How Long Would It Take This Blog To Die?

Pretty depressing title, and I am so glad when people read my posts but if I don't keep posting then readers just disappear. I am as guilty as anybody, I have several friends who run blogs that I don't really follow, just dip into them now and then. Sometimes I will post something that catches people's eyes for some reason  and they will get a couple of hundred views.

If I don't post on Facebook then I get very little interaction, and hate relying so much on Facebook, but maybe I am just not a very interesting or even adequate writer, and unless I am writing about something that people are interested in then no one will read it, I wouldn't.

The reality is I will keep writing because I have some great friends who read and like what I put down in words, and also, as I have said before, this is a sort of diary whee I can store things that I may want to revisit in th efuture.

This week I have been feeling lethargic and as though my mind and body are wading through treacle. My walking has really dropped off, although I am still hitting my targets, just. Work is remarkably difficult, it's not that I can't do it, it's just that the simplest of tasks seem to became incredibly cumbersome. I have managed to get through a decent amount of work though I feel it's still a fight.

I am suffering from hay fever symptoms and life seems to be continually draining limbs, making walking  a chore.

The very fact that I have managed to write this shows that I am dealing with things but I probably just need a day in bed. I will keep posting but sorry this is not overly optimisticbut I am sure that I will feel much better soon.

I think Disturbed's take on Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" is appropriate for my current mood, or my mood as was. Even writing this has lifted me although I still feel very tired, but it may also be this oppressive weather that has a lot to do with it.

Find something that puts a smile on your face and do that. It is a good thing to do.

Mondagain

That bit where you are shaved, dressed, showered, contact lenses in, ready to go and then you realise you have your Annual Diabetic Review and that includes a retinal scan, which means you have to take your contact lenses out and put your twenty-year-old glasses back on (they still are fine for reading, watching TV and driving).

My appointment is at 8:52 which seems a bit precise.

It's Monday morning and the temperature is creeping up. I've realized that if I walk across Nunsmoor then I come out at the old General Hospital where my review will take place. This can take anything from one to four hours, most of the time will be waiting, but so glad that I have the NHS to look after me and advise me.

Its was the NHS' 70th Birthday last week and it was also Ozzy Osbourne's as well, sort of appropriate as they have both been through some very pressured times, but have access to all the best drugs, and are still with us and we love them both.

I know it's Monday and this week is going to be very busy, but it is better to be busy than not, but sometimes you do wonder where the time goes.

Oh and David Davies resigned so I'll throw in Dave Davies' "Daath of A Clown" which is appropriate. Dave Davies was instrumental in the invention of Heavy Metal when he stabbed the speaker cab to give the vicious guitar sound on "You Really Got Me".

Enjoy today, I'll be glad when I'm back home tonight

Banana Mañana Nirvana

Yes, the title makes no sense but it's from a Gong song, "Radio Gnome Invisible". I found a live version in Amsterdam and everyone is having an absolutely great time. It's over forty years since I saw them live and Daevid Allen still had it when this was recorded though he died in 2015 aged 77.

Today the heatwave continues, I have felt incredibly lethargic and as though I've done nothing. I only just hit 6.5 K on steps, but d.ecided to cut back some of our shruberry stuff and managed to fill the brown bin, despite not having a major effect on what I was cutting.

I am not wearing much as I type this but still sweating profusely despite doing very little bar writing this. I'm cooling down by eating a couple of Co-Op iced lollies, and have managed to watch two films "The Purge:Anarchy" and "Behind The Candelabra", the first being very pertinent to the way America is going and the second having an absolutely stellar cast with lots of brilliant acting and lines. Both well worth your time.

I have an annual Diabetic Check up tomorrow so will be walking to the hospital, and hopefully the weather will be a little cooler. The temperature is slowly dropping, but it is still hot.

Enjoy the end of your weekend and get ready for England against Croatia on Wednesday .

Sleep well.

Seven By Seven

It's the seventh day or the seventh month and England are in th elasteight or the World Cup Finals where all the media darlings have been unceremoniously dumped out  leaving a wide open competition.

Keeping on the seven theme Preston North End put seven past  Bamber Bridge in their first pre season friendly and setting an example for England to follow, hopefully.

The heat is still on and it is showing no signs of abating.

I've been listening to a couple of albums and for a compilation Primal Scream's "Dirty Hits" is both eclectic and impressive and they're a band who have demonstrated they have Rolling Stones style longevity and "Rocks" could actually be a Rolling Stones song coming close to "Rocks Off" from "Exile on Main Street".

Then I revisited Genesis' "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" which is a remarkably coherent album of a dream of Peter Gabriel's which has the full libretto on the album's sleeve, but you really need the vinyl copy to be able to read it. A remarkable number of songs have a single one note heavy bass line I think produced by bass pedals, and some remarkable keyboard solos on "Riding The Scree" and "In The Cage", and The Slipperman are an incredibly worrying creation. Well worth searching out the video on line or just buying a copy of the album to hear the story of Rael and his brother John who continually screws up the situation.

Right I'm going to watch England play Sweden.

 

 

Eillo

I don't know why that word came to me but it did. If you do a Google search this is what it brings back. It's among other things an eating  place in Perth, Western Australia. I'm writing this as my Facebook ban is still on which I have detailed here ,I've just noticed as I published this that Eillo is Ollie backwards.

I'm surprised how long this heatwave has been going on, although weather is a complicated thing so I shouldn't be surprised that I've been surprised. It's still warm as I write this although there is a lot of cloud. I'm also suffering from hayfever / cold symptoms which is uncomfortable.

Today I was checking my eamail and read Barclays as Batcave. I don't know if this is just something that happens as you get older or it's something that everyone does. Maybe it's my recent binge watch of Gotham to watch series three and get up to date on series four. I won't say anything on it in case a fan reads and is still not up to date.

I am feeling incredibly drained, I don't if it's the weather, but have my annual Diabetic Review on Monday so maybe they will have something to say. I could do with a couple of days of total rest I think, but is not going to happen any time soon, though at the beginning of August I have another Liver Biopsy so that will mean a few days of total rest.

Anyway one songs sums up the way Facebook censors have treated me and many others and that's 10CC's "How Dare You" the title track of their eponymous 1976 album, which appeared as an instrumental "B" Side of either "Art For Art's Sake" or "I'm Mandy Fly Me" and was great for annoying straights when I put it on the jukebox.

So I hope to share this with you tomorrow whn they let me back on Facebook.

Vibrant Curious Art

On Thursday my friend Nicky mentioned she was going to an art installation called "Mirth and Girth" by James Unsworth on the eighth floor at Breeze Creatives which was unsubtle but entertaining , photos of two engaged large guys censored by bright flowers. It was a short visit but you can see some examples here.

I then descended to the second floor to visit Oliver Doe's  exhibition  "Body you are not me" a fabric and sculpture gthering with paint. Very strikig it is too although sort of minimalist without being minimalist. I spoke with Oliver who was wearing a rather striking linen suit, that was another impressiven exhibition. His site is here and you can find out more about the exhibition for there or better still go and see it at Breeze Creatives.

Then I  wandered along to the Curious Launch at the old tourist office in the Central Arcade and this was just an incredibly welcoming and vibrant atmosphere. Lots of art on walls and tables, the stage read for a band , lots of people talking and congregating. The whole Curious site is here detailing all the organisations involved in this LGBT / Queer celebratory event.

I met a great tattooed arist,Carla B Turner, wearing a great charity shop dress and platform wedges explaing the process of creating  silhouette photography.Two other artists on display were gobscure and IDa4. Showing Andy Warhol influences and there was a portrait of my dear departed friend Craig Puranen Wilson, looking on and no doubt appreciating the wonderful atmosphere and art displayed.

I loved the vibrancy of the event even though I didn't stay long, but the Hub is open for information, so well worth visiting.

The Fog

This weekend, and this morning, I've been surprised by the amount of sea fret, fog and low flying cloud I've encountered. Coming down on the train at times the train was in thick sea fret and my attempts to take photographs in the earlymorning of the Forth Bridges were affected in the same way.

I know this is just part of summer weather and it will burn off.

Over the weekend I was in a taxi and the guy was playing music from local radio hell, Hall & Oates "Maneater",  probably the worst three minutes on their otherwise excellent "Private Eyes" album (standout songs "Mano A Mano" and "Head Above Water". This was followed by some American AOR mercifully wiped from my memory , then America's "Ventura Highway", even more bland that the one chord, one note of "Horse With No Name". He did eventually redeem himself with a popular Simple Minds song, either "Don't You Forget About Me" or "Alive and Kicking" although these, in my opinion don;t touch "The American" from "Sister Feelings Call" (the companion album to "Sons and Fascination") with one of the most vicious guitar solos that I've heard.

Then there was the instance of the guy on an East Coast Train with a West Coast Advance ticket having to stump up £150. While I think the rail network is a total rip off you really need to go in there knowing what you are doing. I always tend to go for open returns to cover me for most eventualities, though some people become so obsessed with saving money by booking fixed tickets, that they are left high and dry if  any part of the plan fails.

Then I was in the wonderful No. 28 and there was a group of 3 startled by their drinks bill and had to split it. Lesson here is if you are running a tab either now the price of what you are buying or have enough money to pay whatever your cost.

I know this has been very rambling, but it is and excuses to play "The American" , my favourite Simple Minds song.

Hope your Monday has been great.