a Girl Saturday ? wouldn't it ?
As for animals and biscuits ...
I love chocolate biscuits
but tend to find cats a bit chewy...
Still any excuse to play
a bit of Bowie...
Davey ! Davey ! I've got
Friday on my......
Friday, 2 October 2015
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
The end of an affair ......
.... before all the tosh about Ashley Madison, there was the internet and you didn't need to register to a specific website for illicit activity ..... some simple googling skills and the internet could just as easily offer up your hearts desire .....
For me it all started back in the winter of 2008 / 2009. After a bit of tapping away on the keyboard and soon contact was made ..... a picture was supplied and that was it I was hooked ..... of course looks are not always a per-cursor to desire but when it comes to sophistication you just know that you can be sucked in .....
With Ashley Madison, there is a certain amount of pre-deceit in the deceit it's self, usually there is fake email address, possibly fake names and perhaps even a fake photo with potentially secret credit cards .... how else are you going to pay for your deceit ?
But for me I was upfront, my real name and my real phone number, and once these were exchanged a meeting date was agreed ........ and lordy lordy lordy ...... that first sight, the immediacy of the beauty ...... I don't know about..... you had me at hello ......
I was kappow'd ....... there was no turning back ...... I was hooked ........ time to rip up the rule book...
But like all first meets, you need to hold something back ..... but once away and back into the real world ..... there was nothing else I could think about ..... I couldn't concentrate .... my mind was else where ..... even going to sleep at night .... the last thing I would think of as I fell into my slumber ......... was my new love ......
Once the deal was sealed, that's when I was into new territory ....... I stroked, I loved, I purred .....
As time moved on, it wasn't so much as complacency that crept in, just simply that the real world kept pulling me back ..... and then comes that moment, when you know the affair is over..... there isn't a definable clear reason why you know it is time to let go, but you can sense it ..... sure the love is still there the desire is still there .... but the real world keeps holding you back from your hearts desire ...... no matter how much you may love the object of your affection .... eventually the truth catches up with you and you know it is time to let go.
When it comes to letting go, there's is no doubt it is a moment filled with huge regret, a 1000 whatif's, but somewhere inside you, you know that if you cannot devote all your time and energy to the thing you love most ....... then it will feel the most unloved .......
As part of Operation Pompeii now seemed as good a time as any to sell, not least of which the price of Ferrari's have gone stupid..... most cars that you own for 6 years will depreciate in value, quite significantly .... but with my Ferrari 550 I made a handsome profit of nearly 50% on the price I paid, and even then I sold cheap. But such is the little free time I seem to have these days, I had only managed to drive it some 300 miles in the last year.
I recognise that if you are not really a car person you might think ......... tosser .... or even if you are a car person and you see a Ferrari owner talking about his car you still might think..... tosser ..... to be honest I don't give a rats arse what people think, because I brought the car simply because it was a fantastic car to own ......
There were many times during my guardianship of this car, that I shall cherish for always ..... cars come and go, but some memories are etched in to our neurons, and till the day I die these memories will never fade ..... I have owned some great cars in my time, but this one, my 550 ...... rates among the top 1.
Growing up as a kid on a pretty rough estate in Nottingham, with my parents not a pot to piss in, turning on our telly [oh yes we could at least afford to rent a telly] and there was Danny Wilde and Brett Sinclair side by side, Brett in his Aston Martin DBS and Danny [aka Tony Curtis] in his Ferrari 246 Dino....... and that was it ..... as an 8 year kid I knew Ferrari was the car I loved ..... the 246 Dino a car I still love ..... don't get me wrong the Aston is a great car .... but there was only one car for me ...... little did I know back in 1971 that one day I would wake up and think ....
.... fook I can afford to buy a Ferrari ..... but that is what happened ..... I woke up one day, googled around the internet and saw the picture and that was it I was hooked.
Less than 10 years before I bought the 550, a 246 Dino could be had for around £35,000 .... want one now ? that'll be at least £ 250,000+ please sir / madam {delete as appropriate}. Not bad for a car that cost less than 7 grand brand new.
The 550 is without doubt one of the best cars built by Ferrari, not only was it fitted with a fantastic V12 engine, but the build quality was far superior to it's predecessors and oh my word what a body it was dressed in .... no matter what angle you looked at it ..... it's shapely lines. For sure, for any one who maybe shits money, the 550 doesn't compare to say a Enzo or a F40 or F50 or maybe a GTO288 but as an everyday usable Ferrari then a 550 goes a long way ....
but the truth.... the truth is ....
there really can be no going back .....
For me it all started back in the winter of 2008 / 2009. After a bit of tapping away on the keyboard and soon contact was made ..... a picture was supplied and that was it I was hooked ..... of course looks are not always a per-cursor to desire but when it comes to sophistication you just know that you can be sucked in .....
With Ashley Madison, there is a certain amount of pre-deceit in the deceit it's self, usually there is fake email address, possibly fake names and perhaps even a fake photo with potentially secret credit cards .... how else are you going to pay for your deceit ?
But for me I was upfront, my real name and my real phone number, and once these were exchanged a meeting date was agreed ........ and lordy lordy lordy ...... that first sight, the immediacy of the beauty ...... I don't know about..... you had me at hello ......
I was kappow'd ....... there was no turning back ...... I was hooked ........ time to rip up the rule book...
But like all first meets, you need to hold something back ..... but once away and back into the real world ..... there was nothing else I could think about ..... I couldn't concentrate .... my mind was else where ..... even going to sleep at night .... the last thing I would think of as I fell into my slumber ......... was my new love ......
Once the deal was sealed, that's when I was into new territory ....... I stroked, I loved, I purred .....
As time moved on, it wasn't so much as complacency that crept in, just simply that the real world kept pulling me back ..... and then comes that moment, when you know the affair is over..... there isn't a definable clear reason why you know it is time to let go, but you can sense it ..... sure the love is still there the desire is still there .... but the real world keeps holding you back from your hearts desire ...... no matter how much you may love the object of your affection .... eventually the truth catches up with you and you know it is time to let go.
When it comes to letting go, there's is no doubt it is a moment filled with huge regret, a 1000 whatif's, but somewhere inside you, you know that if you cannot devote all your time and energy to the thing you love most ....... then it will feel the most unloved .......
....... and so after 6 years the time came........ to let my beloved Ferrari 550 go ....
As part of Operation Pompeii now seemed as good a time as any to sell, not least of which the price of Ferrari's have gone stupid..... most cars that you own for 6 years will depreciate in value, quite significantly .... but with my Ferrari 550 I made a handsome profit of nearly 50% on the price I paid, and even then I sold cheap. But such is the little free time I seem to have these days, I had only managed to drive it some 300 miles in the last year.
I recognise that if you are not really a car person you might think ......... tosser .... or even if you are a car person and you see a Ferrari owner talking about his car you still might think..... tosser ..... to be honest I don't give a rats arse what people think, because I brought the car simply because it was a fantastic car to own ......
There were many times during my guardianship of this car, that I shall cherish for always ..... cars come and go, but some memories are etched in to our neurons, and till the day I die these memories will never fade ..... I have owned some great cars in my time, but this one, my 550 ...... rates among the top 1.
Growing up as a kid on a pretty rough estate in Nottingham, with my parents not a pot to piss in, turning on our telly [oh yes we could at least afford to rent a telly] and there was Danny Wilde and Brett Sinclair side by side, Brett in his Aston Martin DBS and Danny [aka Tony Curtis] in his Ferrari 246 Dino....... and that was it ..... as an 8 year kid I knew Ferrari was the car I loved ..... the 246 Dino a car I still love ..... don't get me wrong the Aston is a great car .... but there was only one car for me ...... little did I know back in 1971 that one day I would wake up and think ....
.... fook I can afford to buy a Ferrari ..... but that is what happened ..... I woke up one day, googled around the internet and saw the picture and that was it I was hooked.
Less than 10 years before I bought the 550, a 246 Dino could be had for around £35,000 .... want one now ? that'll be at least £ 250,000+ please sir / madam {delete as appropriate}. Not bad for a car that cost less than 7 grand brand new.
The 550 is without doubt one of the best cars built by Ferrari, not only was it fitted with a fantastic V12 engine, but the build quality was far superior to it's predecessors and oh my word what a body it was dressed in .... no matter what angle you looked at it ..... it's shapely lines. For sure, for any one who maybe shits money, the 550 doesn't compare to say a Enzo or a F40 or F50 or maybe a GTO288 but as an everyday usable Ferrari then a 550 goes a long way ....
But for all it's greatness, for all it's beauty, for the way it beguiled me .....
it was one last lingering look .....
I have no doubt there will be many a day in the future
that I will look back on my affair with fond memories ......
I will even look back and question my sanity why I said goodbye
I will even look back and question my sanity why I said goodbye
but the truth.... the truth is ....
there really can be no going back .....
it's too late the affair is over .....
Friday, 4 September 2015
Back to Blokes and Guitars .... Today's SoD
all thanks to Robert Wadlow ....
the funny ways we find music ....
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Moving further from Nusrat ...... today's SoD
this time with a bloke bashing the keys of a piano .....
Monday, 24 August 2015
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Friday, 26 June 2015
Up the hill backwards ........
I have on a number of occasions tackled
the London to Brighton bike ride ..... and on each of the past rides, I
have never been able to conquer the infamous Ditchling Beacon .....
On Sunday 21st June this year, my best
mate Mike and I hit the pedals at 7am and it was very congested getting out of
central London but we were a bit surprised to pass a Roman Chariot along the way….
The only drama’s we had to contend with, was Mike getting a puncture at 32 miles, and then me coming out in sympathy 5 miles later with my own puncture. But we were soon back in our rhythm and reached the base of Ditchling Beacon in fine fettle. By this time the sun was out and it was warming up into a nice 22c
So for the assent of DB, I put the bike in to the lowest gear and worked with one simple strategy. As long as I could keep turning the pedals, then the wheels must keep turning away. It is interesting watching people tackle DB with great gusto and for the first quarter of a mile, many are in the saddle pedalling away, but as the climb steepens, you see them one by one dismount.
For sure I was huffing and puffing all the way up and about half way for one brief moment, watching people dismount, I thought how nice it would be to get off the bike and walk ……. But I am not a defeatist and I was here to beat Ditchling Beacon, so I dug in and kept the pedals turning …… and finally
1 mile and 12 minutes from base camp I reached the summit on 2 wheels…… at 52.5 years old I had finally conquered Ditchling Beacon !
And the feeling..... to finally beat the Beacon was wonderful and clearly all the bowls of porridge [with one or two doughnuts thrown in…. in fact.......lots of doughnuts]
and miles of training had paid off. To be fair 12 minutes for the Beacon is
slow, when you consider that the pro-cyclist run up there in under 4 minutes,
but I didn’t care....... like the Romans in their Chariot heading out of
London
……. Veni, vidi, vici
I would imagine that the pro-cyclists could probably cycle up the hill backwards and still beat me ..... but who cares I beat it ...... want to know why personal bests are better than any world record ? .... well anyone can achieve a world record but only you can achieve your PB.
The ride in to the finish line along Maderia drive from the Beacon was wonderful and with my resplendent red shoes I crossed the finishing line with a beaming smile, all completed in a respectable 4 hours. I even raised an healthy sum of money for the BHF .... what the PR guys call a 'win-win'. To add to the occasion the BHF even gave me a medal that matched the prettiest shoes ever to complete the London to Brighton Bike Ride ......
For all the great things me and Mike
have done over the years .... we can now add defeating Ditchling Beacon to that
list ....... another good reason why we all need a
best friend .......
and as the wonderful Damien wrote a song about
a Beacon hill
here's a bonus SoD
and the next stop ?
that is until ........
That must have sounded like a great idea between pints 6 & 7 but
on the open roads ?
on the open roads ?
........
what were they thinking ?
The only drama’s we had to contend with, was Mike getting a puncture at 32 miles, and then me coming out in sympathy 5 miles later with my own puncture. But we were soon back in our rhythm and reached the base of Ditchling Beacon in fine fettle. By this time the sun was out and it was warming up into a nice 22c
So for the assent of DB, I put the bike in to the lowest gear and worked with one simple strategy. As long as I could keep turning the pedals, then the wheels must keep turning away. It is interesting watching people tackle DB with great gusto and for the first quarter of a mile, many are in the saddle pedalling away, but as the climb steepens, you see them one by one dismount.
For sure I was huffing and puffing all the way up and about half way for one brief moment, watching people dismount, I thought how nice it would be to get off the bike and walk ……. But I am not a defeatist and I was here to beat Ditchling Beacon, so I dug in and kept the pedals turning …… and finally
1 mile and 12 minutes from base camp I reached the summit on 2 wheels…… at 52.5 years old I had finally conquered Ditchling Beacon !
The image of the peak coming into view
was a sight to behold .......
……. Veni, vidi, vici
I would imagine that the pro-cyclists could probably cycle up the hill backwards and still beat me ..... but who cares I beat it ...... want to know why personal bests are better than any world record ? .... well anyone can achieve a world record but only you can achieve your PB.
The ride in to the finish line along Maderia drive from the Beacon was wonderful and with my resplendent red shoes I crossed the finishing line with a beaming smile, all completed in a respectable 4 hours. I even raised an healthy sum of money for the BHF .... what the PR guys call a 'win-win'. To add to the occasion the BHF even gave me a medal that matched the prettiest shoes ever to complete the London to Brighton Bike Ride ......
Davey !
Davey ! ....
didn't
you write a song about going up a hill ?
who
knows ......
maybe next time I will try it backwards ...
maybe next time I will try it backwards ...
and as the wonderful Damien wrote a song about
a Beacon hill
here's a bonus SoD
and the next stop ?
why of
course
Pompeii
.......
Friday, 19 June 2015
If I lay here .... if I just lay here .....
.... would you ?
[Postscript - Coming up for Air was first published on 12th June 1939 - It would have been unworldly had it been published on 11th June, that would have been just too spooky]
Wednesday, 27 May 2015
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Press the re-set button .......
Katie's passing is not my grief ..... So why has it so wrong footed me ? I hadn't even seen her for a while .....
But it's very difficult to understand how a person's death at such a tender age can so de-rail your thoughts, especially considering that we are not even related........ Losing my Dad was tough, but for all the love that I miss him, I get it.... he was 77 years old...... he wasn't immortal......
..... What ever has happened this past month ..... it has made me question whether now is the time to really press the re-set button on my life ...... I should have done it a long time ago, but being the weak and ridiculous person I am, I could always find a 1001 excuses for not doing it......
I was listening to radio 5 live on the way into work a couple of weeks back .... some phone-in or other and I was thinking, what the fuck are these people getting so worked up about...... It was about the significance of St George's day ......
One woman was singing what sounded like some fisherman's ditti [apparently it was the Cornish national anthem] to prove she was Cornish, not English, not British, but Cornish..... christ I wish I could get that excited...... I was born in Nottingham, but I don't think I need a Nottingham anthem to prove I am real, that I exist.... as it happens, it goes like this ......
Anyways ..... I've come to the conclusion that I as soon as I can clear my debts...... that's me finished with this life .......
I have worked out it will take me about 3 weeks to cycle to Pompeii, and when I have seen a place that I have never visited before .... but a place that has been firmly in my head since being a small boy ..... when I have seen Pompeii, I shall find somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Italy...... I shall point the handle bars in that direction and press my re-set button ........ after that I have no idea .......
But I'll work it out when I get there ....... sitting on some veranda under the Italian sun, head phones on, music feeding my brian ..... and no more shit to beat me down .........
If I can't find any pies in Italy .......
But it's very difficult to understand how a person's death at such a tender age can so de-rail your thoughts, especially considering that we are not even related........ Losing my Dad was tough, but for all the love that I miss him, I get it.... he was 77 years old...... he wasn't immortal......
..... What ever has happened this past month ..... it has made me question whether now is the time to really press the re-set button on my life ...... I should have done it a long time ago, but being the weak and ridiculous person I am, I could always find a 1001 excuses for not doing it......
I was listening to radio 5 live on the way into work a couple of weeks back .... some phone-in or other and I was thinking, what the fuck are these people getting so worked up about...... It was about the significance of St George's day ......
One woman was singing what sounded like some fisherman's ditti [apparently it was the Cornish national anthem] to prove she was Cornish, not English, not British, but Cornish..... christ I wish I could get that excited...... I was born in Nottingham, but I don't think I need a Nottingham anthem to prove I am real, that I exist.... as it happens, it goes like this ......
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men
Feared by the bad, loved by the good
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, with his band of men
Feared by the bad, loved by the good
Robin Hood, Robin Hood, Robin Hood
Anyways ..... I've come to the conclusion that I as soon as I can clear my debts...... that's me finished with this life .......
I have worked out it will take me about 3 weeks to cycle to Pompeii, and when I have seen a place that I have never visited before .... but a place that has been firmly in my head since being a small boy ..... when I have seen Pompeii, I shall find somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Italy...... I shall point the handle bars in that direction and press my re-set button ........ after that I have no idea .......
But I'll work it out when I get there ....... sitting on some veranda under the Italian sun, head phones on, music feeding my brian ..... and no more shit to beat me down .........
But before all that happens I have Ditchling Beacon to defeat in the London to Brighton bike ride on 21st June....... I'd signed up long before Katie passed away, but somehow it now seems right. Everytime I have done the L2B in the past, Ditchling Beacon has beat me ......... but this year will be the year I finally beat it ..... my fund raising tag line is to ....... because I want to beat Ditchling Beacon before I die ....... and I am gunna do it in style ........ I am going to do it wearing the prettiest shoes ever to be ridden up Ditchling Beacon ......
I did think about doing a Reggie Perrin once I arrived at Brighton but the wind over the English Channel can get a bit bracing..... so leaving my clothes folded in a neat pile and running off the beach naked is not my idea of making a run for it .......... to be fair being naked on Brighton Beach might not seem that out of the ordinary ..... assuming there is still a naturist beach there ...... but no...... I shall not make my get away via Brighton ........... the weather and food in Italy are so much better
.....although I might miss me pies ....... I love pies ......
I did think about doing a Reggie Perrin once I arrived at Brighton but the wind over the English Channel can get a bit bracing..... so leaving my clothes folded in a neat pile and running off the beach naked is not my idea of making a run for it .......... to be fair being naked on Brighton Beach might not seem that out of the ordinary ..... assuming there is still a naturist beach there ...... but no...... I shall not make my get away via Brighton ........... the weather and food in Italy are so much better
.....although I might miss me pies ....... I love pies ......
If I can't find any pies in Italy .......
I will still have the Blue Nile .......
I love the Blue Nile .......
Sunday, 10 May 2015
Hidden Gems ......
For some reason there didn't seem to be much sun over my house this weekend, and then by chance I was introduce to whole different..... Sunhouse
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