A Mere Skirmish With My Left Hand ... and Other Stuff

I am right handed, but it's amazing the sort of things you need your left hand for. Late last week I flayed part of my left index finger with a potato peeler, which was very painful. But simple things like washing up, showering, washing, shaving became very difficult as plasters were washed off skin was caught and bleeding and pain ensued, not nice.

Anyway I have managed to smooth it off so it wont catch and I don't need a plaster on it.

It other news Rough Trade have opened a major record shop in New York (see here), and it is reckoned that there will be a major renaissance for record shops which is great news. They were always a great place to socialise and discover new stuff, and we're lucky in Newcastle that we still have some decent ones such as RPM and Reflex.

Eusebio 1966

Sad news in the deaths of Phil Everly and Eusebio, but the older you get the more these things seem to happen. We still have recordings and memories of them. Pity I don't have a video of Eusebio goals set to an Everly Brothers song though I'm not sure which one it would be, maybe "Walk Right Back".

Anyway enjoy the rest of the first weekend of the new year.

ABC DB

Got a taxi home last night and David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was playing on the radio. It's nice to have something decent playing while you are going home. The taxi was an ABC one , who are my preferred taxi in Newcastle.

We were talking about favourite tracks and "Life On Mars" and "Changes" were mooted , though my favourite is probably "Station To Station". I said that I couldn't argue if anyone put forward "Heroes" as his best song , and the driver remarked that that song has Bowie, Brian Eno and Bob Fripp all bringing stuff to the table on that one , and it doesn't get muche better than that.

Any I hope you all have a great weekend. Enjoy yourselves.

12 From 13 in 14

These are just a dozen songs that caught my ear during the year. They are all part of my collection and would heartily recommend to give them a listen.  It's on a Grooveshark Playlist so hope you can play them.

My favourite of the year though was Public Service Broadcasting's Spitfire.



Enjoy the rest of New Year's Day everyone.

First Post Of 2014

Well I suppose I have to do this. I can't not post on New Year's Day can I. I've seen some great friends today, and it's funny how sometimes people worry about how the appear or sound, and they're my friends they are always wonderful to me. I love all contact with my friends and people I love.

Two niggles Google's controlling idiocy means I can't access my accounts via my Blu-Ray player as it's an "unknown device" but there is now no option to allow device to access my accounts. Then my Samsung Note has given me a 700 Mb Software Upgrade. My first  desktop had a 10 Mb hard disk (thanks for that Chris Brough, at the time that was an immense amount of storage, now it would just about hold an MP3 of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" or Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird") , but it was the first device I had at home that didn't need a floppy disk or cassette to start it. How times change. My phone is installing the update as I type.

So it's almost two in the morning and it's probably the best idea to see this update out , I need to because I have Wallace and Gromit in "A Matter of  Loaf And Death" on my BBC iPlayer, amongst other things.

So have a brilliant day and may your 2014 absolutely wonderful.

Goodbye 2013 - Hello 2014

Well it's the last day of December and thought I'd best post this before the day disappears. For some reason the lyrics to George Harrison's "Ding Dong" came to mind, extremely simple and a fitting end to my seasonal song a day for this December. I don't think this song has appeared on any Now! compilation , but really I'm not bothered as I love the sentiments:

"Ring out the old
Ring in the new
Ring out the old
Ring in the new

Ring out the false
Ring in the true
Ring out the old
Ring in the new"

So I hope we have all learned from our 2013, and can look forward to 2014. One of the people I've been most impressed with is Pope Francis. I'm am not religious even though I was baptised, brought up a catholic and taught by Jesuits (most of who were very reasonable and always willing to hear the other persons view).

So going forward , Be Nice, be kind to others , help others less fortunate than you if you can and keep being positive. Hope your 2014 is a major improvement on your 2013 however good that was. Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!

The New Year Draws Near

..and people are totting up their favourite things of the past year, which help provide inspiration going forward. There's always something new to look forward to and always new things to find and old things to discover.

Odeon Now

Inside One of The Odeos Auditoria

Despite having all of Lindisfarne's studio output and most of their live output I'd forgotten about "Winter Song" and this one is performed live at my favourite venue , The Mayfair, bulldozed for an entertainment complex while the old Odeon on Pilgrim Street in Newcastle lies rotting.

The Who Play The Odeon

Now if I had the money I'd buy that place and turn it into a new Mayfair, after all The Who played there in 1971, so if it staged The Who........

Very Tired And It's Work Tomorrow

So a very short post. Then I'm straight to bed.

The (non) Christmas related song has nothing to do with Christmas barring that Santa must draw rings round the world in his sleigh as he delivers his presents, so it has to be....


Super Furry Animals are cool