Good Afternoon World

Hi again world & to anybody who might read this - "Hello !"

It's been a great day here in the sticks - B took me into Taunton (look on a map) & I've come home with another bunch of things to watch & listen to... from old to new stuff !

On the DVD front, I have Bruce Springsteen 'London Calling' from last year + Dio 'Evil or Divine' - which I think is from 2002... On CD, Neil Young's first album + Stephen Stills 'Live At Shepherd's Bush' from... well, it was released last year, not 100% sure when it was recorded.

So just when I think I've got on top of my CD list - I go & get a few more !! Never mind - it'll give me something to listen to & keep me off the streets for a while.... a day or 2 at least !!

The music of the moment is the Grateful Dead... not sure which one, just a concert thing I found.. I mentioned yesterday (I think) that I was playing a J J Cale CD & it was a bit quiet for a 'live' recording... well, it picked up a bit as it went along, so I'll give that another chance & see if it grows on me next time around !! So the music in my life continues....

My family are all out at the moment.... ME at Uni placement, with J & B in town someplace... they should be home at about 5:30ish. I mentioned that B's Nan died - the funeral is not until another week !?! I'm guessing that there is a backlog at the crematorium or something - it seems like a long time !! Oh well.........

It's a quiet day - except for the music - so I will away........

Bye Bye

Another Day !!

Hello again computer.... or anyone else who might be reading this !!

Yesterday - well, I was kind of hurt by the whole Church thing... the attitude of some of the people there & their lack of thought when they spoke to me, if that makes any sense at all ? But, today is another day & with the benefit of a sleep, I feel - well, I still feel pretty p**s*d at them !! I know - as a Christian, we're suppose to turn the other cheek & so on & so on - BUT....

Oh well.... It's another fantastic day here in the wilds of England - as far as I know, it didn't rain at all over the weekend, so (for once) the festival went off without a drenching !! My mate C came over yesterday afternoon & - as he said - one year he ain't going, the weather stays fine !!

On the music front, I'm listening to J. J. Cale 'Live'.... it's the first time I've listened to it - quite good, tho' - it needs a bit of atmosphere or something.... good guitar work tho' !! I see it was recorded over several years (1990-1996) so that might account for the lack of crowd noise. I know some people like 'clean' live albums - without much in the way of crowd interaction - me, I like them 'raw' so to speak...

At the moment I'm here with J - ME is at Uni today & B is out.... so it's a quiet afternoon. Still laughing at the lack of football....oops, there is football, we're not in it tho' !! At least there was a great weekend of motor sport !! As someone said on the radio today, if the England teams plane is anything like the goal posts, they'll miss the flight !!!

Never mind - I must away..... need a drink.....

Bye Bye

Oh Well....

Hi World - again !!

It's about 1:30pm here as I write these words & to be honest, I'm more than a little upset/angry or any word you would like to enter....

Today we (B & I) went to Church, as we do, and 5 (or more) different people asked me how I was doing as I hadn't been for the last 2 weeks..... which, in the ways of the World, is quite nice of them. BUT, it's not so much the question, more the way the question was put....... more why were you NOT here, rather than SORRY you've not been able to make it !! It's only a little thing - but, these people know I'm not well and yet NOT 1 of them telephoned over the last couple of weeks, to ask how I was or if B needed any help or anything......

It's only a little thing - but it really gets to me..... it shouldn't, but it does BIG time !! Maybe they would like to change places with me - or B - when, as last night, I was in so much pain that even the morphine B gives me gave little relief !! In the end, B gave me another sleeping tablet - to knock me out more than anything !! Oh well - maybe I'm being too harsh - but, it really gets to me at times !!! Oh well......... I'm still breathing - still flapping these old arms of mine - so.......

On the family side of things, we've had some sad news. B's Nan passed away on Friday - B feels really bad about it as - as I wrote before - she was going to see her last week, but got held up in the Pilton traffic, so didn't make it. We're not sure when the funeral will be, but it's a sad time here at the moment. Nan was, or could be, a bit of an old cow - but she will be missed by all who knew her.

On the music side of things - for once the house is quiet.... except for the sound of Carl Sagan's voice as I have 'Cosmos' on as I type... so no music at the moment - but, on the way home from Church, earlier - we were playing a really old version of 'Dark Side Of The Moon'. It's a live recording, which was made before the official album came out - so there is quite a big difference between the 2 versions.... Good stuff !!

For now, I must away.

Bye Bye

Greetings...

Hi again World,

I've just realised it's been 5 days since my last post !! Shocking - I will aim to do better in future.. I've just not got around to it, posting I mean - & one day drives out another etc. Oh well..

Anyhow, 'tis a Wednesday & I'm guessing all around the country people are sorting their excuses for missing work, or what ever, to watch the England game this afternoon. Me, being a complete non-football fan - tho' I did watch some of the South Africa v France game yesterday - couldn't be any less interested !!!

I've read that the manager is expected to resign if England fail to win today - so I guess he'll be looking for a new job by tonight ! No really.... "Come on Eng-a-land !"... yeah, right !!!

Well... it's a beautiful day outside - really warm - even with the doors wide open... & yours truly is sat here listening to 'Sun City'... the old (1980's) anti apartheid song.... purely by coincidence - it's on the cassette I'm playing at the moment from 1994. Earlier it was a Grateful Dead track - a great version of 'Smokestack Lightning' from their 'Bear's Choice' album... buy the re-issue, it has a better sound & extra tracks.....

On Monday I had the 'new' Lynyrd Skynyrd album come thru' the door.... kind of a disappointment really. It was advertised as a 'new' live album & it turns out to be from a show they did in June 2007 !! I was hoping it was going to be from their most recent tour(s) with some tracks from their 'Gods & Guns' album but it wasn't to be.... still it was good to have another live set with Billy Powell & Ean Evans - both of who are now deceased unfortunately.

I saw the band 3 times before the 1977 plane crash... a great outfit on stage....but, give us a new album of 'live' stuff guys - please !!

The tape has moved onto 'Los Desaparecidos' - I think that is how it's spelt - by Little Steven. For me, one of his greatest tracks, with lots & lots of meaning to me & my life back in 1986 !! Oh well, moving on........

B is out at the moment, taking ME to work & then visiting her Nan in hospital.... & on that note, B has just phoned to say they are stuck in traffic - with no where to go !! We forgot it's Pilton festival this weekend & the roads are solid !! For Pilton, read Glastonbury - living here we refer to it by it's 'proper' name.... it's Pilton folks - Glastonbury is up the road a ways !!

ME was due to start work at 10.30 - so there is no hope of that happening now !! Never mind, maybe she can make it up - if they get there - by working later or something..... Still, they are on the road, & J is still in bed (I guess) - hell knows what he'll do when he gets a job... that will be the end of his late nights & short days !!

I'm still working thru' the cds - only got another 2 or 300 to go !! Then I will have to put them in some kind of order.... a-z or something, I've not worked it out yet. I've still got until July 7th to complete the task... plenty of time !!!

Anyways - must go for now.... things to do etc etc - oh, also got a great book here at the moment. 'Ned Kelly - A Short Life' by Ian Jones. It kind of follows on from the Ned Kelly film and what have you.... it's a 400 pager, so it'll take a bit of reading, but so far it's good !!

Bye Bye

Hi again...

Hi again World -

'tis a Friday & the sun seems to have gone on holiday !! It was really hot outside earlier, but now it's cloudy & a little on the cold side.... never mind, ain't thinking of going no place today - it's warmer inside !!

One day I'm going to log on to this blog of mine & find a follower - unlikely, but you never know ! So, if anybody is reading this - "Hi !"....

At the moment, I'm here alone... J (my Son) is upstairs, ME (my Daughter) is out with her boyfriend & my Dearest Friend (my Wife) B, is having a little sleep... so, for once, the music is absent from our household !!

I have - as I written before - been going thru' all our cds, I've still not completed the task. I've decided to finish by my birthday (next month)... so I've got a couple of weeks left. So far I'm up to over 2000 discs, not including the Zeppelin collection. There are about 500 of those & - as in previous years - will get a list to themselves. "Why ?" - glad you asked.... I like going to record fairs & if I see a Zep cd, it's nice to have a list to work from - to make sure I don't duplicate the recording or what have you !! Sad but true !!

I'm always playing music - but, I still find things I had forgotten about... or, more to the point - things I had forgotten were SO good !! If nothing else, no matter how hard I have to flap my arms (see earlier postings) to stay afloat - I will always have my family & music to keep me smiling.

Talking of afloat - I might have written this before - BUT, try & watch the film 'The Boat That Rocked'...... it's well good - as I'm sure I've said already someplace !!

Must away - Bye Bye.....

Greetings

Hi again World - if anybody is reading these words..... "Hello !!"

Well -it's another beautiful day in England... the music of the moment is Led Zeppelin (no surprises there) - 'Dazed & Confused' is on as I type, but as it's from a 16 year old tape, I'm not 100% on where it was recorded !! Probably from some live album or another... around the 1973 tour I guess.

I made up my mind I was going to index all the cds that are about this home of ours - well, the ones that belong to B & my good self - and yesterday I made a start on the 'big' set.... by that I mean the ones that are on a cd shelf unit - to my left as I type. J helped me put them all on the floor the night before last & yesterday I made a start... I finished that lot about 15 minutes ago !! I now have about 500 to a 1000 left to do, but first......

.......Well, you know when you service a car, or build something from a flat pack, you always have a nut or bolt that just ain't going to fit anywhere ? Well, I have about 30 cds that I know came out of the unit, but somehow just don't want to fit back on the thing !! No problem - they came off the shelves, they WILL go back, even if I have to force them some how or another....

It's been 'fun' tho'... finding cds I had forgotten about, or - with the benefit of hindsight - wonder why I bought them in the first place !! Oh well, life goes on......

At the moment I here alone - got the whole house to myself !! ME is out at Uni placement, B & J are somewhere between here and town. J has to go to sign on (he lost his job a month or two back) & B is taking him in.... it's ok living out in the sticks, but we only get a bus every few hours or so, which makes public transport a bit of a joke really !!

Not everybody out here in the country has the 4 x 4 or what have you - our battered old thing is a 16 year old bag of rust, but it serves a purpose !! We do get a bit p***ed off with some people who seem to think that, just because we live in the sticks, we must be rolling in money - sorry folks, before being taken ill a few years back, I was a working man !! Oh well, never mind...

For some strange reason - the TV is on..... football AGAIN !! I've no idea who is playing - I'm guessing it was left on when B went out & (to be honest) I've only just noticed !! More drugs please nurse, I'm starting to notice things - now that's a bad sign !!

Not sure if I've mentioned this before - but I've been reading a book by Peter Carey called 'True History Of The Kelly Gang' (I must of mentioned it ?)... it's a good read, hard at times to follow, but if you've ever seen the film 'Ned Kelly' - the Heath Ledger version - it's worth a look at !!

I've not many pages to go, but I've already have a follow up in the form of 'Crow Killer' by Raymond W. Thorp & Robert Bunker..... that is one of the two books the film 'Jeremiah Johnson' (the Robert Redford movie from 1972) was based on. It is less than 200 pages long, so that will not take long once I get started !!

Shocking really - such great taste in music AND I can read as well !! My old primary school teacher would be proud of me - now if only I could learn how to spell !!

Bye Bye

Child In Time

Sweet Child In Time
You'll See The Line
That's Drawn Between
Good & Bad

Oops !!

Hi again...

I forgot to say earlier - but today's music of choice has been (of all things) Spinal Tap !! I found a 'new' album of theirs in the week 'Back From The Dead' & it's great fun..... lots of the old tracks, with newer bits stuck on !! Check it out if you can - great fun !!

This week I've also got hold of a copy of 'Cosmo's Factory' by Creedence Clearwater Revival - its the 40th anniversary copy, with extra tracks.... I bought the lp first time around, hardly seems like 40 years ago !! I must of missed something - like the odd decade or two !! Oh well..... I must play the Tangerine Dream 'Logos' cd that came as well - it only has two tracks on it, but the first one is over 40 minutes long so its not too bad !!

On the family front, J is upstairs & the ladies of the house (B & ME) are now on the ways to Bristol. They were going early this morning, but the exhaust pipe on ME's car fell apart - so that needed to be welded back in place. Never mind, life goes on....

Oh, also - the JW's came a visiting earlier. Two 'new' ladies..... they always seem so shocked when I invite them in for a chat !! Never mind - we all have our own beliefs, so it's good to have a natter about our differences !!

Anyhow - must away... Happy Birthday Mrs W. - hope you got the e-mail ?!

Bye Bye

Why ?

Hi World !!

I was in hospital again this week... hence the delay between posts... & this man came into the X-Ray department. The lady behind the reception desk explained there would be a waiting time - because he had come in at lunch time & also there were people in front of him... aka me !!

The guy got quite angry & asked something like "Do you have to be dying to get anything done?" & "My taxes paid for this hospital" - stupid things like that...... B had to stop me, but I really felt like telling him that I am dying & I'm quite happy to wait !!

Oh well... some people are NEVER happy !!

Bye Bye

Exiled On Main Street....

Hi...

I've just been playing the new release of The Stones 'Exile On Main Street' - it's the 2 Cd set, with new tracks tagged on to the 2nd disc..... it's well worth the money !! I had the 2 Lp set when it first came out & after that the first release of the album on Cd - BUT this new version is pretty good. Not only is the sound quality better, but you get those extra tracks as well.. bargain !!

At the moment I'm playing some Grateful Dead Cd's I forgot I had... one of the sets was still in it's 

wrap !!! I REALLY must get around to going thru' all my Cd's to check them out. I probably buy far too many, but it's a hobby I enjoy, so...... besides, its great when I find stuff I've completely forgotten 

about !!

On the family front... B is outside in the garden, J is upstairs some place & ME is in town getting her hair trimmed... another quiet day here in paradise !! Or at least it would be - for some reason my computer mouse is on the fritz... I'll check out a new one on my next trip to the metropolis - it's being a b****y pain at the moment !!

BUT - things have just brightened up, the postman has just put a new Tangerine Dream Cd thru' my door... alive set from 1982 'Logos'. I give it a play in a moment or 2.... and me saying I but too many Cd's...

oh well....

It's been one of those weeks !!

Hi World !!

Have you ever had one of those weeks, where you sort of go to bed one night & the next thing you know, it's a few days later ? Well, that's how it's been for me this past few days !!

I went to bed on Friday night - next thing I know it's Monday & I feel like s**t !! I know I do not have the best of health - compared to some I'm pretty well off - but sometimes my body kind of gives up & days go by..... could be worse - I didn't wake up in hospital, not knowing how & why I got there... well - not this time at least !! Anyhow - things have got a little out of hand, but I'm still breathing, so that's a bonus I
guess !!

I'm on my own here this afternoon.... ME is at Uni placement, B & J are in town shopping. The music of the moment (for some reason) is Black Sabbath (?) & the sun is out, it's warm & the sky is blue...... a good day by any one's standard !!

I had a great surprise this week - cheered me up no end.... B managed to get me the DVDs of Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" TV show from many, many years back !! I guess I'm not alone in watching it all that time ago (?) & - altho' it's from over 25 years ago - it has really stood the test of time !! There are even updates, to fill in the 'unknowns' from when it was broadcast. True, they are from 10 years after the show went on air & so still a little dated - but.... it's brilliant !!

I have the old LP of the s/t & was looking to buy a Cd of it... I found one on Play.com - they want £96 for it !!!! I know I've paid thru' the nose for some of my Cd's (as B will testify) but.... there is no way I'm paying that for it - well, not at the moment at least !! I'll put the LP onto CD - it's a little scratched, but it'll transfer ok...... crackles & all. IF anybody is reading this & knows where I can buy it cheaper, let me know at the above... I would be very grateful !!

Talking of grateful - the Dead Cd's I picked up the other week are really good. I played them thru' & they are well worth the cash I handed over..... not like the latest Peter Gabriel CD 'Scratch My Back' !! I have always liked PG's music - but I have found this one a little too 'dark' for my taste... I'll put it away for a while - come back to it with a fresh pair of ears... maybe it'll sound better after it has collected some dust !!

I've ordered some more Tangerine Dream live Cd's - hopefully they will get here in the next week. I seem to have been playing a lot of their stuff recently - the new ones should fit in well !! It's probably good that I do not smoke or drink - some of TD's stuff gets a little strange, even sober !! Oh well.... I will report on them as & when I get them !!

For now, I must away - until next time........