I have eventually managed to track down a copy of ‘The Clarence Greenwood Recordings’ by Citizen Cope. Strangely enough his real name is Clarence Greenwood.
I have wanted to get a copy of this for some time now after I heard some of the songs on the Seattle radio station KEXP. It has not been released here in the UK and I’ve not heard it played on any of the local stations.
He has a bluesy gruff and very soulful sound and his lyrics are both moving and playful at the same time, irreverent and yet passionate. I think it is an album that you might put on late at night in a darkened room when you have your feet up with a glass of what-you-like in hand.
Check out his site and try some of the samples. See what you think.
Monday, February 14, 2005
More of wot I have watched…
On Sunday we arranged to meet James and Nikala at the cinema late morning where we watched the incredibly moving Spanish film ‘The Sea Inside’.
This is not an easy film, based as it is on the true story of a quadriplegic’s fight for the right to end his life. Even so the acting is some of the absolute best I have ever seen and it more than maked up for the subject matter.
Take plenty of tissues to this one…
This is not an easy film, based as it is on the true story of a quadriplegic’s fight for the right to end his life. Even so the acting is some of the absolute best I have ever seen and it more than maked up for the subject matter.
Take plenty of tissues to this one…
Another lovely weekend...
Saturday we did some chores around the house and managed to get out onto the allotment getting it ready for the spring planting. I have my seed potatoes ‘chitting’ in the loft and I have put my onion sets into trays to start their roots growing. In the evening we went to a Valentines themed dinner party at Chris and Carole’s where we ate and drank more than we should have done. Very nice it was too.
Sunday we went out to the movies with James and Nikala and had a lovely roast chicken dinner and followed it with pancakes with glazed banana and maple syrup. Oh boy…
Sunday we went out to the movies with James and Nikala and had a lovely roast chicken dinner and followed it with pancakes with glazed banana and maple syrup. Oh boy…
Monday, February 07, 2005
Another year older…
Well here we go the last year of my 30’s.
Sue and I celebrated by driving down to the lovely Sussex town of Rye. Once an island defence against French invasion, it now sits miles from the see overlooking farmland. It is a bit teashops-and-antiques, but even so it is nice at this time of the year. I can imagine it would be absolutely heaving during the summer months. As it was it took us a while to find accommodation, which we did in the Borough Arms, a family run 300 year old former sailors' inn situated alongside Mermaid Street, overlooking the Strand. After a leisurely drive down we freshened up and took to the cobbled streets and had a look at the local places of interest. This did include a pub or two. We had a wonderful evening meal at the highly recommended The Flushing Inn.
On Sunday, after unwrapping a super haul of pressies (thanks everybody), we stoked up on a Full-English and set off to explore more of the countryside by car. We headed down to the coast to see the sea defences (it is a little unnerving to stand on them and realise that the sea is higher than land behind the barrier). We stopped in Hastings for a ramble around for a few hours before head back homewards.
Near home we stopped at the former Croydon Aerodrome which has an open day on the first Sunday of each month, luckily. We spent a few more hours here being told the history of England’s first International Airport and of famous flyers like Lindbergh, Kingsford-Smith, Amy Johnson, Jean Batten and many more. Many of the guides worked at the airport or flew from it and it was very inspiring to hear their stories.
Sue and I celebrated by driving down to the lovely Sussex town of Rye. Once an island defence against French invasion, it now sits miles from the see overlooking farmland. It is a bit teashops-and-antiques, but even so it is nice at this time of the year. I can imagine it would be absolutely heaving during the summer months. As it was it took us a while to find accommodation, which we did in the Borough Arms, a family run 300 year old former sailors' inn situated alongside Mermaid Street, overlooking the Strand. After a leisurely drive down we freshened up and took to the cobbled streets and had a look at the local places of interest. This did include a pub or two. We had a wonderful evening meal at the highly recommended The Flushing Inn.
On Sunday, after unwrapping a super haul of pressies (thanks everybody), we stoked up on a Full-English and set off to explore more of the countryside by car. We headed down to the coast to see the sea defences (it is a little unnerving to stand on them and realise that the sea is higher than land behind the barrier). We stopped in Hastings for a ramble around for a few hours before head back homewards.
Near home we stopped at the former Croydon Aerodrome which has an open day on the first Sunday of each month, luckily. We spent a few more hours here being told the history of England’s first International Airport and of famous flyers like Lindbergh, Kingsford-Smith, Amy Johnson, Jean Batten and many more. Many of the guides worked at the airport or flew from it and it was very inspiring to hear their stories.
More of wot I have read…
Elle Minow Pea by Mark Dunn
This book was a Christmas present from James and Nikala who bought it for its literary uniqueness. The book revolves around a famous pangram (a phrase, sentence or verse composed of all the letters of the alphabet). But it is the developing political fanaticism that drives the story and I must say that it is one of the only books where the story has actually wound me up. It is a very interesting and entertaining read.
‘As Ella Minnow Pea writes to her cousin with the latest news on the small, quiet island of Nollop, little does she imagine the crisis ahead. The letter z has fallen from the statue of Nevin Nollop, revered author of the sentence ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ – and the island’s rulers interpret this as a sign of divine displeasure and ban its use in any form. In a novel composed of correspondence, the loss of z is inconvenient; but far worse is to come as more letters fall and more are banned, until only l, m, n, o, p remain…
The story of a battle against tyranny, this extraordinary novel, written with an ever-shrinking alphabet, is at once a moving love story, a brilliant political allegory and an unforgettable celebration of language.'
Pompeii by Robert Harris
This is a riveting read that I couldn’t put down. I love historical novels and one, like this, based on such a famous incident adds something due to the familiarity of the subject. It is great to read an account from such a personal viewpoint.
‘A sweltering week in late August. Where better to enjoy the last days of summer than on the beautiful Bay of Naples?
But even as Rome’s richest citizens relax in their villas around Pompeii and Herculaneum, there are ominous warnings that something is going wrong. Wells and springs are falling, a man has disappeared, and now the greatest aqueduct in the world – the mighty Aqua Augusta – has suddenly ceased to flow…
Through the eyes of four characters – a young engineer, an adolescent girl, a corrupt millionaire and an elderly scientist – Robert Harris brilliantly recreates a luxurious world on the brink of destruction.'
This book was a Christmas present from James and Nikala who bought it for its literary uniqueness. The book revolves around a famous pangram (a phrase, sentence or verse composed of all the letters of the alphabet). But it is the developing political fanaticism that drives the story and I must say that it is one of the only books where the story has actually wound me up. It is a very interesting and entertaining read.
‘As Ella Minnow Pea writes to her cousin with the latest news on the small, quiet island of Nollop, little does she imagine the crisis ahead. The letter z has fallen from the statue of Nevin Nollop, revered author of the sentence ‘The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’ – and the island’s rulers interpret this as a sign of divine displeasure and ban its use in any form. In a novel composed of correspondence, the loss of z is inconvenient; but far worse is to come as more letters fall and more are banned, until only l, m, n, o, p remain…
The story of a battle against tyranny, this extraordinary novel, written with an ever-shrinking alphabet, is at once a moving love story, a brilliant political allegory and an unforgettable celebration of language.'
Pompeii by Robert Harris
This is a riveting read that I couldn’t put down. I love historical novels and one, like this, based on such a famous incident adds something due to the familiarity of the subject. It is great to read an account from such a personal viewpoint.
‘A sweltering week in late August. Where better to enjoy the last days of summer than on the beautiful Bay of Naples?
But even as Rome’s richest citizens relax in their villas around Pompeii and Herculaneum, there are ominous warnings that something is going wrong. Wells and springs are falling, a man has disappeared, and now the greatest aqueduct in the world – the mighty Aqua Augusta – has suddenly ceased to flow…
Through the eyes of four characters – a young engineer, an adolescent girl, a corrupt millionaire and an elderly scientist – Robert Harris brilliantly recreates a luxurious world on the brink of destruction.'
Old Folk Heads…
Planxty might not ring any bells for many people unless you are an original folky. For those in the know they are one of the most popular Irish Folk bands of the 70’s and a vehicle for the skills of Donal Lunny (bouzouki, vocals), Andy Irvine (bouzouki, mandola), Liam O’Flynn (uilleann pipes), and Christy Moore (guitar, vocals). After two decades the band has got together again to tour the UK. We took Terry and Joyce (old folkys) who are very familiar with Planxty (Their dog is called Liam, the neighbours is Flynn).
We had a lovely Italian meal at Vecchio Parioli near the Barbican tube station. It had a very interesting and delicious menu.
We saw Planxty playing at the barbican on 30th January. The warm up act was another Irish artist called Luka Bloom. The guys came on a played solidly without break for what seamed like a couple of hours. Totally awesome they were too. If you haven’t heard uilleann pipes they are something else, and nobody knows how to play them better than Liam O’Flynn.
We had a lovely Italian meal at Vecchio Parioli near the Barbican tube station. It had a very interesting and delicious menu.
We saw Planxty playing at the barbican on 30th January. The warm up act was another Irish artist called Luka Bloom. The guys came on a played solidly without break for what seamed like a couple of hours. Totally awesome they were too. If you haven’t heard uilleann pipes they are something else, and nobody knows how to play them better than Liam O’Flynn.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
After a long while I have again been playing DQ as Ular Rah Shan (though not quite as you might remember him - this is an old picture, but things have changed - ask the others!).
Dean ran a short campaign to the land of OZ. Things were never quite as they seemed which resulted in ever increasing levels of paranoia with humorous results. Michelle, Marc, Terry and Ross played the mixed level party and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves. It was fun.
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