Good news - I've got a new boyfriend. Yes, you've guessed it, it's Patrick! Some have expressed concern that I'm on the rebound still, it being only 5 months since the breakup of the marriage. Seems like years ago since that dreadful St Valentines Day, I've come so far in that time. I really thought that my life was effectively over and that I would never love again. So strange then that I felt that little flower of love inside me slowly opening up over the course of that Sunday at Middlewich. I really didn't think it would be Patrick either, till that day I didn't fancy him at all! Somehow we reached an understanding between us and everything clicked into place.
We have the Demon Barbers to thank for the thing that brought us together - me deciding to ask them to sign their album 'Waxed' to Val and Pat! Well, it seemed so right at the time and indeed it was.
We're still at the soppy, glowy stage at the moment, very happy together. Fingers crossed that love lasts this time!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival 2007
What a bloody good weekend - despite the stormy weather throughout!
Was good to be able to enjoy a folk festival again, and gratifying that Patrick enjoyed it so much - he'd never been to a folk festival before. All the artists were good apart from a couple of duff musicians, very good considering. Discovery of the festival was the Demon Barber Roadshow, great music and fantastic sword, Morris and clog dancers (Patrick pretended not to appreciate one of the attractive clog dancers' boob tube slipping down). Seth Lakeman's gig was of course packed, and he gave an excellent gig, one big Northern bloke at the back was inspired to shout "Ah loov you, Seth" - perhaps being fed up of his girlfriend fancying Seth! Elbow Jane also gave a brilliant gig, and Breeze and Wilson were superb, generously giving out not one but two excellent free CDs.
It was also good fun to wander around the Boat Festival (which seemed quite separate, strangely), there were some gorgeous owls from a nearby sanctuary and a very interesting demonstration of how horses were used to pull narrowboats. Patrick had a go at the 6 Knot Challenge - the quickest time to tie six knots won a full set of new fenders, which would have been useful as Ripple had just knackered her front fender in a lock. Considering Pat had only had one quick demo of the knots before the attempt, he did very well, coming pretty close to the leading times!
Show of Hands gave their usual great performance, lifting the roof of the blue-and-yellow stripey tent with numbers like Santiago, Country Life and Roots. Very much pleased that Patrick was yelling enthusiastically for their encore! What's not to like about Show of Hands though?
The weekend also included some really nice pubs such as the Swan at Fradley Junction (good food/beer/atmos), the Narrowboat in Middlewich (OK beer, excellent food and the chance to say hello to Seth Lakeman) and the Newton Brewery, a lovely old-fashioned pub, only one beer (Pedigree) but best pint of the holiday.
So good to be able to enjoy a folk festival again - good music, good company and good beer, and the chance to stay on a narrowboat! Fantastic.
Was good to be able to enjoy a folk festival again, and gratifying that Patrick enjoyed it so much - he'd never been to a folk festival before. All the artists were good apart from a couple of duff musicians, very good considering. Discovery of the festival was the Demon Barber Roadshow, great music and fantastic sword, Morris and clog dancers (Patrick pretended not to appreciate one of the attractive clog dancers' boob tube slipping down). Seth Lakeman's gig was of course packed, and he gave an excellent gig, one big Northern bloke at the back was inspired to shout "Ah loov you, Seth" - perhaps being fed up of his girlfriend fancying Seth! Elbow Jane also gave a brilliant gig, and Breeze and Wilson were superb, generously giving out not one but two excellent free CDs.
It was also good fun to wander around the Boat Festival (which seemed quite separate, strangely), there were some gorgeous owls from a nearby sanctuary and a very interesting demonstration of how horses were used to pull narrowboats. Patrick had a go at the 6 Knot Challenge - the quickest time to tie six knots won a full set of new fenders, which would have been useful as Ripple had just knackered her front fender in a lock. Considering Pat had only had one quick demo of the knots before the attempt, he did very well, coming pretty close to the leading times!
Show of Hands gave their usual great performance, lifting the roof of the blue-and-yellow stripey tent with numbers like Santiago, Country Life and Roots. Very much pleased that Patrick was yelling enthusiastically for their encore! What's not to like about Show of Hands though?
The weekend also included some really nice pubs such as the Swan at Fradley Junction (good food/beer/atmos), the Narrowboat in Middlewich (OK beer, excellent food and the chance to say hello to Seth Lakeman) and the Newton Brewery, a lovely old-fashioned pub, only one beer (Pedigree) but best pint of the holiday.
So good to be able to enjoy a folk festival again - good music, good company and good beer, and the chance to stay on a narrowboat! Fantastic.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Southampton Weekend
Had a great time in Southampton *deleted*. Had a really nice meal with Pat and Shirl in Buffalo Bill's in Commercial Road - excellent burgers and very big portions. Just right to line the stomach before heading to the beer festival at the Guildhall.
Decided to make it a dark beer night with Bradfield Farmer's Stout, Cairngorm Black Gold, Little Valley Stoodley Stout and some others which I forget!
*deleted* Mary Jane were still very good, and I knew a lot of the words to their old stuff, so could appreciate Burning Times and Matty Groves, for instance. Shame their new album wasn't ready yet! The new songs sounded fab though, lots of nice fast Celtic numbers, and some slower woodwind-led ballads.
*deleted* Next day we all met up again and we drove to Romsey to show Pat the canal, the Salmon Leap and other sights. *deleted*. No pubs were involved, although we did point out quite a few of our old haunts! Had a nice tea and cake at the King John's Lodge - I'd definitely reccommend it. They've done a lovely job with the museum there.
Back home again now - have finished all the painting - hooray! Hope we have some offers on the house soon - I can't wait to get away to Redhill and start my new life.
Sorry about the deletions folks - Kevin has requested that I do not refer to a certain incident in my blog, which is probably for the best.
Decided to make it a dark beer night with Bradfield Farmer's Stout, Cairngorm Black Gold, Little Valley Stoodley Stout and some others which I forget!
*deleted* Mary Jane were still very good, and I knew a lot of the words to their old stuff, so could appreciate Burning Times and Matty Groves, for instance. Shame their new album wasn't ready yet! The new songs sounded fab though, lots of nice fast Celtic numbers, and some slower woodwind-led ballads.
*deleted* Next day we all met up again and we drove to Romsey to show Pat the canal, the Salmon Leap and other sights. *deleted*. No pubs were involved, although we did point out quite a few of our old haunts! Had a nice tea and cake at the King John's Lodge - I'd definitely reccommend it. They've done a lovely job with the museum there.
Back home again now - have finished all the painting - hooray! Hope we have some offers on the house soon - I can't wait to get away to Redhill and start my new life.
Sorry about the deletions folks - Kevin has requested that I do not refer to a certain incident in my blog, which is probably for the best.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Taking it easy
Shingles are all but healed, although still giving me stabbing pains every now and again. But I decided to take it easy for a while, eat healthily and give my immune system a chance to build up. I also walked back from North Camp station to home a few times just to keep a bit fitter. So not much in the way of news (although it's Southampton Beer Festival and Mary Jane tonight) - I did get rather drunk after choir on Monday though and decided I was everyone's kindred spirit! I'm sure they put something extra in the HSB at the Royal Oak...
Meanwhile here's a Wikipedia game - search Wikipedia for your birth date (day and month). Then post 3 events, 1 death, 2 birthdays (other than yours) and 1 holiday celebrated on that day.
Here's mine (6 November):
Events
355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II raises his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him of the government of the Prefecture of the Gauls.
1935 - Before the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation," i.e. FM radio.
1975 - The Sex Pistols play their first concert at St. Martin's School of Art in London
Birthdays
1494 - Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1566)
1926 - Frank Carson, Northern Irish comedian
Death
1893 - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (b. 1840)
Holiday
Sweden - Death of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and official flag day
Meanwhile here's a Wikipedia game - search Wikipedia for your birth date (day and month). Then post 3 events, 1 death, 2 birthdays (other than yours) and 1 holiday celebrated on that day.
Here's mine (6 November):
Events
355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II raises his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him of the government of the Prefecture of the Gauls.
1935 - Before the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers, Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation," i.e. FM radio.
1975 - The Sex Pistols play their first concert at St. Martin's School of Art in London
Birthdays
1494 - Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1566)
1926 - Frank Carson, Northern Irish comedian
Death
1893 - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian composer (b. 1840)
Holiday
Sweden - Death of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden and official flag day
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