Saturday, November 30, 2013

Considerably less than total recall...

Playlist
Various - iPod on Shuffle
Various - Natural Progression
Brian Eno - Thursday Afternoon
Rush - Power Windows
The Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops
Various - Tracks from the First Page of the Red Book of CDs I Own

November away...


Into town this morning to meet up with Dr Prog...

The evidence of a concerted bout of car window smashing at the usual Saturday place, led us to park farther than usual from the library...


A walk past the Museum...


..and a tardy Dr Prog arrived 30 minutes post the agreed time...

Two items borrowed by me - a CD/DVD set of Weather Report live in Berlin in 1975 and a book on Seventies Rock, covering music's best decade on a year by year basis.....

To nearby Caffè Lucano, for mucho chat, coffee...


...juice...


...far too large phone answering...


...toasted sandwiches..


...and, after the Doc snapped the offerings at the counter...


...cake...




A good morning...

In the afternoon, playing my first acquired CDs and more rehearsing for the end of the month gig - while QoS held St Mirren to a 2-2 draw, earning a Scottish Cup replay...

In the evening, "Strictly" and "Atlantis"...

That's all I can recall really, as I write this three days later...

Just goes to show how inconsequential and forgettable the actions I take so much trouble to record here actually are...

Not to worry...

Highlight of the Day : A meet up with Dr Prog...

Friday, November 29, 2013

How to blow a pitch...

Playlist
Various - Capital Models Covers : The Originals
Various - Natural Progression : From Sgt Pepper to The Wall - Progressive Rock 1967-1979

Up late today...

Out and to a new breakfast venue, the ramshackle but reasonably expensive Freeman's in Marchmont...



..where we were entertained by the couple at the next table - an interior designer continually blowing her pitch to her less than convinced client with every "look at that, how coool is that" exclamation at the seemingly never-ending series of images on her Mac, which she was forcing him to sit through...

The food was good, as was the coffee - as were the skies outside...



A drive out to far-flung Gorebridge and home of nephew Andy, to deliver discs of the two sets we will play at the end of the year...

Back home - some solo rehearsing again for me and then, the first episode of an entire series sitting in the Tivo box since June, "The Americans" - much enjoyed by me but eschewed for the delights of the world wide web by the Exec Producer...

Starting to get into a quandary re my ever growing CD collection - should I just rip them all to hard drives and sell them/dump them?

I just can't get a reasonable storage scenario together that I believe is going to work into the future...

Perhaps time to take stock...

Though I probably won't...

A bus into town around five to meet up at Le Di Vin with chums Ken and Rose...

Much drinking and carousing and then a short walk to Cafe Marlayne in Thistle St for a slap up meal - very tasty indeed - mussels with chorizo, rib eye and veg and vanilla and honey cheesecake were the low calorie choices of your correspondent, along with a cheeky red...

Yum...

More drinks at the West Rooms before a walk back along to Haymarket...


...bidding farewell and then a bus home...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : A good night out...

Thursday, November 28, 2013

New favourite places...

Playlist
Capital Models - Covers Rehearsals
The Blue Nile - Rarities 1984-1996
Various - Natural Progression
Various - Capital Models Covers : The Originals

Meg the Black Cat has a new favourite place...

Can you see her?


There she is...


Out this morning after some research entitled "nice walks in Edinburgh"...

Over to Duddingston Village, near Arthur's Seat...

We could not access the Kirk...


...but, round the back was our target...






This was once, basically, the rubbish dump by the Kirk...


Two GPs, who worked half a mile or so away, decide to plant a garden...

Around 50 years on, this is how it looks...





..and these the views of Duddingston Loch it affords the lucky visitor...






A very tranquil spot indeed...






The tower, Thomson's Tower, designed by Playfair, was erected by the Duddingston Curling Society, who laid down the rules for curling which still apply today...






There is now an entry from us in the visitors' book...



To the nearby Sheep Heid Inn...





...for warming coffee...


..and a "fish finger" sandwich for your correspondent...


Out into the cold and a walk around the village...


...where we met some chickens...








...saw the makings of some good fires...


..and a vegetable garden...



Back home and good skies from the CD room...


These pictures were taken within seconds of each other, I have no idea why some are blue and some orangey - the sky did not look blue...






Late afternoon, after some rehearsing on my own to rehearsal tapes...


...a visit from nephew Olly for a tasty pasta based tea, a rewatch (first watch for him) of last Saturday's" Dr Who" and a rewatch (first for the Exec Producer) of "The Hobbit"...

Late on, with the boy gone, "Person of Interest", "Big Bang Theory" and "Drifters" continued the TV fest...

It ended with "This Week"...

A good day...

Highlight of the Day : An previously unknown treasure...