A Feast For The Eyes and Ears

Today is bright but cold and also means a trip to Stratford to see Wolf Hall at the RSC followed by Bring Up The Bodies on Wednesday, based on the best selling award winning books by Hilary Mantel. Last timewe were at the RSC we saw an excellent production of the Tempest, my favourite Shakespeare play, and was very impressed as the place was comfortable, and the air conditioning was excellent throughout the play, meaning you can actually watch and enjoy the play without the fear of falling asleep. Too many theatres just get warmer and warmer throughout the performance , so I would recommend the RSC.

Also started watching Breaking Bad this week as well as continuing with Boardwalk Empire (which I borrowed off a very good friend several months back) , so this week is going to involve a lot of watching stuff either live or on TV. I'm including the full movie The Tempest by Julie Taymor (as long as it stays on youtube) who incidentally gave a brilliant TED Talk which I've included below. So lots for me to watch and lots for you to watch. Have a great day.

Here Comes The Rain ... and Batman

Esconced in the cottage in Upton Snodsbury and the rain is coming down, although today was forecast as a bad day. Still getting used to the car with is a Vauxhall Astra that seems to me, modelled on the Batmobile, but I'm getting the hang of the damned thing. For the Batman connection I've include my favourite Batman related theme from Siouxsie and The Banshees.

Reminds me of a recent tweet:

My boss told me "Dress for the job you want, not the job you have" Am now sat in a disciplinary meeting wearing my Batman costume.

Which amused me quite a lot.......

Tomorrow will be in Stratford with hopefully better weather. AThere's just been a Skoda advert on the TV and I've just noticed how similar the Vauxhall and Skoda logos actually are, anyway I'm going to continue relaxing and enjoying my holiday. I hope you all have had a great weekend are are looking forward to a most excellent week.

Marching On ... and The Omens Are Good

Just a quick post before a five hour drive, I will maybe do a post when I get there. Been watching some amazing TV like Elementary and Line Of Duty , and ready for a week of being able to lie in and get a decent amout of rest while doing interesting things.

Also the radio is excellent this morning on both Radio 2 and Radio 6 

The weather is good here and in Upton Snodsbury so the omens are good.

And I thought I'd include one of my favourite videos for your delectation.... the wonderful KLF

So Shattered ....and Oasis

Last night was in bed at 7:30. I just dropped into bed I was so tired, I obviously need a holiday (which will start with a five hour drive tomorrow). Anyway I am awake now and discovered a cover of The Beatles "Birthday" by Oasis on Youtube. I'm surprised that Oasis didn't cover more Beatle's songs , well I suppose they did but just changed the words and titles and put Gallagher on the songwriting credits .... allegedly. Just a joke. Oasis have done some excellent stuff , though my mavourites are Champagne Supernova, Step Out (a Stevie Wonder lift for a change) and Acquiesce.

Still feeling tired , but it's my last day for a week, so I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Twenty Minutes Late

Car Parked Outside The Cottage

It's amazing how an extra five minutes in bed can make you twenty minutes late. This means that this post will be extra extra short.

Also when you are writing you often get onto a roll and before you know where you are there goes another twenty minutes.

I still have to do my voice only post, but will do that in Shropshire I think, with trips to Stradford planned and lots of quiet walks I hope.

This is where I will be staying , and it's usually fairly quiet so signing off as it's time to leave for work now. Have a great day everyone!

Another Morning

The days are getting lighter and yesterday we had sun and blue skies. We're still in February but March is here on Saturday when I start a week's holiday , not a moment too soon. I am looking forward to not doing my normal 11 to 12 hours away from home day thanks to the current work regime.

I am very happy to have been chosen as a World Book Night giver again and looking forward to that on 23rd of April. I have some ideas on how I will be giving away my 18 copies of Matt Haig's The Humans. I've ordered my own copy as I need to have it read by April 23rd , I like to be able to tell people about the book.

Just listening to Chris Hawkins on 6 Music and he's playing Royals by Lords,  then followed it by Blue Moon by Beck which at the time of writing is available as a free download (click on the link), but I'll include the Lords track. I was surprised to find that she hails from New Zealand. It never fails to amaze be how many great things emanate from the antipodes. Where would we be without them.

Anyway I need to get off now, so have a wonderful day.

The Seven Hundred and Two Days For Your Diary

This is my seven hundredth blog post and this morning I was informed that I have eighteen copies of The Humans by Matt Haig to give away on World Book Night 2014 on April 23rd, that's a Wednesday this year. I have some ideas how to schedule it and this year I have less to go round so I will make sure none get wasted, on people who's cultural highpoints are Top Gear and Bake Off programs.The premise sounds brilliant:

"One wet Friday evening, Professor Andrew Martin of Cambridge University solves the world's greatest mathematical riddle. Then he disappears.

When he is found walking naked along the motorway, Professor Martin seems different. Besides the lack of clothes, he now finds normal life pointless. His loving wife and teenage son seem repulsive to him. In fact, he hates everyone on the planet. Everyone, that is, except Newton. And he's a dog.

Can a bit of Debussy and Emily Dickinson keep him from murder? Can the species which invented cheap white wine and peanut butter sandwiches be all that bad? And what is the warm feeling he gets when he looks into his wife's eyes?"

Sounds brilliant doesn't it? I do have my copy on order and will have it read before the give away occurs.

On 19th Of April (I think because it doesn't tell you the date on the site, just a countdown) it's National Record Shop Day, well that's what I call it , so I will be visiting Reflex and RPM and Beatdown and JG Windows in Newcastle and buying some product. These days are now very big and great fun, with lots of events, and I'll post more in the run ups to both of these events.

Time for bed now, happy seven hundredth post to you all, and it the words of James .... "How Was It For You?" , here's to the next seven hundred.

Last Night I Had A Dream .... A Very Weird Dream

..and I've woken up exhausted. This was a real dream in which nothing made any real sense while also being vaguely familiar. I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day with it, but there's nothing major in it, just a lot of weird juxtapositions. Here goes:

I'm at a skating rink or bowling alley meeting up to go to a Syd Barrett (original leader of Pink Floyd) concert (he's long dead and only die hard fans would attend) . When we get to the venue , a small theatre I meet up with hris from work (who is getting married in a couple of weeks and I'm with my daughters and a few other friends. Syd Barrett comes on stage , which is at the same level as the stalls, but he's obviously out of it so I get up, hold him up, and I sing the first song for him , before he's taken away and a tribute concert then takes place.

After the gig we wonder about going for a meal , there are two Mexican / Indian Wetherspoons pubs restaurants, one called the "Droopy Bell" with a logo of a Bell Pepper. We decide on the other restaurant and at this moment are in an area reminiscent of Newcastle's Haymarket. , coming out of roughly where Boots is now (may we'd been to Sergeant Peppers, but the "Bell Pepper" was where the Metro Station is. We decide on the other restaurant

On the way I'm then with a friend who's a pub owner who needs to order some replacement aluminium beer kegs, so while he's doing that I decide to let people know by phoning them. My phone is out of charge, so I look in my satchel and find an iPhone and wonder what that is doing there....

Then I woke up and thought what he hell was that.

Hope it's kept you entertained, and I have another post to do tonight but I need to get off to work. Have a great day everyone and hope I haven't twisted your melons!

By the way all the drugs I take are purely medicinal , honest. And by next blog  post will be number 700!

I'll Be Damned If I Just Can't Be Happy Today

Not me , but a heck of a lot of people. Last night I got a good sleep, and had a relaxing day , barring the chopping of logs for the wood burning fire. So many people are going round looking for people to blame for anything they can think off. I remember last year a couple of old guys nearly coming to blows in a betting over over who was to blame for the snowed off race meeting , the government or the council.

Similarly  you have the tabloids whipping the public up into a panic of weather , immigration, benefits , heath, whatever.

If you want to get retweeted on Twitter you have to tweet something bad or derogatory or a complaint, probably why I only have a massive 24 followers on my account mikeydred96.

The thing is there are loads of brilliant positive things in the world. If something goes wrong deal with it with help from your friends, it's what they are there for. So many seem to want to play the blame game , I prefer to fix things.

I look for things that put a smile on my face , and they are majorly abundant, although the major ones is people talking to to me and sharing good times. I just wish more people would do things like that. I am proud to have great encouraging friends all over the world who look out for me and always have good news for me and make my day happier.

So my message for today is , you sunshine people out there who keep making my day , please keep making mine and other peoples day, and those out there who play the blame game, try not to , look for something positive , buy someone a present , phone someone. So today I'm going to  post two videos, one The Damned singing the track that inspired the titls and the wonderful Simon's Cat. I am NOT a cat person but these cartoon are brilliant. Enjoy the rest of your weekend my friends.

Knocked Out .. Loaded

Having to give the Ben Waters , Nine Below Zero gig a miss because of the cold and getting run down. Although I thought it was a Ben Waters gig, then I find it was Nine Below Zero featuring Ben Waters, which is not a bad thing but I really need to sleep and recuperate. So I've included Ben's imprmptu Eastern European Style Version of Johnny B Goode in Australia which shows what a versatile , clever and humourous keyboard player he is.

Again that's not  a bad thing, it just means I need some rest, there will be other gigs , and the weather is improving (lots of blue skies this morning).

And that's to Youtube and Catch Up TV I can watch things from the comfort of my front room. I love going t gigs but sometimes your body tells you no, and you need to listen to that. I'm going to have an early night, and get lots of rest to make sure I am going to be in tip top form for Sunday..

So an early night for me , you enjoy your Saturday Night everybody.

Because i Can ....Be Happy

Just woke up , and it's 2am here and I'm just posting because I can. I feel wide awake , but 2 am is not a good time to be wide awake unless you're at a party. But there's no work tomorrow so I can do this. It's also an excuse to include a brilliant TED Talk on the "science" of happiness and it is worth watching. One of the reasons I blog is so that I can remember things that I've enjoyed, sometimes it will be a gig , sometimes something I've seen on the web , meeting with friends and lots of things and that's why I leave it  open to the public because others my find itinformative and worth reading.

I'm a fairly public person on the web, easy to find if you want, but I suppose the blog is fairly selfish and self centered, itn that it's essentially for me, and if others want to come along for the ride then so be it.

I really didn't intend this post to be much more than a sentence , but it's amazing how sometimes once you start writing words seem to just flow from your fingertips. Whether those words are worth committing to some permanent medium is a different matter (M Knight Shyamalan and Dan Brown I'm thinking of you, but it's made you both a hell of a lot richer than most people, so as usual I'm in the tasteful minority here).

Anyway I'm going to try and get back to sleep, but really check out Dan Gilbert's talk, be happy and have a great weekend.

Friday Is Here

I know it's not the last working day of the week for everyone but it is for me and a lot of others. The Arctic Winter and Bulgarian Invasion forecast by the redtops and tabloid rags never appeared, so generally life is good, and thought it was time I posted something.

I do intent to do a blog post by talking into my phone and maybe I'll do that this weekend, and I also need to do some more recording. I have in my head an idea for an album, although I can't say a thing about it as the title will give it away, although it's probably already been done but not by me , yet. The old Apple iPad with Garageband will be my recording studio for that.

I've also keeping up writing my book , with an October finish target and that I will hit. Anyway I'm drinking Lemsip to stave off my cold and will soon be leaving for work. There are lots of Friday related songs but there's only one I'm going to leave on here for you , The Cure's Friday I'm In Love (again).

Have a great Friday everyone, I certainly will.

When You're Happy

In my last post I said I wasn't impressed with Pharrel's Happy. That's just my opinion and I know lot's of people who think it's wonderful, ad let's face it , it would be a boring world if we all liked the same thing.

If you#re happy it makes life much better, things may cause us problems , but these are times when you need to hook on to what makes you happy . It may be friends , family , music , films , books, a TV program , something inspiring , just go to what lifts your spirit. Happiness brings on amazing positivity, it helps you make life better.

We all have lot's of things that make us happy and they are usually not very far away.

This post is not a very Monday morning post as it's the start of another weak , but I have lots to keep me occupied on my journey to work, I know I will laugh a lot while I'm at work , and I know I will enjoy the journey home. I may see a gorgeous sunrise and good things may happen that I have got a clue about and life is really about looking for and appreciating these things . The more things you can find that make you happy then the happier you can be, and the happier you are then life is so much better.

So find the sunshine in everything and have a great start to a great week. And these means I can post my other favourite song called Happy by The Carpenters, my mums favourite band and she loved this song as well!.

Just An Excuse to Be Happy!

I've had a fairly quiet weekend, watched some TV and read the papers, quite impressed at the coverage that the sad passing of Sir Tom Finney got in the media. Anyway it's the end of the weekend now and another week awaits. I can't say I'm looking forward to going to work but I am looking forward to having a good crack with all the good friends I have made there. I also know that I actually have a lot of good things going for me.

A quote from watching Channel 4's Babylon (which I enjoyed) . "I love going to work, It's the eight hour wait to go home that I can't stand!".

Today we had blue skies and sunshine, though it has been very cold without actually freezing. It's still February so I suppose still technically winter, but the sunshine is on it's way back and spring is coming.

I've been listening to some British Sea Power today, their latest album "From The Sea To The Land Beyond" which is wonderfully atmospheric. But I really must get recording and writing again which I keep promising to do.

There was a phone call last night for a plastic surgery appointment which I've had to cancel, but may be rescheduled in  May although I think it's linked to the specialist appointment I have in August about the damaged nerves, but we shall see soon.

I finally heard Pharrel's Happy today, and was shocked how insipid it is. The Carpenters and Rolling Stones both have songs called Happy that are actually joyful.....now which one should I choose.

Anyway I am going to make the most of what is left of the weekend, I hope you do too. Have a good one.

Tom Finney A True Great

Sir Tom Finney

Yesterday was Valentines Day and we lost one of the greatest footballers of all time, a hero of mine, and a Preston and England legend. He was 91 , and a perfect gentleman and exemplified dignity and how to conduct yourself, as well has having a good sense of humour.

He never swore but was no pushover and when the mercenary football authorities uprooted the National Football Museum from it's home at Deepdale he told them they couldn't have his memorabilia. I'm sure it gave them more room for for their Coke and McDonalds advertising.

There will be far better obituaries than I could ever write , so check out the Preston North End Forum , the Preston North End site , and the BBC , there will be many more.

The thing is he left a huge legacy and I just love Bobby Robson's stories of him. An excerpt from his book is displayed on the right.An exemplary servant to Newcastle United.

Football today is all about money, with very few loyalties manifesting themselves. While I agree you have to make money in order to provide the entertainment, now clubs just see fans as cash cows, managers are expected to produce instant results and if they don't they are often sacked immediately.

My Tom Finney Shirt

Sometimes even if a manager has done well he sacked after a run of recent bad result. Recently Swansea dispensed with Michael Laudrup's services, Fulham dismissed Rene Meulensteen, Cardiff got rid of Malky Mackay and we're probably not finished by a long chalk. A list on the BBC is here.

These are all Premiership dismissals basically because club owners are scared of not being in the Premier League . The Championship is going the same way due to parachute payments, so League 1 and League 2 are the highest leagues where you can see real competition, where teams play on a relatively level
playing field.





Tom Finney's memory is a shining beacon that people today should emulate but  too many just look for what they can get without regard for others.

And Another Thing....

I was speaking to a few work colleagues and friend and was surpried how many people read this blog. Even if one person reads my post it's a success as far as I'm concerned. I write because I want to, and to remember things  and to let other people know about things and also to give ideas for my ongoing book , which I am still working on.

So if you are reading this, a big thank you for taking your time and reading my ramblings. And it's great the way writing can trigger something that you've forgotten about. I was meant to send a my dear friend Mick Errington details of walks in Northumberland. I feel a little as though I should be in the doghouse but I will phone him tonight.

Anyway thank you for reading and there's only one song for this, Iggy Pop's Success from his Lust For Life album.

Superstitiously Moving Through a Big Country Storm

I'm writing this somewhere between London and York using my USB Tethered Samsung Note. I'm not sure how long the connection will last, but it is actually fairly robust, but it's the first time I've done it like this. Having said that the train has just come to a halt, not always a good sign. I'm on my way back to Newcastle and given the storms and bad weather we have had recently, just a little apprehensive, is is the 13th after all and one of my friends was delayed by four hours on this line yesterday getting home at one am. Teres a lot of related stories on the BBC here.

The weather today has actually been very good and it makes you feel much better when you are going home. Some lovely skies but I can't photograph them as the windows are so dirty.

The seats I'm in are supposedly reserved to York so I may have to move when I get there, but I'm sure I can fine another seat. Two Japanese girls who gave me a bar of Kinder Surprise thought they had reserved seats but they were half an hour early on their train, the conductor let them off though which was nice. I've seen one of their seats is from London to Berwick so I'll nab that one.

So appropriately I'll include The Storm by Big Country from the first album, which should be in your collection and if it isn't , why isn't it?

Always Have The Sound Of Music Around You

I've thought, sometimes when the house or work is quiet, it is always made better by some form of sound, usually music. So when I'm reading on the train I have music playing , and when I used to work from home I always had the radio on or some other music playing. I do believe in an office you shouldn't be listening to music as people may want to speak to you and it's rude and unprofessional not to be available. I quite often have to ask people if they're on a call or not. I only listen to music when I'm on my own , and if someone phones me I can pause , switch off and give my full attention.

Music and sound is a wonderful , wide ranging experience  that definitely can benefit you in seemingly intangible ways. Also picking up a musical instrument is uplifting as well, actually producing music of your own.

I found this footage of the brilliant Blair Dunlop covering the wonderful Richard Thompson, two fantastic guitarists I've had the pleasure to see live a few times.

Anyway enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The Sky May Be Grey But Birdsong Can Alway Lift Your Heart

Today is cold and grey , but I had a good night's sleep, and was woken up by birdsong. All around the world you can see and hear them and, barring the rasping noises of Magpies and Crows, lots are truly amazing and beautiful , and uit's great to just lose yourself in the wonder of nature and the natural world to which they belong. There are a lot of recordings of birdsong on Amazon if you want to relax yourself.

Sometimes you almost just want to pack in the rat race and join in with nature, but then if I did that I wouldn't be able to broadcast this. It's ironic that technology and progress enables us to appreciate things that we couldn't have thought of even fifty years ago.

So if things are stressing you there is nothing better that some natural sound, even if it's on a music player.

And that reminds me of many years ago a good friend of mine playing me an LP of the TT Races. I though it a little odd , but then noticed albums of trains and other noisy vehicles. I 'm not sure if you get such things on CDs.

It's quite amazing how nature can make you feel good, and if you feel good then you are better equipped to deal with the bits of life that may challenge you. Still I would like a bit of sun and blue sky but for now I will make do with birdsong and music.

Have a great day everyone.

Rainy Day

Turkish Grand Bazaar - Grainger Market

Well today started with blue skies , but very cold, now we have a bit of rain. It's nice to have a restful weekend . I visited the Grainger Market  and got some amazing bookmarks from the Turkish Bazaar, which I instagrammed at Christmas as well.

I then wandered past Reflex and saw an impressive looking Ron Kavana boxed set for under three quid  called "Irish Ways - The Story of Ireland In Song, Music and Poetry". It's available quite reasonable on Amazon as well here

CDs from Reflex plus a Bookmark

Obviously this talk of music as well as bookmarks means I do need to put something relevant to the post on here, but should it be British Sea Power or Ron Kavana?

I love both these artists  and recommend both to everyone, and you can find lots of both of them on Youtube.

But having thought about the British Sea Power
 preview of the album I've bought would be a perfect addition to this post, and it could whet your appetite if you don't know them.


Anyway I will leave you with this as I get off to bed, sleep well all.

Quietly

A POster From My Phone

Well this is the third post in a row I've done without a music video. No particular reason , though I am very tired as I type this. I've also been fairly quiet on twitter and and instagram has slowed down , probably because there's that that many interesting things I've thought worth posting about.

It's funny how if you want your post to be viral it has to be a complaint or an attack on something. The public are seldom interested in good news.The media always likes to find something to complain about, making it up if it can't find anything truthful. Some people are only happy when they are miserable and surely that should have been the title of a Smiths song.

Anyway, enough of misery, I'm just going to keep positive thoughts in my head and enjoy my weekend. You can be happy when you have time to yourself and you are in touch with people who make you happy. I always love a smile , although I'm not too good at doing one myself, but I do like to be happy and keep happy and make others happy.

I've included a picture and poem I penned on my phone, so no pen was actually involved , unless you include the stylus from my Samsung Note 2. So anyway have a great weekend, mine is just about to start ..... with me going to bed to sleep .

Stay cool

Where Am I?

Kazakhstan

This week has been manic since  coming back from holiday leaving the house at seven and not getting back til eight at night and I noticed a couple of oddities. We tend to trust the GPS on our digital devices (in this case my Samsung Note), but when in Whitby a couple of the photo locations reckoned I was in Kazakhstan and Речная ул (which I assume is in Russia or east of the UK anyway.

Речная ул

But anyway on Tuesday I used Facebook to check in at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle , and I didn't notice I'd selected the Montreal version!

While this doesn't create a problem as such it is quite amusing , turning me into to a globe trotter withing a radius of less than a hundred miles.

Also a thing about this blog , for some reason the word TED doesn't turn up in the tag cloud even though I tag this post. Click on the tag below and it will bring back all my TED related posts.

This morning I have a fleeting visit to the Freeman Hospital (another part of NUTH)  before going to Darlington so we shall see where it says I am then!

Anyway I hope that tonight I will be back at a reasonable time and I can make my own tea!

A Whitby Panorama

A Whitby Panorama

Back from a good weekend in Whitby staying at the excellent Dillons. Their Yorkshire breakfast and general cooking are brilliant and Matthew and Craig are such wonderful hosts. I'm well fed, but slept a lot and am now back the the grind so to speak. I've tried to put some photos on Picasa which is now Google+ though the annoying Google (like Microsoft and Apple) just try and force you to do what they want. These are my pictures and I want control of the. Hopefully you can see them here.

While I know that Google are proving this service "free" I  may not want to associate it with everything that is associated with me.

I saw a lot of interesting things, ate at the Magpie Cafe, The Moon and Sixpence and The White Horse and Griffin, all excellent and walked up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey , which is a fairly gentle incline.

I do love Whitby, it's somewhere that I could probably live, but I still love Newcastle , but who knows what may happen in the future. There some amazing houses there and the views are great, also it's the home of La Rosa although maybe it's best appreciated and kept as a treat, too much of a good thing may make you bored with it.

I would heartily recommend Whitby to anyone though.

Singing Ticket Barriers and Coyotemen

A very quick one this . Chris Hawkins on 6 Music mentioned a singing ticket barrier at Canary Wharf and the fact that Ritch Ames had spliced the barrier with Blur's official video for Song , and very good it is too.

Tonight the Coyotemen play their supposedly final gig at Brewdog in Newcastle, so I will do a review on Spoongig tonight.

I know a short post , but enjoy the video and have a great day

A Question of Balance

I think this will be short. I've finished my first book of the year, started on the second , both by Stuart Maconie incidentally and started making inroads into the TV backlog on BBC iPlayer on my phone. How do I do this?

Basically book on way to work, means I feel I've done something worthwhile and learnt
ed something and made an effort, then coming home I watch stuff on the TV (well my Samsung Note 2). Having said that I do need to fit the TED talks in there somehow as there are a few that I really want to check out, but I will find time somewhere. There are 24 hours in a day after all.

Only one song give the title of the post. From the Moody Blues album A Question of Balance.

Australian Surprise

It'sa couple of days after Australia Day , and I wasn't going to post, but my youngest daughter's partner sent me this video of a totally amazing Australian artist Xavier Rudd. I've never heard of him and was amazed and shared the video on Facebook , which lots of people then shared, obviously as impressed as I was.

I'm not very good with wind instruments and still can't get much out of my didgeridoo  , but I am still stunned by this. His web site is here.

SO just a short post, but that's the thing about the blog, is it should stay here for as long as I want it, so I can always come back and find it , and my friends can also come and enjoy it too.

I think some purchases may be in order

Music Is A Roundabout

I haven't bought a CD this year, not because of any particular reason but I've not had the opportunity. This weekend I'm in Whitby and there are two record shops there so the chances are I may pick up something there.

I was checking the new releases and it's amazing the longevity of some bands and musical collectives. In the fifties and sixties artists would have some singles with an aim to becoming an "entertainer" such as Bruce Forsyth or Des O'Connor, they've both made a few albums as well.

I noticed a new Penguin Cafe album, the band now fronted by Arthur Jeffes , eon of Simon who sadly died and bands didn't , as the Who suggested, "die before they got old".

Som bands stay there , new bands join and old ones drop off, but the composure of the musical roundabout is forever changing. People often look to their youth and stick with that, and if it makes you happy then that's fine. I go with the premise that 95% is rubbish ,, but the 5% is still a hefty chuck of decent music to get your teeth into.

I thought The Longpigs "On and On" was appropriate for this post. Oh and I checked that link and there is an excellent looking compilation available.

Have a fantastic day everybody.

If Less Is More, Think How Much More More Will Be

A quote from the series Frasier made my Doctor Crane. Last year was my highest number of postings since I started blogging. The first year (2007) I did six posts , last year it was 244, roughly two every three days, swollen by three months where I set myself a task of doing at least one post a day. My most prolific month was May 2012 where I posted 37 times.

Last January I posted 14 times and this is my 16th post so far this year. So really the more I post , the more I get to say and get to record. It's also therapeutic, although I try not to post about things that annoy or upset me, just things that inspire me and make me feel good, so I often include TED talks and songs that I really love.

I just went to TED and saw the talk above and , as usual , I've downloaded it because it just interests me. Enjoy the rest of the weekend

TVOD and Australia Day

This week I've used my traveling time to just read, no catch up TV , no TED talks , just reading. I don't know if that's calmed me down or not , but the benefit is that you can read and listen to music simultaneously. That's two things you engage with at the same time.

You can't watch TV and listen to music at the same time without losing track of one thing or the other.

This doesn't meant that TV or TED  is bad, it just means you have to watch and listen , whereas a book the whole of the experience comes through your eyes leaving your ears to engage in aural stimulations.

Itn other news I've been reminded it's Australia Day tomorrow which is a great reason to celebrate and that in turn reminded me it my dad's birthday in two days time. So that's an excuse to reproduce my Australia Day playlist from a couple of years back which you may or may not enjoy , but there is certainly a lot of great music come out of Australia. I still remember ordering The Saints "I'm Stranded" on the EMI Import print sometime around 1976, and it still sounds brilliant today.

   

Oh and the wonderful Tom Ravenscroft did an Australia Day special which you can listen to here.  I've downloaded to my phone to listen to this week.

Wake Up Time

OK this will be a short post after my last post that was longer than the short post I expected it to be. It's the final day of the week , so just another 11 hours to get through until I get home. I was just wondering , including traveling time, what is the average person's time away from home due to work and do they feel adequately rewarded for it? I do know there are people who have two and eve three hours each way commutes, which if you then add on eight hours at work, and take away six hours for sleep leaves you with four hours of the day you can call your own. Yes you can do that for a short period of time but it should never become the norm.

Anyway I am not wishing my life away but it is really good that it's the last day of the week and I'm looking forward to enjoying this weekend. For a song I was toying between David Bowie's cover of The Easybeats' "Friday On My Mind" (which was the first Australian global smash it I believe) but decided to go for the Cure's "Friday I'm In Love" just because I love it more !

Bagpuss On The Bed With Glasses

This will be very short, but I am going to keep posting , just because I can. I came home tonight to find Bagpuss had got glasses, courtesy of my cleaners (APM). It really cheered me up. I'm still reading Stuart Maconie's "The People's Songs" which is also making the train journeys fly by enjoyably. Sometimes you have to talk the calm and peace where you can find it.

Bagpuss On The Bed With Glasses

I saw one of these Facebook maxims that essential said live in the present , if to concentrate on what has happened you will stagnate and if you concentrate on what might happen you will worry and get yourself down, so if I wake up at night I just enjoy being warm and cosy in bed , and I deal with things when they need dealing with. I'm actually finding it very therapeutic , so will keep it up.

Had a nice lunch today for a friends birthday (which was yesterday) and tomorrow at work we'll be giving her a cake. It is really nice when good people can find something to celebrate together..

Anyway it's time for bed now, and I am going to enjoy my sleep.

Actually it's turned out to be quite a reasonable post, I was expecting it to be one or two lines, but it's amazing what you can do when you know friends are looking out for you and caring for you , and that makes you more positive in your outlook and able to deal with things and keep a smile on your face.

Well this looked like it had crashed, so I took a copy of the raw page and saved it just in case, but it seems to have saved now , so think it may be a good time to go to bed now.

Burned Out

Not posted much recently and realised I hadn't even read a book this year, so I started the new Stuart Maconie tome and am surprised how relaxed it makes me feel on the train. I've watch a lot of TV recently and maybe that is stressing me out, though the fact that you don't really have to do anything may be having some kind of weird adverse psychological effect. Maybe BBC's iPlayer is not the cure all or whatever I thought it was. Yes it is very clever and useful, but no use if it just eats up time that can be better and more usefully spent doing other things.



I also listened to the Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits while reading , which was a sort of double good whammy and hence the brilliant song that I've chosen for this post.

Sleeping With The TV On

I don't if I need to be worried, or I don't know if I should be just happy. I'm actually watching more TV on my phone thanks to the fact that BBC iPlayer allows downloads on my Samsung Galaxy Note2. This week I've watched various music related progammes, and the first episode of the new series on BBC3 called "Uncle", which I found excellent. I've downloaded a few duds, but iPlayer allows me to catch up on the way to and from work.

My problem is that I feel I'm watching less TED talks and reading fewer books. I haven't  read a book so far this year.

Handsome Dick Manitoba

I suppose the simple solution is just to pick a book and start reading it, but it is just another thing I can do while I travel. I can also watch other channels' downloads as well but BBC2, 3, and 4 provide enough excellent quality programmes to keep me going. I can also load films onto the phone and it does have a couple of eReaders so I can actually read book on the phone if I so wish.

The title is taken from a Dictators song (lead singer Handsome Dick Manitoba!) so I have to include that don't I.

Books On Board

Lots of Books

Paddingto Flare

And there's More

The last couple of times I have been to Paddington I've noticed a lovely bookshop on a barge walled Word on The Water. Follow the link to find out more as they are on Facebook.

There's a lot more pictures and some really good links there as well. A really interesting Facebook pages, although if you like books you are bound to like it!



As you come out of Paddington Station you see the barge and books right in front of you, and spoke to the owner who is a really pleasant guy. While the canal has lots of barges, it's brilliant to see something like this that makes you stop , and look and want to talk with people.

I was actually in a rush to get a train and ended up missing it because Word on The Water is so interesting in an area dominated by faceless offices and chains like Marks and Spencer and Tesco.

So although it was a long day yesterday, that was a bright unexpected end to a really good visit to London. Have a brilliant weekend everybody, I certainly will.

And they want more!!

The World Is Full of Wonder

Statuesque

Blue Dragon

Today have have watched two amazing TED talks, one showing some amazing nature photography and the other about 64 year old Diana Nyad who has done the impossible and swum the hundred miles between Cuba and Florida. The talk is here. Then I was directed to this amazing use of 3d Printing here. , and other amazing example here.






It is truly amazing what technology and willpower can bring into being.

The Diana Nyad talk was particularly inspiring because she acknowledged that although she did the physical swimming there is no way that she could have done that without the team of thirty people supporting her.  She still spent over fifty hours in the water, not allowed to touch the support boats or to rest, threatened by sharks and box jellyfish , having to swim at night in total darkness because the light attracts predators, and this was her fifth attempt at it , having been told that it was impossible.

The thing is in all our lives we can succeed if we get help and support from the people we care about and we know care for us, no matter how impossible the task or situation might seem. And as Diana states "Never Give Up" , you never know what could happen if you don't try , you know , you might just succeed!

So there's nothing happened on the horoscope front although I won a small bet on Monday night , lost a small one on Tuesday night , but didn't care because Preston won 3-2 against a decent Ipswich side in the FA Cup. So some good things have happened.

I hope good things happen for you!

Superstition

It's the 13th day of the year and also the 13th day of the month and some people regard 13 as an unlucky number. It has been ingrained into me that it's unlucky , but there is no logical reason for it. Numerous reasons are given such as Judas was the 13th guest at the Last Supper (well they all made up the 13 so anyone could be designated as the 13th one) and bakers used to always add an extra loaf to batches of a dozen in case one wasn't up to scratch. Well given in most cases that all the loaves would be fine doesn't that make 13 actually lucky for the recipients?

I's like seeing magpies , one for sorrow and two for joy , but it's all about interpretation. Missing a bus could be the the "sorrowful" event and catching one could be the "joyful" event. It's just how you choose to look at it.

It's like horoscopes, those wonderfully ambiguous, snippets of promise, given to us by the snake oil merchants that call themselves astrologers. Here's one of mine for today, I'm Libran by the way and that supposedly makes me a balanced personality:

"Once again, your dual nature pops up -- but this time, it's making life sweet! You can see both sides of every issue, and you can also find new ways to bring your people together. Have fun!"

Hmm, well that's clear as a thing that is not very clear. We shall see how sweet life is today and I will post tomorrow and see how I can fit events to prove that this was true (that should be easy ).

I always encourage positivity in myself and others, but that doesn't cause things to happen , but it will drive you towards instigating thing that will be beneficial to yourself. If you can be happy , and positive you are more likely to be confident in your decision making then either reap the benefits of the correct decision or easily deal with the fall out from an incorrect one. Always look for the positives in a situation.

Anyway there can only be one song for today, can't there? Stevie Wonder on Sesame Street does it get any better than that?

An addendum to this post, nothing in my "dual nature" manifested itself, nothing I did made life sweet , though lot's of communications received did that, and I didn't get an opportunity to bring people together that I was aware. Monday was a day much like any other, but if I do notice any horoscopes that come true I will say.

Mr Cave's A Window Cleaner Now!

Woke up this morning (sounds like a blues song , doesn't it), and the pavements outside were white and the skies were grey. This week is going to be busy again with trips to London and a concert at The Sage to fit in, but it's only by doing things that life is interesting.

This afternoon 6Music played an excellent Nick Cave song that I hadn't heard before that seemed appropriate for the apparent inclement weather which we may soon be getting.

This weather , short days and lack of sunshine doesn't make for the greatest of inspiration.

Also I seem to be downloading a lot of TV to my Samsung Note via BBC iPlayer , which is fine but this eats into the time I should be reading or maybe watching TED talks , although it does leave more time to do things when I am at home.

Anyway still lots to do, but wanted to share this great Nick Cave song , and hope you are ready for the week ahead.

Celebrate Good Times

No particular reason , apart from it's the weekend. It's colder than usual and this song came into my mind, by a band signed to ELP's Manticore label, PFM (Premiata, Forneria Marconi named after an Italian bakers, a bit more exotic than say The Warburtons or The Allied Bakeries!)

The skies here are very clear and cars are iced up, so in theory it may get a bit cold, but this is Newcastle so the temperature does dip every now and then.

I've also been alerted to the fact that the magnificent Dick Gaughan is playing the Sage next Thursday, so I think really I don't have the option to miss that despite the fact that I have to go to London the following day. Dick Gaughan has one of the most distinctive voices I've ever heard as well as being an excellent composer, guitarist and performer

Missing Things

I often want to post things when my post reaches a significant number, but I've just missed by 666th post and this is number 668.I've been absolutely shattered this week and am looking forward to a weekend to unwind hopefully.

I'm well aware that I haven't blogged for a couple of days and have been pointed in the direction of this blog which is most amusing , it's called French Yummy Mummy and think that anyone with a sense of humour and a modicum of intelligence will enjoy it. I certainly did.

Anyway I think I'll just post the Iron Maiden song , two posts too late. Enjoy and have a brilliant weekend

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.