Too hot for cats...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Songs and Soundscapes 1996-2009
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show
Various – Cream Electric Summer Vol 1
Various – Nouvelle Vague Presents New Wave

Last night Meg the Black Cat found a wee interesting place...



This morning it was just too damned hot for cats...



Up at 7:20 and more work on the compilation project...

Breakfasted at home...



Finished work around 11 am then sang through seventeen songs...

Anne went off to a garden show at Ingliston with sister-in-law Jane...

Inspired by the compiling yesterday and this morning, I decided I may wish to do some new soundscapes - my first for over three years...

Accordingly the necessary equipment was brought out of storage in readiness...

I finally left the house around 3pm for the first time since Friday night – drove to Stockbridge and bought a couple of 2CD compilations in the Shelter shop...



Then to Anne’s mum’s for tea...

Drinks cooled us...



Kitty made her own chicken nuggets...



A spider entertained....



Ollie and Kitty were as adorable as ever...



Then home and watched “The 40 Year Old Virgin” – a reasonably entertaining distraction to end the weekend...

Annoyingly, ITV showed the news right in the middle – during this I listened to some “banging” tunes from the Cream compilation purchased earlier...

Highlight of the Day : Finally getting out into the sun...

Helen wheels...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Songs and Soundscapes 1996-2009
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Rex the Dog – The Rex the Dog Show

Spent much of this absolute scorcher of a day ensconced in the PC room compiling a new CBQ collection encompassing all 17 albums of original music (i.e. discounting the many singles and compilations) released under that name since adopting it in the summer of 1996...



More info here - www.crispycat.co.uk...

In the post came a CD bought from e-bay just two days ago, the “The Rex the Dog Show” from German DJ and mixer, erm Rex the Dog...

Tasty digger-dagger music...



I then looked into an LP which has intrigued me during my visits to FOPP and I ended up downloading this...



It is now my fave album of the year so far after listening to it this evening – it even includes a guest appearance fr4om Bryan ferry on the opening track – it too is full of excellent digger-dagger music (and muchas Kraftwerk nods)...

We lunched in the garden...



I continued to compile while Anne kept abreast of the Scottish and English Cup finals...



Wins for Rangers and Chelsea respectively, against our chosen teams, Falkirk and Everton respectively...

Late on watched some TV no doubt but it’s a couple of days ago now and I can’t remember what and can’t be bothered digging back through the schedules...

No doubt I was entertained...

Highlight of the Day : Discovering DJ Hell...

Shouldering on...

Playlist
Gentle Giant – Acquiring the Tatste
Lou Reed – NY Man
Laura Pausini – Primavera in Anticipo
Various – Compilations Jukebox on Shuffleplay

Another scorcher...



To the Infirmary this morning for the pre op re my shoulder operation due on 9 June...

Interesting art adorns the walls...





Not looking forward to it but there are so many people so much worse off than me it’s something I should take in my stride – that and the fact that I’ve already been through it twice before, here and here...

The man walking away from me in the hospital corridor is the surgeon who will carry out the op, as he did the previous two...



My left shoulder is almost completely sorted and I am hoping this second and final op on the right one will have the same result and perhaps for the first time in over twenty years I can be pain free....

In the evening, we walked down into Corstorphine and tried in vain to find a decent place for a drink...

The Oak was horrible and we left without ordering, the Agenda Hotel, where we did take a drink, was almost as bad – it took nearly 15 minutes just to get the drinks due to lack of staff, obviously the sky high prices are not being reinvested...

Along to the Harp Hotel which was better and cheaper - I’d not been here since around 1980 when I attended a gig by old chums the Pure Bears...

The evening out was brought to a close at Abida, the new Indian restaurant in the building which used to house Oddbins, for a very tasty meal accompanied by a cheeky bottle of red...

We wended our weary way back up the hill in time to watch “Law & Order:Criminal Intent” and The Killers on Jonathon Ross, after which I foolishly stayed up to watch “Starship Troopers” a strange adaptation of the Robert Heinlein classic...

Highlight of the Day : Indian...

Old rope sold...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Deeperdown

Tonight a wee session with some market research people, an hour’s chat on a large insurance company’s Global Absolute Return Fund and the economy and investing in general, brought in a tidy wee sum to the CBQ bank account...

It did however take me around two hours to get home...

The weather was scorching though...







When I finally made it back, “My Name is Earl”, “The Big Bang Theory” and “Question Time” entertained...

Highlight of the Day : Easy cash...

Missed...

Playlist
Billy Cobham - Spectrum
Billy Cobham - Crosswinds
Billy Cobham – Total eclipse
Freddie Hubbard – Greatest Ever Solos (CD-R)

Soundtracked by one of the best drummers in the world and his 1970’s solo albums – if you like Mahavishnu Orchestra, you’ll like these...

Bad start as my bus zipped past as I approached the bus stop...



I will never run for a bus...

In the evening, to my mum’s to catch up with sister Pam before she heads back to England tomorrow..

Sister Sheila was also there as was brother in law Andrew...

Two tales of the evening...

Andrew jnr (my nephew and sometime musical co-conspirator) forgot to go to the airport to pick mum and Pam up on their return...

The dynamic duo took a day trip to Barcelona and were given the entire afternoon as free time...

Pam wanted to see La Sagrada Familia (the Gaudi designed cathedral) so they walked (or rather Pam walked and pushed mum’s wheelchair) through the streets from the main square...



After walking for 30 minutes, my mum started warning Pam that they ought to be thinking about getting back in case they missed the bus...

Oh how we laughed....

A big bye to Pam and off home around 10:30...

Highlight of the Day : Family visit and tales of Spain...

Cloud control...

Playlist
Music Music Music – Everybody Digs Music
Various – Jazz Jukebox Albums Beginning with “A”
Various – Prep for Cloudland Podcast No XV
Edward Spark CBQ Remix
Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel

A huge overbearing cloud of gloom entered the life of Mr CBQ today – for no discernable reason*...

An overwhelming feeling of “I’ve had enough...”*...

No doubt it will pass...



Finished off Curly the Caterpillar the Chocolate Cake tonight, after a fine sirloin steak salad – handiwork of the Exec Producer...

A taped “Law & Order” was enjoyable, then prep for the next podcast (still have to acquire a further three CDs till it’ll be time to post) enjoying music by Morrissey, Yes, Ben Folds, Clementi, Dowland, Jimi Hendrix and Iron Maiden which went someway to lift the mood...

I think I’ve given up on live music from Mr CBQ though*...

Pre-op inspection on Friday morning looms...

*Ignore the pathetic, morose ramblings of this overweight fool who obviously doesn’t realise just exactly how good he’s got it...

Just as I posted this I realised keeping a diary can be a cathartic exercise...

Highlight of the Day : Music – as ever...

Soon come happy day...

Playlist
Rheostatics - Best of (2xCD-R)
Various – Top 150 Artists on Shuffleplay
Various – Cloudland Podcast No XIV

Another sunny day spent in the basement working for The Man...



Fopp at lunchtime – no purchases though some amount of pondering...

In the evening, created and uploaded the latest Cloudland Podcast comprising tracks from the 10 CDs acquired between 7 and 16 May, featuring The Cure, John Lennon, Bat for Lashes and a goodly amount of tasty classical pieces including Boccherini and Barber...

“Ashes to Ashes” and “South Park” also entertained, in what has become the usual Monday night menu...

Already three weeks in to my fifty first year...

Highlight of the Day : Posting up some music...

Different timeline started etc...

Playlist
Genesis – When in Rome (DVD)
Peter Gabriel – Shaking the Tree
Yes – The Ultimate Yes
Clementi – Complete Orchestral Works
Rheostatics – Music Inspired by the Group of Seven

Up at the crack of dawn and sneaked downstairs, let the cat out and watched the first of the three DVDs in the recently purchased Genesis set, “When in Rome”...

Excellent musicianship and a superb concert – though, looking at the crowd, I would not want to have witnessed it in reality...



The extras on the disc gave a brief insight into the huge amount of work which went into the production by everyone involved...

Out into the sun...



...and to Patisserie Florentine for breakfast then on to Ocean Terminal...





....and the Vue Cinema Complex for “Star Trek”...



A superb film indeed and very much recommended...

I read some nitpicks prior to viewing but I’m afraid all bets, re what went on previously, are off, as there is an event at the very start of the film which, frankly, changes everything, so that the writers could have done a lot more which goes against “Trek Lore”, as I believe Trekkies call it...

Nipped back home for a sandwich and watched Rangers win the league (Hearts drew 0-0 with Celtic in Glasgow)...

Yesterday, Inverness were relegated into Queens’ division but I don’t think I’ll be going there next year – ditto re Ayr Utd who won the play off this afternoon to relegate Airdrie Utd...

I am, however, contemplating trips to Dunfermline, Dundee, Livingston, Partick Thistle, Raith Rovers and, at a pinch, Morton...

Back out for a couple of hours to the Cask and Barrel over at Broughton Street to meet up with chums Debbie and Sid and ex-pats Stewart and Agnetha who moved to Spain a couple of years ago to start a B&B business and who were back over for a week or so...



And who did we bump into but Count Brodski....

A Chinese takeaway on the way home (salads again from tomorrow!!) to watch “Night at the Museum” which started very poorly but picked up...

Some surfing, then “Match of the Day 2” and it’s all over for another weekend...

Highlight of the Day : Star Trek

Please do not invade...

Playlist
Martin Tielli – Operation Infinite Joy
Dowland – Complete Solo Lute Music
Bocchernini – String Sextets
Cloudland Blue Quartet – So Long Kid (ES Voxless Remix)
Webern – Five Pieces Opus 5 (Orchestral Version)
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Soundingfall
John Foxx – Metamatic
Francoise Hardy – Same (LP)
The Tubes – Darted In My Own Armchair (LP)
Various – Cloudland Podcast XIII
Rheostatics – Discography
Haydn – A Celebration

Enjoyed ex-Rheostatic, Martin Tielli’s second solo album first thing, having stayed up till 2 am last night reading about this band on the net and contemplating new releases which include input from Tielli as well as a new solo album out next month from his former cohort Dave Bidini...

In the inbox first thing, a freshly concocted remix of the opening track of CBQ’s “Soundingfall”, “So Long Kid” by Edward Spark – which I will post up shortly for your listening delight...

It’s an instrumental version but I know he’s working on a few others for which he is also in possession of the acapella vocal lines – so looking forward to that...

Spent the rest of the morning and a bit of the early afternoon reinstalling the router to the internet set up at Crispycat Towers – we’ve been using a dial up modem since “The Great PC Twatting of Spring 2005” – and I hope a similar twatting will not result this time...

On the upside, Anne seems now able to access, quickly and effectively, all the sites she needs...

The previously crowded table now looks a bit tidier, the external hard drives and DVD drive now slotting in nicely below the keyboard...



In footie, our favourite Hearts player, Robbie Neilson (who spent a year or so on loan playing for Queen of the South) is leaving at the end of the season to play in the Championship at Leicester City – I wonder how he’ll fare against ex-Queens favourite Stephen Dobbie, who is off to Swansea City...

Dobbs scored 47 goals in 83 games for Queens – so now of course I’ll need to keep an eye on Swansea next season...

Spent more time in the afternoon listening to Rheostatics before leaving the house for the first time at 6pm to collect an Indian Takeaway – half a main course each only though, as we are so fat...

“Robin Hood” was reasonable tosh as usual while an old “Law & Order” also entertained...

Best show of the night though, was part two of a series entitled “The Birth of British Music” which featured the life and work of Joseph Haydn, concentrating on his two periods spent in London at the end of the 18th century...



A fairly low key day ended with a “live” “Law and Order”...

Highlight of the Day : Getting the router to work – even though I have no idea what I did to do so...

Semper dolens...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Soundingfall
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced
Dowland - Complete Music for Solo Lute
Clementi - Complete Orchestral Music

Up early and wrote up the last three days quickly...

On my way home tonight, I popped into HMV and decided to buy some new music for the weekend (I convinced myself despite already having around 5,500 CDs at home, many of which I've listened to no more than once, if that)...

In the classical dept, two multi disc sets - a 4CD Box of the solo lute music of Mr John Dowland (whose music influenced SciFi writer Philip K Dick) was complimented nicely by a 3 disc set of the complete orchestral works of Muzio Clementi, a one time competitor of Mozart and Haydn and the publisher of Beethoven and builder of pianos and the greatest piano virtuoso in the world at the close of the 18th Century...

Downstairs, a classic Jimi Hendrix album I've never owned, "Are You Experienced", with the correct running order restored - plus the last Iron Maiden album, "A Matter of Life and Death", purchased following much raving from Dr Prog about this band...

All sterling stuff...



On the way up the road from the bus, I caught this appealing pole on camera...



...along with this little framed piece of sky...



Back home, Meg the Black Cat was snuggled up on the Tesco Carbon Footprint Reducing Bag Thing...



Red Thai chicken Curry for tea, "Have I Got News for You" (not as good as last week) and the return of the best programme on TV (maybe) "Law & Order : Criminal Intent" - all interspersed with much listening to, and ripping of, the new music...

Iron Maiden's album has a strange sound - found out it wasn't mastered - they wanted it to sound exactly as it did in the studio...

Hendrix's debut is suitably 1967, while the Dowland contains understated beauty and the Clementi is a delightful set...

Lovely...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : The return of "Law & Order : Criminal Intent"...

Slower...

Playlist
Rheostatics – Best of (2xCD-R)

A cake, Curly the Caterpillar, remained from the birthday celebrations and small slices of it tonight post a nice salad, made us both feel a bit queasy...

Tasty nonetheless...

An earlier than usual “Question Time” and “This Week” did their usual Thursday job of entertaining us...

Constitutional crisis...

Before bed, took this pick of my left knee...



If you look closely you can see the small scar re keyhole surgery endured in 1994 following a footballing injury...

Over the last three days, this leg pain has worryingly returned – hopefully it will not be permanent or my speed of walk will become even slower than its current impossibly slow pace...

Highlight of the Day : MPs getting it tight...

Scenery...

Playlist
Ben Folds – Way to Normal
Bats for Lashes – Gold and Fur
The Cure – 4:13 Dream

A walk through Princes St Gardens today...

On my way to the Grassmarket and the music shop there looking for a possible new electric guitar...

Some interesting items to be found though the one I was thinking of is totally outwith my budget...

In the evening a drive through the countryside of Fife followed by the closing stages and extra time of the final of the UEFA Cup – the competition we went to Airdrie to see Queen of the South participate in last summer...

A day of fine views...

Highlight of the Day : Scenery...

Riddley diddley...

Playlist
Happy Apple – Happy Apple Back on Top

To Musselburgh for the afternoon race meeting...

Started very badly with losses amounting to around £25 on the first three races and a net win on the fourth of just £2 for a £6 stake...

However, at that point my luck turned and I was announced as the winner of the prize draw in our room...

£100 of Tote Vouchers – which one of my fellow punters, Mr Spike, purchased from me at face value...

Result...

In the fifth race my horse romped home at 2-1 and returned a profit of £10...

I sat out the sixth, waiting to see how the result would affect my £2 Tote accumulator, placed at the outset...

I had already had 5 of my six chosen horses come home in place and needed “Riddley Diddley” to do the same...

It duly did and I was amazed to find my £2 stake returned over £160...

So, a few pubs on the way home and some rounds bought with my winnings...

The result being of course an almost immediate bout of snoring on the sofa...

Anne managed to wake me for a double bill of “Big Bang Theory” before I staggered off to bed...

A lucrative day...

Highlight of the Day : Winning for a change...

Not no...

Playlist
Yes – The Ultimate Yes

A day soundtracked by Yes...



...much of it accompanying updates to this drivel...

Listening to the music on offer from this great band makes me wonder why I bother making any myself...

In the evening “Ashes to Ashes” continued on its entertaining way – the episode stories sometimes just get in the way of the big picture of course...

Erm, that’s it really...

Highlight of the Day : Yes

Recomembering...

Playlist
Yes – The Ultimate Yes
Morrissey – Years of Refusal
John Lennon – John Lennon
Nels Andrews – Off Track Betting
City and Colour – Bring Me Your love
Lambchop – Damamged
Pet Shop Boys – Yes
Wings – Wingspan
Laura Pausini – Primavera in Anticipo
The Upsetters- Scratch the Upsetter Again

My initial task today was to determine exactly what would be on "The Ultimate Yes" if it were to include all the tracks from both the UK and the US versions, and the full versions of the abridged, remixed and otherwise amended pieces...

This is how I waste my time...

The garden is blooming...





Out for breakfast to Patisserie Florentine before heading to Sainsbury's for some last minute purchases re the end of the 50th birthday celebrations...

I listened to Morrissey in the car park...



We had waited till Pam came up from England for a small family get together, just my mum, my sisters, Anne and me...

But, before that, we drove over to Morningside to visit the ex-Countess Brodski of yore and mother of Daisy Honeybee, the lovely Julie to deliver a copy of the new LP...



Daisy had helped her mum bake some lovely cakes...



Back home and there was some cooking and preparing to be be done - including a last minute dash for some fine ice cream...

We had a good time with the family and sister Pam introduced a new word, "recomembering" to the proceedings...

An excellent lasagne was enjoyed by all and the lovely chocolate cake...



...followed the strawberries and ice cream as the wine flowed and music was enjoyed...



Pam tried my reading specs - impersonating a newsreader whose name now escapes me...



Eventually, sister Sheila's allergy to Meg the Black Cat got the best of her...



...and then it was time for the trio to depart, mum and Pam leaving for Spain tomorrow at 5:00 am, to be ferried to the airport by Sheila...

Later I washed the biggest load of dishes there's been in the kitchen for a while and we finished off the weekend as usual with "Match of the day 2" as West Brom were relegated...

Another good day...

Unless you're a West Brom fan of course...

Highlight of the Day : Last embers of the big 5-0...