Brunch at the madhouse!

Gary & Ellie popped over today to pick up some stuff & have a lunch/brunch type thing with us. I'd cooked a good old fry up of bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding, tomatoes, baked beans and bubble and squeak.
Madhouse it was as well, we had Ruby & Monty this weekend, all three dogs get on well which is obviously vitally important & Ruby & Ida like playing which is chaos but fun!
Weather still cold here, had a message fro Alec that it's about 27 degrees in Australia & their flat is a mere few seconds walk from the beach!

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Alec & Laura on the beach in Australia.

Beer,curry and a Turkish!

Had our good friends Stan, Kas & Dan to stay over afew days recently which was great fun. On Wednesday Ella, Julian, Kevin & Bev joined us for dinner, a four bird roast no less (goose, chicken, turkey & duck) which was very jolly,it was my Birthday on Thursday we went out for a curry & very good it was too. We went to The Vantage, there's a nice selection there and it caters for Tara's food requirements as well, quite a crowd of us being Tara & I, Stan, Kas, Dan, Matt, Andy, Tom, Gary, Ellie, Oliver, Laura. Even got Tara's umbrella back that we left there last time we were there, & that was afew months ago!
Drinking and carousing with Stan, Matt & Kevin at The Globe on Friday was great fun despite the incoming flak received later, followed by a very pleasant evening with Sandy & Andy plus Ed & Evelyn for food & drinks. Sandy & Andy brought their little dog Harvey round to meet Ida which worked very well, I would have been surprised if it hadn't to be honest.
   Met up with Ruby & Monty's owners on Saturday morning for a walk to see how they got on with Ida which I'm pleased to say worked really well then after that we followed Kas & Stan & Dan to Hitchin where they were staying for their St Agnes Fountain gig on Sunday at the Folk Club. We also met up, albeit briefly, with Agnes & Tweety. It was really nice to see them.
 Unfortunately The Sun Hotel had been taken over by a wedding there all day & night so we couldn't use the bar or restaurant, eventually went to a nearby Turkish restaurant which was very nice if alittle dear compared to the curry of a couple nights previously.
Snow had fallen during the night so when we left them on Sunday midday we knew our journey may take alittle longer, though we didn't bank on two & a half hours to drive the twelve or so miles home!! The police stopped the traffic completely near the airport to let a snow plough go up and down the road a couple of times to clear the way but despite a tedious end its been a great few days & I'm a year older!

Kas, Tara, Matt & Andy, plus waiter at The |Vantage.

The Dynamic Duo of Tom & Dan

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Family sized naan bread to share, a great idea but we ordered three! Two would have been fine!

Me, Matt, Stan & Kevin at The Globe.



Turkish now! Tara's meal of stuffed vine leaves.

Forget what mine was called but it was a 600 year old Ottoman recipe for stew.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Deep Purple. Review of their new album 'Infinite.'...

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Deep Purple. Review of their new album 'Infinite.'...: Here's something I've never tried before. To review a new album. I bought Infinite a month or so ago, it came out earlier this year...

Deep Purple. Review of their new album 'Infinite.'

Here's something I've never tried before. To review a new album. I bought Infinite a month or so ago, it came out earlier this year & as we were due to see Deep Purple thought I'd invest in the album as it was odds on they'd play a couple of tracks off it  & infact they played four.
The opening track 'Time for Bedlam' is a cracker. It's a real belter to start off the album with a very tuneful guitar solo from Steve Morse, I can vouch for the fact that its a great track to hear live as well, the next song, 'Hip Boots' is bit of a strange one. 'You can bury me up to my neck in shit,' has to be one of the oddest opening lines to any song, it's an OK sort of song in many ways, not especially memorable apart from some of the words! After seeing Ian Gillan on stage I think its more hip replacement rather than hip boots!!
'All I got is you' has a very laid back opening and a brisk short instrumental between verses, the keyboard solo by the great Don Airey was rather reminiscent of Rick Wakeman on the keys for Yes.
'Get me outta here' is abit heavier with a riff that rattles along like a train, the production by Bob Ezrin, who is no stranger to Deep Purple, is spot on. A good balanced track I think, of course Ezrin's work is impeccable having produced such luminaries as Alice Cooper, Doctor Feelgood and Peter Gabriel.
'The surprising' is the sixth track, it's another slowy one. It's got the pace of a slow moving train, that's no criticism, it's moving along and no one is going to stop it. It's a very fluid track.
'Johnny's Band' tells the story of a band (DP maybe!?) from humble beginnings playing pubs, hitting the big time & then the downward spiral. Not a bad track, abit pedestrian compared to some maybe. If you want some alittle different  the 'On top of the world' is your man. With talk of Ambrosia and Morpheus and the beautiful Venus it's all abit mystic, but the gag at the end brings it down to earth ( sorry, no pun intended, that was a Rainbow album!)
'Birds of prey' has a very good guitar solo by Steve Morse again. He knows his stuff and no mistake, he ain't  no Ritchie Blackmore but maybe that's a good thing. 'Roadhouse Blues' that hardy perennial originally by The Doors is known by all & brings the album to a close. Got to say I've always liked the Quo version myself but here DP make a very good fist of it. That bass line that Roger Glover lays down just keeps the song on the rails and holds it all together.
There's a fair amount of swearing on this album that I think is abit unnecessary, I'm not offended by it, just think its superfluous. The album as a whole won't go down with the classic Deep Purple albums such as 'Machine Head' or 'In Rock' but its an expertly crafted album in the hands of a band of old troupers who all know their stuff. it has a maturity and a certain amount of guts that I like.  The more I play it the more I like it.

  

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Wales.: Away again recently and stayed in Wales. The Dragon Hotel in Montgomery to be exact and very good it was too. A few local beers were very n...

Wales.

Away again recently and stayed in Wales. The Dragon Hotel in Montgomery to be exact and very good it was too. A few local beers were very nice, including Snowdonia Ale which though quite light in colour had a good  flavour.
Wasn't quite dark when I arrived so I went for a walk. I'd done alot of driving that day so a chance to stretch my legs seemed like a good idea. Much to my delight I found the signposts to Montgomery Castle. Though it was closed I only had to climb over the car park gate and I was in, it's quite ruinous but still enough left to give you an idea of how grand it would have once been.  It's history is quite colourful as well. Originally built in 1223  it was on the front line of the later Welsh wars and was sacked by Owain Glyndwr in 1402. Much later in the English Civil War it was held by the Royalists until it was attached, sacked (again) and burnt down. It was later properly demolished by order of Parliament.
With the light fast fading it was quite atmospheric here, tried to take afew interesting photos, you can judge for yourself here:

Wandered back to the hotel  and eventually went down for a very good dinner of mushrooms on bruschetta in a Shropshire blue cheese sauce and followed by an excellent rump steak, cooked rare of course with no sauce needed served with chips and veg. Full to the gunnels by then so declined a pud. Didn't fancy going straight up to my room so sat in the bar with my book and a couple more pints of beer. Here endeth my trip into Wales.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Tank! (Herts At War Project)

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Tank! (Herts At War Project): Another fascinating lecture over at the University of Hertfordshire organised by the Herts At War Project (HAWP). This months free lecture...

Tank! (Herts At War Project)

Another fascinating lecture over at the University of Hertfordshire organised by the Herts At War Project (HAWP).
This months free lecture was about the advent of the tank on the battlefields from its conception up to the Battle of Cambrai  in 1917 were tanks were first used in significant numbers.
 It was given by a former officer of the Royal Tank Regiment Gareth Davies. He is a great lecturer and delivered this particular lecture in a very interesting ,informative and light hearted (in parts) way. One of the first power point slides he showed wasn't anything to do with tanks per say but a list of the casualties from the combatants for that days date (15th November) and is pictured here:

   The whole idea of some kind of tracked vehicle  was not in it's self a new one. A few ideas had been tried without much success and didn't get as far as the battlefield. Infact the army weren't too interested initially. Winston Churchill was one of the drivers of the idea and as First Lord of the Admiralty at the time the Royal Navy looked at the concept calling them His Majesties Land Ships. 
The army did become interested but the tank was kept under wraps and was top secret. The Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corps were the first troops allotted to this new invention later becoming the Tank Corps, in 1923 the Royal Tank Corps  and in 1939 the Royal Tank Regiment.
Very cramped conditions for the eight crew, this lecture was a fascinating insight to their world. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Please follow this link to the HAWP site to find out more about it and dats for future lectures :http://www.hertsatwar.co.uk/

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Deep Purple. The Long Goodbye Tour.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Deep Purple. The Long Goodbye Tour.: Well, we've hit the gig season again, can't go to see everyone one but we picked a good one here!  Self, Memsahib & Kevin set o...

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Dog.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Dog.: We have a addition to the Morgan household. A dog called Ida, she's black,about 4 and a half , there's alot of Labrador about here ...

Dog.

We have a addition to the Morgan household. A dog called Ida, she's black,about 4 and a half , there's alot of Labrador about here with maybe a little Collie though our Vet could only really identify the Lab in her.
We'd talked about getting another dog after Leo & Ralph died. To be honest so upset was I when they bit the dust I really didn't want to go through it again, I know there's 10, 12 even 15 years of good stuff  but the end is horrible. However how could I say to Tara she could never have another dog? How unfair would that be? We decided to get our holiday out the way and then Tara would look, not with any urgency but when and if the right dog came along we'd go for it!
Well Ida was advertised on, of all things 'preloved' website. Personal circumstances had changed  for the owner and she was being left for increasing long periods of time, so he, reluctantly I think decided he had to rehome her.
She's a dear old thing, very amiable, very friendly and to be honest a joy to have around  and was from the minute we met her.
It's good to have a dog around again.

Deep Purple. The Long Goodbye Tour.

Well, we've hit the gig season again, can't go to see everyone one but we picked a good one here!  Self, Memsahib & Kevin set off on the to be honest quite tedious journey to the 02 in Greenwich. Drove to Stanmore & picked up the tube there, at least we didn't have to change but I did feel like I'd grown old on the Jubilee line! About two hours after leaving home we arrived at the 02. I guess not too bad time wise but it felt far longer than it was. A refreshing pint of London Pride ( yes Alec a refreshing golden ale!) at the Slug & Lettuce soon washed away the tedium and I have to say   I started to feel excited about the forthcoming gig.
Made our way into the 02, security was pretty tight. No problem with that, just took longer to get in. The first support, 'Cats in Space' had already started, they were only due to play half an hour but I  liked what I heard! We all did!  Quite 'progy' nothing wrong with that, a very new band only formed in 2015 they've supported afew bands & played Cropredy this year. I'd really like to hear more of this band. Their set finished all too soon & I went off to investigate T shirts.
You know I like a band t shirt & the Deep Purple offerings were quite nice, though I notice bands have moved away from one shirt with all the tour bands names on which I think is bit of a shame. Having been parted with my £25 I took my InFinite t shirt back to my seat & waited for Europe.
Wow! They could easily have been the headliners having dominated and filled  the space on stage with aplomb. Of course we got the old barnstormers we expected and bloody good they were too. They finished their set with, what else but 'The final countdown.' Brilliant!
     Off to the karzi again and then waited for the might Deep Purple. They were good don't get me wrong but there were far too many guitar and then keyboard solos for my liking. Don Airey is an absolute master of the keys & when he did his solo proper, that is his own keyboard solo, not another fill in on a different track, he was a marvel! The strains of 'Jerusalem' bouncing off the walls of the 02 was a thing to behold.  Ian Gillan looked tired and quite frankly in pain when he was trying for the high notes. Not surprisingly they don't play tracks like 'Child in Time' any more & he did take frequent breaks it must be said.  They played quite alot off their latest album called 'InFinite.' A fine album that continues to grow on me the more I play it, not perhaps 'classic' Deep Purple but shows a maturity and mellowness I think you'd expect from a band of this vintage. Their last song was of course 'Smoke on the water.' I think there's have been a bloody riot if they hadn't have played this one, & they did not let us down. They played an masterful rendition of this absolutely classic Purple track. Bellowing that one out will remain a highlight of the gig along with bellowing out (again!) Europe's 'The Final Countdown.'  This led to an interesting encore. An inspired bass solo from Roger Glover was a nice surprise. The bass, it seems is a much maligned instrument where solo's are concerned anyway but Glover did well. Then abit of real vintage Purple. The track 'Hush.' Think I am right in saying their first hit way back in the 1960's!   So ended the evening, it was a good night but those bloody solos! Interesting to note that Kevin, who has seen Purple six times over the years didn't think this was their finest hour, but hey ho! I don't know how long the Long Goodbye Tour is lasting, it was the last date of this leg but I think they will play on next year.
Tubes of course rammed with trying to get something like 15000 or so people away from  the 02 ( capacity in the 02 is 20000 but the top stalls were curtained off). I suggested another beer might help to let the crowds go, this worked and when we did alight it was an easy & not crushing experience. Home about 1am. Happy but knackered!

Self sporting Deep Purple T shirt.

DP

Europe

Nearly a nice photo of the three of us!

a shaky DP






The set lists were as follows:
Cats in Space.
Too Many Gods.
Mad Hatters Tea Party.
Timebomb.
Greatest Story Ever Told.
Five Minute Celebrity.
Europe.
Walk the Earth
The Siege
Rock the Night
Last Look at Eden
Election Day
Superstitious
Carrie
Scream in Anger
War of Kings
Hole in my Pocket
Days of Rock n Roll
The Final Countdown
Deep Purple.
Time for Bedlam
Fireball
Bloodsucker
All I got is you
Uncommon Man (dedicated to Jon Lord)
The Surprising
Lazy
Birds of Prey
Knocking at your Back Door
Perfect Strangers
Space Truckin'
Smoke on the Water
Encore.
Peter Gunn
Hush
Black Night

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Curry.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Curry.: We met up with Paul & Kate for a curry a while ago. They have an excellent curry house called The Nabab. It was there Sunday banquet  s...

Curry.

We met up with Paul & Kate for a curry a while ago. They have an excellent curry house called The Nabab. It was there Sunday banquet  so there was plenty to choose from but served buffet style. Excellent Onion bhaji's and samosa's and kebabs  as starters then veg curry ,chicken curry, Bombay aloo and a couple of veg side dishes and of course nan bread. Almost forgot we also had poppadum's washed down with a nice pint of Cobra lager. the only drink for a curry, unless its  Kingfisher......or red wine. Well fed and watered we returned to P&K's for tea . A very good day. We'll be down again in a couple of weeks for an auction which we're looking forward to.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: The joy of........moving stuff.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: The joy of........moving stuff.: Me, Gary & Julian went to his Mums today to help clear out the last of the furniture, afew bits we were having, a table for Gary & ...

The joy of........moving stuff.

Me, Gary & Julian went to his Mums today to help clear out the last of the furniture, afew bits we were having, a table for Gary & Ellie and sideboard to Pippa. It looked abit like this:

 But of course it rapidly deteriorated to this:

With a touch of this:

We got there I the end!

  

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Away again.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Away again.: Couple of trips away for work again, both quite unremarkable but a good feed and a couple of beers always helps! Shropshire beckoned and I ...

Away again.

Couple of trips away for work again, both quite unremarkable but a good feed and a couple of beers always helps! Shropshire beckoned and I again stayed at the Lion Hotel in Shrewsbury town centre.

 

 

They had they very tasty Wye Valley HPA on which I enjoyed after a long days drive. Had soup as a starter, unusual for me though when I order soup I always enjoy it. This was red pepper and tomato, very  nice & as you can see I enjoyed it so much I forgot the photo before I ate it! A different main tonight as well. Not a steak or pie or fish n chips but a veggie mushroom and pepper roll made with filo pastry on a blue cheese sauce with fresh veg. It was delicious. Desert was brie with apples in syrup with biscuits. I'd fully intended to wander over to the pub I'd found in Shrewsbury that has bands on a Tuesday night but to be honest after being fed and watered I couldn't be arsed. Bed by 9.45pm. Not very rock n roll I know but it had been a long day!

About a week later I was in Norfolk & stayed at a place that was new to me the Wayford Bridge Inn at Stalham about 12 miles from Norwich. On the strangely named River Ant it was quite pleasant. Bar are & restaurant are well set out and homely but the rooms need bit of an update. All clean and everything but just abit tired.   However a pint of Old Speckled Hen for the weary traveller slipped down a treat. There was wifi in the bar/restaurant are so I was able to use my laptop during dinner. I had a prawn and avocado timbale for starters, it was a prawn cocktail more or less to be honest, but it tasted good, followed by an excellent chicken casserole and dumplings. Good hearty dumplings they were too (Oh Matron!) and very filling so no pud. A decent fry up next morning set me up for the day and off I went again, today being able to pop into see my Nephew which was good.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Chris Leslie gig.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Chris Leslie gig.: An impromptu gig at The Song Loft in Stony Stratford tonight. Trawling the interweb net thing I discovered Chris Leslie ( he of Fairport Co...