Friday, May 31, 2019

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...

Thursday, May 30, 2019

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...

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

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...

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

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...

Monday, May 27, 2019

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...

Sunday, May 26, 2019

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...