Did you hear about the depressed french chef?

He'd lost the huile d'olive.

Did you hear about the guy who was addicted to drinking brake fluid?

He said he could stop any time.

wheeze splutter wobble. repeat.

Today N lobbied for a trip out on the push bikes.

We rode out from the muesli belt, crossed the wye and headed out into the wilds of HR2. The postcodes in Herefordshire are divided up like this.. HR1 and HR3-10 are all north of the river. The whole rest of the county is HR2. Anything south side and you're in HR2. And that's where i could be seen wheezing and puffing up a gentle slope as we left the city. The suburb you go through is called Rotherwas. It's where they made a lot of ammunition in the war. Did I ever tell you about the factory I looked round that had a rubber floor? It was in case they dropped the bomb bits, and not in a Tim Westwood way.

We then went off-road and picked up an old disused railway and followed into Holme Lacy. The going got tough so the tough sacked off the idea of the railway and went back onto the roads. We shimmied onto a small road heading out of Holme Lacey, and made it down to Ballingham, which you can just make out on the map above (towards the left side).

Bikes locked up and down to the river we went. Picnic by the wye and then back on the bikes to the sanctuary of HR1.

Thanks for nagging me N. You were right.

sweet soft back editions

Testing out the camping kit in the garden, pre-Latitude.

bbq pdq

Saturday in the grey murk and sun

Manning the school fete barbecue

Two dads without much hair

Twiddling the controls 

Crouching over the console

Like a smoky greasy Orbital

Four cheeseburgers and two hotdogs?

Hang on a minute.

Another view on the Hopkins cd..

Have a read of what this lady has to say..

good tune here from muse..

read this book. it. is. good. i read it in pembrokeshire.

In with a chance of 'album of the year', and it's only June..

Here's some evidence that occasionally spontaneous purchases work out. I'd seen this guy at the Green Man last  year (in his duo with King Creosote) and then I read some of the write ups for this release in the music mags over the past month. It sounded promising, and I duly took a chance without having heard any of it (see previous posts on this matter). 

Wahey! Boom shackalacka.

Electroglitchno. Not my sphere, not a lot i know about it. I don't know one end of the 'scene' from another. I've heard the odd bit of door-slam-crackle-glitch and it's left me a little cold. It sounds like its all about finding interesting sounds but not actually using them in a convincing way. Some of it reminds me of those wierd electrical clicks you get with a stiff neck. I dunno, it's similar to what i think of Jazz. Impressive for it's uniqueness but not moving.

But lightnin Hopkins has done some fine work here. I've read somewhere that it's supposed to follow the story of a night out on the tiles, but i don't read it that way. To me it's close to classical. It builds nicely, adding subtle touches and with each section capturing different feelings.

And the best bits are when it drops away and some of that gentle piano noodling (as per the nils frahm from last year) sneeks in. I commend it to your ears. Fine last tune with his old mucker creosote.

The verdict from the household seems to be split on male-female lines. Me and the boy are thumbs aloft. N and C are playing the 'bit repetitive int it?" card. 

Quality.

Cooking in the governor's kitchen tonight..

Glastonbury coming up, here's a great bit from the last time i went. Increase your volume, enjoy the harmonica.

Older generations can brag about being at the cavern club or spike island, I think one of the bands around at the moment that'll really be something to say you saw will be Muse. I've been lucky enough to see them play 4 or 5 times. This show was one of their best. I was about as far back as the mixing desk and over to the right. It's camp, it's 'rock' but it lifts your soul. As one of the comments on the youtube site says.. when the crowd sing your guitar solos you know you've won.

thanks Al.

 

Just finished reading a great book. This clip has something to do with it..

This year's project..

Nasturtiums. You heard.

Chelsea flower shizzle...quake at my name, bitches.

remember the lupins?

Last year's windowsill project was the lupin production, now successfully transferred to the west end flower bed theatre.

Here's some photos to remind you of the progress from last year..

And now?

Yeeeeeehaaaa, you beautiful bastards!

In a Pembrokeshire state of mind

Freshly back from a jaunt to Pembrokeshire.

Some observations and photos will percolate through the digital caffettiere over the next few days.