third of the way there, so the million steps will happen sooner rather than later.

Anyway this is a short one so we will finish with the Blue Oyster Cult's "Then Came The Last Days of May" , because it's the end of May.

So Much For Obsession

Well the last two days I haven't made my 11K steps, I still am 12K ahead of my target and could possibly nip out for another walk and make up the 3.5K steps that I am short today.

I am feeling lethargic and apathetic, because I am waiting for a call that means that I need to drive down to Coventry and back, that's eight hours driving and I'm not a huge fan of driving, but it's far better than being stuck in hospital which is Fiona's situation at the moment.

I didn't even write yesterday but managed to catch up on "American Gods" so that's fine. The weather is grey, so not exactly inspiring.

The problem is when you are waiting on a call, you can't really start on something else or go out to a film or a gig, there's more important things in life than being selfish. I'm looking forward to having Fiona back and catching up on TV and then having a week's holiday next week.

So I though "The Waiting" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers would be appropriate for the whole of this Bank Holiday Weekend. See I can't even write that many words even though I haven't written anything for two days. I am still keeping up the number of posts so have maintained #ATuneaDayinMay but I really should be writing more about stuff that is interesting really.

I'm sure the journey to Coventry and back will give me lots to write about, and I suppose the 250 or so words that are in this piece is not that small. I seem to remember doing 100 word essays at school, or maybe I am just imagining that, I wonder if my teachers ever counted how many words I wrote or was it just a threat to make sure I wrote enough to be read.

Who knows.

Anyway I will go out for another walk now , even though the weather is still greay.

I may have an early start tomorrow

Here Is A Thing

When you wake up at 4:30 AM , even when it's sunny, even when it's a gorgeous day, go back to bed, you need your sleep. I thought I could do all my steps , and a lot of other things then spend the afternoon doing even more.

No way.

Admittedly I got the garden stuff done, washing done, went on to check finances and possibly ended up £300 better off , saw a downpour , went out to complete my steps and now I am hot and tired and a bit headachey , although still compus mentis enough to write this.

There are still things that I want to do but my body is revolting (so I'm told) and just wants to lie down and watch TV or read.

Rest always does you good so I am going to catch up on what I missed this morning,

So I have to leave you with some music, they are reissuing Sergeant Peppers by The Beatles, though I've always rated Abbey Road and Revolver higher, but that's my preference. The other thing is that my two favourite Beatles songs are the "A" and "B" sides of the same single, "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" and apparently McCartney's bass on "Rain" was so heavy it often caused the needle to jump out of the groove on the vinyl version. Maybe I should get a vinyl copy and check this out, though I am sure I've written about this before. The "Rain" video is actually a cover, all done by the same guy (Stevie Riks) and very good it is too.

Anyway the sky has gone black so maybe we are in for more rain, I think I can hear thunder. It is raining now.

Forced March II (Being Boring)

I got home today and had 8.5K steps on the clock. Google Fit seems to be working OK. Fiona is in hospital in Coventry and there is no phone signal, but the good news is that she will be out soon and won't miss our holiday. Hospitals are brilliant places but you never ever want to be a patient.However thanks to our brilliant NHS they diagnosed and sorted her, which really puts your mind at rest.

Have done loads at work and started on some lyrics for song that my friend Sarah wrote, just need to kick on with the home recording. That may happen this weekend.

I had no need to walk any further but thought I could maybe do another 2.5 K, the weather was good and so I set off. I got to the top of the road realised I'd left my bus pass (in case I wanted to ride back) and wallet at home. But decided to continue and wander round taking in a few streets that I've not been down before managing to hit over 11K again.

I apologise for writing about walking, as I do like to write about interesting stuff, but I suppose I have just been very boring over the last few days, but it's got to 10:30 and I haven't even found an interesting piece of music to play, then I found this recent take of King Crimson playing "Heroes" no Bowie , but Fripp is going strong, and forty years on it sounds amazing.

"King Crimson performed Heroes at the Admiralspalast in Berlin as a celebration, a remembrancing and an homage. The concert was thirty nine years and one month after the original sessions at the Hansa Tonstudio overlooking the Berlin Wall. This is released in the Fortieth Anniversary year." - 

Robert Fripp.

Forced March

Well not exactly. Today when I got home I had done 9.7K steps. This was enough to keep me ahead of the game, I need to average just under 10.9K a day to hit the million i three months but I wanted to be far enough ahead so that if I lie in bed all day tomorrow I'll be still ahead, so I went for another walk and finished up with just over 12.5K meaning that even if I don't walk tomorrow I would still be 800 steps ahead of my target (more because I am basing it on 11K a day).

Anyway all is good. The title is stolen from an author called Sven Hassel , a schoolboy favourite because of the bloodthirsty graphic violence that the books contained apparently. I never read any but he was certainly prolific and had some great titles lifted by metal bands for song and album titles. I've just looked and  "Forced March" was by Leo Kessler who had the same modus operandi as Hassel. Kessler also wrote "March or Die" lifted by Motorhead for their 2003 album.

While I am a horror fan, I am not a fan of war or gratuitous graphic violence, hence my boyhood and adulthood avoidance of authors like Kessler and Hassel.

So what song to we go with, I think Edwin Starr's War is as good a one as any. It's time for bed now. Sleep soundly my lovelies.

On The Move

I'm Top 10

Rightly or wrongly, these days I probably listen to most of my music on the move. The is wholly due to my decision to walk 10K steps a day after Fiona had asked if I wanted to take part id a 15K step challenge. Then she told me about Diabetes.org One Million Step Challenge to raise money for Diabetes research. Amazingly when I searched on Google two of my posts in the top ten, how long they'll be there I don't know.

Anyway, as usual I digress, but when I say wrongly  it' because I love listening to music either on my player in a room at home, preferably loud. I remember the first time I played "Court of The Crimson King"  by King Crimson on my home cinema system on the remastered DVD audio, I was stunned, the sound and detail was amazing (it still is), this was a late sixties album (admittedly by some top notch musicians) but this was a revelation to me.

When I was a teenager one Christmas I got Blue Oyster Cult's "On Your Feet or On Your Knees" and put it on my record player. I was so disappointed. This was one of the top heavy metal bands and it sounded , well weak. Then I thought,  TURN IT UP. I did , and I was blown away. My parents weren't too happy, so loud stuff like this had to be heard on headphones, or just when I had the house to myself.

I also love hearing music live as well and have recently seen The Coyotemen, Simon Wood, Staggerin' Jon Lee, Go Go Midgets, Brent and The Brads and next Sunday I am going to see my friends Sophia and Sophie debut with their band The Citrines here.

Anyway I've not really kept up the #ATuneaDayinMay , but given what happened last night, I'm going to put in New Order's  "Blue Monday", Manchester will bounce back. Just feel for the families devastated by the cowardly bullying attack.

Keep positive... don't let the bullies win.

A Little Further

I could write about the incredible ineptitude of the current government and the gullibility of a great deal of the public. When I see some body with a copy of the Daily Mail I am tempted to say "You don't look like an racist nazi" except saw two guys with a copy who actually did look like racist nazis. It's funny how the spell checker wants me to capitalise nazis, I won't.

I am keeping on with this million step challenge despite technology having the odd hiccup. Technology can be amazing but it can also be frustrating, but due to technology I can write this and share this with you, twenty years ago I probably couldn't have done this like this, but now I can. A great help with teh walking is the fact that I am listening to my music collection on random play.

Yesterday I was treated to "Yours Is No Disgrace" the amazing opening track from "The Yes Album", ludicrous lyrics but majestic music which really hit me the first time I heard it. I actually learned to play the main chord sequence from it, but I've since forgotten it, but was always impressed by Steve Howe's playing with Yes. Random play is great although you need to give it a good musical base.

I've included two versions including one from the "Yessongs" live album, so you have twenty five minutes of excellence to listen to.