The local Westcott History group has done some investigation on the little village of Westcott that we now inhabit and reveals that it was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The sign on the green has a small thatched dovecote upon it with the letters of the compass above (though the N has been replaced with a T to spell out WEST of Westcott).
The village sits in an Area of Natural Beauty at the foot of the North Surrey Downs by Ranmore Common which is criss-crossed by many footpaths and walkways including the Pilgrim’s Way that runs all the way down to Canterbury. A path runs passed our front door and down to where it crosses Pipps Brook before climbing up towards the common.
We are in the lovely named Mole Valley District (named after the river that is so called for its habit of disappearing into the ground to emerge elsewhere), and near to the old market town of Dorking (why does everyone snigger at the name?)
Dotted around the countryside are many fine pubs and picturesque villages and just over the ridge of the Downs is the UKs largest vineyard, Denbies, who make some very fine wines.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
New home sweet home…
Well we have moved into our new home at last after many months of negotiating and waiting for everybody involved being ready. On Monday the 11th the removal men arrived (from the old peoples home it seemed – four guys, the youngest of which was in his fifties the oldest nearer seventy) and started to shift our mountain of possessions in the pouring rain (and that is even though we were leaving the dining suite, sideboard, wardrobes, TV cabinet and all of the appliances with the exception of the freezer behind). In fact they soon filled the first van up and had to arrange for another to come for the remaining household items and garden plants and equipment. The elderly removal team then went off to wait at the new house while Sue went with friend Carole to the estate agents to wait for the monies to exchange and to pick up the keys while I took some of our more valuable items and the cat in our car to join the old boys at the new place.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
After we got the keys it was another few hours of shifting stuff, interspersed with the occasional tea, until all the items were indoors and the guys left at around 5pm. We took Carole up to one of the three local pubs for a meal (a wonderful Thai curry) before she left and we returned to our new home totally exhausted.
We both had the week off and we were kept very busy each day unpacking, building new flat pack furniture, painting the front bedroom (painted Chelsea Blue for the previous owners football mad son) and fixing the odd little fault that we had found (we needed a new door lock and had a leak under the sink). Luckily we were able to prevail on the services of Sue’s builder brother Dave and his son Terry to help us out, and when the range cooker and dishwasher arrived Dave came back to help connect the gas and electric when the delivery engineers refused (the electrical outlet had to be moved). This close to the festive season could have proven difficult to get anyone else in and so he literary saved our turkey and Christmas for the family.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Tits like coconuts…
With the weather turning nippy and many a bird finding things becoming harder, it is important to think about how you look after your little friends this winter. Apparently half a coconut hung from a tree branch is a favorite of many a small bird and will help see them through this tough time of year. (What did you think I was talking about?)
Trip to Geneva…
We recently had a short weekend break to Geneva with a couple of friends for a spur of the moment holiday. We had all done a good deal of research and so had a plan of what we wanted to do and see. The main tourist season had ended so we missed out on a few of the events that we would have liked to catch but we did have a nice day out to the nearby suburb of Carouge that has a delightful market, some fabulous arty shops including an awesome toy shop. We loved the old town and the view from the top of the cathedral across the city and lake was spectacular. Naturally we ventured out onto the lake passed the fountain, crossing several times in the little taxi boats. (A single pass ticket can get you on all public transport from trains, trams, busses and boats and also gives benefits for several attractions around town and is available for 48 and 72hr periods). We ate well in several establishments from the quirky and intimate ‘at my cousins house we eat chicken’ to more exclusive establishments (Though I seemed to have found a taste for expensive drinks without even trying) and Sue and I enjoyed the locally caught Perch.
Moving House…
Things seem to be progressing now at last (fingers and toes crossed). We have finally exchanged contracts and set a date of the 11th of December for the big day. We have been busy writing to our service providers, packing boxes and making arrangements for the move. We will take the week off and hope to have most things sorted for when friends and family start arriving for Christmas. We have ordered our new range cooker and dishwasher after checking twice on the size (how big!), and I needed a lie down afterwards when I saw the bill.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
The new house is similar to the one we are leaving in that it is a mid terraced two-up-two-down cottage but it has a converted loft space giving us an extra room. The bathroom and kitchen are bigger but the gardens are pretty much the same size (I have spotted a section of land at the back that is currently being used as a veggie plot and I think I will try and contact the owners to see if they want to rent or sell it to us). We do have the advantage of being able to walk down the lane and out onto the North Surrey Downs and a short journey takes us into Dorking where there are all the facilities of a good sized market town including mainline train links to London.
More of wot I have read…
Heroes Die by Matthew Stover
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
I am not sure about this book. It is in a very macho style with excessive focus on prolonged and graphically violent fight scenes interspersed with chauvinistic male/female interaction and little character or background development. If you like your action hard and fast without any guilt then this could be for you. Personally I would have liked to know more about the technology, sociological background and motivation that leads up to this novel.
‘Renowned throughout the land of Ankhana as the Blade of Tyshalle, Caine has killed his share of monarchs and commoners, villains and heroes. He is relentless, unstoppable; simply the best there is at what he does.At home on Earth, Caine is Hari Michaelson, a superstar whose adventures in Ankhana command an audience of billions. Yet he is shackled by a rigid caste society, bound to ignore the grim fact that he kills men on a far-off world for the entertainment of his own planet--and bound to keep his rage in check.But now Michaelson has crossed the line. His estranged wife, Pallas Rill, has mysteriously disappeared in the slums of Ankhana. To save her, he must confront the greatest challenge of his life: a lethal game of cat and mouse with the most treacherous rulers of two worlds…’
Supermen Isaac Asimov collection of sci-fi short stories
An interesting read of some quite different and variable stories. It has been a long time since I have read short stories and I enjoyed the different style and pace that is a necessary part to them.
‘The unique and sometimes powerful stories included in this multi-authored collection of short stories are, as the title suggests, tales of men that could be considered to be supermen. This anthology contains a number of good stories and some excellent ones about human beings that are in some way superior to ourselves. There are 12 tales from some of today’s better known science fiction writers.
'What Rough Beast' by Damon Knight is an excellent story about a man who can twist time and events. He can create wealth, heal the sick, and change the world in an infinite number of ways. This was a very entertaining story with an intriguing concept.
'Worlds To Kill' by Harlan Ellison is a very good story about a man who destroys entire worlds for a living.
'In The Bone' by Gordon R. Dickson tells the intriguing tale of one man searching for new worlds and equipped with the best technology that man can provide. He begins to feel godlike until he meets a technology just little better.
Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, Dean R. Koontz, A. E. van Vogt, Roger Zelazny and Robert Silverberg are some of the other writers that contributed to this above average collection of short stories. I first bought this collection back in the eighties. It sat, for some unknown reason, on my bookshelf collecting dust. Finally, craving some short science fiction stories, I read this book. I found it to be a very enjoyable book. Like any short story collection certain stories are better than others. However, there are enough varied ideas and concepts that everyone should find something that they like in this book. Amazon Reviewer’
The Universe Maker by A.E. Van Vogt
This is another book that I am in two minds about. I found it difficult to have sympathy for Cargill, who seems self serving and chauvinistic (this might be a product of the time when it was written – 1950’s). It also seems that the author skips a little lightly over some of the more complex and far fetched concepts leaving me unsatisfied with his explanations. Nevertheless it is quite an original story line and for that it is worth the effort.
‘Morton Cargill is about to die for a crime he committed 400 yrs. ago. Lieutenant Morton Cargill was brought from the past to be punished for his crime, an accidental murder that took place centuries before. Now he is in a world ruled by the Shadows, an evil people who can pass through solid walls & remain untouched by weapons. But the Shadows are being threatened by the Planiacs, a celestial race that lives high above the earth & to whom the preservation of Cargill's life means their own existence. Now Cargill is hunted by one race, held captive by the other, caught in a deadly clash of minds & machines - in a terrifying world where he doesn't know the rules!’
Friday, October 13, 2006
More of wot I have read…
Lindbergh - by A. Scott Berg
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
This was an enthralling account of an amazing person. I felt my feelings for Charles Lindbergh swing from sympathy for the foul treatment he suffered at the hands of the press, through awe at the incredible mental capacity and focus of the man, to distaste at the bullying and self-centred attitude towards people he claimed to care the most about. At the end I had to admit to a misting of the eyes as his end approached. It could be possible to excuse the man his failings when you consider his start in life and I am sure it crossed his mind that this and the family history of mental illness may have had an effect on him. Perhaps it was more by chance that he changed the world in 1927, but it was entirely down to his actions throughout his life that no-one forgot it or him.
Here is an interview with the author talking about his Pulitzer Prize winning book.
‘Charles Lindbergh's solo flight from New York to Paris captured the imagination of a post-war generation hungry for heroes, and cemented an exalted spot for the 25-year-old pilot from Minnesota in the collective American imagination. A. Scott Berg's thorough new biography of the aviator suggests that despite the public scrutiny that accompanied his every move until his death in 1974, Lindbergh remained an intensely private man. The son of ill-matched parents who separated when he was 6, he was painfully shy and emotionally guarded. "Aviation created a brotherhood of casual acquaintances ... in which he felt comfortable," writes Berg with characteristic perceptiveness.
Lindbergh's wife, the writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, gave Berg unrestricted access to her husband's and her own voluminous personal papers--and he made good use of them to assess both the couple's relationship and their activities. Probably the most startling revelation is a brief but candid discussion of Anne's affair in the late 1950s with a New Jersey doctor, which helped assuage her need to vent emotions in a way her buttoned-up husband found insupportable. (During the horrendous days in 1932 when their 20-month-old son was kidnapped and killed, Berg notes, she never once saw Charles cry.) The biography is solid on all aspects of Lindbergh's career, including his notorious urging that America stay out of World War II; Berg rebuts charges that Lindbergh was a Nazi or a traitor, but rightly criticizes the anti-Semitism latent in some of his speeches. With this book, Berg succeeds in surveying Lindbergh's fascinating life and assessing its historic impact.’ - Amazon.com
A new set of wheels…
I collected my new company car this week and returned the 'old' Saab with a few thousand more miles on the clock.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
I now have a Vauxhall Astra. The model is an Astra Sport Hatch Design 1.6i 16v Easytronic, and it is painted Royal Blue.
This car is two grades lower than I am allowed, but in return for downgrading I get money back and the tax is much lower. And since there is only Sue, who doesn’t drive, and me at home and we don’t have off-street parking, it seemed to make sense to choose something small and practical. The Easytronic gearbox is a variant on the semi-automatic that allows you drive in fully auto (I do a lot of motorway miles) and also allows you to drive as a clutch-less manual. The Design trim level also gives you automatic lighting and automatic windscreen wipers, making life even easier.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Bricks and mortar II...
We have now found another property which we have had an offer accepted on this time in a village called Westcott just west of Dorking in amongst the picturesque Surrey hills in the delightfully named Mole Valley District. The house is a three bedroom mid-terrace house with a reasonable sized kitchen and garden. Westcott is a little village with a church, a bakery, two convenience stores and three pubs. There are several walking and cycling paths out into the countryside, up into the gentle rolling hills, and over to Denbies Vineyard (the largest in the UK). Dorking itself is a bustling town with lovely historic buildings, smuggler’s caves, and antique shops along with all the essentials and with good transport links to London and elsewhere.
A marriage on the border…
We had a couple of days off recently to attend a wedding of one of Sue’s work colleagues at Hexham in Northumberland. The wedding was at Langley Castle a few miles away from the historic town and from Hadrian’s Wall between two families that have historic Scottish and Reiver names. The event was wonderful and in a great setting we ate and drank well and danced traditional rounds to the live folk band before boogying down to the disco.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
While we were in the area we had a look around the historic and picturesque town of Hexham with its Abbey and Gaol, and we went down the road to see the impressive Roman ruins at Corbridge.
We broke our return journey in Derbyshire and visited a couple of National Trust houses. The grand Kedleston Hall and the rather spooky Calke Abbey.
A harvest festival…
Once again the autumn signifies the end of summer and the last warm days as they shorten as we get closer to winter. In the garden it is a time of bounty as we reap what we have sown. An abundance of courgettes, tomatoes and blackberries has led to Sue making more chutneys and jams. We have been pleasantly surprised with this year’s melon, sweet peppers and butternut squash which are large and plentiful. The hot, dry summer that benefited the more exotic crops was not so good for our traditional mainstay and we had a disappointing return from our potatoes and our corn as we were not able to give them enough water.
More of wot I have heard…
Nouvelle Vague, Vol I
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
…and…
Bande A Part – by Nouvelle Vague
These are a couple of interesting albums by a French outfit that have taken classics and rarities from rock, pop, and punk and given them a twist by reinterpreting them with a Gallic café/club feel.
Damaged – by Lambchop
We have many of this band’s recordings and have seen them live a couple of times, once at a regular gig and once where they performed live accompaniment to a silent film. Kurt Wagner leads a large ensemble cast of musicians with his characteristic soft and raw lyrics that require concentrated effort by the listener to extract the most from them.
Feast of Wire – by Calexico
Gentle and delicate TexMex folk have been a mainstay of the Calexico sound for some years now (though I have read that some fans consider that they have ‘sold out’ with their more mainstream later albums). I have several of this band’s recordings and they rate very highly in my personal chart.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
More of wot I have read…
The Accidental - by Ali Smith
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
I found this a very unusual book that doesn’t have an obvious plot narrative but investigates how a stranger affects the lives of a family that is drifting aimlessly when she turns up at their door by accident.
It is a very well written and engaging story the spends most of it’s time exploring the different ways people react to external forces and does a good job of getting you inside the head of the characters.
"Winner of the Whitbread Award for best novel and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize, The Accidental is the virtuoso new novel by the singularly gifted Ali Smith. Jonathan Safran Foer has called her writing “thrilling.” Jeanette Winterson has praised her for her “style, ideas, and punch.” Here, in a novel at once profound, playful, and exhilaratingly inventive, she transfixes us with a portrait of a family unraveled by a mysterious visitor.
Amber—thirtysomething and barefoot—shows up at the door of the Norfolk cottage that the Smarts are renting for the summer. She talks her way in. She tells nothing but lies. She stays for dinner.
Eve Smart, the author of a best-selling series of biographical reconstructions, thinks Amber is a student with whom her husband, Michael, is sleeping. Michael, an English professor, knows only that her car broke down. Daughter Astrid, age twelve, thinks she’s her mother’s friend. Son Magnus, age seventeen, thinks she’s an angel.
As Amber insinuates herself into the family, the questions of who she is and how she’s come to be there drop away. Instead, dazzled by her seeming exoticism, the Smarts begin to examine the accidents of their lives through the searing lens of Amber’s perceptions. When Eve finally banishes her from the cottage, Amber disappears from their sight, but not—they discover when they return home to London—from their profoundly altered lives.
Fearlessly intelligent and written with an irresistible blend of lyricism and whimsy, The Accidental is a tour de force of literary improvisation that explores the nature of truth, the role of chance, and the transformative power of storytelling.
More of wot I have heard…
Still - by Lily Allen
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
A (s)punky girl that sings from the heart on subjects that matter to the younger generation. To us she sounds like a female equivalent of the Streets – Mike Skinner. Catchy tunes and pointed lyrics make this a lively album and a good debut.
Veneer - by Jose Gonzalez
This artist has become popular here in the UK for having a track used in a TV commercial. His style of music is quite and gentle with simple arrangements that although they don’t always leave a strong impression, they do give and fine overall feeling to the album.
Late Night Tales - by Flaming Lips
The Late Night Tales series of albums has a different artist select tracks that mean something to them. It is an insight to the influences on them as well as being an eclectic mix of popular and less well known music. We have collected most of the series so far and have enjoyed them all and this is no exception.
Bricks and mortar…
We are slowly getting closer to completing on our house sale and are looking at moving out at the end of the month. We went and had another look at the house we were thinking of buying and now that the owner has moved out it looked different empty. We spent quite a while there measuring and looking at what we wanted to change. It didn’t look as attractive proposition as it did before and so we were up until 2am trying to work out in our minds what we really wanted and eventually decided it wasn’t that house, so we pulled out. Now we are looking for somewhere else again. We will stay with friends and family and rent until we find the right one.
Flowers in your hair…
We spent a long weekend camping in a field beside the river Thames with several thousand other people at the annual Womad Festival. Originally set up by Peter Gabriel, the festival has been going now for many years and celebrates WOrld Music, Arts and Dance. I met Sue and her sister Deb after work on Thursday and together we drove up to reading where we joined Dave who had gone on ahead earlier in the day to set up the tents with his brother Steve. The two tents we had were huge and drew admiring/envious glances from other campers. The main event started on Friday and this was when Blonde-Deb and the boys joined us.
The whole event is very inclusive and friendly with families rubbing shoulders with original Hippies, Rastas, Eco-Warriors, and even the occasional Goth. The music is varied, some of it ethnic some alternative and others just plain odd. The music started well with a band from New York called Yerba Buena (Afro-Cuban funk). We also liked Sasla Celtica (Salsa-Scottish folk), the Gotan Project (French electronica), Batucada Sound Machine from New Zealand (a mix of rhythm based music with Afro-Latino feel), Ska Cubano (Jamaican-Cuban crossover), Sunshiners from Vanuatu (giving modern classics a reggae makeover) and Laura Veirs from Seattle (a folksy singer-song writer).
The whole place was a riot of colour, sounds, smells and tastes. All sorts of flags flew with images as varied as red, green and gold marijuana leaves, Che Guevara, rainbow flags and classic peace emblems to pirate Jolly Roger’s. Smoke from incense burners and ‘herbal’ cigarettes drifted out from tepees and coffee tents. We were spoilt for choice with the variety of interesting and tasty food stalls that surrounded the site. If all this was too much you could wander around the multitude of stalls that were sell all manner of interesting items. I was persuaded to buy an acoustic guitar that was particularly cheap (now I only need to learn how to play it).
Apart from a few showers one evening the weather remained very good, in fact it turned that it has been the hottest July on record.
The whole event is very inclusive and friendly with families rubbing shoulders with original Hippies, Rastas, Eco-Warriors, and even the occasional Goth. The music is varied, some of it ethnic some alternative and others just plain odd. The music started well with a band from New York called Yerba Buena (Afro-Cuban funk). We also liked Sasla Celtica (Salsa-Scottish folk), the Gotan Project (French electronica), Batucada Sound Machine from New Zealand (a mix of rhythm based music with Afro-Latino feel), Ska Cubano (Jamaican-Cuban crossover), Sunshiners from Vanuatu (giving modern classics a reggae makeover) and Laura Veirs from Seattle (a folksy singer-song writer).
The whole place was a riot of colour, sounds, smells and tastes. All sorts of flags flew with images as varied as red, green and gold marijuana leaves, Che Guevara, rainbow flags and classic peace emblems to pirate Jolly Roger’s. Smoke from incense burners and ‘herbal’ cigarettes drifted out from tepees and coffee tents. We were spoilt for choice with the variety of interesting and tasty food stalls that surrounded the site. If all this was too much you could wander around the multitude of stalls that were sell all manner of interesting items. I was persuaded to buy an acoustic guitar that was particularly cheap (now I only need to learn how to play it).
Apart from a few showers one evening the weather remained very good, in fact it turned that it has been the hottest July on record.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Infrequent Update...
Again it has been a while since I have written on this blog. Nervous tension has smothered my ability to focus on anything creative. I am now gainfully employed again (though we are still buying Lottery tickets just in case), and I have completed my first month (not an easy prospect after half a year of dossing about). The job is similar to what I was doing before but for a competitor company to my previous employer (making engineering estimates and generating quotations for industrial control and safety systems).
I had to spend some time up at the Manchester office recently for product training and sales meetings so I have been doing quite a lot of travelling and staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase. Not as much fun as it sounds.
The bonus with this new job is that I get a company car (currently a Saab 93), a phone (benefit or not, I’m not so sure) and healthcare, pension and share schemes. The disadvantage is that it is in Bracknell near Reading, which is at least an hour and a half drive away. But since we had already decided to move house, it just means we needed to focus on looking in the area around the new job.
On the subject of the house we but it up for sale and had one viewing in the following week. She subsequently put an offer in and we accepted, so we have sold (subject to contract) and have been spending several weekends driving around various parts of the country looking at houses. It would seem that you don’t get an awful lot for your money these days! We wanted a 2+ bed semi or end of terrace house with a good-sized garden (for the vegetable plot) and not too away far from the countryside. It would seem that we’d need to make some compromises along the way. We found a mid-terraced (middle one of three) house that is no bigger than the one we are leaving, but the garden is much bigger (it is about 200ft long), and it backs onto forestry commission land that stretches for miles. The gate at the bottom of the garden opens out onto a lane that is called the Devils Highway and is a former Roman road that leads off into the middle of the forest.
We have also been getting together with friends and family on a regular basis and, since the weather has been quite good, some of the time has been outdoors. We are in a drought-ban at the moment, which means there are strict water restrictions and we have to be aware of conservation methods. We have to water our vegetables with a watering can rather than a hosepipe or sprinkler, not easy with the size of allotment we have. Good news is that we are starting to eat some of our homegrown bounty and are picking salad, asparagus, rhubarb and now strawberries like they are going out of fashion (Sue has had to make several fruit puddings and jars of jam and chutney with the excess). Good news is that Wimbledon brought the rain with it as usual.
We met up with a couple of our Kiwi friends while they were over in dear old Blighty for holidays and hopefully we will meet others that are due to be up this way later on in the year.
We spent a long weekend in and about Suffolk as groupies to the Aldbury Morris Men as they danced their way from one picturesque village to another (pub to pub). Audiences were good and enjoy the more furious stick dances. The sight of these older men (who should know better) splintering shards out of sturdy lumps of wood is quite a sight. Luckily the ancient and protected art of dancing-with-hankies seems to be exempted from the usual Health and Safety regulations and they don’t need to wear goggles as the wood fragments fly through the air. One of the local hotels that we stayed in was happy for them to take over part of the bar of an evening so that they could play songs and sing into the night for as long as the beer flowed. Sue is trying to convince me that I am not too young to join their merry men, but I am not so sure.
Sue travelled up to Manchester while I was there and we went across to Hull to see Jamie and to help him move into his new digs. Most of the heavy stuff had already been moved by Jamie and a friend of his who has access to a van. Quite cleverly he arrange to stay at the new place to organise the furniture (plug in his computer), while Sue and I stayed at the old place and cleaned it (a serious job). We stayed over in a spare room and he took us out to his local with a couple of friends. After we had bought the shopping and routed an aerial connection up to his room, we left and returned home (the leaving doesn’t get any easier).
I had to spend some time up at the Manchester office recently for product training and sales meetings so I have been doing quite a lot of travelling and staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase. Not as much fun as it sounds.
The bonus with this new job is that I get a company car (currently a Saab 93), a phone (benefit or not, I’m not so sure) and healthcare, pension and share schemes. The disadvantage is that it is in Bracknell near Reading, which is at least an hour and a half drive away. But since we had already decided to move house, it just means we needed to focus on looking in the area around the new job.
On the subject of the house we but it up for sale and had one viewing in the following week. She subsequently put an offer in and we accepted, so we have sold (subject to contract) and have been spending several weekends driving around various parts of the country looking at houses. It would seem that you don’t get an awful lot for your money these days! We wanted a 2+ bed semi or end of terrace house with a good-sized garden (for the vegetable plot) and not too away far from the countryside. It would seem that we’d need to make some compromises along the way. We found a mid-terraced (middle one of three) house that is no bigger than the one we are leaving, but the garden is much bigger (it is about 200ft long), and it backs onto forestry commission land that stretches for miles. The gate at the bottom of the garden opens out onto a lane that is called the Devils Highway and is a former Roman road that leads off into the middle of the forest.
We have also been getting together with friends and family on a regular basis and, since the weather has been quite good, some of the time has been outdoors. We are in a drought-ban at the moment, which means there are strict water restrictions and we have to be aware of conservation methods. We have to water our vegetables with a watering can rather than a hosepipe or sprinkler, not easy with the size of allotment we have. Good news is that we are starting to eat some of our homegrown bounty and are picking salad, asparagus, rhubarb and now strawberries like they are going out of fashion (Sue has had to make several fruit puddings and jars of jam and chutney with the excess). Good news is that Wimbledon brought the rain with it as usual.
We met up with a couple of our Kiwi friends while they were over in dear old Blighty for holidays and hopefully we will meet others that are due to be up this way later on in the year.
We spent a long weekend in and about Suffolk as groupies to the Aldbury Morris Men as they danced their way from one picturesque village to another (pub to pub). Audiences were good and enjoy the more furious stick dances. The sight of these older men (who should know better) splintering shards out of sturdy lumps of wood is quite a sight. Luckily the ancient and protected art of dancing-with-hankies seems to be exempted from the usual Health and Safety regulations and they don’t need to wear goggles as the wood fragments fly through the air. One of the local hotels that we stayed in was happy for them to take over part of the bar of an evening so that they could play songs and sing into the night for as long as the beer flowed. Sue is trying to convince me that I am not too young to join their merry men, but I am not so sure.
Sue travelled up to Manchester while I was there and we went across to Hull to see Jamie and to help him move into his new digs. Most of the heavy stuff had already been moved by Jamie and a friend of his who has access to a van. Quite cleverly he arrange to stay at the new place to organise the furniture (plug in his computer), while Sue and I stayed at the old place and cleaned it (a serious job). We stayed over in a spare room and he took us out to his local with a couple of friends. After we had bought the shopping and routed an aerial connection up to his room, we left and returned home (the leaving doesn’t get any easier).
Friday, April 28, 2006
Home again…
Well, we have been back in the UK for almost one month now and to some extent it is as if we were never away. A round of dinners and parties has welcomed us back and everybody seems well and happy.
We were out in the allotment straight away and were surprised how little work was needed to get it back into order. Seeds are now planted and germinating and we are even enjoying some crops that have over wintered.
One thing that was immediately obvious when we returned was how busy and noisy it is outside our house. After having the peace and quiet in New Zealand it came as a shock to us. So we have decided to move. Our house is on the market with a local estate agent and we have been browsing the internet for possible places to move to.
We want to find a place that gives us an opportunity to enjoy the good life without forcing us to spend the next twenty years paying for it. For the same price as our small two bedroom terrace cottage in the suburbs, we can buy a three bedroom detached house in a rural location with enough land to grow our veggies on. The only thing we need to decide is what rural location to choose. We still want to be accessible to London and our family and friends so we would only be an hour or two away and preferably near a main line station. If we are canny we might be able to get all of this and not have a mortgage to worry about, thus freeing up more time for us to try and capture some of the quality of life we are striving for.
Although my first attempt at a novel was rejected by everyone I sent it to I am trying to be optimistic. I have some new ideas for it and I will make some changes, hopefully improving it, before trying some UK publishers. I also have ideas for several other stories that just require me getting some ‘brain space’ to start on them. Sue and her mother have bought me some more paints and canvasses so that I can also continue with my painting.
We are looking for jobs in the meantime too, as we still need to pay the bills, so Sue has started back at her old job on a part time basis, and I have been knocking on doors of companies in my old industry. I think I will have a few options open to me in the next week or too including my old job. Some of the opportunities are further a field, in Bath, Northampton and Middlesex, and if any of these come to fruition they may dictate which county we end up moving to.
Monday, March 27, 2006
As one summer ends, another begins…
We are counting down the days until we migrate north again. The clocks have gone back in NZ and forward in the UK and the seasons are changing. We have had a great time down under, but we are keen now to return to our own home and catch up with other friends and family that we left behind six months ago. We have learnt a lot from our experience of dropping out for half a year. If we were to do it again we would definitely do some things differently. There are many aspects of the trip we are keen to continue with. I hope to carry on writing and painting, and get back to doing more drawing too. We want to be able to have more of a say in how we work (working smarter – not harder). Time needs to be made for ourselves and others, it is more satisfying to do things you want with those you want to, than not. So if anyone has a job I can do part-time, from home or near to it then let me know.
So it is ‘see you later’ to those we leave behind and ‘hello again’ to those we will see very soon.
So it is ‘see you later’ to those we leave behind and ‘hello again’ to those we will see very soon.
More of wot I have read...
This is an interesting concept for a book. The author revisited the tradition of serialisation of books in newspapers with the backing of The Scotsman. The only downside is that the book seems to lack a storng narative or plotline; probably a side affect of writing the book in short snipets for readers who may not get to read every issue.
44 Scotland Street - by Alexander McCall-Smith
‘When twenty-year-old Pat rents a room from handsome and cocky Bruce, she inherits some delightfully colourful neighbours: Domenica, an insightful and eccentric widow; Bertie, a five-year-old who's mastered both saxophone and Italian; and Irene, his overbearing mother. Pat's new job at a gallery seems easy enough. Her boss spends most of his time drinking coffee in a local café and discussing matters great and small, and Pat's duties are light.
That is until she realizes that one of their paintings may be an undiscovered work of a renowned Scottish artist and she discovers that one of their customers may be in on the secret. Add to this a fancy ball, love triangles and an encounter with a famous crime writer, and you have Alexander McCall Smith's entertaining and witty portrait of Edinburgh society.’
44 Scotland Street - by Alexander McCall-Smith
‘When twenty-year-old Pat rents a room from handsome and cocky Bruce, she inherits some delightfully colourful neighbours: Domenica, an insightful and eccentric widow; Bertie, a five-year-old who's mastered both saxophone and Italian; and Irene, his overbearing mother. Pat's new job at a gallery seems easy enough. Her boss spends most of his time drinking coffee in a local café and discussing matters great and small, and Pat's duties are light.
That is until she realizes that one of their paintings may be an undiscovered work of a renowned Scottish artist and she discovers that one of their customers may be in on the secret. Add to this a fancy ball, love triangles and an encounter with a famous crime writer, and you have Alexander McCall Smith's entertaining and witty portrait of Edinburgh society.’
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