Will It Go Round In Cirlcles?

Number One

I have just been into Newcastle to dispose of an awful Alcatel Tribe phone, donated it via CEX to a Muscular Dystrophy charity, then on the way to Waitrose I dropped in a Windows Record Shop in the Central Arcade.

They're all ready for National Record Store Day, but something I've noticed with them and other record shops in the town is that the amount and range of vinyl on sale is increasing in a big way. In another year or so vinyl may actually be elbowing out CD. Thanks to them I found this Charts page. I can't say I've looked at a music chart for a long time, but at the time of posting it's nice to see the Wilko Johnson and Roger Daltrey at number one.


 
I suppose this is one of those situation that demonstrates that sometimes things can be very cyclical, although I suppose the sale of music started with busking , the paper, then vinyl then tape, then CD , then they tried DAT and Minidisc, then you had digital, and now we have the return of vinyl. Live music will always be with us as well. I was thinking of this when I left Windows and saw their husge vinyl window display which made me think of Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round In Circles" so that's going to be the music for today.

So if you have any weekend left enjoy it , we have Easter coming so for a lot of us it's only a four day week. Which is good

Seven Days

It's the end of another week, and it's been mostly work, sleep, eat and travel. I have World Book Night and National Record Store day coming up and tomorrow I will be picking up my books. Also we have The Mouth Of Tyne Festival (though with the first two headliners being the Brand New Heavies and Toploader I may be leaving early , but Neville Staple will be there and his band were brilliant supporting the Buzzcocks a few years back.

The weather is getting better though I heard there was a Cyclone in the antipodes so I hope all my friends there are safe. Weather can be sometimes great, and sometimes frightening, but it's just pa part of the earth's ecosystem , and the earth is a pretty big and complex thing although it's surpising how many people seem to think that weather should be controlled and predictable.

Anyway the song that comes to mind is 10,000 Maniacs "LIke The Weather", so I'm going to love you and leave you and get off to work.

Amazon 90

Over the weekend I bought a Google Chromecast. While the concept is clever it doesn't really give me anything extra to my viewing experience, and took an age to set up, was invisible to my iPad and then on day 2 I had to reset it up again, so against my better judgement I decided to return it. I packaged it up and when through Amazon's return process and first they offer an instant refund, and an option called Collect+ where they offer "alternative" collection points where you can drop the item off.

This turned out to be my local Nisa store which opens at 6 am so I went round and dropped it off. I'm sorry to bypass the Post Office in this way but because of working hours I couldn't drop the package off at my local Post Office til Saturday.

On my may back I got talking to to a 90 year old ex railwayman (original from Byker) , who was eulogising about being out enjoying early mornings and gushing with positivity , and really great old guy, and he's the reason I chose the Kinks song for this post.

So this morning I've had a lift from the old and the new, so that is a fantastic way to start the week, which bodes well for a brilliant week ahead. I hope yours is going to be as good as mine.

Always Look For The Positives

Today I need to find a chemist. It's not an emergency but I need to go to a chemist. I know there is a chemist on Ponteland Road maybe about three quarters of a mile away next to our local NHS Walk In Centre which is next to Aldi.

However Google searches show nothing. If you go to Streetview (a brilliant useful tool) it shows it's still a bike shop (look here) although I know the chemist has been there about 12 months, because I have used it several times, but I don't what it's called or anything.

So I will have to walk there, becase I'm sure that like the NHS Walk in Centre it will be open seven days a week. This means I will get a walk, get some exercise and have a pleasant walk as it's a nice day today. I know people who would be smashing their computer screens if this were the situation, but in every situation there are always so many positives if you are willing to look for them.

The James Brown classic came to mind, but don't you think Ed Sullivan looks and sounds like Richard Nixon?

Have a positive day and keep on smiling.

Time To Yourself, Folk Coincidence and Three Ways to Spell Angie

This weekend I am thoroughly relaxing, not pressured to do a thing. This means no shopping , no planning , just doing what I want when I want, and it's certainly done me good today. I am lucky I can actually do that, because it gives you the change to recharge, think good thoughts and just feel good about life an everything.

Two great friends got married today, I wished them well, but didn't go because I know they would have a lot of friends there adn I know they had a fantastic day.

I had my own fantastic day, just being able to relax, and decide how I'm going to spend this week.

Ralph McTell - Spiral Staircase

Fore some reason the song "Spiral Staircase" had being going through my head. It#s my favourite Ralph McTell song, though I was always struck by the album's beautiful cover. Yesterday I decided to try out a Google Chromecast so ordered one using Amazon Prime and it turned up today. It seemed a bit temperamental setting up , and my iPad refuses to acknowledge it's existence but my Samsung Note is fine with it, but I tried a Youtube video which was fine, then a BBC iPlayer program about Bert Jansch and the first performer was Ralph McTell playing Davy Graham's Angie (or Anji or Angi as it's sometimes listed), which once you can play that you can play guitar. I can't play it by the way.




Anyway that's another coincidence, but it has been a great relaxing day, and I hope your day has been good too.

Strange Dream #69

We all have them. I can remember the tail end of this. I was playing in some kind of football competition , on a full size pitch. I don't know what it was for, I think there had been games involving teams before but "things" had happenend.

This game was one against one against a guy who looked like an eastern European terrorist , moustache and close cropped hair. He took a long shot which I easily saved, but the ball was an odd shape half way between a football and a rugby ball, The guy comes and starts kicking me (a la Daryl's treatment in the last episode of the Walking Dead). I open my eyes surrounded by industrial electric cables, on a wet pitch and the villain is about tho switch on.

I get up and run towards the opposing goal dribbling the ball, but this time he tries to put me off with a flash camera. I'm distracted and vision is affected but still score, end of dream.

Weird or what?

Radiohead's "Nice Dream" came to mind and it's from The Bends which is a wonderful album.

Anyway we are still very foggy here but thanks to British Summer Time it's nice to come home in the light. It's also Thursday which is a day closer to the weekend. So wherever you are in the world, have a brilliant day, be positive, and get ready for a great weekend.

Oh and this is my 69th post this year , just saying ... smiles.

All Fool's Day and Pixies

Foggy Morning In Fenham

The title is another quote from Vivian Stanshall / Sir Henry Rawlinson at the start of the new Tax year. In the North East we're on our fourth day of thick fog. Yesterday we had a little sunshine , and thanks to British Summer Time we now have light at the end of the day, but a lot of people were feeling the loss of that hours sleep. I was just wondering do they do the same in Australia and New Zealand and the USA?

Anyway I am going to wrap up and have another good day today, with some ideas for music I want to buy and books to read, I still need to read my book for World Book Night , The Humans.

Oh and the Pixies have a new album out, and that can't be anything but good news can it?