Category: Uncategorised

The mess I’ve made/am making… oh dear!

In the above pic the first bit of wood has gone up. This is attached to a plasterboard partition wall. Expanding rawl plugs, standard screws. Pretty easy/straightforward.

The other bit of wood – at right – is just sitting on top of the first bit. And isn’t fixed in place. Piece one is pretty good, plumb wise. I marked up from there, across the back wall, to get piece two, opposite, at the same level.

But, goddam it, despite careful measuring, neither piece two (right) nor three (middle) are plumb level. But then these were attached directly into plaster and solid brick, using concrete screws. That’s a whole new thing, for me.

The drilling and screwing seemed to go perfectly. But then when I checked for horizontal plumb, they’re both out. Gaaah!!! Do I take them down and try again?

Strangely, the measurement from ceiling to wood, in both corners, is 76cm. But to the naked eye, it looks wider on the left than the right. Hmm!? When it comes to learning by mistakes, I make so many mistakes, I ought to be learning shitloads…

I ran out of time. We had to skedaddle, over to dad’s. There’s a train strike tomorrow. And Teresa arranged that we’d stop over with Claire, Simon and Sam, for the night. So’s I could drive her to work Monday morning.

I’d just started measuring and cutting the vertical members for the framing. These have to be individually tailored to the irregularities of the room, height-wise. Plus they need the profile of the skirting board cut into them, so they abut seamlessly.

Do I work, delivering, tomorrow? Or focus solely on finishing this job? I think the latter has to take precedence. As Antonio is due to move in in just one week! Maybe I can do a bit of both? But then I have to collect Teresa as well… Hmmm!?

Alice performing in Poland, with her son Ravi (sax), Reggie Workman (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums). First time I’ve seen Alice and co. ‘in person’!

Turns out she has a YouTube channel. I’m definitely going to be exploring this in more depth. The older stuff looks the most interesting and attractive to me. Currently watching this:

… loving the music. And also digging some of the graphics. I’d love to know more about this. Was it made like this originally? Back in the day? Or has it been created more recently?

The cosmic/psychedelic graphics are sometimes exquisite, and sometimes a bit not! But overall I’m more taken with that all than not. And they suit the music.

Makes me want to try and achieve something similar. For use with my own music.

The music is a live recording from a Carnegie Hall performance, and is exquisite.

The final drop of my first shift, delivering for Amazon today, was in the picturesque hamlet of Cockayne Hatley.

According to the Wikipedia entry on it ‘The Cockayne part of the name comes from the surname of the Cokayne family, who took possession of the land in 1417.’

After my last delivery, I had a look at the church, which is pretty stunning. Here are a few photos:

The stained glass is often a favourite aspect of many a church, for me. But here it’s a rather mixed bag. My favourite lights are the heraldic ones.

* being:

A chap named Christian Forshaw was playing saxophone in the church (that’s him, above), when I ‘rocked up’, as some folk say these days. I had a bit of a chat with him.

Turns out he not only practices there, but also puts on concerts for the church, as well. I think we’ll go and check one of them out…

I’ll also have to return to St John’s another time, partly so as to not interrupt any musical practicing, and partly in order to give this gem of a church a proper look over.

In the case of this church it might be the carved woodwork that steals the show?

And it’s off again, back out into the world…

And as I headed homewards, before heading out again, for delivery shift #2, I passed the above, which is in (or just outside of) Potton. Another one for the ‘to do’ list!

Also saw this:

Perhaps rather unsurprisingly, it’s called ‘The Castle House’.

We started our day today, after a long lazy lie-in, with a KFC box meal, eaten with the above view. And then it was off to Ely.

Got my spring light coloured togs on. Digging this lovely sunny weather.

* This thing, as a whole, appealed, esp as I’m reading about Trafalgar. But the anti-Royalist in me couldn’t quite stomach any ‘God & King/Queen’ nonsense.

The top is quite nice. But the way the lighting is, I couldn’t capture it – without glaring areas of white shiny reflected light – except at this end-on angle.

Pulling aside a chaise-longe, revealed this:

I’m not sure this box/chest is legit’? And the whole ‘Captain R. Sole’ schtick only adds to the dubiosity!

This seller had a particularly rich stock, in terms of wooden stuff that appeals to my tastes.

I’d love one of the above, for keeping clothes in. Wonder if I can source one cheaply elsewhere?

This lot, above, reminds me I need to sort out my workshop. But, as usual, ‘twas books that actually got me. First, some that I’d like to have, but didn’t get:

This book about crossbows is ace. All in German, alas. But there are loads of pics, showing exactly how these old weapons are constructed. I’d love to make one!

And here are the books I did actually get from Waterside Antiques:

Not entirely sure why, but I’ve always been a little bit fascinated by heraldry. So I got the above.

This next book is all about the Georgian Navy. And seeing as I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Clayton and Craig’s Trafalgar, I thought this would be perfect:

I ended up getting it for just £10, by buying it together with the heraldry book, for £15. Usually it’s Amazon that gets my £££. But in this instance Amazon would’ve been £80 dearer!

A Chinese lady in the antiques shop had this very groovy Sherlock Holmes bag:

After Waterside Antiques, we went to Teacock’s Pearoom. The first time we’ve been, I think, since lockdown?

Teresa had a pot of Sherlock Holmes, I had Mycroft, and we both had a scone, with raspberry jam.

Such a lovely place. And such great food, drink, and service. What a lovely time we had. Very relaxing. No awful piped music. Just beautiful stuff to eat and drink, in a beautiful setting.

I want to build us something a bit like the above, for our home.

I covet the big chest at left, above. And I really like the painting. In fact I love everything about the decor.

After Peacock’s we went to Oxfam, and then Topping. At the latter I finally got a copy of Alice Loxton’s Uproar:

… I can now read this and compare notes with Pops, who got a copy from Abbie and Dan, for his 74th birthday, yesterday.

Thanks Hannah, Tim and the girls for hosting this lovely do. And providing such delicious fare.

Yesterday was very busy. We went to Peckover House during the day. And in the evening we were at Hannah’s, for dad’s 74th birthday.

By the time I got home, around 9.30pm, there was precious little time for any further work on the Blue Room. All I had time/energy for was a quick bit of paint around the ‘seams’.

I adore the drumming of Albert ‘Tootie’ Heath. What he brings to Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda, for example, is pure perfection. ‘Wiggle Waggle’ and ‘Tell Me A Bedtime Story’ are two tracks I’ll never tire of listening to.

He recorded and performed with a veritable who’s who of jazz. And is on lots of albums I love. And as well as being part of the famous Heath Bros trio, he even lead a few sessions under his own name. Such as these two:

Actually Kawaida is really a Mtume album. And only nominally under Albert’s leadership. Mtume was ‘Tootie’s’ nephew (son of his elder sax player brother, Jimmy).

I’d meant to interview him for my putative work on music of the early 1970s. I missed that chance, more fool me! Damn… another legendary figure exits the stage.

The above has been reissued on CD, by Xanadu. But his best known work is most likely that with either his brothers, or the notable jazz giants he recorded with, like Dexter Gordon, Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock, amongst many others.

The postman got me out of bed at about 8.15 am, for this. I’m back abed now. I’d love to have done an unboxing video on these. But tired as I am, this post’ll have to suffice.

These three CDs, all from the early to mid ‘70s, by Charles Kynard, and on Bob Shad’s Mainstream label, came in a pretty large box. They were kind of swimming around inside. But at least they were well packed, and appear to have arrived in perfect order.

This post is merely about the excitement the arrival of these CDs causes me. I’ll review the contents in due course. Meantime, here are the backs:

Some rather odd titles on this eponymous 1971 release.

More doo-doo-doings. Chuck appears to have had a thing for this kinda shit!

This – ‘73s Your Mama Don’t Dance – is the album, a copy of which my dad acquired on vinyl, many many moons ago, which introduced me to Kynard and his music.

Another connection I made with him, that I forgot to mention till now, is that he appears on Tom Waits’ superb Blue Valentines album, as well (on ‘Romeo is Bleeding’ and ‘Wrong Side of The Road’).

Wow! Another utterly brilliant maritime history book. I find the more I read on this exciting topic, the more I want to read.

I recall buying this book, for about £2, at a charity shop in Peterborough. It was on a whim, and has proven one of those lovely serendipitous moments, when everything seems to fall into place with a ‘just so’ rightness.

As I type this, it’s 6.30 am, and outside I hear a fairly heavy rain (Chester cam in about 30-40 minutes ago, soaked; a very soggy moggy!). This is entirely apt. As I’m currently reading about the post action storm, and the fate of the two fleets during ‘The Storm’ segment of this truly superb book.

Way back in January, 2023, a false accusation was made against me. The accusation was thrown out of court and I was acquitted just one week ago yesterday.

In the intervening fourteen months I’ve developed certain mental habits; such as running over the events continually, in my mind, and worrying about the taint of such charges clinging to me even if/when found innocent.

It’s 5.23 am, as I type this. I woke up about 4.45, and went for my usual middle of the night pee. But I haven’t been able to get back to sleep. Why? Because the desire to ‘clear my name’ is still bothering me.

I suspect I will eventually fall asleep again. Because I’m utterly shattered. Having this source of anxiety hanging over me for over a year hasn’t been conducive to calm, happiness or general well-being. And the permanent exhaustion is, I believe, just one aspect of the depression it’s brought on.

Another aspect of the ill-effects is demotivation. Why bother striving to achieve stuff, if everything just turns to shit? And this is esp’ and doubly the case when there seems to be zero fuel in the tank.

All of this side of things rather inclines me towards seeking redress, for defamation of character and loss of earnings, if nothing else. That said, I want all this shit to cease and go away entirely, so I can get back to being happy and contented, as I had been, very unusually for me, circa late 2021.

And that won’t happen, of course, if I put it all front and centre by pursuing a Civil Case. Hmmm!?