meal out at the bannatyne hotel

We met up with Robbo and Kerry yesterday for a meal at Bannatyne's, and a catch up with what has been happening. It was a decent meal, even though the FPO gave us her beef as it was making her feel sick. It was cooked fine, she just had memories of being ill with beef in the past that put her off. The place was OK, and the staff very helpful, but l was cursing as l got nagged into wearing a shirt, while Robbo had a Thor t shirt on. Last time l listen to her.

Called in JT's on the way back, then a quiet night in watching TV and pratting about on the computer.

Making the most of today as l have the place to myself until 10pm, so l am chilling out.

Bliss.

toodle pip

the flatiron building

This is one impressive building, and there are a lot to chose from in New York. This picture of The Flatiron Building was taken in about 1903. I would have loved to have had the chance to be wandering around New York in those days (although the FPO would probably say l am so old, l could have done so). What a great place.

toodle pip.

sand sculpture no 486

Now l like my sand sculptures - l think they are great.

This one goes back a bit though, it's from New Jersey in 1908.

I don't think it is still there now, so don't go looking for it.

toodle pip

reading festival 1977

My first ever festival. I hitch hiked from Catterick (North Yorkshire), to Watlington (in Oxfordshire), and got a taxi to Robin Collins, my mate's house in Lewknor. We then got a bus to the festival (if l remember correctly).

It had been raining a lot the week before, and the site was mighty muddy and pretty damn wet. It didn't improve over the weekend, and in the end, you just have to resign yourself to the fact you are going to have to put up with it. Character building stuff, no wonder l am soooo hard.

Highlights for me were Aerosmith, Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Sensational Alex Harvey band, Thin Lizzy and Lone Star. I took a tape recorder with me and managed to get a semi decent recording of Aerosmith, but most of the recordings were rubbish, as it was an old piano key control one that l just lifted in the air.

God knows how l managed to hitch back Oop North afterwards, but l obviously did so, as l am here to tell the tale (although it has not taken me 34 years, l was back on the Monday afterwards (l think).

I must have enjoyed it though, despite the conditions, as, (like the idiotic gullible fool l am), l returned the following year, when the weather was (thankfully) a lot better..

Happy days.

toodle pip

hot shito

Er...No thanks, l'm not hungry.

toodle pip

this does not look right - part 494

I have no problem with gays.

I have no problem with gay marriage.

I have no problem with gays adopting.

But just have a gander at Elton's face.

I know he is happy, but that is going to be one very traumatised (and very rich) baby.

toodle pip

this does not look right - part 490

No wonder l am so disturbed, considering all the comics l have read over the years.

toodle pip

too much of a good thing

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. This is just silly.

toodle pip

the secret in their eyes (2009)

This film was great. An Argentinian film about a murder, that also involves a love story. El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in their Eyes) won the Oscar for best foreign film and it deserves it. Excellent stuff, a bit slow, but l like that. When a girl is murdered, the case gets closed, but the murderer is hunted down and caught, but then set free. The murdered girls partner keeps looking for him and deals with it in his own way, while the main characters finally admit they have fallen in love. It even has the odd funny bit in it.

toodle pip

todd snider - ballad of the kingsmen

I love Todd Snider

Lots

toodle pip

crazy sheep

Where did l put my drugs?

toodle pip

blondie and the doors - lady gaga and judas priest

A couple of decent mashups to start the day

toodle pip

alamo cinemas

This is my kind of cinema - you can't use phones and they also use irate ex customers as advertising.

Superb stuff.

toodle pip

back again

Hurrah! Back again!

The bloody blog wouldn't let me sign in again last night.

It's driving me up the wall at the moment

Still, things could be worse, l could be married or something

Just remembered

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

toodle pip

more spider news - the darwin's bark spider

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Darwin's Bark Spider.

This little terror (and praise the good lord Keith that he is little) spins the strongest spider web known.

And it's a big web.

Very very big.

And strong.

Very very strong.

I am going for a lie down now, as l feel a bit faint.

toodle pip

spiders in the trees in pakistan

Spiders! I really really hate them. Not only that, l am scared of them (the two facts are probably related).

One place l do not want to go at the moment is Pakistan, as during all the flooding the country has had, the spiders buggered off up the trees and must have decided to stay there for a bit.

It makes me shudder to think how many could be up in those branches, and l certainly do not like all the webs around the trees, it's like out of some really disgusting horror movie.

Someone should set them all on fire.

My worst nightmare would be having to stand under them while they were shaken.

I would die of shock and cowardliness.

Bastards!

toodle pip

the pleasure seekers 1968

Can you see who that is dancing her little socks off?

Only bleedin' Suzi Quatro (with her sisters), that's who.

toodle pip

hanoi rocks 1984 tour - newcastle mayfair

This takes me back a bit, that's for sure.

I went to see Hanoi Rocks (and Johnny Thunders) at the Mayfair in Newcastle in 1984 and bought one of these t shirts to pose in when l got back home.

I ended up cutting the sleeves of mine, but l still have it, and now the FPO wears it.

It's still a lot cooler than the standard Motorhead or Rolling Stones 'lips' ones that 'some girls' tend to wear.

Although l was/am not adverse to wearing stupid clothes and make up, l certainly felt a bit dressed down at the show, as there were a lot of peacocks there (yes yes - l know - l should have fitted in then etc etc).

At least I also went backstage to see the band after the show - hurrah!

Now l spend my life on the computer - how the mighty have fallen.

toodle pip

this does not look right - part 483

Something amiss here l'd say..

toodle pip

ageing photographs - from young to old comparrisons

I can't remember where l got these photographs from but they show the ageing process in all it's wonderful, unstoppable glory.

Luckily l still don't look a day over 21 (although that could have something to do with my cataracts and senility).

toodle pip

family guy - peter griffin on red bull

We have all been there after too many stimulants.

Ahh... happy days

toodle pip

the opposite of tubbs

Tubbs, our idiot of a rabbit would never be able to pose for an advert like this. For sleeping tablets or stupid pills, no problem.

toodle pip

tom cruise height gain

How does he manage to do it? in his wedding photograph he is taller than his bride (forgotten her name and can't be bothered looking it up). When he is out and about with her, she is taller than him. It's magic!

toodle pip

call the cops - l'm being snatched

When l was a little toddler, we moved to Kenya for a bit. Now l don't remember anything from that time as l am an old and simple man, but looking at this photograph of me that has recently turned up, l was struck by a strange thought (no surprise there), which was....

'Who the hell is the woman in the photo?' l really have no idea at all, it's certainly not a relative.

l clearly look happy enough - maybe she was trying to rescue me but eventually got caught. lt takes me back to the time l went with my father to the dentist to get a tooth removed. l was given gas and therefore unconscious during the procedure. When l woke up (in agony with my mouth filling with blood), the dentist said "Here's your father to take you home". Only one problem. It was not my father as he had buggered off to the pub and got a mate to pick me up and take me home. l did say "That's not my father" (as l didn't even know who the bloke was), but as l had just come round from the anaesthetic, l was ignored by the dentist and sent on my (confused) way. So much for child protection, it's lucky he was a mate of my dad, who did meet us outside (the drunken git).

london 100 years ago

It's hard to believe that these photographs were only taken about 100 years ago. Then again, it is the slum/working class areas, not the posh ones. The posh houses look about the same as now, but lets face it, most politicians didn't really care that much about the poor unless they became a nuisance by thieving, smelling or getting sick (or generally being an eyesore).

Not that much has changed since then, especially with all the posh boys in power.

Eat the rich.

toodle pip

david bowie - tvc15 with ruby flipper

Watching Top of the Pops from 1976 the other night, l was amazed and slightly delighted by this performance of David Bowie's hit of the time 'TVC15', which was 'interpreted' by the dance combo of the show, Ruby Flipper. What a load of old tosh. I have performed better routines than that while being drunk, staggering around my living room, and falling over the cat or rabbit. No wonder punk had to happen (and that's without the performances of Tina Charles, who l hated).

toodle pip

bruce springsteen - born to run photos

By jove he was one cool mutha at the time. The photographs were taken by Eric Meola and are certainly iconic.

toodle pip

clever advert for oxy spot cream

l like clever adverts and l like illusions. Great stuff (yet very simple). Click on it to enlarge first.

toodle pip

charles and harry (plus one)

My thoughts on this are well known around these parts. If the poshos had been working class it would all have been about 'the breakdown of society' and people 'like them' shouldn't be 'breeding' in the first place. Eat the rich.

toodle pip