recent work / holiday stuff

Some bits and pieces from the recent work trip to Fuerteventura at the start of February, including my reading material. As you can tell from the end photographs, the hotel was excellent and also empty - a great combination as far as l'm concerned.
It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

toodle pip 

my little holiday buddy

My little holiday buddy. How cute is he (or she?)

Birds love me - he / she stayed with me for ages

toodle pip

danny baker's wife at the baftas

So, tonight it's the Baftas, where the great and good come out to party. Just don't believe everything you read though, as this picture from The Mirror site apparently shows Danny Baker and his wife Bonnie. You may well think Danny is punching above his weight, until you realise that he is married to Wendy (who he has gone on about for years) and the lady in the picture is actually one of his daughters.

It will probably be changed at some time, but in the meantime, the article is here.

For his tweets about the occasion, go here

toodle pip

it's a hard life

While Britain has been freezing during the last week, l've been off to sunny foreign climes with work, and as you can see by the picture, staying in a  fancy hotel, getting a tan.
It's a hard life.

toodle pip

At long last l'm back!!

Haven't posted for ages as l have been having some issues with the blog and a widgetserver link but it all seems fine now - so new posts will follow very soon.

Hurrah!!

Jamie

angry looking magpie in australia

I've only just seen this, but think it's a great picture / screenshot.
A Magpie in Queensland Australia swooping on a biker, which was captured superbly on their GoPro.
It looks annoyed!

Here's the full video



toodle pip

listening to country music - it's great!!

While l've been off and cooking (see last post), l've also been listening to a fair amount of country music. But some of the less popular stuff (see screenshot below of the latest plays). It may well be that l'm getting older, but take it from me, l still love rowdy stuff. It's just good to have a change now and again and open your ears and mind to something different.
There's a couple of really good documentaries that feature this 'Outlaw / Outsider' country - Heartworn Highways and Heartworn Highways Revisited, sadly, not featuring a personal favourite of mine, Todd Snider.
Anyway, here's a clip l've put up more than once, the magnificent Townes Van Zant with 'Waiting around to die' (starts one minute in), plus some other corkers for you deification.



Larry Jon Wilson - Ohoopee River Bottomland (starts properly about 5.45)



John Prine and Bonnie Raitt - Angel from Montgomery



Guy Clark  -  LA Freeway



Todd Snider - Conservative Christian....



Here's an old classic that l grew up listening to - Marty Robbins - El Paso

toodle pip

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Stuffing my face

Mmmmmm

After abusing myself (for a change) over my Birthday Weekend celebrations, instead of cracking on with something like finishing off the painting that needs doing, l'm now stuffing my face and cooking some splendid meals.

Secret ingredient? 

Honey!

toodle pip

mick jagger is 75

It's Mick Jagger's 75th Birthday today. A thought that should make any rock fan feel old.
Rather sadly, when l saw them in 1982 l thought they were a bunch of old gits living on past glories.
He was 38 at the time, and looked like this....possibly on their last tour.
How wrong l was.

Remember him this way





toodle pip

england's cunning plan for penalties

If England do go to penalties against Columbia (or later in the tournament) .....A cunning plan

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hyungkoo lee - the objectuals

To celebrate South Korea knocking out Germany in the World cup, and to take my mind off the life sapping England v Belgium 'game', here's Korean artist Hyungkoo Lee's 'The Objectuals'. 
They're strangely disturbing

 

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a bad attitude bird

Rather like me, this bird doesn't follow orders!!

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my hideous children

Thinking about Elvis and Las Vegas (post below), reminded me of these monstrosities which were done in hotel photo booths in Vegas a few years ago. They photograph you and your partner, and then mix it up a bit to supposedly show what your children would look like.

Put me off having kids, l can tell you - it'd be like The Village of the Damned.

toodle pip

mark anderson's cat at work

This is the sort of job l would like

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this is elvis at darlington hippodrome 25 june 2018

I went to see 'This is Elvis' at Darlington Hippodrome on Monday, and l have to admit, it was pretty damn good, with Steven Michaels doing an excellent turn as Elvis Presley. It started with the '68 special black leather recording, and finished with a white jump suited Las Vegas performance. 

I've been to Gracelands in the past, but this is as close as l've ever got to seeing him, and much better than previous Elvis impersonators l have seen.

Despite the attendants trying to stop people taking photos etc, l also managed to film a bit, including a bit of funny banter from the audience.

Enjoy!

toodle pip

some batman graphic novels

Through a work assignment, I recently found myself in Richmond library for the first time in ages, and while l was pottering around in there, decided to get out some recent (ish) Batman Graphic novels for a bit of light reading.
I used to read a lot of Batman comics when l was younger, but haven't followed his exploits for years, although l have occasionally dipped my toe in the water. Therefore l was completely out of touch with developments reading these, but all can be read as stand alone stories.
Here's some thoughts on them. More scans from all of them can be found here. 

Batman and Robin

I still think of the old Dick Grayson Robin with Batman, but this has Damian's (a new one) story, and includes other older Robins, plus the rivalry between them.
Damian (as you would expect) is a bit of a bastard, but the story ending is pretty moving, especially if your a blubbery (in more ways than one) old sap like me. Very well written.
I know Batman has had cars and flash weapons at his disposal over the years, but to me, what makes him different, is he is just a normal guy who has trained himself to fight crime. Even Spiderman was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained powers. They should leave flying off into space to other superheroes, otherwise Batman will become just like them, and it dilutes his original appeal.

Batman  Heart of Hush

Batman's story of his long friendship and later battle with Tommy, plus a love story with Selina (not Tommy).

Also pretty moving, and interesting to someone like me who didn't know the back story.

Batman   RIP

Batman loses his marbles - what more do you want?

Also very well written

Batman   Gordon of Gotham

I was pretty sceptical of this one, as l'm not too keen on too many spin offs, but it was pretty good, especially the end parts when Gordon struggles with right and wrong moral decisions, but l preferred the other books.

I originally typed l preferred the other boobs instead of books by mistake -  a classic Freudian slip up!!

toodle pip

two lottery wins in the bag (hopefully)

That's me sorted for tonight and tomorrow - if l don't win both tonight's £24 million and tomorrows £13.6 million, l will be mightily pissed off.

Always hope for the best !!

toodle pip

EDIT 17.6 - DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMNNNNN!!!!!!

steve harley at tenants, leyburn

A new experience was had last night - myself and a friend went to see Steve Harley at Tenants Garden Rooms in Leyburn and it was the oldest and richest looking audience we've ever been part of. Apart from the rich bit, no wonder we fitted in.
Rather impressively, it was a charity event for Breast Cancer, and Steve and his band (plus all crew, support band etc) did the show for nothing, so l will let off the venue for having such lousy tickets and seats that aren't numbered. Let's hope Tenants waived the cost of hiring the room on the night to join in with the spirit of generosity.

And here's my favourite Steve Harley song - The Best Years Of Our Lives

European maids, hard to ignore
You, me and the boys, barred from the shore
Fresh-faced imbeciles laughing at me
I've been laughing myself, is that so hard to see ?
Do I have to spell each letter out, honestly ?
If there's no room for laughter, there's no room for me, for me
Try looking at you rather than me
No truth is in here, it's all fantasy
Since the last time we met I've been through
About seven hundred changes and that's just a few
And the changes all tend to be something to do
But you've got to believe that they're all done for you, for you
Oh you'll think it's tragic when that moment first arrives
Oh but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives
Lost now for the words to tell you the truth
Please banter with me the banter of youth
If I knew how to say it, I would say it for you
If I knew how to whisper, I'd whisper for you
If I knew how to waltz, I'd get up and dance for you
If I thought I could run, I'd come running to you, to you
I've discovered now how to be fair
This I could teach you if only I dare
The only conclusion that I've reached in my life
Is that if I should die, I should die by the knife
Since it's only a matter of courage, all right
Die a man or a martyr, the two would be nice, so nice
Oh you'll think it's tragic when that moment arrives
Oh, oh but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives
Oh you'll think it's tragic when that moment first arrives
Oh, oh but it's magic, it's the best years of our lives

toodle pip