Heimat...

Playlist

Gentle Giant – I Lost My Head

UK – Night After Night Setlist 2012

David Bowie – “Heroes”

August over and a happy 82nd birthday to my old mum...

Up early and out to pick up the car...

Underway just after nine and stopped in Simmern (the home of the famous - mostly in Germany - German TV series, “Heimat”) for a tasty breakfast at Café Jung...

...followed by a wander around the town...

Then, back to the car and the journey continued...

Our lunch stop was in Bad Homberg where, once a again, a wander about was enjoyed...

...as was some typical German “fast food” for lunch...

Back onto the autobahn...

...where we encountered rather too many traffic jams for our liking, only one of which seemed to have a good reason...

Due to our two stops and these traffic delays, we didn’t arrive at chums Jorg and Yvonne’s until after five in the afternoon...

Neither Jorg (taking handball training) nor Yvonne (running Zumba classes) was at home, so we were entertained by their three kids, Xenia...

Ansem (our Godson)...

and Teja...

...eventually being taken over to the school sports facilities, where we found Jorg taking handball training...

and where Ansem and Teja were to undertake some 800 meter training...

Leaving the boys to their running practise, we walked back to the house, while Jorg drove his latest banger to the same destination...

...and, after some chat and catching up, Anne and I took Alan and Penny to their hotel in Kassel and returned to Felsberg to listen to some sounds via Jorg’s laptop...

..and catch up into the night with Mr Sunshine and Yvonne...

Highlight of the Day : Back at Jorg and Yvonne’s...

Off to dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel...

Playlist

Gentle Giant – I Lost My Head

Around midday, I collected the two new pair of “office” glasses – specially designed to to allow me to see close up items on a desk in front of me but, also, the computer screen a little farther off and, then, other items a little farther away still...

Today too, we headed off to visit Kassel in Germany and the quintennial Documenta Art Exhibition which, this year, has its thirteenth outing since it was founded in 1955...

Here's a good insight into what we'll be seeing...

Down the hill for the airport bus...

We met with Alan and Penny at the airport and, under a blue moon (the second Full Moon in August - only happens once every 50 years, hence the saying)...

...boarded our flight to Hahn...

An uneventful 100 minutes later...

...we arrived...

...carried out the paperwork for the hire car and hit the sack...

Highlight of the Day : Off to Germany...

A small ball of black...

Playlist

Hawkwind – Parallel Universe

Gentle Giant – In a Glass House

Gentle Giant – I Lost My Head: The Chrysalis Years 1975-1980

The Zombies – Singles As & Bs

Another horrible, wet August day...

In FOPP, the new £3 section was perused but nothing tempted - instead, I took the new 4CD set of Gentle Giant's Chrysalis years (yes, I have all six albums already - but it's remastered and has some bonus stuff)...

Soaked to the skin on the way home, despite the umbrella...

A forgotten about Zombies 2 CD set was awaiting me...

In the evening out to Meg's ex mum, Julia's for a tasty dinner...

...and a good night's chat...

Highlight of the Day : More "new" Gentle Giant...

Don't throw stones...

Playlist

Emerson Lake and Palmer – Emerson Lake and Palmer

Emerson Lake and Palmer – Tarkus

Hawkwind – Parallel Universe

Miles Davis – The Real Miles Davis

Gentle Giant – In a Glass House

Gentle Giant – Live in Stockholm ‘75

Tangerine Dream – Montreal ‘77

John Cale – Honi Soit

The "new" ELP continued to entertain...

Meg was not impressed...

...or maybe she was...

A better day as I made my way down to the zoo...

Meanwhile, along in Fopp today, a reasonably new 3CD anthology of the mighty Hawkwind, from 1970 - 1974, ensnared me for £8...

A tricky wee 3CD compilation of rubbish dance music for just two of your English pounds also invited me to partake...

Back home and a visit from Lynn and her sister Joan - the latter will cater for Meg the Black Cat while Anne and I head off to Deutschland with Brodski and Penny later this week, to visit chum Jorg Sunshine and family and to take in the delights of dOCUMENTA (13) (as it is known)...

A package from Gentle Giant themselves contained the latest remaster of their classic "In a Glass House" - one of my all time fave albums (yes, which I already have) plus a previously unheard disc of a Swedish radio broadcast from 1975...

All of this entertained me into the night...

Highlight of the Day : Remastered glass house...

A sucker for the remaster...

Playlist

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Starlightnight Box Set

Emerson Lake and Palmer – The Best of

Emerson Lake and Palmer – Emerson Lake and Palmer

Emerson Lake and Palmer – Tarkus

Bartok – Allegro Barbara

Janacek - Sinfonietta

To the zoo this morning for the bus on a fast day...

Dreich weather...

However, round at HMV, two new re-releases caught the eye and were partaken of, being no more expensive than those sitting in my wishlist on Amazon...

Of course I already have these...

..but am a sucker for "remasters" and "bonus" material...

Idiot!

Back home, dug out some Bartok and Janacek to compare and contrast...

TV also entertained but I do not recall what...

Highlight of the Day : "New" ELP...

Any box will do...

Playlist

Miles Davis – It’s About That Time

Miles Davis – Seven Steps to Heaven

Impossible Songs – Wild West Lothian

Impossible Songs – Heartburst

Impossible Songs – Intermittent Stimuli

Miles Davis – Agharta

Jon Hopkins – Opalescent

Miles Davis - Panthalassa

Jon Hopkins – Inside

Matthew Florianz – Los

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Events

Up early despite last night's wine intake...

Feeling surprisingly ok...

To the back room with Meg for some jazz reading and listening...

Meg found a new perch...

Wobbly...

Mr Davis entertained on the cans...

So much so that I had a wee look through all his albums I own...

In the afternoon, as we caught up on some TV, Meg had found a new spot...

Any box will do...

Downloaded new music from favourite ambient master Matthew Florianz and from Dr Prog recommendation Jon Hopkins, not having realised that he is a recent Eno collaborator...

Out in the evening with Annie to pick up my mum and meet up with sister Sheila at The Howgate - to celebrate mum's upcoming birthday...

I overdid it a wee bit perhaps...

But no sweet...

Mum enjoys ice cream I think above all else...

A good night was had despite the memories that our same outing last year had been in the company of sister Pam and, it was on that night, that the return of her tumor started to make itself known...

Sad times...

Highlight of the Day : Night out with the family...