Confessions of an undertakers assistant...

yip yip coyote....howdy all!

1.Whats been happening?....well the truth is i got too lazy too write! I know, how sad is that! Every proper gay guy should be ready to share all his salacious gossip at the drop of a Jimmy Choo. I'm back though and will catch up with you all on a more regular basis....first of all I have a guy in my life who is still 'the one' and i really don't expect that to change anytime soon. His name's Mike (for those of you who haven't met him) and he really is heaven and earth to me. we are very opposite but neatly entwined and it works really well because we can learn from each other and teach each other different aspects of lives rich tapestry :) He's funny, witty, charming and I really can't wait until we get our lives together and 'together', if you see what i mean!

2. The Goat and the Ambush tree.

Once upon a time, in a land that was barren and dry, there lived a goat...we shall call her Emery. Emery was 3 years old and had lived the life of a goat as only special goats do...she woke up in the morning, udders pulled and milk drained she trotted up to the highest point of the land and began her daily song...the song was a rather raucous affair and all the other goats frowned at her accordingly. For us humans it was like putting whitney houston and barbra streisand in the same room together to see who could sing the loudest, understand? Emerys song went on for about 10 minutes until Kelvin (the little boy goat from downland) kicked a stone at her which shut her up. She scowled and went on her business of munching at all the bushes and berries that she could find...these were daily events for Emery until one peculiar and rather unsettling day, something changed... (to be continued)

3. Fuck me I've really missed talking about films...I have watched so many since we talked last that i don't know where to begin...so i won't! I will start afresh with new releases as from today. The first one that i watched last night was "License to Wed"...it was a monday night so i needed something fluffy to watch, and fluffy it is indeed....it's a rather nice comedy starring Robin Williams and Mandy Moore. Yes Robin Williams pulls the old faces and mannerisms but the part of Father Jack really suits him and it turns out to be his best work in a long time. Mandy Moore brings style to the proceedings of this feel good film that is just right for a girls night in. The story isn't very taxing, Father Jack sets the couple a test before he will marry them to prove that they really do love each other, but the jokes are thick and fast and the supporting cast bring a whole lot of fun to the frothily light storyline. Its a 7/10 from Piddys Place.

4. Alison Moyet is a goddess...just check out the new album which has just been released called 'The Turn'...its so so wonderful...which is more than I can say for the feminist bleatings of Annie Lennox on her latest release...I really wanted to like it but the girl power thing just got a bit too much for me by the end of the album, it's pleasant enough but don't expect the genius that was 'Diva'

5. Russell Brand in 'Ponderland' ...Channel 4....genius :)

If you feel you would like to complain about the content or the style of writing please don't bother, as I'm really not interested what you fucking think or do with the stuff that i write...even if you print it off and use it as toilet paper, at least i have made one arsehole happy....ciao x

Summer....

just to let you all know that I'm still here and happily in love :)
will be around more as the weather turns bad...you know what it's like, I don't want to waste precious sunshine hours inside typing away!

Have lots to tell you about but little time at the moment...so bear with me and stay tuned to Piddys Place as more will appear shortly...meanwhile if you like come over and join me at Facebook (http://www.facebook.com)
if the link doesn't work just search on Neil Piddock and you will find me...such dumb fun!

apologies

...I have been sooooooooooooooo busy with my little self...now I'm partnered up, life is a bed of fuschias (not a big fan of roses!)...also been doing some extra shifts with the dead people so I have not really had five minutes to myself over the last couple of weeks...

The big news is we won the lottery at work with our syndicate...how much did we win... £137,000 pounds ..woo hoo! 26 of us in the syndicate so it was a very nice £ 5300 each approx...new telly, holiday, etc etc on the way!

managed to catch two really good films between shifts... I smell an Oscar nomination for "Reign Over Me", Adama sandler as you have never seen him before playing the part of a guy who can't face up to the fact that he lost his family during 9/11...an absolutely stunning and moving film with such good acting from Sandler and Don Cheadle...well worth a trip to the flix...

...secondly a film called "1408" based on a Stephen King story, very very good acting from John Cusack who nearly has the whole 105 minutes of film time to himself on screen. Good effects, storyline..a good ghost story without the gore :) go watch!

If I haven't mentioned him I have started seeing a great guy who ticks all the right buttons and it seems to be working out fine...M has a fantastic personality and I hope he is around for a long time..I need him in my life right now...aaahhh!

Onward dear friends......

Express Yourself with Gizmoz Video Clips

Cool The World

hi all...I have designed a logo t-shirt for the Stop Climate Chaos day and have a shop for you to visit...I make about 5 pounds profit on each t shirt so that money will be going to the Stop Climate Chaos fund...hope you can help and I hope you like the design.

http://www.shirtcity.com/myshirtshop/merchandising/482820/t-shirtshop.html

whoops!

yes...i know it's been a while but when I get five minutes to myself i will write a bit more :)

meanwhile here's an awesome video for you to watch

the track is 'Allies' off the new Blue States album available in August xx

Another new home...

For those of you that want to try something new...it's a great site which you can do a lot more on audio visually...yso you can either follow the blog here or there...enjoy!

http://piddy77.multiply.com/

my new toy!.....occasional playlists for you

vittles....

Hi all...hope everyone is enjoying lovely weather...lots happening round here, prince ticket frenzy, live earth ticket frenzy, music festivals have started (even though I am now an armchair festival goer and rely on the digital red button for my festival fun)

On another forum that I belong too someone asked what your favourite youtube clip was, it took me a while but I came up with this one which is the crazy christian US wife swap aftermath...you have to watch it in full, it's simply amazing lol



Just listening to lots of good stuff at the moment..Tangerine Dream 'spring in Nagasaki', a beautiful piece composed privately for a japanese businessman...well worth a listen...also an amazing mix by Fred deakin called 'the triptych', a 3 cd set that mixes drum and bass up with siouxsie and the banshees via disco and rock gods!...it has to be heard to be believed...

More coming soon...off to enjoy the weather on the roof with my instant barbecue box :)

Going To A Town lyrics

Go raw!

Feature Article
How To Select The Best Raw Foods


When we first start changing our shopping habits, depending on our background, it can take quite a while to become proficient in knowing how to select ripe and optimally fresh and live raw produce.

With this in mind, this week's article is about how to fast-track your raw food shopping skills to pick the best no matter where you are. Knowing how to do this can save lots of time, money and disappointment, because you'll feel confident that every choice you make will be the right one!

How To Select The Best Fresh Produce

SIGHT - Generally we can tell just by looking at a food if it is good or not, but things like chemicals we cannot see with our bare eyes. What we can see though, is:

Colour - As a general rule of thumb, the brighter and/or deeper the colour the more nutrient-dense and ripe that food is.
Size - Bigger doesn't always mean better, but with tropical fruits it often does (- but these are generally only found in their native countries.) Small tomatoes often taste better than the big ones, much sweeter and tastier, berries too, but if a fruit is unnaturally small for its kind then that may mean it's inferior or on its way out. So this is a case-by-case scenario - you'll learn more about this as you go along, although much will be common sense.
Shape - Truly good organic food is often irregular in shape but these foods often don't make the shelves for this reason. They are not "perfect" looking enough and so therefore don't make the grade. Visit any good organic farm shop and you'll see lumps and bumps and other irregularities, but my goodness you'll know that looks don't matter when you taste them and feel how much more real they are in every sense of the word!
Life! - Sometimes you can just see that produce is looking healthier or more alive than others. Think limp lettuce versus perky pepper!
Other visual signs - Food does actually speak to us via its own language. Yes really! Think about it for a moment... Bananas go speckled when ripe. Bell peppers go from green, to yellow, to orange to red as they ripen to perfection. Melons round out a little more, and when perfectly ripe look as if they might burst open - durian too. Conversely look out for the less-positive signs, such as those of unripeness (green-ness) and mould or decay (white or brown). None of these you want. You want robust, sparkling, "come and get me" kinds of foods that will impart some of what they've got to you!
SMELL - Fresh fruits should smell, but many don't. A lot of this is down to the air miles they have travelled, being picked while unripe and being kept in storage too long and at too cool temperatures. So try to select fruits that do have a good natural scent wherever possible. This is most likely to be possible with some good quality mangoes, tomatoes, red bell peppers, some pineapples, some melons and bananas. This list is by no means the definitive guide, but it is my experience here in the UK. Of course local and seasonal is going to be best.


TOUCH - What the eyes can't see and the nose cannot smell, the fingers can feel. And picking up and squeezing your food is also hugely important. This is especially true with fruits which generally speaking need to "melt" a little when you squeeze them - that is to "give" a bit with gentle pressure but not stay dented! Good examples are avocados, mangoes and oranges.

SOUND - Yes we can use our hearing to detect good food! That doesn't mean to wait for your apples to sing or your sweetcorn to sigh, but in the case of melons - the perfect example - if you tap your potential purchase with your fist while holding it to your ear you are listening out for a dull thud. If it sounds weak or tinny, it's not yet ripe - put it back and try again!

And finally - TASTE. Well that's the ultimate test but not always practical in a shop setting which is why you have to learn how to rely on your other three or four senses. But if you CAN get to taste the foods before you buy, then of course, go right ahead and use your finest sense of all to make your buying decisions for you.

So that's how to select the best fresh produce, but what about all the other raw foods like nuts, seeds, olives, dried herbs and spices, oils and all the raw foods that come in a bottle, packet or jar?

How To Select The Best Dried / Pre-Packaged Produce

Organic and fresh always need to remain your priority however your raw foods show up, but there's a lot about food that we don't have a clue about until we start investigating and what I have discovered along the way is this:

Nuts. The best way to buy nuts is in their shells, but when this isn't possible then buy de-shelled nuts that are as whole, unchipped and unmarked as possible. And when you've bought them they should ideally be kept in the fridge, as their oils can go rancid, especially when out of the shell. Yes, it's true, some "raw" nuts are heat treated, Brazils and cashews being the most likely suspects, but personally I do not let this become too much of an issue. Having seen some people become what others might regard as a little too neurotic about whether their "raw" nuts are truly raw, I think it far better to eat these foods even if they're lightly heat treated than not to eat them at all.

Seeds. These tend to be a lot hardier, and less prone to rancidity than nuts, so just going for organic, generally speaking should take care of making a good choice.

Olives. Perhaps surprisingly most olives are not raw. They are often pasteurised during the bottling process and usually highly treated to make them palatable (natural olives are very bitter), are bottled in brine (salt water) and often with a preservative mixed in. If you've tasted truly raw olives you'll know that there really is no comparison, and if you haven't then you're in for a treat. NB: To my knowledge truly raw olives are only available by mail order in the UK, but the brand "Olives et Al" are the best of the rest available in shops UK-wide with minimal processing and are great tasting too.

Dried herbs and spices. These are subjected to heat in order to dry them out, however, you will use so little of them in your "un-cooking" that in my opinion it's really not worth getting too excited about that fact! Start by opting simply for organic and when you have more time see what different quality of dried herbs and spices are out there...

Sea vegetables. These are sometimes heated sometimes not. Not very helpful! - so you may have to read the packet carefully or ask the vendor or manufacturer. In the case of nori sheets, one of my personal favourites, you need to go for purple/black sheets rather than green (the opposite way to what you might think). The green is toasted and doesn't taste as good either.

Oils. Most oils are heat treated to some degree, yes, even the ones that say "cold pressed" can be subjected to heat. It's all to do with the amount of heat generated during the processing - the temperatures can get quite high and so the oil ends up being quite a different product than it would have been if the extraction method was a lot more gentle. There are oils on the market that are produced with minimal heat, and yes, again, you will most definitely taste the difference, but these are a lot more expensive and can be harder to get hold of, so to start with just go for virgin, cold-pressed organic oils and this will be a huge step in the right direction.

So that's the pre-packed stuff. Anything not mentioned here is relatively problem-free to find, and if you use the "raw and organic" rule as your main criteria for selection then, generally speaking, you can't go too far wrong.


© 2007 Karen Knowler

Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.

Polyphonic Spree

Go To

http://www.tvtrecords.com/artists/thepolyphonicspree/mashup/

Tony, tony, tony...

just brilliant!

thanks to matt for the link :)

Prince is coming!, Prince is coming!

ओह थे जोय, थे एक्ष्कितेमेन्त्...प्रिन्स इस फिनाल्ल्य किंग बैक तो लोंदों

Yes you saw right...Prince is playing the O2 arena in greenwich for 14 dates (i Believe) from the 1st August to the 14th August which means he will play for me on my birthday...no idea how much tickets are yet but i bet they are a lot considering he has been charging 312 dollars to see him in las vegas!...I am sure it won't be as expensive as the glorious barbra streisand at 600 pounds a ticket (yes you read that right!) but i gave her a miss this time!

More news?...nothing else today as nothing else matters...Prince is coming !

Release the Stars....

Hello children...today Auntie Jemima is going to tell you how to make a real life space rocket that will fly as far as Charles Atlas will make you strong, out of 20 rothmans, two used johnnies and a pair of those rubber chicken fillets that your mum uses to push her saggy northern tits up with...shall we begin?

howdy all...hope you are okay...after my little sojourn with extended family in the lake district I'm back and I'm now a mean green motherfucker from hell...well not quite but I am getting back into the swing of my raw and live diet...slowly...which went right off the rails when confronted with the pie shop in Morrissons on holiday. Real scotch pies and peppered steak pasties...stop it...stop it right now...back to raw food!

I managed to bag two tickets to the Live Earth gig happening at wembley stadium on the 7th July, one of the tickets is currently doing well in Auction and am now looking forward to that....went to see Within Temptation, loved the gig but Lisa didn't like the Astoria and sounded like our mum all evening ;)...it was a seedy dark dive which was overpacked and sweaty...just the right atmosphere!

Have seen some great films recently, 'Sunshine' directed by Danny Boyle is magnificent and very moving, 'The Curse of the Golden Flower' from China is probably one of the best films I will ever see...it's unwritable how awesome the film is...go see :)

I have been toying with some new writing ideas, one is a kiddies book about an epileptic sheepdog and the other idea is based on a screenplay treatment that I came up with a few years back which deals with a poor polish girl in her quest for western oral hygiene...the tentative name of the book is 'A toothbrush for Anna' which also happened to be the name of the near film. It's funny how ideas come back to bite you when you are not looking...so keep up with the blog and you will see some extracts shortly...'Anna' starts ..."Annas mothered stared at the pigs feet that she had been stirring in the pot for three days, the taste of her motherly sweat entwined with sweet taste of pork would bear magnificence when placed on the paupers table at Anna's birthday banquet..." and so on ...

Sorry about the erratic life of the blog but as I explained before I don't want to give myself deadlines even though I know there are people desperate for a piece of my action!

I need a boyfriend, partner, lover, squeeze...whatever you want to call it, but i need a person with a cock right now...I'm special and I deserve to be in love...somebody help me out for fucks sake!

Just before I go for today...the new Rufus Wainwright album is out...YAY!...it's time for another use of the word magnificent, as it is just that...executive produced (very filmic) by Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boy), the album takes you into Rufus World and tangles you around his tongue until he spits out the last words of the final song and you with it...phew.

By the way, the pic at the top was taken by my bestest friend :)

somebody pass me some sugar puffs.............................

Raw and Live!

The heading?...no not me, my food. I have started my adventures in raw and live food and it's a fascinating journey through the propogation of sprouts to the wonders of what happens when you food process walnuts, carob powder and dates together to create a non dairy and non wheat chocolate cake. . . oh i do like my food experimenting...just waiting for the delivery of my dehydrator on Tuesday and watch me fly!

I've now officially forgotten what sex is...thats it, I'm on the shelf, unwanted and unloved like the shop soiled kettle with the damaged box...reduced to a good offer and still nobody wants it...who am I going to ply my damaged goods to now!...I need a vegetarian geeky looking person who makes me laugh...thats all i ask in life, I'm a lot less fussy these days :) ...someone like Henry from accounts off 'Ugly Betty', if you look like that please contact me as soon as possible.

There have been so many films out recently but I do have 2 to reccomend to you today, '300' , an awesome part animated blood and sandals epic that really kicks ass...made in the same sort of vein as 'Sin City' '300' looks phenomenal and has turned extreme violence into an exercise in balletic display. Also on offer is 'Bobby' which is a tremendous film set on the day of the assasination of Robert Kennedy, 22 peoples stories (so many famous stars to shake a stick at) entwined on one fateful day...it's very moving, dramatic, well written..in fact it's a fucking great movie, what was more astonishing is that it was directed by Emilio Estevez and I can still say that it's brilliant!

Music wise it's been a bit dull but we are loving the beautiful new Kosheen album, also the album by OneTwo (claudia brucken from propoganda and paul humphreys from OMD), also honourable mentions go to macy gray and also The Besnard Lakes whose albums are currently on my playlist.

Gossip?...well my workmate 3steel is deserting me for pastures new...they all leave in the end :(

also which ex Primark wannabe is currently looking to hold meetings to pursue a part time career in tip making?...watch this space...

INLAND EMPIRE

HE LOOKED INTO HIS SOUL...THERE WAS A GIRL IN TROUBLE...PEOPLE WATCHED...UNABLE TO HELP FROM THEIR LINEAR WORLD...THERE WAS A GIRL IN TROUBLE...SCREAMS...SCREAMS....gO gO DANCING WHORES...LIGHTS FLICKERED...THE SOUND OF FLAMES EXPLODED...THERE WAS A GIRL IN TROUBLE...GYPSY CIRCUS PEOPLE WENT OFF TO CARE FOR ANIMALS...BUT...THERE WAS A GIRL IN TROUBLE...

Off we went to Cambridge to see David Lynch's film and if you have read the above then that is what it's like...I have no idea what I watched for 3 hours but something excited, intrigued and scared me...but i don't know what...bloody fantastic film..only in Arthouses in the UK, hence the trip to Cambridge to the Picturehouse which is a great cinema. Glen was also with me aka Bugyell (composer, idealist, teacher, raconteur, friend)...Glen came down for the weekend so we had a film frenzy of arthouse delights, Glen's great, he understands my movie needs!...but...

THERE WAS A GIRL IN TROUBLE.........

the road to fame!

I thought I would search myself on google the other day and lo and behold I have my photos scattered far and wide...just thought i would share the usage with you all!...

http://racingarticles.com/blog/labels/Sponsorship.html

http://weight-loss-story.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_weight-loss-story_archive.html (May 13th entry)

http://retts.net/2007/02/07/thing-6-ring-of-fire-ring-of-fur-ring-of-fir-for-eric-rettberg/ (where someone has used part of my pic as the middle section!)

http://www.its-your-choice.co.uk/issues/water/

http://archaeology.about.com/od/churches/ig/Great-Churches-of-the-World/St--Catherine-s-Monastery.htm

http://www.worklifematters.com.au/content/view/42/47/ (this one has 'flash' usage but rotates about 3 of my photos in the top left corner, so you may see one or you may not!)

http://esetalblog.com/2006/05/

I also have some photos going round on a country wide exhibition about park homes...how very exciting it all is!

The Unknownn - Self Titled (Album Review)

I came across this band on myspace, www.myspace.com/theunknownn , when I was approached to be their friend...all I can say is thank god they found me!

First of all I have to say this is one of the best produced albums I have listened to in all my 27 years of serious music listening, the separation between vocal, bass, keyboards and guitars is spot on...the vocals at times becoming isolated and fragile whilst still integrating with the music going on behind.

The album opens with 'Nocturne' (a personal favourite), spacey beats, multi layered breathy vocals and sparse instrumentation all add up to an amazing start. The first surprise (as such) appears on 'Raw' when the track breaks out into a wall of sonic new rock but with the vocals still appearing melodious and moody....the band keep transporting me back to the 'Portishead' sound of the early 90's but with a much more modern feel.

It doesn't justify the intensity of the album to break it down any further as it is a complete entity and as such needs to be listened to as a whole. An hour of listening to The Unknownn is an hour of your life that will either be changed forever, or the music will dig deep into your subconscious until you are ready to 'hear' them properly. The band also refutes any egotism by crediting no one, so the spotlight falls on 'The Unknownn' as a collective rather than a set of separate people.

If you were able to only afford to buy one album for the next 6 months, this should be it, it's exciting, it's dark, it's mysterious, it's celebratory, it's hallucinatory...it's 'The Unknownn'

yompity yomp yomp yomp

woo hoo...they say that time flies when you are having fun...well...I have also found that time sometimes flies when you are having fuck all fun as well...how amazing is that...one day I'm sat here writing, next thing it's ten days before I come back...I am sure I am living in some time continuum thingy...it's weird, sometimes I feel like I have had a conversation before when talking to a person and the next time they ask me "did you do what i told you.." etc...and I have no fucking idea whatsoever what they are talking about...so I presume that I leap forward in time missing out huge chunks of conversation along the way and spend most of my life in a happy oblivious state...well, thats my excuse anyway!





It's all systems go for our trip to Ullswater, I am now kitted up with a three in one waterproof 'Regatta' jacket and a lovely pair of waterproof yomping boots...can't wait, i feel very butch, all i need now is a wooly hat, thick socks, waterproof leggings and a rucksack...if anyone has seen Mike leighs "Nuts in May" that is how I will look by the end of my Steve "mountain man" macdougall makeover.





Here is a gratuitous picture of Ullswater.



















If you haven't seen 'HOT FUZZ' yet, then you are missing out on a great comedy film...Lisa and I watched it the other night and its very hard usually to make lisa laugh as she is very stone faced! (tee hee x) but I could see hysterical leakage from all angles as we perused the film...very funny indeed with some great performances, especially Simon Pegg who looks very cute in uniform :)

thats it for now, am on holiday for a couple of weeks now so will probably do a bit more writing than usual..no promises though ;)

The Fragile Army

The Fragile Army

the prick of destiny...

Oh I just had to write today because an old friend has turned up...none other than little Belinda Carlisle sneaks through the back door and places a new album in my little kangaroo pouch!

"Voila!" is a terrific album of French chanson (torch songs and tiaras, I like to call it) all sung in French (funnily enough!) with people like Brian Eno on board to make up the band...she now sounds like the smokey chanteuse that suits the album and its full of great arrangements and destraught melodies. Her version of "Ne me quitte pas" is just beuatiful and we have have jaques Brel thrown in and I think a little Aznavour somewhere along the line. Download it now x

Still been in film frenzy mood and I have been holding my own little film festival at home, pity nobody comes :(
What we need is a local cinema that plays all the art house films and films that get a limited release because they are too intellectual for most Americans..I love independent cinema.

I have spent most of the week being shit on from great heights by people who know who they are...I won't say anymore than that, you will have to wait for my Biography to come out...enough to say that the week has been quite stressful and it really makes me sad that I can't lead a happier life when all i want to do is help people less fortunate than myself.

Back to Belinda....she makes me smile, bless me and my little kangaroo pouch full of music...

Arrroooooooooo!

well it's been a few days...I'm well, still not smoking, lisa is trying too but has backslid a weeny bit but we have her back on the right track now!

Went to see Wolfmother the other night at the Hammersmith Apollo, awesome was the word to use, a great sonic blast of dino rock :), they even covered Led Zepellins 'Communication Breakdown' but I wasn't aware of that until steve told me!


Seen some great films as The Oscar frenzy hots up, 'Last King of Scotland' is amazing, 'Venus' is wonderful, if only for that fact that you get to hear Peter O'Toole and Leslie Phillips calling each other 'Farking Cunts'

Life in the Undertaking world is quite fabby and am really enjoying being a chapel attendant in my spare time, it calms me down from the days excitements!

I am searching high and low for low cost walking booties and a kagool (oh how fashionable) for my yomping trip to the lake district in April...I am only going low cost as I will probably never ever wear them again!

Lots of blood letting and sword throwing will take place shortly at work as a rather nice secondment job has been posted that has us all in a frenzy like sharks round a corpse :) I think I may just join in the throng :)

Oh well, I like these early morning chats, thanks for listening but i really have to go and do some work now ....

14 nicotine free days by the way :)

Tears before bedtime

to have something that you have worked on admired by people that you love has a sometimes profound effect on a persons emotions...heres the rub...

Last night we went out on Lisas dads 65th birthday (Happy Birthday!) to a restaurant in St Neots, after the meal we quickly went back to Pip and Steves house so that the family members could give 'dad' their present...it was then that Pip asked me if I had seen the photo yet..I quizically looked at her..Steve then walked into the room with a two foot square canvas which when turned round showed the black and white picture of their son Ethan that I took at xmas (see below)...words can't describe how I felt, I burst into tears, it was really moving for me to think that someone chose something that I had created to be a showpiece in their home. I just feel so honoured and totally ecstatic that I could have pleased the family so much with one photo...they have asked me to do some more now so I already have a few ideas in mind :)



To feel wanted is great, but to feel loved is just the best of all....

Madonna Tribute Special

Tee Hee!

smoke free zone

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It's Oscar Time!

Hi all...the Oscar season is well under way and there are some fantastic films and performances to be considered this year..my prediction is that 'The Departed' or 'Babel' will get best film (both of them mighty fine films) although I am hoping that 'Dreamgirls' gets a look in...I sat down to watch this with Lisa the other night and it is just magnificent. The performances by Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy are absolutely spot on with Jennifer Hudsons version of 'I am telling you' being the highlight of the film.
I hope that the best actress award goes to Helen Mirren for 'The Queen', as for best actor I'm not sure but I think Matt Damon or Brad Pitt might get a look in.

Talking of Dreamgirls you have to watch the clip below, Jake Guylenhaal performs a tribute on Saturday Night Live and it's terrific!



In the real world as the backlash against Tony Blair and the labour government continues we all wonder what we will end up with next...more fascistic policies from the Conservative party or a sitting on the fence party where nothing gets done with the liberal democrats in charge...watch this space. What this country needs is 'real people' in Government, not priveleged people from unreal backgrounds who studied politics at university and think they know what is best for all of us. Until we get this sorted out the United Kingdom will remain a 'second best' country which every other world government turns to for support whenever a crisis appears. The government then waves its hands going 'choose us choose us' like some sort of fucking popularity contest and we end up spending shit loads of money that we as a country haven't got. I think it's time the politicians of this country look to their own doorstep to try and revive industry and actually create a sustainable community off our own backs. Is it any wonder that people emigrate to Australia, America and Canada for much better priced living conditions and a safer living environment. Sort it out!...rant over!

Olfactorial Raving...

well that had to be my highlight of the tv year, although the Captain Jack / Ianto kiss was just as hot in the last episode....how very romantic indeed..great song too (off myspace)

hope you are all aware that it's 'fondle your friends' weekend...I am sure that this is something that the americans have yet again dreamed up but it was in the paper the other day..the theory is that all friends fondle each other so those that don't have partners don't feel left out and we all have one friend don't we?...can't wait!

for those of you into tacky things, 'Borders' through amazon are now selling the 6 disc '20th anniversary Oprah show' dvd collection for £17.99, what a bargain, and it's magnificent it has all the cringey bits that make you cry and all the stars you could shake a stick at...18.5 hours of Oprah goodness, why hasn't this woman been canonised yet...I can see it in 20 years time, the tomb of St. Oprah...how very cool indeed.

We had a meeting about recycling today so I have now come home and decided to pooh into plastic bags so that it can be used again for something useful, but i don't know what yet..Mum, I'm not being serious here, just in case you though I had completely cracked!

I want to try and take some more portrait pictures so if anyone would like to volunteer...all i ask is travelling expenses and I will take as many pics as you want..anything goes!

The bottle of wine is ready and celebrity big brother is calling ( I would like to see Donny's nadgers please Mr Tv producer) woo hoo!

New Year, Same Shit!

Hi all...happy new year and all that bollocks....just thought i'd drop a quick note to let you all know that I'm still alive!

Christmas was as Christmas is, full of fun and good cheer...I didn't see a single live person on xmas day though...I woke up, pottered around, had a glass of port, cooked lunch, went off to work at the undertakers, went home, couple of glasses of wine, bed...and didn't see a sole! Boxing day made up for that though when I was thrown into the throng of Lisas family xmas get together, kids were in full flow and ate too much beautiful food..a great day but Lisa and I were worn out by about 8pm so made our excuses and left...thank you Pip and Steve for a lovely xmas :) You can see some pics on my Flickr site, especially pleased with the black and white portrait of Ethan :)

So excited...David Lynch's new film is almost here...



It looks wild and fascinating, more of the Mullholland Drive vibe going on...the first film that DL has made in Digital Video...salivating and anxious to see it..

Watched Mel Gibson's 'Apocolypta' the other afternoon, fuck me it's fantastic...if you can put up with subtitles the film is just magnificent. Completely filmed in The Mayan language it shows events just before the end of the Mayan civilization...Gibson has done a terrific job..quick warning, it's very very brutal but not unnecessarily so.

I have some plans for some writings which will be coming up in the new year..so keep tuned in!

If you want a camp laugh then play the 'Desperate Housewives' PC game...you get to be a new housewife on Wysteria Lane and try to uncover the secrets of the neighbourhood...what is clever is that the story is decided by what questions you ask or the way in which you speak to people so there are many different paths you can take...it's hours of fun gameplay.

all for now...meep meep!

Xmas message from The Universe...

Happy Xmas all....I had a message from the Universe this morning...what an ego boost lol!...thought you would like to see it...Have a great day, whatever you are doing...

"There comes a time in the evolution of every spiritual being, along that sometimes dark road that leads to enlightenment, when their inner yearnings, struggles and frustrations bring them to a truth that could not have otherwise been realized.

Reaching this milestone was inevitable, for the light that will dawn hereafter is not only what you have summoned, but what all now seek. And with your blessing and recognition, it will bathe those who follow in your footsteps and the burden they bear shall be lessened.

If it's not yet obvious, the real reason for this season is you, Neil. A more perfect child of the Universe has never been born. Until now, only a celebration cloaked in myth and mystery could hint at your sublime heritage and divine destiny.

You are life's prayer of becoming, and its answer; the first light at the dawn of eternity, drawn from the ether, so that the Universe might know its depths, discover its heights, and frolic in boundless seas of blessed emotion; a pioneer into illusion, an adventurer into the unknown, and a lifter of veils; courageous, heroic and exalted by billions in the unseen.

To give beyond reason. To care beyond hope. To love without limit. To reach, stretch, and dream in spite of your fears. These are the hallmarks of divinity - traits of the immortal - your badges of honor, and your ticket onward.

This is the time of year we celebrate Neil Piddock.

Ye-haaaa!
The Universe"

A Queens Speech

Hello my loyal readers...

This year has been an Annus Horriblis for me...The first part of the year was taken up by being engulfed by cancer, hospitals, district nurses and occupational therapy...that was then.

This is now, I'm now zingy and very well apart from a slight head cold. Nothing much has changed in the world though...we still have threats of global warming etc...and now I am meant to look after my carbon footprint, what the fucks all that about. So if i get it right, every time i fly away on holiday I have to plant a tree or something as spectacular to counteract my use of carbon emmisions . What a load of old shit!

Work is good (sort of!) and I'm also looking forward to spending xmas day in the funeral directors. At least they won't be wearing silly hats and blowing hooters...although that could be possibly arranged! (only joking...I never speak ill of the dead!)

A couple of films worth watching are 'Stranger than Fiction' (5 stars) and 'Perfume' (also 5 stars)..if 'Perfume' was released this year it would have been my film of the year but as it's out in January over here in the UK I shall have to wait till this time next year to see if anything has overtaken it.

If anybody has a quandry over what coffee machine to buy, buy a Senseo by Philips...it's terrific and the coffee is bloody gorgeous...you can also ask 3steel about that as he has tried my Sumatran and Kenyan blends :)

Well I will now take the time to wish you all the merriest of xmases and see you all online soon...

xx

Steve Adey

Something great here that went under the net in May...a wonderful album from a fellow midlander now living in edinburgh...'All things real' is a beautiful and iconic album which finds our Steve in the darkest of dark moods (think like a handsome damien rice but less caustic). Everything about the album is terrific, the production values are very high and the arrangements are sparse enough to bring out the purity of Steve's voice.

From the opening bells, the album moves through emotion after emotion, throwing in a bob dylan song along the way...a journey which cannot be interrupted for the 40 minutes of the album. The album holds you and won't let go. You come through the other end and grab the nearest bourbon bottle feeling a little ragged and slightly worn (but in a very good cathartic way!)

I really hope Steve Adey and his marvellous band hit the big time...it's not often I like whole albums these days, but there are no fillers, no remixes...just the bits that he wants you to hear. With promises of loads of unreleased songs I hope it's not too long before the next album. You can buy the album for a most reasonable price from the Harmonium records website or go visit Steve Adey on MySpace...you really will kick yourself if you don't.

googled and moved!

ooh it seems i am now owned by google! (what isn't!)...they moved me overnight and it really doesn't look like anything got broken in the process! (the first move that hasn't!)..so welcome to my new home inside google cyberspace :)

I once nearly met the Queen you know...I was told she had a beard...

Hmmm...since started my part time work in the funeral directors I seem to have picked up an extra tag to my name..its now 'piddy he sees dead people'...it's just a good job that I liked the 'Sixth Sense' as a film otherwise I would be very downhearted :)

Good news is that we have just booked up a nice Easter Holiday up in the Lake District overlooking Ullswater...1000 feet up a mountain, we being Me, Lisa, Steve and Claire plus 2 small people who shall be named as 'Eddie the adventurous' and 'Emily Sunnysmiles'...if you would like to see where we will be going follow the link
http://www.mellfell.co.uk/

Just got the food shopping to do for xmas and thats it now, Lisa and I are working on xmas day so we are having xmas on boxing day with lisas brothers and families...should be fun!

In a perfect world we wouldn't have to have fundraising tv programmes like 'Extinct' which is currently on ITV....gotta love those Polar Bears :)

more soon...

How to screw your bank!

woo hoo!...now if you are like me and have a bank account that takes a mind of itself sometimes then this bit of the blog is for you. Recently a friend gave me a website to have a look at www.moneysavingsexpert.com which is run by a guy called martyn lewis, a consumer rights fighter, and on there was a wondrous link called 'reclaim your bank charges'....in a nutshell it tells you how to claim thte last 6 years of bank charges back off your bank quite legally and there is nothing the banks can do about it!

I followed the instructions and requested the last 6 years of bank statements. I worked out that I had been chrged £545 over that time including interest. I followed the template letter on the site and sent it off to the bank, 2 days later i got a reply saying that the bank charges were fair and transparent!...'however in this case and as an exception they would refund £484 pounds to my account. yippee! Now the reason the banks don't argue with the letters you send is that if it ended up in court they would lose and it would set a precident that everyone in the UK could claim their charges back...so go for it...screw your bank today!

Lisa came round last night and we had a tv ogling session of 'An audience with Take That' followed by the 'Take That Ultimate Tour' on ITV2...it was great to see the boys back and in such good vocal form...the bit of the concert we enjoyed most was when the boys got soaking wet in the stage rain and writhed around...grrrr ;)
Since I was last on the Blog Lisa has lost over 4 stone in weight by following the Cambridge Diet, I'm so proud of her and she is looking more and more fabulous every day...it won't be long before somebody whisks her down the aisle...I just hope I get to be chief Bridesmaid and get to sing at her wedding :)

Had to put up the christmas decorations at work today, they only need me for my height but it looks pretty and I returned happily to my aprtment singing 'Frosty the snowboy' at the top of my voice....onward...

Unrequited love...

I know you'll never love me and this is why I cry

I'll never feel your hand in mine or hear you softly sigh

I know you'll never miss me or notice that I've gone

To me you are somebody, to you I am no one.

I know you'll never cry for me the way I cry for you

I know you'll never want me so what can I do?

I know you'll never think of me, I'll never cross your mind

You'll never waste a thought on me, I'll always find the time.

I know you'll never look for me the way I look for you

Each face I see is different, each man I see is you.

I know you'll never lose your heart the way that I lost mine

They say that time's a healer, to me there is no time.

I know you'll never love me and this is why I cry

Although my body's living my heart is bound to die.

I know you'll never love me.

wyla's worry..

Wyla twittered and hopped around nervously as daemons always do in times of stress and disconcertment..piddy stroked her fondly and told her everything would be fine. He realised now that he would have to follow the prophecy that was given to him and try to evolve to the new lifeform that was promised when humans bounced their energies back and forth to each other...if this meant living a life of solitude for the time being, then so be it....the quest had begun. Piddy knew what he had to do, he closed his eyes and thought of good times when there were people that looked to him for enlightenment and spiritual guidance, his instincts should have told him which way to proceed but his mind was muddled because of the mixed messages that his emotions had caused. Piddy was lonely, he had so much to offer someone and yet he was blind to who that person would be. Wyla cried softly and sat at piddys shoulder like every good daemon should do. Piddy tried to clear his mind but nothing happened...maybe tomorrow he thought....

Madonna - Live Confessions

Woo Hoo!...what a great show on Channel 4 last night, beautifully filmed and edited and a real peak performance. Lisa and I were texting and talking like mad between ad breaks. Lisa called Madge a cow for being so fit at fifty, all I could muster was the suprise that she didn't have a flabby minge when prancing around in her leotard :)
It was great to see the crucifixion scene in full as they edited it out when showing it to our american cousins (yah boo sucks ! and all that)

Just a quick update since we last met, I'm now holding a part time job as well at a Funeral Directors as a chapel attendant, it's a nice job and it's a very positive thing seeing people get closure with their loved ones :)

Still single...another lonely christmas :(

suddenly...

...and suddenly out of a very dark place a chink of light appeared and piddy once more walked into the bright air, blinking his eyes he looked around him and saw the bluest of skies and the friendliest of people. With his daemon wyla at his side he was ready to face the world once again, knowing that whatever happened previously was all a big dream. He shook his head, smiled a little smile and prepared to write the words that would save his life...

to be continued...

Standing at the door of the Pink Flamingo, crying in the rain..........

I was hoping we would have a goodbye blog from Steve for you but alas it was not to appear...not much left to say now that hasn't already been said...watch out for 'Kish Mauve', they may suprise the music world with a song called 'Modern Love' which appears on August 28th...that will be my last tip for the top on here...most of the time I was right which was quite pleasing, perhaps I should have gone into A & R all those years ago as a job...

I really hope you all get to live the lives that you want to live, and hey!, who knows we might meet up again somewhere along the way.... xx

*piddy puts the keys to the blog on the counter top, puts on his hoodie, turns off the lights to the office and shuffles off into the darkened land in front of him......

pix

The attack of the giant cat!















Barbra streisand on a day off (my god yes, it really is her)

Vodaphone are thieves!....

Some of you might have read the little piece I wrote about the fun or not I had upgrading my mobile phone, well just to finish off my airtime supplier bowled one last fantastic googly at me whilst I was on holiday last week. And from talking to other people they are not alone. So as a warning to all here is the final part I hope of the Vodafone saga.

During the negotiations to replace my handset I had been informed that the cost would be £50, but not to worry because as my line rental is going to be £25 per month if they gave me two free months that would offset the cost and I would not end up paying anything else a month. This all seemed fine and I was happy after all I had my new handset the monthly bill I wanted for the min’s I was going to use and I had avoided the hassle of changing my number over to another provider. The new handset arrived on time and all worked well, I should have known. About ten day latter a bill arrives from Vodafone and I expect to see the normal £25 and nothing more. My heart nearly stopped the bill in my hand was for £95 and there was no call charges. I was on the phone and talking to a customer services rep within the minute and I left him in no doubt that there was a problem. Representative one was very good understood what I said and agreed there was a mistake, told me that the £95 wrong and should only be £25 and that as I had contacted them very quickly they could stop the bill being processed so that the amount would not be taken by direct debit on the 25th July but the original £25 would be. And as a way of saying sorry and as a kind of compensation I could have another month’s free line rental so that would make three. I then pointed out that they were just about to charge me for a month and could that be the free one. “No problem” came the reply and I put the phone down a happier man.

I then went on holiday, got back home a week later and switched on the computer to check my bank balances and move some money around. A not so small direct debit on the 25th caught my eye; Vodafone had taken the £95 Hmmmm fucking bastards I new it was too good to be true. I must say that Vodafone do answer there complaints hot line very promptly. After a very firm conversation explaining everything again and the guy on the other end listening and checking there records I was informed that customer services rep one was wrong and that the £95 was correct, Hmmm. After a good few min’s of arguing Vodafone finally came up with a compromise. But I had to threaten to send the handset back cancel the contract and go to court, not you understand over the £95 if that was indeed true and correct then I would pay it but over the way that Vodafone had miss sold there products in the first place.

You see when I got to the bottom of the problem the story was a little different to the one I was told when signing up. The hand set was going to cost me £50 but they could not give me free line rental and spread the cost over two months. I had to pay for the phone up front and then the next two would be free. Not what I was told at the time, also the original sales rep forgot to mention one or two little additional costs, so it does make you think what else is hiding around the corner. Mobile phone companies are up there with second hand car sales men and estate agents. Both jobs I have done in the past so I know what I am talking about. Seriously though make sure you know exactly what you have taken on and read the small print, you have been warned.

I have just been informed that this is the last blog that I will be writing on this particular site, it’s been fun, a pain, and an experience, and a great pleasure and a joy all rolled into one. I have been active in one or two other forums for some time so I will still be ranting somewhere out there. Until we meet again I thank you and good night.
Matt x

The end is nigh...

Hi everyone...today I have good news and bad news, the bad news is that as from next Monday, the 7th August 2006, my 43rd birthday, piddys place,the blog, will close its doors to the world...you will still be able to view the archive and it may be worth checking in occasionally ;) but the truth is that I need to move on...it served a purpose, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me angry and it made me aware of the sense of community that can be achieved over the cyberspace structure. The good news is that I have another project in mind which I will reveal details of shortly.
I would like to thank Matt, Lisa, Steve and Gina (in the early days :) for sharing their lives with us over the last 3 years and hope that they will go on to create their own worlds perhaps where people can revell in all their loveliness. It's been a blast...

Neil x

Angels...

Summer brief...

Hello all....normal blog service will be resumed next week, what with babies, holidays and general heat malaise it's all been going tits up...ah never mind, it'll give you more chance to catch up on those summer blockbusters..

Oh by the way, who else thinks that its odd that Suri cruise (tom and katies baby) is now supposedly 100 days old and nobody has seen any sign of it yet...how weird!

The Visit...

oooh hello...didn't know i was going to be here this evening, forgot that matt is away on his holiday so here i am for a quick little visit...if you hit the flickr box above the blog you will see the photographs of 3steel's new edition to the family (awww i hear you all cry) went to see mummy claire and baby emily in hospital yesterday and it was a beautiful and emotional time...I got into the reception and the lady asked me if i was a visitor or a new daddy, I welled up and realised that I was experiencing maternal instincts..I suddenly realised that this is a feeling i will be forever deprived of and toddled of upstairs to see Claire Steve and baby...what a beautiful family scene. Claire was tired and a little emotional as baby emily is still suffering jaundice and cannot come home yet. Emily looks like a little angel even more so because of the ultra violet light pack that she has on, apparently it breaks down the blood cells so the babys internal organs work more efficiently (i think). When you see Steve with the baby he looks so proud..and then the moment came when I actually got to hold her. Her little hand grabbed my thumb and i became wrapped up in a world of emotional blindness. When you hold a new born baby, nothing else in the world matters and I sat there realising that we are all now responsible for this baby growing up into a world that will remain peaceful, free from pollutants, free from racial and sexual harrassment and a world that will give everybody the right of free speech and freedom...all that from one little soul...welcome to the world emily x

Neil x

Home is where the heart is...

Panorama on BBC1 on Sunday night was a follow-up programme to the one shown earlier in March 2006 about the national home swindle – basically the sick and elderly having to sell their homes to fund their NHS care, when they need to go into a nursing home.

The follow-up programme came about due to the high emails and letters that they received (over 5,000) about this scandal. Most of them came from relatives or friends that seen loved ones having to lie to their parents, aunts, uncles etc rather than tell them that they have sold their house to fund their care.

To think that the majority of these people worked hard all their lives, scrimped and saved to better themselves brought their own houses and then at their most vulnerable are denied the basic care needs by beaurcracy and assessments is outrageous. And lets face it when I think of my grandparents they did save if they wanted something they saved up to get it they did not go out and purchase it on a credit card and pay for it later, they made do until they could afford it. They were encouraged to save for the future, they thought that buying a house would be an investment for the future and something of value to leave the family.

The whole issue around this home swindle is the assessment that is carried out to see if a person is entitled to fully funded NHS care or whether they will have to pay the service.

There are two issues about health or social care

Services that are provided by the NHS are free at the point of delivery because NHS pays for them
Services, which are provided or arranged via social services departments or local authorities, are means tested
If care is provided via social services all or some of the cost can be passed onto the person receiving the services depending on their finances. They are charged for their care, in some cased even if they receive benefits.
If care is provided via the NHS then there should be no means test or charge

Since 1996 all health authorities have had to have eligibility criteria that specify who is eligible for fully funded NHS care and who is not (who must pay via the Social Services means test.)

Many elderly people have been placed into homes by social services think the state is paying for their care because social services are paying their care costs but the reality is they are paying towards their costs by being charged out of their income – including benefits and pensions.

In 1999 a disabled woman Pamela Couglan challenged the NHS via the court of appeal and argued that the NHS were responsible for her care. This was due to her condition and the type and level of nursing care that she required. Her local health authority challenged saying that she did not meet their criteria because she only needed general nursing and not specialist nursing. Mrs Couglan challenged the authority by saying that the NHS had wrongly transferred responsibility for health services including general nursing onto social services and that meant that people were being charged for health care which should have been paid for by the NHS.

The Court of Appeal agreed with Mrs Couglan and laid down a new test for deciding who was responsible for funding a care package in a nursing home. This was to become the `couglan test` which said that

The NHS were responsible if the persons reason for the placement in a home was primarily a health need

The local authority social services department can only be responsible for nursing care if the quality and quantity of nursing care is `merely incidental to the provision of the accommodation` The court said that social services can only be responsible for services which are of a nature which a social services can provide.

In 2001 the government introduced a new system called `free nursing care for all` however this is not the same as fully funded NHS care.

This system is a three-tier system, which involves the NHS making a small contribution towards the overall care package. It is for care that is provided by registered nurses employed in nursing homes. It does not pay for care provided by nursing assistants. The NHS bases the banding on High Medium or Low, which results in different levels of contributions.

The government pointed out that this would not replace the `couglan test` which was the one to be used for eligibility although there are concerns that in practice people are being assessed as being entitled under this system instead of the `couglan` way there they may be entitled to full funding.

The system is a mine field of who is and who is not eligible, and because of this many do not question or challenge the decisions that have been made by the powers that be.

More and more people are encouraged and helped to stay in their homes when they have high health needs and palliative care and many receive free help from the local nursing services but the NHS should also pay for the social care side of their package. They should have all parts of their care paid for them not just the district nurses.


Lisa

For more information check out the Panorama website where you will find lots of useful information and comments.

`Guide to fully funded NHS care` booklet March 2006
Age Concern www.ageconcern.org.uk
Alzheimer’s Society www.alzheimers.org.uk
Help the Aged www.helptheaged.org.uk
Royal College of Nursing www.rcn.org.uk

Tell me why?.......

"I see dead people..."

helloo my dahlings....thanks for joining me on this balmy sunday...I hope you enjoyed yesterdays storm in the UK...there was I basking in rooftop sunshine when all hell broke loose with hurricane force winds, me chasing a pine tree across the roof getting soaking wet (which was actually quite nice), the pigeons taking cover whilst thunder and lighting flashes ambushed the place for about 20 minutes. Having now cleared rooftop flooding damage it is now calm and sunny as usual!

3Steel sent me a picture of Emily through my mobile today and she's lovely, as soon as i can get a pic from 3Steels flickr site I will post it on here...he's a very happy daddy!

Just finished watching the whole of the first series of 'Ghost Whisperer', I did actually rave about this a couple of weeks back but the series is so good I really beg you to watch it, its on tonight on E4 and its only the second episode..suffice to say jennifer love hewitt runs an antique store and has a gift where she can see and talk to dead people who normally want her to do something so that they can finally cross over to the other side. It's a beautifully done series and each episode normally ends with a two tissue weepie scene, it's magnificent and scmaltzy and just presses all the right buttons...series 2 has just been commisioned in the states...yay!

Lisa is coming round for Pizza after she finishes work so I must tidy up a bit and put some more clothes on, I wouldn't like to frighten the delicate little flower!
all for now

Neil x

A Message from Rosie...

Rosie Gaines is a fantastic singer (ex- prince vocalist) and from her Myspace account she sent out a bulletin to all her friends..I want to share this message with you as I thought it was very true and very coherent...over to Rosie...

Hey guys just been sitting at my computer wanted to share a few things with you, most of you know about my daughter being in a car crash thankfully she is doing okay now, But it got me thinking about how jacked up this country of ours can be, in terms of medical bills and expenses etc, We really live in a country were you cant really afford to be not well or be involved in an accident and I put myself in that category to because I struggle.

In the uk they have the national health service were you get the best of care regardless of your financial situation okay I imagine its not perfect but at least they try, as a county were not really good at looking after our own people we seem to live somewhere were the rich get richer and the poorer poorer and we base a lot of ourselves on how successful we are how successful we appear to be or even how we look to one another, Remember God made us all in different sizes.

There should be three basic things in the world that people should receive food, shelter and medical maybe if we had these things there would be less crime and poverty in the world, the governments spend enough on war and the military so why not look after the people for a change, there should also be rent control because everybodys rent shouldnt be getting jacked up all the time from unscrupulous landlords its just another instance of greediness, just remember that the power lies with us the people and we should consciously get together as one and say enough is enough and do something about it, dont forget they work for us, maybe its time we took our own power back. We should treat each other as brother and sisters and take back our dignity.

And to everybody that gave prayers to my daughter you dont know how much that means to me I love you so much, thank you for that and your continued support of the music

One love

Rosie G

The Highlight of the TV year...

Its A Girl!

A Quick congratulations to 3Steel and family who produced a beautiful 6lb 12oz girl this morning at around 10.00 am. She will be taken into the fold and called by the name of Emily Alice ....aaahhhh...all the best from piddy's place and friends...

a box on wheels and my cooking ring in me backsack

I was lucky enough last weekend to make one of my regular trips to Newcastle. Because I am married to a Geordi I am lucky enough to go and visit this fantastic city regularly throughout the year every time I visit the north of England I drive up the A1 which is right on my doorstep and therefore very convenient. Between three and a half and four hours later I am in the fare city usually drinking beer but always having a good time. The journey north is always quite a pleasant one but as I drove this last time I became aware of the rather large and frequent problem on the road I am of course talking about bloody caravans.

I have long been known to hate loath and detest the caravan I have never been able to understand why anybody would consider spending money on one, towing one behind there car, or spending a miserable week sitting in it watching the rain come down. My philosophy has always been if god had meant us to live in caravans he would not have invented the hotel. And then another thing struck me as I was driving up the road, for the amount it actually costs to buy one and the extra petrol you going to need towing one you could have quite a few really good foreign holidays.

Why buy a caravan in the first place. It's not as if you can even pull up at the side of the road and park it where ever you like. There are rules and the rules say that you have to park in neat little rose in fields full of porta cabins, wash blocks and proper electric supplies. Then of course there are the people who actually enjoy caravanning, they are best summed up with two worlds Margaret Beckett. Yep she is president of the caravan in association and if that doesn’t some up low rent no sophistication I don’t know what does. A caravan belongs in a strange middle ground on the one hand you have proper camping with a tent and a rucksack, and on the other a hotel with bathrooms restaurants and staff.

People in caravans are too scared of proper camping and too poor to enjoy a hotel (HA HA HA...You are going to hell for that one !.....blogmaster) so they are stuck in this strange middle ground in a time warp of 1953. Then of course we come on to the damage that caravans actually do to the road, or rather everybody else on it. If ever there was a case for legislation then caravans deserve it. They should be banned from travelling during the hours of daylight and if you are going to tow one you should have to have a car capable of sustaining a decent speed. Since I started driving in 1982 I have probably sat behind thousands of traffic jams caused by people trying to pull their latest purchase with a 1973 Austin allegro. And for all I know some of them are probably still on the same journey. Come on this is the 21st century we have New Labor and vicious health and safety laws people can't fart anymore with out a license. How come no one has sorted caravans yet. There a throwback to an era that should be forgotten.

This blog was planned and written (Yes I know it’s hard to believe but its true I do think about what I write) before the edition of Top Gear was aired on Sunday. But I suppose it just goes to show that great minds all hate caravans.
Matt x

The Wax Story...

Had to share this...a friend sent it to me!

"Why WAX is Not your Friend"

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: "Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet." So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those "cold wax" kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ("Cold wax,"yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works! OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the one strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my *hoo-hoo* and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (Yes, it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself... RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP!! Everything is swirly and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe...OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. CRAP! I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake.. remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. DAMN!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of a cell door. *hoo-hoo*? Sealed shut! Butt?? Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!" What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right??? WRONG!!!!!!! I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cement-epoxied myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter - "So, my butt and who-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, "Are we talking cheeks or who-ha?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, I but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works!!" I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!! So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color...... Now that's funny ......... Notttttttttt.

The rambling rose....

Lots of random ramblings but no substance…….

Well I have been given until 6pm to get this blog to Neil or suffer the consequences – I was tempted for a moment to see what the consequences were but then decided it would be easier to write a blog.

Well I picked a good week to have off the weather is fantastic and I hope you are all enjoying it – I do feel for the people that have to work and think there should be something written up that says when it hits a certain temperature its too hot to work and everyone should be allowed to go home. I know this may bring the nation to its knees but we have known for ages about climate change and the ozone layer so you would think companies would be investing in some form of cool air systems for its employees.

I don’t think for a minute that employers can be getting the most out of their staff when they sit in hot and humid conditions sweating. Lets go European and have siestas lol.

I have been invited to Arsenal again to watch the first team train on Thursday at their new stadium called Emirates – does not have the same ring as Highbury but from the prctures that I have seen it looks an amazing stadium, so I am really looking forward to it. This time I will be taking a digital camera hopefully will get better shots than I did last time!


Mercury Album of the Year Shortlist:

Arctic Monkeys -- "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan -- "Ballad Of The Broken Seas"
Editors -- "The Back Room"
Guillemots -- "Through The Windowpane"
Richard Hawley -- "Coles Corner"
Hot Chip -- "The Warning"
Muse -- "Black Holes And Revelations"
Zoe Rahman -- "Melting Pot"
Lou Rhodes -- "Beloved One"
Scritti Politti -- "White Bread, Black Beer"
Sway -- "This Is My Demo"
Thom Yorke -- "The Eraser"



Anyway my random ramblings with no substance have come to an end must try harder for next week think of something that will get people talking, and leaving comments, rub people up the wrong way ……………….mmmmmmmmm maybe I will leave that to Neil

Until next time thank you for reading and enjoy the weather I am off for a Pimms

Ciao
Lisa xxxxx

helloooooeeeee....sorry about the lack of blogs over the weekend but blog towers seemed to have been hit by heat malaise!....now i'm not one to moan about the weather, enough to say that when i got up this morning I thought I had woken up back at the Red Sea and was staring into the Saudi mountains eating my honeyed yoghurt and drinking my fresh orange juice...but i wasn't , I was waiting to go back to work for the first time in 5 months...it was weird, really busy for the half day that i worked, it seemed that all residents had been saving up every minor thing to throw at me when i came back...boy am i tired now though, hot and tired!

Lisa just took me to a wonderous land called Tesco...how things have changed...I really haven't had a good snuffle through all the aisles for a couple of years and what I found amazed me...the amount of ethnic foodstuffs that are carried now is just jaw droppingly brilliant...and when i found frozen ethnic with the saffron ice cream and frozen sheeps eyes i was stunned...how good this is, it's fanatastic that every taste bud can now be catered for within one supermarket...bring it on bigtime!...

Musically it's a bit quiet but I have had favourable reports from 3Steel and Lisa about the new Motorhead album...it's not due out till August 29th but old Captain Kidd here managed to get them a copy...'more musical' and 'it rocks' were the comments received so its a success i believe. Watch out for new Tom Petty albums and a new Edie Brickell album, which is excellent considering its her first album for 16 years!

Oh its too too hot to think anymore today...I am going to douse my testicles in a bowl full of ice and suffer the consequences...

Ciao...ouch!
Neil x



remember fuzzbox?

What's that coming over the hill...is it a monster?

The Automatic....EMO at it's best!

Well pop pickers, as predicted 'Wolfmother' have started rocking the world in a big way...i wonder who will be next in piddys hall of fame...one spectacular abscence is the 'domebadthings' who after some amazing gigs and a really good album exploded into smithereens and were never heard from ever again....that was a real shame.

I was going to talk about something really important today but i have forgotten what it was...i hate it when that happens and it does worry me that it happens a lot more frequently than it used to...first of all it was funny but now its just plain embarrassing...I can walk into the next room to say something and i get there and its completely gone...how shit is that!

I have been enjoying Matts NASA link on his blog the other day...last night i listened in to a conversation between a govenor and the chief astronaut man..its just like big brother but in space with intelligence!

You may have seen a link on the right to a thing called 'Pandora'..this is an amazing website and very addictive...the idea is that you type in the name of an artist you like and it will create a radio station using similar musical ideals as the artist you typed in...it works fantastically and will even tell you why it chose to play you a track that it does ie..that the track had the same vocal characteristics, orchestral timbre etc etc...it's bloody brilliant...nothing to download either....click on the create station button now and see what happens!

Did anyone see the 'Ghost Whisperer' the other night...it was fantastic, very emotional...jennifer love hewitt very good, the guy from 'Prison Break' guest starred and a good cry was had all around...watch this on E4 next Wednesday..i think it's the start of something good....by the way if you missed it it's being repeated on E4 on second chance sunday.

Congrats to David Walliams from 'Little Britain' who successfully swam the English Channel the other day and raised around a million for 'Sports Relief' charities.

Neil x

moments with Matt...

As we rapidly approach the end of yet another school term millions of parents are thinking about the annual summer holiday. For many lucky families this might include a flight on a plane to some faraway exotic place.

I can picture it now screaming children, fraught parents, food dished up in little preformed cardboard containers, all in the name of enjoying two weeks away in sunnier climbs. But the joys of sitting in a small tin cigar surrounded by lots of other sweaty bodies with your knees around your ears and your bottom going numb from sitting on a horrible seat although not pleasant is not my main complaint. The real problem is the cost of it’s or rather the cost of it during the summer holidays. When the children break up at the end of July it certainly doesn’t get more difficult for a plane to stay in the air. The distance between two points does not increase just because we are in the summer holidays. The real cost of aviation fuel does not increase just because we're in the summer. Actually aviation fuel is probably the cheapest of all the fuels for engines. And whilst I’m on my high horse there might be some green eko dimwit out their starting to complain that jet engines and car engines ruin the planet with toxic gases, and yes they do but planes trains and anything else that uses an engine is now a fact of life in the 21st century and instead of just banging on about how unhealthy it is we should start looking at ways to improve their efficiency because they ain’t going away let’s face facts.

No the reason that the prices of air flights go up during the kids summer holidays is because idiot mugs like us are prepared to pay them the artificially inflated prices. Don’t get swallowed in by all the advertising Airline companies and, the travel companies are not there to give you a great time and to make you wish that everyday was your two weeks summer break, airline companies holiday companies and anybody else connected in the travel business are there to do one thing and one thing only make money from you. There a business you can’t blame them, well you can but that’s another story. My advice is be creative (sell the children into slavery and invest the money in a decent holiday and always travel business class, that last comment by the way for all our American readers who are known not to have a sense of humour was a joke) don’t go on holiday just in the summer holidays look at other times of the year. Mind you it might all change if the government gets its way and introduces the four terms school year, then those long lazy summer days will disappear quicker than John Prescott credibility and the contents of your wallet.

On a completely different subject for a moment can I recommend that everybody looks at the live feed from the Space Shuttle and the NASA space agency It's strangely hypnotic just watching the world go round below.

http://www.unitedspacealliance.com/live/nasatv.htm

Matt x

Torch...

For Syd....RIP