Another weekend. Another festival.
I was reviewing the Friday evening only at Maryport Blues festival. H stayed at home and I went with Pete and Sarah It was great to have them along. Sarah is doing SO well after her redical surgery only 2 weeks ago. What an inspiration.
First band up were Laura and the Tears. Not bad at all. The main event though was Jethro Tull. Talk about a trip down memory lane. I loved it! They did ‘Aqualung’, ‘Heavy Horses’ and ‘Thick as a Brick’ amongst others and as there were even folks there wearing patchouli perfume it was like being back in 1973. Sigh…..!
The last band were King King and then we ambled home under a starlit sky and in the comfort of the car.

OK – so we chickened out of camping this year coz of the weather. Day one of the festival it was tipping it down. Sheets of rods of rain.
I had a wonderful time taking hundreds of photos.
Wellies were vital and a new brolly would’ve been wonderful if it hadn’t been broken already.
But, the first gig was a warming and bright Chris While and Julie Matthews. I love this duo, especially Chris While (my favourite pic of the whole weekend is of her)

The rain eased off for an hour so we could have a wander around. The highlight later on was Andy Fairweather Lowe… nostalgia and great contemporary new material. How loud did I sing along to ‘If Paradise is Half as Nice’?

On the second night the discovery was King Creosote. Wonderful. Enjoyed too the Oysterband. Strutting and booming the anthemic voice and playing into the marquee.

We met up with Heather and Alex and enjoyed seeing their talented son Rob performing too. Over the three days the weather gradually improved and by Sunday afternoon we could even sit outside the marquees. On the Saturday evening we stayed late for the late session in the hall and were treated to excellent slapstick comedy and some lovely music.

We did all day on the Sunday (I had quite a lot to review) and saw Keith Donnelly (funny funny funny as ever), Nancy Kerr & James Fagin, Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies, Max Pashm and the final HUGE event – the Peatbog Faeries.

NICE!

READ ABOUT IT HERE

A long weekend and a full weekend. Saturday was plenty of chores and garden work and a big trip to the tip. Ross was here too.
Sunday saw glorious weather and after watching some of the Chelsea Flower Show on TV I was re-inspired, so had a drive out to the garden centre and bought a few bits. Ross helped me get things planted up and the yard is looking great. Late afternoon after Ross and H had a game of pool at the pub Fiona and Chris arrived and we all had a chili dinner in the garden (H can really cook an ace chili!) and later when it got cooler we came in for another one of H’s testing and teasing quizzes. Chris and I won against Fiona and Ross. A great evening.

I could hardly believe it when Bank Holiday Monday dawned as lovely and sunny as Sunday. Breakfast in the yard in the sun and when C and F had left for their day out us three went to Penrith to see the street festival. It was excellent. There was a 30-foot pig, mechanical Morris Men, flower-pot men, a dishy-as-hell French paper hat maker who had the most heavenly and heart-warming smile, and lots more. Particularly brilliant were the highlight of the day; Castellers de Vilafranca (Catalonia, Spain). 100 performers from Catalonia building ‘human castles’ seven and eight storeys high before your eyes – a never-to-be forgotten spectacle. They called for volunteers and Hector gave it a go. We bumped into friends… Tim, Michelle and little Emma and also Alan and Steph. On the way back to the car H was interviewed for the TV… wonder what station for…..

I got the train (fab Settle – Carlisle line) to meet He (who’d been there 2 days for work) and Ross to go to his family shindig to celebrate and welcome home Nicola, her team mate Gillian, and their stunning crystal trophy. Kev had done a brilliant job of organising everything and just about everyone was there. It was held at a buffet Indian restaurant and the food went down well.
Father and Son……… World Champs Gillian and Nicola………..

Father and Son…. Mother and Daughter with Grand daughter and team mate

A very exciting request dropped in my lap last week – the soon-to-be MEGA author Reif Larsen contacted me to ask if he could use a snippet of one of my films on a superb new website that will illustrate his soon-to-be-released book “The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet”. The website isn’t released yet but I’ll link to it when it is….

‘Here is a book that does the impossible: it combines Mark Twain, Thomas Pynchon, and Little Miss Sunshine. Good novels entertain; great ones come as a gift to the readers who are lucky enough to find them. This book is a treasure’
–Stephen King

(From: The New York Observer) Here’s a fairytale: A 28-year-old Columbia M.F.A. student named Reif Larsen wrote a novel about a whimsical child from Montana who likes maps, and suddenly all kinds of famous editors in New York were calling his agent, Denise Shannon, and telling her they really wanted to publish it.

Norton offered to preempt with an advance in the neighborhood of $400,000 if Ms. Shannon took the book off the market and sold it to the publisher right then and there. The editorial director of Dial Press, an imprint of Random House’s Bantam Dell Doubleday group, offered to pay half a million for the same privilege.

Ms. Shannon said no to both and confidently took the book to auction. Within days, according to three sources, she’d sold North American rights for a sum just shy of $1 million to Ann Godoff at the Penguin Press, gravely disappointing editors at Random House, Viking, Riverhead and elsewhere. The book was also sold to publishers in Canada, Germany and Italy, and at press time, deals were being negotiated for the U.K. and the Netherlands. The book, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet, is scheduled to come out this summer.

Its still freezing and crystal clear. The perfect weather for being on holiday from work.
New Years Eve was perfect too. A fantastic dinner of roast lamb – a brilliant joint (get it!?) effort by us and Chris and Fiona. It was superb and great fun to cook. We didn’t just laze around and fester – oh dear not! – we enjoyed some quiz-style games from Chris and after dinner a brilliant quiz devised by Hector. It was superb (even thought I lost in a big way) and a lot of fun. I insisted at midnight that we go outside with some (somewhat elderly) sparklers that were initially reluctant to light – but I like them and everyone was nice enough to stand in the frosty air and indulge me!

While H was away on a boys gig-pub-snooker-pub extravaganza weekend I painted the lounge. Lo-o-o-ng job. The paint pad wasn’t much good so I used a 4″ brush. Took AGES, but I’m happy with the result. Just the ceiling for H to do and the paintwork too. Looking MUCH better. Kitchen next!
Been experimenting with my Nikon D40 (got a manual last week) and took this on timer shot of my own reflection from my desk in the window in the lounge. I really liked the way the Apple on my laptop shone back at me.

The desk is set up in the window now and its a lovely place to sit… and Toots and Frank often sleep snuggled up

A couple of Sundays ago we had a once-only nosey around Lowther Castle – it was open for people to take a look before the gardens are renovated. Interesting, but very busy. Then we had a little walk along the dis-used railway line near Keswick. The tunnels and cuttings were dank, wet, damp and dripping with oozing water. Many kinds of fern and fungi covered all the dark slated walls.

Last week of August and trees are turning to gold – a tad early I think. It feels like we haven’t had any summer yet. Ah well. Its time to console ourselves with some nice wine. This picture of Hector nursing his rosé wine makes me smile

New clutch of chicks in the churchyard….

We both had hectic week at work and are now enjoying a really quiet housey weekend. Up and down ladders cutting back the honeysuckle from the front of the house and up on the utility room roof sawing and dragging branches from the budliea in the yard. More light for the lounge and the yard. Hard, but very satisfying work.

Frank helped…. but there was only one man for the job

Who’s looking real good!

We won’t mention the weather… it was grim and wet and rainy and mud everywhere! I SAID!.. we won’t mention the weather! SO – aside from the weather it was a great weekend. Highlights were Seth Lakeman, Show of Hands, Demon Barbers, Les Barker, Dragonsfly and Richard Thompson. I was reviewing it as usual and had my list of what I had to cover, but luckily the list was mostly what I wanted to see. Our third Brampton together – wow! Our scribbled-on programme! then….. Some over-the-top (literally) security……. Richard Thompson……. Show of Hands – Miranda Sykes…. Tent before the flood….. Muddy marquee….. Show of Hands – Steve Knightley…..The divine Les Baker……

When Richard Thompson had closed the festival we hot-footed it home where I stayed up ’til 3 in the morning to write the review to send it by 8 a.m. and do the rest during the day.

Sunday – heading up to Gateshead Sage to see Eric Bibb in concert became a really good excursion. We set off early and up over Hartside pass and Alston,

….then over to Hexham and while He sat in the car I had a wander around Chesters Nursery and Walled Garden. GLORIOUS! It’s famous for its herbs, but its all lovely. The scent of the place is pure heaven and I came out floating on a cloud of floral well-being. I bought an antique cast iron calf feeder. Weirdness indeed but an interesting ‘thing’ for the garden.

Then a hop along the milltary road just north of the A69 and into Newcastle and Gateshead. We went to the Baltic (of course) and enjoyed bright afternoon sun, a walk over the Millennium Bridge and a drink on the quayside with a view over the Baltic, Sage and the multi-storey car park made iconic by the Michael Caine film Get Carter…..

….before going to the Sage to see Mr Bibb – who was, as ever, brilliant, though he forgot the words to a first song and then the electrics all went weird and it took a while to sort out. He graced our ears with lots of new material and all my favourites. He later introduced his daughter to join him on stage to sing. Lovely voice.

(the first ever Carlisle Blues Festival – 23rd – 25th November
Friday night to Sunday lunch time a plethora of live blues with some of the BEST blues artists around.
Friday night was Tantrum – very young guys who were so cool they didn’t know they were. Fantastic guitar. Then there as Ian Parker Band – an old fave, and to finish a late late evening was Marcus Malone – a man who could flirt for England. We got home at around 2 and it was f-f-f-f-freezin!
Wandered back to Carlisle at lunch time – He saw Eugene Hideaway Bridges and Steve White while I shopped! I joined him in time for the luscious Connie Lush and Blues Shouter – raspy, grinding, sleazy blues. Then we had a nice Italian meal nearby before heading back for a full evening of a new band to us – The Stumble (my highlight of the weekend!) followed by super sleazy Ian Siegal and closing with Nimmo Brothers. I was well and truly saturated by blues and very tired. On Sunday He saw a brief bit of Ian Siegal and friends while I shopped (AGAIN!). A brilliant festival; well organised and stuffed with quality music.

Photos to follow!

After that we went around the corner to see the film American Gangster. Pretty good.

Pub quiz with Chris and Fiona making us a team of four – as usual. A fun evening in great company and we won – AGAIN! I’m almost embarrassed now. The winning margin was 7 points – not bad. Hector amazed all and was the only person to know the song (Pipes of Peace) and artist (Paul McCartney) to some lyric questions. WELL DONE HIM!

FORGOT to say – we saw the strange and walrus-voiced Lou Pride on Friday night in Penrith. Not really my thing, but very interesting.

Our first trip to the Sage at Gateshead for live music. A gorgeous venue. He saw John Prine and I saw Spiers & Boden. Both were brilliant. A successful evening, tho marred by my worrying about Tootsie.
The most stunning building I’ve been in, which for all its lofty architecture is friendly and inviting. Its site on the Tyne and the views are inspiring. The lighting is a sculpture in its own right.

musicovery - a fabby website that finds you music to suite your mood. Tell it a genre and your mood and hey presto! A cool way to find some sounds and discover new music.
I’m impressed!
Watch out tho – the site is French so to register you need to navigate the registration in French.

Just one day at Solfest this year. I was asked to write some reviews. So, we took Ross too. Promise of summer weather but it wasn’t. Chilly, breezy and a little rain. NO MATTER! We had come prepared – diddy tent, jackets and good chairs.
The music didn’t inspire this time, but the sights and people did. Saw Stephen Spud Murphy, Badly Drawn Boy and The Undertones. The atmosphere is magic and the people – especially in fancy dress- were a joy to see. I got severely cold toes and took loads of pictures.

… it looks like we’re going to SolFest after all…. Bank holiday weekend for one day only. Cool.

A great evening at Maryport Blues Festival. AND the most pleasant portaloos I’ve used! The real ale was pretty good too He said.
We arrived in time to catch a bit of Blues n Trouble – I’ve seen them before a couple of times. Christine and Tony were there so it was good to meet up with them.
Eric Bibb came on. Nice surprise to see him joined on stage with Danny Thompson – fantastic double bass player. We were close enough to the front in the marquee to get a good view. Eric was brilliant. WHAT a voice and guitar playing that makes your toes tingle. The clarity of a bell. I loved it! Like at Brampton He was mistaken for Eric – at the bar where he was told he shouldn’t have to go to the bar he should be back stage getting drinks brought for him… and really nice people (Mick and Margaret) near us said they assumed that he was related to Eric, so alike were they.
It was a first Festival for Ross. We’re really glad he came along. He liked Eric a lot.
Next up was Gary Moore – more He’s thing than mine. It IS the blues but VERY VERY LOUD blues. You can’t fault his guitar prowess but it was a tad overdone for my taste. He and the rest of the audience loved it (I was in a minority) – it was like being transported back to the early 70’s when I saw Moore on stage with Thin Lizzy. Real nostalgia. Ross and I waited outside during the encore and it when on and on and on and on. Twiddly notes and drawn out guitar screeching. Like Ross said – all the drunks who asked for it had left ages ago and it was just polite people left in the marquee – not entirely true, but very funny! 40 minutes it lasted. Got home at 2a.m tired and with ears ringing. Brill! It looks to be a superb festival and maybe next year we’ll do the whole weekend.
Some photos – Father and Son at the blues fest, Blues ‘n’ Trouble, Eric Bibb (+ Danny Thompson)

Our second Brampton together – a special one.

We wouldn’t have missed it for the world. All the rain and the mud and the music. Heather, Alex and Sophie camped next door. A first evening was in the company of Tony Benn & Roy Bailey. Socialist fire from two fascinating gentlemen. Then standard festival fodder the Levellers. Highlights for us both were Keith Donnelly with Les Barker (we laughed ourselves dizzy) and Trans Global Underground (He actually danced with me!). For He also it was headline performance from Steve Earle (which I liked but it didn’t really grab me) and also Achanak (who I sadly missed). The disappointment was Soothsayers who were promising in the write-up but didn’t make a connection with the audience, no personality. Weird.
I had to review Benn/Bailey, Levellers, LoJo, Kerr/Fagan and State of the Union.
We ate lots of junk and drank some really nice wine. Our double sleeping bag was heaven and the clever remote control lamps a boon.
Here are some photos of Brampton Live 2007…including one of a crowd under the fantastic influence of Keith Donnelly and behaving like kids, a few of tony Benn, an example of festival sartorial elegance, and some of the mud.

Hypothesis:
A chemical toilet IS a good idea for camping and especially for festivals.

Discuss…. (comments please)