A veteran Westland Wasp helicopter parked in the car park in front of my local Morrison's today. And no, the pilot had not just landed to pop in for a pint of milk and a tin of cat food, it was being used as an attraction to raise money for charity. You could enter a draw with a first prize of a helicopter flight - hopefully not in the one pictured above (click on the photo for a much larger and more detailed version), as it was over forty years old and looked it close up. It looked about as agile and robust as an old brass bedstead.Have you ever thought about how environmentally harmful the sending of Christmas cards is? Think - the amount of resources that go into making the cards, transporting them to the shops, then the fuel used to deliver them - and then they get thrown in the bin. Not good. I have resolved to send very few cards this year - and I will try and hand deliver those I do.
You can view my Flickr online photo album here. Only not if you are behind my company's corporate firewall and content filter. Sorry work colleagues.
Talking of the environment, I actually think global warming may have some very pleasant side effects. Imagine strolling through the native olive groves of Barnsley, or quaffing an excellent vintage Chateau Neuf Du Peckham. We would all save a fortune on holiday travel, that's for sure. The thought of Belgium under thirty feet of water does have a certain charm as well.
Erith has a Wikipedia entry - the only trouble is that it is very dry and factual, and does not really give a true feel for the town. I was out for a walk earlier this afternoon, and as I passed the local tattoo studio, a sign in the window advertised tattoo gift vouchers - "The ideal gift for a loved one at Xmas." Quite. Erith in a nutshell.
Ian, Tim and I will be going to Twickenham next July as we have managed to get tickets to see Genesis on their reunion tour. I have seen them before, back in 1987, during their pop / rock period, and they were very good. I, along with a vast majority of their hard core fans was always much more keen on their older "proper" progressive rock material they played in the 1970's though. Bass pedals? Check? Two drummers? Check. Double neck guitars? Check. More keyboards than should be able to exist in any one place at the same time? Check! I am hoping that the set list of the forthcoming gig contains some of the old classics. I have found a very good version of "The Firth of Fifth" online and I am posting it below. If you are not familiar with the track, it is just over eight minutes long, and does take a while to get going; please bear with it though, as you will hear probably the greatest ever Prog Rock band at their height during their 1977 "Seconds Out" tour, playing a song which absolutely defines symphonic progressive rock. Take it away....
As for your environmental comments.... I would certainly NOT fancy snow in Lanzarote. I would have to move back to England if that happened... ;)
ReplyDeleteHAHA!
ReplyDeleteI saw a bloke wearing a big all weather jacket with "HELICOPTER PILOT" emblazoned across the back as i drove past Morrisons Saturday and I thought wot a w*nker, fancy wearing that to go shopping in Erith, typical ruddy sports clothing companies put anything catchy on a jacket etc etc then a i drove past the front of the store and saw a bloody great helicopter parked up...D'OH!
Talking about tattoo's I still want to get one or three done but already i look at mates who had stuff done and it looks dated (tribal stuff especially), at least the band who are tattoo mad have the decency to have "body art" (i.e.: nekkid ladies, devils, band logo's like Rush 2112, Jester's, monsters, more nekkid lady's and Gary's rather odd ink blot on a digestive biscuit which was supposed to be a Vampire bat with the moon behind it). Problem is I keep changing my mind what I want! Torn between something DC Comics Joker-ish, R2-D2 or a big nutty facial spider-web right across my face...
I quite agree with your thinking Mr.P', Global Warming would be great for us, imagine going to the beach on the Northern Line or a bus trip to Costa Del Gravesend which would suit you cos you've only ever left the country once if I remember rightly!
;-)
I AM going to get you abroad at some point...I think something "great" would be you join us on a trip to Euro-Disney (FRENCH and American, did anyone think about THAT mix?), no joking aside somewhere Spanish or rather hot and "foreign" but not tourist trap-y/"ENGLESH full breakfasts". Problem is now what with the girls it's not so easy to just flit off somewhere but don't think you've escaped! I think a good start would be a day trip sorry Booze cruise to France, well it is a big birthday for you in 2007!
Can't WAIT for the Genesis Gig, i know their later stuff was poo but the earlier stuff rocked like only a Mellotron, double necked bass and Guitar and someone dressed up in a red dress with wearing a foxes head mask can!
I like mixed and varied types of music to suit my mood and ideas and Genesis up to about 1982 is one of the only bands I can listen to over and over and over and over again without getting bored. i do love Prog rock (mainly cos you can do whatever you want and are not bound by a "label") but never really got into Rush, yes, Dream Theatre etc the way i got into Genesis.
Hang on i'm a HUGE Marillion fan to!
Actually I got moaned at the gig we played last Saturday as the music I'd put on my MP3 player was too dance orientated! Hell, I like it when Yes's Roundabout (a 15 min' Prog extravaganza) mixes into Bob Sinclair's Rock This Party (EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! #Ahem#) then into Seek and Destroy by The Stooges followed by Take me back to your house by Basement Jaxx! But I digress...
I'll watch the vid' later when i get home.