A Wedding on the Horizon

After Christmas, my weight crept up to 12 stone so, in January, I determined to diet - but only Mondays to Fridays, rewarding myself with a relaxed attitude to dinners with friends on Saturday evenings and Roast dinners with family on Sundays.

I set myself a target of 1000 calories per day during the week, meticulously writing down everything that passed through my lips. There were often one or two days each week that the calories were closer to 1200, but that's all.

In six weeks, I was under 11 stone and we went on holiday so the diet was put on hold. Two weeks later, at 11 stone, the diet resumed and it was another month before ten and a half stone was achieved, which brought us to Easter - and chocolate.

However, enough is enough! I stopped the incessant calorie counting whilst keeping to a similar eating routine and continuing to weigh myself every Saturday morning. At the end of June, my weight is the same. I would like to lose some more before a major family wedding in two weeks' time but I think I've left it too late to make much difference.

Oh, well, the dress fits!

Stars like Jewels on the Crown of a Queen

Celebrating over 50 years, Joe Brown and his Bruvvers are still gigging throughout the UK this year. The title of this blog is a line from one of his songs from the early '60s, A Picture of You.

This, and another song from the same era, That's What Love Will Do, are two of my favourites.

As a contrast, though, Joe Brown also sang silly songs, e.g. What a Crazy World We're Livin' In (from a film with Marty Wilde, father of Kim Wilde); the lyrics describe a typical lifestyle in parts of London (and probably elsewhere) at that time.

Another interesting piece of trivia is that Joe Brown's daughter, Sam, who also sings, had a song written about her: 'Mrs Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter' written by Trevor Peacock of 'Vicar of Dibley' fame and originally sung by Tom Courtney in a TV play. The song was later performed by Herman's Hermits and was also the title of a 60s Britcom film of the same name, starring Peter Noone.

If you've not heard Joe Brown (then or now) search for him on YouTube, maybe catch a live performance.

Psychosis - short film

A 5-minute 'film noir' mystery with a sting... keep watching after the credits!



This was one of a series of short films by NHC media students, shown at the Broadway Cinema in Letchworth (aka Mermaid in Worlds End), June 2013.

The story features a detective and introduces Malum, a character inspired by adversaries such as Moriarty and the Riddler.

The end is a one-on-one, each with a gun. Off camera, we hear a shot. Roll credits... Who survives? Keep watching.

♫ Moon River(s) Collection

A classic tune written by Henry Mancini for the film, Breakfast at Tiffany's, released in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn with George Peppard (A-Team) and Buddy Ebson (Beverly Hill Billies). The song has been covered many times.


Audrey Hepburn singing in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Link: Original opening title sequence performed by Henry Mancini.

Eric Clapton & Jeff Beck live on stage London 2010 'Together & Apart'

Tom McFly posted this version by Mr & Mrs Fletcher.

Some others...
Danny Williams UK #1 61/62
Andy Williams TV performance
Frank Sinatra 'Best of...'
Elton John live - en France

Help! Very Minor DIY Plumbing Question

Long hair somehow manages to wash down the plug-hole of the bath, despite cleaning around the hole after every shower. It tends to wrap around the screw thread that attaches the visible plug-hole to the hidden drainage bits. Eventually, the outlet becomes partially blocked and water takes longer to drain away.

I know this because it has happened to me. I found out how to remove the chrome plug-hole so I undertook this simple task this morning and disengaged the offending hair (not much hair, it has to be said, but of significant impact to the drainage process).

Then I tried to re-assemble. The drainage pipe under the bath has dropped a little and needs to be raised in order for the top plug-hole element to be re-attached.

Here is the problem. I can use a gripper tool to grab the lower pipe and raise it but how to keep it in place while the top bit is screwed in? I thought of putting a hook on a string through the top plug-hole but all the hooks I could find were too wide. Someone suggested cutting a wire hanger but this would also be too large. I looped a small hook that I fashioned from soft-wire and tried to raise the lower pipe but couldn't get the pieces aligned before the weight of them slipped from the weak, inefficient hook.

Any ideas, tips, etc. that don't involve buying expensive tools or calling even more expensive plumbers will be appreciated URGENTLY, please!

Hopeful of Herts.

♫ British Pop 1968. Amen.

1968 was a great year for British pop groups.

My friends at school each had their favourite pop groups: Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, Love Affair, The Herd, Amen Corner - and our soon-to-retire English teacher liked Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch! Note the heavy emphasis on British groups in that list.

My personal favourite was Amen corner. Their first album, Round Amen Corner, included their first three singles: Gin House Blues and The World of Broken Hearts - both blues numbers with a jazz sound - plus their first pop song hit, Bend Me Shape Me. Every track was good! The seven strong group from Wales had a unique sound; featuring two saxophones and the falsetto voice of Andy Fairweather-Low.

Others British groups popular at that time included Traffic, Marmalade, The Equals, The BeeGees (sort-of British) and, of course, The Beatles were still together.

Top of the Pops: Bend Me Shape Me - Amen Corner

60s teen

♫ British Pop on the Radio 1967

Before off-shore stations Radio Caroline and Radio London began broadcasting, Radio Luxembourg was the only Pop Music station but reception in the UK was generally terrible.

I was a dedicated Radio Caroline fan; listening to Keefer's Commotion while getting dressed for school, spending the evening with Robbie Dale (theme tune: I was Kaiser Bill's Batman) and going to bed with Johnnie Walker under my pillow - not the whisky. I even listened to Tony Prince on Radio Caroline North when visiting my grandparents during school holidays.

It was on Radio Caroline that I first heard "Last Train to Clarksville" by the Monkees. It was Radio Caroline that played "Ooh La La" and "Going Home" by Australian singer Normie Rowe.

The day that the Labour Party alienated a generation of future voters was 14 July 1967, when the Marine Broadcasting Offences Bill became an Act of Parliament.

Then, an iconic moment in time: BBC Radio 1 was launched on 30 September 1967, with ex Radio London DJ Tony Blackburn playing 'Flowers in the Rain' by The Move.

Did we all defect to 'the establishment'? No! We continued to listen to Pirate Radio Caroline as long as we possibly could.

For any other Radio Caroline 259 Fans, here is 'Caroline' by The Fortunes. Enjoy!

 

Recommended Music Blog: soundsandvision 

 

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