Virtually Nothing...

Probably the best Christmas album ever...

2011-12-21T10:26:00.000Z

For the last few years it has been a ritual of ours to put on Christmas music as we decorate the tree and house and the XFM charity album It's a Cool Cool Christmas is the one that gets the most airplay at our place. It is an alternative album with a mixture of traditional and original tracks all versions of which I doubt you would have heard before, and certainly won't hear playing in the shops continuously.

Highlights for me are Grandaddy singing 'Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland', Eels 'Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas' with the immotal line 'Baby Jesus... ...born to Rock!'. Belle & Sebastian's version of 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' is sublime, The Flaming Lips pretenting to be Tom Waits in 'White Christmas' is great fun.

All in all it is a very uplifting and enjoyable album... ...probably the best Christmas Album ever - tell me what you think is the best?

A Christmas Sing-A-Long…

2011-12-15T15:53:00.000Z

We went up to my uncle’s place where he and a few neighbours have an annual carolling evening. Many musically minded members of the Aldbury Morris turn up and join the classically trained cellist and violinist from next door and we all provide lusty voices to traditional Christmas carols with throats lubricated with liquid beverages before enjoying a pot-luck meal and catching up with everyone.

It is a most enjoyable affair and imbues us with plenty of Christmas spirit, setting us up nicely for the coming festivities.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-12-06T16:01:00.000Z

James Bell of The Reverenzas was at the Dorking Folk Club, on his own as his band mates could not make it due to illness. It was an opportunity for him to throw himself fully into his music, and boy he did that with abandon. He is a high energy performer with a rare talent and a charismatic personality. His rendition of Wuthering Heights was a blast.

A Cotswold Treat…

2011-12-06T14:18:00.000Z

Good friends of ours treated us to a holiday in the picturesque Cotswold village of Broadway in the grand Lygon Arms hotel that has a long and interesting history. At this time of year the town is gearing up for Christmas and has a nice picture postcard atmosphere about it as we strolled about the street enjoying the festive sights and sounds.

Needless to say we also enjoyed our time together over a series of mouth-watering meals washed down by liberal liquid refreshments.

We had an outing to Stratford-upon-Avon and walked around the streets busy with tourists eager to absorb some of the Shakespearean culture.

On our way home we stopped off at the imposing and stately Blenheim Palace to see how the other half live in ostentatious gilt and silken grandeur.

More of wot I have heard…

2011-12-06T14:16:00.000Z

Get on with it Live by Chumbawamba

A live album recorded during their 2006 UK tour with many songs that they performed during the concert we saw in Shoreham-by-Sea.

Joy to the World by Pink Martini

A seasonal holiday inspired album with artist and songs from around the world in different languages with interpretations on this period of the year that are grounded in different cultures and backgrounds. It is a musically interesting and exciting album of many parts.

Laura Marling free CD from the Observer

A nice freebie collection of tracks from this accomplished folk artist.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-12-06T14:14:00.000Z

We went to see Chumbawamba perform at the intimate Ropertackle Arts Centre in Shoreham-by-Sea.

We had dinner before at the charming Chambers Bistro before going along to the small venue where we mingled with an eclectic mix of people who had come to watch this talented and amusingly entertaining band perform their songs that have strong political messages and pointed lyrics. The band is part of a folk collective called No Masters.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-11-29T14:28:00.000Z

This last weekend we saw Adrian Edmondson & the Bad Shepherds at the Union Chapel supported by Samantha Crain and Wreckless Eric.

The Bad Shepherds thing is to take punk songs, and songs of that period, and set them to folk music (Nouvelles Vagues do a similar thing but set to café/lounge music). The fiddler and pipe player were absolutely awesome talents and Adrian is no slouch on the mandolin either.

The first warm up act was a young woman from Oklahoma, Sam Crain, who played guitar and sang lovely songs. Wreckless Eric, though, was not our cup of tea – a little too punk and rough and ready.

The venue was fabulous, a great looking church in a square layout with an amazing ceiling. The only agrivation was that it was out in Islington/Highbury which meant that we had to drive through the West End to get home and even at that time of night it was heaving adding time and stress to the journey.

Do you remember when…?

2011-11-29T14:25:00.002Z

We went to the occasional reunion of a company Sue and I first met. GP Elliott was a small engineering company that was later swallowed up by a bigger one and moved from South Wimbledon to Essex. It had one of the best working atmospheres of any I have worked at with a superb social scene that resulted in many couples getting together and people staying friends all this time, even after 15 years since it moved on.

It was at a pub that was the old local, and seems not to have changed in the intervening time. Much of the night was spent reminiscing and trying to recall names of past employees and listening to rumours and stories of where they all are now.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-11-15T13:18:00.000Z

We went out on a ‘school night’, and a Monday at that, to see Imelda May at the Brighton Dome. We got there in time to see her support act, Big Boy Bloater, as we settled in for a foot stomping, rip-roaring good night out.

The warm-up group did just that with a selection of traditional and self-penned songs in an energetic rock-n-roll, soul, and blues style interspersed with comic touches and real charisma.

Imelda May continued the raucous theme with her own unique voice that swayed between honey rich to bourbon and fags raw as if it came straight from the Southern States that her lilting Irish speaking voice barely hinted at.

The rock-n-roll spirited music was enjoyed by the diverse audience of mixed ages and styles, some obviously totally swept up in the genre that they came dressed for a lindy hop, while others looked like beatniks, Brighton locals, and ‘regular’ folks like us.

London Necropolis…

2011-11-10T12:05:00.000Z

I went to a talk at the Westcott Local History Group which was about BrookwoodCemetery set up by the London Necropolis Company as a result of the chronic overcrowding of London cemeteries. At the time Brookwood was the largest cemetery in the world and even now is the largest in Western Europe. It caters for conformist and non-conformist burials and has special sections set aside for different religious groups, countries, organizations and a dedicated military site. There a several famous people buried at the cemetery including the relics of King Edward the Martyr, and the body of Horatia Nelson Johnson, granddaughter of Nelson via Emma Hamilton.

It was quite a fascinating talk about an intriguing and surprisingly little know place.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-11-10T12:03:00.003Z

We saw Scottish folk musician Ian Bruce at the folk club and he put on an entertaining show.

Engineering Trade Secret...

2011-11-10T09:31:00.000Z

Cake by cake…

2011-11-01T16:16:00.001Z

While I was away getting all medieval out in France, Sue was keeping herself busy in a different way.

Always the social butterfly Sue had arranged to become involved in several different events (so that she would not have to spend time pining for me all alone at home – that’s what she tells me anyway), such as:

Comedy Night

This was an event at Sue’s sister’s work place where up and coming comedians performed as invited guests enjoyed an evening meal and drinks.

Mum’s Birthday
With Aunts and Jamie all coming around to our place, Sue put on a spread for her mother’s birthday that included some of her favourite cakes.

Swish Party
A swish party is an event where people bring unwanted clothes and accessories and gather together to swap them. It also seems to involve much eating and drinking. Sue hosted and spent several days making cakes; large ones, small ones, sweet ones and savoury ones, until the table was groaning under the weight of them.

Work Girls Night Out

This was another excuse to get together with friends and to eat and drink while catching up on gossip.

I would like to think this was just a case of ‘while the cat’s away’, but, you know…

…squeak, squeak!

Cakes, and such, baked include:

Carrot Cake
Coffee Walnut Cake
Apple n Cider Cake
Cinnamon and Blackberry cake
Apple and Plum Flap Jacks
Mini Jam Tarts
Mini Banofee Pies
MonteCarlo Biscuits
Cucumber, Smoked Salmon, Egg and Cress Sarnies
Carrot and Chili Flapjacks
And Mini Savory Tartlets

Since then Sue has also been to another event;

Dunk & Dip

Held a friends place Sue joined this party where olive oil and various other condiments were being sampled with the objective of enticing you to buy them. Needless to say more food and drink were also available to sample.

Brick by brick…

2011-10-27T15:18:00.001Z

Last week I was in the 13th century working as a builder at a French castle.

Along with a friend I went to volunteer at Guedelon where they are half way through a 25 year project to build an authentic castle in the 13th century style using only the skills and materials available at the time.

We had made our plans after seeing a few of the organisers running presentations and demonstrations at Bodium castle. We were taken with the project and made enquiries, finding out more and eventually arranging to join them late in October just before they closed the site for the winter.

Part of the deal was that you had to look the part, as the site is a tourist attraction and the visitors like to see the workers looking in keeping with the surroundings. I must admit I took this all to heart and along with the linen smock Sue’s mum made I got some accessories – a leather belt pouch, a bota drinking skin, and even getting contact lenses so that I didn’t need to wear my glasses. Along with the safety boots, the travel and accommodation costs and the site fees (you have to pay to work for them, unless you are a permanent or contract worker), it was getting to become a reasonable expensive trip.

We drove down in my car (as it was a company vehicle), taking the Dover to Dunkirk crossing and stopping the night there before driving on to the gite we had hired, near the castle, in the Burgundy region.

Not knowing what to expect on our first day we got to the site early (I get anxious about being late for things – we were so early at the ferry that we got on the earlier sailing). We were the only ones there and started to wonder if we had made a mistake, when after some time the other staff arrived in dribs and drabs.

Our lack of language skills was a bit of an issue, but luckily we were helped by a few native English speakers and a few other foreigners who were multi lingual, and for the rest we were able to use our pigeon French, their pigeon English and suitable sign language to make ourselves understood. I think we would had got much more out of the experience had we been able to communicate better, and to this end I have ordered a language course to improve my feeble skills.

The weather was glorious for the whole time we were there, some of the hottest few days in October they had known, and no rain to be seen. Had it been different I don’t think we would have enjoyed quite as much. But enjoy it we did.

It is hard to imagine this project ever being permitted in the UK with all the safety implications and nanny state bureaucracy. But in France this site works well. Concessions have been made to safety such as steel top capped boots, hard hats for work under the crane (though they are covered in cloth to disguise them), netting around the working areas at the top of the towers and on the building roof, and face masks and goggles in the quarry to protect the eyes from stone chips and the lungs from silicosis. But for the most part the site looks as much like a medieval work site could.

The first task we were given was to run the squirrel cage, which is what they call the drum crane. A contraption of two large wheels (like hamster wheels) inside which we walked, that in turn pulled a rope over pulleys, to lift stone and mortar from the ditch outside the walls up to the top of the tower for the masons to use. The crane did have extra netting at the sides, a brake (that would not have existed on the original device) and steel armoured rope (that looked normal to the casual eye). It was job normally reserved for slaves and captured prisoners, and on this site it was mostly left to the volunteers as it is hard work.

Next we were put on the top of the great tower to help them build up the layers of stones. From here we had a panoramic view over the entire site and could watch the activities at the blacksmiths, the mortar tent, the stables, the quarry and stone cutter and stone masons buildings, the carpenters lodge and the rope makers building. Only the woodland village, obscured by the trees, was hidden, where the wood cutters, basket maker, tile maker and dyer were resident.

After lunch with the staff I spent much of the rest of the day on my knees placing the stones in the mortar, and it wasn’t until we got back to our accommodation at night that I realised that had been a mistake. I forgot how corrosive lime mortar is and where it had soaked into my trousers it had burned my knees leaving them sore and dried out. I didn’t do that again.

Paul is a woodsman in the winter time in the UK and so when the organisers found out they wanted him to use his skills in the woods. He had arranged to bring some of his tools and many of the staff crowded around him when he brought them out looking at how they differed from the ones they used. One of his specialities is making hazel hurdles (woven fence panels to you and me), and together on the last day we went at gathered the material from the woods and Paul made a hurdle (as I supervised). This went down particularly well with the site supervisor and the woman who started the project (all of the animal enclosures are currently fenced off using wood and wire fencing that is not in keeping with the period), and so he was asked if he would consider coming back the following year for a month to teach others how to make the panels.

As an unskilled labourer I moved around the site doing many different jobs including breaking huge boulders in the quarry using only a hammer, chisel, wedge and sledge-hammer. It was hard work but very rewarding to bust a lump of stone into several pieces by hand. I also used finer tools to shape the stone with a curved face ready for use in the tower. I chopped and split logs in the woodland village so that they could be split into batons and shingles for the roof, and helped the carpenters raise a large oak frame for a new building in the woods.

Our day off was Wednesday, and so we explored the countryside taking in local markets and two contemporary castles; the huge Saint-Fargeau Castle (owned and renovated by the guy who originally came up with the idea for Guedelon), and the wonderful Ratilly Castle where the owners had started a pottery and where they had an old dove/pigeon tower with the original moving ladder still intact.

We were sad to leave at the end of our stay, and I think the other staff were sad to see us go too.

The journey back was long, and tiring, especially when we missed our diversionary route and ended up going around the Paris Peripherique during the morning rush hour (don’t do it – it is horrific! I’ll never complain about the M25 again).

All in all we had a great time and thoroughly recommended it to others. You do not have to break rocks or lift huge timbers as they will find work that suits people of all abilities, but if you are interested in architecture, archaeology, castles, medieval re-enactment or the great outdoors, then this might just be for you.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-10-06T14:03:00.000Z

Dr Marigold & Mr Chops by Charles Dickens

Dr Marigold and Going into Society are two short readings by Charles Dickens that he would perform on tours to packed audiences. These two stories have similar themes; both have main characters who ‘perform’ to an audience for the purpose of gaining financial reward, one as a travelling sales man come hawker of wares, and the other as a proprietor of a freak show. They are also social commentaries on how people treat others not the same as they are and on how the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

This two part one man show was performed in the attractive little Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford by the exceptionally talented and spellbinding Simon Callow. Although Sue did fall asleep it might have had more to do with the substantial lunch and liquid refreshment than the quality of the acting (she has been known to fall asleep in the cinema as the massive battle scenes unfolded at the beginning of Gladiator only to wake moments later to ask “have I missed anything?”).

Baring a few small changes to the script, to alter a few anachronistic words and to make more suitable for a monologue by the character, there is remarkably little difference from the original scripts, which still have a relevance in today’s world while giving us a view into those aspects of yesteryear that have disappeared without trace.

A Folking Good Time…

2011-09-21T13:38:00.000Z

In what is fast becoming a new tradition we again went along to the Towersey Village Festival where we slept drunkenly under canvas in a damp field after enjoying the musical talents of a wide and varied selection of artists.

Just the few of the many that we managed to see…

Cara Dillon – sweet voice, lovely tunes
The Spooky Men’s Chorale – great fun, silly Aussie humour, talented singers
Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick – old school traditional folk, talented but not our tastes
Lau – lively and youthful exuberance
17 Hippies – there are more than 17 of them, they are not hippies but they are great foot stomping band
Karine Polwart – lovely voice full of passion
Tim Edey and Brendan Power – superb talents, and Power is a Kiwi!
Kate Rowe – fun, playful lyricist
Saltfishforty – exciting and salty tunes from the northern isles
Roy Bailey - a stalwart of the folk scene with a large following
Emily Portman – dark and haunting lyrics sung with the lightness of an angel’s voice
The Old Dance School – talented bunch of youngsters who are set for big things
David Ferrard – charming and moving songs
Alasdair Roberts – complex and interesting songs with great soul

And at the Three Horseshoes Pub – here we met my uncle and his band mates who sing and play along in a jam session with other talented musicians while we attempt to drink the pub dry.

We are already planning to go again next year.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-09-21T13:37:00.000Z

The God of Soho by Chris Hannan at the Globe Theatre

We had planned to visit Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre ever since we toured it when it was being built, but usually once the weather became nice enough for open-air performances we found all the convenient tickets had been sold. As it was we decided to go to a non-traditional non-Shakespearian show this time and we were glad that we did.

On the Saturday we met up with Jamie earlier in the day near where he lives in Bermondsey for breakfast before strolling through the cobbled streets lined with artist studios and curio shops to the river, along the waterside to a pub for pre-show refreshments before entering the theatre.

The show was fantastic, lively, noise, rude and sexy and we had a thoroughly entertaining time. The venue is a masterpiece and has great atmosphere; we don’t know why it took us so long to visit.

‘Big God’s mind is crumbling, Mrs God has lost her looks and they can’t stop arguing. Their daughter, the Goddess of Love has been rejected and banished to earth. Meanwhile - in Essex - glamorous reality TV star Natty has had some fetish items stolen that threaten to expose her relationship with rock star Baz to the media.
Award-winning writer Chris Hannan’s moving, hectic and hilarious new play, The God of Soho, comes to life in a world addicted to drugs and handbags, to flash-bulbs and tabloid exposure, and to the overwhelming need for attention.

The cast of loveable misfits includes Phil Daniels (Quadrophenia, A Clockwork Orange at the RSC, Holding On, The Long Firm, Outlaws and most recently The Beggar's Opera at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) playing Big God, Emma Pierson as Natty (Little Dorrit, Hotel Babylon) and Edward Hogg ( Bunny and the Bull, White Lightnin' and Woyzeck at The Gate) as Baz.

Sexy, feisty and real, The God of Soho is a morality tale for the modern age, a story about love at its dirtiest, maddest and most bittersweet.

Bursting with dirty language and filthy content.’

Going to Build a Castle…

2011-07-19T15:09:00.003Z

I have arranged with a friend of mine to go and help build a castle in France. We saw a demonstration of medieval skills recently at Bodium and I was intrigued with the project. Apparently a wealthy Frenchman who likes to restore old chateaux decided he wanted to build one from scratch using the authentic skills and designs of the 13th Century. They started Guedelon Castle in 1997 and expect the project to take 25 years in total, so they are only half way through. They welcome volunteers who want to participate and learn techniques and experience the living archaeology of the site, so we put our names down and we are due to go at the end of October. I am really excited about the project.

With Bells On…

2011-07-19T15:09:00.000Z

We went to the annual Aldbury Morris Weekend Away that this year was based at Worcester, a lovely city with a great cathedral and fabulous old cobbled streets lined with rickety old buildings.

As is the want at this event we got well oiled the first night as they took over the bar and sang and played music. I was unable to make breakfast in the morning but soon perked up at the first destination on our tour once I had a hair of the dog, and then there was no stopping us. We travelled around many of the beautiful villages in the area, the side singing and dancing with a little drinking to lubricate the voice and knees.

The side even danced out for a wedding in a quaint village for a bemused party of well-wishers and a handsome couple.

Sue’s Birthday…

2011-07-19T15:08:00.000Z

We went out to dinner and an open air Shakespeare at Guildford on the big day and we are going to go to the Globe to see another play, not Shakespeare, this time it is The God of Soho, which we are looking forward to.

The following weekend we had the family around and Sue cooked a roast beef dinner for them that included vegetables from the allotment and a wicked horseradish sauce that I make to a Mrs Beaton’s recipe.

More of wot I have heard…

2011-07-19T15:07:00.000Z

Deleted Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor by Caro Emerald

This is a modern interpretation of jazz and swing music by a talented Dutch singer. I had downloaded her latest single for Sue, but when she heard the album at a friend’s party she just had to have it. It is a great upbeat sound that is ideal for a gathering or celebration.

Shakespeare in the Park…

2011-07-19T15:02:00.000Z

Guildford Shakespeare Company presents Much Ado About Nothing at the Guildford Castle

On Sue’s birthday this year we went into Guildford after work to eat and be merry. I had bought tickets to an open air production of Shakespeare and we originally intended to have a picnic, but the weather was looking dodgy so we went to Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant instead and had a fabulous meal. Then we walked up to the Guildford Castle grounds where a small crowd had gathered for the boutique performance arranged around the bandstand. The weather stayed fine and we had an added treat of watching a hot air balloon skimming the roof tops as it sailed majestically overhead.

South Africa - Lanscapes and Animals

2011-05-24T16:24:00.001Z

South Africa - Lanscapes and Animals, a set on Flickr.

A few pictures from our recent trip to RSA...

Behind the Lens…

2011-05-24T15:15:00.000Z

Sue got me a second hand Digital SLR camera for my Xmas/Birthday present and the first time I have used in anger was on our South African trip, with mixed success. I realised early on that I need more practice and training to be able to master the manual settings and so I have a subscription to a magazine, a book on the subject and now I have joined the Dorking Camera Club with the hope I can improve.

More of wot I have heard…

2011-05-24T15:14:00.000Z

Let Them Talk by Hugh Laurie

Everybody knows the multitalented Hugh Laurie, rowed in the boat race for his university, acclaimed comedian and actor of stage, TV and film, but now we hear he is a musical genius as well… …there must be something wrong with the guy.

His new album shows his passion for the blues and showcases his not inconsiderable talent at the piano and guitar. It is a faithful and heartfelt tribute to a school of music that has influenced so many, and it’s a good listen as well.

Oh my God, Charlie Darwin by The Low Anthem

American indie-folk-rockers The Low Anthem’s music can tug at the heart strings on a wispy ballad or can have you bouncing around the room with a heavy beat, all with very accomplished musicianship and certain amount of facial hair.

Flaws by the Bombay Bicycle Club

A young UK indie-folk band who have been influenced by traditional folk music, but not let it stop them from adding their own thing to it in a familiar and at the same time refreshing style.

Jupiter’s Corner by The Carrivick Sisters

Devon based twins are as talented as they are beautiful and we witnessed this at our local folk group. They play a multiple array of instruments in a bluegrass heavy set of music and where their un-amplified voices sometimes got lost live; the album is balanced to bring the lyrics forward better.

Another Mid-Life Crisis…

2011-05-24T15:11:00.000Z

I seem to have these every so often and at the moment I am hankering for a VW Kombi again. A couple of companies (Danbury and VW Kampers) import the old Type 2 van from where it is still made in Brazil and convert them into campervans, the only thing is they are about £35k each. Even the original ones and the older more iconic split-screen versions are incredibly expensive here, good ones easily demanding £15k.

We went out on Saturday to see if I could get it out of me system by visiting a motor home show. On the way we came across signs for Dubs at the Park, and so a detour was made and we found ourselves in the grounds of an old stately home crawling with old Volkswagens. There were some absolutely gorgeous examples of the splitty and bay window vans to be seen, and some were for sale, but even tatty old bangers were going for more then you would expect.

After wiping the drool off my chin we carried on to the Southern Motor Caravan Show were we found ourselves amongst all manner of sizes and shapes of motor homes, nearly all white panel work outside and dreadful chintz upholstery inside. Some were huge with lounges bigger than ours at home, but all had the feeling of old people’s homes on wheels. Some of them were very reasonably priced, in comparison to the vee-dubs we had just seen, but even the smallest ones were too big when you don’t have off street parking, and none could be used as your day-to-day runabout.

I started to realise it wasn’t a camper van that I wanted, but a VW Kombie van.

It was further complicated when we looked inside one of the static homes that was finished to look like a log cabin. Rather than the old fashioned soft furnishings and traveller external paintwork, this one was more for the holiday park market and had all the mod-cons inside, flat screen TV above the stylish wall mounted fire, piped music throughout, a fully fitted kitchen with double door American style fridge, an suite wet room and a bright and airy feel inside. We had a moment there where we started to mentally go through the possibility of selling our house, buying the cabin and having it located in some picturesque country local and still buying the camper van… …we shook our heads and decided to leave before the dark side over powered us.

After the motor home show we went on to Cliveden, a lovely former home of the Astor’s and now a grand hotel. We had a walk about and tea in the orangey, but it was getting late and the wind outside was making strolling about unpleasant, so we continued on into the city where we planned to meet some Kiwi friends of ours.

We met at the Punch and Judy on Covent Garden for a quick drink before relocating to a lovely nearby restaurant where we spent a lovely few hours over dinner chatting and catching up on what we had all been doing over that intervening period. It was a great evening, but with all the running about we had done we were glad to get back home and tumble into our bed.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-05-24T15:09:00.000Z

We have just been to see Warhorse at the New London Theatre as a belated Mother’s Day treat with Sue’s mom and sister. We had read the book by the children’s author Michael Morpurgo, and were very taken with the tale. The stage production had to be altered from the original story to accommodate the point of view other than that of the horse. The sets were deliberately sparse and the animals were life sized puppets but this did not detract from the story, in fact, along with the clever use of projected ‘hand drawn’ graphics, it actually gave you room as an audience to use your imagination like you would in a book. It was very engaging and well performed and produced. The unexpected highlights were the superb singing of traditional folk anti war songs and a comedy turn by the animated goose.

I here that a film version of the book is due out at the end of the year, even so, I would recommend seeing the stage show and that youngsters read the book.

City Living…

2011-05-24T15:07:00.002Z

We were planning to visit London on the weekend to see a show and so we arranged to travel in earlier to catch up with Jamie to celebrate his 25th birthday. We had cakes at the apartment he shares with Beth and then we all went out for lunch at a lovely place in Bermondsey Square. What a cool place it is too, the whole square, café’s, museums, cinema, shops, office and residential all in an interesting and vibrant little space. It made me wish I could have a London crash-pad and spend more time in places like that one. The only down side was when we were walking back to the flat and Jamie and I were verbally abused by a couple of drunks and for a moment we both were close to turning all caveman until Nan came to the rescue and saw them off.

Out of Africa…

2011-05-06T11:00:00.001Z

We have just returned from a long three week break in South Africa with some friends of ours who came from there originally and we returning to visit family and friends and to show their young daughter some of the sights.

We flew out on Virgin Airways and did not have great service. There were over seventy children on the flight and the staff had not catered for them, so we all suffered.

Our first port of call was Cape Town where we had rented a couple of cars and an apartment in Green Point near the Victoria & Alfred waterfront.

On the first day we went around the bay to get the iconic view back towards Table Mountain. The water looked too inviting for Yendall and Sue to resist, but they were soon back out when they felt the cold Atlantic waters. Later on we went shopping for supplies and then ventured out to the waterfront for a meal.

The next day we went up the mountain on the cable car. We had spectacular views across Cape Town from the dizzying heights. The weather was brilliant and we walked around the top seeing cute little dassies along with lizards, birds and other small creatures. We were very lucky with the conditions as we later heard the mountain had been closed for days, and a day or so afterwards there was the famous table cloth cloud covering it over.

After that we drove around a few of the bays.

While we were in Cape Town we also saw sea lions, penguins at the Boulder’s Beach colony, hungry and scary baboons, and ostriches on the beach at Cape Point. We visited the lovely Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens where we saw some amazing plants and some creepy golden orb spiders. We stopped for smoked snoek at Hout Bay and went for a spin on the wheel back at the V&A waterfront.

After a few days we went on to the Wine Region where we stayed at a lovely rural location which we used for a few days of touring around the Stelenbosch region visiting a few vineyards, the historic town, and admiring the stunning scenery. Vineyards we stopped at included Simonsig, Hartenberg where we had a superb lunch, Delheim, Muratie that had great port – though no chocolate today, Spier where we visited the Cheater Outreach and Eagle Encounter centers, Neethlingshof, and Fairview where they make the Goats do Roam wine and where we had great wine and cheese sampling.

We split up for the day after that as the others went to visit friends in George and we continued on to Knysna where stopped in a delightfully quirky place and had the most amazing seafood meal.

In the morning we went up to the Heads and decided that this would be a great place to return to.

We met up again in Jeffery’s Bay on one of the few rainy days of our trip but we still managed to get out and visit the world renowned surf beach and when we returned early the next morning we were rewarded with the sight of a pod of dolphins surfing alongside the human surfers.

Near Port Elizabeth we went to stay a few days at the Addo Elephant Park and were very impressed with the site as a whole. It was our first visit to a park like this and we were not sure what we would find, but we were pleasantly surprised with the courteous and helpful staff, the comprehensive visitors facilities and the lovely accommodation, in fact we fell in love with our little cottage and could see our selves reclining on the veranda sipping cocktails as we watched the herds of animals on the horizon.

We were somewhat surprised that we were not immediately tripping over the elephants though and we were told on our first game drive, an evening one, that the rains that came the day before meant that the elephants would have retreated to the quiet valleys as they did not need to come to the waterholes to drink. We did see lots of other animals though, including kudu, zebra, Cape buffalo, antelope of various types, warthog, black back jackal and an owl.

On the morning game drive we didn’t see many different animals and we did see elephants, but they were a couple of miles away on the horizon. We also saw paw prints of a lion, but that was as close as we came to the big cats.

We were a little disappointed that we hadn’t seen the big beasts so we took a car around the pack ourselves to see if we could track them down during the day. We couldn’t, but we did see some other interesting creatures, including mere cats, a rare rhino, large snails and plenty of the rare dung beetles rolling their collected poop across the road.

Later as we sat around the swimming pool we got talking to a new arrival that had entered the park from the other entrance and had seen plenty of elephants as he drove through. We decided then when we left the next day to drive out through the park to this other exit. Luckily we did because almost as soon as we entered the park we came across the large creatures walking across the road, what a thrill, we then saw others further into the park. It was amazing how an animal so large could just seem to disappear into the undergrowth so easily.

It was a superb visit and quite the highlight, though the delay in driving through the park did add extra time to our long leg of the journey up to Kokstad, which was a particular tiring and unpleasant episode.

The long journey to Kokstad was through an area formerly known as the Transkei and it took us through the main settlement called Mthatha during the afternoon rush hour. This area had been granted ‘independence’ by South Africa, though it seems that that may have been more for show and to provide a place for the native population to be located in while limiting the central governments responsibility for financial support and development. Hence the place today still seems to be very poor and underdeveloped and we did feel a little uncomfortable as the only white people crawling through the city centre in our shiny hire cars as the locals clambered into the back of pick-ups or squeezed into the ever present taxis.

The advantage of the long journey to Kokstad was the next days travel to Durban was shorter and allowed us time to recover as we met Yendall’s brother’s family. We also had a chance to go down to the beach where we met Sally’s mother and had a dip in the much warmer Indian Ocean.

We stayed with Yendall’s family and met the extended clan and their friends over the next week of so and enjoyed socializing with real live South Africans. We joined in with a mixed and varied sampler of local culture that included visiting the uShaka marine world with its fascinating aquarium built into a mock ship wreck, cocktails and beers on the Moyo Pier, watching the Durban Sharks beat the Wellington Hurricanes in Rugby and then later going on to buy a typical after match meal of bunny chow and triple chip and cheese roti from Johnny’s takeaway, taking the SkyCar to the top of the new football stadium for a panoramic view of the city, traveling out on a boat at dawn to watch the shark net inspection and then going on to watch the Sharks Board presentation and autopsy. We also saw Yendall’s brother perform in the Durban Passion Play that is based on the one performed in Oberammergau, visited the Essenwood Market, and looked around the historic centre of Durban and had a meal in a Waxy O’Connors’s Irish Pub who are part of an international chain.

We made several visits to the various beaches around the bay and also took trips out to the Midmar Dam where our brai (BBQ) was extinguished by a dramatic hail storm.

Our second game park was the Tala Game Reserve where we saw more animals including hippopotamus, lazy rhino, giraffe and herds of wildebeest. It is a lovely small park with a picturesque picnic area and a relaxed feel to it.

The last long journey was to drive from Durban to Johannesburg where we stayed with some of their friends for the night. We only ventured out to a flash out of town shopping mall called Sandton City to pick up some last minute gifts and have a last meal together at the Lekgoltla restaurant in Nelson Mandela Square (lovely setting and staff, but I don’t think I will be having ostrich poikie again) before we took the evening flight back home.

Luckily we had the Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday to recover as the flight was again hard work and we needed the rest.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-04-05T15:09:00.003Z

Tattie Jam at the Dorking Folk Club

We saw this Scottish folk duo at the local club and enjoyed their lively and accomplished performance. The highlight was probably the old Scots seafaring tale with old traditional Scottish didgeridoo (a carbon-fiber tunable one at that).

I bought their CD to add to me collection and have enjoyed listening to it back.

More of wot I have seen…

2011-03-18T14:49:00.004Z

Citizen Cope
We have been to a few gigs recently and the first was Citizen Cope at the Scala in London as he promoted is new album, The Rainwater LP.

Driving into town is a challenge that I don’t relish, and it always seems that there is an accident or incident set to hold you up when you need to be somewhere at a particular time that succeeds in raising the blood pressure and stressing me out. Nevertheless I made it and managed to throw some food down my throat before we went in.

The Scala is a great little venue with a mixed past as a cinema and ‘entertainment’ venue. It was well suited for this gig as Cope was performing solo and acoustic.

With an incredible voice and a charmingly rough-but-sensitive quietly strong presence he commanded the space very well. We estimated that majority of the audience must have been American, but there were a mix of youngsters and older folk throughout.

It was one of our favourite gigs so far.

Iron & Wine
One of my favourite American artists, Sam Beam and his country-folk-rock outfit was touring the UK and I saw that they were playing in Liverpool, so I bought tickets. They subsequently added dates in London, but by then it was a done deal, and besides Sue had never been to the ‘pool.

It had been many years since I visited there myself with friends from New Zealand when I first came back to the motherland. It had since been the city of culture that had brought attention and lot of investment to the place.

We were staying in a lovely apartment right on the new dock side development adjacent to the historic Albert Dock. It is long drive up, but we made it in good time arriving at lunch which we took at the docks before walking through the city taking in the sights of the Liver Building before looking in at the Slavery and Maritime Museums.

The gig was at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, a great venue with great acoustics and not too big. But before hand we had a pre-show drink at the Philharmonic Pub across the road, a popular place with fabulous décor (the gents loo attracts a lot of attention) and a couple of snug’s called Brahms and Liszt. I had been here before on my first visit and it had stuck in my mind since then.

The gig was very good and I was impressed enough with the warm-up artist, Daniel Martin Moore, to also buy his album ‘In the Cool of the Day’, a folkie-gospel-country vibe. I also bought the new Iron & Wine album, Kiss Each Other Clean, and was pleased with this too.

The next day we played tourist some more and walked around more of the city, passing by the Cavern Club and then picking up a tour bus to the Beatles’ childhood homes of John and Paul before driving to the spectacular Tudor Speke Hall and back home.

It was a great weekend.

Decemberists
Our next gig was to see the Decemberists at the HMV Apollo at Hammersmith, another American band who are hard to pigeon hole into a category… …rock, alternative, folk, Americana. They are many things to many people, but they are certainly very accomplished and sophisticated musicians. I think the Apollo is a little too big for my tastes and perhaps does not have the best acoustics for this type of music; nevertheless they were popular and put on a great show.

We came in part way through their warm up act as again we had nightmare journeys in, me by car and Sue by train. We had a quick and tasty meal at a nearby Lebanese café and saw the last half of Blind Pilot’s set which we enjoyed.

West Side Story
A different musical event we went to was the local amateur dramatic staging of West Side Story at the Dorking Halls. They made a good job of it but it wasn’t as good as some of the others they have done.

More Writing…

2011-03-18T14:49:00.003Z

I have been trying to write a new story, Half the Man, Twice the Life, but I have not got too far as work and other things has got in the way and I have temporarily lost my muse.

My story, Space Race, was submitted to the Terry Pratchett writing competition and the finalists are to be announced 31st March. I don’t expect anything to come of it, but I do occasionally allow myself to daydream and hope.

New Music…

2011-03-18T14:35:00.000Z

As part of my birthday gift I bought a whole heap of music (perhaps more than I should have). Some of it was old classics to recapture my youth, and some was new tunes…

Old Classics
History: America’s Greatest Hits by America.
Showbiz Kids: The Steely Dan Story by Steely Dan
The Very Best Of 10cc by 10cc

New Stuff
In The Reins by Iron & Wine with Calexico
Mayhem by Imelda May
Hedonism by Bellowhead
Down The Way by Angus & Julia Stone
Bright Lights by Ellie Goulding
The Place We Ran From by Tired Pony
Volume Two by She & Him
There will be peace in the valley...when we get the keys to the mansion on the hill by Alabama 3

Birthday Party…

2011-03-18T14:29:00.003Z

Sue held a birthday party for me this year. Normally we go away as I am not keen on being the centre of attention, but she fancied a ‘bit of a do’ and I was happy as she agreed to make sausage rolls and chocolate cake. We had a house full of guests and had a good time talking, drinking and dancing to the music. I hooked up my laptop with iTunes loaded to a portable hard drive and connected it all to the stereo. There was loads of booze and I received a whole heap of great pressies.

Bin-a-while…

2011-03-18T14:29:00.000Z

I haven’t blogged for a while but this has been due to life getting in the way, or at least work. I have been very busy for the first few months of the year and it is a terrible inconvenience. After work I have been mentally drained and unable to focus on creativity. It is not so much better now, though there is a slight lull, so I will try to post updates before we go away on holiday.

Kiwi’s flying visit...

2011-02-03T17:16:00.000Z

We had a quick visit by one side of the Jackson Clan as they returned from holiday in Switzerland on route to Borneo. While they were here we managed a day out in the countryside at Bodium Castle and the Long Man of Wilmington before watching the sun go down on Brighton beach.

We were introduced to the high-tech treasure hunt that is Geocaching and found a couple of caches, one in our village and one at the castle, all quite exciting.

They had been away from home for quite a while and it sounds like they all have had a great holiday.

It was fantastic to catch up with them again.

More of wot I have heard...

2011-02-03T17:15:00.000Z

Our local folk club put on a special double bill night with two new bands on show.

The first was Choro Bandido who despite the name are a local group who specialise in the Brazilian style of folk called choro. They we excellent and very talented, the music was good and had a great foot-tapping rhythm to it.

The next band was three young guys calling themselves The Reverenzas and they were absolutely brilliant. They are from Oxford and are relatively new to the scene, but already they have started to gain attention by wining new comer competitions at festivals. They are a lively band that pound their feet on the ground in a hypnotic rhythm. There were elements of Bellowhead in their performance, but I think the lead singer was even better than Jon Boden with his range and passion really lifting the interestingly arranged songs. What out for them, I bet they will be big soon.

Dance like you just don’t care...

2011-02-03T17:14:00.000Z

We went to a wedding Reception of a friend’s daughter at The Terrace in Wimbledon and had a good time. Being on a Sunday night, though, it did ruin us for the next few days. I wasn’t drinking as we decided not to try the variable public transport; just as well as some of the rail line was closed for routine maintenance and we would have had to use a bus replacement. A friend said this was the price we have to pay for living in a nice area out of the suburbs.

Because the happy couple were in their twenties most of their friends were of a similar age and they looked like they were attempting to dress like their favourite boy band or next-top-model, all with too high heels or too much style to attempt dancing. We on the other hand were the rowdy embarrassing oldies who drank too much (except for the designated drivers) and danced outrageously.

We had fun but I bet there were a few sore heads, twisted ankles and aching hips the next day

Having a laugh...

2011-02-03T17:13:00.000Z

We have recently seen a couple of comedians live on stage, one from the old school and the other from the latest wave of comics.

First we saw Barry Cryer’s – Still Alive show at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre.

We have seen Barry Cryer before at the Wimbledon Theatre with the late great Willie Rushton in a show called Two old Farts in the Night. He was very good, though many of the jokes were quite old and familiar he still managed to deliver them so well that you still laughed. He was an absolute pro and I couldn’t believe just how many gags he could remember and deliver in just one show. I understand that he is trying out this show before he takes it to the Edinburgh Fringe.

The second artist was Jason Manford playing at the Fairfield Halls. This gig we went to with the family rather than just the two of us. It was also a good laugh, though Jason tends to ramble on using stories and observational humour rather than gags.

Both were good nights out.

More of wot I have heard...

2011-01-06T17:44:00.000Z

I got some new music for Christmas which I have been enjoying.

Arrogance Ignorance and Greed by the Show of Hands

Side Show by The Burns Unit

Sky at Night by I Am Kloot

Ho Ho Ho...

2011-01-06T17:42:00.002Z

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and that you and yours are happy and well.

We had a typically busy time running around family and friends having decamped from our home due to weather concerns. Snowy landscapes are all well and good on festive cards and the TV, but not so much fun when you are trapped at home or have to tramp miles through the frozen landscape.

But we managed to get everywhere without incident and only a little amount of inconvenience and we saw almost everyone we wanted too, including some of our antipodean friends who were visiting.

We had a fun family celebration at Sue’s Mum’s house where we gave out a DVD to each of Sue’s family that was a copy of a VHS copy of original Cine films recorded by her grandfather. There was much fun seeing the siblings as young children at Xmas, birthday parties or even in the bath. Although the cine film is silent the process of copying it to VHS was done such that you could hear the reels running and comments from the guy doing the copying, this was only really evident when the last reel was being copied and it became clear that this was an early black and white porno (naughty granddad), and we were amused at the copyists comments as he too realised what it was.

Santa brought me a nice new (almost new) Digital SLR camera which I have to learn how to use before we go away on our next holiday (more on this in a later blog).

More of wot I have wrote...

2011-01-06T17:41:00.003Z

One of the reasons I have been lax in keeping this blog up to date was that I was busy writing my second novel for a competition that closed at the end of the year. It was a tough order and the final draft was 108,000 words long and could do with a large amount of editing and rework, nevertheless I enjoyed the process though not so much how pressured the timescales were.

The book is called Space Race and it was originally envisioned to be a graphic novel, but the theme fitted the brief of the competition so I turned it into a novel. It is a composite of seven stories spread throughout the history of space craft development, from the V2 rockets developed by the Germans in 1945, to Cold War Russia, 70’s America at NASA, a tracking station in the Australian outback in the 80’s, an altered reality of a floating space launch facility in 2010, Artificial Intelligence lab in Japan in 2035 and finally on the eve of the first manned space craft journey out of our solar system in 2100. All of the stories are interlinked and have a story thread running through them and each is written in a different style (anti-war story, spy story, adventure story, personal development story, sex story, crime story and classic sci-fi story).

I plan now to work on some other stories before a revisit this one and tinker around with it. The results for the competition are announced in March, so if I have the nerve after that I might send it out to publishers for their opinion.

Living the High Life...

2011-01-06T17:41:00.000Z

As a birthday treat for a close friend we joined them at a fancy hotel in the Cotswolds one weekend not too long ago. The Lygon Arms in Broadway is a very fine establishment with a history that goes back to King Charles 1st time and is frequented by the rich and famous alike. It was not cheap but we certainly made the most of the luxuries and indulged ourselves greatly. Sue got an extra treat as she mistakenly went into the wrong changing rooms after her glasses fogged up in the sauna, and our friends only realised that the complimentary bottle of champagne was for a different room after we had drunk it.

The area was in full Christmas spirit with the town and others having their festive late night markets with mulled wine, horse drawn carriages and other treats, also in town was a shop entirely dedicated to Christmas decorations. We also sampled spirits of another kind in the local hostelries as we fortified ourselves against the cold air as we walked around.

Hot Food on a Cold Night...

2011-01-06T17:40:00.002Z

A recently regular occurrence in our street is several of the ‘boys’ get together near Christmas time and go out to the local curry house for some food, drink and general gossip. It is a nice opportunity to catch up with some of our neighbours and indulge in a little male bonding.

Titanic Musical...

2011-01-06T17:39:00.002Z

Billed as a musical tribute to the famous ship complete with giant porthole and iceberg and without a single reference to the film or Celine Dion, this was an entertaining night at our local theatre with the three ‘plucky’ musicians putting on a great performance (with occasional slips from the ‘special effects’).

Pluck the Titanic Show

Angels Sing...

2011-01-06T17:38:00.000Z

Although we did not see Jenny Agutter in the Railway Children stage show, we did see her at Guildford Cathedral where she joined acclaimed children’s author Michael Morpurgo in an adaptation of his nativity story, Angel Wings. They both narrated the tale which was accompanied by music and song from Coope Boyes & Simpson with Fi Fraser, Jo Freya and Georgina Boyes. It was a lovely performance and the venue was spectacular, we might have appreciated the snowy landscape more if we didn’t have to walk through most of it to get there and back.

My Daddy, My Daddy...

2011-01-06T17:37:00.000Z

We recently went to see The Railway Children being performed live at Waterloo Station on the tracks where EuroStar used to terminate. It was a great performance with the audience split into two and facing each other across the tracks seated on the two platforms. The actors used part of the platform and an ingenious moving stage on the tracks allowing them to have a very flexible performance area and allowing a real steam train to enter (to rapturous applause) as required.

The actors were very convincing and there was not a dry eye in the house when that famous line was uttered.

An Enigma...

2011-01-06T17:36:00.000Z

We went with my uncle to visit Bletchley Park the site of the code breaking centre that was where the Enigma code was broken among others using machines developed by Alan Turing and the first electronic computer, now rebuilt and working again. The site is huge and we only managed a few quick diversions from the guided tour and are keen to return to see more.

More of wot I have heard...

2010-10-28T16:04:00.000Z

Look Where I’ve Ended Up Now by Colum Sands

We saw this Northern Irish singer songwriter at our local folk club and found him very enjoyable. He had the gift of the gab too, telling some interesting tales including one about a song on his new album that came out of a tour to New Zealand and a chance meeting in a Devenport folk club.

Beachcomber’s Windowsill by Stornoway

Terry gave me a spare copy of this album and I am very glad. This is the début album, and boy they are worth looking out for, they a bit like Munford & Sons but more folky.

A Cultural Day in the City...

2010-10-28T16:02:00.000Z

Benjamin Franklins House

We had a day in London recently and we managed to cram a few things in including a visit to the only surviving home of Benjamin Franklin in the world. The rooms are bare now, but the guide is an actress who interacts with pre-recorded audio and visual presentations in each room to give you a great tour, bring to life much of the history much better than a dry display case could.

Camille Silvy at the National Portrait Gallery

The NPG does a nice thing where they have a late night opening some evenings and even have a small bar in the foyer. We decided to have a quick look at an exhibition of Camille Silvy’s work after we came out of the theatre. The gallery is a great place to pop in quickly and get a fix of culture.

Silvy was a pioneer of early photography and one of the greatest French photographers of the nineteenth century. There were some very interesting pictures that showed a snapshot of life during that period. Some of his experiments with different techniques were interesting too.

Avenue Q at the Wyndham’s Theatre

This adult puppet show is coming to an end in London, so we thought we would catch while we could. It was an absolute hoot, we loved it, never have we seen the like even puppet porn. It had great songs, funny acting, fun stage and a superb production and was very enjoyable.

Local culture...

2010-10-28T15:59:00.000Z

When We Are Married by JB Priestley at Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

This was a great production of a lovely bedroom farce, everything about it was well done – even the set got an applause as the curtain rose. The company were on the last night in the suburbs before moving into the west-end. The cast included some very familiar names including

Rosemary Ashe, Lynda Baron, Susie Blake, Michele Dotrice, David Horovitch, Roy Hudd, Vincent Brimble, Maureen Lipman, and Simon Rouse

Dance little piggy, dance...

2010-10-28T15:57:00.000Z

Westcott Gardeners’ Club Ceilidh

The Gardeners’ Club had an event in one of the local halls. They had organised a Ceilidh (Kaylee) band – the Pugwash Band (a couple from the band run the Dorking Folk Club that we frequent).

We had a good night dancing our socks off, though Sue claims I flung her about far too roughly.

Mong’d in Corfu...

2010-10-28T15:56:00.000Z

We had a short break in Corfu recently, essentially our summer holiday but in autumn. We have friends who moved out there several years ago and renovated a small cottage, living there most of the year.

We were taken on a guided tour of the island and some of the things we saw included: Sunset Beach (where a cliff-top bar is situated and you can have a drink facing the sea - there are also swing seats), Achilleion Palace (a grand old building with an interesting history of pre-war Germany, Nazi occupation, casino and set of a James Bond movie – it also has a very tall and impressive bronze of Achilles), Kalami ( a lovely bay), Vlacherna and Pontikonisi or Mouse Island (iconic views of Corfu and entertainingly just at the end of the runway), birth place of Prince Phillip, home of the Durrell family, home of Nana Mouskouri, Mount Pandokrator (tallest point on the island with a church at the very top and a communications tower in the church yard), Kassiopi (a wonderful coastal town) and Nisaki (near where our friends live and where Sue had the best calamari – ever!)

We spent the evenings drinking way too much, partying into the night playing silly games – like pick a track from Terry’s extensive collection in turn in a multi-DJ style. The earliest we got to bed was 1am, the latest 5am. Mong’d is Terry and Alexis term for being very, very drunk.

Luckily it rained all day on the last day – we all needed the rest.

Autumn is on its way...

2010-09-14T14:42:00.003Z

The days are drawing in, temperature is dropping and the sun has left is again. Still, we have had a few good weeks during the summer time and overall the weather here has been pretty good. We are determined not to put the heating back on until we have had our ‘summer’ holidays – going to Corfu to visit friends.

This time of year is a bumper time in the allotment and we have dug up the last of the potatoes, are picking tomatoes almost every day, and the courgettes glut is nearly over. At home we have some very interesting chillies cropping, including two fruit on the dreaded Dorset Naga (under ‘uses’ it has ‘weapon’ listed).

Folk in a Field...

2010-09-14T14:28:00.002Z

Towersey Village Festival

Again we had a lovely time at this smaller family friendly folk festival in Oxfordshire. We were lucky with the rain that abated the day we got there and stayed fine for most of the time (apart from a small shower when we were safely ensconced in the pub listening to my uncle, his mates and others playing and singing).

Here is some of what we saw...

Established and Old School

Roy Bailey (the patriarch of the festival, does a good turn in comedy/children’s/family songs – particularly like the Ben Kenobi song)

Chris Wood and Andy Cutting (bought Chris Woods cd – great voice)

Martin Simpson

Martin Carthy

Eliza Carthy

Going To Go Far

Sam Carter (bought his cd – touching lyrics)

Lauren McCormick (lovely voice)

Tyde (a very popular young group – going to go far)

Jackie Oates

Fay Hield

Nancy Wallace

Walsh & Pound

Up and Coming

Gavin Osborn (comic songs with heart – bought his cd)

Bethany Weimers (beautiful voice – she could be a star)

Anna Elias (bought her cd – sublime music and voice)

From Across the Pond

Genticorum (great, fun and French Canadian)

Sara Grey, Kieron Means and Ben Paley

Foot Stompers

Bellowhead (real party band, only folk band I have pogo’d to – have there cd)

Jon Boden and the Remnant Kings (Jon from Bellowhead, toned down slightly, great tunes and lyrics – have his cd)

Kan (a new grouping of artists from other great bands, real energy and enthusiasm)

Something Else

Frumptarn Guggenband (unbelievable brass and percussion band, especially when joined by the following)

Gaorsach Rapper and Step (a fantastic dance side that well deserve their award winning status)

Pig Dyke Molly Dancers (making morris and molly dancing modern?)

Cabaret

Bruce Airhead (brilliant show – how does he do that?)

The Dragon’s Tale (great show for the kids – and sensitive adults)

Madame Ovary & Cecily Bumtrinket (great fun)

Installations

HiG Helix in Gimble (looks great, could save you energy and money)

Epsom Downs Racecourse – Concerts...

2010-08-12T12:36:00.001Z

Throughout the summer Epsom Downs Racecourse is the venue for several concerts. You can pay for entry to the grandstand and get close to the stage, or you can sit up on the Hill for free (or for the price of car parking). We discovered if you have a meal at the Rubbing House pub, they will take the price of car parking of your bill.

We saw a couple of the acts there. The first being Simply Red (not really my thing) who are on their farewell tour; and the second being the nutty boys, Madness (who were more up my street).

Northern Soul...

2010-08-12T12:32:00.002Z

No Masters 20^th Anniversary Celebration

We are big fans of a collective of musicians and bands that come together under the banner of ‘No Masters’ and we were lucky enough to see an ad for their 20^th anniversary show. It was being held in the Victoria Hall, Saltaire, near Bradford, so we planned to take a few days out and visit a few places on the way or way back and make a proper event of it. The gig was fantastic and all of the acts were top drawer. We had a thoroughly good time.

Saltaire

Saltaire is a great ‘model’ village that was built by a forward thinking mill owner called Titus Salt. He laid out a whole community with the Victoria Hall at the centre (where the gig was played).

Don’t Tell Titus

In Titus’s time he made sure that there were no pubs or pawnbrokers in the town, so when the restaurant we ate in started up they called themselves ‘Don’t Tell Titus’. It was a popular and lovely place with a great atmosphere and good food and drink.

On our way back down south we stopped at a couple of National Trust properties, both of which were very interesting and beautiful.

East Riddlesden Hall

Nostell Priory and Parkland

Lucy in Joseph at Fairfield Halls...

2010-08-12T12:31:00.000Z

Lucy, the youngest daughter of friends of ours was in her stage debut recently in the chorus for a production of Joseph at Fairfield Halls. We enjoyed the spectacle immensely – even if it wasn’t quite our normal cup of tea. It would be great if Lucy continues with her acting, if not for herself but for us (we would love to know a famous actress).

Fun for all the family...

2010-08-12T12:30:00.000Z

Hever Castle

We went with friends to Hever to see the jousting and to explore the grounds. One of our favourite castles, Hever sits in lovely grounds that have become a big attraction for families with many different things to do such as mazes (water and hedge), boating lake (which we tried out), the gardens and parkland, the castle itself, and during the summer they have the jousting, archery, hog-roasts and a real ale beer tent.

More of wot I have seen…

2010-08-12T12:26:00.001Z

Neverwhere, the TV series on DVD by Neil Gaiman and Lenny Henry

I recently bought a DVD copy of this 90’s TV series after buying Jamie the book as a gift. Even though it was filmed on the cheap, the story still carries through. I loved way Neil Gaiman uses his fondness for puns to give the London tube stations a new meaning as they take on characters of their own. It is great fun and I particularly enjoyed the over the top performances of Croope and Vandermar.

‘Richard Mayhew is an unassuming young businessman living in London, with a dull job and a pretty but demanding fiancee. Then one night he stumbles across a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her--and the life he knows vanishes like smoke.

Several hours later, the girl is gone too. And by the following morning Richard Mayhew has been erased from his world. His bank cards no longer work, taxi drivers won't stop for him, his hundred rents his apartment out to strangers. He has become invisible, and inexplicably consigned to a London of shadows and darkness a city of monsters and saints, murderers and angels, that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere.

For this is the home of Door, the mysterious girl whom Richard rescued in the London Above. A personage of great power and nobility in this murky, candlelit realm, she is on a mission to discover the cause of her family's slaughter, and in doing so preserve this strange underworld kingdom from the malevolence that means to destroy it. And with nowhere else to turn, Richard Mayhew must now join the Lady Door's entourage in their determined--and possibly fatal--quest.

For the dread journey ever-downward--through bizarre anachronisms and dangerous incongruities, and into dusty corners of stalled time--is Richard's final hope, his last road back to a "real" world that is growing disturbingly less real by the minute.’

More of wot I have heard…

2010-08-12T12:24:00.001Z

Eliza Doolittle self titled album

Eliza has created a fun, self titled debut album that has many enjoyable and upbeat poppy songs in a similar style as Lily Allan, Katy Perry, Kate Nash or Amy Macdonald.

We got this as Sue’s current favourite track is Pack Up which has a great chorus with lines from the old war tune ‘pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag’ sung by a black guy with a wonderful voice.

These Friends of Mine by Rosie Thomas

We have Rosie’s first album after hearing her on KEXP (one of the best non-commercial radio stations in America), and we were bowled over by her fragile and beautiful voice.

This album has her collaborating with various other artists such as Damian Jurado and Surfan Stevens to great effect. Again her gentle, haunting voice gives the songs a wistful, melancholic or romantic feel to them depending on the track.

Nice and easy restful experience.

The Bard and the Booze…

2010-07-01T13:48:00.001Z

For Sue’s birthday this year we went to our local vineyard for a ‘cultural’ evening. Denbies Wine Estate in conjunction with Guildford Shakespeare Company presented A Midsummer Night’s Dream with dinner. We were received into the garden room with sparkling wine (their own, which has won awards and is favourably compared to champagne) and canapés whilst a pianist played. The first act took place out in the courtyard, after which we had dinner in the atrium and the second act followed coffee. It was all very grown up and civilized.

‘Sit back, relax and let the award-winning Guildford Shakespeare Company spirit you away to a magical wood just outside Athens...

This specially adapted version of Shakespeare's all-time summer favourite A Midsummer Night's Dream follows the hilarious exploits of the Rude Mechanicals, and their hopeless but enthusiastic attempts to rehearse and stage a play for the Duke of Athens’ wedding day. But not everything in this wood is as it seems...

Guildford Shakespeare Company’s work over the last four years has been seen by more than 11,500 people; and their passion for Shakespeare, their infectious sense of fun and invention will make this special summer event one not to be missed.’

Normal Conquest…

2010-07-01T13:47:00.001Z

This years annual Aldbury Morris Weekend took us to Hastings and the lovely Sussex towns around like Rye and Winchelsea, where the group danced, drank and played music (sometimes all at the same time). The weather was glorious and the atmosphere relaxed (except for later as the national team met the ‘old foe’ on the field of battle down in South Africa).

If you ever wondered what Morris, then check out their entertaining and amusing website where they also have a link to a short clip of the side performing the ‘invisible stick dance’.

And for a more educational and informative video find out about the differences/similarities of Morris vs. Rave.

More of wot I have heard…

2010-07-01T13:45:00.001Z

Beachcomber by Liz Simcock

We saw her at the Dorking Folk Club recently when she played with Ian Newman and Warwick Jones. Her sound reminded me of the ‘Seattle Sound’ that I like, gentle and folksy with subtle guitar flourishes.

‘Liz Simcock writes songs and performs them in folk and acoustic clubs in and around the Southeast. In 1999 she featured on the Playpen Album of New Acoustic Music alongside Eliza Carthy, Billy Bragg, Eddi Reader and Kathryn Williams. Since then she has trodden an independent path, recording three albums and gaining a growing reputation as a performer and songwriter. At many gigs Liz is to be found in the illustrious company of Ian Newman (bass) and / or Warwick Jones (guitar).’

Online Comics…

2010-06-18T10:56:00.002Z

I am a bit of an online comic fan, and so I though I might share my favourites with you – not all of them suit everybody, but there should be something in there for everyone…

...in no particular order...

Questionable Content (quirky, humorous and painfully hip)

Wulffmorgenthaler (weird and wacky eurotrash)

xkcd (geeky, nerdy, techno-humour)

Girls with Slingshots (racy, close to the bone)

The Dreamer (lovely artwork and strange story)

The Phoenix Requiem (another beautifully drawn graphic novel with a disturbing story)

String Theory (edgy and fun in a weird way)

Menage a 3 (x-rated comic filth)

Dead Winter (zombie-tastic)

TX Comics (a collection of some of my favourite comics including:)
- Aardehn (beautifully inked drawings with a fantasy tale)
- Butternut Squash (irreverent attitude with great characters)
- Kukuburi (fabulous artwork and surreal story)
- The Abominable Charles Christopher (superbly drawn and beautifully written)
- Sin Titulo (quirky, strange story)

Dreamless (beautiful artwork and another unusual storyline)

South of England Show...

2010-06-18T10:55:00.000Z

South of England Show

This is a grand agricultural show on a huge scale that has loads of things to see and do for just everyone. We were very lucky with the glorious weather and were happy to potter about and look at the stands, eat alfresco with friends as we listened to music, watch the entertainment in the arena and generally have a nice day out.

A walk in the park…

2010-06-18T10:54:00.000Z

Summer has started to make itself felt in the UK and now people are taking the opportunity to spend time out in the open spaces. I too have enjoyed the felling of sun on my back as I explored Dulwich Park with a couple of friends who grew up in the area. Many other happy folk were also enjoying the green parkland, boating lake, sports fields, bikes for hire and various other attractions there. We too took to the water, perambulated around, used the open air gym equipment, had coffee and cake in the village and played Frisbee amongst the other happy visitors. It was a great day out – everybody should visit a park at least once a year.

More of wot I have heard…

2010-06-18T10:49:00.002Z

Say I am You by The Weepies

The Weepies were another ‘recommendation’ in a similar vein to the other album I bought. They also have a similar sound and feel to them. Lovely.

‘Since they met in a Cambridge folk club 9 years ago, The Weepies have progressed from an indie duo playing house concerts, to ranks on the Billboard Charts. Though they now have sales in the hundreds of thousands, the Weepies have kept a surprisingly low profile; they haven’t toured at all since 2006.’

Goodnight by William Fitzsimmons

This was an album ‘recommended’ by a well known online retailer that I am glad I took a gamble on. It has a lovely gentle melancholic vibe that is very seductive.

‘William Fitzsimmons is one of the oddest people you will ever meet. Born the youngest child of two blind parents, William was raised in the outskirts of the steel city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to the family's inability to communicate through normal visual means, William's childhood home was filled with a myriad of sounds to replace what eyes could not see. The house was suffused with pianos, guitars, trombones, talking birds, classical records, family sing-a-longs, bedtime stories, and the bellowing of a pipe organ, which his father built into the house with his own hands. When his father's orchestral records were not resonating through the walls, his mother would educate him on the folk stylings of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel. By the completion of his youth and schooling, Fitzsimmons had become well-versed at a variety of instruments, at the minor expense of social standing, interactional skills, and a knowledge of proper shaving technique.’

ABCDEFG by Chumbawamba

This is another top album from these politically sensitive musicians and artists. You can let the beautiful sounds wash over you or allow yourself to be drawn into the deeper underling messages in the lyrics, either way it is equally rewording.

‘Seven letters to hint at what Chumbawamba have spent their adult lives doing: fashioning something weird, funny, eccentric and challenging from a seven-note Do-re-mi of possibilities. Or by another name, music.

This, the band’s 17th album, is another concept album (‘concept’ as in ‘idea’. Above all, ideas is what Chumbawamba thrive on), an album full of ideas specifically about music. Music both good and bad, music celebrated and music ridiculed.’

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain

I defy anyone not to watch this group perform and come out smiling like a loon. We were not too sure what to expect, though the few interviews and performances on the radio gave us a clue to their gentle subversive nature. We saw them at the local halls and were captivated from the first note through to the last. So much that we bought one of their albums which has been on high rotation at home. If they appear near you (and they are tour extensively through the world) then make sure you go and see them – you won’t be disappointed (unless you were expecting a George Formby concert).

‘The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a group of all-singing, all-strumming Ukulele players, using instruments bought with loose change, which believes that all genres of music are available for reinterpretation, as long as they are played on the Ukulele.A concert by the Ukulele Orchestra is a funny, virtuosic, twanging, awesome, foot-stomping obituary of rock-n-roll and melodious light entertainment featuring only the “bonsai guitar” and a menagerie of voices in a collision of post-punk performance and toe-tapping oldies. There are no drums, pianos, backing tracks or banjos, no pitch shifters or electronic trickery. Only an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles and singing (and a bit of whistling). Audiences have a good time with the Ukulele Orchestra. Going from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Redding and Spaghetti Western soundtracks, the Orchestra takes us on “a world tour with only hand luggage” and gives the listener “One Plucking Thing After Another”.’

London Town by The Magic Theatre

From two of the original members of the indie band Ooberman comes a concept album with an intriguing story and wonderful ethereal tunes. Some tracks remind me of the delightful Black Box Recorder who also had a breathy female singer and are sadly no more a group.

The London Town album is very a lush and enveloping soundtrack to an entertaining story. The website has some interesting videos to accompany the tracks.

‘The album is a time-travel love story set in 1968 and 1888, where the young 60s hero falls through a hole in time in The Magic Theatre in the Old Victorian Steam fair, to find his one true love in 1880’s London’

More of wot I have seen…

2010-06-03T15:23:00.001Z

Alabama 3 at the HMV Forum

We have a couple of Alabama 3 albums, the best being their debut Exile on Coldharbour Lane.
Although the band doesn’t seem to take them selves too seriously, they do have some pretty deep messages to convey in their lyrics.

We were looking forward to seeing them and travelled up to North London, had a meal in an Italian Café and then went on to the venue, a superbly converted cinema. Once in the venue we suddenly felt old – it was very load and there was no seating downstairs. We were not however the oldest there and we soon realised that we could not pick out a typical audience member style as it varied from hip-hop homies, gay cowboys, heavy set rockers, top hat wearing Goths, indie chicks and boys and people more like us. It was a party atmosphere and the band had great energy, but we were glad to leave early to catch the train as our ears were ringing. The unfortunate side effect of playing their music so loud was that we missed most of the wonderful lyrics as our eardrums distorted at the volume.

They say…
‘We're the Alabama 3. We make Sweet Pretty Muthafuckin Country Acid House Music. All night long. We're not from Alabama, and there's not three of us. We're from Brixton, London. We're the fellas that did that Soprano's theme tune. That tune bought someone a swimming pool, but it sure wasn't any of us...’

‘…As ministers in the First Presleyterian Church of Elvis the Divine, we know the party ain't never over. Not till you're sitting on the toilet in a big nappy with a rancid quarter pounder in your, fat, cold, dead, dead, emerald-encrusted hand…’

Tangerine Dream…

2010-06-03T15:22:00.000Z

Blackpool Football Club goes up to the Premier League much to the delight of my father who has supported them since childhood.

'Blackpool will become the 44th team to play in the Premier League next season - and the players are already relishing the opportunity of facing the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Wembley triumph in the Play-offs against Cardiff City will go down as a career highlight for every player that stepped out on to the field and will long live in every Blackpool supporters' memory. '

Training Day…

2010-05-11T14:22:00.000Z

After our holiday in Ireland I had a four day training course in London on the subject of Technical Writing. It was a very interesting and informative course but I certainly am thankful that I don’t have to travel into the city each day on public transport. I am much happier to sit in the M25 for hours on end in my own space

Celtic Connections…

2010-05-11T14:14:00.002Z

We have recently returned from a most enjoyable holiday in Ireland, via Wales. When people were having travel problems as the Icelandic volcano (the no one can pronounce) spewed ash into the atmosphere and grounded European air traffic for a week, we drove our way around this delightful island. We had booked our passage on a ferry and took our own car (previous to the ash-issues we were told we were mad to do it this way – but afterwards we were applauded for our forward thinking – we just thought it would be easier as we don’t fancy airports).

The weather was also a pleasant surprise as we had prepared for rain (they tell us that is why the country is so green and lush), yet it was absolutely brilliant without a cloud in the sky (apart from the ash cloud).

We initially drove to Caerphilly in Wales after work in the Friday and stopped there. In the morning we explored the grand castle and headed towards the port of Fishguard where we caught the ferry to Rosslare. Sue dislikes sea travel almost as much as air travel (difficult when we live on an island), but the Irish Sea was as flat as a mill pond and the journey uneventful.

Arriving in Ireland we drove on to Cashel, where we stayed a couple of nights with friends as we explored Cashel including the ‘rock’ and the surrounding areas in Tipperary.

On the road again we headed further west, sliding through Limerick (didn’t fancy the look of it) and stopped to look around Bunratty Castle and Folk Park that had its own recreated village laid out in the shadow of a restored castle. We continued deeper into county Clare until we reached Ennistymon , and had a run out to the awesome Cliffs of Moher before returning. We stopped in the Falls Hotel over looking the river and had a couple of drinks in the famous Eugene’s Drinking Emporium (where cast and crew of Father Ted frequented).

The next day we headed on into the spectacular landscape of the Burren where we stopped to visit Poulnabrone Dolmen and Cahirconnell and looked around the pavement landscape and other picturesque vantage points. Later on in the day we drove to Kilrush for lunch before catching the ferry across the Shannon between Killimer and Tarbert and continuing on until we arrived at one of our favourite towns, Dingle.

This town had an alternative hippy arty feel to it with plenty of craft shops, colourful buildings and a lively eating, drinking and entertainment scene. We had a great meal at the Out of the Blue fish restaurant where sue had her first Lobster. We got talking to an American couple who were stranded due to the ash and later we met them at the Small Bridge Inn where traditional music was playing.

We travelled around the peninsula the next day stopping at regular intervals to take in the view, visit stone forts, famine cottages and to have lunch on a sheltered sandy beach. We drove a long way in the afternoon with a few stops at particular attractive sights until we arrived at the pretty fishing village of Portmagee at the end of the Ring of Kerry, where we stopped for the night in a lovely B&B.

The Ring of Kerry is also spectacular, but we felt that we were spoilt by the superior Dingle Peninsular. The next day we explored more of the ring and were again pleasantly surprised as each corner on the winding coast road revealed another wonderful view. Onward we continued until we came to the south-eastern fishing port of Kinsale where we stopped for the night.

This town is famed for its food and it is where we found our most favourite restaurant of the journey. Jola’s is unassuming from the outside, but inside it is breathtakingly elegant and calming. The food was divine Eurpoean / MoPo (apparently that is Modern Polish) and we left feeling quite spoilt in search of some entertainment. Three different music venues later and we came to the conclusion that the Irish seem to like older music as we watched youngsters sway to Fleetwood Mac, Thin Lizzie, blues and soft rock.

On our last day in Ireland we visited Charles Fort near Kinsale before driving northwards past Cork and onto Cobh (pronounced Cove), where we visited the Queenstown Story that informed us about the great exodus from Ireland by sea after the Famine. We also saw moving exhibitions about the sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania. After a lovely alfresco lunch in the glorious sunshine we drove on towards Rosslare where we stopped within striking distance of the port, ready for the early morning crossing.

Another calm crossing and we were back in the UK, still bathed in sunshine. We took a diversion to Tenby where we joined the throngs of people enjoying the good weather either on the beach or in the town up on the cliffs where we had fish and chips (having queued for them out into the street at Fecci’s – one of the best in the country) out of the paper whilst sitting on a bench admiring the views. We also visited Colby Woodland Gardens before driving back home.

More of wot I have seen…

2010-05-11T14:12:00.002Z

Flossie Malavialle

Flossie Malavialle is a French singer who started getting involved in the British folk scene in 2000-2001 while she was on a teacher exchange in the North East of England. We saw her at the Dorking Folk Club and enjoyed her fun, lively performance and were charmed be her self effacing manner and hybrid Geordie-French accent.

SteamPunk follow-up…

2010-03-31T15:56:00.001Z

It looks like Steampunk is starting to make large waves in the media.

BBC News - Steampunks gather for Great Exhibition

more links...

Steampunk Network

SteamPunk Magazine

The Great Steampunk Debate

The Right Answer...

2010-03-31T15:54:00.000Z

Papua Partners Quiz Night

A group of guys from down our street (and some from elsewhere in the village) get together once a year for a Curry Night. During the last meal we agreed to get together again for a Quiz Night that was being held to support a local charity, Papua Partners. We were not overly confident and the initial round on classical music did not help, but we picked up our socks in the later rounds and we eventually came in second by one point. The event was very well attended and was held in a local restaurant and included a meal. Over £600 was raised on the night and we had a very enjoyable time.

Westcott in Bloom...

2010-03-31T15:53:00.000Z

We have been invited to be part of the village committee that is organising this year’s entry into the Britain in Bloom competition via our regional panel South and South East in Bloom

The village have only been entering into this event for a couple of years and they have been improving each time. The aim this year is to get a Silver Gilt or Gold award. We help out with the planting and clearing up activities as well as the organisational tasks.

More of wot I have seen…

2010-03-31T15:40:00.002Z

Lee Mack

We have enjoyed Lee Mack in his TV show ‘Not Going Out’ and he tackles his stand up show in a similar manner with quick one-liners, sarcasm aplenty, and stereotypical northern wit. He gave a good show with plenty of pointed observations and barbs that was nicely complemented by his similarly stereotypical southern warm-up man.

Return to the Forbidden Planet

I do like this show, and I have seen several different productions of it since it came out many years ago. This production was the local Am Dram - DDOS annual musical of choice, and it was well received by our group. We bought tickets for several family members as their Christmas present as it was and event we had been to before and hoped they would enjoy. The cast have to be multitalented as many act, sing, dance and play various musical instruments during the show.

The show is subtitled as Shakespeares Lost Rock and Roll Opera and it is loosely based on the Tempest as if crossed with the old American sci-fi TV programme Forbidden Planet to the sound track of 50’s rock and roll music. The jokes are nicely layered with various Shakespearian and sci-fi references that are telegraphed as are the transitions from spoken word to song.

Alice in Wonderland
and another link

We were looking forward to seeing this in 3D at the IMAX, but were unfortunately too late to get the convenient times, so we went to a local cinema that was also showing it in 3D. There was enough entertainment in watching Sue jump at all of the effects to keep me happy, but the show delivered much more. We played ‘spot the famous actor’ from their voices and loved how they merged some of the actors and their characters features. The darkness and weirdness of how Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter interpreted this classic tale made it their own and was a wonderfully modern wonderland.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical

We were bought tickets to this show by friends who we went with to see it. We had seen and enjoyed the movie, but they and their daughters were not aware of it. Some of the themes and language may have come as a bit of a shock, but hopefully nothing too lasting.

We thought the production was fantastic, the songs, the costumes and the set were all brilliant along with the outrageous performance of the cast.

Virtually Nothing...

Probably the best Christmas album ever...

A Christmas Sing-A-Long…

More of wot I have read…

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More of wot I have read…

A Cotswold Treat…

More of wot I have heard…

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More of wot I have seen…

Do you remember when…?

More of wot I have read…

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More of wot I have read…

London Necropolis…

More of wot I have seen…

More of wot I have read…

Engineering Trade Secret...

More of wot I have read…

Cake by cake…

Brick by brick…

More of wot I have seen…

More of wot I have read…

A Folking Good Time…

More of wot I have seen…

More of wot I have read…

Going to Build a Castle…

With Bells On…

Sue’s Birthday…

More of wot I have heard…

More of wot I have read…

Shakespeare in the Park…

More of wot I have read…

South Africa - Lanscapes and Animals

Behind the Lens…

More of wot I have heard…

Another Mid-Life Crisis…

More of wot I have seen…

City Living…

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Out of Africa…

More wot I have read…

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More of wot I have seen…

More Writing…

More of wot I have read…

New Music…

Birthday Party…

Bin-a-while…

Kiwi’s flying visit...

More of wot I have heard...

Dance like you just don’t care...

Having a laugh...

More of wot I have heard...

Ho Ho Ho...

More of wot I have wrote...

Living the High Life...

Hot Food on a Cold Night...

Titanic Musical...

Angels Sing...

My Daddy, My Daddy...

An Enigma...

More of wot I have read...

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A Cultural Day in the City...

Local culture...

Dance little piggy, dance...

Mong’d in Corfu...

More of wot I have read...

More of wot I have read...

Autumn is on its way...

Folk in a Field...

More of wot I have read…

Epsom Downs Racecourse – Concerts...

Northern Soul...

Lucy in Joseph at Fairfield Halls...

Fun for all the family...

More of wot I have seen…

More of wot I have heard…

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