30th July 2016 - Going off grid for a while

Thought for the day :" Here's to Cheating, Stealing, Fighting and Drinking
May you Cheat Death, Steal a lover's heart, Fight for a brother and Drink with me..."

So- getting ready for the off

I will be off grid until I get back from Germany -

Cheers!

29th July 2016 - Packing for Conquest

Thought for the day:" Apparently, today is Talk In An Elevator Day. Thank goodness for that. Needed something to give me a lift . . "

So, three weeks with a slipped disk and procrastination wins out...  Sunday last was my deadline for deciding if I would be fit enough - which sort of got pushed back - day by day..
Today, Bertha the 20x20 tent and all the necessary parts of the Barden Heim got slowly put into the Bothy...   Aching and feeling a little tired, but all succeeded.. Everythign is packed int he van - and I seem to have a lot of space - not quite sure what it is that I have missed..

So - tomorrow will be the final test - final pack and drive to Germany 710 miles ...
Last chance to decide to back out also tomorrow ...  Delays seem to be smaller at the crossings - and I should be hitting the channel in the early horus of the morning...

Mr Mini V will be going with me - so I will leave you with one of the reasons that I want to go back..
Here is a tribute from my fellow bards at Mythodea - when they heard that I would not be able to attend last year ...

So - I may be off grid for a week - in fact I really hope I will be as that means that I get there and back without incident - please keep your fingers corssed..

Cheers !
 

28th July 2016 - Powders and Pokemon

Thought for the day:" One day I shall solve my problems with maturity - but today I shall try alcohol"

So, I mentioned a few weeks ago that there seems to be no Lanacane on the market - that ebay and the shops were devoid of the stuff....  And then I started looking at the bids on ebay and thought that they were a little "off"...

But it seems that some people want their lanacane and others have decided that keeping a small sotre of the stuff is a good idea - and I have to s that if you can get £20 - £299 for something that cost you under a fiver then that is good old fashioned entrepreneurism....

Today I thought I would have a little look again - and sure enough - it is a discontinued line...

Generous - free postage !!
Or this one ?

50 Sold ??  448 Sold ?? Who is buying this stuff??


Meanwhile - on line - the same recipe,  is selling from China..

There is no accounting for people..

And on the subject of People and Pokemon - I thought I would share this little image ...

We may get to the Darwin awards again soon ..

I shall sample some Chateau 41 later -
Cheers !

27th July 2016 - Dungeons and Dragons

Thought for the day:" On another note the inventor of the riot shield died today.
At eleven o'clock tomorrow we'll be holding two minutes of violence. "
[end of autocorrect week]

The dragon is set to leave Caerphilly after Sunday July 31 and be at the South Monmouthshire castle from Tuesday August 2 to Sunday August 14.
Chepstow Castle’s head custodian Ryan Evans, 33, said: “We are very excited to have the dragon here and to be the first stop on its summer tour.
“We know it has been great for Caerphilly and hopefully it will be just at home in our medieval walls.”

After its Chepstow stop, the dragon will move onto Beaumaris Castle from Tuesday August 16 to Thursday August 25 before making its way to Rhuddlan Castle for Saturday August 27 until Thursday September 1.

It will then be held on the grounds of Kidwelly Castle starting Saturday September 3 and finishing Thursday September 15 before finally flying to Harlech Castle for its final stop where it will be from Sunday September 18 onwards.

Cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure, Ken Skates AM, said: “The reception that the dragon received at Caerphilly Castle was overwhelming, not only having a positive impact on the site, but on the town’s wider economy too. We’re keen to build on this success at numerous towns from Chepstow to Rhuddlan across Wales this summer.”
For more information visit gov.wales/cadw 

And the dragon is on the move..
Cheers !

26th July 2016 - Mulling over Music

Thought for the day:"The man who invented predictive text died today - not sure if he is being hurried or created?" 
[autocorrect Day 9]

So - starting to use the metronome to regulate the singing - that is more difficult than I had thought!
But a review of the various versions of songs shows a cler lack of discipline in the style

But - decided to put some sort of order into the pieces ...

Firstly my one and only real attempt at mixing a track - and clearly can see the lack of timing in the middle - but the overall  sound is about what I was aiming for..

 

 And then to my first real attempt at song-writing :  Tanja's song...

 Original House recording:

Live at the Star:

 Teilo Tavern:

 And finally the Vale:

and so we have it - Cheers !

25th July 2016 - A chip off the old block...

Thought for the day:" The man who invented predictive text died today - May he roast in piece. "
[autocorrect Day 8]


I was taught in school to label my axes ...   but I liked the look of these ones and thought I would put them here for posterity..

Of course,when you start on the subject of axes, then you end up with some elements of humour - in my case I like this one which is a lovely comment on the eductation system..

But, when we talk abotu axes and chain saws - you have to look at a friend called Chris Wood who manages to create some very special items ... I put together a short video about a badger ..

But the static constructions just take you breath away...

I'll just leave these here then..
Cheers

24th July 2016 - Questions and Quips

Thought for the day :"The man who invented predictive text died today - His fanfair is on sundial"[Autocorrect Day 7]


I'm 62 and I have realized I still have so many unanswered questions!
I never found out who let the dogs out... the way to get to Sesame Street... why Dora doesn't just use Google Maps... why we don't ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"... why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed... why "abbreviated" is such a long word... why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons... why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections... and, why do you have to "put your two cents in" but it's only a "penny for your thoughts" where's that extra penny going to... why do The Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune... why did you just try to sing those two previous songs... and just what is Victoria's secret? ...

and do you really think I am this witty ?? ... I actually stole this from a friend who stole it from a friend of her brother's girlfriend's Uncle's cousin's, baby mamma's Doctor...Now it is your turn to steal it from me...

Released the Video :

Cheers...

23rd July 2016 - On History & Higgledy Piggledy

Thought for the day:"Owing to an autocorrect error I've just paid £25 to join a Labrador party."(Autocorrect Day 6)

Thought it was about time for a video again - so looked to see what as in the pot - and found a surprisingly large number of items ..

On the subject of History

So - on the way : Eremis the Bard's prize winning song "Where do you go to Lord Wolfie?"

On the subject of Wales ...

Prince Charles if brought up on the Gurnos Estate

On the subject of Pokemon..

Pokemon

On the subject of Etymology..


John Gathercole: 

The position of "Gard Du Picardy" was a Title in the Royal household of the Medieval French Kings. Ostensibly it was a position guarding the fronteer between France and the Low countries.
However the position fell into disrepute in the 15th Century, mostly caused by its last incumbants.
Hugh De Coeurcerf was a good friend of King Charles VII, who presented Hugh with the position as a wedding gift. 
However Hugh - whilst well meaning and usually quite an effective Courtier, was very clumsy, caused by a deformity of his left foot that meant his balance was never very good. Many in the court considered him an accident waiting to happen, and usually they were right. However his friendship with the king meant that mostly this was not something ever said to his face.

However, during a banquet in 1459 for a Papal Envoy, also attended by The crown Prince of Barvaria, Hugh managed to accidentally spill an entire skillett of Pheasent Stew over rthe Envoy, and in his haste to make amends tripped, landing face first into The Dauphans crotch (history does not relate the Dauphans reaction to this). Leaping up in embarrisment, De Coeurcerf, knocked over the high table, spilling food all over the wife of the Barvarian Prince. Unfortunatelly a candle also tipped over onto some spilled brandy which then set everything alight... All was suddenly Chaos.
Hugh De Coercerf never lived down this incident, and although he kept his titles he retired from court life, settling in his ancestral Castle near Baeuvais. His name had become synonimous for confused disaster, and whenever simelar shinnanigans happened at the french court, the word went out that "Things had all gone a bit Hugh, Gard De Picardy"

This phrase was brought over to England in the 17th Centuary, but time and differnces in languages meant that the wording altered.Hence, this is where we get the phrase "Higgledy Piggledy" and its meaning.

hmm - not convinced - but I never spoiled a good story by introducing the truth ...

Decided to give up on the evil Amitriptyline - does not seem to be having an effect except to prevent me drinking alcohol - and it was meant to be an anti-depressant!!
On good side - BP still at a low stage : 113:81
Also hit 14 stone dead today - that a stone and a half gone since the start of the diet ...  Not bad...

Cheers!

22nd July 2016 - Dark and Stormy in Elvish Llamedos

Thought for the day:"The man who invented predictive text died today - Restaurant in piece"(Autocorrect day 5)

A literary day today - on the subject of a favourite phrase...

It was a dark and stormy night....

I never knew, however, that the phrase actually has its origin in an existing 19th century novel called Paul Clifford by Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton. Someone kindly mailed me the full opening sentence to that novel, and only then did I understand how the phrase came by its bad reputation:
"It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents -- except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

There even exists a Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, in which people try to write the worst possible opening sentences for imaginary novels. The entries for the 1983 edition of the contest were compiled by Scott Rice in a book titled, what else, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night. I am told that there were at least three such compilations released.

I also found a link in Terry Pratchett that once again tells me that he and my father had brains that were scrambled in a very similar fashion  - for years my father talked of Llamedos (based upon Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood Villsage)  - it was only in looking up a reference for the man down the Chip Shop that I found the following: 

 

"It was always raining in Llamedos." 

Llamedos is 'sod em all' backwards. This is a reference to the town of Llareggub in Dylan Thomas' short prose piece Quite Early One Morning. That story was later expanded into Under Milk Wood, a verse play scripted for radio. In that version the name of the town was changed to the slightly less explicit Llaregyb.

Apart from that, Llamedos is instantly recognisable to the British as the Discworld version of Wales. The double-l is a consonant peculiar to the Celtic language (from which Welsh is descended), hence also Buddy's habit of doubling all l's when he speaks.

"'I'd swear he's elvish.'"

This paragraph is the culmination of the Elvis running gag, but in order to appreciate it you have to know that Kirsty MacColl had a big hit a decade or so ago with a song called: "There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis".

Ho Hum -
Another day and starting to try to exercise my way out of my bad nack instead of rest my way out.. not sure it will work in 9 days ...  we shall give it a good try

Cheers : (still dry)

21st July 2016 - Disks and Dilution

Thought for the day:"The man who invented predictive text died today - his funfair is next monkey."(day 4 of autocorrect week)


Thorugh my letter box this morning arrived a new CD from a friend in Germany who has crowd funded his second CD - and I must admit it is a good one - very enjoyable - with  my style of folk music .. Fernweh by Sören Vogelsang (also on spotify)

And this is the title song from the CD - makes me want to work with a cello far more.

Nicely- I got a hand written note in the disk..

I wrote two songs, with a cello in my mind -  Tapestry and The Viinshar, but I think that cello would work with many of my songs ...

Ho Hum ...

Meanwhile on other matters - it has been brought ot my notice that there is a great danger that is being overlooked by many !!  The dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide...

 It is just shocking..

How can they let it happen??

A true point ....  and a whole website for it as well ....

Can't be too careful you know - but I always said that water was a great drink... if taken in the right spirit !!!  

Cheers!
You cannot tell what is reality these days !