Hard drive deluge

I have recently moved 8000 or so photos (from 2005-2011) from an external hard drive onto the macbook. If random photos start cropping up on the blog it may be partly explained by this. It may just be an unsettled state of mind at the time of posting. Kia kaha.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's the guv'nor with his apron on...

Hmm, cheddar isn't a patch on mozarella. Ah well.

I don't know... i hear a lot of things... pick a topic

Out with the nokia in with the samsung..

On wednesday my 2 year relationship (or 'contract') with the nokia x6 was dissolved. My head was quickly turned by a cheeky little Samsung galaxy sII. And so another 2 year affair begins. 


Nokia who?

And here is a the first effort with it's camera..

Gav and Guv make it onto the bbc..

Have a gander at this.

Press play on the picture at the top of the report. (the video will only probably work for the next few days).

Freeze it at around the three second mark.

See those two burly blokes at the back, one wearing a light coloured jacket, the other wearing this jumper under a black coat? At the back, in the middle?

They look like a right pair of trouble makers..

Coming to a Green Man festival near you soon..

A posh night out.

Last night G and I made the trip to Peterborough to see the mighty Saints try to get a valuable three points to get over the finishing line in the race for promotion to the promised land of the Premier League. Despite some rough driving conditions and a 'deliberate' mistake on the M42 we made it over to the outskirts of Peterborough in excellent time. We stopped at this fine pub, did a bit of coogan/bryson fine dining and then headed on into the city. Straight into the car park just opposite the ground and then into the Cherry Tree on the Oundle Road. It was rammed with Saints fans, and it was getting even more packed while we were there so we just stopped for one and then headed on to the ground. In through the old school turnstiles, up the old school steps and... wooden seats! Old school 'cup o bovril' style refreshment kiosk too. A real contrast to the Worcester rugby ground i went to over the weekend. We were there really early so it left plenty of time for G to get to meet some of the unique genetic manifestations present amongst the Saints fanbase. Poor turn out from the Peterborough faithful, i think Saints took up about a third of the total attendance. Anyway, eventually a few of the lads came out to warm up only to be met by a sudden hail storm. G and myself had a cheeky punt via the bluesq website on my mobile (me- Saints to win by more than one goal, G- Saints to win 3-1)


Two quick goals in the first 15minutes settled the nerves. A third arrived in the second half. And...no.... it couldn't be! A scrambled Peterborough goal bought up 3-1 and both of our predictions turned up trumps. Well, there were a few near things when Saints nearly ruined things by winnning 4-1 but 3-1 it finished and our 3 quid worth of bets had paid out 27 quid in winnings.


A bit of a traffic jam in the car park soon gave way to the empty roads back to the west side of the midlands. A celebratory midnight snack in Corley services and then home.


Here are some bits and pieces from the nokia. Regardez..

Checking the tickets for the 100th time.

A pre-trip kickabout in the park

The trip playlist cd (with scribbled directions on the cover)

London Road, Peterborough. Imminent hailstorm just out of shot.

The Saints' wheels.

Wooden seats for people of limited leg length.

You might just be able to make out in the background that i was sat next to a loud fella. Credit to him, he managed to get a few songs started that ended up being taken up by the rest of the 4,000 Saints fans. It takes a loud voice to get that done. 

The wisdom of Willy Wonka

"we are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams"

"thus shines a good deed in a weary world"

"a little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men"

Worcester Rugby Jolly

Today i went with R, J and H to see Worcester play Exeter in the Aviva Premiership (Rugby Union), J works for Aviva so the tickets were comp (tidy) and we met up at The Swan in Whittington beforehand, which was really first class (two thumbs up to the bangers and mash. Morrisons, you can now step down). 

Rugby, i only have a passing acquaintance with. I'll happily watch internationals on the telly, but i don't know enough of the rules to be able to really voice much opinion 'from the stands'. During the first half, when a try had not been awarded, i ventured the opinion that it might have been because the player had been 'held up', but i didn't really know and i felt a bit like a football girlfriend who is only going along to be polite and who doesn't know what offside is.

Second half though, it all kicked off. Two Exeter players sin binned, Worcester came from behind to be in the lead as the time ran out. All they had to do was run the ball out of play and they'd win. [The referee can't end the game while it's still in play]. But Exeter got the ball back before Worcester could manage this, and scored a last minute try. Exciting.

Impression of Worcester rugby ground? Lots of cash been chucked that way for sure. But it has the air of a 'pop up shop'. A lot of the stands are temporary, or at least seem temporary. And it seems like it's suddenly appeared on the edge of an industrial estate. Kind of like they're hedging their bets and if the team start losing they could whip some of the stands away. And the fans were all mad crazy for the merch. And i don't think there was a square inch of the ground or shirts that didn't have a sponsor's message. It made me realise how much history there is in the old football grounds i've been to. It's something you can't buy or make a franchise out of.

Good game, though.

On Tuesday its time for a three hour voyage to the mystical east (midlands). And the possibility of three essential points for Saints at the home of Peterborough. 

Here's some photos, hot off the Nokia, from earlier today..

A good day

No need to get up early this morning. Breakfast with the family. No work. The end of a mammoth gap between annual leaves is soon approaching. Meeting up with the Gruniesen Consumerist. Being presented with some excellent US Indie magazines (Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie et al). Ascaris cafe for their strangely prompt coffee serving and toasted BLT. Spending birthday vouchers in Waterstones (see above). An underpriced Nick Cave audiobook for ADLP. Tutt and objet d'art stalls in High Town. Free newspapers in WHSmith. A Diego's flat white. The Diego's bloke telling us about google glasses and showing a youtube clip on his ipad. Walking down the lane from the cathedral back to town. Meeting back up with the kids. Reading the free newspaper in the back garden and finding an article about Saints (see below). Showing Star Wars to E for the first time. Drinking tea. Walking with family to town for a pizza, and peroni for me.

This has been a good day. T.

Upcoming... a road trip with uncle bryn. [Check out the crispness of the franking machine down in the Southampton Royal Mail sorting office...]

Springtime for the nifty fifty in Queenswood.

Easter egg hunting at Brockhampton

Many thanks Al. The nano is no longer nudey.

do it DO IT

Rise Records (Bristol) drop the bomb...

A while ago i put in a pre-order for a few cd's from the fine fellows down at Rise in Bristol. They put up with a fair bit of indecisiveness and mind-changing on my part, they held on till the last of the cd's release dates was within spitting distance and then sent along the goods to HR1... 


I'll have a listen through the cd's and flag up any recommendations in due course, but in the mean time i'll show you some of the extras that Rise chucked into the package. Very impressed by their service, and i would have no problem in recommending you check them out.


Anyway, here we go...

Here's the order, fresh out of the bag

First up, a Field Music best of CD. A free addition to the copy of their latest CD that i ordered.

Next up, to accompany the cd by Breton that I ordered, they had chucked in an EP by the band in cardboard sleeve, number 000083( natch), with ltd ed polaroid and sticker.

A selection of posters and stickers.

And one of the CD booklets had been signed by the band, who happened to have been doing an instore gig at Rise.

Many thanks Rise, many thanks.

Look what came in the post....

All the way from Portland, Oregon...

Fantastic effort from the guys at Stumptown. More photos to follow..

Here Weir, here..

Lupin state of mind

Crying happy tears

I used to work with an interesting chap. I won't give away his name, but let's just say it began with A.. and ended with ..drian.

He was a really kind hearted fella, who often saw the good side of people. He always found interesting ways to fill his lunch hour... "oh i'm just off to buy some left handed banjo sheet music" or "I just need to nip and buy a dog collar for my whippet" being two memorable quotes he offered as he left the office.

He is now sadly working elsewhere, well sad for us- probably untrammelled joy for him. But one particular thing he said to me has stuck in my mind..

We were talking about what he was planning to do later on in the evening after finishing his shift. He told me that sometimes he'll call into a local takeaway place (in Brecon, i think) and have a sneeky half pint of beer while he sits reading some local newspaper waiting for the food. And he told me that he finds such joy in a simple pleasure like this; a brief oasis of time to himself during which he sometimes found himself welling up at the happiness of it all. 

And.. I knew exactly what he meant. And it was a story that summed him up perfectly- generous spirited and open to discussing how he felt and to gently ridicule himself. And to nail in a little aside something i could really relate to.

Good man Ade, it's a shame he left.

[And a shame that the last time i saw him was on his drunken leaving do when he was cussing me and Al big style for not going to the local wine bar nite spot. Ah well]