Monday 13th October 08

Got downstairs at 8ish and our eldest was growling his way through his homework.
I took our youngest to school, and when I got home Gill was getting ready to go and have her tooth extracted, to prevent the re-occurrence of the abscess. I lit the stove so I could dry a load of fruit...

I spent quite a bit of time looking through information about cycle helmets, following the comment (last Friday) from Richard Keatinge about why he and his children don't wear them. I have learned a lot about this contentious subject, and hope that more research is undertaken.

We had a good afternoon talking to Paul, another new contact, and then at 3 went to pick up our little one.... coming back via the logpile and arriving at home with another 60 or 80 kilos...

As all was well after school, I popped down to St Nicks to help clear up some mess made over the weekend when someone threw a load of sticks around which I'd piled up to slowly take home bit by bit. I took one load home and put the rest into the St Nicks compound so that some of their volunteers can chop it all up for their stove...

Then came home and a very peaceful evening progressed, although Gill was feeling ill she boiled some home grown potatoes and broccoli, and created a nutloaf. I chatted with the boys, and as was finding some music to become a soundtrack to Ali's film, they took an interest in that.
These are some of my favourite tracks/bands:

Orbital: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEVBTKrs97I and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvuiXb--Lu8 (Gill and I were at this gig!)
Ozric Tentacles, for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXAaDqPl7oY
Spacemen 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxgrxD674IY&feature=related
Ultramarine, (not my fave track/album which I cannot find on Youtube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCZ7cshAkWY
Eatstatic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8BOUtKe2dg and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-_NneB5fmY&feature=related
The Orb see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvavCIRKJrw&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8xqMEOjtlA&feature=related
KLF see, for instance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_64V5he-bk&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLUTDhdlJs4&feature=related
Peter Tosh http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OZQ1vFCmoI and my favourite PT song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX7zvcW8eaU
and Tosh soundalike Lucky Dube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewRzSOCDApc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFVjtBkfyDo
Pink Floyd, my fave album is Obscured by Clouds, which is soundtrack to a film called La Valee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5R-_Go5C2A
Deep Purple: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFDvvQ5wi1w

and that's just a start... I have a vast music collection and this only just scratches the surface.
I haven't had time to find Human League, Kraftwerk, Bonzo Dog Doodah Band, Small Faces, Beatles, Black Uhuru, Yello, Frank Chickens, Big Audio Dynamite, Blondie, Gong, Steve Hillage, Steve Miller, Gary Numan, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Rolling Stones, Roxy Music, all sorts of Break Dance/Hip Hop stuff, a smattering of classical such as Carl Orf's Carmina Burana and Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition (best version by Tomita) and thousands more, literally. I used to LOVE music and it still means a heck of a lot.... although when I listen now, the shivers don't go up and down my spine as they used to...

So the boys were fascinated to see/hear some of my favourite 'retro' life, which they know nothing of, as ever since we moved here, I've never got my turntable plugged into the amp, and then a couple of years after moving here, one child dropped a pot of paint onto the amp so that it no longer works. I really ought to get it all wired up again. So for 7 years, I've only listened to my tape collection and a few CDs, and the radio. The hundreds of vinyl records have just sat there.... which is a pity really as it's a varied and eclectic couple of bookshelf's full...

A very pleasant evening! Included a good phone chat with my parents and two Scrabble games on Facebook with two of my friends..