Bloody Apple...

Between problems associated with downloading iTunes 9 and the joys of learning how to deauthorise computers when you've reached the 5-computer limit, I've wasted a lot of time over the last few days, no thnaks very much...:-(

Regards,


djp

...another winner...

Went to the greyhounds in Thurles this evening. Had five winners and two seconds. At €2 e/w per bet, I won about €78. OK, I staked €40 in toto, but this was the first time I ever went to the dogs or the gee-gees and came out with a profit. OK, there was the petrol and a few rounds of drinks for Mrs. P and Younger Daughter, but still...

...I sense an order with Mr. Thomann for an EZ Drummer...

Regards,


djp

The Irish summer...

...a fine week in June and a fine week in September. And in between? Bah...:-(.

Regards,


djp

For an (almost guaranteed) good night's sleep...

...I recommend a mug of hot chocolate before retiring for the night. Works for me (almost) every time!

Regards,


djp

And the ringtone for September 2009 is...

..."Kojak Dub" from Jah Wobble's fine album MU. You ought to check it out, you know...

Regards,


djp

My Top 10 iPod tracks - 010909

1. (7) - Model Worker - Magazine
2. (3) - No Way Of Knowing - A. Tent
3. (4) - Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
4. (-) - You Say You Don't Love Me - The Buzzcocks
5. (-) - It Won't Be Wrong - The Byrds
6. (5) - Eight Miles High - The Byrds
7. (-) - My Back Pages - The Byrds
8. (6) - Tiffany Queen - The Byrds
9. (-) - Son Of A Guns - The La's
10. (8) - Mad World - Sacre

Regards,


djp

And speaking of the Navy Lark...

...here and here.

Regards,


djp

The Clitheroe Kid

Although I grew up in North Kerry (a part of Ireland that some people have described as being "black IRA"), my family would occasionally listen to BBC Radio on an old Philips transistor. Usually on a Sunday morning and lunchtime. So at an early age I was exposed to such delights as Family Favourites (and wondering what the hell a "BFPO" was), The Navy Lark and The Clitheroe Kid.

I'd forgotten all about Jimmy Clitheroe until I came across a few websites the other day dealing with TV and radio shows that had been erased in order to recycle the video and audio tapes. To be honest, I knew the name Jimmy Clitheroe, but I knew nothing about the man, until I did a bit of digging around here and here...

...as he might have said himself, "Oo, flippin' 'eck!"

Regards,


djp

Double take...

Review of Bell X1's album Flock - Q Magazine April 2006 - pg. 112:-

"Sometimes experimentation blows up in your face. But that wisdom has often fallen on deaf ears in the world of indie rock where craziness is seen as a badge of authenticity. Bell X1 clearly believe in the "edgier is better" mantra, with their spiky Fall-tinged rhythms, Jack White guitar and atonal Echo & The Bunnymen vocals, but this third album is a mish-mash of styles where the good lyrical ideas are buried under layers of art-rock cleverness. A classic case of innovation at the expense of tunes."

Ad for Bell X1's album Flock - Q Magazine April 2006 - pg. 117:-

"...a gorgeous album...majestic and elegant, from four men at the top of their game..." - Q Magazine

Now what we have here is a failure to communicate, don't you think...?:-)

Regards,


djp

Billy Ray Cyrus

So my ISP tells me that my e-mail account has been sending a load of spam this week and they reckon that my computer had been compromised and now contains a trojaned proxy server.

Makes you wonder how Norton 360 didn't pick that up then...:-(

Apologies to anyone who might have got spam from "me". I can honestly say I didn't mean it - this time...

Regards,


djp

Thank God for...

...Joseph O'Connor, who was featured in a segment of today's edition of RTÉ Radio 1's "Sunday Miscellany". Joseph's segment dealt with his love of the music of Scott Walker and ended with a performance of Scott's song "Boy Child", which features on his wonderful album, "Scott 4".

Marvelous stuff, and just the thing to start a Sunday morning.

Regards,


djp

Cat on a lean-to roof

Panther getting above his station as usual...

Regards,


djp

Day trip to Kilkenny City

Look at the pictures the nice man took with his camera phone...

Regards,


djp

And the ringtone for August 2009 is...

..."Jason & The Argonauts" from XTC's 1982 album, ENGLISH SETTLEMENT. Rickenbacker 12-string heaven...

Regards,


djp

My Top 10 iPod tracks - 010809

1. (-) - Everything Up (Zizou) (Mock 'n' Toof Remix) - Zero 7
2. (-) - Transatlantic - Quantic
3. (1) - No Way Of Knowing - A. Tent
4. (2) - Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
5. (3) - Eight Miles High - The Byrds
6. (-) - Tiffany Queen - The Byrds
7. (-) - Model Worker - Magazine
   
8. (-) - Mad World - Sacre
9. (-) - Lady With The Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix) - U2
10. (-) - No Order - 2020Soundsystem

Regards,


djp

A load of bullocks...

Regards,


djp

The triumph of optimism over experience...

Say hello to our new arrival, Scampi... Mad as a sackful of badgers and cute as all get out. Pather and Poppy don't like her (what's new there?)

Hopefully she'll stay with us a pit longer than Korky did...

Regards,


djp

2009 - a mid-year review

Now that we've reached July, let's just see how things are going, shall we?:-

1. To get to see Arsenal play at least once this year - as predicted at the start of the year, this is not looking good
   
2. To visit a country I've never been to before - neither is this one
   
3. To start cycling again as soon as the weather improves - I've done a fair bit of cycling so far this year, but not nearly enough. Life tends to interfere with plans.
4. To generally get the oul' bod a bit more together - hmmm, well I'm walking as much as I can, but it's not enough really. I've had some interesting experiments with sobriety, though...:-)
   
5. To move house - hopefully next month!
   
6. To either change my car or keep it for longer - keeping it for another two years, hopefully
   
7. To have a better year at work than I had last year - pretty much the same as last year, unfortunately
   
8. To see friends more - done and done. More to do
   
9. Not to volunteer to do anything for anyone under any circumstance - well, I have volunteered for one or two things. One worked out fine and one should be pretty easy to accomplish. But I think I'll stop right there
   
10. To stop wrecking me own head - yeah right

Regards,


djp

And the ringtone for July 2009 is...

..."Decent Days And Nights" from the Futureheads' debut album.

Regards,


djp

My Top 10 iPod tracks - 010709

1. (-) - No Way Of Knowing - A.Tent
2. (-) - Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
3. (-) - Eight Miles High - The Byrds
4. (-) - There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve - A.C. Newman
5. (-) - Rock The Boat - Aaliyah
6. (-) - So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star? - The Byrds
7. (-) - My Back Pages - The Byrds
8. (-) - You Ain't Going Nowhere - The Byrds
9. (-) - Brahms/Waltz No. 15 - Dame Moura Lympany
10. (-) - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield

Regards,


djp