timebug

Honky Tonk Women - The Stones

Hello from thirty miles north of you! Welcome and have a good browse around!

Talkin 'Bout You - The Animals

It's a Heartache - Bonnie Tyler

Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except for Me and My Monkey) - The Beatles

They always change things. often for no good reason! I am always reminded of M.C.Beaton's comment on the TV series based on her 'Hamish Macbeth' books. She said (I am paraphrasing from memory) something like; ' My Hamish is a six foot, red haired highlander; what do they give us on TV? A five foot eight dark haired Glaswegian with a chip on his shoulder!' Equally, the Jack Frost of TV is far from the man in the books. I prefer the book version of course, but can watch the telly show if I want to!

We used to have a great second hand bookshop locally, where every week I would be selecting the five or six books to read the following week, at dirt cheap prices. One Saturday I discovered a book by an unknown (to me) author named Colin Dexter. It was titled 'The Dead of Jericho' and was a Morse novel. In fact, the fifth published Morse novel. I loved it and having been made aware of this writer, over the next few weeks I discovered (at the same great shop!) the first four Morse novels. I eagerly awaited the next one coming out, and in the meantime, the TV series started. Funnily enough, the first story shown was 'The Dead of Jericho' which was my first book experience of Morse! I felt a subdued note of disquiet straight away; whilst I found John Thaw an excellent actor, I simply didn't believe in him as Morse! And Lewis, in the forst book, is described as being 'several years older' than Morse, so I was not thrilled to see a young Kevin Whately playing him either. As the series continued, so the books periodically appeared. And (IMO) Colin Dexter started to morph the Morse I had known in the books, into a man more like the TV version.I quickly lost faith in the TV show and abandoned it after about six or seven episodes. The books, I stuck with, but was not so keen on them as Dexter continued to make Morse 'smarter than the average bear, BooBoo!' and show off his education with too many (for me) learned references and cryptic crossword clues. After the Morse series ended, I gave 'Lewis' a go, the continuing adventures of Morses sidekick, ably assisted by another eridite smartarse in Sgt Hathaway. I eventually abandoned the series too. Fast forward a few years. I was able to get almost any programme I wanted via a streaming service, and I gave 'Lewis' another go. This time around, I liked them and stuck with the entire run of shows. Again (like the Morse series) they were slightly drawn out as they continued, but watchable fluff if one had nothing else to do! Then came 'Endeavour', and at last I found my 'perfect' TV version of Morse. Shaun Evans was spot on in my mind,as the young man whose turbulent life would eventually become the haunted past of the older Morse! In summary; Morse (books) top notch. Morse (TV series) not for me. Lewis (TV series) okay but not great. Endeavour (TV Series) great stuff, and very watchable. On a side note, I once owned my own second hand bookshop for a time, and at one stage I had the first eight Morse novels in stock, in paperback, and the newly published ninth one (The Jewel That Was Ours) in Hardback. A young fellow came in and bought them all, commenting' This will be a great start to a complete Morse collection!'. I pointed out that what he had in his hands, was in fact (at that time) already a 'complete Morse collection'. He was astounded. 'But there have been a couple of dozen on the telly....!' he said. 'Ah yes, on the telly' I smiled 'but they were not all from the books you know? They often make up their own stories to extend the series....' He looked as though he half believed me, and bore away his prized 'collection'. Morse/Lewis/Endeavour... all charcters created by the late Colin Dexter; which versions of which characters you prefer, well it is all down to choice, isn't it?

Pleasantly warm here with a bit of breeze; fine rain this morning which has now cleared. Altogether more comfortable than the start of the week!

After the stultifying heat of yesterday (106 degrees, in old money!) it is much more pleasant today. Still hot, but much more tolerable. I am planning (and intend doing) as little as possible today, aside from essential cooking. No chores that won't keep until tomorrow, nothing socially, so a pleasant and relaxing day|!

In fact, I have done a quick Google search, and the local 'legend' tells of the Gaolbreak, but the facts are somewhat different! (as with most local tales, I suppose) I found this online: Reform Bill Heads of Friargate These somewhat eerie looking heads Designed by Timothy Clapcott Show one of Derby’s many story’s to had, The "Reform Bill Heads" (more often known as the "Friar Gate Heads") commemorate the Reform Bill riots of 1831 during which the people of Derby took to the streets to demand the right to vote. The heads in this sculpture capture one of the best known events of that night, depicting the rioters breaking into the Goal and the condemned men coming up into the light escaping from the underground cells. And a YouTube video of the 'Heads'.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocjE_-iSQ9s

And in a flash, I found one pic! My son took a few, but this is the only one I can find so far.And not nearly as many heads on show,as I remembered. But then, memory came back, and I recalled that there are a few more heads on the other side of the tree (the roadside!) which cannot be seen here, but I know my son took quite a few shots, I will continue to search,and if I find anything good, will post it!

I have a couple of pics that my son took, somewhere on my hard drive! I will try and find them and post them. As I said, the Gaolbreak was in Victorian/Edwardian times, and a group of convicts managed to dig a tunnel out of the Gaol. They surfaced somewhere around where a ree now grows (records are very patchy for the period!) and a few years back, a local artist was commissioned to create a memorial sculpture of the event. He chose to model a bunch of 'heads' peering up out of the ground,around where the tree now grows. It is a small but impressive display, often totally missed by passers by, who fail to even notice it!

Actually OLDER than the profile pic! But in fairness, that is a sculpture of a forty year old victorian criminal who tunelled out of our local Gaol (now defunct) and the sculpture was only comissioned in the 1980s. There are about twenty of these 'heads' peering from the earth, around a tree, which is roughly where the original escape tunnel came out!

Greetings and welcome from another 'older gent'!

I have not listened to many audiobooks, but the jewel in my small collection has to be Rob Inglis reading 'The Lord of The Rings' books.He also does a great job on 'The Hobbit' but LOTR is a brilliant piece of reading. He also sings many of the songs from the story, to tunes he apparently made up himself! And after a while, you know which character is speaking (as he reads the lines) from subtle changes of voice in the narration.

Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney & Wings

A quiet relaxed sunday for me! Had a visit from my lovely Grandaughter yesterday, who has been coming on Saturdays for years, but now she has left school and started work, her weekends are not always free! In turn I visited an old friend and put the world to rights for an hour; so today, nothing special planned. May go for a walk later, depending on the weather. It is looking ominous at the moment, with dark clouds scudding across the sky. I will enjoy preparing (and eating!) my Sunday lunch, as ever; and maybe watch a bit of old classic TV on my streaming device!

Me and Julio (Down by the Schoolyard) - Paul Simon

Followed an ambulance the other night and a small box fell from it. Stopped and picked it up, and it contained a severed big toe.Packed in ice and marked 'human tissue for transplant.' I rang the hospital and asked if they would collect it, with an ambulance and they said no; they would sent a tow truck.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band

Check out M.R.James collections of Ghost stories and H.P.Lovecraft's weird fiction! Stephen King may be another choice for you, although many readers find him divisive and either love or hate his work!

Hold Back The Nigjht - Graham Parker & The Rumour

Hold On, I'm Coming - Sam and Dave

Already 20 degrees here and threatening to get hotter as the day progresses.

Baby,Now That I've Found You - The Foundations