Remember - Be Positive

Very often I deal with advertising campaigns which say "Don't Forget" (or else something bad will happen or you will miss out). I always say use positive words. Instead of "Don't Forget" use "Remember" , instead of "Don't Fail" say "Succeed". Anyway last night I forgot to take make drugs , except I'd also forgot whether I'd taken them or not so it was a case of potential overdose or feeling a bit rubbish going to bed. I opted for the latter. This morning I have taken drugs and feel fine.

The sky is still grey and it's quiet out, neither hot nor cold.

Would You Touch This Man's Tash?

My friend Glen has had problems with people touching his Tash in Tynemouth (hows that for alliteration?), I think he's grown it for Movember,  so I suggested he goes for the look on the right!

I'm still being amazed by the Australian singer Jordan Reyne,  so it's an excuse to include one of her videos in my post , the amazing Shadow Line.

So be positive and have a great Sunday everybody, always look for the good and good things will come to you , oh and make sure you smile , that's always a good thing.

4.45 ... The Deluge Is Here

An Exception at The Tynemouth Volkswagen Rally

Just been woken up by a noise that was actually the promised rain coming down. Plans for mowing the lawn , making newspaper logs and maybe even going out for the papers and into town could be out the window. Well the first two are anyway. After a great day yesterday meeting friends and seeing lots of Volkswagens in Tynemouth, and the Red Arrows doing their stuff at the Sunderland Airshow south of the Tyne , finished by a barbeque and taxi journey home , I'm sat here in the middle of the deciding what I'm going to do today.

Coincidentally yesterday I watched this excellent TED talk about the car as art , though I'm certainly not a petrol head myself.:


Well actually things and ideas are formulating in my mind now , which include tracking down a Southern Comfort advert favoured by my friends Dawn and Colin which should appear here. Actually it's the first one on this list featuring Odetta singing the elusive Hit Or Miss

It's slowly coming light and dawn is breaking , wondering whether to go to bed or to stay up messing around , I'm sure I can find things to do but then I may be tired later , but my mind is racing with a million things.

Is this the end of last week and the start of the sew work . One thing is certain it's been a extraordinary week in many ways including lots of sunshine and a little rain. You need the rain though ore else everything dies off , but I do enjoy the sunshine .

World Book Night 2012 - For Me It Starts Here

Last night I got my email confirming me as a World Book Night Giver for 2012 , The book I've chosen is "Notes From A Small Island" by Bill Bryson , and it will be great to try and get people to read this book. Like last year I'm going to base it around Newcastle and Tyne and Wear's Metro system and hope we dont get hit by the fact that there were no flights in or out of Newcastle Airport and the stretch between Tynemouth and Byker being clsed , meaning I couldnt do Wallsend, with it's Latin signs!!

The date is April 23rd.

Most people are enthusiastic , but a lot of people get very suspicious of anyone offering something for nothing , especially if they are alone on the Metro despit , there being other passengers in the vicinity. Last year Stephen Fry gave his away in Trafalgar Square , but mine will be much lower key. But it is a great initiative to be involved with m, and now need to recruit a few helpers ......

Below is a preview for last years event

Mouth of Tyne 2009

This year's Mouth of Tyne Festival (Tynemouth & South Shields) looks great with The Script , Dodgy , Baghdaddies, Teddy Thompson and Soznak appearing , as well as the rest of the stuff. 

The Festival is an annual event and far better than the corporate Evolution Festival further inland on the Newcastle Quayside with its no drink except what we sell you , and compulsory wristband policy. The Script headline on Saturday night in The Priory for a (sold out) paid gig , which probably helps with the cost of staging the festival. 

Sunday is free with some great music , street entertainment and drink and food at reasonable prices. Festival Site is here.

I Didn't Imagine The Jazz Playing Monks in Bright Orange

In a conversation in the Market Lane last night I was accused of being off my head when I said I had seen a troupe of monks dressed in bright orange playing jazz in the street in Tynemouth. I spoke to a couple of them in the queu for the beer tent in the Priory (Tynemouth Priory that is) where they told me they were called Excelsior (or some derivation thereof) , maybe had a relationship with the Dutch Excelsior Brewery or Football team. Anyway cant find anything about the jazz band on the net , though I'm sure I did at the time. Situation is the only proof I have is a bit of video I took when I saw them at the 2006 Mouth Of Tyne Festival , the sound was attrocious so I've replaced it with Morse Code Melody by The Alberts available on the album "By Jingo It's British Rubbish" here

The video proof is above

Mouth of Tyne Festival 2008

No rain this year but not much sun either. That didnt stop the bands or people enjoying themseleves . We started the day in South Shields watching the Excellent Bessie and the Zinc Buckets run through a great rockin' set including Stray Cat Strut , Ubangi Stomp and Jolene, much to the delight of numerous small schildren running around the circular paved area th the front of the stage .Took some video with the new camera but the sound was distorted so I added a Gene Vincent soundtrack!!

Also here's a link to them on youtube.

Then we went into Tynemouth to the Priory to see various Salsa bands who were perfect for the occasion , not only that but the bar was incredibly efficient despite running out of various ciders towards the end.


The Priory looked great bedecked with weird looking flags and stuff.

Here's the main stage:

On leaving the Priory we went past the jazz stage and encountered this rather excellent sounding band:

I'll leave this post with a phone photo of a double rainbow over Tynemouth last night: