THE GREAT
Dead Can Dance - the Serpent's Egg
Dead can Dance - Spleen and Ideal
Captain Beefheart - Trout Mask Replica
Marilyn Manson - Holywood
John Foxx - Cathedral Oceans 3
John Foxx - In Mysterious Ways
John Foxx - Shifting City
John Foxx - Metamatic
Ultravox - HaHaHa
Ultravox- Ultravox!
Marc Almond - Mother Fist
Marc Almond - Heart on Snow
Harold Budd - Avalon Sutra
Cocteau Twins - Lullabies to Violaine
Cocteau twins - Head Over Heels
Siouxie & The Banshees - Kaleidoscope
Bjork - Medulla
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
Kate Bush - Aerial
Judy Garland - Live at Carnegie Hall
Jori Hulkonnen - Dualizm
Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats
Biosphere - SubStrata

THE GOOD
Dead can Dance - Aion
Marilyn Manson - Lest We Forget
Morrissey - Viva Hate
Morissey - Vauxhall and I
Marc Almond - Stories of Johnny
Marc Almond - Enchanted
Harold Budd - Lovely Thunder
Harold Budd/Cocteau Twins - The Moon & the Melodies
Electric 80s - Various Artists
Neu - Neu
New York Dolls - Trash
Kate Bush - Never For Ever
Kate Bush - The Sensual World
Metamatics - 3 Jak and Dive
Live Hate - 18 Anarchic Punk Anthems
Astrea Redux - Fractals
Astrea Redux - Language
Tangerine Dream - Atem

THE REST
Goldfrapp - Supernature
Mike Oldfield - Amarok
Virginia Astley - From Gardens Where We Feel Secure
Anne Clark - Pressure Points

That's it. Christmas is officially over in our house.
Angela's phone call yesterday morning cancelling her visit today (because of the possibility of bad weather and David developing a "cold") gave us an opportunity to clear away the cards and decorations which we were leaving up for them.
It also meant that today has been our first since Tuesday last without visitors. Trx friend Lena came round yesterday morning with her 3yr old Finn and they stayed to help us eat loads of odds and ends for lunch. Good chance to put a face to a name in her case. Very cute, just a little small! The lisp is a bonus. very easy to get on with and really good fun to have around. Finn and Elsie get on well too, which brought Stanley out of himself and they all had a good time together.
So the tree sits downstairs waiting for me to put it out in the garden. Its raining like mad out there right now - we didnt get any snow. No surprise there then.
And this afternoon we've started planning for Flo's field trip with school the week after next, doing a few bits of DIY around the house and made serious plans for sorting out the kids bedrooms next year.

I have had the dining room upside down looking for my headphone adapter (with no luck. I need it to set up the amp in church...), but also sorted the room out too and generated two carrier bags full of crap. CD storgae is becoming a Big Issue, but now at least they are tidy.
I have two missing. Must get the Nildrohain EP back from Maple, and see if I haven't let him my Plaid album too.

Biddulph's factors as they apply to me.
These are the three things I need to work at most.
The rest is good.

1) You and your sexuality
2) You and your friends
3) You and your father

4) You and your partner
4) You and your kids
4) You and your work
4) You and your spirit

1) You and your father
2) You and your sexuality
3) You and your partner
4) You and your kids
5) You and your friends
6) You and your work
7) You and your spirit

© Steve Biddulph. 1994.

Warning: This book could seriously improve your life

The second half of Holbicity vs Casualty gives me a chance to catch up on a couple of forums, read a few blogs and write my own.
Peace prevails in the house.
Uncle D is downstairs working on his Best man's speech for a friends wedding later in the week and Trx is watching the TV. He's been here since lunchtime, on good form as usual, but like us all, needing a chance to rant on about Christmas and all its complexities.
Mum and dad left yesterday afternoon and got home to two inches of snow. We haven't had any down here yet, but there is a good chance it will fall overnight.
They arrived after lunch on Christmas Eve, loaded with presents and food. Mum said she would bring "crackers and a Christmas pudding", so silly me - that's what I expected. So she brings in a huge box full of biscuits, mince pies, cakes nuts etc - all the stuff that iwent out to buy from tesco late on Friday night!!! We will be eating this crap for another week I think.
Perhaps its a good thing my sister has decided to visit us on Friday for the second time in ten years...
The weather's been all over the place for the last few days, but it was glorious on Christmas Day making our picnic lunch in the Forest a really good idea. More people around than usual?
Several folk have commented that this is a good idea, so we are talking about inviting one or two other families to join us next year. Fabulous walk behind Eyeworth Pond again, and always a delight to feed the mandarins.
And the pigs turned up right on cue in Fitham village, right on the green. A big spotty sow and nine of the cutest tiny piglets you ever saw!!! Parents were delighted and that in itself I think convinced them it was worth all the effort.
Not much of the rest of the day was - we always try too hard. Everyone was so tired by six they didn't eat anything.
They were all awake for seven and delighted to see squillions of presents under the tree. Its an absolute delight working through them all and watching their faces. Felt uncomfortable watching Alice unwrap the Barbie Horse I remember buying for her oldest sister 15 years ago, but it didn't last long.
Top presents - chunky jumper from Kink, and a bottle of JD from the folks.

I have very nearly cracked Flo's Rubik's Cube.
Remember my cousin having one twenty five years ago and I could do two thirds of it then.
Curse the stupid thing - I WILL succeed.

Haven't spoken to Kink yet about her coming down, but something tells me it isn't going to happen. And I don't think I mind.

Trx is beginning to worry about the Alpha Course starting in three weeks, and the holiday in May. I sat down for breakfast this morning thinking about how I can set up a meeting with the City Council (without D!!) to talk about what went wrong with the Guides we published.
Seems like Next Year is upon us already.

Oh yes. Sometime during all the madness this week I took F and A to see The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe.
Hmmm...
Very good on the whole, and close to the plot and script of the story.
Less good on the story of the book I thought, with a bit of overkill on the monsters and battle scenes. Some of the CG was a bit crap in places, especially around Alsan's death scene. really jumpy and pixelated.
Too much LOTR I thought as well - is that the film by which all fantasies will now be measured?
The books were written at similar times, and both in Oxford.
Does this explain why there is so much Gandalf in Aslan and so much Frodo in Lucy Pevensey?
The armour making in the Snow Queens Palace aka Isengard?
The battle scenes, the panoramic shots of the armies. Susan and Lucy following Aslan into the woods aka The Hobbits follwing Strider.
Aslan's camp is EXACTLY the same as the gathering of Rohan, from which the fellowship set off along the Paths of The Dead.
And why the Director has used the same shots and similar scenery as Middle Earth for Narnia.
Lacks the realism of LOTR though.
I found the talking animals a bit cheesy, especially the fox who was REALLY badly animated.

I'm too cynical. It was well made and effective. The kids loved it.

E (2 yrs) - 3 farmyard puzzles. £2
S (4 yrs) - Buckaroo £10 An electric racing car circuit. £5 Torch £5 = £20
A (7 yrs) - Box set of seven Chronicles of Narnia books. £1
Guess who? game £10. Torch £5 = £16
F (9 1/2) - Swallows and Amazons 50p.
Rubiks cube £15. Torch £5 = £20.50
B (16 yrs) - Dada calendar £10 Books by Nietzche, Kant and Plato £20 = £30
K (19 yrs) - Dali calendar £10 A3 Folio £20 = £30
T (35 yrs) - 3CD worship collection £18
Pocket book of Trees and Wildflowers £8 = £26

Mum and dad
Subscription to Wildlife Trust for a Year. £30
Brother in law
Hand knitted super long scarf £32
Father in law
Bird feeder and a million of fat balls £25
Nephews
Books £5 Torches £5
Sister
Chocolates £10

Done. Wrapped and stored.
Bring it on...

Lost track of the last few days. Its amazing how much can happen in a week. Not world-changing stuff (as regular readers of this blog will know ;-), but just the kind of litter that blows thru the alleys of everyone's life I suppose.
Biscuit and her boyfriend have been and gone. The visit went very well, but now thaey are safely home I have relaxed and realized how stress-making the whole thing was. I genuinely like him, and Trx agrees we should send him something for his 18th on New years Day.
Tuesday afternoon I think they arrived.
All I can really remember doing is a fantastic walk around Acres Down in the Forest all day Wednesday in beautiful autumn sunshine. Stan literally ran his legs off and spent the whole afternoon grinning and waving increasingly bigger sticks around. We sat on top of the hill and had a picnic lunch...
Yesterday was crazier, and Biscuit commented on the fact that we actually went out five times. Apparently that's more than she usually manages in a week! wtf??
Deliver some cards in the morning and took the skates to The Park. I went to visit the accoountant after lunch and signed off the accounts for the year. Apparently we made a profit last year??
Explain that one...
Then the annual pilgrimage to the wanky lights on Broadwater Road.
Home in time for cell at the Rumbles.
Secret Santa.
A box of chocolates is really, really rubbish. I thought we perhaps knew each other better than that.

Stopped by the police on the way home with Claire. They are investigating another "serious" sexual assualt that happened last week. Nothing to declare.
That's another crime in St Denys tho - which is worrying.
I should have reported the inflatable Santa and flashing penguins on the corner...

And on Tuesday evening this week there was a helicopter search along the River for another suicide jumper. That's the third person to have taken their lives this way in the last twelve months.
No please. Don't put fekkin railing and a high barrier along the bridge.
Its not the bridge's fault!! And most people that use it don't jump off.
Those that do will just find somewhere else.
Oh I see. That's the whole point...

One more shopping trip to do this evening as our visitors have eaten all the food we bought Monday.

Thursday afternoon Kink PASSED her driving test at the second attempt!
Hurrah. Still no idea when she will come down here, but now this is a major step forward. Apparently she's off to Wales today to visit her brother.
Don't ask!

Office just now writing this. I know, I'm on holiday. Went in to see if any money had come in. £3K, so well worth doing. Unfortunately, Shitface hasn't left any counter-signed cheques so I couldn't write myself enough to cover the next mortgage payment.
Ask me how much if I'm bovvered...
There's so much due in over the holiday period that it will sort itself out within a week or three of going back.

And RH has been on. Again. BC has pooped on the Island re-issues. And he doesn't even have any song-writing credits!!!
Still, the Robin Simon association has emerged. What a discovery! He really does know some exciting people.
I'm slowly filtering thru the media archive. SO much info there. Am I really the only person who can be bothered to actually read this sh*t and extract the info has already been published and anyone could have read. Some of the early interviews from Sounds in 77/78 are fascinating.

Exhausted already.
And very nervous about Biscuit's visit tomorrow and stay with us. The boyfriend is coming too!!
A few people have made comments about the sleeping arrangements during their visit, as if perhaps its supposed to be an issue. They've been on holiday together on their own twice and regularly sleepover at one another's houses. So they will sleep together here, on the double sofa bed in the loft. For the record, he's 18 in two weeks time and she will be 17 in April. I can't pretend that the arrangement bothers me in the slightest.

Visit to Grandad's yesterday in the bitter cold. Drove past the burnt out shell of Buncefield. You can still smell the petrol fumes in the air.
No Uncle Dave - he's off with a heavy cold and doesn't want to spread it around. Good to have father-in-law to ourselves actually. He looked tired, weak and frail when we arrived, but the kids seemed a good tonic (especially LC) and he was clearly cheered up and feeling better as the afternoon went on.
Still a long way tho and we weren't back till after 9 so everyone has been a bit grouchy and difficult today.

Late start though, and we weren't up and ready to get on with anything before ten. Over to Tesco to set a new Personal Best of £188 at the checkout. This doesn't include the new phones we bought for the house with the money Trx Dad gave us yesterday. Having B and S to stay has added to the cost quite a lot and we have got extra food (nuts etc) as well as beers and wine which normally wouldn't be in the bill. We expect to go again on Friday to set up for Mum and Dad's visit over the weekend.

If the weather holds like this it will be a fantastic picnic in the Forest this year. Cold up in Herts yestreday but here today its been almost warm. Beautiful light again.

Visitors this afternoon, a phonecall to Biscuit and a walk around the parish delivering some more cards. Only one in the post again (now we have 24???) and we still have more to write this evening to deliver this week. Loads of wrapping to get on with as well this evening.

I'm hoping to settle later into a real good go at the Ultravox! media archive. I've read several of the articles that arrived last week that I haven't seen before (which is most of the pre-1980 stuff) Fascinating interview especially with Gilbert and Drake about the break up of the band. Foxx and "the others" seem to have a totally different perspective on it. I've spent some time on the Marquee Club website too and had email correspondence with them re" HMK and the Sharks gigs of '74, which does all ad dup to having probably enough material now to make a serious stab at writing this period up properly in the new Year.
RH has put a copy of Electrofear up as a competition prize, which I may go for. Its at last in the shops, but it will otherwise be February before I can afford to buy it.

A friend of mine has a dilemma.
She's been temping next door with the JGI for six months, waiting for a job to come along in Africa. Last month, it turned up and three days ago she was offered a position in the Field Study Centre at Gombe doing some anthropological research with chimps. Fantastic opportunity. Crap money and all that, but she cares as little as I would when it is something you have always wanted to do.
The yesterday she gets a telephone call from a professor at Cambridge and personal friend (of hers, of Jane herself, and a professional acquaintance of Dr. Lewis Leaky) offering an opportunity to start a pHD at the university in January. All the above named and others involved have been telling her for years that she needs this PHD, and she told me earlier that she missed an opportunity in Kenya a year or so ago because she didn't have it.

All the signs point to taking the PHD course. What better qualification is there?
But, being an American citizen in the UK she has to apply for funding from the States and that a) takes ages and b) is expensive and c) 40,000 people apply for the same grants each year. Doctors, vets, scientists etc have spent the rest of their lives in massive debt trying to pay back similar loans and fees.
And the job is a great challenge,a real "foot in the door" kind of position for someone with ambitions to run a similar sanctuary one day
Don't know if I have been much use (but the wine and cake were good!) and she's gone away so confused. Jane is out of the country until Sunday - I hope they can talk about it when she gets home. In her eyes of course there is no dilemma - Cambridge is the obvious thing to do and let the consequences sort themselves out. That's what I said.
Faith does tend to simplify this kind of situation, but it must be a really difficult decision to make. I would go for leaving JGI in January, but deferring entry to Cambridge until October (which is a perfectly possible option). Then spend the intervening eight months at home earning as much money as she can and looking for other funding.

But what do I know...

That there would be no credit, no loans, no finance, and we could all learn to live within our own means.

And a twelve month suspension on the production of new cars. I think some of the modern ones can last longer than that...

All set to go last night with the Cathedral Oceans experience. Got through all the nerves about opening up the building at night, switching off alarms and finding lights etc and sat at the front of thechurch for half an hour on my own inthe darkness.
It is an absolutely "magical" place (???) - magnificent in its grandeur and sheer size, very much still a place full of God's presence despite its external neglect for the last eight years.
But then I came to set up the PA and found no amp!! It was there Sunday, by the pulpit all ready to go. I checked, becasue I know we have a missing cable and I'd sorted one out from home to get it working properly. The warden and I moved it all into place (CD player, speakers, mixing desk and amp) ready for tonight's "performance".
In between times, the music group have obviously been in for a rehearsal and used the kit, and locked the amp away in the cupboard where its supposed to be.
That cupboard was inaccessible last night because the hall was being hired out for a private party.
Frutrated? Angry? Both...
It does seem at the moment as if this is just not meant to happen.

Returned to His presence for a few minutes to settle down again, and then spent half an hour (!!!) polishing and cleaning just one of the pews. This is a job that's going to take aaaaages...
Took some logs home though.
Spending some time in the building like this in the quiet, with just dim lighting on in the North Aisle, I am SO inspired to see the renovation project through. The acoustic in there is incredible.
There is sadness in the atmosphere tho, as if the building is lonely. We use it as a big shed really and keep all the donated stuff for sales in the vestry (books, bric a brac, toys etc. There are building materials (even a cement mixer??) standing behind the organ, and piles of logs on several of the pews cut down when the trees were removed this autumn.
Part of the challenge for us will be finding other suitable places to store the stuff. But having the building has made us lazy and we abuse its generous nature. A major sorting out and 'editing' project needs to be undertaken.

Probably kids.
And music.

I started a Big Sort Out in the office today (uh oh...) and brought home 42 CDs.
There is still at least one missing. Hmmf.
And, which is even more spooky, Trx and I have just sat down this evening and written out the first wave of Christmas cards. There are 42 waiting to go in the post tomorrow. Weird.
They are not coming in very fast yet, although over the last couple of days I have started to feel Christmas is really now not all that far off. We have had only seven so far...
Biscuit and Kink will get books this year I have decided. Not sure what of course, but I'll drift thru Waterstone's tomorrow and pick something out.
What I will never understand is why the shops are so full of STUFF that comes out aimed specifically at becoming a present to someone.
Are there not enough things in the shops already?

Sat on MSN for nearly three hours this afternoon! Chatted mainly to Kink, but also caught up with Athol which always makes me smile and a couple of days ago J came by. No sign today, which serves me right I suppose for hanging around during that after school 4 o'clock period. Do hope she resolves the vague job situation for next term.
It's not always a bad thing to know where you are going.

Twenty spots now. I thought they came out all at once?

Media archive material has arrived from metamatic to help with the research for the biography. There is SO much of it. I've seen a fair amount of stuff before, but its a lot of material when its all collected together. Reviews, interviews - from 2" square cuttings to 10 page features. From all over the world too.
Going through it all and even putting it in order is going to be a nightmare - starting tonight!

Picked up a copy of the Joakim remix of Mr No this afternoon on CD, so its somehting to pass on to Andreas. I think its the missing piece now and I have all the recent remixxes - worth putting them together on an album too I think, and maybe mixxing in one or two of Luca and Olaf's work?
Not much of a remix tho on first hearing - seems to just have a synthesized vocal and a sequencer over the top??

Bought Trx a 3 disc box set of worship songs today and I've decided to go for the DCUK figures we saw in Haskins at the weekend. Buckaroo for Alice and a brilliant working car race track picked up by Celia at a Bazaar last weekend for Stan.
Not sure what we've got for Lc yet. It won't be until next year that she has the faintest idea whats going on.

Had a meeting for an hour this afternoon with the representative of the University Music department and told him of our decision re The Building@StDenys. I like that working title - it could be used in many ways. CB gave me a newsletter identifying a dozen or so similar projects which I need to look into. Everyone seems most excited about what's going on at St marylebone and St Pancras in London.
And then, curiouser and curioser…FG mentions en passant that his cousin is Chris Bachelor, Professor of Music or something at TvU!! I just love it when things tie in together like this. I'll chat to him about this later

Elsi has developed no more than about 15 spots - most in and around her left ear.
She's been a lot more cheerful since the spots came out!
Has a friend "Ah-Haa" (Arthur) coming around this afternoon to pass on the Pox. Alice insists she has it too, and keeps scrtaching a bite on her leg. She is SUCH a drama queen!

Worked late in the office last night to finish of some crap for LJ - the AA Street by Street project. I have decided (hmmm??) that I'm not doing any more of this. Its low paid boring work and the cartography is terrible - I don't really want to be associated with such rubbish any more.
Late night thoughmeans that today I can add the finishing touches to the Pocket Guide and then start to wind down and clear up the office.
Also spend some time looking up websites for Church projects similar to ours and take something along to a meeting with the Diocesan representatives this afternoon. It will be very interesting to see what comes of this, and I am preparing for a not less than enthusiastic response.

In the meantime, burning a couple of CDs for Rob's Christmas present, in response to the albums he gave me in Oxford. Doing him a copy of Heart On Snow, Scott 2 and 3, Throbbing Gristle and Tubeway Army.
Beginning to write Christmas cards and think of the pieces I'm going to put on this years mp3 compilation. It'll go to Mirfee, Kink and Athol this year.

Just got in from a "de-brief" meeting abot the Church Bazaar. Seems we all feel the same that it was rather too much effort for the £900 raised, but opening the old building was a good idea and signicificantly raised our profile in the local community.
We need more help on the day and have identified a couple of areas we can do without next time.

Not exactly what I needed tho at the end of a ridiculously busy afternoon.
We decorated the tree this morning, which is always one of the things I dread. For some reason, what shoul dbe a fun couple of hours with the kids always returns more stress and arguments than pleasure.
Set me off on the wrong foot, so I went into the Service expecting more than was delivered. Unfortunately it was (even by our standards! disjointed and particularly shallow and ineffective this week. I was almost bored...
Stayed after to decorate that tree as well, and then home to find that during the morning Elsi has developed "Chicky Plops"!! She had one spot when we woke up this morning and had developed at least a dozen by lunchtime.
She's been horrible for the last few days and was really difficult again today, but now at least there's a reason. Doesn't make her any easier to deal with tho.

Thence to a friends house to deliver Stan for the afternoon, staying for tea and cake and getting home in time to take Alice up to red Lodge for a swimming party for her friend's birthday. This is literally just around the corner from the Murphy's so Flo and I delivered a 6th birthday card to JoJo, and I arranged with M to do the Cathedral Oceans thing this coming Thursday. Stayed here much longer than we should have (but enjoyed setting up a PlayMobil Viking Ship!!) and then whizzed over to the Wilsons in Bitterne to catch up with a 40th birthday and deliver the Top gear book of Crap Cars and a packlet of Fluffy Stuff.
Don't even ask...
Flo got hands on with their new dwarf hamsters so we stayed there an hour, leaving Trx to go and pick up Stan while out delivering Parish newsletters and Christmas Service lists. Picked up Alice at 6, home in time for tea and then bath before out again to Carol's for 7.30.

Bit annoying that no-one lese turned up before 8.30 and then one person cried off altogether because of the Sports Personality Of The Year Programme being on TV! Really disappointing - if you volunteer to do something you really should see it thru. If there's no commitment from the PCC then what chance is there with the congregation at large??
And I'm quite sure the result will be in the papers tomorrow.

Well done Freddie Flintoff tho. A good choice, but why all the palaver with a whole event and TV show? Wasn't it always going to be his award after the superb Ashes triumph?

Just me then...

My cousin lost a few rooftiles and her loft hatchdoor opened all by itself when Hemel Hempstead blew up this morning.
Two people have been hospitilased with serious injuries and there have been 30-odd other casualties. Pray for them and all families affected by the smoke etc.
But what makes this a major breaking news story worth rolling coverage??
Interviews with busy hospital staff who are prepared to go into 'major incident' procedure if they need to.

Shit happens guys. Deal with it.
Good evening. This is the Six O'Clock Speculation-and-make-a-story-out-of-something from the BBC

Just got in from a "de-brief" meeting abot the Church Bazaar. Seems we all feel the same that it was rather too much effort for the £900 raised, but opening the old building was a good idea and signicificantly raised our profile in the local community.
We need more help on the day and have identified a couple of areas we can do without next time.

Not exactly what I needed tho at the end of a ridiculously busy afternoon.
We decorated the tree this morning, which is always one of the things I dread. For some reason, what shoul dbe a fun couple of hours with the kids always returns more stress and arguments than pleasure.
Set me off on the wrong foot, so I went into the Service expecting more than was delivered. Unfortunately it was (even by our standards! disjointed and particularly shallow and ineffective this week. I was almost bored...
Stayed after to decorate that tree as well, and then home to find that during the morning Elsi has developed "Chicky Plops"!! She had one spot when we woke up this morning and had developed at least a dozen by lunchtime.
She's been horrible for the last few days and was really difficult again today, but now at least there's a reason. Doesn't make her any easier to deal with tho.

Thence to a friends house to deliver Stan for the afternoon, staying for tea and cake and getting home in time to take Alice up to red Lodge for a swimming party for her friend's birthday. This is literally just around the corner from the Murphy's so Flo and I delivered a 6th birthday card to JoJo, and I arranged with M to do the Cathedral Oceans thing this coming Thursday. Stayed here much longer than we should have (but enjoyed setting up a PlayMobil Viking Ship!!) and then whizzed over to the Wilsons in Bitterne to catch up with a 40th birthday and deliver the Top gear book of Crap Cars and a packlet of Fluffy Stuff.
Don't even ask...
Flo got hands on with their new dwarf hamsters so we stayed there an hour, leaving Trx to go and pick up Stan while out delivering Parish newsletters and Christmas Service lists. Picked up Alice at 6, home in time for tea and then bath before out again to Carol's for 7.30.

Bit annoying that no-one lese turned up before 8.30 and then one person cried off altogether because of the Sports Personality Of The Year Programme being on TV! Really disappointing - if you volunteer to do something you really should see it thru. If there's no commitment from the PCC then what chance is there with the congregation at large??
And I'm quite sure the result will be in the papers tomorrow.

Well done Freddie Flintoff tho. A good choice, but why all the palaver with a whole event and TV show? Wasn't it always going to be his award after the superb Ashes triumph?

Just me then...

My cousin lost a few rooftiles and her loft hatchdoor opened all by itself when Hemel Hempstead blew up this morning.
Two people have been hospitilased with serious injuries and there have been 30-odd other casualties. Pray for them and all families affected by the smoke etc.
But what makes this a major breaking news story worth rolling coverage??
Interviews with busy hospital staff who are prepared to go into 'major incident' procedure if they need to.

Shit happens guys. Deal with it.
Good evening. This is the Six O'Clock Speculation-and-make-a-story-out-of-something from the BBC

Visitors Guide at last ready for sign off this afternoon. Unfortunatelky I have lost all interest and enthusiasm for the booklet now. the design and content has been messed around with too many times by too many people at the Council who know nothing about concept of design, layout or copywriting.
Someone once send to me of the Graphics department at the council: "Of course, if they were any good as graphic designers, they wouldn't work for the council." So, true, funny how it seems.
I've as good as done the Pocket Guide too,and I've enjoyed that a bit more because its more our product and we are not so answerable to higher powers. That goes for sign off next week.
So just right for an afternoon off,going to see the kids in the school Christmas Play.
Same old embarrassing shambles no doubt, but always touching and funny to watch!

Got friends for dinner tonight. first time for ages.
Great to be at home and able to cook too.

Excellent news from Island.
Interesting reading - Manhood, by Steve Biddulph.
Beautiful light this afternoon.

I downloaded this album at the weekend.
Its one of those things I've been meaning to do for ages, but never quite got round to it once I heard King of the Mountain a couple of times.
That is a very disappointing single, and to my mind weak and unworthy of Kate, and effectively put me off getting the whole album.

I could hardly have been more mistaken. To my mind, Aerial is everything it was meant to be. Twelve years ago, the Red Shoes was disappointing following her masterpiece - The Sensual World which in my opinion is her best album since The Kick Inside.
The latest offering takes up where Sensual World left off. It is still autumnal, still haunting and still painfully naive in places, but this only adds to its beguiling charm. The album is laden with rich piano, cleverly understated and under played, and coloured with subtle latin rhythms and whimsical, often obscure lyrics. The obsession in the past with heavy persussion has gone (reflecting the departure from her life of longterm partner and drummer Del Palmer) which gives the CD more softness and warmth. There are times when the vocoder has been relied on a little too much, suggesting a lack of confidence on Kate's part as to whether or not she still has "the voice". Undeniably her voice has matured and perhaps lost its catlike edge, but the elfin one is still up there with the most original singers of our generation.
I absolutely love this album and thoroughly recommend it.

At the same time I'm listening to Anne Clark's "Pressure Points" again, now that I have received the 12" of Heaven from Andreas.
She just annoys me. OK, Foxx wrote the music on half the album (inc Heaven) but unfortunately that doesn't make it any good. Her vocal delivery is weak, in fact I would say actually poor, and the lyrics are just rallies against the world that grate on the nerves. She's one of those hard-done-by people with a natural mistrust of just about everything it seems, and that makes infuriating listening.
And by his own admission, Foxx had "lost the plot" in mid-1985. He clearly couldn't care less about this album and is banging about like a maniac on his drum and rhythm machines, venting his spleen no doubt. There's some energetic stuff and its good for a stomp (and a valuable piece of his history and development) but it just doesn't work for me.
There are some elements in here of tracks like Stairway and This Side of Paradise, which are stand-out tracks from his own catalogue of the period. Maybe the difference is that these are his own pieces and he cares more.

For six weeks we (D) has been chasing the Rhino Club for payment of their ad on Pageone.
He's just come back to the office with £360 in cash.
Half each. Lovely…

Phone call from the accountants this morning preparing our end of year accounts.
I have been underpaying myself for the last five months!
The Tax Credit I receive amounts to about £150 a month and is deducted from the company's PAYE to the Inland Revenue. This is on the assumption that we (the company) is paying it direct to me in the salary cheque. Because I'm an idiot, I didn't realize this until I checked the payslips this morning.
So I'm owed £150 from each of the last five months.

Which would be great, if only the company could afford to pay me it!
May have to wait until the finance comes through in February…

More last minute changes to the Visitor Guide from The Faceless One in her Ivory Tower. On receipt of the third proof this morning, we are now instructed to "make room" for another two PAGES so the guide has a section about cruise ships. This has been approved twice so far. So what do we sacrifice to keep at 56 pages?
Hmm - I have a meeting with "them" to sort this out sometime tomorrow morning.

Tell me no-one listens to prayer…

First Christmas card today. from a cousin I haven't seen for about five years and who hasn't sent us a card before.
Seems she's split up with her partner and moved to a new flat, so wants everyone to know where she is and not to address their cards to "Linda and Shawn".
The kids have been bringing them home for a couple of days and no doubt we'll sit down and write ours some time over the next couple of weeks.
There's usually a lull in the shops the week before Christmas and everything's reduced, so thats the time to buy it.
But some places (Woollies, for instance) have sold out of decorations?
WTF?? Its the 6th of December? How can retailers have sold out of stuff. What ever happened to 'last minute shopping'. Or is that the last week of October.
Seriously glad that we don't do the commercial Christmas thing to any great extent and the whole charade more or less passes us by.

But hey. I guess, again typical of me, if that's the kind of Christmas people want they are welcome to it and should get on and enjoy it. Each to his own - but don't get on at me for having a more reserved (some say cynical. Me? Lol) opinion. The thing that pisses me off most is when people moan about it and complain of being stressed, or having not enough money for this or no time for that or spending "too much".
How can you spend "too much". If it was too much, you wouldn't have spent it? Chances are, its not their money anyway.
"Oooh, I'll really get in some sh1t when the credit card bill comes in. Then we'll be f*cked in February."
So don't do it then. Take some responsibility
Or does it actually matter? If it doesn't, then shut up and spend.
Goes back to what I said before about insecurities. We have to spend huge amounts of money in order to be seen to be coping and 'normal'.
I'm weird see, thats my trouble.
Don't get me wrong. If you have money and enjoy spending, that is great. I look forward to spending myself. But its when the spending is "beyond" your means that I think its really silly. And the moaning, or more often nervously laughing, about it is worse.
There are no independents anymore
Fewer people than ever are prepared to be honest with themselves.

Phew.
Got that off my chest! Don't feel any better, but hey...

Letter from the bank again today. "We have been unable to make a direct debit payment..." Blah blah.
Seems there's only about £60 cash left in the drawer too.
Maybe I should see about taking the salary cheques out now rather than waiting a couple of weeks. Its just about manageable, but might make life interesting at the end of the month.
Something will inevitably turn up.

Yet not my will, but yours

Last thing I heard last night was the blackbird that closes the loop on the Cathdral Oceans DVD.
Woke up this morning to the song of a robin in the tree outside the bedroom window.
He's been doing the business about half six every morning for a week or so now.
Inspired me to walk to the office.

There are still leaves
No breeze
And golden glowing trees
The river is beautiful on mornings like this
Oystercatchers and a heron
Still no ducks
But gulls
Caspian Gull on the Lower Test
Apparently
Part of me still cares
And I could walk forever

Never do business with city councils.
You'll end up, as we did today, with contradictory instructions from three different departments who have never spoken to each other and work at opposite ends of the same room.
Having been given a CD full of new photography commissioned over the summer by the head of Communications (which we didn't even know existed) I have today had to start choosing images again because several of the ones I chose hadn't got some copyright clearance or other.
And I had to point out myself the issues involved with reproducing paintings and bookcovers in photographs for publication.
Then there was a guy doing proofreading who complained about the innaccuracies, inconsistencies and factual errors in the text we were sent to use - by someone else in his department.
"Oh, I didn't read it. I thought you would do that?" We did it last year. But anyway, do I know what museum opening hours, or whether a certain restuarant is still open or not?
This is the same copy that describes Southampton as within easy access of "Beautiful beaches, secluded wooded valleys and majestic castles".
Excuse me?

Things were so much easier at the weekend, when I actually forgot about work for a whole day and we spent quality time with my parents and my sister. Difficult drive up there tho. Usually takes about 1 3/4 hours to do the 100 miles.
That's without the roadworks/contraflow on the A34 round the west side of Oxford. Took us 65minutes to travel the 8 miles from Botley to the M40!
The kids were brilliant in the car but understandably stir crazy when we got there.
Steam was duly let off when they met their cousins again - I just hope we weren't too much of a headache! It was good to see them all again, but I cannot believe its the first time this year? I've been up myself when dropping of the girls, but apparently the kids haven't seen each other for ages. Got on well though, if a bit rowdy.
But ooooh how cross did I get at teatime??? We don't really do this getting down from the table and messing about thing while the meal is going on, so that pissed me off anyway, but I lost count of the amount of times my chair was kicked by one or the other of the boys pushing past to catch football results or just get up for no apparent reason.
Hope it didn't show too much, but its always difficult when our kids see different rules going on. Why is it only negative behaviour that rubs off?

And Stan has surprised us all the last couple of days by suddenly being able to read! OK, its just a few simple three letter words, but he's really got it.
"See on this book? It says "P-A-T …Pat" and the nuvver way its "T-A-P…TAP. That's like a magic trick."
Now he reads to his baby sister. Secretly watched him with his arm round her shoulders yesterday evening.

Sometimes there are no words.