Cullen skunk...

Playlist
Genesis – The Lamb Dies Down on Broadway
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Undercover
Alice Cooper – I’ll Bite Your Face Off/Caffeine
Miles Davis – Star People
Jack Bruce – Can You Follow?
Brian Eno – Vocal Box
Brian Eno – Instrumental Box
Craig Armstrong – As If To Nothing

August away...



Up at 6:30 and, once again, the holiday update took ages re uploading the pics – c’est la guerre...

Also finished the ripping of Miles Davis and Jack Bruce...

After breakfast, a call to the Oxfam Music Shop to ensure they’d be interested in the CD jewel cases I now have which are surplus to requirements following the great “Burned CDs to Plastic Wallets” project...



They confirmed they would be so, around 500 were put into two big bags and a charity run ensued with these being taken there and two large bags of clear-out clothes going to the nearby Cancer research shop...



To nearby Costa for flat whites and a tasty chocolate based pastries...

Shopping for a present for mum’s birthday – mission accomplished with a dainty silver chain and pendant...

Camera at home charging up...

Over to the library to hand back the Miles Davis and Jack Bruce box sets...

Back home and the remains of last night lasagne for lunch as we watched the Will Smith vehicle,“Hancock” which was very funny in places but also had a darker side and an interesting premise which wasn’t developed far enough...

In the end, entertaining but I think it struggled to be one thing or another...

The rest of the afternoon was spent alphabetising all the CDs in plastic wallets, helped of course by the attentions of Meg the Black Cat...

In the evening, out to Loanhead to pick up mum and sister Pam and take them to the Howgate for mum’s birthday dinner...

Mum liked her present...



The ladies were looking good...



We were joined there by Sheila for a very enjoyable family night out with loads of laughs and superb tasty fayre...



Pam was on form with her famous mis-naming – e.g. Cullen Skunk and mixing our recently visited French Restaurant (La P’tite Folie) with a Danone yoghurt product...





Meanwhile Sheila seemed to be listening intently as I, having burned the roof off of my mouth with the Cullen Skink and a couple of my later hand cut ships, wondered when it might have been that human mouths evolved to allow us to eat hot food, only to announce to the others at the end of my eloquent speech “I can’t make out a word he’s saying”...

A three hour restaurant visit was rounded of with coffees, hot chocolates with marchmallows and a lovely strawberries, meringue and ice cream based sweet for the birthday girl...





A lift home for mum and Pam and them back to Crispycat Towers, where a Steve Martin film, “Bringing Down the House” rounded off the day, taking us into tomorrow...

Highlight of the Day : Birthday night out...

Unbelievable, a project completed...

Playlist
Joan Baez – Joan Baez
Joan Baez – Folksingers Round Harvard Square
Various – Brand Neu!
Shawn Colvin – These Four Walls
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Alice Cooper – I’ll Bite Your Face Off/Caffeine
Miles Davis – In Person Saturday Night at the Blackhawk
Miles Davis – Miles in Berlin
Miles Davis – Directions
Miles Davis – Live at the Plugged Nickel
Ferry Corsten – Live at Aria, Montreal 2005
Genesis – Rainbow 1973
Miles Davis – Big fun
Miles Davis – On the Corner
Miles Davis – In Concert

Up late – 8 am – and worked on the entry for the second day in France...



Finished around 10...

It’s uploading all the pictures that takes the time...

Then, returned to the “putting burned CDs into plastic wallets” project after some considerable time away from it...

As Anne painted the front bedroom walls...



...by 12:30 I’d managed to get a further three piles of CDs transferred (whilst ripping discs from the soon to be returned to the library Miles Davis box set) – leaving three left to do...

Of course, then I’ll have to alphabetise all the CDs now stored in plastic wallets...

Why do I do this to myself...

Lunch at 1...

Then more of the stupid project – needed to be done though...









Then, with the painting finished but possibly some more glueing and patch-going-over – and one more pile of CDs left to do, we settled down to watched “Megamind” – very good indeed...

Finished the project – not very often does that occur...

In the evening, Anne prepared a very tasty indeed lasagne and this was followed by Tivo’d last episode of “The Hour” – an enjoyable series all in all...

An unbelievable discussion on Newsnight re the Edinburgh Trams, or rather Tram...

Only idiots would not cancel this fiasco now, draw a line and walk away...

Highlight of the day : Megamind...

Habit restored...

Playlist
Gentle Giant – Interview
Alice Cooper – I’ll Bite Your Face Off/Caffeine
Various – 2:30 Songs Playlist
David Bowie – A Reality Tour
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Shawn Colvin – These Four Walls
Joan Baez – Joan Baez
Joan Baez – Folksingers Round Harvard Square
Various – Brand Neu!
Genesis – The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway

Up at 6:30 again...

Did the first update of the trip to France...

Got the chords for a couple more cover versions...

Out just after ten and into town – heading for the gym...

Went via FOPP though – there were no music outlets whatsoever to visit on the holiday, so I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms...

Following reading Dylans’ “Chronicles”, I was looking for Joan Baez, Robet Johnson and Woody Guthrie...

While I did partake of a 2CD set of early Joan, I put Johnson back, knowing I could download it, and I put Woody back, intending to get something from the library later...

Also bought a compilation of Neu! tributes which includes tracks by both Michael Rother and La Dusseldorf...

And two Superhero DVDs, “Megamind” and “Hancock”...

And the paperback version of the Dylan book read in Menton...

Found a wee Festival related CD and record stall up at the Meadows on the way to the gym and bought second hand copies of Shawn Colvin’s “These Four Walls” and Bright Eyes’ “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning”...



The gym is soul destroying but has to be done...

Thereafter a wee baked potato for lunch and on to the library, where a Woody Guthrie compilation was borrowed...

Down through the Royal Mile, where the Fringe is in its last throes...





On into Cockburn Street, where this passes for art (says the abstract expressionist painter)...



A long laborious bus journey home to find “The Invincibles” just having started – enjoyed this animated tour de force once a again...

With Anne off to Zumba, got even more cover version chords and words...

13-9 was our personal score for “University Challenge” – good score from the Exec Producer who is usually thwarted by my blurting...

Gave a cursory listen to most of today’s acquisitions – I doubt Joan Baez will be getting more than one listen – her voice grates...

Later on, “New Tricks” also entertained – as did an excellent documentary on 9/11 conspiracy theories which blew them all out of the water and made the theorists look like demented idiots...

How did it do this?

By speaking to the people who have been misquoted on the internet for ten years and having them tell it straight to camera...

Excellent...

Highlight of the Day : Music shopping...

Return of the Mohawk...

Playlist
Various- Top 100 Artists
Alice Cooper – I’ll Bite Your Face Off/Caffeine
City & Colour – Little Hell

Up at 6:30 and sorting through the 1,000 pics taken over the last week, whittling them down to 100 to show to mum and sister Pam later today...

That took most of the morning...

The afternoon was spent sourcing lyrics and chords for new cover versions and giving them some run-throughs...

As Anne left for the Hearts Hibs derby (2-0 to Hearts) I got ready to head to the airport to pick up Pam...

Mission accomplished, not without some difficulty as a new parking / drop off system has been introduced since Pam last flew up and caused her some confusion, not helped by the new drugs she’s taking which are affecting her short term memory...

Nonetheless, mission accomplished and back home to wait for Anne to advise the game was over and we could pick her up from her mum’s...

Pam said hello to Meg the Black Cat...



...then we had a wee sing-along-a CBQ session with some of the covers, “The Wonder of You” being a highlight...

Picked Anne up and off out to mum’s for an entertaining evening which included an excellent Chinese takeaway and some funny stories about my dad...

Mum liked her Menton biscuits...



...and Pam showed off her new improved Mohican hair-do...



Back home not too late, letting Pam get some well earned rest after a long day...

Highlight of the day : Pam back in Scotchland...

Menton - Edinburgh...

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - 2012 Demos
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Undercover
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Aftersilence

Our last morning and taking in the views for the last time...



























Out into the street...



...and trundling...



...through Menton for the last time...













..to the station...





...and on to Nice...



...and its lovely modern airport...



...where coffee was enjoyed...



...before boarding...



..for an uneventful flight...







...home to Scotchland...







...and on to the airport bus...



...and trundling back up the hill...



...to Crispycat Towers...



Then a drive to Julia's to collect Meg the Black Cat before enjoying the first in the new series of "Dr Who"...

Even though we liked the cats of Menton...



...we like Meg the Black Cat better...



Great holiday, good to be home...