Tempus Fugit

Curious life moments #3847
Just got a text from my eldest nephew who somehow is  now old enough to come to London on his own (with 9 mates!).
Not sure why I'm more concerned for him (though very, very, very mildly) today rather than the rest of the year. I Didn't offer any advice of where to go etc, you have to make those mistakes for yourself. Doubt he'll mope around record shops (they've all closed and kids don't buy music)  or try to eat (by mistake) a hot towel in a Chinese restaurant like I did on my first time in the smoke.
But coo that we should have lived so long!

A Spooky kinda love.

Harry's Game

All sane people love Spooks it's mad ,barking and wonderfully filmed in my backyard; I've yet to see Ros getting a cheese and onion pasty in Percy Ingles but it must be only a matter of time.

Anyway tonight we had some running around in the estuary hurrah!A bomb with a big timer hurrah! the aforementioned Ross (the must uptight middleclass  English woman ever) casually walking into a east end squat. Of course she walked past the usual dancing ravers, scary black guys and people snogging (last time I went to a squat I had some under seasoned raw ratatouille drank sloe gin and played (and won) a game of Risk!)  Hurrah!

But best of all this brilliantly daft piece of dialogue that name checks the "Whitecube Gallery"what next

"Harry they've got a bomb it's in the Chelsea Art Club, it's strapped to Lucian Freud!"

I love the theme tune but come on fellas how about this on the Christmas special.

PS: This was going to be a quick mention of Trebor Double Agents sweets (the badge shown above) until I was just checking my memory and found this entire site devoted to the double flavoured treats I love the internet I really do.

Oh so that's what they do there!

I always thought it looked slightly nefarious ! Dodgy goings on in NOHO (no change there then!)Vice. For those who don't wander down sunny goodge st it was one of London's mysterious doorways dodgier than I first thought.

Define Naive.....

Lord Myners reported in the Guardian  with respect to persuading the bankers to change their ways:  Actually on second thoughts it's just depressing. The full article by Dan Roberts

"I am disappointed at the extent to which we are meeting opposition to change from those who have been rewarded so generously in the past"

David Sedaris: I like his funnier later show

The Hottest ticket around
To Broadcasting House with the wonderful A&E (we meet  at last) to see a recording for Radio 4 of David Sedaris reading from various of his books including his diary.  Not sure the security measures were entirely necessary, taking your belt off  and having your stuff X-rayed just to see a small Greek bloke reading pithy heart warming stories is over the top.

Not sure I have much more to say about Sedaris other than if you get the chance go and see him you won't regret!
Couple of points about broadcasting house we know it looks great (sorry my pic of the church next door came out better) but considering how much they pay the senior staff could we not spend some of money ripping out the bland 1990's interior and taking the theatre back to it's art deco glory.
Oh and one minor gripe why does the BRITISH Broadcasting Company only sell  beer from Canada or hell (and curiously unlitmately Canada!)  ie. Coors and Carling, get a grip and get some Pride fellas as well.

Great Escape who's with me...

Anyone got any idea how i can avoid X-factor etc?

It's a serious question, it's started to get me really down every where I go they seem to pop up. The deeply repellent jungle thing is back with it's tedious tawdry carnival of media coverage. For example I turned on Radio 5 for some news etc. just now and they have an entire section discussing IACGMOH in length including a lengthy clip and interview with the creepy David Vanday from Dollar (I turned off quickly). But it goes on I was listening to Radcliffe and Macorni and even they end up playing the Susan Boyle version of "wild horses" does this record need any more airtime when you think of all the other music that's never been played even once.
But there's no escape I was on a job website the other day and there a horribly badly written advert with "do you have the X-factor" in the title this was for a job as finance officer with a council.

I was at social gathering the other day and basically most of the conversation I was on the edge of was based around this sort tv (that and teenage TV vampires) and in fairly intense way almost spoddy way.

Don't get me wrong I'm not expecting everyone to have the same interests as me far from  it and I'm more than happy for people to like whatever they like but why does everyone have to go on on on on about all the time oh FFS adam and joe have just started to discuss Cheryl Cole.gggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

meat balls like ma... well actually

meat balls like ma... well actually
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

We use have them out of a tin!
I was inspired by the recipe in the paper today.  I have made meatballs before and  I had most of the ingredients in so it seemed a nice idea . I didn't soak the bread just loosed the mixture with some of the pasta sauce (a tip I read about in a Scorsese's interview!) oh and I included some smoked bacon in the meatball mix which I cooked with the onions. It's a good   little recipe.
ps. Didn't have any Parmesan and I rather like cheddar.

Lisa Hannigan

Quick on the Draw.
I've been listening to Lisa Hannigan Cd a  lot after seeing her gamely playing in a downpour at lattitude and she's playing Hebden down the road from our S this week and someone they know drew this lovely poster. I thought the little film was a gem of an idea and theres some tidy drawing too. Kate Clarke obviously a top drawer!

Turning rebellion into money (Ikea sleeves)

Make me a pallet
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Ooops I did it again.
After a busy day sorting stuff out, I settled down in front of a hot internet and did some more surfing for sleeves.
I think they need to be lifestyly for best results. So many soul sleeves look too funky for the swede dime bar peddlers brochure. Also too crowded or too rocking out shots don't work to my mind. I also chose albums I have some affection for so as to gently "mock" them rather than be overly harsh.


Sadly "by all means necessary by Boogie down productions" is in B/W so can't be used to sell blinds!

 I couldn't find a good scan of More Specials and have relented on Oasis. I think Liam and Noel are so closely linked to the "Ikea generation " their  1st appearance being around the time the stores started to spread across the land . And what did many people play in their stripped down front rooms, their cd players nestling on their Billy book cases but "Definitely Maybe". There's a couple more here including Davy H's suggestion.

I do think I need to blag a copy of photoshop as my method is as a bit clunky (paint to clean up the image, word to do the paste up, snipping tool to take a screen grab and then picture viewer to crop the final pic) it's like the old days of collage making with scissors, pritt stick and piles of magazines! Anyway I'm off to listen to music rather than stare at the covers ENJOY!

Carole King sells out (sort of)

Life's rich tapestry
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Our Favourite Shop?
In the process of tiding up recently, I was as is usual sidetracked and ended up re-reading back issues of The Word. One piece I hit upon was a Paul Du Noyer review of a re-release of “Tapestry” by Carole King.

Having myself only recently bought a vinyl copy of King’s masterpiece I was pleased to see Du Noyer and I had both come to a similar conclusion. This idea being that the great music aside Tapestry’s appeal partly lies in the cover picture showing its audience a lifestyle they either already enjoyed or more importantly aspired to.

The whole Bo-ho, natural woman, cats and cushions vibe (none of which are inherently bad things); you can almost smell the camomile tea brewing! With the passage of 40 years however sadly this lifestyle has largely become diluted and appropriated by everybody’s favourite meatball selling Allen key losing comedy sketch show staple big blue and yellow sofa shed dwellers.

During these musings a potentially amusing visual collision sprung to mind and I got busy with the verdana and the umlauts (with apologies to any Scandinavian readers) and produced a catalogue of “rock star Lifestyle ideas™ you too can buy into!” There are a few more on my flickr stream.

All this clipart and modern day Letraset fun does raise two questions:
Firstly are there any more suitable lifestyle candidates to include in the next edition of the catalogue?
And more broadly which LP sleeve have you ever wished you could step into and walk around in?

We are a Godfather....

he gave me grin I couldn't refuse....

I'm the proud uncle to a small sports team of exciting, funny, daft and delightful children (some increasingly not so small) and I am also godfather to a few of them. This being said I was very proud and touched to be asked by R & E to be godfather to little A (he has a marvelously Victorian name). To this end I wandered along to Stokey for the Baptism today. It was gloriously sunny watching the personal trainers drag their reluctant wards round Clissold park amongst the damp leaves. Along Church st worshippers were scurrying under the blue sky blown clean by yesterday's winds.

The service was good too we not only saw the handmaids of god but also the hand towel and the hand gel too! After that it was tea in the park followed by pizza and photos.

Anyway not sure I have much advice for A other than general notes about  the consumption of yellow snow, and to try to avoid owning a tray purse.

But I went past Bunhill on the way to the church this morning so here's what our William (Blake that is) has to say on the subject .

And flowers and trees and beasts and men receive
Comfort in morning, joy in the noonday.

And we are put on earth a little space,

That we may learn to bear the beams of love .

Lastly it's a new week so everyone take care so we can all meet up again this time next Sunday and  why not keep a special eye on any little one's you know like A even the if they don't have as wonderful cheeky grins and smiling eyes!

In a Pickle

In a Pickle
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Here's my first go at pickling my own. I salted them first to crisp them up, made sure to use cool liquid through out (keeps the crunch better)I did try boiling my own vinegar but it fills the flat with the worst fumes!
So use the ready made sarsons stuff. Oh and get a good film to watch while you peel the tiny onions.

Now I only need to make a loaf churn some butter and curdle some cheddar and I'll have urban(e) ploughmans (i've got some decent apples)

STOP THIS CUPPCAKE MADNESS NOW

Can't remember if I mentioned this before but when the chuff did BUNS become CUPCAKES? I like a cake but all this twee cupcake B*llocks is getting out of hand. I'm not a total red meat eating boorish git but CUPCAKES for a stag do!!! 

A decent baker is a thing of joy but all this aspirational bijou bakers cack is getting out of hand it mimics (mocks) the best french food shops but is oddly not about food it's about as usual being seen, doing the trendy thing, spending money.

The campaign for real buns starts B.O.B.B BRING OUR BUNS BACK !!!

In the Kingdom of the twee

Chasing the White  Rabbit

Call off the search this must be the tweeist piece of kit to come on the market this year a Dick Bruna Miffy Mp3 player with dock.

Bruna is one of the unsung masters of pared down modernist design and this takes his ideas to the next level.

Extreme Pop

Mauby Fizzz:
Saw this nestling on the shelf in my regular grocer yesterday there was not  great deal on the  label other than  "Aniseed" in the ingredient list to let on about it's flavour.
So after a good chilling I had sip and ewww I think we'll file this under "acquired taste". It's very medicinal more so than say Pernod or even Doctor Pepper. The difference with Pernod is there's not even the promise of alcohol to make the bitterness acceptable. It's somewhat like neat Campari but with perhaps more sweetness. It's from a group of drinks from the Caribbean and seems to be from root beer fermented Ginger ale school of pop, but I'm not sure I'd try it again. First time imbibers are warned of its laxative properties according to wiki (thankfully I only managed a few sips!)

More outre pop here

A corner of a foreign field..

Acts of remembrance
I found this a while ago (which may be appropriate for today), while going through some crates of vinyl. It’s from a BBC lp from the early 70’s, at first I thought it was one of those endless military brass band lp’s but it seems to be something a bit more complex. It is a sort of sound picture of various naval activities.

 Most of the tracks are existing bits of popular music with recordings of Royal Navy personnel going through their day to day operations such as firing missiles and launching aircraft all with the tunes over the top. By today’s standards it's a little unsubtle but a nice idea, if under produced. One track is quite odd if has a choir of monks singing plain chant while we hear a missile being guided onto a drone aircraft as part of practice exercise.

Anyway the best track not unsurprisingly is by the Radiophonic workshops which mixes the account of the funeral of the Poet Rupert Brook.  It’s of its time (and seems to be narrated by Brian Sewell’s cousin) but the sound effects and music work well together. If you listen right to the end there is a final twist which adds to the complex nature of remembering  the dead of all wars.

An even bigger bang!

An even bigger bang!
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Went to some great fireworks with SA on thursday at Crystal Palace. The fair was fun too, spent our time taking snaps and soaking up the atmosphere.
Would have been perfect if they'd have had a bonfire but  London events seldom do, it's a shame as well it is bonfire night...

It was BLTP that won it!!!!

The power of the internet is rising day by day and look 6 comments on this blog and the PO tower is to re-open!

A Bit Parky!

Winter draws on
The wind seems to be determined to blow the all the leaves off in one go today and stick them with the greasy rain to the fogged up living room window, it's 10.30 in the morning and I've got the light to write this :(

Some ways to fend off winter: well I made some Parkin the other day, our S sent us this recipe from the WI baking book. I basiclly doubled up the recipe and it made 2 loaf tins worth (it's handier as this way as you just add a small tin off golden syrup and one of black treacle and don't have to weigh them out etc so everything doesn't get covered in syrup).

I used these oats because I couldn't get fine oatmeal also I like the pop art box!. Also one critism of Parkin can be that it's a mouthful of faintly gingery dry crumbs to combat this I added extra ginger and also add a splash more milk (basically if the batter not runny before it goes into teh oven it's not going to get any moister).

Also I tried to undercook it and also took it out of the tins quickly to stop it over cooking. Then all you have to do is wait at least a week for the spicey treat in it's silver foil shroud to mature and serve with some strong tea.

and because puns cheer me up he's Parky to with your Parkin.

Update:
Delayed posting this as I managed to "kill" my phone in the middle of getting the pictures off it :(  Thankfully while I was stomping round the flat looking for my old phone my new had a rest and decided to talk to me again!!! So :)