Monday, October 31, 2022

Published Monday, October 31, 2022 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus and a Cracking Up Gig - Sunday 30th October 2022

Went for swim on Monday lunchtime. Rishi Sunak will be the next PM  Had a Goolie zoom in the evening as quiz night was moved to Tuesday because of the Rugby League world cup. Cycled out to Sonning Common on Tuesday to meet Mike for a coffee. Lazy day Wednesday working on the next animation and some guitar practice. Same on Thursday but had a swim in the afternoon. Had a band practice on Friday followed by helping out with the sound at RSAC in the evening. Had some issues with the PA but Rich came up with a solution. Great gig. The Dianas, Jopy, and Doops. Ian and Fran came down on Saturday. They had taken tests before setting off. I wouldn't have thought of that. Cooked a meal played cards. On Sunday it was Cracking Up's third gig at the Woodcote Food Fair.

We were playing outside in a small tent. Saturday had been an incredibly warm day and I'd kind of assumed Sunday would be the same put it was not the case. Quite cold and then started to rain quite heavily and as the tent was leaking we had to stop playing towards the end of our first set until it cleared up. Eventually it did and we we finished about 3pm which was when the fair finished. Cold fingers made for quite a few mistakes but we were well received never the less. Our first paid gig. £100  between us.
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Monday, October 24, 2022

Published Monday, October 24, 2022 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus, PM Resigns and Robert Cox's Funeral

Did a ride out to Sonning on Monday morning and back via Sonning Common and Caversham. Did my 5 hills ride on Tuesday morning. Wednesday was mainly house tidying and started on a new animation. M's computer crashed about 6 times which has been happening a lot so ordered a new one on 0% finance. It turned up on Thursday. We wondering about how to transfer all stuff across but they've thought about that and you can do it as part of the setup. Liz Truss resigned as PM, she has been in office for less than any other PM. She'll stay until they pick another. We went to Robert Cox's funeral on Friday. A good turn out with mixture of his friends and Andy and June's. Very sad. 
The wake was at Sonning Golf Club. Had a band practice later. Went to watch URZ beat Bristol City 2 0 on Saturday. Great last goal by Andy Carroll set up by Shane Long. Rob and Anj came round for a meal in the evening. A good start to the day on Sunday, didn't get up until quarter to 1. Had a quick zoom with TnS. Boris has decided not to stand for PM probably because he didn't have enough support thank god.
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Monday, October 17, 2022

Published Monday, October 17, 2022 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus and a couple if gigs - Sunday 16th October 2022

Did a ride round the north of Reading on Monday morning. Baked some more bran cakes in the evening. Did a ride along the Thames and across to the Loddon on Tuesday morning. The artwork under the subway in Old Coley has been finished and at the moment is graffiti free.
There was also some nice stuff along the Loddon.
Dropped a cake off at Andy and June's on the way back but they weren't in. Had a hair cut on Wednesday. On Thursday I was meeting Tom and Sally in the evening in Limehouse to see Public Service Broadcasting at the Troxy so I went up early for a bit of a walk. Headed for Highgate Cemetery as if featured in the latest Strike book I've been reading. Very atmospheric, particularly the western side. 
Karl Marx is in the east as you'd expect.
This was my favourite though.
I then walked down to Islington to pick up the Regent's Canal. Not a great walk but I did help man who had collapsed. Drink had been taken. Me and a couple of others helped him to a nearby bench with his shopping. Had a crap pint of Sussex Best in the Angelic then headed for the canal. Very trendy apart from the last bit near Mile End. 
Met TnS at the Craft Brewing Co. Good pub. They don't do food but you can eat takeaways in there. Band were excellent and a great venue. It was a cinema built in 1932 and at the time was the biggest in England with a capacity of 3,500. Had to get the vomit express back unfortunately but not as bad as it used to be as longer trains. Everything shut at Paddington though. Had a band practice on Friday. The first for a while. A bit rusty as we hadn't played together for a while. On Saturday I had my first full lead soundy gig at the Rising Sun. This was for a burlesque troup called the Scarlet Vixens. It went well I think the highlight was probably Miss Kitty Pimms and Layla Cherry also gets a mention. It was a Pinktober fund raising event for Breast Cancer Now. Did probably my least favourite gardening job on Sunday, digging up ground elder. On the covid front according to the ZOE study numbers have come down but now levelling off such that 1 in 39 people have the virus.
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Monday, October 10, 2022

Published Monday, October 10, 2022 by with 0 comment

A Trip To Goole - Sunday 9th October 2000

Had my seasonal covid booster and flu jabs on Monday. On Sunday I'd had a call from Danny asking me if I fancied a trip to Goole this week. A bit short notice and not too convenient so I tried to put him off for for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately he couldn't do that so I agreed to go. Andy and June came round in the afternoon. Got the train up on Tuesday (there was a rail strike on Wednesday). All went well until I got to Doncaster and due to a problem on the line at Saltmarsh got stuck there. Had to get a train to Brough via Selby in the end. We were staying at Cave Castle in South Cave so it was actually better than going to Goole. Met up and had a pleasant meal at the hotel. On Wednesday we went to Goole for a wander round. Couldn't get on the docks unfortunately as the footoath was closed. Went to the museum in the library. Got chatting to the curator chap and it turned out his father used to work with Danny. They chatted on the phone. Tried to get to a fishing pond we used to go to called Oak Hill but couldn't. Its now a nature reserve. There isn't a hill. We went to Beverley next to try to find some of Danny's old neighbours from North Cave. He didn't have there address but I found it on Google. We couldn't get in the restaurant in the evening so ate in the Bistro. Plain sailing on the way back on Thursday. Had first Thursday drinks in the Greyfriar but just me Dave Kirkham and JR. M had her covid booster and flu jabs. Unfortunately unlike me she had a bit of a bad reaction with a temperature and sleepless night. Finished my animation on Friday. It was Tom's birthday on Saturday, we'd sent him some vinyl.
Had a call from JAM on Sunday. Madeline is pulling herself up to standing quite a lot now. Did some gardening. Cooked a chicken tikka masala.
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Tuesday, October 04, 2022

Published Tuesday, October 04, 2022 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus and Celebrity Spotting - Sunday 2nd October 2022.

Did my 5 hills ride on Monday morning. On Tuesday did my ride out through Swallowfield. There's a new footbridge called Observer Bridge over a new bit of the A427.
Here's why its called that.
On Wednesday I was going up to London to see the Big Moon so went up early to do a walk along the Grand Union canal from Greenford to Paddington. Saw Jimmy Page on Reading Station. The walk was quite interesting. Quite leafy to start with, then more industrial with a lot of new blocks of flats being built. Once you get to Kensal it becomes much more up market.
Stopped off for pint of Youngs Special at the Grand Junction Arms but it wasn't very good. I'm getting fed up of being fobbed off with crap beer. Padding Basin is quite impressive never really seen it before. Walked along the Regents Canal to Camden and then on to The Pineapple in Kentish Town to meet Tom. This chap popped in for a couple of pints with his wife.

Got the impression it may be his local. Seemed like a really nice bloke, quite happy for people to chat to him and ask for selfies. Keith, Fiona, Anna, Jack and Harry also turned up for the gig which I hadn't expected. Sally and Izzy couldn't make it. The band were really good and I liked the venue. An old theatre/cinema. M took a meal round to the Cox's earlier as they dont really feel like cooking understandably. Went for a swim onThursday afternoon and worked on my animation. Same on Friday. The animation is addictive. Hillary's youngest son is coming home with covid. She asked if we minded her comjng on Sunday's walk. I suggested she tests on Sunday morning. Went watch Reading convincingly beat Huddersfield 3 1 on Saturday folloed by Double Dot Bash at South St. It wasn't as good as it has been. Too many knob twiddlers. There were too Reading bands worth a mention, Loud As A Mouse and Masquerader, a bit shouty but good. Got a call from JAM on Sunday morning as it was James' birthday. We got him some vinyl that I hope he likes. There was then an excellent society walk organised by Stuart and Clare. Good nosh in The Butchers Arms in Sonning Common after. 
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