Had quite an uneventful weekend, nothing to write home about. Discovered the Sonic Youth version of the Carpenters song 'Superstar' and can not stop playing it. It's that line, 'baby baby baby baby oh baby' it's got to be one of the most unimaginative lyrics ever written, but it's just brilliant, it's such a great pay-off, I can't get enough of it. Also watched a great, but awful sixties film called 'Candy', it has a really bad and extremely dated, sexist storyline but there are some fantastic actors in it, Walter Matthau, James Coburn and Marlon Brando to name but a few and there are some really funny scenes. It's worth it just for Ringo Starr's cameo as a Mexican with a strange stilted liverpudlian accent. If you're a fan of psychedelic sixties silliness then you'll love it, if not avoid it like the plague! Also watched 'Withnail and I' which is just pure genius, for years I claimed to not like this film, I tryed to watch it too many times with annoying people who would quote it all the way through as you were watching and in my irritation failed to see why everbody thought it was so amazing, but now I get it, it still bugs the hell out of me when people quote it but it does have some fantastic lines;
"Look at that. Look at that. "Accident Blackspot"? These aren't accidents. They're throwing themselves into the road gladly. Throwing themselves into the road to escape all this hideousness. [to a pedestrian] Throw yourself into the road, darling - you haven't got a chance."
"We've gone on holiday by mistake."
" We want the finest wines available to humanity, and we want them here, and we want them now."
Arhhggg! Now I'm doing it, there is no escaping quoting that bloody film.
There is a pervading sadness today. My two best friends, who are sisters, lost there grandpa last night. He'd been in hospital for a week and it was doubtful whiether he would be going home, it was old age that got him in the end and I think it was a decision he made himself, I think this can be the way in old age. He had led a long and happy life and he was a good man, a good husband, father and grandfather. He lost his wife about 6/7 years ago and today I can't help but think they are reunited, at times like this my cynical side gives way to my emotional side and things like this seem possible. One thing I would like to say about Len, he had a wonderful dry sense of humour, he didn't say much but when he did it would be so spot on, so sharp. He was a very likeable person and he'll be missed by all but especially by his grandchildren and by his drinking partner whom he met everyday for a pint. Rest in Peace Len Brown may you and Jean be together again and may there be a seat in god's own pub specially reserved for you.
I'd better be going home before it gets dark, until next time...

I just read some of my blog and I'm terrible for missing letters, sometimes words, out of my writing, I'm really sorry, hope you all have good psychic skills so you know what I'm on about.
I just cycled home from a friends house and saw a man coming towards me, he had a really long white beard and long white hair and he stopped when a lorry passed him and stepped back and stared at it as it passed. I know how he feels because I hate it when lorrys pass, the really big ones, it sends a shiver down my back, they're too big and noisy and fast (or maybe he was just a lorry spotter and he really likes them whose to know?) But anyway it got me thinking about being old and eccentric, something that I've always planned for to be honest, I hope I get there, to old eccentricity. I want an extremely speedy shop mobility cart and as I once saw as I was riding to work one day, to be able to bez along whilst eating my sandwiches and taking in the view. I want my friends there too, though with their buggys, so we can race.
My grandma has just been diagnosed with alzheimers, I'm afraid for her because it is such a lonely disease, she can't remember being around people so she thinks shes alone. I couldn't think of a more terrifying thought. I'm not really close to my grandma but I love her and I wish I knew her better. She's had a very hard life, and she has a few critics, not sure if she has ever been fully understood by anyone. There are many unanswered questions in our family that we all let lie, they're a jovial lot my folks and we prefer a good laugh to a drama, things do bubble but mostly we just laugh, and it works for me, but I wish I understood my grandma, fully, don't suppose I ever will cause her life has been so different to mine, and I'm probably a bit of a shit granddaughter, never really tried with her, but neither has she so it never really mattered, till now. Oh god, this is getting depressing now, I'm sorry, I'm so tierd and my sentences are just getting stupid, I can never end them.
Ahh new paragraph, my computers being wierd and I fear it could crash so I better go and get some sleep, night night lovely blog people!

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Eeeeek, I'm going to see The Who in Leeds! Just bought some presale tickets, I was going to wait till they came on sale properly but got all twitchy and worried that they'd sell out so spent the extra. Sooooo excited, my boyfriend doesn't know yet and he's going to be so pleased. To make it even better I think I persuaded a few friend to come too, they all seem keen so I'm hoping they all manage to get tickets.
When I saw the line-up was Super Furry Animals- The Flaming Lips- The Who it just had to be done. A couple of weeks ago I watched an excellant film about the Flaming Lips called 'The Fearless Freaks' and decided there and then that they are a must see, their stage shows look amazing, totally full on, they really know how to get their audience going. In one of their shows Wayne Coyne was passed over the audience in a huge plastic Zorb ball (which is kind of like a hamster ball for people) it looked brilliant. I doubt he does this often but they look fab anyway. I saw the Super Furry Animals a few years ago headlining Summer Sundae and they were really good too, I think, I was a little pished by the time they came on, I remember swaying anyway. And well The Who, no more needs to said on that, I'm sure your well aware of my feelings on this one.
So very very happy! Got to go home now so I tell Shoey the good news. Terah!

Oooh how exiting, I just ordered myself some organic seeds from the internet. I've decided to try planting by the moon cycles, my friend read about this method and told me about it, it's supposed to encourage higher yields and also make the veg brighter in colour and even taste better. I know it sounds all very new age but the idea behind it makes sense to me, and farmers have been doing it for thousands of years. Anyway thought I give it a go so I bought a book on it . The book is all set down in a diary for you so you know when to plant what according to the moon cycles, it's idiot proof really, although it doesn't show you how to work it out for yourself which is possible by looking at the stars, I'm going to see how I go with the book first, but I'd love to learn it properly, it's all really interesting stuff. It's only supposed to work if you grow organically so that another excuse to stay away from those nasty chemicals, so I'll be putting my faith in slug pubs and the light of the moon, Yeah!
I'm not sure if you really need organic seeds to grow organically, I think it just makes things extra organic, so I've just bought a few things like courgettes, french beans, corriander, leeks and (special Halloween) pumpkins. The rest I will get in Wilkos where they are a quarter of the price, then I'll be able to compare and see if it really makes a different.
The time is nearly apon us to sow the earth and watch it grow, I can't wait. To everything there is a season turn, turn, turn.......

Boy! I feel like I've found a golden ticket and I've won a trip to the Chocolate factory (may I add this would be Gene's factory not the new fangled version, even though Johnny Depp is my favourite (living) most handsome actor, I'm not a fan of remakes,grrrr... shouldn't be allowed and all that) Anyway just had to exclaim my joy at all this exciting news. The Method I mean.......... I mean The Method!!!! Reality and fantasy are merging into one and it's all too much to take in.
My only worry is my boyfriend who has been a Who fan ever since birth (well since he was old enough to play the air drums.) He had his mum knit him a jumper with the Who logo on the front when he was six, she unfortunately couldn't fit the arrow in properly so she did it pointing downwards instead, he was a little upset about this, but he wore it nevertheless.
I'd always liked the Who but I wasn't fully aware of all the albums and all the stories etc. until I was given the complete tutorial by Shoey. If you can't beat them join them I suppose, but I did just have to agree, they are the 'greatest Rock and Roll band' after all.
My partner also works at a certain drum factory that are in the process of producing a pictures of Lilly kit, this was great at first, a real novelty but the temptation to own one was sending him crazy, we had several discussions as to buying one in installments but we realised there isn't even a spare inch of space in our flat never mind room for a drum kit, so we had to give up on that one (for now). The Who are such a big part of our lives, it's quite ridiculous, not a day goes by that their name isn't mentioned and we just encourage each other.
When we first started going out when I thought he was proclaiming his love for me I soon realised what he was actually saying was 'I love the Who' we may not even be together today if not for this (I do get equal footing these days by the way.)
I just feel awful going off and having Who adventures on my own, I'm jumping ahead of myself I know, I just feel a little guilty for getting this chance to become part of Who history. It's just crazy crazyness when you think of it like that. I better get to bed it's getting way passed my bedtime. God hope I don't sound ungrateful, this is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me I think and I don't think Pete in anyway resembles Willy Wonka just feeling a little Charlie Bucket. Goodnight.

Happy Thursday! The weekend starts here for me, now my boyfriend doesn't work Fridays it seems only appropriate that I join in with the premature weekend fun, I do have to work tommorrow but I ignore this. Friday is Friday anyway it's not the same as the rest of the working days when you have to just get your head down, no Friday is just for looking forward to Saturday, this is how I get through my week anyway.

I've been extremely slack in my blog writing of late, I haven't really had anything interesting to write about to be honest. And when I have had something interesting, like the amazing folk gig I went to at the Barbican the other week, by the time I have got round to writing about it, it seems like the moment has passed, so I don't bother. I'm starting to bore myself now, yawn.... I shall go before I send people to sleep.

The Painting here is called 'Three women and Three Wolves' and it is by the Art Noveau artist Eugene Grasset. I like the colours and patterns on the trees, I also like the witchyness. Not sure what the bugle type instrument symbolises, any ideas?

Happy Valentines Day!
In the spirit of love and romance I thought I would post some of my favourite songwords on the subject. I realised while looking for these that many of my favourites are actually about lost love or are just plain depressing, but I've just posted the happy ones, (though 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' can make me weep!)

Northern Sky
I never felt magic crazy as this
I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea
I never held emotion in the palm of my hand
Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky.

Written by Nick Drake

Sweetness
She brings the sunshine to a rainy afternoon
She puts the sweetness in and stirs it with a spoon,
She watches for my moods and never brings me down
She puts the sweetness in all around
She knows just what to say to make me feel so good inside
and when I'm all alone I feel I don't want to hide
Today she bought me in and told me where she'd been
She put my mind at rest and put the sweetness in
I'll ask her for some time to go and look around
She puts the sweetness in all around
She knows just what to say to make a sunny day
And when I'm all alone I really don't feel that way.
Tell me how would you feel with no world of your own
and nobody to hold, I just can't see the way
I'm so glad it's today and you're here.

Written by Anderson, Squire, Bailey

The First Time Ever I saw your Face
The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gifts you gave
To the dark and the empty skies my love
To the dark and the empty skies.
The first time ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hand
Like the trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command my love
That was there at my command.
The first time ever I held you near
And felt your heartbeat close to mine
I thought our joy would fill the world
And would last till the end of time my love
And would last till the end of time.

Written by Ewan McColl


Glow worms
Glow worms show the path we have to tread
Dreamers we should be asleep in bed
Moving slowly through the springtime air
Holding moments in the depth of care
holding moments in the depth of care
Whisper fairy stories till they’re real,
Wonder how the night can make us feel
Loving living more with love to stay
Long past sadness that was in our way
long past sadness that was in our way
Dawntime mist begins reflecting light,
Waking sun will soon forget our night
Love me through the day and I’ll with you go
Into summer and the next year’s snow
into summer and the next year's snow

Written by Vashti Bunyan

Trivia Quiz.
The first person to tell me the location of this photo wins a jar of 'Moonpie's Magic Moon Grown Vegetable (Organic) Chutney.' (Please allow 6 months for the prize to arrive as the ingredients for the chutney have yet to be grown.) Let me know if clues are needed. (You don't need to be too specific!)

The Thinking Beast.
Part 1.

The cardiac machine, the thinking beast,
Foaming at the mouth with mediocre speech,
With vanilla slogans and sickly smelling truths,
Nulifying the tree-borne fruits,
With worthless promises of salvation,
Cracking at reason with the discharge of fools,
And square illusions attacking creation,
While the inclining plane constantly pulls.

Part 2.
The discipline of logic leads you to nature,
The Goddess Sophia shows you her shrine,
Where even the living can meet their maker
Where wisdom and clarity are the divine.

By me aged 20.



Bees are buzzing all around,
Ants are dancing on the ground,
Butterflys are flying by,
And the birds are singing in the sky.

By me aged 5.
(I remember writing this one as if it were yesterday.)

Happy Imbolc everyone! Tommorow (Feb 2nd) is the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, a pre-christian festival in the celtic calendar, originally associated with the goddess Brigid and later became the feast of St Brigid and was celebrated as the first day of spring! Hurray, it may not look like it but it's here, finally! Brigid represents the maiden aspect of the triple goddess and is also known as Bride, giving her name too brides of the wedding type. I need to thank her for granting the wish we left in 'Brigid's garden' at Glastonbury on my friends hen do, we wished for a sunny wedding for her and it was a really beautiful day. It is also a good day for purification, spring cleaning and get rid of old habits, I gave up smoking a year ago today so I have another good reason to celebrate and be thankful, Thanks Bridge! I've had so much more energy since I stopped smoking, it's been a good year on that account so heres to many more of them! Got some more bad habits I'm going to try to shake this year but I'll just have to see how they go, some are harder to break. I'm hopefully going down the allotment if the weathers good, for a bonfire, bonnies are also customary as are lots of candles, the day is also known as candlemass, lighting candles in the windows of your home and turning on all you're lights and all that. Oh dear I need sleep, I'm just a rambling. Anyway have a good one and if you get a chance light a candle, make a wish to Brigid and think of spring. Good night.