Leaving it to the last possible moment...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
“The Sound of the Fall pt 2” from “Soundingfall” (2009)

Playlist
UK - Best of UK
UK - UK
UK - Philadelphia 8/8/78
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Starlightnight Proposed Bonus CD
Graham Bond - Solid Bond
Grand Funk Railroad - Mark, Don & Mel 1969-1971
Klaus Schulze - Mirage
Various - 51 Albums 1962-2012

Up late after last night's shenanigans...

Prepared to take the chair back to Ikea while Hearts were thrashed 5-0 by Celtic on the last day of the season - later, in England, Man City would pip Man Utd by scoring two goals within the five minutes injury time added at the end of their match against QPR...

Out to Ikea...

Excellent customer service...

We ended up doubling our spend on the chair and mat to go beneath it...

To my mum's...



On tip top form...

To Anne's mum's for what turned out to be my birthday tea...







Olly and Kitty were both supporting Man City...



Back home and the chair was put together in just under 30 minutes - not bad...







As usual, Meg enjoyed an empty box scenario...



Updating this, then bed...

Highlight of the Day : Sorting the chair...

Time flies when you're having fun...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day

“They Broke the Door Down” from “Soundingfall” (2009)

Playlist

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Starlightnight

Various Composers - Masters of the Baroque

Grand Funk Railroad - Mark, Don & Mel 1969-1971

Various - 51 Albums 1962-2012 for Jamie

Shawn Colvin - Cover Girl

King Crimson - Heavy ConstruKction

To the podiatrist first thing and feet seen to for another eight weeks or so...

Always have a good laugh with Helen (for it is she)...

She is happy with how my podiatric shoe implants seem to be working...

Nice day...

Two Pains au Raisins purchased then back to Corstorphine Village and a look round the (too many for comfort re a prosperous local economy) charity shops - nothing partaken of...

Two ordinary croissants and a loaf of bread acquired from the village baker - the Pains au Raisins will nourish tomorrow...

Home for breakfast, then, basically, did nothing all day apart from create a facsimile of a Grand Funk Railroad compilation from 1972, integrate over 100 rock and pop recent acquisitions into the overall collection - 90 minutes to move everything to accomodate them each into the correct places and, late afternoon, pulled around 100 CDs from the collection, that I know I will more than very likely never listen to...

I am loathe to get rid of CDs but I think these will go - I may experiment with a sale on e-bay or Amazon Market Place - or I may take them to a charity shop...

Tonight we were off to musical chum of over thirty years, Jamie Frain's 50th birthday party...

...I compiled an MP3 DVD with 51 albums on it, one from each year from 1962 to now...

A taxi to Lynn's and our trio was one of the first on the scene...

The surprise arrival of Jamie's youngest brother from Sydney, Australia reduced the birthday boy (and a few guests) to tears...

They have not seen each other for over five years...

Here they are together at the end of the night...

Musical chums of over thirty years Gus, Sandra, Jim, George, Paul and Keith were also in attendance...

Note Jim's boredom about the inevitability of my picturing matters for this blog...

Post a set of covers from Jamie and a different band to his trio with me and Keith from a couple of weeks ago...

...or even the quintet of me, Jamie, Gus, Keith and Nicky Hind which took to the stage in Edinburgh 32 years ago - and which was featured on a widescreen TV by the stage showing a revolving collection of pics from Jamie's first fifty years ...

...your correspondent could be seen strutting his stuff in a dad-dancing-at-a-wedding stylee with Anne, Lynn, George, Jim, Paul and Keith at various points in the evening...

Gus and Sandra presented Jamie with a picture taken at his 18th birthday party back in 1980, when Gus, Jamie and I shared a flat in Edinburgh...

Meanwhile, Jim seemed still to be suspicious of my non-stop snapping...

At the end, Jamie was joined by his family and friends for the inevitable Hokey Cokey...

After more chat and promises amongst us to get Capital Models together again over the summer and to try and proceed with "Dodefest" at George's home in the borders (maybe we can convince Gus to play live if we set it for 26 August, the 32nd anniversary of our last gig), we bid our friends farewell and Anne, Lynn and I managed to find a taxi...

Home around 2 am...

Highlight of the Day : Partying with our old chums...

Toaster, sink, no...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
"The Fire in the Clearing" from "Soundingfall" (2009)

Playlist
Cloudland Blue Quartet - McKenzie Sclater Reilly Demos
Cloudland Blue Quartet - The Angels' Kiss/Lights Out Remixes
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Souvenir XX - Starlightnight Live
Die Aerzte - Planet Punk
Goodbye Mr Mackenzie - Five
Longpigs - The Sun Is Often Out
Dave Matthews Band - Stand Up
Beach House - Devotion
Herbert Groenemeyer - Chaos
Marius-Mueller Westernhagen - Affentheater
Edgar Froese - Dalinetopia
Wolfram der Spyra - Kassels akusticher Stadtplan
Smolik - Smolik
Replicants - Replicants
Rhonda Harris - Rhonda Harris
Bay - Alison Rae
The Waltons - Lik My Trakter
Sonya Kitchell - Words Come Back to Me
Blumfeld - L'Etat et Moi
Dada - Puzzle
El-p - Fandam plus
Xboct u AykIIbIoh - Xnneu Bepwnh
Kieran McGee - Left For Dead

Rained all day again...

Battery in my jukebox ran out on the way down for the bus so music-less all day - mind you, I was listening to me so no great loss...

Pouring...



In the evening, some TV with Annie - unintentional comedic death on Corrie - cheese on toast...

Some very bad acting has strayed into this soap - not to mention some awful storylines - downturn...

"Have I Got News For You" and "Not Going Out" both good...

At ten, upstairs and decided to just play a few tracks - chose mostly albums I've bought and never really played, including a Longpigs CD I purchased in New York thirteen years ago and tonight was the first time I've ever played a track from it...

A symptom of too much CD buying perhaps...

Just playing some CDs was enjoyable...

Highlight of the Day : Unintentional comedic death on Corrie

Appreciation can buoy...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
"Blend" from "Soundingfall" (2009)


Playlist
Various - Recent Aquisitions Jukebox
Various Composers - Musik am Preussischen Hofe
Cloudland Blue Quartet - Starlightnight

Rained all day today...



In the evening, a drink with Ian Sclater...



We eschewed the pathetic service at the Melville and went next door to Bert's Bar, before Ian drove us out to Crispycat Towers and our discussions continued...

We talked of production and collaboration and venues and events but nothing concrete was put in place...

Ian is enthusiatic...

He has a song about San Francisco which he is looking to develop...

I played him some tracks from the hopefully upcoming album...

He enjoyed it, which was good...

Given that he is the editor of an Art periodical, the fact that he also liked my paintings Nos 9, 10 and 11, also buoyed...

Today's song of the day, "Blend", is one of my favourites of recent times - I hope you'll take a listen...

Highlight of the Day : Music chat and appreciation of my work...

Mirror in mirror...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
"My House Could Be Your Home" from "Soundingfall" (2009)

Playlist
Various - Recent Acquisitions on Shuffleplay
Jacque Loussier - Plays Bach #1
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No 3
Various - Shuffleplay Faves Playlist
Part - Spiegel im Spiegel

Got this back up to date...

In the morning, walked down to the bus stop with just the sounds of the world soundtracking...

Made a change...

At lunchtime to Fopp - some good offers in jazz at two for £5 but do I really need any more CDs right now?  Probably not...

Or ever, really...

Back home, Monsieur Loussier and Herr Beethoven entertained prior to "CSI"...



Also, really liking Mr Part's "Spiegel im Spiegel"...



A call to Mr Sunshine in Deutschland...



...confirms our proposed visit to Kassel in the summer with Count Brodski and Lady Penelope for Documenta (13)...

Meanwhile, Dr Prog is in London tonight for a performance of Glass' "Einstein on the Beach" - a dream fulfilled for our beardy chum...

Highlight of the Day : Sounds and Music...

Not fish...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the Day
"We Drove" from "Soundingfall" (2009)

Playlist
Various - Rock & Pop Jukebox on Shuffleplay
Nina Hagen - Personal Jesus
R Strauss - Vier Letzte Lieder
Part - Spiegel im Spiegel
Tippet - Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli
Annette Humpe - Solo
Ich + Ich - Gute Reise

Again nothing much to report today...

Meg the Black Cat mistook some daffodils for goldfish...





Purchased Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" on DVD...

Gave it a watch in the evening...

Silent movie stars were not guilty of subtle acting...

New comedy show something and Burns failed to impress, despite its entertaining trailer, which had pulled us in...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day : Struggling big time - erm, Meg's cuteness...

Keeping tabs on the good stuff...

Cloudland Blue Quartet - Track of the day
"Please Stay With Us" from "Soundingfall" (2009)

Playlist
Various - Recent Acquisitions on Shufflplay

Ouch...

Back in the old routine today...

Nothing of any real import to report...

Started noting good things coming up on shuffleplay with a thought to perhaps doing a podcast or too soon...

Stones, Wagner, Beth Hart, Beethoven, Haydn, Ginastera, Eno, Sumner McKane, Keimzeit, Biffy, Graham Bond, Tavener, Schoenberg and Part...

Tasty...



Other than that, some TV...

Highlight of the Day : Good music...

Return of the pie...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Tomorrow or the Day After Next” from “Soundingfall” (2009)

Playlist
Various - Berlin Purchases

The Ampelmann cups and saucers featured at breakfast...



More time spent catching up on things and listening to the new purchases...

Took Anne to her mum's for today's Hearts match - 2-0 at home to St Johnstone, while I headed to Julia's in Armadale to pick up Meg the Black Cat...

Back home the chair's broken feet are becoming tiresome - e-mailed Ikea with this explanatory pic...



Finalisation of Pam's estate took a further step towards a conclusion...

Hard going...

The smallest thing reminds...

Anyway, some TV this evening - Tivo'd items recorded in our absence...

Highlight of the Day : Return of our wee black chum...

Zuhause...

Cloudland Blue Quartet – Track of the Day
“Non Industrial Catastrophe Blue” from “Soundingfall” (2009)

Playlist
Udo Lindenberg - Stark wie Zwei
Udo Lindenberg - MTV Unplugged
Udo Lindenberg - Ich Schwoere
Various - 89 German Albums on Shuffleplay
Udo Lindenberg - Stark wie Zwei Live
2raumwohnung - Im Wirklich

Once again up early and down for the breakfast provisions - on the way back, I was thankful for my last climb of the 85 steps...







Anne made sure my comments in the Guest Book were legible...



Goodbye to the flat...











...and trundling round to the Schoenhauserallee S Bahn Station...





...from where we took the S9 round to the airport...



An uneventful flight home, for which I did not have a window seat...

Picked up the car with no problems for us, though some of the other passengers' inability to follow the instructions was baffling...

Drove to Byre's Road and, on entering Avenue G for some sustenance before the drive home, Anne held the door open for Mr Paul Buchanan who followed us in...

I did not mention to him having recently pre-ordered the special boxed 2CD version of his upcoming album and how much I am looking forward to it...

I also did not take a picture but I have found this on the net on his PR company's site re his new album - coincidentally, as was the case today, he is sitting outside Avenue G...



Many years ago, Anne once held a door open for Bill Bruford at the Tramway, also in Glasgow...

Home around 5 pm...

Once again, Queens beaten, this time 5-3 in Dumfries by champions Ross County - next season two leagues will separate them...

Unpacking and CD ripping...

Catching up with e-mails followed by two episodes of "The Bridge" before hitting the sack...

Holiday over...

No Meg the Black Cat yet though...

Highlight of the Day : Home...