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.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Fun for all the family...
More of wot I have seen…
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…
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.
More of wot I have read…
The Amalgamation Polka by Stephen Wright
This book was bought randomly because it was cheap and I liked the cover (UK cover is different to the US one). My initial reaction was that there was some very interesting use of words and language, and I was concerned that I would find it all too difficult, but it turned out that once you got used to it the writing was more like poetry than prose. There are some wonderful turns of phrases throughout and the descriptions can be very evocative. Not a lot happens in the traditional sense of action and reaction, but there is a greater internal journey for the reader as we follow the changes that happen to the main character and his beloved America.
This is a highly recommended book.
‘Born in 1844 in bucolic upstate New York, Liberty Fish is the son of fervent abolitionists as well as the grandson of Carolina slaveholders even more dedicated to their cause. Thus follows a childhood limned with fugitive slaves moving through hidden passageways in the house, his Uncle Potter’s free-soil adventure stories whose remarkable violence sets the tone of the mounting national crisis, and the inevitable distress that befalls his mother whenever letters arrive from her parents—a conflict that ultimately costs her life and compels Liberty, in hopes of reconciling the familial disunion, to escape first into the cauldron of war and then into a bedlam more disturbing still.
Rich in characters both heartbreaking and bloodcurdling, comic and horrific, The Amalgamation Polka is shot through with politics and dreams, and it captures great swaths of the American experience, from village to metropolis to plantation, from the Erie Canal to the Bahamas, from Bloody Kansas to the fulfillment of the killing fields. Yet for all the brutality and tragedy, this novel is exuberant in the telling and its wide compassion, brimming with the language, manners, hopes, and fears of its time—all of this so transformed by Stephen Wright’s imaginative compass that places and events previously familiar are rendered new and strange, terrifying and stirring. Instantly revelatory, constantly mesmerizing, this is the work of a major writer at the top of his form.’
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
This is another great book from the great man and is much in the same vein as the rest of the Discworld series.
‘Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork. And now the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else.
The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt, which worries him, too). As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed for ever.
Because the thing about football – the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football.
Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!’
Thursday, July 01, 2010
The Bard and the Booze…
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.’
‘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…
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.
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…
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).’
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).’
More of wot I have read…
The Innocent Mage: Kingmaker, Kingbreaker Book 1 by Karen Miller
I was lent this book by Jamie and found it interesting, though it was obvious by the pace and presentation that it is part of a series. Now I will have to borrow the next book.
‘Enter the kingdom of Lur, where to use magic unlawfully means death.
The Doranen have ruled Lur with magic since arriving as refugees’ centuries ago. Theirs was a desperate flight to escape a powerful mage who started a bitter war in their homeland. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants agreed to abandon their own magic. Magic is now forbidden them, and any who break this law are executed.
Asher left his coastal village to make his fortune. Employed in the royal stables, he soon finds himself befriended by Prince Gar and given more money and power than he’d ever dreamed possible. But the Olken have a secret; a prophecy. The Innocent Mage will save Lur from destruction and members of The Circle have dedicated themselves to preserving Olken magic until this day arrives. Unbeknownst to Asher, he has been watched closely. As the Final Days approach, his life takes a new and unexpected turn . . .’
I was lent this book by Jamie and found it interesting, though it was obvious by the pace and presentation that it is part of a series. Now I will have to borrow the next book.
‘Enter the kingdom of Lur, where to use magic unlawfully means death.
The Doranen have ruled Lur with magic since arriving as refugees’ centuries ago. Theirs was a desperate flight to escape a powerful mage who started a bitter war in their homeland. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants agreed to abandon their own magic. Magic is now forbidden them, and any who break this law are executed.
Asher left his coastal village to make his fortune. Employed in the royal stables, he soon finds himself befriended by Prince Gar and given more money and power than he’d ever dreamed possible. But the Olken have a secret; a prophecy. The Innocent Mage will save Lur from destruction and members of The Circle have dedicated themselves to preserving Olken magic until this day arrives. Unbeknownst to Asher, he has been watched closely. As the Final Days approach, his life takes a new and unexpected turn . . .’
Friday, June 18, 2010
Online Comics…
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)
...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...
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.
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…
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…
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’
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 read…
The Power of One by Bryce Courtney
This is a well known South African tale that past me by originally, but was recommended to me by a colleague from RSA. It is an interesting read for the illumination of a place and time that was hidden to many outsiders, though I was put off by the precocious and self assured lead character that I didn’t warm to.
‘First with your head and then with your heart. . .
So says Hoppie Groenewald, boxing champion, to a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight champion of the world. For the young Peekay, it is a piece of advice he will carry with him throughout his life.
Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, young Peekay will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships, he gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, Peekay will fight to the death for justice…’
This is a well known South African tale that past me by originally, but was recommended to me by a colleague from RSA. It is an interesting read for the illumination of a place and time that was hidden to many outsiders, though I was put off by the precocious and self assured lead character that I didn’t warm to.
‘First with your head and then with your heart. . .
So says Hoppie Groenewald, boxing champion, to a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight champion of the world. For the young Peekay, it is a piece of advice he will carry with him throughout his life.
Born in a South Africa divided by racism and hatred, young Peekay will come to lead all the tribes of Africa. Through enduring friendships, he gains the strength he needs to win out. And in a final conflict with his childhood enemy, Peekay will fight to the death for justice…’
Thursday, June 03, 2010
More of wot I have seen…
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…’
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…
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. '
'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. '
More of wot I have read…
Gaunt’s Ghosts by Dan Abnett
These books are what they are; written representations of the table-top war-game Warhammer 40,000 from Games Workshop. But that said they are well written and give a great feel for the action pact nature of the game. The back story and characters development adds an extra dimension to the bloodletting.
Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding
This omnibus edition of the first three Gaunt's Ghosts novels follows the story of the Tanith First-and-Only regiment (nicknamed the Ghosts) and their charismatic commissar, Ibram Gaunt. As they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system, the Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deady politics of the Imperial Guard.
‘In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard stand shoulder to shoulder as they encounter an invasion by heretical forces
Amongst the Guard are the troops of the Tanith First-and-Only, a displaced army forced to flee their home planet before it succumbed to the unrelenting assault of Chaos. Nicknamed the Ghosts, their specialist scouting role has thrown them into the thickest of the fighting, trying to complete whatever desperate mission their uncaring commanders have volunteered them for!
Now Gaunt must evade the treacherous scheming of rival regiments and the lethal firepower of the enemy if he is to win through and lead his Ghosts to victory!’
Gaunt's Ghosts: The Saint
This omnibus edition follows the second cycle of the Gaunt's Ghost stories in a collection called, "The Saint". It includes the four novels, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr. The story arc follows the First & Only from warzone to warzone of the Chaos-infested Sabbats World system fighting enemies in many guises and shapes.
‘In the blood-soaked Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the massed ranks of the Imperium battle the dark forces of Chaos for domination.
At the forefront of this conflict are the Imperial Guard – untold numbers of ordinary soldiers fighting to preserve the Emperor’s holy realm. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the men of the Tanith First-and-Only are at the heart of this struggle. Forced to flee their planet before it was destroyed by Chaos, their specialist scouting role has earned them the nickname the Ghosts, along with any dangerous mission their commanders deign to throw at them.
Follow Gaunt’s epic adventures as he and his men storm into battle with their warcry: Men of Tanith, do you want to live forever?’
These books are what they are; written representations of the table-top war-game Warhammer 40,000 from Games Workshop. But that said they are well written and give a great feel for the action pact nature of the game. The back story and characters development adds an extra dimension to the bloodletting.
Gaunt's Ghosts: The Founding
This omnibus edition of the first three Gaunt's Ghosts novels follows the story of the Tanith First-and-Only regiment (nicknamed the Ghosts) and their charismatic commissar, Ibram Gaunt. As they travel from warzone to warzone in the Chaos-infested Sabbat Worlds system, the Ghosts must not only carry out the most dangerous of missions but also survive the deady politics of the Imperial Guard.
‘In the Chaos-infested Sabbat system, the massed ranks of the Imperial Guard stand shoulder to shoulder as they encounter an invasion by heretical forces
Amongst the Guard are the troops of the Tanith First-and-Only, a displaced army forced to flee their home planet before it succumbed to the unrelenting assault of Chaos. Nicknamed the Ghosts, their specialist scouting role has thrown them into the thickest of the fighting, trying to complete whatever desperate mission their uncaring commanders have volunteered them for!
Now Gaunt must evade the treacherous scheming of rival regiments and the lethal firepower of the enemy if he is to win through and lead his Ghosts to victory!’
Gaunt's Ghosts: The Saint
This omnibus edition follows the second cycle of the Gaunt's Ghost stories in a collection called, "The Saint". It includes the four novels, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr. The story arc follows the First & Only from warzone to warzone of the Chaos-infested Sabbats World system fighting enemies in many guises and shapes.
‘In the blood-soaked Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the massed ranks of the Imperium battle the dark forces of Chaos for domination.
At the forefront of this conflict are the Imperial Guard – untold numbers of ordinary soldiers fighting to preserve the Emperor’s holy realm. Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and the men of the Tanith First-and-Only are at the heart of this struggle. Forced to flee their planet before it was destroyed by Chaos, their specialist scouting role has earned them the nickname the Ghosts, along with any dangerous mission their commanders deign to throw at them.
Follow Gaunt’s epic adventures as he and his men storm into battle with their warcry: Men of Tanith, do you want to live forever?’
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Training Day…
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…
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.
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…
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.
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.
More of wot I have read…
The Last Testament by Sam Bourne
This is the second book I have read by this author, and it is in a similar vein – a Dan Brown style thriller with lashings of mysterious religious symbology. It is not the best book I have read by a long shot, and unless you get a copy free like we did I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
‘April 2003: As his nation descends into chaos, an Iraqi boy loots an ancient clay tablet from a long-forgotten vault in the Baghdad Museum of Antiquities—unaware that his actions could ignite the war to end all wars.
Years later, on the eve of a historic Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, bodyguards for Israel's prime minister gun down a possible assassin—and discover a blood-stained note clutched in the dead man's hand.
With Middle Eastern tensions rapidly reaching the boiling point—in the wake of a frightening wave of seemingly random revenge killings—Maggie Costello is sent by Washington to try to keep the peace. A government negotiator with old sins to atone for, she immediately comes face-to-face with ancient secrets, extremist violence, and sudden, inexplicable death. For Maggie seems to hold the key to the last unsolved riddle of the Bible—a shocking revelation that could end the world's most bitter conflict . . . or leave the earth in ruins.’
This is the second book I have read by this author, and it is in a similar vein – a Dan Brown style thriller with lashings of mysterious religious symbology. It is not the best book I have read by a long shot, and unless you get a copy free like we did I probably wouldn’t have bothered.
‘April 2003: As his nation descends into chaos, an Iraqi boy loots an ancient clay tablet from a long-forgotten vault in the Baghdad Museum of Antiquities—unaware that his actions could ignite the war to end all wars.
Years later, on the eve of a historic Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, bodyguards for Israel's prime minister gun down a possible assassin—and discover a blood-stained note clutched in the dead man's hand.
With Middle Eastern tensions rapidly reaching the boiling point—in the wake of a frightening wave of seemingly random revenge killings—Maggie Costello is sent by Washington to try to keep the peace. A government negotiator with old sins to atone for, she immediately comes face-to-face with ancient secrets, extremist violence, and sudden, inexplicable death. For Maggie seems to hold the key to the last unsolved riddle of the Bible—a shocking revelation that could end the world's most bitter conflict . . . or leave the earth in ruins.’
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