Friday, September 29, 2006
Yet more Wogan
Whilst not necessarily on a one-man crusade against Terry Wogan I did think it was less than wise to read out a listener's 'funny' email about the programme What Not To Wear which described Susannah as 'having spent too long under the sunbed; the 'joke' being that Trinny and Susannah no longer present the show and the reference was to Mica Paris who is one of the new presenters. To me that is not so far away from describing her as having a touch of the tarbrush.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
More Radio 2
I'm on a roll now ... Stuart Maconie, standing in for Ken Bruce played Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) by A Flock of Seagulls.
Quite a rare occurrence I imagine but slap me sideways only a couple of hours later on the Jeremy Vine Show, not only did the group feature again but with the same song. Is there a secret 'crap '80s groups' playlist we are not privy to? I await with earplugs the impending playing of The Fixx, Modern English, Swans Way and Kissing The Pink.
Quite a rare occurrence I imagine but slap me sideways only a couple of hours later on the Jeremy Vine Show, not only did the group feature again but with the same song. Is there a secret 'crap '80s groups' playlist we are not privy to? I await with earplugs the impending playing of The Fixx, Modern English, Swans Way and Kissing The Pink.
Radio 2
I like Radio 2. Obviously not everything is to my taste (The Organist Entertains, anyone?) but it offers a wide selection of shows to cater for most music lovers. Country, Folk, Blues, Reggae, Rock'n'Roll, Showtunes - all have their own show and their documentaries are usually worth a listen.
I'm not a big fan of Wogan - listening to Sarah Kennedy then Wogan is like being subjected to the talking book version of the Daily Mail - but my partner likes him. This morning on the news bulletin on his show there was a report on last night's MOBO awards summarising the main winners. Immediately afterwards Wogan came on and said "What the hell have the MOBO awards got to do with Radio 2?". What an ingnorant bigot. Most of the music played on the radio could be loosely described as 'of black origin'. At least Stuart Maconie is on now.
I'm not a big fan of Wogan - listening to Sarah Kennedy then Wogan is like being subjected to the talking book version of the Daily Mail - but my partner likes him. This morning on the news bulletin on his show there was a report on last night's MOBO awards summarising the main winners. Immediately afterwards Wogan came on and said "What the hell have the MOBO awards got to do with Radio 2?". What an ingnorant bigot. Most of the music played on the radio could be loosely described as 'of black origin'. At least Stuart Maconie is on now.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Bristol
Whilst the kids were on holiday with The Other Two (details available on request) we took ourselves off to Bristol for a weekend. We wanted to go somewhere we had not fully experienced before and Bristol fitted the bill. We are really glad we went. Bristol is a fabulous city with so much to experience. Its history is immense and it offers a lot in the way of gastronomical delights. Before we went we booked a meal at a restaurant called The Fishworks which was excellent. I tried skate wings for the first time and really enjoyed them, and the mussels were fantastic too. We also ate at a great tapas bar, whose name escapes me, but the real find of the weekend was a microbrewery/bar called Zero Degrees that brews five beers on the premises: a pilsner, a wheat ale, a pale ale, a dark lager and a seasonal brew, which whilst we were there was a superb mango beer. They also produce 5 litre kegs for takeaways so I struggled home with a keg of wheat ale in my backpack. Needless to say it didn't last the week.
We need another weekend there to do it anything like justice!
We need another weekend there to do it anything like justice!
Madrid
Caroline and I are going to Madrid for a short break in November to see some old friends. This will be the first time I have been to Spain and not stayed in the usual coastal holiday destinations. I am really looking forward to seeing the 'real Spain' and will probably spend the next 6 or 7 weeks researching things I want to see and do. At the end of this I will have a list that will require 2 months to work through rather than the two days we have but, hey, that's part of the fun isn't it?
Turkey
We went on holiday to Turkey for a week just over two weeks ago (for those of you struggling to catch up, we have been back about 10 days). It was a place I have never been to before. I had read people's opinions (mixed) but what swayed me was that everyone I spoke to who had been recommended it unreservedly. I am now one of those people.
The people are very friendly - yes, they want your money and hustle you a bit, but a polite "No Thanks" almost always suffices. It is still very cheap to eat and drink out. We were in an apartment but it wasn't worth the hassle of cooking as a five course meal, with chicken or steak or fish, can be had for about £8. And it's not Brake Brothers special either.
The amusing thing is the fake goods - football shirts, t-shirts, jeans, perfume, handbags - you name it and you can get a copy of it in Turkey. We went to a market and every fifth stall started the cycle again: boxers, t-shirts, jeans, gameboy games, perfume etc ad nauseam. 25 pairs of Calvin Klein/Tommy Hilfiger/ Hugo Boss boxers for £10? No problem sir!
I had a shave, neck massage, facial scrub, face mask, ear and nose hair removal and hair gelling for about £8 and a day long boat trip for the 6 of us, including breakfast, lunch, all drinks and five or six stops at bays and villages cost us £45.
I would recommend it without hesitation.
The people are very friendly - yes, they want your money and hustle you a bit, but a polite "No Thanks" almost always suffices. It is still very cheap to eat and drink out. We were in an apartment but it wasn't worth the hassle of cooking as a five course meal, with chicken or steak or fish, can be had for about £8. And it's not Brake Brothers special either.
The amusing thing is the fake goods - football shirts, t-shirts, jeans, perfume, handbags - you name it and you can get a copy of it in Turkey. We went to a market and every fifth stall started the cycle again: boxers, t-shirts, jeans, gameboy games, perfume etc ad nauseam. 25 pairs of Calvin Klein/Tommy Hilfiger/ Hugo Boss boxers for £10? No problem sir!
I had a shave, neck massage, facial scrub, face mask, ear and nose hair removal and hair gelling for about £8 and a day long boat trip for the 6 of us, including breakfast, lunch, all drinks and five or six stops at bays and villages cost us £45.
I would recommend it without hesitation.
Wyatting
I bought the latest issue of Uncut today. It's probably my favourite magazine. They have an article about a 'social phenomenon' known as 'Wyatting' (first outed in Carl Neville's blog , and subsequently in The Guardian). Named after Robert Wyatt's 1991 avant-garde jazz LP Dondestan the practice basically involves taking advantage of MP3 jukeboxes to put on obscure, painful and generally annoying tracks guaranteed to clear a pub.
This sounds very post-modern but, dear readers, I can reveal that I took part in early incarnations of Wyatting. Whilst at Leeds University in the early '80s we used to go into a pub (The Swan With Two Necks as I recall) and just before leaving would make three selections on the jukebox (vinyl of course), all of which were the B-side to Reward by the Teardrop Explodes - a difficult little ditty called Strange House in the Snow, which lasted nearly 5 minutes ( a rarity for those of us brought up on punk). Julian Cope appears to be ranting over deranged piano whilst Japanese girls yap away in the background. Guaranteed to be a sure-fire hit with the Bobby Batleys and Happy Harry Hunslets.
This sounds very post-modern but, dear readers, I can reveal that I took part in early incarnations of Wyatting. Whilst at Leeds University in the early '80s we used to go into a pub (The Swan With Two Necks as I recall) and just before leaving would make three selections on the jukebox (vinyl of course), all of which were the B-side to Reward by the Teardrop Explodes - a difficult little ditty called Strange House in the Snow, which lasted nearly 5 minutes ( a rarity for those of us brought up on punk). Julian Cope appears to be ranting over deranged piano whilst Japanese girls yap away in the background. Guaranteed to be a sure-fire hit with the Bobby Batleys and Happy Harry Hunslets.
Shakira
5 Things, apart from lie, that Shakira's hips don't do
- poach eggs
- long division
- listen to Chris Moyles
- understand the Schleswig-Holstein Question
- The Du
Excuse
I just don't seem to have got the hang of this blog thing - I go at it like a bull at a gate at times yet leave it months without putting anything new up. Oh well.
My excuse for my latest period of inactivity is that my Dad died of leukaemia about 6 weeks ago. As is always the case I'm sure, there were so many things I wish I had done or said while he was still alive but at least I got the chance to tell him I loved him before he died.
Tony introduced me to St Helens RLFC when I was still a nipper and up until this season we went to the games together, along with my two boys. I miss talking about the game with him and I suppose I will do for the rest of my life. I wish he could have seen them lift the Challenge Cup a couple of weeks ago.
My excuse for my latest period of inactivity is that my Dad died of leukaemia about 6 weeks ago. As is always the case I'm sure, there were so many things I wish I had done or said while he was still alive but at least I got the chance to tell him I loved him before he died.
Tony introduced me to St Helens RLFC when I was still a nipper and up until this season we went to the games together, along with my two boys. I miss talking about the game with him and I suppose I will do for the rest of my life. I wish he could have seen them lift the Challenge Cup a couple of weeks ago.
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