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Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
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ReplyDeleteBasia - May 10, 2020 at 11:24 AM
La peste (it sounds more removed) is supposed to be the most widely read novel now. I'd read it many years ago but don't intend to reread. Yes, it deals with the world's approach to the notion of the absurd. I found out that Greece has only suffered 150 deaths, admittedly their population is roughly equivalent to London but toughened by the austerity they adopted very strict measures. The Portugese are also very disciplined and followed common sense.
Interested to hear about La Peste. I read L’etranger for French ‘A’ level but will read La Peste in English - too rusty.
ReplyDeleteWe were watching the Guernsey Literary...film last night, so it was good to find the comments here afterwards. I had intended to wait until I had read the book but my copy is up in Yorkshire. Glad to know the book is better. I will read it when I get up there. We visited Guernsey and Sark years ago so I recognise some of your description, Sarnia.
We saw an African band in Sark village hall one night. They were really good and at the end they walked off behind the curtain to warm applause. I think they were hoping to do an encore but by the time they popped their heads around the curtain most people had put on their cycle clips and left. They looked a bit nonplussed. I remember we had left our torch at the hotel in the days before smart phones and we had a challenging walk trying to find our way back in the dark.
Zoetrope, enjoyed your music choices, especially the Bach. Also Hallelujah. I listened to the Eagles the other day, because the Nick Cave (?think it was this) backing track put me in mind of it.
We studied Voltaire, Sartre, Albert Camus and some of the short stories of Guy de Maupassant, which I found rather sour. Also a couple of plays by Moliere, which were quite amusing - wished I could have seen stage productions.
ReplyDeleteNow, the wait, for the delayed TA.
ReplyDeleteWhat do I think - simple.
It is still, far too early + too soon, but then, what do I know?
Germany + other countries, are already showing a second C19 spike, after relaxing lockdown rules.
I am going to continue to stay "home alone" for now, even though I so hate it and I am finding it very difficult.😭😭.
I only talk vocally, to people, about 3 times a week.
I have adjusted though.
I agree, Miriam. Better to be sure of staying safe. 😊
ReplyDeleteI have spent a fascinating and very nostalgic afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI was turning out an old suitcase from the cellar and found all sorts of interesting things that used to belong to my Mum.
There were several of her women’s magazines dated from 1945 - mid 1970s.
The most interesting to me was “Modern Woman” dated August 1945, the very month I was born!
The adverts are really fascinating and remind me of products long gone. Who remembers Saxone Shoes, ‘Friday night is Amami night’ (shampoo), Miss Muffet Junket, Odor-O-No deodorant and my favourite : “Brian is always SO lively- his mother gives him California Syrup of Figs”!
There are many stories (mostly about husbands returning from war), knitting & dressmaking patterns and advice on being the perfect housewife.
But the most interesting article to me was advice on building the basic wardrobe of essential
clothes required for the Townswoman or the Countrywoman. There are 63 different types of item every woman should own from a daytime coat, various types of dresses, skirts, evening clothes, right down to gloves, handkerchiefs, 4 pairs of cami-knickers, 3 corselettes and both warm and thin bed jackets! I noted that the townswoman required a long-sleeved dinner-dress and 6 pairs fine silk stockings whereas the Countrywoman needed a tweed suit and thick lisle stockings.
Every item was costed and the number of years each item was expected to last was given.
A years clothes expenditure for each woman was estimated at £75, surely a huge amount for those days?
And that didn’t include a additional £10 per year the townswoman would need for a fur coat!
What a miserable day compared to yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWe’ve sadly lost our dog, Hattie, tonight. After an emergency rush to the vets at teatime he rang at about 10pm to say she’d died and they couldn’t save her. I hope to get to see her tomorrow for a cuddle to say goodbye.
We are now down to one dog. Don’t know how she’ll cope on her own. 💔
So sorry to hear of your devastating loss PtbY. It never gets any easier does it? I'm sure nearly all of us on here know exactly what you're going through and we send our heartfelt condolences.
DeleteSo sorry PTBY. Is Hattie the beautiful santa dog in the photo?
DeleteNo. That was Charlie that we lost last year.
DeleteHattie was a rottie.
I’ll try an put her photo on.
Btw. Love the Santa dog....he’s actually got a floatation vest on whilst having hydrotherapy!🙂
I'm so sorry PtbY. It's SO hard to lose a beloved pet.
DeleteThis was Hattie.
ReplyDeleteOh, PtbY, very sorry to read about Hattie. This is so sad for you, perhaps even worse than when Charlie died somehow, because current circumstances seem to emphasize every upset, small & major, like this, if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Hattie picture, she looks like a totally reliable friend, & those quirky markings.....ah.
What's the name of the remaining one ?
Our last one is a blonde labradoodle called Mabel.
DeleteMy thoughts with you too, Ptby, Hattie is safe over the Rainbow Bridge. Xxx
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteI had just started to read the posts when for no apparent reason my I pad switched to your profile and the photo of Hattie.
Thinking of you PtbY
Thinking of you PtbY 💕
ReplyDeletePtbY, so sorry 💕
ReplyDeletePtbY So sorry to hear about your loss of your friend and companion. 💗💗💗💗💗💗
ReplyDeleteThank you all.
ReplyDeleteSeems trivial in the present climate but those of you with pets will understand.
It isn't trivial at any time, PtbY.
DeleteLong live Mabel !
PtbY.
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts to you for the loss of Hattie. All loss is painful for us humans. Our furry friends love us unconditionally if we return that investment we feel joy.
💕
My heart feels for you PtbY. It’s always such a huge loss when a much loved pet and companion is no longer there. Your other dog is going to need all your cuddles now.
ReplyDeleteMakes me feel quite embarrassed to have been twittering on about old magazines when you were coping with such upsetting news.
PtbY, so very sorry to hear this news. Really sad for you and for Mabel. Hope you can comfort each other. They are a big part of the family and it’s a wrench.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I have been mourning my next door neighbour’s cat all weekend, which really sounds silly, but he visited us so much when I was in the garden, and I first got to know him when I was at home just after my dad died so he meant a lot to me. No doubt our neighbour is suffering more of course.
Gosh, I can relate to that, Seasider. We've had a visiting cat for years, a beautiful grey Burmese with wanderlust & an eye for our cats' left over food. I know I'll be sad about him when he ceases to appear. We have a relationship, for goodness sake ! Yes, I put him outside when he's on the scrounge but not without a cuddle & some play first.
DeleteI do feel for you.
So sorry PtbY, and Seasider too. Animals become part of the family. After my Mum decided she was too old to have another cat one of the next door cats used to come in and sit by the rayburn and wander round the garden with her and she became very fond of it.
ReplyDeletePTBY, Hattie looked lovely in the photo.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at my mistake over Charlie - I've never seen a dog in a flotation vest, I just thought he was festive!
I too am left with only one dog, but she enjoys all the attention now, and is content on her own. I would have had a very different lockdown without her, almost all human contact has been whilst out walking, so thank goodness for getting out and about with her.
Archerphile, I really enjoyed your post about the magazines, you had your own time-capsule...very appropriate to find over V.E. weekend. I think there is a movement for people to dress in 40's style, so if you make up some of those patterns you will be a la mode!
I am interested in dressmaking again, after a 40 year break, but am amazed at the price of patterns these days. I have got as far as bringing my sewing machine downstairs from the attic, but will have to wait a while longer until I can visit a haberdashery.
Miriam, re nasty neighbours...I had a problem on Saturday night/Sunday morning, 3.41 a.m. when I had to call the police, as my neighbours were at it hammer and tongues fron about 10 p.m. I went to ask them to please be quiet twice, but chickened out at the level of violence I heard. My biggest concern were the two small children in the house, they must have been terrified. There were lots of bangs, but finally a real cry of pain got me on the phone. The police were there within 10 mins, and the L.A. safguarding team got in touch with me. I have barely heard a sound since. The woman is a prison officer, her partner had just returned from the oil rigs. They have only been there since just before Christmas, and seem like a pleasant couple. I feel quite embarrassed at 'interfereing' and am not keen to bump into them at the moment.
Life, eh?
You were right to interfere, Mistral as the children or one of the adults could have been in real danger. They should be embarrassed, not you!
ReplyDeleteMy brother just phoned. He has an appointment at Christy’s on Thursday at 12 noon. He has booked a taxi and his son, David is going with him. David phoned the hospital and they are going to allow him to go in with Malcolm as he pointed out his Dad is 76 so needs the support. It is always an idea to have someone with you as you don’t always take everything in. We hope for the best!
I agree with Ev, you did the right thing Mistral so do not feel guilty. Your neighbours are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves, even more so with young children in the house.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to your brother Ev.
PtbY -
ReplyDeleteAfter losing Charlie when you were away on holiday last year and now to lose Hattie during this difficult time is not at all trivial.
I am so very sorry.
Take comfort in the one you have left and smother her with the love that was previously shared between the three of them.
And don't disregard the grieving process.
PtbY, so sorry to hear about your loss. It’s a very sad & painful experience, makes me tearful just to think about it. We always had dogs in my family from when I was a year old. I can still remember my Dad burying our first, Max, with tears streaming down his face. My Mum would say each time, “that’s it!!! No more!!”.... then inevitably some time later a new dog would arrive. Too hard to resist but then they leave such a large gap in the family. Remember what a good life Hattie had & how loved she must have felt. A lucky girl indeed. 💕
ReplyDeleteAnother dog lost today. Just heard that Monty Don’s Nigel has left his side and gone to garden in the sky.
ReplyDeleteMonty will be devastated, I am sure, but he already has a replacement (Nellie?) to follow him around as he presents his gardening programme.
I should admit here that it has always irritated us, this constant presence of a dog in a gardening programme but I know there are many viewers that will miss seeing Nigel greatly.
Replies to All.
ReplyDeleteI hope that you don't mind me doing a general round-up. It is not personal, far from it, but just quicker + easier, 💖
PTBY. How sad about Hattie. I so feel for you.
Mistral. It is hard when neighbours are carrying on, isn't it. You were right to ring the police, as it appeared tgat there was violence and young children were in the house. I would do the same, if violence seems prevalent.
Ev. It is lovely that your Bro. has an appointment so soon, and that his son will be him. To think about going to a hosp. appt. such as this, solo, must be awful. I wish your brother well.
Has anyone else found anything interesting, in this period of "Lockdown"?
On sorting out my late Mum + Dad's bungalow, a book Etiquette for Young Ladies, was found. Little Sis + Self, were astonished, as Big Sis, cried with laughter - as she had to read + digest it, but then it was the late '60's. Times had changed by then.
It is very strange, as some family live, only 23 miles away. They are in Wales, while I am in England.
ReplyDeleteWe now have different rules. They can go to a Garden Centre, but not play golf together. It is the opposite in England...
I might be able to visit family in England, 25 miles away, but I am still unsure of these new rules, and what they mean.
So sad about Nigel, thought he was looking a bit grey & slow.
ReplyDeleteOut to friends this evening, "fêter le déconfinement". 7 of us, 1st time without an attestation, very strange. Touch of agoraphobia.. Hand-gel close by at all times...
Well Miriam, since you mention it...........
ReplyDeleteI have decided to take up painting.
I sent away for some acrylic paint and that arrived today.
I realised then that I will need some thicker paper so have ordered that too.
Some of you know that I make my own cards and so that is what I plan to do with the acrylic paint.
However .
It will not be yet awhile because THE POND arrived today.
It is standing outside the front door .
It looks huge.
I am not looking forward to the next few,/many days.
The fish are to transferred to their temporary home tomorrow morning all being well and then the work begins.
Mr LJ is the gaffer
I am the gofer.
Good luck, Mr & Mrs L J !!
DeleteAnother thing I am doing in this period of lockdown is writing down what it was like to be brought up in the 40s and 50s in a village in Lancashire .
DeleteI mentioned once I think that my father did something similar for me.
My mother wouldn’t sadly.
My elder son thinks it is great that I peaked at 5!
Really sorry to hear about Nigel .
ReplyDeleteI loved him and Nellie .
Oh that’s so sad about Nigel. Loved him. Thought he looked very old and weary on this last weeks GW.
ReplyDeleteIt won’t be the same without him. 😢
Re new activities in lockdown - I have always felt that I can't draw (? spelling, it looks strange without - er-at the end, but that's the thing you put clothes or cutlery etc in 🤔).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that, and painting. I've bought an art set and an absolute beginners guide to watercolours. I've started working through the book, but not done any for a couple of weeks.
I've had lots of ideas about things to do, but am not so good at the actual doing 😕
Good luck with the pond LanJan, as I type my son is outside getting worms from our veg patch and feeding his fish with them!
ReplyDeleteI’m not absolutely sure but I think Monty Don announced a few weeks ago that Nigel was not expected to last very long and that is why they had got Nell/ie to take his place. He also had a new very small dog with him a couple of weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteSorry to sound unsympathetic but I just wish he’d stick to gardening, GW is not supposed to be a dog show.
This is one reason why we so much prefer Adam Frost as a gardening presenter (and we don’t at all mind the odd glimpse of a cat in the background ) 😽
I am have a lot of copies of, old family photos (some dating back to 1900) and these photos, include weddings in the 1920's, and family events onwards. I have one of myself, at about 2yrs old. sitting in a bucket in the back-yard, with the mangle in the background.
ReplyDeleteI have some empty photo albums, so now, it is perhaps, the time, to sort through these and create my own family album.
My knitting is going well.
ReplyDeleteIt is going slowly but surely, along with my book reading.
These, are only being done, to fill in time. They are not to become a major item, as life is more important with lot's of other things to do..
For instance, I have my range cooker (with it's black glass splashback) + a marble fireplace, which are now so sparkly clean, I need sunglasses, to look at them...
I have just heard some exciting news. My grand neice (8yrs) rang me, to tell me her Mum + Dad, will be getting married, after lockdown, and she will be a bridesmaid.
ReplyDeleteAbout time too - as they have been together for about 16yrs (if not more), and content together.
It is something to look forward to in 2021.
Now to get tea + listen to TA on catch up..It is worth being late for 😀🍾🎉
Nice news for your grand niece as well as for you Miriam.
ReplyDeleteLanJan, what was the magnificent achievement that suggests you peaked at the age of five ?
That statement has given me such a laugh, thank you.
I have always wanted to draw but have never had the courage to pick up a pencil.
I have only ever wanted to draw buildings however. Nothing else inspires me.
I did learn, and passed my exams in technical drawing though, when I trained as a cabinet maker, and I do consider that a major achievement.
It was a hell of a struggle.
Mrs P, that is an achievement to be proud of. I could not imagine being able to do anything like that.
ReplyDeleteThat is impressive Mrs P. Bet you were taught to do dovetails. They have a long history and were found in ancient Egyptian furniture in tombs. I admire skilled craftsmanship and especially like the work of Grinling Gibbons, and have seen some of it in St. Albans abbey.
ReplyDeleteOMiaS was excused dovetail joints at school! I think the woodwork teacher couldn't face the hash he was making of them.
DeleteRe. Peoples activities in lockdown, my daughter has decided now of all times to pick up my old fiddle and learn it. Heaven help me and the cats! I am going to have to get earplugs. In case Parsley is around, as I know she has a very old Cello, it is (1842 French . I was the world's worst violinist, but it was played for many years around the folk clubs by someone very talented who called my violin his soul.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the congratulations as above. Yes I did and can do dovetails and secret dovetails too. Unfortunately everything I did in my training has been lost. My secret dovetail box, given to my daughter and which she kept my pigtail, cut off when she was ten, was stolen in a burglary.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to have lost such precious memories.
But my most memorable project for myself, and still standing ( I no longer own the house, but ex neighbours tell me it's still in use) was a combined larder and fridge freezer housing which took thirty two mortise and tenon joints put together in one setting on my dining room floor. All by myself.
Janice, I always wanted to do woodwork as a child. My grandfather was a figure to be wary of. He was a cabinet maker and carver. When he died almost all of his tools were disposed of, both sons having made military careers. Somehow at eleven years old I knew something was wrong and had a vague understanding that I needed to follow in his footsteps. But I didn't do so until in my forties.
At one point in his career he and another carver did such prodigious work that they became the highest paid artisans at the time, and had to form a separate section of their union as a result. He did a lot of the work on the Liberties building.
He carved in the style of Grinling Gibbons, but my cousin who adored him, says that he was superior to G G as GG did his work in sections and then fixed them together. Grandfather carved all his work from one single piece of timber.
I have the plaque that he carved for my parents as a wedding present.
It is in the shape of a shield with fruits and flowers and swags around the edges, my parents initials entwined in the centre surrounded by my fathers regimental badges.
It is one piece of Lime.
I also have the tools that were not disposed of including all of his rulers and squares, and each have his initials stamped into them.
How lovely that you 'old' fiddle is being brought back to life by your daughter.
My grandfather was a partner in a furniture business and also a qualified joiner. I now have the small octagonal intricately carved folding table he made.
ReplyDeleteMy father was an accountant but always loved “a nice bit of wood. Ah, the smell!” he would say. He was particularly pleased with an inlaid chess board he made and proudly signed and dated on the back.
When I used to stay at my grandparents’ I slept in the box room where there was a cello. Every Thursday when my father was small they used to have a musical evening with other family members.
In that small room there was a large framed print: a youngish man possibly in uniform kneeling to offer an orange to a small girl dressed in white. I wish I knew the artist. It was a little like “ When did you last see your father?” by Yeames.
I loved seeing Grinling Gibbons carvings in NT houses so would have loved your grandfather’s carving Mrs P! My husband was a shipwright in the Navy having a five year apprenticeship when he joined at 16. Like your grandfather, Hilary he loved a nice bit of wood admiring the grain and especially admired lovely old wooden doors etc. My Scottish grandfather was a cabinet maker and fitted out railway carriages in Glasgow. He made my brother a fort and couldn’t think how to make the walls rough until he hit on scattering budgie seed on glue and then painting over it. We had many years of fun playing with it filled with toy soldiers! Black Country Grandad was not quite as skilled but he worked in an iron foundry and made flat irons for granny. I still have one on a stand I found in an antique shop. It has pride of place in the conservatory. Granny used to put them on the open fire and lift them with a thick cloth as the handle was hot. She ironed on the kitchen table. She never had an electric iron!
ReplyDeleteMrs P -
ReplyDeleteI salute you for having such amazing skill (even if no longer used) with wood - and really envy you.
I should love to be able to construct useful things around the house, re-make the dreadful fitted wardrobes a cack-handed carpenter put in our bedroom; make a small, decorated wooden box to hold my tapestry wools, even a humble spice rack big enough to hold my 48 jars of herbs & spices!
But that would mean finding classes, buying a lot if specialist tools and most difficult, finding somewhere at home to use as a workshop!
I have been extremely impressed by the brilliant young carpenter on The Repair Shop, Will Kirk, who seems able to perform miracles with old distressed wood.
And I have the perfect project for him; my Mum’s antique, Moroccan, eight-sided table highly decorated with mother of Pearl, ivory, ebony and coral mosaic which is very distressed indeed. I would love it to be brought back to life!
You could do it yourself Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteMy very first attempt at carpentry was to repair a broken step on our stairs, in our first home. Then I designed a pop up table, then a pull down bed in an alcove. And in those days I didn't have any form of workspace.
Your Moroccan table would probably be improved enormously by just being cleaned and you can do that easily.
You always have puzzles on the go you tell us, and I imagine that you use a table for your puzzles. So cover that table with a sheet of polythene and then an old sheet and make a start with the meths.
I can promise you that your pride and pleasure will equal that of finishing a jigsaw puzzle.
I really must get down to watching that repair shop programme since that's how I started at antique restoration classes.
Hilary, may I suggest you google your picture.
ReplyDeleteI bought at a charity shop, a picture, which was a print mounted straight onto a piece of wood. It was clearly a Victorian painting and I thought it might have been a popular print.
I googled it and found that it was a very popular print and one of a set.
It was thrilling to be able to know about its history in my grandparents time.
Thank you for your suggestion, Mrs P, but unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it. I have tried googling a written description of it but that produced no results. It must have been a popular print in the 1920s I presume, when my grandparents were furnishing their house, unless they had inherited it, I suppose.
Delete*** DESERT ISLAND DISCS ***
ReplyDeleteThe next name out of the hat is..... Seasider! Enjoy!
I binge watched ‘Normal People’ last night. Angst, sex and growing up.
ReplyDeleteAlso known as Fifty Shades of Sligo.
I enjoyed it and am now anticipating the sequel.
I am enjoying it very much too! I can’t binge watch though as I am not in the UK so have to wait a week just like in the old days!!
DeleteI am also watching Pride and Prejudice - again at old fashioned seven-day intervals!
DeleteOoh, thanks Gary, how exciting. Just popping out for a walk so I will put my choices on after lunch.🎶🎵💃
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the walk Seasider - I am going to go for a cycle after lunch, so forgive me if I don't change the video at the top til later in the day!
DeleteNo problem, enjoy your cycle ride, Gary. It’s a beautiful day down here, hope it’s the same for you.
DeleteSeveral of your DID choices were new to me, Zoetrope. I loved the version of Africa by Mike Masse and Jeff Hall in particular and the Nulla in Mundo.
ReplyDeleteIt’s great that we have seen such a variety in our selections as well as some repetitions.
Thank you all for your comments on my DID choices. I have been very lax about listening to each of everyone's choices. Last week I hit on the idea of taking screenshots of the lists, to make them easier to find. Listened to part of Tubular Bells yesterday chosen by Mistral, really took me back. I must dig out the LP and listen all the way through. I'm looking forward to catching up,
ReplyDeleteThat’s what I do, Zoetrope - take a screenshot of the list! It does make it easier to consult!
DeleteWhat is a screenshot?
ReplyDeleteOh gosh I pressed sign out by mistake.
ReplyDeleteQuickly pressed published.
Hope this works.
It did !
DeleteNow then, here are my Desert Island Discs:
ReplyDelete1 Scarborough Fair - Simon and Garfunkel (or Martin Carthy who reputedly taught them the song). Singing in a junior school choir competition in Whitby.
2 Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush. Selling this in WH Smith’s record department on Saturdays from sixth form college. I wanted to be like Kate. I wanted to be Kate.
3 Shanti Mantra - Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. I saw Ravi Shankar at the Purcell Room whilst I was a student and got into the Beatles also around that time. I love the sitar.
4 Pandora - Cocteau Twins. Watching the snow falling whilst recovering from glandular fever.
5 Just a Closer Walk with Thee - New Orleans Stompers (or Tuba Skinny is a shorter version with a better vocal). Love trad jazz - back room of a pub in the north east, Thursday evenings years ago.
6 Schubert Trout Quintet. Calming, uplifting and balancing. I can listen over and over again.
7 Undrentide - Medieval Baebes. We heard them at our local concert hall. Gorgeous harmonies and arrangements, imo.
8 Misirlou. Many versions on YouTube - I like Klezmerson. We dance to this music in my circle dance groups, which I really look forward to again when this is all over. And I will need to dance on the desert island. If you google Misirlou circle dance you can see the dance (not my group). If you prefer high tempo you’ll find the Pulp Fiction version, AND...2 cellos!!
Enormously difficult to leave out so many more equally important choices.
My book: Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable - I need variety and this will keep me entertained for hours.
My luxury: a huge journal notebook and pens so I can record my experience and chatter on to myself on paper.
The record I would keep is Pandora, although the Schubert comes a close second.
Hope you find these interesting!
Seasider - thank you and I look forward to looking up the ones I'm not familiar with. Always loved the Simon & Garfunkel version of Scarborough Fair.
ReplyDeletePastimes during lockdown - I've found a large box of old letters and cards from about thirty years ago so will work my way through them. Difficult at times as they can bring up such memories but I want to put some into scrapbooks etc.
Lanjan, a screenshot is where you can take a photo of the image on your phone or tablet screen. On my Huawei phone I have to press the two side buttons simultaneously (can be tricky). I don't know how to do it on iPhone/pad or other makes, nor if it can be done on a laptop.
ReplyDeleteThe photo is then stored with other photos on the device.
(I have very limited tech skills/knowledge so am happy to be corrected)
And I will add a little bit too, about screenshots.
DeleteI was taught by my grandchildren LJ.
On an IPlayer, well, on mine, I press the central button at bottom of device and the top right hand on /off button at the same time. You will hear a whirring sound.
Then check in your ' photos' to make sure it's done.
I find it a quick way to remind me of things I've read. And want to read again or of something I want to keep a record of.
I am sure there are correct ways of recording stuff, but I don't know them and this works for me.
On iPad press home and top button simultaneously but quickly. If you hold for longer it turns off.
DeleteOn iPhone 7 press home and button on right.
My tech knowledge is also very limited!
For further help ask Mr Google, who knows everything but doesn’t always explain using simple enough words for me!
Hilary, it was googling by description that I meant. You've already done so without results.
ReplyDeleteSorry !
😊👍 Now I am just waiting for one of you to say they know it well and reveal all! 🤞
DeleteWouldn't that be lovely ?
ReplyDeleteAnd not impossible.
I've just been googling to see if the Ravi Shankar concert that Seasider remembers was the same one that I attended, but think not.
We went in the late sixties or very early seventies. Seasider was probably still a babe.
Not quite a babe then, Mrs P, but busy as per my no 1 above. I believe the concert I went to was in 1981. You may know that his centenary was last month. I was trying to find a longer piece as I love the ragas, their slow build. I have been to the Indian music festival a few times recently which was also at the south bank centre, but I think has moved elsewhere. The one I chose at least gives a flavour, as well as a nod to the Beatles. I also thought the words of this were appropriate for our times.
DeleteScarborough Fair and Wuthering Heights for me.
DeleteRe taking screenshots.
ReplyDeleteI have just taken a photo of Seasider’s DID on my iPhone.
Simply go into camera, focus and press the button. Then go into pictures and unless you’ve got fumble fingers, it’s that easy.
I then listen on the iPad.
DeleteI have just tried that but can’t see the camera when I have the blog on the screen. Thus confirming my lack of tech skills!!
DeleteHilary, Mr S says you don’t have to see the camera. Open the camera then go back to the screen you want to photograph, leaving the camera open. Then press the on/off button and the home button briefly and simultaneously. You should see a picture in the bottom left of your screen. Then if you go into your photos you should find it there. I needed Mr S to help me follow the advice on here, but I got there eventually!
DeleteOh thank you, Seasider! As Gary said recently, every day is a school day!
DeleteSeasider, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love both The Cocteau Twins AND Kate Bush - MrGG HATES the Cocteau Twins so much that I'm "not allowed" to play them in the house without my headphones on!
😁 I hate headphones and still haven’t unpacked mine, despite pointed comments now and then😉
DeleteEnjoyed listening to Scarborough Fair but the winner for me is easily Kate Bush, like GG a big fab & have always been! Quite enjoyed the Ravi Shankar too, bit different! Thanks Seasider.
ReplyDelete🙄 fan!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have loved, two holidays in Morroco. Travelling over the Atlas mountains to the Sahara Desert, was amazing, even when on arriving, there was massive sand storm, from the Sahara, taking place. It added to the experience, even though everything was covered in sand. I still went into the Sahara, in a 4×4 and then on a camel, to view a sunrise. It was magical.
ReplyDeleteI still have some authentic "ras el heput" mix, in an air-tight container, for tagines (usually with lamb - british of course).
Oh, thank you, Seasider ! Lovely to hear Scarborough Fair again, great choice. The Ravi Shankar, haunting, deep, very special - an introduction for me, so extra thanks there.
ReplyDeleteAlas, your saved piece fell flat for me, but there's 5 more to go...
Lovely selection Seasider. Many tunes known and loved and one or two new choices to explore.
ReplyDeleteI was delighted to see Scarborough Fair as I had a video from my young grandson in Dubai, playing that very tune on the piano just the other day. He is getting on with piano really well during the lockdown and learning lots of new music which his Mum records and send to us on WhatsApp!
Message for Miriam
ReplyDeleteI've had my B12 injection today.
Thank you for nagging me.
I love Scarborough Fair too. Simon & Garfunkel are big favourites but when picking my eight couldn’t decide which to choose! Kate Bush is also high on my list but I will never forget on a Fred cruise we stayed up to watch the karaoke. Not usually our thing but this particular night a big hairy macho man got up and said he was going to sing “Wuthering Heights”. Well, you can imagine the high pitched voice and the incongruity of “ it’s me I’m Kathy” I think that’s the words? He came off clutching his throat! It was one of the funniest things I’ve seen! Thank you Seasider for a lovely collection and Zoetrope et al!
ReplyDeletePS Mrs P, really pleased you have had your jab! It must be a relief!
ReplyDeleteSeasider....love the kate bush track. That was the first album I ever bought. Will listen to the rest tomoz sometime. Haven’t heard any Cocteau twins before. Looking forward to hearing some new stuff.
ReplyDeleteMrs P....glad you’ve got your jab done.
Well Seasider I have only listened to the Misirlou so far and loved your link to the 2Cellos. I was amazed to see them playing their cellos both on and in (!) the sea. Even more talented than I realised.
ReplyDeleteWill listen to Scarborough Fair next as that is a favourite of mine.
Thanks folks for the comments on my music choices. It’s fascinating to know what other people like and dislike. Thanks again Gary for organising this - it’s been a great lockdown activity. Music is really getting me through.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the recent blogs about people’s creativity, and clever family members, and Mrs P, so impressive. Hope you are feeling better today after your injection.
Archerphile and Miriam your “attic” finds are fascinating and, Archerphile, it’s lovely to hear about your Grandson playing the piano and Janice’s daughter on the violin.
I have a keyboard which I took to Yorkshire with the intention of taking up my rudimentary skills in the attic there. Now I wish I had it here. I also took boxes of my father’s stuff back up there to sort out so that will also have to wait until I can get there.
Re relatives who made things, my grandfather was an engineer and a draughtsman and I am told he owned the first radio in his village which was a crystal set he made himself. He worked for the firm who constructed the Sydney Harbour Bridge and his team designed the creeper cranes that built the bridge. (Forgive me, I have probably mentioned this before!)
Seasider. Great listen yesterday. Must admit I had to stop the Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush. Her screeching jumbled my brains.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved everything else, the two I played over again which I had never heard of before were Ravi Shankar /G Harrison and the Klezmerson.
I love Klezmer music which has its origins in the Eastern European tradition Of the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition. I was mesmerised by the skill of the flautist. I shall see if I can find a cd on line.
Thank you.
In circle dance we dance to several Klezmer pieces as well as many other pieces from Greece, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Ireland etc etc. Wish I could tell you more about the actual pieces. Glad you enjoyed them.
DeleteStasia - Klezmer music features highly at orthodox Jewish Weddings of the Ashkenazi line. Especially in one traditional dance where the newly married couple are lifted shoulder high by the guests and danced wildly around the room! Being from the Sephardi line, I wasn’t going to have any of that at my wedding, it always looked so precarious to me!
DeleteSeasider....OMG. I love the Cocteau twins song. Totally chill music. I’m going to check out other tracks of theirs.
ReplyDeleteI would heartily recommend "Pearly Dewdrops Drops" PtbY - and "Teardrop", a song that Liz Frazer recorded with Massive Attack. Both send shivers up and down my spine!
DeleteI would love to see her live but she has only done that a handful of times in her career due to crippling anxiety at the thought of singing in front of other people - apparently even recording in the studio is a nightmare for her.
I love the fact that there are very few "real" words used in her singing style - it's just vocal "noises" that go with the music & therefore completely up to the listener to decide what each song is about! I have had many discussions with friends as to what we THINK she's singing about and everyone is adamant that their version of half heard words is correct!!
Loved the jazz Seasider, took me back. When I was first married we lived outside New Orleans ( or Nawlins as the locals call it). Every weekend it was down to the French quarter to listen to jazz eat fantastic food, crawfish etoufee, seafood gumbo and beignets and cafe au lait for breakfast. Happy times.
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened yet but love Klezmer and Trad Jazz.
ReplyDeleteBut I did MAKE myself listen to the Cocteau twins. It was extremely painful. I won't even attempt Kate Bush as I know that will be painful too.
Just as well we all have such different tastes.
Gary - your post above, is that about the Cocteau twins ?
But you say ' her' is it just one, or are there two of them ?
Sorry MrsP, the post WAS about the Cocteau Twins! There are 3 of them and Liz Frazer is the singer.
DeleteDead impressed with all the skills, either developing or not practised for a while, that have been talked about here in the last 24 hrs. or so ! Talents abounding.....
ReplyDeleteSeasider, listened to the Klezmer & Just a Closer Walk with Thee this morning - broadening my musical experience ! Loved the first, want to hear more, it got me moving ( not in the street, hasten to add) & liked the 2nd, but it was a bit slow, couldn't locate your other recommendation.
It's OK Gary.
ReplyDeleteI've just read all the stuff about her, E F.
Thanks for your clarification though, all the same.
Agree Gary, with your Cocteau Twins/EF recommendations. I have all the early albums and it was a job to choose. I also love Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil, which nearly made the final eight instead. Elizabeth Fraser sang at the Festival Hall a few years ago and I was gutted I was on holiday.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, the band is called Tuba Skinny and they do outside performances in New Orleans. I found several jazz numbers by them on YouTube and I like the singer’s voice. I thought some folks might find the other version a bit slow, although it does get going eventually!
Autumn leaves, that sounds wonderful. Especially the food!
DeleteArcherphile, I don’t blame you re the wedding dance - broken bones and a night in A&E - not the way to celebrate the start of your marriage!
Autumn Leaves, visited NO three times with my husband. We had dear friends there and it has to be one of my favourite places. We enjoyed the beignets and coffee having watched the beignets being fried. They are square doughnuts and are then smothered in icing sugar which ends up all over the floor! One of my favourite foods was a po’boy sandwich, breadcrumbed cooked oysters on delicious bread. Did you go to Preservation Hall? It was $5 to go in and you stood at the back. When the set finished you moved to the central benches and then in the next set to the floor right by the jazz band. At the end of that set you left so that the next wave of people came through. There’s nothing like NO jazz and the bands there are second to none. In the streets there are not just buskers but whole bands so the French Quarter is alive with jazz music. It was extraordinary! I said if I had my time over again I would get married in Las
ReplyDeleteVegas and honeymoon in New Orleans!
Fried oyster po'boys..laissez les bon temps roulez.you could sit in Jackson square and be entertained all night with jazz bands and tap dancers.
DeleteIt is the most European city in the US.I think that's why it's so popular. Absolutely unique.
Heart breaking when it was devasted by Katrina..we also have great friends there from Metairie.
DeleteOur friends lived near Lake Pontchartraine. They took us to the ninth ward where a lot of the poorest lived after Katrina. It was devastated but one man had decorated his house there in true NO fashion and just sat outside chatting to whoever dropped by. Interesting that the French Quarter which was the original settlement survived more or less intact. It is on higher ground and the surrounding city is mostly on reclaimed swamplands. Spirits are high there and many bathtubs which had been washed away were painted, filled with soil and planted with multicoloured flowers! There is much exuberance but an underlay of darkness which intrigues!
DeleteWell thank you Seasiders .
ReplyDeleteJust listened to your choices after a tiring morning when we managed to dig out the first rigid preformed leaking pond before we need to replace it with the slightly larger -6'X4' one .
That will not be started until tomorrow.
The first one was at least 30 years old so If the new one lasts that long we won't be replacing it.
Intrigued to hear the mention of Liz Fraser as the only person of that name I had heard of was the blonde bombshell from the "Carry On " Series.
I see this Liz Fraser is from Grangemouth and is a day younger than my elder son.
Love the idea of Circle Dancing to Miserlou.
Please excuse my ignorance.
To me it sounded Israeli (Fiddler on the Roof and all that) but maybe I have got it wrong and it is Greek.
Really like that music.
Cabin Pressure back on R4 - Sunday evenings !
ReplyDeleteI just love this, and I can listen to it, over + over again. I am also looking forward to "What's Funny About" on R4ex, at 10.30pm. I doubt I will be awake, so will download tomorrow.
DeleteWhat joy! This time round I shall make sure OMiaS listens from the beginning.
DeleteI presume all my fellow Finnemore fans have discovered Double Acts - 'A Flock of Tigers' and 'Penguin Diplomacy' are my favourites.
Archerphile. When young my mother taught us to dance Eastern European dances to Klezmer music. She was also very proud that a famous Jewish song had her family name. It was about a poor Jewish man who didn’t have any money.
ReplyDeleteLanjan.I looked up the group recommended by Seasider and they do play a mixture of styles. I also checked out the Greek version and it is much slower. They have melded the two traditions.
What you refer to as Israeli music originated in E Europe. My mother’s background is Ashkenazi Polish.
I don’t think I did refer to it as Israeli music. I only really heard Klezmer at Ashkenazi events, weddings, parties etc. It used to feature at dances at the Maccabi club ( a sort of Jewish youth organisation) in London which I sometimes attended. The other teenagers were very much from the North London area (Edgware, Golders Green, etc) which was mostly populated by Ashkenazi Jews who had fled the pogroms at the turn of the 20C.
DeleteI was very much in the minority of young Sephardic Jews attending Maccabi, my Dad’s family having been in Britain since the days of Oliver Cromwell. Our food, music, culture and pronunciation of Hebrew was distinctively different to the ‘other lot’ as my Dad called them and was more assimilated into the English way of life.
I have just some more good news. A niece of mine, was due to move a while back, but then "lockdown" happened.
ReplyDeleteLuckily they only have a short chain, and everyone's finances, are in place.
They are moving, a week today, as removal firms can now work again.
It is exchange, completion and move out, all on the same day.
Little Sis, is very frustrated, as she cannot help them out. Also she cannot have her grandsons to stay with her, as the move happens, as originally planned.
It is brilliant news and so very positive, which makes a difference.
I am now hoping, that my awful neighbours, will also be moving soon. They sold STC in early February. It depends on the chain, though, so I wait in eager anticipation.
DeleteIt might be a while yet.
My early dancing was simply:-
ReplyDeleteEnglish and Scottish country dances, in many forms
Mine was ballet.
DeleteMy teacher was a 'proper' ballet teacher, none of this fun they have at Baby Ballet. I gave up shortly after having scraped through Grade 1. I'm sure my teacher breathed a huge sigh of relief!
May I take this occasion, to say:-
ReplyDeleteGary Gilday. Thank You so much for keeping this site open.
It means a lot, to many.
Thank You.
👏👏
Miriam, I am also a big fan of English country dancing, and folk music. One circle dance group does a bit of both. It makes me a bit dizzy unfortunately though.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of you today when they made the announcement about house moves. 🤞🏻
LanJan good luck with the pond work. The fish will appreciate it. Don’t exhaust yourself.
Big Sis is also very frustrated. Her golf club, is in England and re-opening (with very strict rules) on Saturday. She though, lives in Wales, so under the welsh rules, she cannot drive there.
ReplyDeleteIt is so confusing.
There is a street on the outskirts of Chester (my nearest town) where the Wales/England border goes down the centre of the road. This means that residents on opposite sides of this road, have different rules, to comply to. What a strange situation.
One of us who posts on this blog has got her Girl Guide Country Dancing badge!
ReplyDeleteOOOh.......errrrr !
ReplyDelete*** DESERT ISLAND DISCS ***
ReplyDeleteIf there is anyone else who would like to take part, now is the time to raise your hand! There's only my name left in the hat at the moment....
Can't believe how many people actually took part & how enjoyable it was. Thank you all!
I was hoping to take part but still haven't got around to working out my list : (
DeleteWill you allow late comers to your desert island when everyone else has been rescued and returned to safety?
Thanks to everyone who has contributed, and to Gary for organising it. Now get home quickly before the 14 day airine quarantine starts!
Thank YOU GG for setting it in motion! Well, it's taken a while to read through all your fascinating posts up to this point..
ReplyDeleteGood that your violin is finding its voice again, Janice, however painful the process might be..
Painful... that's Kate Bush for me.
Love the Trout.
Other v interesting choices to listen to (on my headphones..)!
Now have short hair!!! What a relief.
Gary, I thought Maryellen was going to join us on the dark side for DID, but perhaps I am mistaken.
ReplyDeleteHello, yes, I put my name in the hat and my list in a safe place - would you like it?
DeleteThank you Gary for setting DID up. A brilliant idea.
ReplyDeleteCan we have films next Gary ?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about films too, Mrs P. Hopefully we could then watch on Netflix or amazon or get the dvd. 😊
DeleteWhat a good idea.
ReplyDeleteSurely there must be 2 names still in the hat. Maryellen and yours Gary.
Gary - please may we have Maryellen DIDs and yours before we move to a new topic?
ReplyDeleteAnd OWIAS' - who is now in the hat too! You, like me OWIAS, have to put your thinking cap on sharpish...
DeleteI think movies is a great idea for the next one. Top 5? Save one?
Maryellen! Forgive me, I thought you were going to confirm your name in the hat - sometimes I am a bear of very little brain! So without further ado....
ReplyDelete*** DESERT ISLAND DISCS ***
The next name out of the hat is....... maryellen! Enjoy!
Thanks, Gary (have a hug from another bear of very little brain!). Back soon, folks!
DeleteI am furious!!
ReplyDeleteI have just read, on the front page of one of today’s newspapers, that this is to be the last year of BBC4 broadcasting. I have always thought it one of the Beeb’s best TV Channels (or it used to be, before they started showing so many repeats and no new material)
It was mostly cultural, with classical music concerts, whole operas, innovative new dramas and excellent documentaries. They showed the whole series of the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year, a highly important biennial event. There is no other such TV Channel dedicated to such programmes.
Apparently the Channel will be closed down to ‘fill the £125 million hole in BBC finances’ and the money saved ploughed into BBC3, the online-only channel for young adults, 16 x 30s
Once again, the older, more conventional audience being sacrificed to pander to the young. 😡
Archerphile, that is devastating news, most of my TV watching is BBC4.
DeleteThere are lots of brainless shows they could do without if they need to save money.
In my post of 4.51 and your reply 7.53. I was referring to Lanjan’s comment about Israeli music.
🩰💃
I am pissed off about it too Archerphile. It is the channel I watch/record most often. Well, that & ITVBe if I'm being perfectly honest... (I'm PROUD that I watch trashy tv as well as high brow stuff!) I know they can put it all on iplayer, but it's so easy to miss the little gems that pop up - the kind of things that catch your eye when you check the evenings viewing. I really hope that it turns out not to be the case as reported.
DeleteWhat?*!*!
ReplyDeleteBad news indeed! I always have a stack of their late night stuff recorded and ready to watch. Some of it appears on BBC 2, which was its original home. Let’s hope those programmes migrate back there.
Am I alone in finding “Pointless” really pointless? That’s one they could get rid of! Back in the day BBC2 was the cultural channel with lots of interest but whilst there are a few good programmes on the channel, it has deteriorated over the years. I have every sympathy with the loss of BBC4 and agree the Beeb seems to be favouring the young who generally prefer non BBC channels anyway! Then they have the cheek to stop free TV licences for the over 75’s!
ReplyDeleteRe my DID list - I decided to go for vocal rather than orchestral (though I broke my own rule with my first choice) because a) it narrowed the choice, b) I reckoned the sound I would miss most would be the human voice, and c) I would need wit and humour to get me through it, so in some cases the lyrics are what matters most to me.
ReplyDeleteI could fill another blog with all the associations these have with different times in my life, which would be asking a lot of Gary, so here’s the list as it stands (no particular order):
1. George Butterworth, The Banks of Green Willow (orchestral arrangement of English folk melody)
2. Paul McCartney/John Lennon, When I’m 64 (from the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Clubs Band album)
3. Rufus Wainwright, When in disgrace with Fortune (song setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29)
4. Puccini, the ‘Humming Chorus’ from Madama Butterfly
5. Tom Lehrer, Vatican Rag
6. Mozart. Dove sono (the Countess’s lament from Act 3 of The Marriage of Figaro (sung in Italian because although I don’t know Italian, I like the sound it makes, and can understand why people say it is the best language for singing!)
7. Tim Minchin/Denis Kelly, Naughty (Matilda’s song from the RSC’s Matilda: the Musical)
8. Petula Clark, Downtown
The one I would save: The Banks of Green Willow (it reconnects me with my English folk heritage, which I cherish - and send shivers down my spine!)
Book: Regrettfully passing up the six intricately plotted historical novels in Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond series in favour of a picture book - the RHS Gardener’s Encyclopaedia of Plants and Flowers (I can dream!)
Luxury: First Aid Kit including self-replenishing supply of painkillers, plus serviceable scissors, needle with large eye and stout thread.
Adieu!
Thank you maryellen!
DeleteFirst cursory glance - I know a couple of the tunes!
The plants book & the First Aid Kit are VERY pragmatic choices...
True, O Gary! Can I swap the plant book for Dorothy Dunnett, and the First Aid kit etc for twin holograms of Anthony Andrews and Jeremy Irons in their Brideshead Revisited days? Or a hologram of my partner?
DeleteHa! Of course you can! And good call on Jeremy Irons & Anthony Andrews - I re-watched Brideshead a couple of years ago & it was even more fantastic than I remembered... But you are only allowed ONE hologram!!
DeleteBotheration! I thought the word twin might deceive you. Well, I never could decide between them so it had better be my partner.
DeleteCould I suggest books next?
Totally understand the Brideshead Revisited holograms!
DeleteWhist I agree about the loss of BBC4*,I am not sure that I agree about over 75s having free TV licences.
ReplyDelete(I have just upset my sister by telling her what Archerphile posted) *
Why should I benefit when someone of the age ,say , of 65 who has more outgoings and possibly less income then I have ,have to pay?
To be honest I think we oldies are very well looked after in many ways.
Mr LJ has far more hair -certainly at the moment- than his son who has to pay more when he goes to the barber
We have free bus travel anywhere in the Country and where I live I can travel all over London by tube or bus absolutely free.
I think we do extremely well.
Ev,I used.to like Pointless although I didn't take to either of the Presenters.
ReplyDeleteThat was before the "Celebrities" got in on the act
My definition of a celebrity
"Someone who was once known for a particular programme or Show (like Annika Rice ) many moons ago or someone who has not yet"made it" so could be anybody.
However I have now started to watch a programme on BBC2 at 6:00 pm.
Richard Osman is in charge but is better I think that when he is on Pointless.
It is called "House of Games" and unfortunately the contestants are celebrities"
(Clive Miley was particularly disappointing but Janet Ellis did impress me .)
Worth a try.
Yes, I agree, Lanjan but I was saying that in view of the increasing slant to younger viewers there is less and less for us oldies to pay for. Since my husband died, I have had to pay TV licence and find less to watch. I do r event the soaps taking up so much prime viewing time. E E is so depressing and Corrie now seems to be going down that road. I only see snatches of them when I’m not quick enough to turn the box off!! I do think that perks such as Winter Fuel Allowance should be added to income so that taxpayers including myself should pay tax on it. I would be happy to have a card which reduces bus fares rather than being free. I think it very bad that schoolchildren are not given free bus travel. Yes, we are very well looked after but there again we didn’t get so much help when our children were young as families do now.
ReplyDeleteI resent the soaps!
DeleteLanjan have just seen your comments about Pointless and have watched House of Games and enjoyed. Richard Osman is in fact a very interesting and witty man and I don’t think his persona on Pointless does him justice. He just comes across on the programme as a smug know it all!
ReplyDeleteI do so agree about Richard Osman,Ev.
ReplyDeleteThe BBC 4 closure is rumours/speculation. No formal announcement at present , hopefully it won’t happen
ReplyDeleteI did say I read it on the front page of a newspaper (The Telegraph actually), I didn’t say it was an official announcement from the BBC.
DeleteI am hoping enough people will be against this possibility to write to the powers that be and get this idea stopped before it begins.
Maryellen. -
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed so much your sprightly conversation with GG this morning.
I do wish you would join us over on this side more often.
As for your DID - so pleased to have the Butterworth as I had to replace it.
Gary
I still think, if we can, that a list of our rejections re DID would be just as interesting.
However best of five films I will be happy with.
Please put my name in the hat.
Janice - I've heard the news of a typhoon in The Phillipines today.
ReplyDeleteI do hope your son and Din L are safe.
Thinking of you and worries.
I so loved the Dorothy Dunnet (Lymond) series of books, she mentioned as a rejection.
ReplyDeleteMaryellen - of course!
DeleteEv, was it today that your Bro went to Christies?
ReplyDeleteIf so, I hope that it was a positive appointment, and you now have a future plan.
I am still quite happy, paying my TV licence.
ReplyDeleteI am still finding to watch, new episodes of:-
Homes Under the Hammer.
Escape to the Country.
Garden Rescue.
The Great British Menu.
I am also enjoying repeats of programmes, I didn't watch origianally.
One of these, is The Great Interior Design Challenge, on BBC2 at 9.00am. It is great to watch, whilst eating brekkie + getting a caffeine fix.
As it finishes - I then start my daily - "things to do" list (which is getting shorter).
DeleteTo add, I often record many programmes, to watch at a more suitable time
DeleteMaryellen, the two that I recognise and like are Downtown and 64 - Paul McCartney wrote it for his father before he retired, now the retirement age keeps going up.
ReplyDeleteI've not been able to get Downtown out of my head since maryellen posted her list!
DeleteIt was a slightly ironic choice, given the situation we’re in!!
DeleteOf course! I never even twigged!
DeleteI am also singing (in my head). Downtown by Pet Clark, whilst sorting the re-cycle bins for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to go DownTown again..
DeleteI hadn't realised, how meaningful this song could be.
DeleteIt is so prevalent, now.
Thank-you, Maryellen.
🤗
The banks of green willow is beautiful. New to me. Just listened now.
ReplyDeleteDowntown has been an ear worm for me for the last few weeks since it was played on the Reunion of sixties Girl singers.
ReplyDeleteMARYELLEN
ReplyDeleteOnly just got in after my afternoon exercise to see your DID list has been published.
And I don’t want to upset anyone else, but I have to say it is just about the perfect list for me and my favourite amongst them all.
I know and already love almost of all your choices and kept thinking “why didn’t I pick that” all the way through.
Tomorrow I shall spend a lovely morning indulging myself by listening to them all
Thank you so much.
I’m delighted you liked it, Archerphile, but very surprised because when I looked at it again this morning, it seemed such an idiosyncratic collection that I thought if people liked just one item on it, that wouldn’t be something!
DeleteKP - I replied to your comment about BBC4 at 2.44 above, in case you missed it, because it’s further up the page.
ReplyDeleteMaryellen - thank you so much for getting me to listen (and read) sonnet 29 via Rufus Wainwright. Absolutely beautiful. When I'm 64 (seems so young now!) and Downtown for me also.
ReplyDeleteForgot to add Banks of Green Willow is lovely too.
ReplyDeleteI think Banks of Green Willow is probably best as an orchestral arrangement, because from what I've read, the folk song itself is a pretty grim tale!
DeleteHow I wish Pam Ayres could have listented to the 'phone chat, I have just had with my Big Sis.
ReplyDeleteIt would make a wonderful poem/scenario.
They are decorating, and needed new supplies - varnish, paint and extras.
Hubbie (71yrs who has a heart condition) went too. This was his 1st shopping, since lockdown being done.
I was crying with laughter, with the tale, as he just didn't understand the rules!
As Sis said, it was like a young child, being let loose in a sweet shop.
She made him "strip off" in the hall, to then go straight into the shower, whilst she, with yet another pair of gloves on, put all his clothes into the wash
It was so amusing..🤣
I actually laughed out loud, when listening to this tale, which is something I haven't done for ages.
DeleteIt was a tonic....
I now need the gin, to supplement this.
Good one Miriam!
DeleteMaryellen, thank you for an enjoyable afternoon listening to your choices. So much for dusting the bookshelves!! I loved The Banks of Green Willow, and now I am curious about the folk song - many are grim, aren’t they?! I loved the Rufus Wainwright also, never having listened to him before, that was a discovery. Loved his voice and the Shakespeare sonnet. I laughed out loud at the Tom Lehrer - he is another discovery thanks to several people choosing him. I did fleetingly think “chance would be a fine thing” when listening to Downtown! Enjoyed the Beatles - that was played twice - and the Matilda song was cute. Puccini - sublime and Kiri Te Kanawa is a wonderful singer. Oh and definitely Jeremy Irons for me. 😉
ReplyDeleteWas really caught by the Rufus Wainwright, Maryellen, don't know that sonnet, didn't know any had been sung, like numerous songs from the plays - great rendering, really enjoyed ! ( looked up the sonnet in my Riverside, not bad either 😉! kind of mirrors how many of us are feeling these days, not very pleased with ourselves at times...)
ReplyDeleteEarworms were mentioned by Mrs P, I think, also by me when doing my choices & I think that would be the problem in a real life desert island ship wreck( where you happened to have taken fav. tracks with you on the cruise, oh yeah) as, if isolation didn't drive you crazy, hearing the same 8, or, worse, just 1, over & over, would.....