Monday & lots of music. Life is good !!

Greetings World's !!

How is your bit of the Universe treating you, this clear, cold day ?! It's the start of another week, here in our neck of England's South-West corner...... as I look out, over to the sea - the tide must be almost all the ways in, as the water is really bright !! Well - if you can call grey, with Sunlight, a colour resembling "bright" ?! Nevermind....

It's a Monday.... and there are just the 2 of us, at home, as I type. B - My Wife & Dearest Friend - is upstairs, working on some more Christmas cards. It seems, from what she told me earlier - we might actually have some left over this year !! That will be a first...... usually, come the last minute, B is frantically finding odd cards, to send to people we have forgotten about !!

This past 7 months, give or take, B has had her "Craft Cave" up & running....... and, bless her, she has really got the whole card making bug, down to a fine art !! Altho' - we both miss our Daughter, not living here.... but, her bedroom has been converted over to B's craft room & she seems well happy with it !!

Talking of our Daughter..... the beautiful ME was here, yesterday, for a couple of hours. Being a Sunday - M's Dad went over to their place, to watch football - which left ME to come here & sit with us, for a few hours.

It worked out, pretty well.... B & her were able to grab Smudge, our oldest cat & they gave him a quick bath !! It must be getting easier - it only took 15 minutes !! The first time, when J was home still - well, it was a really long, drawn out process.... now, he is either getting used to it.... or, more likely, he has given up the fight !! Oh well - he sure does look better, for having his wash !!

I think, from what B was saying, this morning, ME is now working the rest of this week.... but, if all goes to plan, she will be off work, for the whole of the next week end. That's good - I always worry about her doing too much !!

I mentioned J - our Son..... he is still over in Wales, doing his Uni course. He won't be coming back this way, over the Christmas - or anytime soon..... I guess. It's his life - as long as he is happy, what the heck ?!

I'm pretty certain, that he still hates my guts - but, I can live with that !! He did say he would take his Christmas gift - rather than turning it "into another thing" !! That was kind of him...... if only he would realise, just how much he is hurting his Mum !! Oh well...... it's up to him !!

I did feel like letting rip & writing a warts & all kind of e-mail.... but, in the end, I pressed the erase button & didn't send it. There didn't seem to be any point - he hates my guts, he has his own life & that's all there is too it..... I had hoped 2015 would see a breaking down of the wall, that surrounds us - but, judging how 2014 is ending, I can't see that happening in anyway soon !!

Sooooo - moving along, to the music of the moment...

It's Dream Theater's 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings' album !! I'm trying out a few things - a few tracks.... to see which ones are going to fit onto my next "mix" Cd's !! As I'm not doing too much, this afternoon - I'm just playing a few things & putting the timer, on them..... just to work out, which tracks are going on the final Cd's !!

It's all a bit of fun - but, I enjoy doing it & it really does take my mind off the various aches & pains I have !! Of course - so does the morphine..... but, I can only take just sooooo much of that, with-out feeling too stoned to concentrate !! Life is good !!

The actual "final" mix of Cd's - well..... they are bound to be a right collection of stuff !! From Dream Theater - thru' Within Temptation, Nightwish & some others, which - at the moment, I've not even thought too much about !! Ho-hum...

It's been a good couple of days, for new Cd's.

As mentioned before - I had the latest Led Zeppelin bootleg come...... a standard 1977 American tour set list - plus, on top of that - I've had a copy of 'Heaven & Earth' by Yes + their DVD '9012LIVE' - neither of which I've played yet..... also, for my sins - a 3 Cd set, by Alicia Keys, simply called 'The Platinum Collection' & 'Theme For A Reunion'  a 2 Cd live set by Colosseum !!

I know very, very little about Alicia Keys.... but, I will enjoy hearing something new !! As for Colosseum !! A really great group & one of those bands, who I used to listen to, in the 1970's & onwards from there !!

I was lucky enough, to stumble across a web site, that dealt mostly with 1970's albums & I found 'Colosseum Live' on it !! That was some time ago - but, at least I was album to replace my old 2 Lp set !! The tracks on the new one are:

CD 1

   1) Those About To Die
   2) Skelington
   3) Elegy
   4) Tanglewood 63
5-7) Valentine Suite
   8) Rope Ladder To The Moon

CD 2

1) Theme From An Imaginary Western
2) The Machine Demands Another Sacrifice
3) Solo Colonia
4) Lost Angels
5) Stormy Monday Blues
6) Walking In The Park

The old album's tracks are:

1) Rope Ladder To The Moon
2) Walking In The Park
3) Skelington
4) I Can't Live With-Out You
5) Tanglewood 63
6) Stormy Monday Blues
7) Lost Angeles

I'm not really sure about the name change - 'Lost Angel'/Lost Angeles' - maybe it's a bit of a typo ? I really don't know !! I will have to make some room, on the iPod thing - to fit everything in !! Ho-hum....

Oh - I forgot..... I actually transferred the DVD soundtrack of Dream Theater's 'Breaking The Forth Wall' over to Cd. I am still hoping the band will release it officially, but - for now - I will make do with the transfer !!

As I've written before.... I'm going back into hospital, on February 9th (I think) - sooooo, unless I can find the official Cd's by then.... I will put my copy, onto the Mini Egg & listen to that !! From what I've heard, it's come out really good - it landed up on 3 Cd's.... but, that's Ok.... as long as it plays Ok, I'm happy !!

As always - don't buy bootlegs.... buy the official stuff !! There are so many albums out there, so spend your cash on those !!

Going back, to last Friday night.... I made a complete cock-up of closing the living room curtains - which left me, with the whole curtain rail down, on my head & the 2 curtains, all over the floor !!

It was about 5 ish, when this happened - so, I talked B into helping me fix up a temporary curtain, using the rail & curtains, from J's bedroom. Ok - they were not long enough - but, it saved rushing into town, try in find a new rail & trying to fix it up, that night !!

On Saturday, we went into Wilkinson's (a general store) - found the rail we needed & when we got home, with the aid of far too many pain killers, I helped B sort out the replacement !! Of course - I've just remembered - I've still to put J's curtains back up..... but, that can wait for another day !!

I think - and I'm probably wrong - doing all of the above, with the curtains, pulled the dressings a bit..... so, B kindly put a temporary one, over the top of the old one....... which had only been fitted that day !!

I was all set, to say a "sorry" to the nurse, this morning...... for messing up her workmanship, but - as it turned out - she wasn't there !!

There are 4 nurses, who come to our local Dr's & do dressings... well, my dressings at least. One man, who only comes now & again, to fill in + 3 ladies, who I see on a regular basis - depending on what day it is.

Well, today - things must of been all out of order..... the Thursday nurse was there !! All kind of strange..... but, nevermind - she did the job & it didn't hurt any more, or any less than normal - for that, I was really pleased !!

Everybody seems to be happy, with the ways things are going - so...... roll on 2015 & hopefully, as I've said before - I can have my last surgery & put it all behind me !! Life is good..... I'm just a little greedy & want to have it, just a shade better !!

Back to music.... I'm playing the bonus disc, from 'Black Clouds & Silver Linings'.... the tracks are:

1) Stargazer
2) Tenement Funster
3) Odyssey
4) Take Your Fingers From My Hair
5) Larks Tongues I Aspic Pt. 2
6) To Tame A Land

Apart from 'Stargazer' - I'm not 100% keen on the rest of the tracks.... nevermind, it makes a change for me to listen to all of the Cd - sooooo, I shouldn't expect too much !! If I had played it more often, I might have let the tracks "grow" on me, as they say !!

I've moved onto 'A Dramatic Turn Of Events' now..... another Dream Theater Cd !! I'm on a roll now...... !! Those tracks are:

1) On The Backs Of Angels
2) Build Me Up, Break Me Down
3) Lost Not Forgotten
4) This Is The Life
5) Bridges In The Sky
6) Outcry
7) Far From Heaven
8) Breaking All Illusions
9) Beneath The Surface

I really am on a Dream Theater overdose here !! It's all good......... and besides, it's great to hear the studio albums, from time to time. I'm always playing the live ones - so, it makes a nice change, to hear these albums !!

Right - I best be on my ways.... things to do & stuff like that !! No - not really..... but, it's pushing towards 5pm - so, I ought to shut this down, for now at least !!

As always... thank you for logging & reading my words.... I thank you, for your time & for the odd comment you guys send me - it's good to know you're all out there... until next time...

Bye Bye