Cloud Busting

If you're anything like me and like looking at the clouds, you might be interested in this chart.  It shows the ten main types of cloud formation.  I have taken it from the The Cloud Appreciation Society website.

Bank Holiday

Another bank holiday weekend is here and although I don't have anything planned I am looking forward to it.  Despite having no plans I do know the weekend will not involve DIY, which seems to be the most popular of bank holiday pass times.

England play on Sunday, their last friendly prior to the start of the World Cup and I know I will be near a TV screen for that.  Will they put in a better performance than they did earlier in the week?  I doubt it. There's also the cricket, England versus Bangladesh. As expected we are doing rather well and as I write Jonathan Trott has just reached his double hundred. England are very much in the driving seat at 433 - 6.

Whatever I end up doing I hope the weather stays nice.  There's nothing worse than a cold and wet bank holiday weekend.

Anyway a song, I can only think of one and here it is.

Blur - Bank Holiday (Utrecht Holland).mp3

Too Orangey For Crows

This advert came up in conversation a few weeks ago.  It popped into my head earlier and after a quick look on youtube found this.  Kia Ora mixed with Cutty Ranks who'd have thought, eh?

Summer Songs

Here's a couple of nice compilations from My Dreams Never End.  One of my favourite music blogs. Here and here

In the Garden

As I said yesterday, I have spent a good deal of time in the garden, what with the nice weather and all.  It's been lovely. I've sat in the sunshine and just watched the wildlife going about it's business.  Although I live in a residential street, my garden is quite enclosed and I deliberately leave it slightly overgrown. I prefer it that way. Just let nature do what it does. Over the last few days I have become quite fond of a couple of Goldfinches that flit back and forth all day long.  I've tried to take a photo but they are either too well camouflaged in the foliage or fly off by the time I have my camera ready.  Other visitors to my garden (or the airspace above it) have included Blue Tits, Great Tits, a Robin, Magpies and a Kestrel. In the late afternoon Swifts appear over head.  Butterflies including Holly Blue, Speckled Wood, Peacock and a Small White have also visited. Again I have tried to photograph these with limited success.  Below is a picture of a Peacock Butterfly.  I stood for what seemed like hours waiting for it to open it's wings but when it did I was too slow and it had gone by the time I was ready.

To a lot of people this won't sound very "Rock n Roll"  but I find it very relaxing.  I am a city person through and through and don't think I could ever live in the countryside but as soon as the sunshine arrives I want to be out and surrounded by trees and greenery.  I am lucky enough to have a small garden to escape to at the very least.  I am in no way green fingered but can understand why people love gardening. Perhaps it's something I might take up in a few years. In the meantime I will just sit and watch the birds and butterflies as they come and go.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Don't really know much about this band, if I'm honest.  I discovered them whilst surfing the net a few years back. It was their name that I liked. Since then I have learnt a bit more about them and their music.  It's not all to my liking but they do have some good songs.  You can download their first single by going here. See what you think.

You can pre order their new album by going to their website. I have no idea if they will tour in the UK to promote it but if I hear of anything I will let you know.

England v Mexico

I'm not going to talk too much about this as there will be plenty of football talk next month when the World Cup starts.  England won 3-1 last night, a good result but for some reason I just wasn't convinced. We didn't dominate and could have gone behind  couple of times in the first 30 minutes. There were some good points, Ledley King's and Glen Johnson's goals. Although King scored with a well placed header, defensively he made some mistakes.

As a Birmingham fan it was good to see Joe Hart get 45 minutes.  He deserved it after the season he had with Blues but I thought Robert Green played very well in the first half and deserves a place in the squad.  I would have liked to have seen Adam Johnson get more of game as I think he could bring something different to the team.

On the strength of the performance last night, I think we will be in for a roller coaster ride come June 12th.

Summer Days

I love the summer and the last few days have been fantastic.  Things seem so much better in the sunshine.  The weekend was spent in the garden watching the birds, butterflies, bees and other insects going about their business. On Saturday, Clare (my girlfriend) and I went for a picnic.  We are quite lucky to have the countryside pretty much on our doorstep.  We spent a sunny afternoon sitting in the shade of an old oak tree, drinking slightly warm gins and tonic and  watching buzzards circle in a blue, cloudless sky.  The picnic basket had sandwiches, dips and crisps and having eaten, we walked through a wooded area and enjoyed it's coolness.  We arrived home early evening just in time for the Champions League Final and spent a warm evening watching the football.  I don't think it gets better than that!

Noises Off! @ Birmingham Rep

When we booked the tickets for Noises Off! I'd not heard of it. As it turns out, it is a well known and much loved play and if you believe the tributes and write ups, then it is one of the funniest things you will ever see at the theatre.

So last night I arrived at The Rep not knowing very much.  I knew it was a farce within a farce and I also knew it starred Brigit Forsyth (best known as Thelma from Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads). Someone sitting next to me asked if I'd seen the play before and seemed surprised when I said no.  He had seen it on a few occasions and told me that after the first time, he had to see it again "as there is so much going on you miss things first time around"

In the first part of the show, you are front of house watching the final rehearsal of a play before it's opening night. The second half takes you backstage part way through the tour. Things amongst the cast are not going well and you watch as they try to perform the play amidst the chaos behind the scenes.

The show started and although there are plenty of laughs by the time the interval arrived I felt that I had been slightly short changed.  Yes, it was funny but not as funny as I was lead to believe.

Having sat down after the break for more of the same it wasn't long before the audience were laughing again but as one laugh died away the next was upon you. My neighbour was right, there is so much going on that your eyes are darting from one side of the stage to the next to take it all in. It really is laugh a minute.

By the end of the show (which seemed to come around all too quickly) you are left with a broad smile on your face as you leave. Although I'm not sure if it lived up to it's promise of being one of the funniest nights you’ll spend at the theatre, it is most definitely a good night out.

Every member of the cast were fantastic and gave a faultless performance and the set really did put you backstage. A great production!  Something I probably will be seeing again.

One last thing, I left the theatre knowing I'd seen the actor who played Selsdon on TV but could not place where.  I got home and checked.  Selsdon was played by Ian Lindsay who also played George in Men Behaving Badly.

School Of Seven Bells Free Download

School Of Seven Bells
‘Disconnect From Desire’

Released 12/07/10 on Full Time Hobby.

Had the pleasure of seeing these last year when they played at The Rainbow in Birmingham.  Unfortunately it seems that this time around they are only playing Bristol, Manchester and London.

You can get a taste of their forthcoming album by downloading Babelonia for free.

SOSB - Babelonia

British Sea Power @ The Glee Club Birmingham

Had a good night at the Glee Club last night.  British Sea Power are always worth seeing live and last night was no exception. From the outset they were tight and on form. The crowd were a little subdued but I always find that the case at the Glee. To be honest, a polite crowd is a refreshing change. The set was strong and although I can't remember all the songs it ran something like this.

Apologies.., Remember Me, Atom, True Adventures, New song, Oh Larsen B , Please Stand Up, Down On The Ground, No Lucifer, Waving Flags, The Great Skua, Canvey Island, New song, Fear Of Drowning, Lights Out, A Trip Out, The Spirit Of St Louis

The new songs fitted into the set quite easily and seemed to go down well with the audience. The show ended with Spirit of St Louis and the extended end meant it lasted at least ten minutes. They left the stage and did not return. It was a great way to end the show rather than the obligatory encore.

If you get the chance to catch them live you should take it!

Moseley Folk Festival 2010

I can't wait for this! For people who don't know (there can't be many left now) Moseley Folk Festival is held in a private park in Birmingham. It's a small intimate festival with a great vibe. People attending for the first time get the feeling they have stumbled upon something special, a secret of sorts. Not just the crowd but the performers as well.

This year is Moseley's 5th Birthday and although the emphasis is on folk music the festival takes in many styles and genres. The line up for 2010 is no exception. Over 3 days it will play host to The Divine Comedy, Turin Brakes, Donovan, The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain, The Low Anthem, Fyfe Dangerfield, Erland & The Carnival and many more.

I love this festival and can think of no better way to see out the remaining days of summer.

To give you an idea of the size and vibe of the festival you should watch this.

World Twenty 20 Cricket

Yes!!!!!! England beat Australia by 7 wickets to win the World T20 final! I've thoroughly enjoyed the tournament and think England's performance has been great throughout. What a great start to the summer. I hope we can do as well in the football!

My New Blog!

My first post on my new blog. I've no idea why I've decided to start this or what I intend to use it for. I think it will be to record stuff I like. Stuff that I've done, seen or heard. Stuff I think others should know about (if they don't already).