From 2017, tales of odd encounters in public toilets… An (in) convenience truth As one possessed of what is disparagingly known as a ‘gill bladder’ – which is to say that my powers of retention are somewhat below average – I have extensive direct experience of public conveniences all over the world, and during my…
This week for Song Lyric Sunday we are asked to feature a song that involves a family member. This was the first idea that popped into my head. I had to check that I hadn’t used it before, and happily I haven’t. A staple of Grateful Dead live shows throughout their career, this bouncy little…
Yeah, right… What is suduku? Doing mental arithmetic in the bath. What is a vagabond? A financial security not worth the paper its printed on. What is an anagram? Magrana. What is cribbage? The act of copying someone else’s homework. What is protocol? A new low. What is subterfuge? Playing classical music on an underground…
From 2017, here’s a list and it’s about music rather than a feeble attempt at humour – just for a change. You Can’t Touch This Most songs are ‘covered’, in the sense that they are performed by someone other than the writer/composer themselves. Some songs are so popular that they get to be covered by…
SLS this week has proved to be a bit of a tricky one for me. Jim is looking for a song by an artiste I have just discovered. Fair enough, but the problem is that there aren’t any I could think of. That’s because almost all contemporary popular music leaves me cold. For research purposes…
From 2015, another musing on my impractical nature… Master of none So, have you missed me? It’s been almost a fortnight since my last post. No? Thought not. I blame the good weather. Not that I have any objection to seeing the sun shine, but it does bring with it certain time-consuming responsibilities in the grass-cutting…
So, who do we know from the world of music who was born in the month of April? Quite a few artistes, as it turns out, although most of them, it must be said, have passed me by. Nonetheless, there were some worthy nuggets that panned out. One in particular called to me, however: Jack…
Vraiment?…… Why do we have Easter Eggs? Because of a plot for world domination involving John Cadbury, Joseph Rowntree and Milton S Hershey. What makes a Hot Cross Bun? Five minutes in the oven at Gas Mark 4. Why do we have a bunny at Easter? As a tasty alternative to the more traditional roast…
From 2014, on the two-edged sword that is school Speech Day….. Alma Mater “You’ve been asked to speak at your high school alma mater – about the path of life. Draft the speech.” Firstly, let me say that I am greatly honoured to have been invited to talk to you all on my old school’s…
“Everything all the time” I mean, it’s good to have something a bit on the highbrow side as an inspiration for Song Lyric Sunday every so often, but I hadn’t reckoned on an excursion into Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theories as a theme for this week. More specifically, Jim is seeking a song about ‘exhibiting instinctual…
From as recently as 2017, my take on ‘social media’… T(w)itter ye not ‘Social Media’. Harrumph. Why am I even talking about this? Because WordPress ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts wants to know, that’s why: “The social network. Do you feel like you ‘get’ social media, or do you just use it because that’s where…
It’s all about the drugs this week for Song Lyric Sunday. This could include alcohol and tobacco and even other legal substances, but as this was the first song that came to mind when I saw the prompt, I’m going with it. This was originally released on ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ in 1967, the…
Bottom of the pops….. ‘I want to know what love is’ Millwall FC supporters club ‘Money, money, money’ The Old Ladies of Threadneedle Street ‘Tea for two’ Half of Led Zeppelin ‘There’s a kind of hush’ Dewey Decimal & The Stacks ‘Take the money and run’ Ronnie Biggs & The Robbers ‘Time after time’ Stephen…
From 2013, why I am not a pet person… The Cat That Came And Went ‘Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us.’ –Winston Churchill There are several large domestic cats that roam freely around here. There’s a tabby, a Persian and a ginger that share two common – and no doubt related…
This week’s subject for Song Lyric Sunday is the broad one of weather. There’s plenty to choose from out there, but this was the first that popped into my head and now it just won’t go away. One comment on the video describes it as ‘campy post-disco at its very finest’. Difficult to argue with…
the only deadhead in the hameau 