there is a light that never goes out (so far)

hello

unless i am quite mistaken (which does happen, look you see), this is the fifth (5th) instance of an update on that bulb i totes should not have purchased. i would say "anniversary" rather than instance, but exact dates are all lost to time. except for here and indeed here. 

for those not inclined to click on either of those, or just have plain limited interest (and i do not blame you), the basics are that, once, i purchased a "vintage" looking light bulb. the provenance of such is, as my preferred retailer, Poundland, with the cost being £1. a slight whim purchase, i suppose, but also likely a more practical one, for one would have to assume that i bought one with a vague idea of actually needing it for use. 

concerns were raised, if not just aired, of the wisdom of buying such. if it was more trinket or aesthetic than it was of optimal function design, surely there were risks. a risk muttered was that surely it would be so that a Poundland bulb of light (since spell checker doesn't like lightblub) would be quite likely to burst into flames, blowing up as it did so, burning to the ground me and all i ever knew. 

well, as the above (in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode) shows, burning away and doing so without burning anything down to the ground. or up to the sky, if that is how it works. indeed, yes, this is now the second year it is in a new locale, shining as it does, as i remain in my lodgings in this era of exile. 

something akin to a confession is required here. if not a confession as such then, at the least, a declaration or form of disclosure. once it, being the light bulb, was in use effectively daily, as i read in bed or attended to such a matter. now, not so much. great and prolonged periods i spend "on the road", although not quite as cool or as rock and roll as that suggests. for six or so months, then, more often than not it has only been on for two (2) nights of a week. although in some instances every night. 

but still, you know, working as intended. not bad after this time.

i would suggest there is very little value in an "animated gif" thing of the light blub, but there you go, such should appear above for you. little value except how smart such things look in the greater glory and good of Commodore 64 mode. 

a persistent, prevailing issue with this bulb is that it remains not quite so good at emitting or spreading light. rather f*****g useless, it is, in truth. not bright at all, and using it for bedtime reading is quite a strain, if not a struggle. common sense would have had me change it to a "proper" bulb quite some time ago, but here we are. 

there is a reluctance i hold to speak of things in certainties. will this bulb still be going a year or so from now? i cannot say that i know. yet also i cannot say that i shall be here, or still be writing all this even if it is. my instinct is that yes, i would very much like to be, and for this to still do what it does, but i am not keen to commit to something i cannot assure. if only all the world worked so. 

my thanks, as ever, for your continued expression(s) of enthusiasm shown by reading this. and now on to other matters.

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

c'mon you know

howdy pop pickers

so, a month (more or less) on from the release of the record sees me (moi) getting around to throwing together a few comments on the improbable third studio album off of Liam Gallagher as a solo concern. for albums entire, look you see, this would be four (4) or 5 (five), what with him also gone done right ahead released two (2) live recordings. few, i speculate, saw this coming. 

for 50% of that live output, the second live album got released ("dropped") on the same day as this 3rd studio album. which, by the way, is indeed called C'mon You Know. if you have an interest in seeing notes on the subject of that second live one, here you go. and why not have a gander at the first, too. 

but, for now, C'mon You Know. in this day and age, in this era of instant gratification and immediate disposal, i am not certain it holds value to write of an album which is now a month old. yet i am of an era that held music should last forever, or at least the best of it. 

it's rather good, to cut to the chase (after three paragraphs and one picture). since i got it, about a week ago (for it was indeed a hint picked up on and lovely father's day gift) i've played it a few times and not got particularly bored of it. will i, or do i expect to get bored of it? not especially, but i will move on, for it is not like like Liam's previous two solo albums make it on to the stereo much these days. 

oh yes, i love the cover. that is indeed Liam in the middle of a crowd, joining in, cigarette held aloft, going, as i recall the term, "mad for it". a more quintessential portrait of the lad simply refuses to exist. a certain former band member of his may well prefer to be aloof, high up on a stage, looking down on people as they applaud his talent, but this is not the Liam way. may it never be any different. 

a case exists, some might say, that any album is really only as good as the worst song on it. very well. that's really, really easy to identify on C'mon You Know. it comes in the form of a tune called I'm Free. loaded as it is with cringeworthy lyrics by any standard ("sole prisoner in the info wars") everything about the song feels like it got included here simply to be identified as the low point. quite baffling that this would be included when the similar themed, similar sounding but miles better Waves is relegated to an "extra track" on this special edition version. 

best on the album? probably Everything's Electric, which personifies best the rock sound across most of the album. also, it says here, was co-written by Dave Grohl, which means quite little to me, but i am aware of his self-proclaimed, self-anointed "nicest man in rock" status and that such has him as important to many, many millions. it's an absolute banging tune, all i know man. 

going back to the start (of the album) and the opener is interesting. as in it's always curious when you put on a new record, hear the first minute or so and go "is this a misprint? is this the right album?". the tune More Power opens in a quite unexpected way, and evolves into a kind of quasi "triptych" sort of formatted song. also, it sort of works. 

lyrically it's fairly deep, man. no, i don't buy into that "Liam is a thick yob, lager lout" image. certainly elements (or aspects) of that cultivated or enhanced his rock status (if not ever the thick), but up to know his lyrical skill and prowess has been kept within the confines of "it's rock and roll man, keep it simple". well, that and a fair few bursts of what effectively amounts to "f*** off Noel, you ****". and why not. 

running the risk of going over the top with it, for at heart it always shall be just rock and roll (man) with him, this album probably represents Liam coming into his own, Liam accepting yeah, it's just him doing this on his own from here on out, proudly waving the flag for rock and roll and, when gigs come along, making sure that the Oasis classics are played as they always should be played. long may it continue.

for the musical sound, well, i am no expert, or all that talented in wording it. but, to my ears, the best way to describe it is "dirty". again, this is maybe a confidence or coming into his own thing, but it's like the assembled musicians have been instructed to ensure that maximum levels of sordid sexual power seep through the bold guitar and heavy bass on each rock tune. that said there are one or two more sort of "ballad" songs than i would have expected. perhaps every now and then Liam just fancies a nice sit down too.

my assumption is that everyone (and anyone) wishing to own this, the most recent album off of Liam, already does. i am not sure, as is the case with his first two (studio) ones that they are records people will, one day in the future, go back to the past to discover. kind of hope they do, really. again, once this year is complete i am uncertain how often this will end up back on my stereo, but all the same will dig it, man, when it does. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

out and in of dartford

ow do

it would be true, or at the least fair, to say that i have seen (or experienced) considerably more of the wider, 'greater' area of that there London (innit) than i would have expected to of late. certainly, perhaps, more than i would have cared to, if asked. not that i have any immediate issue with the place, look you see, just rather that they are they, and i am me. 

under no circumstances - at all - would i suggest that i can provide any expert or qualified guide to the places one finds there. this, of course, is not going to stop me from offering comment or presenting observation. which is what i shall do now with regards to, as the title gives every indication, dartford. 

the only real observation i have of dartford, to be honest, is that it is needlessly complex to get in and out of. or out and in of, as my title has it, for if one is in the place their priority seems to be of finding their way back out. which could be interpreted as being mean spirited or scathing, but it shouldn't, for it is all quite true. 

should you be of a mind that you've paid quite enough (thank you) as it is to simply drive on a road, then it is so that the option for you to get to dartford is to circumnavigate all of f*****g London via that whole M25 (or "London Orbital") business. which yes, often becomes less road, more car park. a much quicker means of getting in, or importantly out, exists for those prepared to pay a premium. 

yes, law and safety fans, i was sat in the passenger seat as my pilot for the day, my rather unruly charge as it happens, drove. that video is of us going in to the dartford tunnel. which is indeed the fastest and so most expensive way to get out of the place. it's quite interesting, i suppose, that the way out is a tunnel, for it does give one the sense that they are escaping somewhere that they are being held against their will. 

what's so bad about dartford that one would wish to escape? i had very limited exposure to the place, but enough. you know when you see them low grade television "reality" shows, especially on the itv channels? or some moronic "edgy" attempt at comedy on one of the waste of money bbc channels? when you are watching them, going "who dresses/talks/looks/thinks/acts like that" and assume it is all divorced from the real world, no, they are encapsulating the dartford lifestyle. all that i saw was all that hideous bling and horrendous attempts at gaudy fashion statements. 

going in to dartford means going via the bridge, which i believe (or think) is called the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. to digress, or deviate, slightly, i despaired at what i saw as we drove over the Thames. 

a container ship, no less. with "no smoking" painted on it in massive letters, just near the bit where they keep the containers. well, sh!t. that sucks. surely the only appeal, or point of interest, in going and working on a container ship - surrounded, lest we forget, by salty sea dogs of dubious moral and sexual standards - is being able to smoke and smoke and smoke as you sailed the world. now you can't even do that? what a waste of space this modern world is. 

footage from the QE2 bridge going in to dartford? of course. except, maybe, no. i think (or suspect) that this is from the approach road to it. but still, it is video of heading in the direction of dartford. 

cost of using the tunnel and or bridge? it was none of my business, but i believe i heard, in passing, that the amount (at least for our vehicle) was £3 in each instance. so, to go in to dartford and then get out is likely to cost you £6. i would suggest you can find better things to do with £6 than spend 50% of it going to see what dartford is like, then the remaining 50% on rectifying that decision. 

perhaps i am being hasty, maybe there is some value or interest in dartford. this, however, i doubt. open to suggestions, mind, so if you can tell me what i missed let me know. and no, that there is some sort of tesla repair mender shop there definitely does not count, thanks. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nobody cares about the railroads anymore

hi

it wasn't really a plan, intention or ambition to do so, but yesterday (or the day before i published this) i took a train ride. nothing particularly untoward or, on a universal level, interesting about this in itself, look you see. but then there also exists a dynamic by which it may very well be in doing so i was one of the last few to ride a train in the country. 

should yesterday have been the day i took the train, then tomorrow is the day of the start of the proposed great strikes. at least provisionally, i suppose i should qualify that. oh, there is a vague semblance of chance that the intended (encouraged) action shall be avoided, but this looks unlikely. whilst i profess no level of expertise or great knowledge, it seems that those calling for the strike, the unions, are making demands of a measure they know full well shall not be obligated.

above, and indeed below, is/are images of the three (3) bits of card (or paper) issued to me off of the train people for purposes of the ride i took. no, i wasn't going to waste Commodore 64 mode on these, so yes they are presented in the considerably lesser format of ZX Spectrum, or if you will ZX Spactrum, as it was more widely referred to across school playgrounds in the 80s. 

this is all stuff i have written of before, but the trains being on strike really does little to make official, in a way, the plight of those of us who try to use them. for years now they have been unreliable, with a whole wide range of "reasons" given as to why they are cancelled, late, delayed or abandoned on a daily basis. planning to get somewhere on a train (and back) in the modern era is to invite a sense of fear and anxiety into your life, for not even when you are sat on it can you be sure you shall get to where you need, or wish, to be. i am pretty sure that we were always supposed to make "the future" easier as we went, not more complex and difficult.

for what reason are they on strike? money, of course. that is the base motivation for all. like everyone else momentarily it is a struggle for them who work on trains to afford energy, food and what have you. but, unlike all others, rail employees consider themselves "special", and believe that they should be paid well more than anyone else. not that they are content to "just" accept more money, oh no. as i recall, a few years ago, those strike-excited pr!cks of TfL went on strike when they were offered (even) more money for less work. one cannot win with these types. 

could this be the strike which finally collapses the rail industry? i mean, the one that sees all of us just go f*** this, enough, no more, and no one uses them ever again? possibly. unlikely, but at some stage all shall be just fed up with it. every now and then, if it is the case that the rail network is no more, it was convenient and practical to use a train, i suppose, but let's draw lines near words such as fun, or even enjoyable. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

scent expression experimentation

bonjour

well, it feels like a little while since i have considered, or "reviewed" a deodorant here. that, look you see, is probably because i have settled on lynx gold as the one for me for all of time. except, apparently not without the occasional detour. and quite the detour appears to have happened. not only have i deviated from gold - briefly - but also from lynx (or axe, depending where you are in the world) entirely. 

some background to this brave and bold move. or whim, off the cuff, spur of the moment purchase. i was browsing some shops to see if i could further my lynx gold collection on the cheap (someone somewhere always has it on "special") with little success. then i notice another, different brand was on a quite interesting (as in cheap) offer, so i went for it. 

yes, then, i bought a couple (2) of cans of french connection uk deodorant. indeed, you know, the company which so humorously and in a quite witty way promotes itself purely by the initial "fcuk", so as to look a bit naughty or edgy. sigh. to be precise, or accurate (if it helps) it's the "urban" variation of their deodorant i bought. mostly as this was the only one on offer. certainly, indeed, the meaning or definition of the word "urban" has become curiously clouded and appropriated over the last couple of years, or decades, but no matter.

motivation, or reason, for giving this one a go? price. just pure cost, or affordable nature thereof. from what i recall these were reduced to £2 a tin, which struck me as being rather low down for such a well known and established, if not particularly cherished, brand. 

for the purposes of fair, unbiased testing (or whatever) i took these tins on the road with me. so, to give clarification which really is not needed, i sprayed this on me in a pretty conventional way (kind of) whilst in Wales for one week, then that there London (innit) for another.  

any good? nope, as in no. or non, merci i suppose. despite it being the product of an oh so fancy established designer (or whatever), the ingredients or mix feature those two key words which are, truly, the curse and the plague of the majority of deodorants available in the uk. here i (but of course) speak of how it contains "citrus" and "musk". 

really don't get the fascination with either. at all. for citrus, they use a shock, stack citrus scent, as in the kind which is used to mask poisons in cans of bug spray used south of the equator, designed to kill insects what are generally bigger than your hand. for "musk" you can always, always read it as "p!ss", and not a particularly nice scented streak of it, if such even exists. the musky p!ss scent gives every sense of being of the provenance of some ghastly hedge dwelling rodent or similar vermin. 

it's not, to my nose (or nostrils) any good, then. and yet it is some designer thing, and usually reasonably expensive. perhaps i am missing something. that i don't like it is an aside, i suppose, for what would matter more is people in my vicinity liking it. quite a bit like the "wolf" t-shirt some bloke sold me down the market. i am not overtly keen on it, yet people who see it tend to say how much they like it, and so on. just maybe, then, the scent of a badly deformed badger what has just disgraced itself in shock after someone tried to spray poison it to death is attractive to some in the uk. 

up to now, alas, no one has rushed up to me saying how much they like the smell of this on me. oddly they (ladies, too) have done so when i have been wearing my smart versace aftershave ("eau de toilette" or whatever). so no, going on what testing i have done with this thus far (and not too much more is going to follow, believe you me), it isn't a scent to make one instantly appealing. 

highly likely that what's going on here is usual French sh!t, or if you will la manière française de faire les choses, which is also the wrong way. carefully controlled and guarded, the French can do some decent stuff. leave them unattended, and they just go right ahead and make everything smell as disgusting as they possibly can. which is kind of what they have done here. 

best of luck to you if you give this stuff a go, but let it be noted that i tried to issue a warning. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

discount day of release delayed notes

howdy pop pickers

and so it was that, in late May (2022, look you see) Liam Gallagher released not one, and not quite so many as three, but all the same 2 (two) albums on the same day. the last time i can recall an artist doing that was Guns N Roses, some 30 (!!!!) years ago, with the double albums of Use Your Illusion I and of course II. which, in retrospect, could have been cut down to one single decent album. 

has anyone done so in the intervening years? not that i am aware of. wouldn't be at all surprised if certain egotistical bellends, such as Ed Sheridan (or whatever) or the former Mr Kim Kardassian has done so. Manics released two singles on the same day (So Why So Sad and Found That Soul) but i would suggest that was more Wire of Nicky not being able to make his mind up than an ego thing. 

that said, not sure what Liam's gone done here counts as two (2) albums. well, yes it does for the charts, but bear with me. of the 2 (two), one was his third solo album, C'mon You Know and one was an improbable second live album from him. it is the latter on the go here, called as it is (i think) Down By The River Thames. 

for the sake of provenance, clarity or some (kind of) understanding, this is a CD of a "live" performance done in December 2020. when we were all back in some sort of quasi "lockdown" due to plague. so whilst it sounds live (for it is), the odd thing is no crowd sounds, with this rather being "streamed" or as you call it, when they do things for the benefit of internet listeners. all i knew of it was that it looked like it had a boss, cracking setlist, and Liam just wanted a fiver (£5) for it, making it an absolute no-brainer autopilot purchase decision. 

no, as it happens, i haven't got C'mon You Know as such as yet. why not? i was off to buy it, but then remembered that father's day is just around the corner. i figured if i picked this one up, that would be enough Liam for a couple of weeks, and at the same time make pondering what to get me quite an easy thing for the boys to do. 

so, is this "half price" live album, presented in a quasi The Who Live At Leeds style bootleg cover, any good? yes, oh yes, it is. 

much like Liam's (also improbable) first live album, the Unplugged thing from Hull, one gets half and half here. as in, half of the set is Oasis tunes, half come from Liam's solo career. none, that i can see, off of Beady Eye, which is a bit of a shame as they were a decent band. 

outstanding, stand out or highlight tracks? well, here's the thing, right. all of it flows ever so well. as in, when it finishes playing usually (or normally) i find myself pressing play again. it's a really solid, excellent set. how well Liam's solo stuff sits with Oasis classics is a bit of a revelation, truth be told. i mean, yes, Liam's albums have been boss in the modern world, but it always felt unfair to try and compare (and/or contrast) them with songs of a different, global dominating era. 

gone forever, perhaps, are the expressed wishes of Liam to put his old band back together. he can belt out Noel's penned classics just fine with whatever band he cares to assemble. considering he is now selling out Knebworth on his own (ahem), well, perhaps we are getting a better thing than a reunion these days. any doubts should be directed to listening to the last two Oasis albums, see how keen you are to hear all that again. 

is this worth getting? absolutely. perfect, for a start, for any lingering Oasis fan who hasn't been brave enough as such as yet to try Liam solo. also, for that price, if your car (or similar vehicle) has a CD player, well, for a fiver, having this on the go as you drive is most smart. 

for fact fans (or stats lovers), i believe C'mon You Know hit the top of the charts on the week of release, with this one coming in at 4 (four). go on, give this a go. 

right, there you go. assuming the boys picked up the hint, a review of Liam's most recent solo album should follow soon. 

be rock and roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

fire and water must have made you their daughter

hello

and, well, i am "back", look you see. not written anything for here as such for a prolonged period of time, which is unusual for moi. yet, for you, of course, the last thing i wrote here is just above or below, such is how the nature of published things verk. 

for those who took the time to read my last work of scribe, indeed my leg(s) has (have) improved somewhat, if only slightly. even maybe fleetingly, perhaps. what's wrong with my leg? or legs? not exactly sure, in truth. indeed i am aware that i should consult a suitable, properly trained and qualified physician, but such is the life that i am disposed to follow i have, but of course, decided to have a bit of a whirl at self medication. this is, at the least, a step up (or sideways) from just ignoring it on the basis that doing so shall make it all go away. 

wasn't sure which of these two (2) above would be more suitable to mend my leg with, so of course i decided to get both and see what happened. my first instinct was very much to get the "heat" variation of deep, for my understanding is that this is what helps all sort of movement pain. assuming that what's wrong with me (or my legs) is something that can be mended off of such treatment. then Codename Magic chipped in, suggesting that either "just cold" would be better, or an alternative dose of each. so, i purchased the "freeze" variation of deep, too. quite expensive, this healing business. 

guesses or assumptions as to what might be the actual issue? many, if not several. in, or on the betting pool presently are things like "smoker's leg" or other such circulation issues, possibly "long" covid of the plague, simply pulled muscles, regular thrombosis or deep vein thrombosis off of all the driving what i do, a kind of blood clot thing that isn't as immediately fatal as that has always sounded, or even something else that i can't remember. as and when i get to a medical professional i am very confident that i will get told simply to lose weight, get a better diet and (of course) cease smoking, for that will fix everything. my intention would be to ask said professional to rather do a bit of work instead, and see if they can't come up with an actual resolution or remedy which may assist. 

yeah, a selfie. of moi (of course), in Wales, look you. for some reason i believed that the absolute best thing to do to mend my leg was to drive in the vicinity of two hundred miles to Wales, so that the magic of the place could enable healing. did it work? well, certainly leg felt better at the end of the week i spent there than it did at the start, so yes, kind of, i suppose it jolly well did. 

do i, for the sake of asking a question some may have, appreciate that my "shot in the dark" approach here, which is using ointments, potions and so forth without understanding which ones i need for i have no clue as to what is actually wrong may actually compound, or accelerate, the matter? yes. but, well, one has to have a go at this, do they not? i keep hearing on the news how our medical system is complete and totes f****d, so i am reluctant to consult with them. even though i know i should. 

no, i don't have any immediate concerns about what a doctor (or similar) may speak to me of when i have, finally, secured a consultation. and, you know, we have moved past the weight / smoking elements of the conversation, as necessary and true as they may be. i believe i shall be at peace with, or accepting of, any determination of issue. the present day world may very well get all excited about simply seeking others, historical or current, to blame for their plight. not so i, for anything wrong with me was done by instrument i willingly wielded. 

so which of the two helped with my leg(s), which just basically knacked and kind of refused to work properly, at least first thing in the morning? on balance the "freeze" variation, i believe. which kind of makes sense, since right there on the box it indicates (states) that it is for legs, whereas the "heat" one does not have any such proclamation. both, perhaps, assisted. or have served to mask the issue. 

right, well, there's that for an update of sorts. presently i seem to have a usual, normal level of mobility, and a lack of pain in the leg region. this i consider good, but am operating under no illusion of being healed. more as and when tales of such seems interesting. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

break in transmission

hello there

well, i am unsure if anyone checks in here on a regular basis, but for anyone that does do so, a slight bit of news. circumstances mean (or dictate, look you see) that i am taking a slight break. 

nothing major or dramatic, just verk is busy, and also my leg (left) absolutely totes knacks momentarily. so, i am devoting some time to see if it won't just mend itself, thanks. going to see some form of professional physician is on the list, but all they shall tell me to do is stop smoking and all shall be well. it may be so that this is truth, but i quite like alternate approaches. 

let me not take a pause without some form of update here, though. indeed the above image is a still from an advert (or if you prefer commercial) for the most splendid game River Raid. and here you go, a reasonably poor quality copy of said advert, borrowed off of internet. 

anyhow, let me go and see if my leg can be mended all by itself (with assistance from some stuff bought off of chemist) or if i have to consult a doctor. when something of interest comes along, and time permits, yes, i shall return to write something. and this of course shall be the next post you can read on here anyhow. 

for now, though, thanks, and are you really sure you have read all of the north of 4,000 (give or take) posts what are on this blog anyhow? 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

alternative jubilee

oi

indeed i am quite aware of how some might not wish to celebrate the platinum jubilee, which is the celebration of HMQE2 being monarch for 70 (seventy) years. any system, or institution, or form of rule has always had a form of opposition. this has been so since the dawn of time. or at the least, from the commencement of recorded history, look you see. 

for those disposed of a will for a quiet life, here you go, the link to the more elegant and somewhat, at least partially, dignified way of celebrating the anniversary. given the option, or invitation, to suggest a way to spend the time, then yes, i would go full tilt for some posh tea. but, better to be fair to those with no interest in such. 

back, then, to what i believe was the first "major" jubilee celebration of HMQE2, the silver one, in 1977. various documentaries and what not since have cultivated an image of the entire nation being at street parties and what have you to celebrate it all. yet it was not all who were so happy. 

most prominently, of course, was the small matter of the Sex Pistols and their song what is called God Save The Queen. rather a different version of it from the one most are familiar with. legend has it that on the basis of sales it should have been number one (1) in the UK singles chart, but a bit of manipulation prevented it taking the title. now they do such dishonest things not to avoid controversy but so as to celebrate the dull and the drab, like Ed Sheridan (or whatever). 

highly likely that punk existed before 1977, and no, the Sex Pistols (nor McClaren) probably didn't invent it all, but that year and that band are most keenly or immediately associated with it all. having now taken the time to consider it, quite strange that there's been no concerted effort (that i have noted in the news, at least) to get this rendition of God Save The Queen back in the singles charts. maybe it is not available on them "streaming" things, or people just can't be bothered no more. 

anyway, yes (of course), here's some Sex Pistols doing God Save The Queen, sans sound, presented of course in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode. 

the Sex Pistols were not alone in offering an 'alternate' jubilee commemoration. oh no. the year, or not so long after, saw the motion picture Jubilee off of Derek Jarman get released. i confess the specifics of the plot of it are a bit lost on me, with me perhaps not being quite clever enough, but as i recall it was all to do with QEI being magically transported to a "future England" to see the decay and decline. 

quite some time ago, when i was nine or ten (likely ten) i innocently rented the tape of Jubilee. why? it had a big thing on the cover saying Adam & The Ants were in it, and i was a fan. on playing the video, alone, i discovered it was not the Adam & The Ants that i was more familiar with, but rather their first incarnation, doing songs i was not familiar with. 

going further, or also, there was loads of things in this film that i didn't quite understand, and was undoubtedly too young to fully comprehend. this was in the golden era when anyone of any age could rent any tape, for no age restrictions applied. sure, certainly i understood the reasonably hefty amount of nudity, and the violence was a bit unsettling. perhaps i should watch it again, then, see if i can't fathom out proper what was going on in it. 

just for now, though, yes, there's a scene from the film, with a lady wearing the crown, and of course presented in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode. indeed the use of this mode has not quite self-censored the above as much as i had assumed it would, but i won't tell if you don't. 

perhaps i have wasted the opportunity to post something special for all this jubilee business. maybe, also, i have done something apt. either way, or just anywhere on that spectrum, i think that's enough on the subject now. 

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jubilee

greetings

and so here we are. well, us in the uk, look you see. on date of publication, being the first day of june (2020), it is the eve of an ostensible four (4) day weekend. at the least it is for those who are not required to go off and verk over these days, or simply "work" if, unlike me, you are not fixated on the way that arnold schwarzenegger pronounces the word in total recall. 

the purpose, or reason, for this is to mark (celebrate, even) the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II being our monarch. or queen, if you will. and shall. yes, to show i am down with how the kids say things these days, and for ease of reference, i shall use HMQE2 from here on out. although this is a bit of an issue for some in our land, believe it or not. with, to be fair, a degree of validity. on announcement that Elizabeth would be crowned (if that is the right word for being made queen) Elizabeth II Scotland objected. rightly, too. Elizabeth I was queen of England only, for her reign (rule) was long before the act of union. strictly speaking, she is indeed the first Elizabeth to be monarch of the uk. there, every now and then there is some information of value here. 

so, on to celebrate HMQE2, or whatever she may be referred to in different parts of the country. no, not any obscenities, thank you, why not give yourself the day off from such. and celebrate i intend to, in perhaps an admittedly or confessed more English way. 

fortune or favour (perhaps both) smiled upon me, it seems, as it was all possible for me to attend my most beloved Fortnum & Mason, so as to inspect their prestigious range set to commemorate the jubilee. indeed i did purchase an item or two, but possibly not so many as one may think in relation to the imminent celebration. 

indeed it was not quite so long ago that i visited Fortnum & Mason. such used to be a quite rare treat, but now fate seems to decree i can go more often. for those interested here is a link to a recent excursion, or if you shall adventure. and in that link you can link (if that's right) to several other such instances of me paying my respects to this most wondrous of places. 

having given consideration to the many, many fine items pertaining to the jubilee, for the most part, or mostly, i purchased (procured) other items. a reasonably clearer image of my haul is pictured below, should the partial image, presented in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode above, not be entirely satisfactory. also, a bit of video of one item for you, for fun. 

yes, that is a rather elaborate, somewhat posh biscuit tin, presented in an attractive way and so as to look like the front of Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly Circus. and also yes, it does indeed play some music. considering just how discerning my readers are i hardly not speak (or type) another word, but to confirm for you, indeed that is fragments of Handel's Water Music. or, at the very least, that is what it says it is on the tin, or box, if you will. splendid. expensive, certainly, and i am not entirely sure i had a requirement for a biscuit tin. but splendid all the same, and done now. 

what other items did i procure (buy)? pictured just below is almost the entire haul. first and foremost, i took them up on the gracious offer to replace any F&M bag which had become damaged. one i bought several years ago was showing signs of use and age (aren't we all), and they were delighted to exchange it for this, their new and strictly limited platinum jubilee variation. quite exceptional fortune here, for this is indeed limited. once the commemoration of the jubilee has ceased, by which i presume the end of our prolonged weekend, so too they shall cease selling this one. 

allowing me to celebrate the jubilee in a respectful, agreeable and appropriate way is the jubilee tea. i have no idea if this is also to be limited for sale, but i thought best not to chance it, let me go ahead and procure a box, just in case they stop selling this by the fifth day of june. no, i have not tried it as such as yet, but then this is Fortnum & Mason tea, so i am certain it shall be splendid. 

but, that said, i am not sure such shall certainly be true of the other tea purchased. having procured a tin especially for biscuits i thought it appropriate to get the same for all future tea purchases. i looked at all of their offerings, considered each, and went for a tin of "nocturne" silky tea bags, owing to be falling a little bit in love with the tin. further (or also), a tea blended for the specifics of an evening sounded like a most grand thing. upon returning to my temporary London (innit) lodgings i inspected the tea tin a bit more closely. well, closely for the first instance. apparently this tea is a (and i quote) "botanical infusion with lemon balm, camomile and lavender flowers". in furtherance of definition, it also says that it, the tea, is "mellow, clear and bright with hints of lavender and cherry". oh. well, i shall try it at some stage.

observant types shall (possibly) note another item, concealed in some elegant tissue paper. that's some plum jam, which rather took my fancy. no, i have not taken it from its cradle of paper yet, the lady who wrapped it so was really nice, so i have left it be for now. but at some stage i shall fancy some, or recall that i procured it, and try it. perhaps over the jubilee weekend. 

righty-ho, let me get (or "crack") on with some verk stuff. after that, well, i shall have every confidence of every intention to honour HMQE2 with a most splendid cup of tea. posh biscuits too.

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!