Chicken on tomatoes....

Playlist
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
K D Lang – Hymns of the 49th Parallel
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
LCD Sound System – Sound of Silver
Editors – An End Has A Start
Girls Aloud – Tangled Up
Nine Horses – Money For All
OK Go – Oh No
Pet Shop Boys – Fundamental
Rush - Snakes and Arrows
The Violet Archers – End of Part One
Wetton/Downes – Icon
Adrian Belew – Side Three
Alice Cooper – Dirty Diamonds
Dar Williams – My Better Self
David Bowie – Reality
Gabriel Faure – Violin Sonatas
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Anotherhappyday
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Deeperdown
Cloudland Blue Quartet – Ersatzreal

On the jukebox today some recent and not so recent favourites on shuffleplay...

Back home, some Faure, having once again ignored the 4CD box set in HMV – you just know I’m going to buy it eventually – even more so since it’s £12 in the shop and £18 on the net – both reduced from £21...



Anne cooked a lovely chicken dish from scratch tonight – chicken breast in breadcrumbs on a bed of cherry tomato and onion sauce with baby corns and asparagus – very tasty indeed...

Friday night is telly night (no change there then) as we watched two episodes of “Coronation St” including the touching death scenes of Vera Duckworth, “Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach” and “Al Murray’s Happy Hour”...

Thereafter, I listened to a few of my favourites from the three CBQ albums I posted up last night...

From “Anotherhappyday” : “Perfectly Simple”, “Everything You Ever Wanted” and “What on Earth Have We Done”...

From “Deeperdown” : “Where Are You”, “The Beauty of a Foreign Land” and “Snowfall”...

From “Ersatzreal” : “Starting to Worry”, “The Angels’ Kiss” and “The Luckiest Man Alive”....

Why not try them yourself and hear what this is all about...

Girls Aloud on YouTube and then, off to bed...

Highlight of the Day : Once again, Anne’s culinary expertise...

Rich and Eddie...

Playlist
K D Lang – Hymns of the 49th Parallel
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
Deep Purple – Fireball
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams

I am continuing to stave off buying Faure’s complete piano works at HMV...

Tonight, Anne was out a-drinkin’ with Lynn, so I took the opportunity (as there was nothing worth watching on the box) to view the first episode of the 1987 BBC sitcom “Filthy, Rich & Catflap” (on loan from Chris-with-a-Ch), the long lost link between “The Young Ones” and “Bottom”...



It brought a couple of smiles to my face and the occasional guffaw - I'd forgotten how much like "Bottom" it was...

Took some time to add links to all the songs from my last three song-based albums...

"Anotherhappyday", which I started recording around five years ago this month and which was released in August of 2003...

"Deeperdown" which I was working on when I started this diary and which finally saw the light of day in November 2005....

"Ersatzreal", the whole two year production process of which was noted on these pages and which I issued last October - do take a listen to any of the songs...

Fell asleep on the settee watching nothing in particular, only to be awoken around eleven by Anne’s call for a lift home...

Watched a bit of Question Time

Everyone back safe and sound by midnight...

Highlight of the Day : New music on the headphones

Low fi and hi fi...

Playlist
Various - Jukebox Shuffleplay
The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams
KD Lang - Hymns of the 49th Parallel

A parcel arrived from new dad Macclesfield Craig containing a disc by Berlin low-fi pop combo The Whitest Boy Alive - very good indeed, nay, excellent...



Meanwhile at FOPP I shelled out a fiver for KD LAng's 2004 celebration of Canadian song containing brilliant covers of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Jane Siberry, Ron Sexmith and Bruce Cockburn - why no Rheostatics? - not to worry...



On telly "Coronation St", "Masterchef" while we ate Anne's latest, a scrummy mouthwatering pork and chorizo dish in a light creamy tomatoey sauce - mmm, mmm - I saved my food points all day for that one, I can tell you...

And the return of "Torchwood" - a much better start than Season One but still something not quite right about it - the trailer for next week looked a stormer though...

Oh well, off to bed...

Highlight of the Day : Anne's cooking once again

Looking for hits...

Playlist
John Surman – Glancing Backwards : The Dawn Anthology
Various – The Last 100 CDs

Shut out the world today with some very weird early 70’s jazz from Mr Surman...



Another evening of telly...

“The One Show” – a guilty pleasure indeed...

Then, with nothing on till 9pm, we watched “Ice Age 2” on DVD – 2nd night in a row of excellent, entertaining animation...

The new series of “CSI” continued with two stupid stories – porn-king (that should garner a few google search hits) murdered in a “blind” restaurant and go-karter decapitated on the highway...

An hour’s break allowed some recent music listening and an update of this and my other blogs – see links...

Then “Law & Order : Criminal Intent” which of course I’ve not seen yet as I write this but I can advise it was brilliant yet again (I hope)...

Highlight of the Day : American TV shows; British jazz

Elusive unfortunate visage...

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay

Danger "Happy Feet" spoiler below...

Resisted the temptation of a 4CD box of the complete piano music of Gabriel Faure in the HMV sale for £12 – but for how long?

Got word from e-bay that my long-awaited second Sam Baker CD won’t be coming and my funds have been refunded – oh well...

The rest of the day was:-

“Coronation St” times two...

The worst episode I’ve ever seen of “University Challenge” with the stupidest-faced student I’ve ever seen on the programme – the far right member of the Trinity Hall Cambridge team - I scoured the net for a picture of the unfortunate visage but to no avail..

And, for the 2nd time, “Happy Feet” – this time with Anne – I cried when the wee penguin went off chasing the factory fishing boats and ended up in a zoo...



My dad's birthday today - gone nearly 5 years already - and the sixth anniversary of Crispy the Cat's demise...

That’s it...

Highlight of the Day : Happy Feet - again

Sleepless in Crispycatland...

Playlist
Various – The Last 100 Cds

Couldn’t sleep – up at 3am but back to bed at 5, almost forcing myself back to sleep...

Woke again around 9:30 and up for a light breakfast with Anne...

An e-mail in the inbox suggests the first CBQ gig of 2008 will be on March 5 – though I still can’t play the guitar due to my shoulder operation....

We headed to Loanhead around 12:30 and enjoyed lunch with my mum – cream of leek soup and a ham roll each...

We gave her a digital photo frame for her Xmas complete with over 100 pictures of various family members, Fripp & Eno records and the sky – and she’d programmed it to show just two of them – so I changed that and said I’d give her her faves in a conventional frame – otherwise what’s the point?

Back home briefly, where I compiled some favourite tracks from the last 100 CDs I’ve accumulated and a single CD compilation for the car...

To Anne’s mum’s for tea with the family...

Ollie and Kitty were on good form...



They were nice and quiet whilst playing this game anyway...

Back home again and Anne watched telly as I continued with my stupid compiling...

“Match of the Day 2” should have ended the day but, once again, I couldn’t sleep – this insomnia is annoying...

Highlight of the Day : Family fun times two...

Cold, crisp, frosty...

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
Blue Oyster Cult – Blue Oyster Cult
Various – The Big Chill
Various – Jazz Jukebox Shuffleplay

Up around eight, a lovely cold, crisp and frosty morning as attested to by Meg the Black cat...



Out around 10, after some porridge, and walked down to the bus noting a large number of discarded Xmas Trees littering the pavements and gardens...



The frost had had a beautiful effect on cars...



...walls...



...and plants...



...all helped along by the clear sky blue sky...



After an uneventful journey into town, soundtracked by the trusty jukebox in shuffleplay mode, I met up with the good Dr Prog at the music library, from where I borrowed a Bonnie “Prince” Billy live album, the debut from the Killers and Tortoise’ LP “Standards”, all for future listening...

Then, over the road for a coffee and a chat and a lovely panini for the Doc – then down the Royal Mile...



....to Avalanche at Cockburn St where I found Blue Oyster Cult’s 1972 debut for just £1.99....

We made our way to the town centre past the Fruitmarket Gallery...



....and up over Princes St to FOPP where I purchased the latest from Biffy Clyro, along with a best of from James Brown and a 2CD set of, ahem, acoustic “chill” type music “The Big Chill” – which, I found out later, contains several of those annoyingly twee tunes which are cropping up on adverts all over the place these days (e.g. Vashti Bunyan)...

Then to the Record Fair where we found Count Brodski already searching for any elusive Kraftwerk pressings which he may not already own....

Here he is on the right, with Dr Prog on the left...



Needless to say, Brodski did indeed find a hitherto unowned Kraftwerk 12” single...

Some man!!

His partner Penny popped by before we all went our separate ways, me to M&S for some warming soup for lunch before catching the Airport bus back to Corstorphine (no wonder I was on my own up the back)...



...and climbing the hill to Crispycat Towers, noting some lovely red berries on the way...



In the Scottish Cup Hearts went two up on Motherwell at Tynecastle before succumbing to a comeback while Queens walloped Junior League side, Linlithgow Rose 4-0 at home, to face either Morton or Gretna in the next round. If Hearts can overcome Motherwell in their replay, they’ll play either Dundee or Highland League Huntly...

While I watched the absolutely dreadful “Primeval” (how did they ever get to make a second series??), Anne made a lovely Coriander Chicken curry...



...and we ended the day with the new series of “CSI : NY” followed by “Sportscene” which had the most coverage of Queen of the South I’ve ever seen on prime time TV...

Finally congratulations to our Macclesfield chum Craig whose partner Michelle gave birth to their son this morning...

Welcome to your new lives!

Highlight of the Day : A wee day out with Dr Prog and Brodski

All in a mouse's night...

Playlist
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay
Dexter Gordon – One Flight Up
Various – Last 100 Cds
Various – Breakdown Very Best Euphoric Chillout Mixes

While I brought home the bacon, Anne spent the day in her dressing gown on the settee in front of the fire – still under the weather and putting my own paltry symptoms into perspective...

Despite her illness, she still managed to make what must go down as her best soup ever (to date) – a very, very tasty lentil and tomato hybrid – mmm, mmm...

Just as we tucked in though, there came the sound of the cat flap flapping and a manic entry into the room by Meg the Black Cat, small mouse in jaws...

As ever, she dropped it, awaiting our appreciation of her hunting skills, whereupon the mouse darted under one of the settees and Meg was firmly banished to the dining room behind closed (but, tantalisingly for her) see-through doors...

The settee was up-ended, the frightened beastie was collected into an old Pringles tube, kept for precisely this situation and which replaces the perfectly good but now reticently used pint glass which we used to use to transport small beasts back to the outside world...

Outside in the evening frostiness, the poor wee mouse was rather reluctant to evacuate the crisp-tube, hanging on by its tiny claws...

Eventually, it emerged, checked its surroundings and bounded off into the undergrowth...

The rest of the evening passed off uneventfully as we watched the goggle box virtually all night:-

Last night’s “Moving Wallpaper” and “Echo Beach” – a great add to our regular viewing...



....two episodes of “Coronation St”; tonight’s “Moving Wallpaper” and “Echo Beach”; “Al Murray’s Happy Hour”...

Also called Dr Prog and wished him a good New Year – tomorrow we will trawl the music library and Anne advises she saw a poster the other day advertising a Record Fair...

Count Brodski has also been informed via voicemail...

Highlight of the Day : Anne’s soup/Saving a small creature

Shakin' all over...

Playlist
Sam Baker – Pretty World
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Various – Trance Masters
Various – Jukebox Shuffleplay
Steve Harley – The Cockney Rebel
John Coltrane – One Down One Up
Various – Last 100 Cds

Did I mention I was still ill with the lurgi I contracted over a month ago – sleepless nights, coughing, spluttering, flu like symptoms without anything ever going “full-blown”...

Seems to be the way I take a “cold” these days – ill for weeks on end...

And so, last night I was up at 1:30 and spent the night shivering on the settee so Anne could get some sleep and not be bothered by my incessant coughing....

But tonight Anne was hit...

She was out at the ballet with her pal Debbie to see “The Sleeping Beauty” and very good it was too by all accounts, with a lovely Indian meal beforehand...

Back home I cooked a small steak with mushrooms and onions for my own sustenance before settling into an enjoyable evening of music listening while the VCR took in some stuff for future viewing...

Around 11 the call came in and Anne was so unwell she didn’t want to wait for me to drive into town to pick her up, preferring instead to jump into a taxi...

Once home, cold and shivering, Lemsip was applied and into a pre-heated bed – poor wee lamb...



Highlight of the Day : Appearing to be not quite as ill as Anne

How beautiful are these days...

Playlist
Alice Cooper - Flush the Fashion
Alice Cooper - Special Forces
Alice Cooper - Zipper Ctahches Skin
Alice Cooper - DaDa
Sam Baker - Pretty World
Phillip Glass - Notes on a Scandal OST
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Various - Give Peace a Chance
Various - OK Computer

Last night saw the return of both "CSI" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" both of which were enjoyed at Crispycat Towers - although we made a note to perhaps record them in future as the ad breaks on Channel 5 are interminable...

I've been reading Alice Cooper's book "Golf Monster"...



...which, for a lifelong fan like me, is a great read. He reveals he has no recollection whatsoever of the years 1980-1983, during which he wrote and recorded four albums - so, today, I listened to them...

They are, of course, all good (says me anyway)...

All in all though, I think I prefer Michael Bruce's book re the original Alice Cooper Group, which Alice disbanded in 1974...



Elsewhere, visited FOPP today and spent some cash on three of these four...



The excellent Sam Baker album came via e-bay - he's a deaf Texan who sings maudlin country like a drunken Lou Reed - oh yes!

LCD Soundsystem was up for grabs for a fiver and is in many of the 2007 albums of the year lists from the more, shall we say "hip" side of the fence...

It's quite good actually - hints of T Heads, Human League, Steve Reich/Phillip Glass and various other 70s & 80s heroes...

I thought I had his 1st LP but, upon looking for it found nothing between Avril Lavigne and Led Zeppelin...

I have the Yes concert film on video but it was worth £3 for the extras...

That's how my mind works...

Late on. I finally got round to opening and listening to the two free CDs I got on Arran with the music mags "Uncut" and "Mojo" - as with all such discs, there is some stuff which takes my fancy and the occasional terrible piece of rubbish...

Whilst listening we watched "How Much Does Britain Earn?" which provided the occasional eye-opener...

The highest paid 20,000 people in the country earn the same in total as the lowest paid 20,000,000 people in the country...

There are just as many people in domestic service now as there were in 1860 - though presumably now, they are actually paid for their services...

30 years ago the average chief exec of a company earned 9 times that of their workers. These days that differential has widened to 100 times...

What a great country we live in indeed...

Highlight of the Day : New Music again...

8 1 8 Crossroads...

Playlist
Happy Apple - Happy Apple Back on Top
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Sigur Ros - ( )
2Raum Wohnung - 36 Grad
Editors - An End Has A Start
The Divine Comedy - A Secret history (Best of)
The Move - Looking On
Velvett Fogg - Velvett Fogg
Roger Waters - Amused to Death
Robert Fripp - Starlight Evensong

Today a decision was made that I need to get rid of this...



...and I really need to change my lifestyle if I want to live a long and fruitful life...

I need to eat less and exercise more and I have to stop taking all these painkillers for my arm and just accept it'll be sore until at least the summer and that I can't pick up the old geetar...

It strikes me I've now been taking huge amounts of painkillers almost non-stop since I broke my ankle in November 2005 and that can't be good for anyone...

Bottom line is, I'm fine but fat but I want to stay alive - which I fully intend to do...

For those of you who pop by here on a regular basis, you know what a disaster this will be for me, what with my love of copious amounts of fine food and all...

And so, every so often, I'll let you know how I'm getting on...

Oh, and a great big happy 61st birthday to David Bowie - even though I forgot to listen to any of his music...

Highlight of the Day : Change

What's new?

Playlist
Allan Holdsworth - Hard Hat Area
The Bad Plus - Prog
Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque
Flower Kings - The Rainmaker
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Editors - An End Has a Start

To HMV today and I was tempted by two "recent" and "acclaimed" albums, one by American band My Chemical Romance and one by UK combo Editors...

I am advised that the former is music for kids and the latter is for the more mature listener...

I much prefer the Chemical Romance album for the simple reason that it's not wearing its influences so openly upon its sleeve - which is not to say influences are not apparent...



Editors is music which Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and even U2 might well be making in 2007 (or 2008) had they not died/moved on since 1980...



It's one of those albums which, when I now hear anyone praising it, I will need to send them off to listen to "Closer", "Heaven Up Here" or "Boy" to show them how it should be done...

But what do I want in new music?

Things which hark back to stuff I already like or new good stuff which reminds of nothing and which is merely, subjectively, "good" in itself?

I like Editors' album but after a while the sub JD, E&TB drum beats and the Ian Curtis/Ian McCulloch vocalisations grate...

So it's My Chemical Romance 1 Editors 0...

Also heard a track from the new Biffy Clyro LP "Puzzle", which much impressed - one to come back to perhaps?

Elsewhere, managed to reduce my TV intake back to just 2 x "Coronation St" and "University Challenge", spending the rest of the evening listening to "new" music and reading my newly received for Xmas from my Executive Producer, Alice Cooper autobiography, "Golf Monster"...

Highlight of the Day : New music

Listing time again...

Playlist
Steve Reich – Phases
Girls Aloud – Greatest Hits
Alice Cooper – Best of Alice Cooper : Jukebox Playlist
Four Tet – Everything Ecstatic
James Taylor – You’ve got a Friend : The Best of
Yes – Yes Acoustic
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid – The Exchange Sessions Vol 1

Up just after nine and compiled my list of 149 albums I liked in 2007...

I’ve set it out below but, first, here are my top ten new albums of 2007:-

My Top Ten 2007
1 The Bad Plus - Prog



2 Bryan Ferry - Dylanesque
3 Lucy Kaplansky - Over the Hills
4 Rush - Snakes and Arrows
5 Happy Apple - Happy Apple Back on Top
6 Fehlfarben - Handbuch fur die Welt
7 Chris Lyons - The Ill Tempered Klavier
8 No Man - Together We're Stranger
9 Marillion - Somewhere Else
10 Girls Aloud - Tangled Up

149 Albums I Liked in 2007
New Albums (17)
2Raum Wohnung - 36 Grad
Alan Morse - Four O'Clock and Hysteria
Bryan Ferry – Dylanesque
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Ersatzreal
Eagles - Long Road Out of Eden
Erasure - Light at the End of the World
Explosions in the Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Fehlfarben - Handbuch fuer die Welt
Girls Aloud - Tangled Up
Jonatha Brooke - Careful What You Wish For
Laura Pausini - Io Canto
Lucy Kaplansky - Over the Hills
Marillion - Somewhere Else
Nine Horses - Money For All
No Man - Together We're Stronger
Rush - Snakes & Arrows
Suzanne Vega - Beauty and Crime

Recent Albums (12)
Adrian Belew - Side Three
Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go
Craig Armstrong - World Trade Center OST
Dio - Killing the Dragon
Fennesz/Sakamoto - Cendre
Joni Mitchell - Travelogue
Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors
Secret Machines - September 000
Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
The Album Leaf - Seal Beach
The Czars – Sorry I Made You Cry
The Flower Kings - The Rainmaker

Re-Issues (17)
Dave Edmunds - Subtle As A Flying Mallet
Dio - Lock Up the Wolves
Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History In the Rust
Fehlfarben - 33 Tage in Ketten
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#Infinity
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada
Grand Funk Railroad - Good Singin' Good Playin'
Grandaddy - Under the Western Freeway
John Gorka - The Company You Keep
Jonatha Brooke - 10 Cent Wings
La Dusseldorf - Same
Starz – Starz
The Move - Looking On
The Move - Shazam
The Story - Grace in Gravity
Uriah Heep - Sonic Origami

Live Albums (9)
Dio – Evil or Divine Live in New York City
Dream Theater - Scenes From New York
Eels - Eels Live With Strings
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - The Day of Storms
Lucy Kaplansky - Live at Beachland Ballroom
Rheostatics – Hillside Festival
Rheostatics - Horseshoe Tavern 29/3/07
Rheostatics - Last Concert : Toronto Massey Hall 30/3/07
Yes - Yessongs

Single Artist Collections/Anthologies (7)
Average White Band - The Very Best of
Grandaddy - Concrete Dunes
Heaven 17 - The Best of Heaven 17
King Crimson – Time Stands Still (CD-R)
Models - Collection
Robert Fripp - Starlight Evensong (CD-R)
Steve Harley - The Cockney Rebel

Various Artist Compilations (5)
Various - Super 70s Reggae
Various - The Definitive Story of CBGBs
Various - The World's Greatest Trance
Various - Trance Masters
Various - Whispers from the Forests, Screams from the Mountains

Jazz New (4)
Chris Lyons - The Ill Tempered Klavier
Happy Apple - Happy Apple Back on Top
MusicMusicMusic - Macbeth
The Bad Plus – Prog

Jazz Recent (8)
Alexi Tuomarila Quartet - 02
First House - Cantilena
Happy Apple - Body Popping Moon Walking Top Rocking
Happy Apple - Please Refrain From Printing
Happy Apple - The Peace Between Our Companies
Happy Apple - Youth Oriented
Pat Metheny – Quartet
The Pat Metheny Group - The Way Up

Jazz Re-Issue (31)
Allan Holdsworth - Velvet Darkness
Andrew Hill - Compulsion!!!!!
Billy Cobham - Shabazz
Dexter Gordon - One Flight Up
Donald Byrd – Royal Flush
Eric Dolphy – Out There
Eric Dolphy – Outward Bound
Freddie Hubbard – Here to Stay
Grant Green – Am I Blue?
Hank Mobley – The Flip
Jackie McLean – 4, 5 + 6
Jackie McLean – Demon’s Dance
John Coltrane - Soultrane
John Surman - How Many Clouds Can You See?
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane - Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane
Kenny Dorham - Matador/Intasomethin'
Kenny Dorham – Trompeta Toccata
Kenny Dorham – Una Mas
Lee Morgan – Candy
Lee Morgan – The Cooker
Miles Davis - Circle in the Round
Mingo Lewis - Flight Never Ending
Return to Forever - No Mystery
Return to Forever - Where Have I Known You Before
Richard Williams – A New Horn in Town
Rod Levitt - Dynamic Sound Patterns of...
Roland Rahsaan Kirk – An Introduction
Soft Machine - Vols 1&2
Sonny Clark – Dial S for Sonny
Sonny Clark – Sonny’s Crib
Sonny Rollins – Plus 4

Jazz Live (8)
Art Blakey Quintet - One Night at Birdland Vol 1
Dave Holland Quintet - Extended Play Live at Birdland
Grant Green – Live at the Mozambique
Holdsworth/Bruce/Cobham - A Gathering of Minds
John Coltrane - One Down One Up : At the Half Note
Keith Jarrett – Always Let Me Go
Paul Motian - Live at the Village Vanguard
Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall

Jazz Single Artist Collections/Anthologies (1)
John Surman - Glancing Backwards

Jazz Various Artist Compilations (1)
Various – The Blue Box : Best of Blue Note

Classical Single Composer Discs (23)
CPE Bach – Concertos and Symphonies
CPE Bach – The Resurrection and Ascension
JC Bach – Quintets and Sextets
Beck - Six Symphonies
Boyce - Eight Symphonies
Cage - Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Dittersdorf - Sinfonias
Glass – Piano Music
Krommer - Oboe Quintets & Quartets
Mendelssohn - String Quartets 1-6
Ordonez - Symphonies
Pichl - Symphonies
Salieri - Overtures
Schubert – Octet
Stamitz - Symphonies Vol 1
Stamitz - Symphonies Vol 2
Steve Reich – Phases
Stravinsky – The Firebird
Telemann - Masterworks
Telemann - Tafelmusik
Vanhal - Violin Concertos
Vivaldi - Adagios
Waters – Ca Ira

Classical Multi Composer Discs (3)
CPE & WF Bach – Symphonies and Concertos
Various Composers - 100 Best Baroque
Various Composers - Fete Baroque Vol 2

Classical Single Artist Discs (3)
Glenn Gould - At The Cinema
Glenn Gould – State of Wonder
Il Giardino Armonico - Musica Barocca

Of course, when Anne finally got up around midday she was wondering why I hadn’t done any work around the house...

I quickly took down the Xmas tree and all our decorations and then drove to the shops for some essentials before returning for brunch of bacon sandwiches...

In the early afternoon, I wrote up the diary then, around 3:30 went into the town centre to purchase some new trousers...

With that mission accomplished I had, of course, to visit FOPP and bought four items at £3 each:-

Four Tet – Everything Ecstatic (DVD and CD containing Pt 2 of the album)
James Taylor – You’ve got a Friend : The Best of
Yes – Yes Acoustic (DVD)
Kieren Hebden & Steve Reid – The Exchange Sessions Vol 1

Back home, we watched “Shrek the Third” and had some of Anne’s excellent home-made soup before “Coronation St”...

Watched some footie too but the rest of the evening was mainly taken up with getting the diary up to date...

Highlight of the Day : Diary up to date again (sorry, that's a bit of a sad highlight I know...)

They think it's all over...

Playlist
Various – Holiday Hits
Alice Cooper - Jukebox Playlist : Best of Alice
Steve Reich – Phases

Up at 6:50 in readiness for the early ferry...

Packed and out into the driving rain at 7:30 and checked in at the terminal by 7:45...

Disaster as the sailing was cancelled due to the weather...

I had a snooze...



Nipped to the trusty Co-op for a couple of breakfast baps...

At 10:15 the captain decided to take a chance on a sailing at 11 – still didn’t look great...



We drove the car onto the ferry and took our seats for a stormy crossing – docking at Ardrossan was a bit hairy...



Fitting that the last pic of the holiday should be of such dreadful weather conditions...

Finally back on the mainland at around 12:15 and we were heading for Armadale at top speed to pick up Meg the Black Cat...

We had to turn down Julia’s offer of a lovely pasta based lunch as Anne needed to get back in time to get to Tynecastle for Hearts v Kilmarnock and so, bombing along again, we were back at Crispycat Towers at 1:50...

I took Anne to her mum’s then drove them both close to the ground as they were a bit behind their usual schedule. Within an hour of arriving back in Edinburgh Anne was in her seat in the stand...

Hearts went 1-0 down on the stroke of half time having had a player sent off mid way through the first half. However, they put on a strong display in the second half and gained a deserved 1-1 draw. They now sit 11th in the table (2nd bottom) but maybe they’ve turned a corner...

At home I was monitoring Queen of the South who ran out 3-1 winners in a six pointer at home to Clyde – they’re up to 5th but it’s a super-tight league...

In the evening, on tape, the final two episodes of Robin Hood followed by Lead Balloon and Dara O’Briain accompanied by a lovely lasagne or me and pizza for Anne...

We rounded the day off with an FA Cup special from “Match of the Day”

Highlight of the Day : Back home with Meg the Black Cat

Sleepy peepy...

Playlist
Mathilde Santing – Mathilde Mathilde
Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Joni Mitchell – Travelogue
Yes – The Ultimate Yes : 35th Anniversary Collection
Yes – Jukebox Playlist : Best of Yes

Up early as Alan and Penny were heading back to the mainland on the 11am ferry...

I drove to the Co-op through hailstones to get some milk for coffee and we breakfasted together for the last time then, all too soon, they were of into the rain and away...

For the rest of the day, other than Anne driving to Brodick to get some soup and rolls for lunch and me visiting our landlord to sort out the week’s electricity bill, we did nothing except watch telly and sleep...

Found myself watching “This Morning” and even “Loose Women” before stumbling across a “two stars” “daft” time travel fantasy adventure called “Timeline” which passed another couple of hours before I dozed off as Anne watched “Escape to the Country”, “Countdown”, “Ready Steady Cook” and “A Place in the Sun”...

In the evening we watched “Coronation St” before going out to the Indian Restaurant for our final meal on the island...

While still very good and enjoyable, not as good as last Saturday with Alan and Penny...

Highlight of the Day : Getting some rest

Hats...

Playlist
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black
Various – Holiday Hits

Up at 9:30 but very tired so just snoozing on the settee waiting for Alan and Penny to surface...

Weather reasonable for a change...

11:30 and, without breakfast, we drove up to the north of the island and Lochranza...

Penny took her car too, as she’s always wanted to drive through Arran with the top down – even though today it was absolutely freezing – though not raining for once!

Both Alan and Penny sported jaunty headgear...

We lunched at the Lochranza Hotel, scampi all round, except for Anne who opted for haddock...

The place was empty at first but, one by one, several parties of walkers arrived and the bar was soon full...

One particularly game Canadian lady treated the assembled throng to her self-penned number “The St James Infirmary Blues” – much to Anne’s delight...

After lunch it was back into the cars and off round the rest of the island, which afforded us some fine views...

...until finally stopping off again at the Kildonan Hotel and, once again, partaking of their lovely coffee and special small biscuits...

Then it was back home for a bit of telly and some snoozing before heading out again to Whiting Bay and the Eden Bar for their charity Pub Quiz...

Despite our gallant efforts, our team (Four Out on the Lamlash) didn’t figure amongst the prizes and we were unsuccessful in the raffle too...

“Die Hard With A Vengeance” entertained until bedtime (well entertained me and the Count anyway), along with Penny’s excellent cheese toasties...

Highlight of the Day : Lunch in Lochranza

Cookin'...

Playlist
David Bowie – Lodger
Various – 100 Recent Albums Playlist
Various – Holiday Hits

The by now usual scenario of getting up late continued...

By the time breakfast was over it was almost 12 and Anne and I ventured out leaving Alan and Penny studying...

We drove to Brodick and parked on the front. We wanted to walk to the castle but only made it as far the Cheese Factory, albeit after walking for 40 minutes including a break while I went to see the house on Douglas Place where I spent a couple of enjoyable summer holidays in the early 60’s...



It took us a further 35 minutes to walk back to the car. Along the way, we spotted this heron looking for fish in the river...



We decided to drive to Corrie for lunch at its eponymous hotel. It took just 3 minutes to get back to the cheese factory even though the road was ¾ of a mile longer than the short cut route we’d taken across the golf course...

Arriving in Corrie, we thought we saw a seal basking on a rock...



Turned out to be a statue...

To add to our disappointment, the hotel is closed on Wednesdays – so we drove back to Brodick and enjoyed a tasty lunch at a wee place called Stalkers...

Then to the trusty Co-op to replenish supplies back at the house, including two music mags for me and the last newspaper in the shop, a Daily Star which Anne had to have as it had a story about Hearts on the back page...



Instead of going straight home, we drove on past the house out to the headland from where an excellent view of Holy Island presented itself...



Once back home, Alan and Penny went off on a walk to the self same headland...

In the evening, my turn to cook and I made a particularly hot Spaghetti Bolognese aided and abetted by Anne...



Tasty...

Then it was out into the bitterly cold wind and rain for a 30 minute walk to the Drift Inn for drinks – possibly too may drinks if the truth be told...

We were entertained by some people watching, a good jukebox and much lager, local beer, gin and, for me at the end of the night, Bailey’s on ice – an old favourite...



Then another hellish 30 minutes through the wind and rain (this time head on) back to the house, where Alan, Penny and I sat up watching Humphrey Bogart and Woody Allen (not in the same film)...



I retired at 1:45 while Alan apparently stayed up till 5 am (again!)...

Highlight of the Day : Cooking with Anne

Not close enough to the road...

Playlist
The Bad Plus - Full Discography
Various - Jukebox Playlist : 100 Recent Albums (Shuffleplay)
Various - Dubrovnik Jazz Club
Various - Holiday Hits
Allan Holdsworth - Against the Clock

In keeping with our late night, it was welcome to 2008 with yet another late rise (11:30) - no sign of Alan or Penny yet though but they'd evidently tidied up all the debris from last night before retiring after us...

It turned out Count Brodski had been up until 5 am watching the "Rocky Horror Picture Show"...

The sun was sort of out this morning...



I enjoyed a toasted roll and marmalade before going back to bed for a snooze. Around 1, Alan woke me with a shout for boiled egg and soldiers...

By 1:30 we were out and on the road to the Standing Stones at Machrie Moor, on the west of the island...

After much driving around and asking strangers for directions, we finally found the access path and started a 40 minute walk in land, along a very wet and muddy dirt track...



Luckily it seemed the rain was holding off for the first time since Saturday and, eventually, we arrived at the stones...



Very impressive...



... but why couldn't they have been erected closer to the main road?

We trudged back through the mud again for another 40 minutes then drove to the Machrie Golf Club tearooms where we discovered a lovely home-made buffet...



We couldn't quite understand the charging structure but Alan, Penny and I enjoyed platefuls of delicious fayre followed by coffee and banoffie pie while Anne restricted herself to coffee and home-made mincemeat tart...

Turned out it was supposed to be £12.50 per head for the buffet but we should've had soup too so they let us off with £33 between the four of us...

When we emerged around 4:30, it was dark and raining once again and we drove home across the String Road through dense fog...

By the time we got home we'd been gone for just over 4 hours - it seemed like 4 days...

The evening was spent watching telly and relaxing and Anne and I were introduced to the delights of "River City" while Penny endured "Match of the Day"...

Highlight of the Day : Standing stones and a surprise buffet