For no reason I designate today Hug Sunday . Find someone and hug them for at least a minute. Wouldn't it be great to go into town and just love and hug a random person, but in today's personal space oriented world we'd probably get arrested. Anyway hug somebody , I know at least one birthday girl and am sure she will be getting one.
I have to be honest 1967 was a stunning year for music, so I could have chosen anything , but I definitely loved Sandy Posey's Single Girl , love the fragility of her delivery . The song is probably sexist and misogynist as hell , but is a product of it's times and I can choose anything I want.
Yesterday I was going to go along to Vamos Fantabuloso to see friends and write up for Spoongig so I cut the address ¡VAMOS! Social, Market Street, NCL from the website pasted it into Google Maps on my phone and it sent me to the middle of an estate in West Denton. Turned out to be a residential block , right house name and road , but totally wrong place . Because it was off the beaten track getting a taxi or bus back was not an option (UBER don't work for me , never any cars) ,so came home and missed out because I believed Google and didn't question it for once , c'est la vie.
Anyway to my tenth year on this mortal coil and it's the year England won the World Cup and a song I remember was this really racy one according to an acquaintance of the time. Roy 'C' s "Shotgun Wedding" , ironically not too far removed from todays attitudes fifty years on , but nonetheless a wonderful record.
A great friend of mine told me to check up Oculus Rift as apparently it's possible to design fighting games for it using light sabre devices with virtually no coding whatsoever. Amazon have them for sale but they cost clocks in at more than an iPhone. It already has spawned lots of imitators and you can pick up light versions for as little as ten pounds such as this item to work with a Smart Phone . My worry is the "Better Than Life" syndrome (see Red Dwarf), but surely no one would fall for that ... would they ?
Anyway , into my ninth year and I didn't realise it was this late but the first song I remember seeing on Top of the Pops was The Who singing My Generation , so I am finally getting to the period where I started making my own musical choices.
Though I think so far I have chosen a worthy record every day , another fifty to go though
This morning I learned a small lesson. I'm in a rush because I had to go to to the local Post Office Sorting Office to pick up a package from my lovely friends at La Rosa. I had left my glasses there. Got to the place and there was no sign of it. I am in a rush and thought of just leaving , but waited and they unearthed it. The lesson is sometimes you just need to wait a bit longer for good things to happen.
So I'm at my eighth year , 1964, and have chosen "My Boy Lollipop" by Millie Small because it was one of my mum's favourites and remember her playing it all the time and it was contributory to the foundation for Chris Blackwell's Island Records.
Have a wonderful day and have a little faith my wonderful friends.
I'm running late so this has to be quick. I just have to give an big shout out to the Big Pink Dress a group of the loveliest people who I met at Steffen Peddie's gig (which I will review later on Spoongig) who are raising money to fund research into preventing Breast Cancer.
The next thisng is we have reached 1963 , the year the Beatles first hit the chart but I have chosen Just Like Eddie , Heinz ' Joe Meek produced tribute to Eddie Cochran.
Well today it's back to work , feels like autumn / winter . It's dark and rainy and doesn't do much for making you feel good. But I am gonna put on a happy face , find things to do including so holiday ket to treat my co workers and gonna have a great day. It may be a long one and run into my Music Quiz and the Tyneside Bar and Cafe where I may be in a team of 1 !
I've chosen Dave Brubeck's Unsquare Dance , because although I was completely unaware of it at the the time , being that progressive jazz rubbish , this is a piece I have come to love over the years due it's weird seeming timing and being just rather excellent. I found this wonderful version with the LSO so had to share didn't I?
Well the laptop has been upgraded to Windows 10 over Hotel Wifi at La Rosa. Started around 9 finished around 12 and nothing much has changed apart from pop up messages about features I didn't ask for , probably don't want and don't think will make my life better. However I thought that about the snipping tool and stickys and I use them all the time now so what to I know.
This morning I woke to see an amazing sunrise over the abbey, so now time for last breakfast here and the drive back home.
The song from 1961 my fifth year on earth when I turned 4 is Temptation by The Everly Brothers. This is not your usual Everly song , but they were an incredibly talented duo and I do love this
Sometimes things don't happen as fast as we would like. For some people this is an excuse to get angry. As you know I don't do angry. This morning the internet connection has been slow and though it is picking up , means that I have to be aware that all this might disappear in a puff of smoke , well not literally.
That can be true of anything in our lives , which is why , personally , I do tend to wnat things to happen quickly rather than slowly because , tomorrow , next week , next month , next year the opportunity may have slipped from our grasp.
Don't get me wrong , life is great , but I have friends who have difficulties , and things like that can't be put off or left. Sometimes we feel pressured by modern life , what we need to have , and what we must have. We need a bigger car , bigger house , more money ,more whatever the media tells us , we need to be thinner , fitter , more conformist. Well actually thats just corportations and governments telling us that basically coming down to the worship of money.
What I do is say bugger that, I'm going to care for my friends , spend time with them when I can, MAKE that time , support local businesses ,relax (I'm, in a hotel room with no TV or radio or room telephone) but yes we are in 2015 so I have my internet connected laptop and mobile phone so I can release this on the world which I know 50 of you will read and maybe think about.
My blog has twice been called weird and not making any sense by correspondence ,but that has been applied to me also so it doesn't bother me too much.
Hugs Are Good
I saw an meme on facebook that said a long hug produces amazing benefits rather than the standard three
second, and wile we can all hug the one we are with , go and hug a friend who needs its it will make your day and their day soooooo much better.
On day 4 of my song cycle and from 1960 , my fourth year I have chosen the bitter sweetly beautiful Chain Gang by Sam Cooke for you to enjoy.
Well day three of my challenge and I am up to 1959 the third year of my life. Actually the charts had lots of great music , but I always loved the Coasters with their atmospheric mostly Lieber / Stoller penned songs which still stand strong today cobined with a wickedly knowing sense of humour delivered with street born panache.
Just sitting in Stoker not yet dressed in La Rosa with a view of the abbey through early morning fog in the armchair by the balcony. Feel free to join me . I do love this place so relaxing , no phones , radio or television, just a laptop free wifi so I can let you know what I am up to . Aren't I so not with the program. But I will soon be going out to get papers before having my breakfast delivered in a wicker basket. This place is CAF. (see Inspiral Carpets if you don't know what that means.
Yesterday had more than 100 people wish me a happy birthday via Facebook which made be feel nice.
It's quite amazing how much dross hits the charts , but I always loved this song , and wile never an avid Perry Como fan I still like this . I will never forget Bryan Ferry's riposte to interviewer who asked him his opinion on Cockney Rebel's Judy Teen , he said he preferred the Perry Como version.
This weekend will be spent in the Stoker Room in La Rosa in Whitby , which is my favourite hotel in the world bar none. I would love to hire it for a long weekend and fill it with my friends. The room does have a view across the river to the Abbey which I will be visiting also.
These posts are going to be by their nature heavy on video and light on the text. Some may even just be the video, but I wiull try and find something interesting to say.
Whitby is one of my total favourite places and no doubt I will be instagramming .
I took the title of the Faces compilation that my lovely daughters bought me for my birthday because it is such a great feelgood sentiment and we need lots of those.
But my favourite take on it was the wonderful Anthony Moore.
OK here's the thing today I'm 58 , well my body is, my brain / personality / curiosity etc is still i the 14 - 16 age group. I still have wonder, I still love it in others , I still crave love , knowledge , attention, friendship and happiness. Maybe my caring, love and valuing of friends has grown over the years . I do look out for people and when times are bad I am there for them it does spread me thin,
Some people need me more than others. I need some people more than others.
Anyway here's the thing , here's the task. You know I love music so there will be 58 posts , one a day , each with a record from a year in my life. They may mean something , they may mean nothing, the may be relevant to the post or not.
So whats , number one , this originally was going to be Harry Nillson's One a very sad song , but I was just going to base it on the day number , but this gives me a chance to play something uplifting and worthy , and the words to this resonate so well Little Richard's "The Girl Can't Help It " from 1957
This is really difficult. That i snot in a bad way , but someone has inspired this post and I can't say anything about who she is or what caused this but it is not anything bad or worrying, There's a new girl in the office , but turns out she has been with the company for sometime. Continuing my modus operandi of talking to everyone about anything I asked her name and she showed me her pass and said it was very unusual .
I countered with well yes it is , but I am very familiar with that name as he has a composer credit on of my all time favourite albums, now over 40 years old . She came back with yes that's my uncle and he played on that album and the hit single as well.
That's as far as I can take it. The rest is secret as I can't betray confidences, well I wouldn't say anything without permission. People could probably work it out but I don't think they will.
But again talk to someone , it will do you both lots of good . I have lots of meets lined up this week to talk with friends I don't see all that often , and to help some friends in their pursuit of something special. I hope you can do the same my friends
If you want to share do it, if you are hurting let a friend help , we can add our strength to yours.
I want to do a TED talk based on this idea , that we should talk to each other more , even if it seems irrelevant or trivial I will do it soon have it ready to submit when they are looking for speakers.
Very often if we don't talk , especially if things aren't going well , things seem to get darker, some times you can't do things on your own and you need a helping hand.
A while agao the was a lovely shop called Cake in Newcastle , and one day it wasn't there. I lost touch with the owner , a totally lovely girl, and as you know I don't take losing friends lightly , especially if they may be experiencing hardship.
On Friday I was chatting with people at work about the fact it's my birthday and I may get cake from Pet Lamb , and said that I had been upset when Cake shut. The girl I was speaking to said she knew the proprietress and is going to get her details for me. She has probably forgotten me but it would be nice to be in touch again.
The thing is I suppose I am a devil for not asking for emotional support when I need it but I make sure I am always there for others, but writing this has lifted my mood, and today has been a great day seeing friends and chatting with them and the more I think I about what has happened today the better I feel. I do have people I can talk to , and recently our head of finance threatened me with a severe talking to if , as expected , my presentation over ran it's allotted three minutes.
So please talk to someone , even if you don't feel you need to , you may find something useful , you may feel better , you may make them feel better. Just do it.
There's only one song for this isn't there , it's this.
This is an addendum to my last post. In the UK it's now dark , and usually wet and damp in a good devils to fight my bad devils),
morning. If someone is in a dark place they will be feeling even worse just because of the weather. This means that if you are in an OK place , like I am (OK I am a devil for hiding when I feel bad cos I don't think anyone needs to be bothered with such trivialities, although I have
So here's your task for today:
Smile as much as you can if you are happy
If you are not happy ask a friend to meet (that might be me)
Phone A friend
Hold Hands
Go For A Coffee
Just Talk
It's easy to think you don't matter, no one wants you , and you mean nothing . That is not true. Reach out and I will give you my hand and give you a hug. I've included two Big Daddy songs , play these and your day will be better and you will smile.
Sometimes things go wrong , life isn't always easy. For some of us it's fine , but for others it's not. They may be homeless , ill , under pressure at home , lost , any number of things. Sometimes the offer of a hand , a kind smile , a drink , a talk , can make all the difference.
I haven't written for what seems ages but, thought I would just post something upbeat, one of my favourite songs but the sadly missed Kevin Ayers , this always makes me smile and hope it will for you.
I have two very busy weekends coming up , but I always make time for my friends, always have a smile for people and that always makes me feel good.
Tomorrow when you are out , smile at more people , that person who wasn't feeling too good might feel a little better and you will have done a wonderful good deed.
The Rugby World Cup has kicked off in style. Whether its's because the UK has it this year or what I don't know , but it is brilliant to see a sport not riddled with drugs cheats , rule cheats , bribes , back handers , the deaths of thousands in countries not fit to play the sport.
I cannot pretend I know all the rules , and did get out of it fairly young , having seen so many lost teeth in clashes , though I felt the same about boxing . You do need to be hard to play rugby. I remember many years ago being at a garage and the the sky went dark . Bill Beaumont got out his car and made me look small and you know how big I am.
After the curtain raiser with England getting the better of Fiji , today we had the competition starting in earnest. And the matches are anything but one sided , well mabe the Irish dismantling of Canada , but Tonga vs Georgia should have been closer and Japan took South Africa on a knife edge in one of the biggest shock results , and the competition has hardly started.
The excitement is there and you can see they want to play the game and the first thing on their mind isnt their image rights.
Another thing, Newcastle are staging some matches , and for the Olympics there was a blackout on
everything that wasn't official sponsored , none of that for this competition.
As I pen this France lead Italy 25-10 , Italy have come back from 25-3 down , and while I expect France to run out victors , they aren't having it all their own way.
I know this isn't my normal sort of post , although in a way it is because events like this get your adrenalin going , and that makes you happy , and it is great to see good friends getting out and enjoying the games.
I wont be having a bet because I don't know who is going to win, the only thing I'm sure of is it is going to be a great tournament and looking forward to taking in some matches with friends.
Paloma Faith has recorded a new version of World in Union , I cant say I am that impressed prefer the Holst original , so I've included the Swing Low below below which is slightly better , but niot much.
What does ? Everything . Well lots of things , maybe I should just list things.
I know my recent posts have been about being happy , hugs and feeling good rather than slagging off Apple and mobile phone companies or being slightly down about Preston losing , but seriously, I am grateful for being able to make this list. Part of the reason I can do so is that I do always look for good things regardless of what happens, and a small thing , today I got told I was out of my probation period and they liked me at work and last night Youtube relented and allowed my Ezra Furman slideshow for "One Day I Will Sin No More" . I will record my own version of this and put it up on my Youtube Channel soon.
The love and support I get from my close friends and family , here and all over the world
The fact there is always someone there for me , and I am there for them
The appreciation that people give me when I share time and experience with them
I love my hometown of Preston , I don't get there enough , but Newcastle is now my home and I love the place and it's people and the friends I have made here make me fall in love with everything every day
I can't get down for too long because there is always something good about to happen
I love the positive things I can show people
I love berating people about not visiting The Lit & Phil , it is a beautiful amazing place
I love the fact that so many people don't know about the Vampire Rabbit and the look on their faces when I take them is brilliant
I love the fact my friend Barbara has resurrected Trillans and my friends Maz and Shev have made The Black Bull into the North East's Go To Punk venue and Dave and Julie Campbell have turned The Schooner into a brilliant Western Swing venue and brilliant pub
I love my friends
I love the culture , the museums , the coast
I love well I might never stop
Anyway that is just some of the stuff, have a brilliant day everyone , I really do love you all
We're getting dark morning , summers over and I'm getting up in the dark again. Luckily these days I can wait til it's light before I leave for work. Darkness while it's great for atmospherics does not tend to lighten ones mood.
I know I haven't blogged for a few days, but it's just really about getting the inspiration to writes , and that's usually because something really good has caught my attention. This week has been full of little things , that for me are not positive , like little knocks and bruises on my psyche. But I will not let them dampen my ardor , I am gonna find positives and I am going to be happy , and I am going to make other people happy , hopefully
Eeyore Hugs
But we hare half way through the week , so if you are lucky enough to be with someone gives them a kiss and a hug and put a smile on their faces , and yours too. I cant think of anything I would rather do at this moment but will make do with doing some household chores
But everybody go out and find someone to hug and make the world a happier place
Decided to go for the Troggs version cos really Love Is All Around if you look and give it a chance
For some reason I can't sleep. It's Ok it's Saturday Night , well Sunday Morning. This morning we got the result that Jeremy Corbyn is the new Labour Leader by an absolutely ridiculous landslide vote. So obviously I've been a little upbeat today to say the least
Then I went of facebook and almost every picture was someone smiling , with the odd annoying bit but, that was really uplifting. Smiling really does lift you and everyone should do it.
Everyones life is not perfect , but if you look out for you friends , talk , socialise and enjoy each others company then you always have a reason to smile , and smiling makes you feel good and feeling good is good for you.
The weekend is here , Autumn has come , the mornings are dark , but you are probably lying in bed as I write this as really I should be , but I just thought what could make a good thing a little better. I'm actually doing something for work this weekend , it's not been asked and actually gently discouraged , but the people I work with are great guys and I am happy to put in a little extra effort because I know that they would do the same for me. I brought in cake yesterday because that's the sort of think we do , except I got mine from Pet Lamb in the Grainger Market as the cakes have maltesers , chocolate orange and all sorts of goodies. Love treating my friends.
And really it's always good to give someone a call ad a hug because that makes you feel better and them feel better. It's to easy to put things off til next week or next month which turns in to next year. Do it now , reach out to someone, it will lift both of you and you never know your friend my need it , you don't know what's happening unless you talk, which is vaguely the subject of my TED talk submission which I will send off when they are next looking for speakers.
We should all talk more , hug more , spend time together more , and we will enjoy life more. So Saturday starts here , and if you want a hug from me me let me know , I always have one for my friend , family and those I love.
Someone at work checked out my blog this week and they said that they found it remarkably uplifting, I do hope they read this as well , but what better , more uplifting start to the day could you have than Elbow's One Day Like This , wouldn't you just give that guy in the video a big big hug . I would!
I was a little stir crazy last night and so went into town to Trillians and the Tyneside Bar and Cafe where I had some lovely Minestrone soup. There was a girl at the bar with her boyfriend , we caught each others eye, I smiled at her and , surprisingly she smiled back. It was fleeting but uplifting moment.
Today I was walking up our road a girl came out the dentist , I smiled at her , she beamed at me , a two second thing but certainly made me feel much better. Had good news from various sources , always glad to hear of my friends having a good time.
Smiling is really good for you , even when things are going wrong find something to make you laugh and grin.
If I hadn't gone out last night I wouldn't have seen the girl at the bar , I will never see her again , but the lift her smile gave me will be part of me forever, and I think Eeyore always makes people smile.....
I do . And I know doom mongers will say it can't last but why not. I wake up every morning smiling , happy and looking forward to what;s coming my way even though sometimes I haven't a clue what that is.
I know bad things do happen but a positive attitude helps over those things . I love it when good things happen for my friends and those i love (and that's a big overlapping group , everyone I love is my friend) , and if something bad happens I am a shoulder to lean on , and friend to talk to , and someone to bring a smile to your face.
I often but small presents for friends , and they say you shouldn't have. There is as much pleasre in giving as well as getting.
Sometimes friends will say they've let me down because they can't make a gig or something , because they are feeling under the weather. They never let me down , I am adaptable and sometimes able to stand on my own two feet even. If they aren't well I am looking out for them and thinking about them.
One thing about me is that I can adapt , things can change beyond recognition and I'll keep on my feet and work out the next steps.
Yes I am not a Syrian refugee , I am well aware of plights of the oppressed and while my only contribution is charity donations and verbal support , I do tend to concentrate my attention closer to home.
So please be kind , feel good yourself and look out for others.
I love my friends so much
I'm really sorry if this seems like a new age rant . It's just to know that if I can be I will be there for you because I know you will there for me. I don't complain if I buty you a drink , a meal or a bar of chocolate , there is as much joy for me in seeing your smile and you get from what I give .There's only one song isn't there
Give someone a hug and hold their hand today , they may need it , and I'm certain they will want it
On a Saturday morning and it's amazing how useful and sometimes rubbish the digital world can be. How often do we get the excuse "It's a computer error" ? I always reply , no , it's a human who told it what to do and provided it with the data (somewhere don the line anyway if you want to get pedantic.
Sometime in the past I programmed my friend's birthday into Moonpig to be the 7th of September. I've been sending her cards on the 7th of September for years ,. Yesterday I caught her at Bar Loco , and said I'd forgotten her card , but it would be OK as her birthday was on the 7th . In unison everyone told me it was the 5th , and she's going on holiday on Monday.
So computer error ? I think not , this is a case of Mikey error. So this morning I need to make an early morning delivery of a birthday , so it's good that I got up at 5am
The thing is , I KNOW the negative devil lies and the positive one tells the truth. For me that devil
wins every time which is why my life is so good. Some people sometimes let their negative devil in and that makes life intolerable . Yes things go wrong , but there are people (like me) who will always be there to help and hold out my hand.
I love being happy , it makes me feel good , and I was going to have some doomy gloom music , but then this song jumed into my head. My positive devil was there for me once again . So you get Kevin Ayer's The Up Song , guaranteed to make you smile although at the bottom is me singing The Cult's Lil' Devil with Spoon
Well today is the last day of August , for some reason I thought that Saturday was the last day , c'est la vie. This month has been totally wonderful for me , just riding high on feelings of positivity and seeing things going well for friends and family.
We live in a world where conditioning and media pressure push us to be miserable and spiteful denigrate differences and actually find pleasure in other people's failure and misery. It is a horrible attitude and I discourage in impressionable youngsters and older people.
I look for different things , they stimulate my mind , I don't do straight and narrow in thought, pleasure and fun. The uses of that word has determined the song for this post , Baxter Dury's Pleasure, which is totally wonderful.
I hope things are going great for you and remember there is as much pleasure in giving as there is in receiving. Love all your friends and all who love you as well , always return that. It's too easy not to bother , me , I do bother.
I think things are going to get much better , keep looking for the positives and you will make your life perfect.
Over the past few weeks this song has been popping up on the radio and in shops and other plays. I've never really listened to the lyrics , though the title is obvious , and also The Cure are one of my favourite all time bands with "Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" being my favourite album with songs on there bringing back unexplained memories such as "Like Cockatoos" bringing to mind JG Ballard's "The Drowned World" and the achingly beautiful "Catch" still reminding of a student call Frances I knew back in the eighties who was great Cure fan.
The thing is "Friday I'm In Love" is such an uplifting song you almost don't need to listen to the words and it really does lift your spirits and make you feel better. It certainly resonates with my feelings and does lift me up even further. I've just transferred it to my phone because a listen to that will dispel any slight downers like Preston getting beat 2-0 by Hull yesterday.
Anyway we're in the middle of the Bank Holiday (for those in the UK) so enjoy the rest of the time and this week is only 4 days of work .
We're at the Bank Holiday Weekend at the end of August and the doom and gloom merchants will signal it as the end of all things. It isn't , no way. Everyday I find new things I want to do or try and am never satisfied with doing what is expected and conforming to expected boxes.
It's quite amazing how through my life I am continually deemed weird and strange because I don't watch X-Factor , Eastenders and Coronation Street , and I don't have an Apple iPhone.
The thing is I conform where I have to , I use money rather than barter, I have and Android Samsung Phone and a Windows Computer. But I prefer to be defined by what I do do , rather than what I don't do.
So I wont be watching any of those programs, but I know I'm in the minority. It's like Terry Pratchett , I enjoyed Mort and that was it but it doesn't matter because I have so much that I do like and I do not need any of those things.
Tonight I recut some CDs for a great friend to fit in his/her hatbox
I have lots to stimulate me, am in a constant state of feeling good , and every time I speak to someone I feel even better. like the ending of "True Romance" where Alabama eulogises for Clarence with the "You're So Cool" motif backed by the Orff "Gassenhauer" borrowing of Hans Zimmer.
I am feeling very positive so am going to bed now , but leaving with the wonderful Peter Gabriel song "Come Talk To Me", I really wish you would. Good Night my Great Friends
Deluge at Night and Hot Sun during the day , yeah I know that's too many capitalised letters. A t the moment life is going very fast and lots is happening and fitting things together is an absolute challenge but a good one to have. It's always good to have plenty to do.
My bookpile is growing faster than I can read , my play pile is growing faster than I can listen , my songs to put together are growing and I still haven't recorded my first one and I want to do versions of of a few songs just to prove that I can actually play them.
Today is another challenge , in a good way . Keeping positive and believing that things will go the way I want. I discovered a problem with my surgey's on line app and they were thankful for my input and are now rectifying things. At work I've been told I'm delivering stuff they have been waiting 12 months for.
I'm spreading knowledge and yesterday I saw an amazing light boxed version of John Martin's Sodom and Gomorrah and The Laing . Spoke with a lovely couple in their seventies who first of all thought I was an expert on the great man because I told them about him , although they knew of his importance and origins. They were also impressed with my phone too.
Loving life at the moment and I know it will get much better.
Heard from great friends around the world about their love of books that they share with me , which also gave me a huge lift.
After the bad night I had a relaxing weekend , mooching round watching TV , taking in some Blues courtesy of Monkey Junk at The Butterfly Cabinet and Cluny. While wandering down Northumberland Street came across the excellent Wandering Sons , a brilliant two piece , percussion acoustic guitar and voice. , they had CDs on sale and I immediately bought
Today was in Next buying clothes talking to a girl with an Amy Winehouse Beehive , and she asked me if I'd seen the film Amy and told me she'd seen it at the Tyneside Cinema so we chatted about film and music before I went on my way.
Got told again at work that they were happy with what I was doing , which is a definite plus
It has left me on a complete up and life is extremely enjoyable at the moment.
Thursday night in the middle of the night woke up with cramp in my left foot , it hurt like hell , as cramp does, and you get out of bed stamp around and that cures it doesn't it? Well usually it does, this time cramp wanted to really hurt me , and it kept coming back for about half an hour. This was followed by leg pains , then a bad head head pain and finally a chest pain that hurt like hell (not heart attack stuff , but without being too ungentile , my right moob felt like it had been severely kicked and punched, I finally got off to sleep listening my made up CD compilation of my first ever sampler album "Nice Enough To Eat" which I must thank for being my first introduction to , among others , Mott The Hoople and Nick Drake. (If you want a copy let me know because I don't thinks it ever got a CD release).
Anyway come morning , I felt ok if a little tired, but resolved to go and see by doctor and used the excellent Patient Access App to book an "Acute On The Day Appointment" . I booked it for 2:10 and turned up at the surgery to find they had no record of a booking , but had one for September 4th. I had spotted a flaw in the system and also not checked the date it had given me. Anyway I'm with Thornfield Medical Group and they booked me in for an Emergency Appointment at 5 , where I was seen fairly quickly checked over and all seemed good (Including a 3Kg weight loss) . The lovely doctor told me that cramp is exacerbated by dehydration but I tend to drink a lot of water anyway but maybe too much coffee (which is a diuretic) . I work with a Patient Focus Group at my surgery so will be feeding back about the app.
So that's where I am after a great week and looking forward to an excellent weekend , with not too many nights like Thursday. Have a most excellent day everyone.
I'm in an incredibly good mood today, I know I'm generally positive anyway but , today feels special. Good things seem to be happening. Last night Preston got a goalless draw with Rotheram , we never beat them but three matches in we've not been beaten. A good friend has signed the paperwork and moving to a bigger better house and last night I saw ny friend Bethany leading the North East Socialist Singers at a rally for Jeremy Corbyn , hopefully the next Labour Party Leader.
Big JC
I was there courtesy of my friend Craig who got me a ticket , and met with my other good friend Gillan who hasn't changed her hair colour since I last saw her at the Chase Park Festival , she was there with her family. I delivered Bethany's very belated birthday present via a NESS member, and it's the first time since I heard her duetting with Jon Lee on "Where The Wild Roses Grow" at The Tyneside Bar and Cafe.
Anyway , it's the first political rally I have attended , and including the people outside the Tyne Theatre there well close on two thousand there. We got lots of rousing call to to arms for Union Leaders , Council Members and Activists to universal applause. The we had Jeremy Corbyn.
What can I say , electrifyng , galvanising , an answer for every question , vey clear , and a commanding presence , no wonder the opposition are running scared. This is no career politician , this is a hard working guy , not afraid to tackle anything and also address the supposedly thorny issues of funding the NHS , helping those who cant help themselves , working for everyone's good, in politics for what he can put in , not what he can get out.
I think my Muse is with me today , and feeling incredibly inspired. I even took some video of NESS for you to enjoy singing a song from 1012 about Suffragettes according to Bethany.
Anyway time to go to work ,and have a good day, I going to have and amazing one.
Today I dropped by the excellent Glamorous Owl and among the many wondrous things there were these amazing "Dead Fairies" . The work is fabulous and I was speaking to the proprietress's husband
who was minding the shop while his wife was giving a two hour silver ring making lesson upstairs (£25 and you walk away with your own , self made silver ring).
Anyway tonight I watched the second episode of Series 3 of Ripper Street ,"The Beating of Her Wings" , a very dark episode which had a child apparently kept in a dungeon filled with ... you guessed it ... dead fairies
Now people would say that means something , but it really is just one of those ominous coincidences., you don't often come across dead fairies , definitely not twice in a day.
And what else could I have but We're All Going To Hell by The Bastard Fairies . So we've had two lots of Dead Fairies and one lot of Bastard Fairies.
I was talking with a good friend saying that I'd ordered a set of Tarot Cards , even though I really knew nothing about The Tarot. The set I'd ordered is an absolutely beautiful set called The Psychobilly Tarot . If you search google images you can see them here. My friend then told me the meaning of The Hanged Man in the Tarot which I had always assumed meant death. It doesn't , well not in the way we think of it.
I may be displaying my total ignorance here but here's what the actual meaning of the Hanged Man is.
The Hanged Man on the World Tree
In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil – the world tree – is the home of the universe.
The Aesir Gods live in the top, with elves, humans and ice giants populating the tree as you descend, until you reach the roots where the Norns live.
The Norns are the Norse fates – three sisters who control the destiny of all the creatures in all the worlds.
They carve runes – symbols of magic and knowledge – into the bark of Yggdrasil, so that their power is carried through all the branches, affecting all the people.
Now, the Aesir gods are a curious pantheon, in that they know of a prophecy that fortells their death.
Odin, King of the Gods, traded one of his eyes to acquire the prophecy and ever since had been searching for ways for undo their doom.
From the top of the world tree, Odin looked down and saw the sisters with their runes and felt the power of the symbols.
Perhaps, here, he might find the answer that would save himself and his people.
Down Odin descended. He asked the sisters to teach him the runes, but sadly they shook their heads. The runes could not be given, but must be earned.
A sacrifice was required.
So with strong ropes and cunning knots, the Norns hung Odin from a branch of Yggdrasil,
Each symbol had its own power – there were runes for protection and runes to curse, runes to inspire love and runes to acquire wealth. Runes to heal, and runes to wound.
ll these runes Odin was now the master of, and he hoped that it would be enough to arm him and his kin against Ragnarok: the end of the world.
So the hanged man is Odin , who made a sacrifice (his life) to earn the power of the runes. So it's not a sign of death but a sign of change.
Admitedly not my usual tyme of post but I love Norse Mythology , and thing the Psychobilly Tarot looks amazing and it's and excuse to include a Psychobilly track. Now what should we have...
While it's nothing earth shattering there were a lot of nice things going on today. This follows on from yesterday where I heard a friend had an offer on a house accepted , and was so pleased for them, and they were happy. And yesterday was extremely good.
And then today I had tasked myself with getting some new jackets , and after trailing through shops found a pair of linen ones in John Lewis and when I got to pay found they were half price , so it was effectively 2 for 1.
I wandered through the Grainger Market stopping off in Reflex and a chat with my mate Phil who works in there, then down through the Bigg Market towards RPM and noticed a shop that had replaced the beloved Attica , The Glamorous Owl and it is a wonderful and joyous place full of locally produced things and the people are wonderfully welcoming. You have to visit this place it really is a jewel.
Then on to RPM where Marek told he had something coming in , a collection of local 60s / 70s vinyl coming in , which should be very interesting.
Then in Fitzgeralds was served my a waitress who had the most amazingly stunning Medusa Tattoo , a true work of art , but I was too much of a gentleman to ask her for a photograph of it , but it was very impressive.
Anyway , the Joe Walsh song should suffice for the soundtrack to this post because the title sums up my feelings today even though I am very tired,
Oh and Preston won today which is always puts a smile on my face.
So enjoy the rest of the weekend. I know things are going to get much, much better
Don't know what brought this into my mind , but as you know my mind does veer off in weird direction , with or without and inspirational muse to direct me. I usually post because someone or something or some event has inspired me.
Anyway was just thinking of a time recently where I was watching a particular exciting TV program that was coming to a climactic scene and ....... there's a loud banging on the door , completely dissipating the moment. It was my new window cleaner (not had one for a while) who has the loudest knock you could think of.
Now if I hadn't got a new window cleaner , the TV progam would have had it's desired effect , but
because I put in motion the new window cleaner thing , that happened , and is likely to happen again as you need to be in for him to catch you.
Sometimes things you do can have completely unexpected but still valid results.
Anyway it's been a brilliant end to an amazing week , and now it's time for the weekend to kick in . Have a wonderful one my fantastic friends.
