Monday, September 26, 2022

Published Monday, September 26, 2022 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 25th September 2022

Its been a busy month or so with a lot of drinking and not too much exercise so Tuesday is the start of a healthier period I hope. Did my ride out along the Kennet and back through Mapledurham in the morning. Did the ride out past the London Brewey on Wedhesday morning. M has done 40k words of her thesis (that's half) so.....
 Had a band practice on Thursday. The new songs are coming together but not as easily as some  Went to a Norhgate (NEC) drinks evening in Bracknell. Think I only had for 4 pints. Found out that Claire is leaving. Chilled during the day on Friday. In the evening set out to see Mike Rowbottom's play, Mary Blandy. Our first train was delayed so had a long wait at Twyford for the next connection to Henley. Put back the restaurant booking for half an hour. Then discovered there was no driver for the train. Trains between Reading and Paddington were also severely disrupted because of stuff on the electric cables. In the end we decided to cut our losses and head back home. Had a great meal at the Valpy Street restaurant on the way so all was not lost. A good start to the day on Saturday, didn't get up til after midday. Covid cases are on the rise again even though its all over according to the US. Made some branflakes.
Had a good night out with Keith and Fiona at the grumpy goat. Heard some very sad news on Sunday, Robert Cox died on Friday night. He was the same age as Tom.

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Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Published Tuesday, September 20, 2022 by with 0 comment

A weekend in Greenwich and the queen's funeral.

Had a band practice on Wednesday and did some new songs. The queen was taken from Buck House to Westminister Hall to begin 4 days of lying in state. Went to watch URZ get thrashed by newly promoted Sunderland 3 0. They didn't turn up. On Thursday booked my seasonal covid booster for 3rd October. Drove over to Tom and Sally's for the Greenwich Comedy Festival with Stewart Lee. The compere was a chap called Ian Smith from Goole. All pretty good but Stewart Lee was excellent. Tom and Sally flew out to Rotterdam on Friday, it was Sally's birthday present. We had a chilled day, walked round the heath, popped into the church, had a couple of pints, cooked a meal watched telly. On Friday we went to the Cartoon Museum just off Oxford St, bus to Woolwich then Elizabeth Line to Tottenham Court Rd. Dead easy and an interesting museum. We popped into the very ornate All Saints church first.
After we helped a woman who had locked herself out of a room with all her stuff inside. She was a therapist and it was a room she'd rented from this lot. It makes you realuse how vulnerable you can easily become if you dont have access to your phone or money. Looks like Cracking Up have another gig as part of the Henley Living Advent Calander where they put on secret gigs at venues round town from 1st to 24th Dec. In the evening went to the pinzeria place in Greenwich. Lovely walk down as ever.
They are the just the best pizzas. Then went to comedy at Up The Creek.
A bit different to the Sunday night shows as it doesn't start til 9pm and the audience is quite pissed by then. Also lots of groups in, a stag do and a birthday party. So the sniping at the audience is a bit more vicious. Very funny though, particularly the compere, Thomas Green and the last act, Kane Brown. On Sunday headed out to the SE end of the Elizabeth Line, Abbey Wood and looked round the Lesnes Abbey ruins.
Then wandered round the riverside at Woolwich on the site of the old arsenal. 
Alex tweeted this film of Biden arriving for the queens funeral. We left early on Monday as M wanted to watch it on telly. Representatives from all countries except Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan were invited. Massive secutiry operation. 10,000 police involved. Portaloos and water stations along the route.
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Thursday, September 15, 2022

Published Thursday, September 15, 2022 by with 0 comment

Glasgow September 2022 and the death of the queen.

Tuesday and Wednesday were lazy days recovering and tidying away after the festival. Got to know Cracking Up have another gig at the Woodcote Food Fair on 30th October. We travelled up to Glasgow on Thursday. There had been reports about the Queen's ill health. She had invited Liz Truss to form a government at Balmoral rather than London because of that. All her children were heading up there. Margaret figured she was already dead. No update on the 6 o'clock news though but it was announced about 6 30.
A bit weird. The first time its happened in my life time and the same for many others. Charles is now king. The PM made an official announcement and he's taken the name of Charles III. The plans for her death were known as operation London Bridge but operation Unicorn if it happened in Scotland. On Friday muffled church bells were rung between 12 and 1pm. We knew this was going to happen as the bell ringers we know had been told to expect it (that is not a pun). Took madeline to the swings.
Saturday was her first birthday.
We watched the king's accession in the morning. The first time one had been televised. Proclamations of the new king will then be made all over the country including this one in Reading. Then went to lunch at Ka Pao. Chilled out in the afternoon. Madeline had calls with Kathryn, Warren and Mary Ellen and Tom and Sally. All the weekend's football has been cancelled. Went out to lunch at Dram on Sunday with friends of JAM and their 2 kids. Then to the park. Madeline tried the slide and the train tunnel as well as the swings. We watched a bit of the queen being moved from Balmoral to Edinburgh, amazing number of people out.  On Monday the queen was taken from Holyrood House to St Giles Cathedral for 24 hours lying in state. Amy got to know she's got a temporary promotion. She'll be acting up for a year. J n A went out for a meal and we celebrated with champagne when they got back. Tuesday was Madeline's first day at nusery. We walked her over with James before getting the train back. It's just the other side of the park. Very busy in London on the way back. The queen was being flown back to Northolt and then driven to Buckingham Palace. After one day at nusery Madeline is now standing up. She had done it before but didn't really seem interested in trying.
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Wednesday, September 07, 2022

Published Wednesday, September 07, 2022 by with 0 comment

End Of The Road Festival - 2022

Had a bit of a lazy day on Monday. Had a call with JAM (James, Amy and Madeline). They are all a bit better but James is still pretty rough. M cooked a very nice pear and blue cheese tart to snack at. Watched a University Challenge documentary in the evening. There were 2 clips of M's Reading team and Michael got a mention. M's birthday on Tuesday. Had a call from JAM in the morning. TnS flying back from Spencer's wedding.
Went to the lido late afternoon for M's birthday. The pool was a bit on the cool side for my liking but the hot tub was all the better for that. Had an excellent meal too. Tom was a bit ill on the way back from the big apple due to a dodgy oyster. Heard on Wednesday that Warren and Mary Ellen's flight back was cancelled so they are here for an extra day. 
We went to the EOTR festival on Thursday. Kevin and Adrienne got there early, put up their enormous gazebo and reserved us spaces. Tom, Sally, Penno, Matt, Jamie and Mary were also camping with us. Rob, Jake and his mate were camping elsewhere. 
First up were Sudan Archives, a modern/rappy/hip hoppy but with a violin.  Then Khruangbin who I've wanted to see for ages. A bit samey for a headline band but they held it together. 
Friday started with the Shovel Dance Collective who play extreme folk. About 8 of them playing a variety of instruments and singing. Then caught the end of Keg. An edgy guitar band with a trombone. 
I then went off piste and headed for the Boat stage to see Aga Ujma, beautiful voice playing an odd cello like instrument accompanied by soprano sax. I then hung around for Party Dozen from Sydney. This was another two piece, drum solo and a pogoing sax player. I fell for a false ending in their last song. The Boat is kind of like the Tipi used to be in the old days, very intimate. People were sitting and being very silent for Aga but you couldn't do that for the dozen. Then headed over to the Garden for Anais Mitchell. Very good american singer song writer.
Then Nulifer Yanya, great songs and great guitar. Some sort of jazzmaster and she also had a matching strat.
We rounded the music off with Fleet Foxes and then went to see a comedian, Mike Wozniak who made lots of references to Catholics in Luton. A very eclectic EOTR day. 
I took M to Salisbury station on Saturday morning as there was stuff she needed and stuff to do back home.. It didn't take as long as expected so got back for The Heavy Heavy who opened on the main stage. They sounded good in the sound check and were. They sound and look American but are from Brighton. Only had time for few numbers though as wanted to get over to the Garden for Margo Cilker. She's a great country singer with great songs. Every one I care for is either crazy or dead and Bilbao Precipitating to name a couple. I was hoping for a pedal steel guitar but instead just an excellent tele player. You cant have every thing. Fell for another false ending though. I really am losing my touch. Next up was Modern Woman in the  Big Top. Another band fronted by a female guitarist. Good edgy guitar based rock. Then headed over to the Boat to see John Francis Flynn, Irish folk with a bit of sax, electric guitar, drums and sampler thrown in. We would have stayed but were a bit uncomfortable sitting on stony ground so left after a few numbers. I noticed the drummer who was operating the sampler inserted a cassette into it. Modern Woman seemed to do the same. We found some heads in the woods.
The Wave Pictures had stepped in to replace someone so we watched from the back of the Garden stage. Then went to see Los Bitchos on the main stage. They are a sort female Santana (with male rhythm guitarist). Pretty good but a bit of a parody I thought. Sally then recommended Priya Ragu in the Big Top. I didn't think I'd like them at first as they are kind of modern rap/hip hoppy pop but they were excellent. Very professional with a great  guitarist called Rikki Lee, born in Malaysia and looks about 13. Then another female guitarist of a the acoustic variety Gwenifer Raymond on the Talking Heads stage. She's great but 'doesn't have a lot off' and when she snapped a string she didn't really know what to do. We then headed for The Pixies on the main stage. Got quite a way in and they kicked off with a few hits which was a good move. Unfortunately we were then joined by a group if very noisy irritating people who seemed to have very little interest in the band. Eventually we moved away which was an improvement. I joined Tom and Sally in the big top for Ross From Friends for a while. Dance music with a good lightshow. 
On Sunday I picked M up from Salisbury station. She was much refreshed. She'd had a call with JAM and found out that Warren had tested +ve when they got home. Fortunately the symptoms wre mild as he suffers from asthma. Got back in time for Jake Xerxes Fussel on the Garden stage. Great songs and finger style guitar played on an old telecaster. He's from Columbus, Georgia Y'all. Then watched Cassandra Jenkins an American singer songwriter with a bit if a Tom Petty look about her.
Then we saw The Lounge Society in the Big Top. They are an edgy guitar band. The guitarists swapped instruments a lot, including bass maybe based on who wrote the song. The main singer had a bit of a young Wilco Johnson about him. Great stuff. Then O. on the boat stage. Another sax and drummer duo. We tried to find the area in the woods where messages are written on leaves but couldn't.  However I did take a leaf to work on later.
Then Kurt Vile on the main stage who was ace. I remember seeing his set on the telly from Glasto a few years back and was really impressed. Its a bit one paced and you have to like his voice but it worked for me. Things get a bit hazy at this point. We may have gone to see Aldous Harding at the Garden stage but if we did we probably just stayed at the back. We then went back to camp for a while which was quite fortuitous as there was a massive storm while we were under the gazebo. There was then a rumour that for safety reasons that was the end of things but fortunately it wasn't and we got to see Yard Act. For me they were the best band. I like them anyway and thought it might just be the same old stuff but they've come up with some new songs which are really strong. A great finale. I should have gone to bed shortly after but ended up drinking more the going into the Tipi to catch the end of Bug Club doing a secret set. Then  more drink.....not a good way to end a brilliant festival. 
Fortunately it was dry on Monday morning for packing away and we got back just before 2pm. I must take more pictures next time. On they way back we heard that Liz Truss had been selected as the new prime minister.
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