One joke in two hours can still be a great comedy show...

Playlist

Various Artists - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection 2019

Cockney Rebel - The Human Menagerie

Black Widow - Black Widow III

Golden Earring - Moontan (UK Version)

Uriah Heep - Magician's Birthday

Uriah Heep - Demons And Wizards

David Bowie - Diamond Dogs

Hawkwind - Doremi Fasol Latido

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run

Various Artists - Do The Reggae: Skinhead Reggae In The Spirit Of '69

James - Girl At The End Of The World

Various Artists - Blue Note Trip - Saturday Night/Sunday Morning

Sly & the Family Stone - Stand!

Lou Reed - Berlin (RM)

Various Artists - Trojan Jamaica Box Set

OddAtlas - OddAtlas

The Neal Morse Band - Morsefest! 2017 - Testimony of a Dream

May away, most of the first half of it spent celebrating my 60th birthday...

This afternoon, an hour long bus journey to be at my mum's house on her arrival back from hospital - glad to get the op behind her and all seemingly fine...

The Exec Producer joined me around 5:30 and, just before six, we headed into town...

Of the plethora of sustenance choices around our target this evening, The Playhouse Theatre, our choice of The Deep Sea was, let's just say, not the best we've ever made...

Not to worry...

We were out to see the genius comic/musician Bill Bailey...

Pre-show view from the Grand Circle - excellent tix for an excellent show secured by the EP..

Mr Bailey must be the cleverest comic on the circuit...

He engaged the sell out audience for over two hours and, during that time, I think he only actually told one joke...

Brilliant... 

A drive home, a little bit of TV and some listening and selecting tracks for tomorrow's podcast then, off to bed...

Highlight of the Day : Bill Bailey...

Oldies but goldies, as they say...

Playlist

John Barry - Eternal Echoes

Prince - Sign 'o' The Times

Big Big Train - Grand Tour

Rossini - Petite Messe Solennelle

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run

Golden Earring - Moontan (UK Version)

Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1994 Remaster)

Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies

Cockney Rebel - The Psychomodo

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Yes - Fragile

Ori Lichtik - Killer Pig

Oswaldo Macia - E2 7SD

Gaika - Basic Volume

Low - C'mon

Shostakovich & Arensky - Violin Concertos

A very rare sight indeed tonight at the Infirmary, as I visited my mum, she having not been allowed home today due to a lack of time for any of the doctors to give her a medical assessment...

A no smoking area with no patients or staff smoking right in front of the no smoking sign...

Mum was not pleased that, due to me not being available and Sheila having contracted flu somehow, ther would be no-one to take her home tomorrow and she's have to get hospital transport...

To be honest, she ought to be thinking herself lucky she's getting out...

Some talk today on Twitter re the five LPs you've listened to most in your life...

Based on the premise that the earlier I bought a fave LP the more times I'll have listened to it in my life, my five are probably:-

Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies

Emerson Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery

David Bowie - Aladdin Sane

Yes - Fragile

Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting

There you go...

Back home from the hospital, some listening - another John Barry CD arrived in the post yesterday - and a little bit of "Question Time" before hitting the sack...

That was it...

Highlight of the Day :  Listening to favourites...

Some things should remain as they are...

Playlist

Catrin Finch - Crossing The Stone

Low - C'mon

Jake Thackray - Jake In A Box

Rossini - Petite Messe Solennelle

Chopin - Nocturnes, 4 Ballades

Depeche Mode - Ultra

Depeche Mode - Some B-Sides

Wüsthof - Brazileira

Tchaikovsky - Ballet Suites

Various Artists - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection 2019

John Barry - Eternal Echoes

Prince - Sign 'o' The Times

Yesterday, my mum went to the Infirmary to finally have her stones which were too large to be removed last year, crushed in a further op...

I popped to see her this evening...

Pics were taken but she looked so hellish, they cannot be posted here...

Instead, here are some artworks from the corridor outside the same ward I attended now three and a half years ago...

Despite how she looks, mum is fine and should be out tomorrow...

Meanwhile, at lunchtime, I'd been along to the Cats' Protection shop at Dalry and added to the feline coffers by taking on these two, still sealed discs of records I used to own...

Upon listening late this evening, I remembered why the term "used to" should have remained emphasised...

Oh well - at least the cats got something...

This, which was behind the door, when I got home, is much better...

Highlight of the Day : Mum through her op ok...

Another pile of one man's junk, another man's treasure...

Playlist

Various - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selections 2019

Jake Thackray - Jake in a Box

Rossini - Petite Messe Solenelle

Chopin - Nocturnes; 4 Ballades

Tchaikovsky - Ballet Suites

Debussy - La Mer

Pro Arte Guitar Trio - Braziliana

Low - C'Mon

Catrin Finch - Crossing the Stone

An almost invisible Robin at the feeding post this morning...

Down to Stockbridge at lunchtime, with the full intention of trawling around all the purveyors of cheap, given away music down there but did not need to go further than my first stop, the Bethany Trust, where all of these were picked up for just over a tenner...

..and another stupid art-related purchase for two quid more...

Lovely day...

Back home for some listening and ripping until "Holby City" late on...

The storylines are getting beyond the pale - I feel we are struggling to stay with our Tuesday late night staple...

We'll see...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Another pile of one man's junk, another man's treasure...

Perching...

Playlist

Various - Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selections 2019

Kate Bush - The Whole Story

A wee visit to the BHF shop at lunchtime resulted in another art book, which will no doubt remain unread till the day I die, entering the collection..

...along with a swithered about and now partaken of Kate Bush comp I used to own...

I find her merely OK, with some good singles and not the genius many hold her to be...

Was asked by chum Gina what my fave artwork is and I went for this, off the top of my head...

...which has hung at Crispycat Towers (and its predecessor in the "Towers" department) since 1983, just a year or so after the death of its painter, Ben Nicholson - it's "Painting June 1937" by the way...

Of course, having been put on the spot, my love for the work of Gerhard Richter slipped my mind...

In the evening, out to The Perch with Anne and chums Sid and Debbie, for a slap up meal and much good chat...

It involved Martini Cocktails and Prosecco...

...Chicken Liver Pate...

Egg Hollandaise...

...some kind of Beetroot based concoction as starters...

Mains comprised a very tasty Liver concoction on a brioche...

...a Stack of Lamb...

...and Steak Teriyaki...

While desserts were Raspberry Cheesecake...

..Sticky Toffee Pudding...

...and a Chocolate Brownie...

Oh, and some unpictured Spanish Temprenilla...

A walk post meal down to the Cumberland Bar for just one more drink...

...and more good chat with D&S...

...before making our way back up to Princes Street (accidental pic below)...

...and a bus home ...

Excellent night out...

Highlight of the Day : The Perch...

Upheaval prep begins...

Playlist

John Barry - The Beyondness Of Things

Moeran - String Quartets, String Trio

Kool & The Gang - The Collection

Norbert Kraft - 19th Century Guitar Favourites

Various Artists - The Cream Of Funky Jams Vol. 1

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells 2003

Martin Kershaw Quartet - Fruition

America - History: America's Greatest Hits

A Silver Mt. Zion - Kollaps Tradixionales

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Burnin'

Ori Lichtik - Killer Pig

Cloudland Blue Quartet - SXTY (Latest Mix)

Rumplestiltskin - Rumplestiltskin

Daniel Smith - Bassoon Bon-Bons

Gaika - Basic Volume

Freddie Hubbard - The Night of the Cookers Vol 1

Gallagher And Lyle - Breakaway

Rheostatics - Melville

Oswaldo Macia - E2 7SD

Hungry Wolf - Hungry Wolf

Explosions In The Sky - The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Extrabreit - Zurück Aus Der Zukunft

Fehlfarben - Live - Hier Und Jetzt

B Fleischmann - I'm Not Ready For the Grave Yet

Holy Fuck - LP

Some tidying out today, in preparation for some oncoming upheaval at Crispcat Towers...

Some items will be dumped, some will go to charity...

In the attic, some things were found which, much to the EP's chagrin, will be kept for posterity...

...including...

...a plan for a record shop which came to fruition...

...and boxes full of cassettes containing recordings I made in the 70's and 80's...

I discovered too that I will need to move my classical collection...

...and other items, in order for carpets and floorboards to be lifted...

Also today, just for posterity and via my posterior, every 2 years, this pops through the door...

Gruesome but good...

To my mum's via the Cats Protection shop - she's doing fine but heads to the hospital on Tuesday, her much delayed stones op is finally taking place on Wednesday...

Tea was another of the recipes from Stock market purchased a couple of weeks ago - v tasty...

In the evening, "Agents of Shield" returned but was taped, as it holds no interest for the EP - but "What We Do in the Shadows" continued and was very good...

Late on, an album purchased here...

...in 2008 in Vancouver was enjoyed...

Much as it was at the listening post over 10 years ago...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Work prep...