The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
The second album I have of this band and it is similar in style to the first. It has strong storytelling elements that seem to be based in (American) folk traditions, though every so often they seem to enjoy throwing in a curve ball. It is an album to sit and listen to more than to play in the background. It demands a certain level of attention from the listener for which it rewards with little gems of audio delights.
Brooke Fraser – What to do with daylight
This artist was new to me and I didn’t know what to expect when I played her album. Sent as a present by my brother and his wife from NZ I have since found out that this young Kiwi girl is very popular there and in Australia. She has a pleasant voice and the songs are nicely written. We have played it a couple of times now and it will probably be on high rotation for a while to come.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Another year older...
Amongst the many cards and gifts I received for my birthday were books on foraging ‘food for free’, picking wild fungi safely, and spotting birds found in the British garden (along with a pair of binoculars), the latest novel by Dean Koontz, various T-shirts, a pair of jeans, a wallet, a box of wine, a nice whiskey, some chocolates, and a couple of CDs. Since we have only recently moved into our new home we decided not to go away, as we often do for my birthday, instead family and friends came over the weekend before and we entertained at home.
Virtually working...
Trip to Barcelona
I recently went to Barcelona with work on an annual sales conference. Somewhere in the region of 500 people from offices throughout our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region came and joined in. Some of the extra curricular activities included a trip to the Barcelona football club home ground where we had a reception, tour and presentations with Eidur Gudjohnsen giving a brief talk. Not being that interested in sport or in football (soccer) in particular it all left me somewhat cold. One of the hotels we were in was near to the ground and during the few days we also saw Ronaldinho in the bar. Some of the attendees at the conference went to one of the matches on the Sunday evening. We also went on a short bus tour of the sights of the town (I had seen much of it when Sue and I visited a few years before) and we ended up having dinner at the Casa Batllo , one of the architect Antoni Gaudi’s best designed houses.
Trip to Manchester
I had another trip away this year, though this was only a flying visit to our training school in Manchester where I was learning about one of our products. The visit coincided with expected ‘blizzard’ weather conditions that were to sweep the west, south and midlands. On my journey back I prepared myself for the possibility that I would have to stop and book in at a hotel for the night, but the horrors predicted by all of the news networks and travel services didn’t affect my route at all, in fact I got home in record time as hardly anybody was on the roads. The public utilities in the UK can’t seem to cope with any minor variation in the weather (leaves on the line, the wrong type of snow etc.). A few centimeters of snow and everybody is all doom and gloom, yet colleagues of mine battled through several feet of snow in Germany and there the trains were running and the taxis still ran at 140kph down the autobahn!
I recently went to Barcelona with work on an annual sales conference. Somewhere in the region of 500 people from offices throughout our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region came and joined in. Some of the extra curricular activities included a trip to the Barcelona football club home ground where we had a reception, tour and presentations with Eidur Gudjohnsen giving a brief talk. Not being that interested in sport or in football (soccer) in particular it all left me somewhat cold. One of the hotels we were in was near to the ground and during the few days we also saw Ronaldinho in the bar. Some of the attendees at the conference went to one of the matches on the Sunday evening. We also went on a short bus tour of the sights of the town (I had seen much of it when Sue and I visited a few years before) and we ended up having dinner at the Casa Batllo , one of the architect Antoni Gaudi’s best designed houses.
Trip to Manchester
I had another trip away this year, though this was only a flying visit to our training school in Manchester where I was learning about one of our products. The visit coincided with expected ‘blizzard’ weather conditions that were to sweep the west, south and midlands. On my journey back I prepared myself for the possibility that I would have to stop and book in at a hotel for the night, but the horrors predicted by all of the news networks and travel services didn’t affect my route at all, in fact I got home in record time as hardly anybody was on the roads. The public utilities in the UK can’t seem to cope with any minor variation in the weather (leaves on the line, the wrong type of snow etc.). A few centimeters of snow and everybody is all doom and gloom, yet colleagues of mine battled through several feet of snow in Germany and there the trains were running and the taxis still ran at 140kph down the autobahn!
Around the home...
The House
Boiler replacement
We had always planned to one day change the boiler in the new house as we have a preference for a combi-boiler rather than having separate hot water and central heating, when the electric immersion heater failed though we were forced to act quicker than we expected. Unfortunately we couldn’t easily replace the heating element in the hot water cylinder because whoever fitted the boiler placed directly above the cylinder, preventing us from getting access to the bits inside it. This lack of planning and poor execution is a theme that seems to run throughout the house (some might call it qwerky!). For a few weeks we had to do without hot water and we were washing either at work, at Sue’s mums, or at the local swimming baths. Now it has been replaced we are pretty much back to normal.
New furniture
We sold much of our furniture to the woman who was buying our old house as we had bought it when we moved in there approximately 10 years before. We brought only the sitting room furniture (the seating we intend to change later once we have finished the redecoration), and some shelving and storage units. We had bought new beds just before the move and we had a lovely old oak dining table given to us by Joyce and Terry (the frame of which is several hundred years old). We had new dining chairs delivered in the nick of time just before Christmas ready for use by all our visitors who were coming over to dine with us during the festive break. We have bought a few pieces of furniture which are in the Indian style in dark rosewood and rustic finish and they seem to suit the style of the cottage very well.
Decorating
We had help from Sue’s brother and nephews with plastering and some painting, enabling us to repaint the lounge, dining room, front bedroom and start on the bathroom. We have now nearly finished painting, with just the woodwork in most of the rooms and the walls and woodwork in the bathroom yet to do. Sue’s aunt is coming over soon to hang some wall paper on a feature wall to complete the lounge and then it is details such as door furniture, shelves, some pictures and a curtain left to hang after that.
Fence
We had some storms earlier in the year and the only fence in gardens in our terrace of houses to come down was ours. It was completely rotten and so we again called on Sue’s brother to come over and put up a new one with strong concrete posts that should now last a while.
Allotment
We still have our old allotment which we will slowly rob of useful plants, moving them either to a new allotment or to plant out in our garden. There is a section of land behind us that is being used as a vegetable garden and we have asked the owner if he would consider letting us rent (or buy) some of it off him, but we haven’t heard back from him yet. We have bought our seed potatoes, onions and garlic and we plan on starting planting in a couple of weeks, once the ground starts to warm up.
Boiler replacement
We had always planned to one day change the boiler in the new house as we have a preference for a combi-boiler rather than having separate hot water and central heating, when the electric immersion heater failed though we were forced to act quicker than we expected. Unfortunately we couldn’t easily replace the heating element in the hot water cylinder because whoever fitted the boiler placed directly above the cylinder, preventing us from getting access to the bits inside it. This lack of planning and poor execution is a theme that seems to run throughout the house (some might call it qwerky!). For a few weeks we had to do without hot water and we were washing either at work, at Sue’s mums, or at the local swimming baths. Now it has been replaced we are pretty much back to normal.
New furniture
We sold much of our furniture to the woman who was buying our old house as we had bought it when we moved in there approximately 10 years before. We brought only the sitting room furniture (the seating we intend to change later once we have finished the redecoration), and some shelving and storage units. We had bought new beds just before the move and we had a lovely old oak dining table given to us by Joyce and Terry (the frame of which is several hundred years old). We had new dining chairs delivered in the nick of time just before Christmas ready for use by all our visitors who were coming over to dine with us during the festive break. We have bought a few pieces of furniture which are in the Indian style in dark rosewood and rustic finish and they seem to suit the style of the cottage very well.
Decorating
We had help from Sue’s brother and nephews with plastering and some painting, enabling us to repaint the lounge, dining room, front bedroom and start on the bathroom. We have now nearly finished painting, with just the woodwork in most of the rooms and the walls and woodwork in the bathroom yet to do. Sue’s aunt is coming over soon to hang some wall paper on a feature wall to complete the lounge and then it is details such as door furniture, shelves, some pictures and a curtain left to hang after that.
Fence
We had some storms earlier in the year and the only fence in gardens in our terrace of houses to come down was ours. It was completely rotten and so we again called on Sue’s brother to come over and put up a new one with strong concrete posts that should now last a while.
Allotment
We still have our old allotment which we will slowly rob of useful plants, moving them either to a new allotment or to plant out in our garden. There is a section of land behind us that is being used as a vegetable garden and we have asked the owner if he would consider letting us rent (or buy) some of it off him, but we haven’t heard back from him yet. We have bought our seed potatoes, onions and garlic and we plan on starting planting in a couple of weeks, once the ground starts to warm up.
Christmas and New Year...
As we had just moved into our new house we took the opportunity to have Christmas and New Year at home. Joyce and Terry and Liam the dog came down to stay with, as did Jamie back from University in Hull. We had other family and friends over during the festive season and Sue and Joyce made very good use of the double oven cooking traditional roasts for the masses. We interspersed the eating with walks in the countryside, visits to the local hostelry and naps on the sofa. After Christmas Sue and I were left to our own devices for New Years, and took it easy kicking back and enjoying Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on the TV. This meant that we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on New Years Day and so we joined the local Westcott History Group , or a Sue calls them – the Hysterical Society, and went for a walk. The day was bright and fresh and the outing made us feel very virtuous. After our visit to see a 300 year old farm (with mulled wine and mince pies included) and the much older Saxon church we stopped at a pub to celebrate before returning home to open the champagne.
Friday, February 16, 2007
More of wot I have read...
Insomnia by Stephen King
King’s writing style tends to lean towards action and violence, often graphic and gratuitous, rather than a steady building of suspense and tension that I prefer. I thought his choice of main characters was inspired and I was looking forward to learning how they viewed the world, but they too seemed to become more inclined towards heroic activity than you would have credited them with. I was not totally convinced with the supernatural elements that King tried to convey in this book and this inevitably frustrated me. I just think I don’t get on with his writing style, but I know many others do.
'Ralph Roberts has a problem: he isn't sleeping so well these days. In fact, he's hardly sleeping at all. Each morning, the news conveyed by the bedside clock is a little worse: 3:15...3:02...2:45...2:15. The books call it "premature waking"; Ralph, who is still learning to be a widower, calls it a season in hell. He's begun to notice a strangeness in his familiar surroundings, to experience visual phenomena that he can't quite believe are hallucinations. Soon, Ralph thinks, he won't be sleeping at all, and what then? A problem, yes - though perhaps not so uncommon, you might say. But Ralph has lived his entire life in Derry, Maine, and Derry isn't like other places, as millions of Stephen King readers will gladly testify. They remember It, also set in Derry, and know there's a mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying, natural and otherwise, has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it. So are his friends. And so are the strangers they encounter.'
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
I found this book much more my cup of tea and I was drawn in immediately, attracted by the playful writing and the sympathetic and qwerky characters. Even though the idea is not necessarily a new one, the interpretation seemed fresh and exciting. I particularly enjoyed Koontz attention to detail and his almost poetic style of description.
"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14.
In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
As a sequel this book suffers from the fact that we know many of the secrets we didn’t in the first book, and taking it on a step sometimes pushes the boundaries just a bit too far. There is not a lot extra that we find out about the characters we like and the new characters seem even more outlandish than before. It could be trying too hard.
Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final page is turned. For such a character, one book is not enough — readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery — and altogether irresistibly odd.
We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He's the most unlikely hero you'll ever meet — an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much more to any of us than meets the eye — and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead — it's something that just happened. But as the unofficial ambassador between our world and theirs, he's got a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.
A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you're meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he's already an old friend, you'll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight — to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I received this book for my birthday from my wife and it is a real page-turner. I didn’t want to put it down, drawn as I was into the horror as Mitch’s world is turned upside down and everything (well almost everything) he though was good turns bad. At the end it had my pulse beating faster as I willed him on. I have really enjoyed the few books I have read by this author and I will look out for more of them now.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighborhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it. He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
BloodBowl by Matt Forbeck
If you approach this book with the same attitude as the game of BloodBowl them you probably won’t be disappointed. It is never going to win any literary awards but then that never was its aim. It’s just a bit of fun.
He should have stuck to fighting dragons…
Dunk Hoffnung’s life is going nowhere fast and being an adventurer is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. The pay is terrible, the conditions harsh and the only people you meet are generally monsters and they’re more interested in eating your flesh than sitting down and sharing their feelings…
When sports agent Slick Fullbelly spots Dunk bringing down a Chimera with a spear from a hundred paces, he’s sure that his search is over. Slick works for the Bad Bay Hackers, and they need a new thrower. Dunk is about to be plunged headfirst into the insane world of Blood Bowl, the fastest, meanest sport in this dark and brutal fantasy world. Dunk puts down his sword and steps off the battlefield…… onto the football field.
DeadBall by Matt Forbeck
This is more of the same, bad jokes, terrible puns, and wild action that is absolutely nothing more than a bit of fan fun.
Would-be star quarterback Dunk Hoffnung is back and, unfortunately, he's not smelling of roses. His dreams of fame and stardom within the ridiculously violent game of Blood Bowl have all come to nothing. But a good player never says die (though they have been known to say "Ouch" or "Look, take the ball! Just don't hurt me!" or "Not in the face!") and he's determined to make his name… in the Albion leagues. All he has to do is survive the dirty tricks, the sneaky cheating and the exploding footballs. And that's just the players on his team.
King’s writing style tends to lean towards action and violence, often graphic and gratuitous, rather than a steady building of suspense and tension that I prefer. I thought his choice of main characters was inspired and I was looking forward to learning how they viewed the world, but they too seemed to become more inclined towards heroic activity than you would have credited them with. I was not totally convinced with the supernatural elements that King tried to convey in this book and this inevitably frustrated me. I just think I don’t get on with his writing style, but I know many others do.
'Ralph Roberts has a problem: he isn't sleeping so well these days. In fact, he's hardly sleeping at all. Each morning, the news conveyed by the bedside clock is a little worse: 3:15...3:02...2:45...2:15. The books call it "premature waking"; Ralph, who is still learning to be a widower, calls it a season in hell. He's begun to notice a strangeness in his familiar surroundings, to experience visual phenomena that he can't quite believe are hallucinations. Soon, Ralph thinks, he won't be sleeping at all, and what then? A problem, yes - though perhaps not so uncommon, you might say. But Ralph has lived his entire life in Derry, Maine, and Derry isn't like other places, as millions of Stephen King readers will gladly testify. They remember It, also set in Derry, and know there's a mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying, natural and otherwise, has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it. So are his friends. And so are the strangers they encounter.'
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
I found this book much more my cup of tea and I was drawn in immediately, attracted by the playful writing and the sympathetic and qwerky characters. Even though the idea is not necessarily a new one, the interpretation seemed fresh and exciting. I particularly enjoyed Koontz attention to detail and his almost poetic style of description.
"The dead don't talk. I don't know why." But they do try to communicate, with a short-order cook in a small desert town serving as their reluctant confidant. Odd Thomas thinks of himself as an ordinary guy, if possessed of a certain measure of talent at the Pico Mundo Grill and rapturously in love with the most beautiful girl in the world, Stormy Llewellyn. Maybe he has a gift, maybe it's a curse, Odd has never been sure, but he tries to do his best by the silent souls who seek him out. Sometimes they want justice, and Odd's otherworldly tips to Pico Mundo's sympathetic police chief, Wyatt Porter, can solve a crime. Occasionally they can prevent one. But this time it's different. A mysterious man comes to town with a voracious appetite, a filing cabinet stuffed with information on the world's worst killers, and a pack of hyena-like shades following him wherever he goes. Who the man is and what he wants, not even Odd's deceased informants can tell him. His most ominous clue is a page ripped from a day-by-day calendar for August 15.
Today is August 14.
In less than twenty-four hours, Pico Mundo will awaken to a day of catastrophe. As evil coils under the searing desert sun, Odd travels through the shifting prisms of his world, struggling to avert a looming cataclysm with the aid of his soul mate and an unlikely community of allies that includes the King of Rock 'n' Roll. His account of two shattering days when past and present, fate and destiny converge is the stuff of our worst nightmares—and a testament by which to live: sanely if not safely, with courage, humor, and a full heart that even in the darkness must persevere.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
As a sequel this book suffers from the fact that we know many of the secrets we didn’t in the first book, and taking it on a step sometimes pushes the boundaries just a bit too far. There is not a lot extra that we find out about the characters we like and the new characters seem even more outlandish than before. It could be trying too hard.
Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final page is turned. For such a character, one book is not enough — readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery — and altogether irresistibly odd.
We're all a little odd beneath the surface. He's the most unlikely hero you'll ever meet — an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there's so much more to any of us than meets the eye — and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead — it's something that just happened. But as the unofficial ambassador between our world and theirs, he's got a duty to do the right thing. That's the way Odd sees it and that's why he's won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.
A childhood friend of Odd's has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you're meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he's already an old friend, you'll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight — to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.
The Husband by Dean Koontz
I received this book for my birthday from my wife and it is a real page-turner. I didn’t want to put it down, drawn as I was into the horror as Mitch’s world is turned upside down and everything (well almost everything) he though was good turns bad. At the end it had my pulse beating faster as I willed him on. I have really enjoyed the few books I have read by this author and I will look out for more of them now.
What would you do for love? Would you die? Would you kill?
We have your wife. You can get her back for two million cash. Landscaper Mitchell Rafferty thinks it must be some kind of joke. He was in the middle of planting impatiens in the yard of one of his clients when his cell phone rang. Now he's standing in a normal suburban neighborhood on a bright summer day, having a phone conversation out of his darkest nightmare.
Whoever is on the other end of the line is dead serious. He has Mitch's wife and he's named the price for her safe return. The caller doesn't care that Mitch runs a small two-man landscaping operation and has no way of raising such a vast sum. He's confident that Mitch will find a way. If he loves his wife enough… Mitch does love her enough. He loves her more than life itself. He's got seventy-two hours to prove it. He has to find the two million by then. But he'll pay a lot more. He'll pay anything.
BloodBowl by Matt Forbeck
If you approach this book with the same attitude as the game of BloodBowl them you probably won’t be disappointed. It is never going to win any literary awards but then that never was its aim. It’s just a bit of fun.
He should have stuck to fighting dragons…
Dunk Hoffnung’s life is going nowhere fast and being an adventurer is definitely not all it’s cracked up to be. The pay is terrible, the conditions harsh and the only people you meet are generally monsters and they’re more interested in eating your flesh than sitting down and sharing their feelings…
When sports agent Slick Fullbelly spots Dunk bringing down a Chimera with a spear from a hundred paces, he’s sure that his search is over. Slick works for the Bad Bay Hackers, and they need a new thrower. Dunk is about to be plunged headfirst into the insane world of Blood Bowl, the fastest, meanest sport in this dark and brutal fantasy world. Dunk puts down his sword and steps off the battlefield…… onto the football field.
DeadBall by Matt Forbeck
This is more of the same, bad jokes, terrible puns, and wild action that is absolutely nothing more than a bit of fan fun.
Would-be star quarterback Dunk Hoffnung is back and, unfortunately, he's not smelling of roses. His dreams of fame and stardom within the ridiculously violent game of Blood Bowl have all come to nothing. But a good player never says die (though they have been known to say "Ouch" or "Look, take the ball! Just don't hurt me!" or "Not in the face!") and he's determined to make his name… in the Albion leagues. All he has to do is survive the dirty tricks, the sneaky cheating and the exploding footballs. And that's just the players on his team.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
The country life…
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.
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.
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.
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