Showing posts with label Kota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kota. Show all posts

Sunday 7 July 2019

Restart


I've decided to start sharing things on Facebook again (ie Instagram photos) but trying to generally keep it to positive items. If Facebook decide to ban me again there is nothing I can do, there is no option to contest a ban, but it's their club.

This weekend has been varied and busy, yesterday was at Sarah's birthday gathering in North Shields and then I got a friend request from a niece who I have not seen since I was hospitalised with my first bout of ITP in the mid eighties, and though my timeline is gonna look very sparse isn't it. One of the problems is that complaints , bad news and rumour spreads like wildfire while good news is seldom shared but it makes people it touched feel better and if I can do that to one person then it's worth doing.

Today I was thinking I needed to do something, but was feeling a little lethargic , but mowed the lawn, then caught an angry bee in the bedroom (well it was angry in the tube) , but I let it out the window and it went off at some speed.

This week I intend to see a lot of friends including Krista at Kota who I've not seen and Claire at Glamorous Owl who I manage to keep missing, and whoever happens to be about at RPM and Snackwallah and if the queues are low I may try Acropolis another addition to the Grainger Market.

Although I have been feeling apathetic and lethargic I'm obviously not as I've done a lot and have plans to do more. Sometimes you just have to do things and then that makes you feel better.

I was originally going to include Monty Python's "Eric The Half A Bee" (which you can listen to on Amazon or here) but the decided that " Flight of The Bumble Bee" from Tsar Sultan by  Rimsky Korsakov would be more appropriate with this animation. Remember Bees are important to the survival of the human race so always ensure you look out for them, they will only sting you if they have no other option , as it kills them and could very well kill you.

Look after the bees, without their pollination work , plants would not grow and we would very soon be starving.

With that thought have a great Sunday

Friday 26 October 2018

Sharing


There was a homeless guy in th epassage down the side of the Tyneside Cinema asking for spare change. I said I had none (which was true) but was going to visit my friend Krista at Kota to make a donation to Craig Puranen Wilson's memorial seat at the Tyneside Cinema. She wasn't in so I slipped a note under the door, and you can still donate of Facebook, but Facebook won't accept anything from me and won't say why despite me raising a ticket about it, so my only way of donating to causes is to send money to the person running it.

Anyway on the floor below is 586 Records and I was hoping to find a reggae 12" and saw "Jammin'" by Bob Marley on 12" and it has a live take of "No Woman, No Cry" on the "B" sided and was reasonably priced giving me change from a fiver.  I had a crack on with the owner who was listening to 6Music remarking I wasn't sure whether it was live or a recording as Tom Ravenscroft sounds so much like his dad John Peel.

This meant I had some change for the homeless guy who asked the guy in front of me if he had any spare change and I think he was surprised that I had come back and gave him some money. The thing is you can't always do that, and sometimes beggars can be aggressive or unfeasibly persistent hassling you for more after you have given them something, but most are grateful for any help you can give them, so I try to help when I can

So this is another excuse to listen to "No Woman, No Cry" by Bob Marley, and we all know what he would have done.


Thursday 30 August 2018

A Kaleidoscope of Rainbows


Well I've hit all targets for this month, but will still be walking into work today. Last night I was searching for something to listen to and Neil Ardley's "Kaleidoscope of Rainbows" popped into my head, a wonderful piece of music despite the odd trumpet noodling interludes but the introduction, which I am sharing with you "Prologue/Rainbow One" is wonderful.  The descending bass line against the rising vibes is sheer perfecton.

Although this is in the jazz universe, Neil Ardley is described as a composer who works with jazz musicians.

Kaleidoscope of Rainbows uses the five-note scale of Balinese gamelan music and has been seen as an early example of world music and features composition and improvisations. Neil Ardley, who left us fourteen years back gives an overview here and if you want to listen to the complete album it's on Youtube here.

This has been a decent week and September will start with a walk to Wylam with my daughter Kirsty, son in law Mark and Fiona on Sunday, so September shouldn't be a problem for hitting my walking targets. I am just waiting for the first moth when I don't hit my target but then again it'll probably never happen, I will always try and make sure that it does.

Yesterday I had tea with my friend Krista who runs Kota based in Commercial Union House and that was just lovely to catch up  and we are going to do lunch. We were talking about how we always make vague dates that we never keep and she got out her diary and we nailed it down.

Visit the Kota link, there are some wonderful things there including a lot of Moomin based items.

Enjoy your Thursday my friends.


Saturday 7 January 2017

Kindle In The Bag of A Rabbit With Wires


That's the end of the first week at work in the new year and Preston North End have been edged out of the FA Cup by the not very mighty Arsenal,. It was similar to the Newcastle match , we should have buried them in the first half but we don't have a reliable striker. Newcastle had Mitrovic , Arsenal had Giroud, but Preston made their opponents look second best on the pitch (unlike the disaster at St James' Park). It's Saturday night and I haven't posted since Monday so thought I had best get something down.

My phone's Bluetooth still causes settings to stop, so I'm forced to use wired headphones. However the ones I have although foldable , and sound OK , are still really too big for my pocket. I really do need to look for something a little smaller, so I will do that after I post this.

I visited RPM and bought Charlemagne: The Omens of Death , a heavy metal album by Christopher Lee on Vinyl. I then visited my friend Krista in KOTA and The Long Play Cafe in The Grainger Market and told them about Christopher Lee's Heavy Metal forays , and example of which is here.

I was surprised that they were unaware of this facet of the great man's art. I've included "The Magic Of The Wizard's Dream" by Rhapsody featuring the great man on vocals.

Good night my friends.

Friday 23 December 2016

Some Christmas Mutterings


This is year is the first I can remember when I have zero social Christmas contact. Tonight I was feeling wrecked so I did miss the opportunity to go and see The Star Spangled Chestwigs but the wind was cold and biting, and I know Shev, Adas, Bill and Paul will have a monster crowd and a great night. The thing is, with a bit of effort on my part, I did have the option to see people and it was lovely meeting very briefly with Krista and Jessica and Asher over the last two lunchtimes. So really I did a bit of solo socialising, and did have a lovely meal with my daughters last week, and in laws at the weekend. The thing is that some people don't actually have a choice. They either can't afford , or have no one to even talk to.

I am so lucky in having a wonderful circle of friends, and was thinking of this as I actually picked up my guitar for once and was surprised that I could remember "Rebel Rebel" (the best Rolling Stones song they never wrote) , "Shake Some Action", "People Get Ready" but stalled on "Norwegian Wood".

With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday I now have four days to relax, and not do too much.

I hope all my friends have received their cards and presents and are looking forward to a wonderful time to enjoy themselves.

2016 has left me shell shocked, but I am just seeing 2017 as a time to actually challenge idiots and make a small contribution to making the world a better place.

The wind is blowing outside and there has been some serious rain, but I am going to enjoy this break, enjoy next week and enjoy next year.

So what song should I choose? I reckon "Shake Some Action" , I remember the first time I heard that almost sinister riff transforming in to some gorgeous guitar runs and I still love it today. I always loved the Flamin' Groovies. So enjoy your Friday my friends, look out for others , be compassionte and make the world a better place.

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Popular In Russia ... and a smidgen of Finland's Finest



Who Loves Me?


Just looked at my view stats for this week and I have been hit twice as much by Russia than the UK., which is nearly three times the hit rate of the USA. The page is in English so it's not that it's a very Russian oriented page or blog. In fact it's not really anywhere leaning, just that it's in English and I write about anything that takes my fancy and feel that may interest others.

My posts tend to get about fifty views on first post but there are pages with almost two thousand views, though they may have been there for many years.

I've just realised that with the graphic this is in fact a very columnar post. Obviously I would love to be popular but that will never happen, though I know I have my hard core of followers who I value very highly.







I think I was going to write something about Christmas and an observation about Darth Vader and a dustbin but I will save that for a later post. It's always good to have a subject lined up that you can drop into your writing.

So the obvious musical piece is by the wonderful Finnish beat combo , The Leningrad Cowboys , backed by the Red Army Choir singing ZZ Top's "Gimme All Your Lovin'" , seriously what's not to like. My friend Krista is Finnish , she is a wonderful designer and has a place KOTA in the Grainger Market. Go and see her and her beautiful place.


Enjoy your Wednesday Evening my friends.

Saturday 17 December 2016

Wond'ring Aloud


I don't know what made this song come to mind, but today has been sort of a million miles an hour non stop for me. The original version of "Wond'ring Aloud" is on Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" but I found this version by Ian Anderson and some classical mateys. As I write this I'm listening to Rick Wakeman's "Six Wives of Henry VIII" which I still don't think he's topped though I have always liked him. Love the story of him having an Indian Meal delivered while is was doing nothing during other memeber's solos at a Yes gig.

Anyway today I went to the Grainger Market and finally found my friend Krista's gorgeous Kota store, which really does show off her eye for design , it is a typical sized Grainger Market but she makes it light and big, and the stuff she is selling is beautiful. That is one place you have to visit next time you are in there.

Then I found Hoam Grown CIC  a new organic produce store. Absolutely lovely so I bought some potatoes , got home and realised that I didn't need any. Not to worry , The Grainger Market is full of brilliant places all under the same roof, far better than the chain food aberration that they have turned the Eldon into, still some people see that as progress. I don't.

Ok, it's time for a cup of tea now, enjoy your Saturday my friends.