Our W and I have been at again on a shared film this time (with some graphical help by A) anyway enjoy!
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Friday, 25 December 2009
Thursday, 24 December 2009
HAPPY CHRISTMAS
ADVENT 24
I am blessed with many good friends some old some new. I hope you have a great time over the next few days what ever you get up to. Thanks to all my pals on the web for their insight, jokes, pictures, entertainment and especially music. My store of mp3S has been boosted in quality this year by you all a great deal am genuinely very thankful cheers.
Here's a little thank you. I learnt how to record stuff of I player the other day using audacity so here's Richard Hawley from Lauren Laverne bbc 6 music show live session 16th dec 2009. Doing Silent Night and Blue Christmas. check out the guy playing the saw.
BLUE CHRISTMAS ; RICHARD HAWLEY
SILENT NIGHT
Wednesday, 23 December 2009
advent 23: the best dressed snow man in Saville row
James Harris shop window is Saville row loads of recycled council street decorations, it's a bit knowing but great to see them up close and personal.
Come back Tomorrow for some Christmas Pressies.
Come back Tomorrow for some Christmas Pressies.
Advent 21: sushi night
It's our little tradition. Yoshino just off regent st. was really good too and very friendly
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Advent 19: Golden treats
Went to A&R's excellent party has extensive debate about the Double issue Radio Times and it's place in Yuletide Tradtion and the socio-economic standing of Turkey crowns oh and some mulled wine perfect!
Friday, 18 December 2009
Advent 18: The Christmas Armistice on Hoth
Make Lego Not war.
Reports vary but it’s believed that early on 25th the laser cannons stopped firing and the Mighty AT-ATs ground to a halt and a strange quiet fell across the Ice plateaus of Hoth, a silence only broken by the distant cry of a Tauntaun.
And then after a few minutes lone figures started to move tentatively out into “no-man’s land” and walk slowly and careful across the snow. When they were a few yards apart they stopped seemingly stunned by what was happening and then one orange figure removed his glove and offered a hand to a white figure opposite him. Slowly they moved towards each other watched by a thousand cautious eyes and then their hands met and they shook hands and then embraced.
All along the front the same event was quickly repeated, soon former enemies where laughing and joking swapping holographs of sweet hearts and sharing flasks of synthi-mac and bites to eat. After a few minutes a game of football broke out played amongst the smoking wrecks of snow speeders and the helmets and worse of fallen comrades.
All the time no one believed it could happen and then regretfully as the sun slipped behind the peaks final hands where shaken and arms patted and perhaps one and last final swigs (from almost empty) flasks taken and slowly and regretfully (with the odd wistful backward glance) the former foes returned to their respective “sides” of that lonely desolate frozen plain.
This Christmas remember its good will to ALL men (even those cloned from Jango Fett!)
Let’s hope peace can break out everywhere both here and in a Galaxy far far away
And remember as always
Reports vary but it’s believed that early on 25th the laser cannons stopped firing and the Mighty AT-ATs ground to a halt and a strange quiet fell across the Ice plateaus of Hoth, a silence only broken by the distant cry of a Tauntaun.
And then after a few minutes lone figures started to move tentatively out into “no-man’s land” and walk slowly and careful across the snow. When they were a few yards apart they stopped seemingly stunned by what was happening and then one orange figure removed his glove and offered a hand to a white figure opposite him. Slowly they moved towards each other watched by a thousand cautious eyes and then their hands met and they shook hands and then embraced.
All along the front the same event was quickly repeated, soon former enemies where laughing and joking swapping holographs of sweet hearts and sharing flasks of synthi-mac and bites to eat. After a few minutes a game of football broke out played amongst the smoking wrecks of snow speeders and the helmets and worse of fallen comrades.
All the time no one believed it could happen and then regretfully as the sun slipped behind the peaks final hands where shaken and arms patted and perhaps one and last final swigs (from almost empty) flasks taken and slowly and regretfully (with the odd wistful backward glance) the former foes returned to their respective “sides” of that lonely desolate frozen plain.
This Christmas remember its good will to ALL men (even those cloned from Jango Fett!)
Let’s hope peace can break out everywhere both here and in a Galaxy far far away
And remember as always
Make Lego Not war.
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Art Yule either love or......
Christmas Art Review!!
Jonathan Jones is attempting to disappear up his fundament in this piece in the paper today .
here's him taking about a Christmas Tree by Tactita Dean.
Those pesky artists are at it re-imagining the nativity elsewhere in the paper (as they do) Mr Parr is back on form with his and there's some others including John Squire from T'Roses.
All well and good but if you want the Christmas story interpreted look no further than Family BLTP's latest Auteur Our W. The boy's really got something he just disappears to his room to make these film on his playstation (which is very cool). Look out for the tantrum from king Herod played of course by a robot!
Jonathan Jones is attempting to disappear up his fundament in this piece in the paper today .
here's him taking about a Christmas Tree by Tactita Dean.
Unpretentious, melancholy, exact, Dean's Christmas tree lightly brushes against themes of transience, reality and truth that are at the heart of her workMs Dean's artistic breakthrough is lighting it with candles, which sounds really nice but the likes of Jones do her no favours with nonsense like this. Surely you can say you just like a Christmas tree without too much guff.
Those pesky artists are at it re-imagining the nativity elsewhere in the paper (as they do) Mr Parr is back on form with his and there's some others including John Squire from T'Roses.
All well and good but if you want the Christmas story interpreted look no further than Family BLTP's latest Auteur Our W. The boy's really got something he just disappears to his room to make these film on his playstation (which is very cool). Look out for the tantrum from king Herod played of course by a robot!
Advent 15: Carousel
Of course fairs don't look like this, the camera has given us this other world that we can't see, it's a pretty one to my mind. There was the smell of chestnuts and candy floss blowing across Leicester square while I faffed around taking this shot (s) and all the time these two geezers put the world to rights in their big leather coats.
Monday, 14 December 2009
Hot New Steamy Video.....
If you're ever in Tottenham (yeah I know It's unlikely!) but the Markfield Beam Engine is worth a trip, (you need to go on a steam day check the website) and you can have a wander down the Lea and feed the ducks!
Advent 14: Old Gold
Had a lovely weekend, went for a pint with my godson, watched the sun go down, then went to an excellent party.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Is this what you're looking for..sir?
Lost & Found
Several months ago I went to put on a shirt for work and scrabbled around in my little bowl of change and cufflinks only to find one of the links was missing. I had a good search but to no avail.
Anyway I was laden down with shopping just now and dropped my keys while opening the downstairs door and there in the gravel was my cufflink! Hurrah!
Several months ago I went to put on a shirt for work and scrabbled around in my little bowl of change and cufflinks only to find one of the links was missing. I had a good search but to no avail.
Anyway I was laden down with shopping just now and dropped my keys while opening the downstairs door and there in the gravel was my cufflink! Hurrah!
Don't forget the Joker!
Street cards!
Hurray out and about just now I found this beauty in the street! A slightly sozzled joker.
Hurray out and about just now I found this beauty in the street! A slightly sozzled joker.
Advent 10: Last minute gift ideas?
Dear Santa,
I've been really good this Christmas I would like some Off road secure parking solutions and a Silver members unlimited multi user pass......
I've been really good this Christmas I would like some Off road secure parking solutions and a Silver members unlimited multi user pass......
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Advent 9: It's that record again.
I saw this the other day in the Cancer research and couldn't leave it there, don't they look young and fresh faced!
The b-side "Don't blame me" is the loudest song ever recorded!
Here's Thea Gilmour's modern take on this theme That'll be Christmas as full of mdern yule as Noddy's was in it's time.
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Advent 8: The Strangely Existential Bleakness of Supposedly Cheery Baked Goods
Advent 8: The Strangely Existential Bleakness of Supposedly Cheery Baked Goods
Originally uploaded by bltphoto
Monday, 7 December 2009
Advent 7: Long Lights Carnaby St.
went a bit abstract for this one. Got a few looks from pressie shoppers, trying to snap these in puddles sadly my auto focus couldn't geta sharp shot.
Global Editorial :please read this
If you've not done already you should take the time to read this Global editorial. Climate change global warming call it what you will is serious problem perhaps the most serious, but the changes we all need to make need not be as terrible as people make out and unless we make a start they are only going to get worse.
Global Editorial
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.
Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year's inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world's response has been feeble and half-hearted .Read it in full here
Global Editorial
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.
Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year's inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world's response has been feeble and half-hearted .Read it in full here
Sunday, 6 December 2009
Shadows & Sunsets
Parklife :an ongoing series
(that builds into a handsome volume you’ll want to keep).
After a heavy downpour this morning the sky was the colour of Franny Lee’s home kit and the sun surprisingly warm just now. The rowans along with the other trees have now lost most of their leaves and even most of their berries have gone too.
On the grass a Turkish family were playing a young girl (8?) and her older brother were kicking about a football. She was wearing a cycling helmet and inline skates (and dressed in the hues of bad pick ‘n’ mix: flump pink blending into fruit salad orange and then sourz apple green and back to pink). The girl’s skates were aiding her in the latest of clattering tackles, it was completely guileless and her brother (controversially in a Man U top and Arsenal tracky bottoms) was taking it in good heart, hopping around one-leggedly holding his bruised shin making mock howls and laughing his sister giggling away. When he had the ball, he could easily nutmeg or sell her a dummy but every so he would let her win the ball back. Eventually the ball spun my way and for a change I managed not to slice it into the hedge and it rolled back to them and they cheerily thanked me.
The sun was now barely over the top of the new flats and the kid’s mum rounded them up and they wandered off in the lengthening shadows. I hung around a little while longer before the heat of the weak sunlight on my face was defeated by the chill of the stone bench beneath me.
I’m fairly sure all the faff and expense of Christmas is worth it just to ensure the sun comes back every spring!!
Advent 6: The day Mary left Jesus on the bus....
Gold , frankincense and Tat
Organised religion responsible for the original and best tat for 2009 years!
Organised religion responsible for the original and best tat for 2009 years!
Not making a Pigs Ear of it!
Well that was fun: on Friday we wandered along to Hackney mare St for the “Pigs Ear beer festival” all part of the celebrations of PB’s beer writer of the year award. The Pigs Ear bit is rhyming slang for erm beer (yeah me neither). It was being held at the Ocean (I’ve not been there since it first opened and we went to see Godspeed You Black Emperor) and it looks a bit tired and knackered after only a few years. Oh and don't let the \m/ sub Motorhead Logo put you off it's not that way at all.
I am always slightly wary about beer festivals mainly because they are organised by Camra a worthy organisation in many ways but they do rate pubs mainly on the beer they sell which isn’t my main deciding factor by a long chalk. Also as our friend JP pointed out the festival bit tends to get a bit lost often. My other main gripe about Beer festivals is the lack of seats, I’ve always hated drinking standing up. Thankfully we got a seat fairly quickly and a near perfect time was had by all.
Amongst the many good things were as follows: my jolly & funny friends, PB and JP wandering off and coming back with excellent beers and the friendly atmosphere. Curiously because we were sat near the “foreign”* beer bar we had a lot of lagers etc from German, Danish which were all in good condition and nicely chilled. Fraid I can’t remember their names I’m not that bothered about that sort of thing also many of them you are unlikely to see again in a hurry. We did have some nice British stouts and milds too. The odd thing about beer festivals is that unless you really want to its quite easy not to drink too much if like us you stick to tasty halves.
Another good thing was the mix of people there, they weren’t a complete mix of Hackney types but it was one of the more diverse beer festivals I’ve been to. There was an inclusive mix of young and old, black and Asian people etc and most surprisingly lots of women of all kinds! The air was filled with the hubbub of people chatting and laughing and apart from the odd ticker** most were probably talking about their works Xmas do, X-factor you know anything but beer. Anyway if you in the area next year at this time I would wander along to Pig ear it’s a very jolly and tasty night out.
* Camra attitude towards lager is a bit tedious and technical and lost on the lay person they claim to want to attract. They are not keen on fizzy beers basically and can’t see the difference between a fine Bavarian craft lager and Hoffmeister.
**”Tickers” are beer obsessive similar to train spotters and twitchers who have lists of beer they taste and tick off, there is general feeling that their hobby may get in the way of them just enjoying you know drinking beer!
Sorry for any inconvenience
Had to put word verification doo dah on as was getting spam almost hourly. Think it's because I'm the last blog not to bother. Sorry if it's a pain.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Advent 5 Bright lights of Hackney
Year round festive fun
These trees look very christmassy my friend tells me they are always like that but any how.
They remind of the scene in "Dirty Pretty Things" where Audrey TauTou's character wants to move to NY because they have trees covered in light bulbs erm Senay Gelik (I looked it up) like the one's on Euston road, or outside the Dorchester next to the Hotel you clean or Hackney where you live tee hee Posh Hamptsead writer FAILL....
These trees look very christmassy my friend tells me they are always like that but any how.
They remind of the scene in "Dirty Pretty Things" where Audrey TauTou's character wants to move to NY because they have trees covered in light bulbs erm Senay Gelik (I looked it up) like the one's on Euston road, or outside the Dorchester next to the Hotel you clean or Hackney where you live tee hee Posh Hamptsead writer FAILL....
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Fantastic Breaking News:
Top news just winged it's way via twitter the writer formerly know as Britain's Leading Beer Writer is now officially the Best Beer writer in Britain (which Belgium Czech and Germany aside ) is really in the world! He won the Guild of beer writers award , To say it;s well deserved is on understatement!
Anyway Pete bloody well done.
Oh and if you want to know what the fuss is about you can buy one of his books.
a Man walks in to a Pub (history of British pubs)
or 3 sheets to the wind (exotic booze) and his magnum opus (so far) Hops and Glory the lunatic tale of taking a barrel of beer to India by sea.
Oh and here's his beer blog.
Advent 3: It's that boy again!
Little Drummer Boy Year 3!!
A timely reminder of the world's most popular indie rock clockwork toy Christmas film. It's continued popularity is a source of much pleasure (a nice chap from Germany took the time to say hello last night much better than the stream of spam I've been getting from Russian round here lately). Enjoy!
A timely reminder of the world's most popular indie rock clockwork toy Christmas film. It's continued popularity is a source of much pleasure (a nice chap from Germany took the time to say hello last night much better than the stream of spam I've been getting from Russian round here lately). Enjoy!
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Low light
Advent 2:
The ghostly winter sun
washes empty trees
giving them shape
NB: the picture is much better than it looks here click on it for best results!
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Have you got Marc mania?
I was slightly distractedly going through some crates of singles yesterday. They seemed to belong to the dullest former wedding dj going (loads of 80’s tat, bad disco). Anyway towards the back of one the boxes was a few inches of early 70’s stuff (most of which I’d already got) and then I saw a brown cardboard cover with magically Marc Bolan framed in middle behind the wrinkled cellophane.
Now I always like any record cover with personal adornments on them even just to read for a moments and put back in the crate. But slipping the disc out of the musty envelope it turned out to “solid gold easy action” b/w “born to boogie”* so how could I put it leave it there.
Getting home (20 whole p the poorer) I noticed the Bolan pictures had writing on the back. So carefully taking them off you can see that one was the “letters” page above probably from “Marc Magic Monthly” or similar.
And then strangely across the years some universal truths where born out**.
Anne from Birmingham is right everyone should have a Marc wig. Carol from Hull is right too. Marcia from London maybe made up but Ms Brand of Nottingham is of course more than right and Jane Dee final line is as ever very true “Marc you were wonderful”.
Oh and for those of you for whom these things matter. The run out groove messages are “Bobil’s last” “wobily nib” and “ray’s first”
*they packed the value into singles in the olden days.
**Even if they are made up by some hard pressed sub!
Now I always like any record cover with personal adornments on them even just to read for a moments and put back in the crate. But slipping the disc out of the musty envelope it turned out to “solid gold easy action” b/w “born to boogie”* so how could I put it leave it there.
Getting home (20 whole p the poorer) I noticed the Bolan pictures had writing on the back. So carefully taking them off you can see that one was the “letters” page above probably from “Marc Magic Monthly” or similar.
And then strangely across the years some universal truths where born out**.
Anne from Birmingham is right everyone should have a Marc wig. Carol from Hull is right too. Marcia from London maybe made up but Ms Brand of Nottingham is of course more than right and Jane Dee final line is as ever very true “Marc you were wonderful”.
Oh and for those of you for whom these things matter. The run out groove messages are “Bobil’s last” “wobily nib” and “ray’s first”
*they packed the value into singles in the olden days.
**Even if they are made up by some hard pressed sub!
Advent day1: What I really don't want for Christmas
It's that time again.
The return of the "well it keeps me off the streets exctiing photo series".
So what would you have on your cushion?
The return of the "well it keeps me off the streets exctiing photo series".
So what would you have on your cushion?
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