taupo

hello there

more New Zealand stuff, then, look you see. well, i did give some warning a few posts ago that it was likely to be a dominant subject for a while. and why not, really, for the place is amazing. yes, a number of selfies, or just normal taken by others pictures of moi feature here, so you've been warned. 

under no circumstances would i claim to have been everywhere whilst down in Aotearoa. i was there for north of two weeks, south of three weeks. wouldn't even say that i got to see all on offer at those places i did get to. but yes, once again, what i did see was all beautiful, man. this would then indeed be true of Lake Taupo, where we all spent three (3) or so days. 

above is an aspect of the actual lake area, then. yes, presented in normal picture mode for a change. which is likely to become standard, as it seems my beloved Commodore 64 mode camera no longer functions with whatever update my phone has gone done. oh dear. moving on from that and this is near, or actually at, where certain activities (very much) go down. be patient, more below. 

where did we stay at Lake Taupo? just about the fanciest hotel there, the name of which i shall not disclose. but it rhymes with Milton. should i ever have the good fortune to go there again, well, i might just be inclined to stay at the place pictured below. 

indeed i do remain devout to all things Twin Peaks after all these years. even after the bizarre, patience testing ways of the "revival" series. the impression i got was that this particular hotel was not really of as celebrated stature as where we stayed, but still. Mum asked of me how they could "get away" with calling the place such. so far as i am aware they would only attract the interest of the lawyers of Mr Lynch and contemporaries if they deliberately used imagery or "themes" (the feel, the vibe) from the show, since to be fair "twin peaks" is a bit of a generic term. 

highlights of Lake Taupo? just about all of it, really. a particular shout out to a shop which has the word cat in its name, for i got some truly boss bits of tourist things from there. my Uncle, for instance, is very pleased with his tea towel off of there. also thanks to a chemist there what sold me some heavy duty full tilt hardcore eyewash after i had both an incident with some sun cream and an incident where Dad insisted i shove some stuff into already sore eyes which did not help. 

golf of the mini, crazy or fun nature is very much a thing in New Zealand. yes, that does endear the nation to me all the more. pictured above is just one of the courses to be found in Lake Taupo, near a bar called Mavericks and not far off some ten (10) pin bowling. we went to this one as Daniel, who is quite keen on this golf variation, had done some of that online research stuff and been informed that this was the "best" such facility in the entire country. i would not disagree. 

exactly why was this a good course? mostly just down to being good fun. there was more requirement than you might think to "fire" your (golf) ball onto a particular hole from a gas or air powered gun. not something that i had tried before (that i can recall) and certainly a plus. more regular holes were as fun as they were challenging. 

yes, that is me (moi) above, doing a regular tee off. i did, from time to time, question my stylish but not particularly practical choice of all black wardrobe. white would probably have been a more practical shade to wear, for it reflects the heat better, but there we go. 

a closer look at that smart dragon on the mountain which forms one hole? with me also in the picture? go on then, here you go, below. 

did somebody "win" the golf? yes, as it happens, Dad did. quite comfortably, as i recall. it would be nice to think Mum, Daniel and i finished joint second, or close enough. indeed Katie did wish to come along with us and play, initially. the comforts of the fancy hotel, however, were most seductive and she elected to remain there. as one would. 

back to the lake element (or aspect) of Lake Taupo, then. it is the site of some of those "extreme", exciting and partially dangerous sport things. if you are so inclined, go and look at the first image and concentrate on the central part of the pic, where you can see a diving off platform section. no, i did not go and do that. 

something else that i did not do at Lake Taupo was the bungy (which i am sure the spell of is meant to be bungee, but bungy it is on the signs there) jump. or the bungy (bungee) swing. above you can see myself, Daniel and Grant (from left to right) considering such a thing. i was exceptionally confident that they would have some weight limit which would, alas, preclude me from having a go. this probably is the kind of thing Grant would have a go at, but not at the price being asked. 

no such issues or quarrel for Daniel, mind, who did indeed go full tilt with it and gone done a bungy jump. or bungee jump if, as i suspect, that is the correct spelling. 

if you believe the above picture is a particularly striking one of the moment of jump, well, i would agree entirely. obviously no, i did not take it then. not sure who did, perhaps Gill, or even Grant. the latter was trusted with one of several cameras Dad brought along to capture the incident with. 

how about a nice bit of video of Daniel doing this bungy jump in (or at) Lake Taupo? the video bit i can most decidedly do for you, but i can't speak on your behalf to say it is nice. for reasons best described as just how i do things, i did indeed video the jump, but in VHS mode. 

what's the going rate (as in the price) for a bungee or bungy jump in (at) Lake Taupo? just a little north of NZ$200. it is so that the exchange rate fluctuates somewhat, but at the time of writing that translates into around £100 or so. quite expensive, then. i did suggest to Daniel that there were other things he could do with the same money that were reasonably exciting and probably lasted longer than 11 or so seconds, but he was quite determined. fair play. 

one more picture of this jump, then, below. this one was taken by Dad, who went off to position himself to take some quite class pictures of it all. 

to be fair you get what you pay for with all of this, by the looks of it. how you jump is entirely up to you, as is the distance you go. should for some reason you wish to jump from the platform, which by the way was 47 meters up, and not get wet they can adjust it so you don't hit the water. for whatever reason Daniel was most keen to hit the water, which is precisely what he did. 

you can indeed hit the water of Lake Taupo without jumping from 47 meters up, by the way. there was absolutely no stopping Grant having a swim in it. i would imagine the many Grant enthusiasts out there shall be particularly pleased with the below image. well, Gillian was delighted to share it and show it off on his behalf, so i am pretty sure the intention was for me to share it here. 

do feel free to save that image and admire it all you like. please refrain, however, from using it for immoral or illegal purposes. that's not much to ask of anyone. 

practical information is not something i would usually give out, but here we are. i would suggest that Lake Taupo is a stunning place to go for a holiday, but it is not really a "tourist" thing. most, if not all, of the shops close at 4pm, for a start, and there wasn't all that much in the way of light machines. so if you are looking for a place to just take in the beauty of (and bungee jump), here it's at. 

shops may close at 4pm but the restaurants do not, mind. there were several on the go, couldn't get to them all but the ones we did were sensational. also there were some of them geothermal pool things. i didn't go, Dad did, and said that they were quite hot. oh. 

right, well, that's that for this. quite a few more things off of New Zealand to showcase here, but all in good time. perhaps i shall mix it up with some other stuff first. 

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

a peculiar shoe

now then

something of a brief break from all these posts what i plan (or intend) to do in respect of my New Zealand odyssey. which may, or may not, be quite nice for the dozen or so people what come here for a gander. off back to London (innit) with me, look you see, and as the title suggests a quite strange bit of abandoned footwear. 

for one reason or another - and there could be several - items of abandoned footwear seem to be a reasonably popular thing for me to share here. my assumption is that there's an existing fan base for such things, be it related to fetish or sheer curiosity. under no circumstanced do i believe (or think) that i began any sort of trend, but all the same i am delighted to contribute to it all, if not perpetuate. 

this item of footwear was spotted down in Ealing. for those who require some sort of specifics, i saw it in reasonably early February, not long after i had completed the longer return leg of my recent odyssey. as you can see above, in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, it is anything but a standard sort of item what one would place on their foot. maybe one cannot see it all of that in the above, but there is a more regular sort of image below. 

with regards to things what i document on a regular basis here i suppose i'd best go and do a car wash again some time soon. not sure when the last time was that i posted one here. recently, i suppose, as i vaguely recall doing it all in VHS mode. no i am not searching and linking any other shoe or car wash things what i have gone done, feel free to look yourself. 

what struck me most about this one is that it's not exactly easy to immediately determine (or even ascertain) if this item of footwear is designed for a left or right foot. instinct, on the basis of straps, suggests it is right, but it could also be left. it looks like it has a deceptively elaborate means of being rather well secured to a foot, which makes it all the more unusual that it was abandoned. perhaps, maybe, it was so that someone wasn't actually wearing it, and it got dropped or fell out of some bag. oh dear, if so. 

it is entirely possible that i, of late, have seen a few things abandoned and not documented them. now that i think there was the odd left trolley here and there i saw in New Zealand, but i was ostensibly on holiday and so did not take any image. well, anyway, there's a splendid item of footwear for you. and more shall no doubt follow as and when i see such things. 

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

bunny

g'day

further images from my odyssey to New Zealand, then. or tales from operation falcon, for that was the codename for the project to get me there, look you see. bit of a warning for you up front, as whilst this post ostensibly concerns (what i think to be) a bunny i saw, there are three (3) selfies of moi. there are certain people who(m) would not care to see me at all; if you are such but still read on then i would suggest you quickly scroll to the bits you wish to see. 

so, moving on, as part of my odyssey (or adventure) i took a most pleasant stroll around Mount Maunganui with my Dad. the things you never thought you would get to do again, but here we are. it was at the journey end when i encountered what i believe to be (for Dad said so) a hare, rabbit or other such variation of bunny. hence the title. 

quite pleased that i could get so (relatively) close to it (or him or her) to take reasonable enough looking images and yes, there is some video later. this splendid looking creature, resplendent with exceptional and striking ears, did not get at all skittish as i approached. it would perhaps be a bit much to say (or suggest) that all forms of life in New Zealand are comfortable with each other, but at the least in my experience it was so that they are all more attuned than is the case in England. 

one of them selfies i spoke (warned) of is coming up below this, so if you have no wish to see me now is the time to get scrolling. a shame if you do, for Dad took a really lovely picture, but no worries. 

if we assume that previously my favourite volcano was that boss hollowed out one what Blofeld used as a smart ninja base in You Only Live Twice, then yes, here is my new favourite one. as far as i am aware, and internet says so thus it must be true, it is an extinct volcano. but still, you know, there's at least some excitement in the idea of walking around any sort of volcano, on the off chance it goes pop, or whatever sound they make when erupting. 

for specifics, the trail around the base of Mauao as it is also called (although most simply refer to it as The Mount) is some 3.5kms. which is just north of 2 (two) miles in proper English measurement. yeah, indeed it is all that kilometer stuff in New Zealand, which just goes to show nowhere is absolutely perfect. they are exceptionally close, mind. at a steady pace, near enough is close enough to an hour to gently wander around it, although i suspect them what we saw jogging or running around it managed to clock in a somewhat shorter time. 

but there was no such rush for me. to begin, commence or start with, i was thoroughly enjoying the chance to spend some time with Dad. and then there is of course reason to pause and take in the astonishing, magnificent views, such as the one above. i am not sure my limited abilities to take pictures captured how wonderful it is in the above, but i gave it a go. 

rather likely that you are here mostly for bunny stuff, since that is the title of the post. very well. as i gave every indication of earlier (or previously) behold, here is some video of the bunny doing its thing. just a short video, and apologies for some abstract conversation i caught. 

going off of memory, which is not always the best thing for me to do, not so many others were all that taken by this bunny. no one else appeared to pay that much attention. i suspect the locals would not, but it did seem there were a few other tourists around. Mount Manganui is a rather splendid stop off point for cruise ships, as it happens. can't say with any certainty, but i believe there were a significant number of people off of Austria (or similar) wandering around the same time as us. 

would you wish (or care) for a warning every time a picture of me turns up? this is kind of my blog you know, but no worries, such a warning is now in place. anyone all that upset to see moi would do well to simply take in the background, or if you like setting.

there are many, many wonderful aspects to taking a walk around the mount. a particularly pleasing element is how on pretty much (virtually) every step around you can pause and see quite a remarkable view. hopefully i get to walk it once more in this lifetime, at the least. 

did i see any other wildlife or animals whilst in New Zealand? yes. surprisingly more cows than sheep, with one massive one in particular (cow) coming to mind, but perhaps more on that in a later, rather than earlier, post. alas, sadly, no, i did not see a kiwi in bird form. i did, however, find a new favourite bird in the form of a tui. they are quite class. apparently they get quite smashed (be it drunk or stoned) on nectar and go quite mental. but, for now, bunny. 

my lingering suspicion is that i could have (potentially) got closer for more better pictures, but i ventured as near as i dared. the zoom on my new(ish) phone what has a camera welded to it is rather poor, so no, i didn't use that function. still, you know, i don't think either picture is too bad, or (nor) the video for that matter. 

our walk around the mount was in the direction which ended up at the beach. i think this would be a clockwise approach but please (in general as well as specifically here) don't take my word for it, for indeed i did have a significant time displacement thing on the go nearly all the time i was there. actually probably all of the time as it would not be displacement if not. or something like that. 

happy days, or it was a very happy day, to see that a big massive volleyball tournament was about to start, or if you will commence. any fellow Top Gun appreciator will, of course, well, appreciate the nuances and joys of volleyball, where men can express their admiration for other men. 

in the unlikely (implausible) event of someone consulting this blog for any sort of travel advice, yes, then, Mount Maunganui is absolutely full worthy of a visit. my expressed wish is to visit the place once again one day. 

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

reunion and meeting

tena koe

well, it was perhaps (somewhat) inevitable that a mere decade (give or take, look you see) after vowing never to be on a plane again that i would take just about the longest journey one could via this method of transport. yes, indeed, as some shall have concluded from my previous (to this post) i went to go and see Aotearoa, or if you like New Zealand. 

quite a few posts on this subject are rather likely to follow, since i took what seems like a formidable amount of pictures and yes, video. but for now, well, the primary - actually only - reason i went there. which would be to see family. those in the know would know that this isn't the usual sort of post i would do on this particular date, but here we are. obviously this is likely to be all of interest only to friends and family, but what the heck you are here, read on. 

one has to start somewhere with these pictures what i have. it would appear to make sense, then, to do so with one of me with Mum & Dad. and here it is. 

to state the obvious as a perfect understatement, absolutely brilliant to see them once more. it had been more or less (or around) a dozen (!!) years since i had last seen them. not a subject to dwell on or give too much contemplation about, but it did appear, seem or (sadly) feel that i might not have had the chance to see them again. yet, well, i have, and am glad to have done so. certainly i do not rule out seeing them further, for i absolutely would love to go over there again. even, yes, with the prolonged periods of being unable to smoke on the journey. 

go on then, to give some sort of quasi "reverse bookend" to the above picture, here you go. another image of the three of us, but one which was taken, give or take, fifty (50) or so years ago. 

no, alas, i don't have too many memories of when that (directly) above image was taken, but of course shall forever treasure the memories of the previous. 

about a dozen or so (give or take) years since i last saw Mum and Dad was one thing. yet it had been longer still since i had last seen my sister. one or two of you may be curious, or at the least mildly interested, in exactly how long it had been, so the answer is 17 (seventeen) years. and so here we are, on my very first afternoon (although time was a vague concept) in New Zealand.

from what i recall that picture was taken at Mission Bay, but also it may well have been the one a bit down from it, the name of which escapes me. co-ordinated wardrobe was a pure fluke and very much based on whatever i pulled from my suitcase. 

it strikes me as appropriate to do another sort of "then and now" picture interlude fr you. and so here i am (or here am i) with my sister, some 42 (ish) years ago, or at the least that time from the time what this all went live on that internet thing. 

my understanding is that the above image was taken in Brisbane, and yes the Australian one. which is kind of (sort of) next door to New Zealand. there, i have saved you looking it up on a map or atlas or similar. 

now, it was not just reunions that i was there for. indeed, a primary driver for my decision to go "yes, let me get on a plane again" was to meet someone i had not met before but expressed a wish to meet me. that would be my nephew, Daniel. he had asked his mum (as in my sister) why this curious person called Uncle Lee couldn't quit smoking and come to visit them. for some reason this pulled at heart strings that i was unaware i had. also, well, challenge accepted, really. it turned out that i could indeed, with some planning, go and grant his wish without doing anything silly (or sensible) like ceasing my unwavering support of the tobacco industry.

under no circumstances at all had it occurred to moi that anyone would actually wish to willingly meet me. just how i see myself, i suppose. my basic understanding is that if you care to name the connection, be it son, brother, father, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, lover, partner or what have you, then i am pretty lacking (or wanting) in having any decent qualities. several people have been extremely kind indeed in pointing out my flaws, shortcomings and so forth, and indeed there are so many more such forms of folly that people aren't even aware of. but here we are, or there i was. 

hopefully it is so that Daniel got what he wished, if not hoped, for in meeting me. and of course his sister, or if you will my niece, Katie, who(m) i last saw when she was sort of around 1 (one) year of age. for me it was truly epic to meet both and spend as much time as was possible with them. they, as is the case for my whole family there, are truly wonderful people with a sensational life. 

and there above is all of us together, with the most excellent dogs Freddy and Charlie. this was taken on my (for now) final afternoon in New Zealand, just before it was time to bid farewell to all. quite strange, my time displacement of it all. ostensibly, or technically, it was just north of two (2) weeks that i was there, but it thankfully felt longer. and i do not mean that in a bad way at all, things did not drag, it just turned out to be a most beautiful time together. 

many more pictures and tales as i promised (or if you are of a mind to feel so, threatened) shall follow, assuming i can find the time to write and "upload". but for now, one final image, one of them selfie things taken as i was going down the escalator to the international departure thing. oh no hang on this was going down so i could go outside and have one more cigarette before flying. 

you can, if you elect to look at me, see how unusually happy i am at the prospect of about to be going well north of eighteen (18!!) hours sans cigarettes. actually that part was nowhere near as bad as i may have feared, but that's a tale for a different post. 

perhaps i have shown some unexpected emotional restraint into this foray of sharing, or maybe it was just me. anyway, whatever your reason (except odd strange ones) for stopping by and reading a happy thing for me, thanks!

kia pai tetahi ki tetahi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

new zealand visa requirement for uk citizens, kind of

hello

so, i have been, with a sense of bravery and adventure, off to New Zealand. and back, look you see, but i rather think i am foolish for leaving such a magnificent place. considerably more to follow on my adventures, or if you will odyssey, but first off some reasonably (as in very) important information. my travels very nearly did not happen, thanks to what amounts to a visa but they claim is not. although you absolutely do need it. 

yes, then. if you have used google (or similar) to search for information (which admittedly i did not) you do need a visa to go to New Zealand, even if you are a UK passport holder. except they don't call it a visa as such, but a NZeTA (their lettering). that stands for "New Zealand electronic Travel Authority", and you can't even get on the plane if you do not have it. which is an interesting thing to (as was the case with me) learn when you are just four hours away from getting on said plane. how unfortunate no one mentions this when, say, buying the ticket. or checking your details, for the app for my airline of choice made no reference to me needing this, instead ticking me off as "complete" with details when i added my passport in. 

the most important thing i can throw in here for anyone searching is, well, to start with, to state again, yes you do, as a British passport holder, need a visa for New Zealand. after that it is how you get one of the things. my only option was to install the app, which you can find on whatever store your phone system is indelibly linked to. should you wish to pay NZ$6 more for it (don't ask me why) then you can apply for one off of their website, the link for which is right here. 

what, exactly, is a NZeTA? it feels cynical to say such but essentially little more than a cash grab and a means of trying to weed out anyone who(m) may be visiting for reasons the authorities of the country would prefer you not to. a more positive me would like to see it as a not at all unreasonable sort of tourist tax (which you do pay as part of it all) but it all feels rather too intrusive and certainly appears designed to catch people (like, for instance, me) out. 

as it turns out approval on it is fairly fast, apparently taking minutes. unfortunately the actual app is completely and utterly f*****g useless and does not update you with such information. i had a teary, jelly legged hour or so living in fear of missing my flight because my NZeTA app told me that my application was "pending". and then when i, in a slump of defeat, went to ask how i would go about moving my ticket on to another flight, the people at the airline desk informed me that the visa (for that is what it is) had been approved on their side, and off i could fly. which i did. 

frankly the NZ government really need to get their sh!t together with this thing. if you wish to charge me and many others to visit, fine, but don't make it such a big secret, and have the decency to give some support and help. you, New Zealand, are making massive efforts to attract tourists, yet you pull this on us. and by this i don't mean the not unreasonable "tourist tax" in the form of a visa, but rather the ludicrous level of difficulty. you have made something simple into a last minute barrier. 

beyond the somewhat specific, intrusive questions it asks (and surely anyone going to NZ for reasons they are being less than honest about would lie) i am at a loss as to why they can't have you simply pay for this NZeTA on arrival. or have some means that you can apply and pay via the airline you travel with, even if that does shove some "admin costs" on to it. oh, in respect of the cost, i think it clocked in at about £25 or so. quite a silly amount to jeopardise the thousands paid for a flight and make the name of your country a mockery of a shambles. 

not everyone has the "oh well at least it worked out in the end" story i do. this much i know to be true, for there were two ladies of maturing years who were also caught out. alas they could make head nor tail of what the requirement was, or how to get it, and so elected to leave the airport so as to stay at a hotel and work it all out from there. not really sure that's what the drive for New Zealand tourism had intended to achieve, but they hit that target anyway. 

hopefully this information (if not my commentary) has helped someone out with this. may they have a somewhat less stressed travel experience as a consequence. indeed New Zealand is quite far away, but by my word is it well worth the trip. and i can even go back, now i have this visa thing for a couple of years. 

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

landlord remonstrate

now then

just further observations what i have made recently. and by recently i do indeed mean the recent past, look you see, and not some future vision. 

back down it is to that there London (innit) place. specifically darn sarf as they say, by which they mean an area what is south of the Thames river. for much (not most) of the population of the place all that exists in the world is north and south of this river. my my, are they in for a treat if they bravely venture to other parts of the nation. sure, also some disappointment. 

one of the (many) complexities of living the London life is that there exists, in the same space, both a large proportion of empty houses and a shortage of housing. this is England. we pride ourselves on having train companies that have no wish to run trains, bus companies that have no wish to provide a bus service, roads constantly closed do to maintenance or works and cycle lanes everywhere which cyclists refuse to use, instead braving the road. as you can (kind of) see in the above image, presented in the greater glory and good of Commodore 64 mode, someone has taken to defacing a no (or limited) parking notice with their views on the subject of what to do with landlords. 

when he finally leaves the office he should never have had, and if London do not rid themselves of his folly this year then they get what they deserve, Sadiq Khan shall - at best - be vaguely remembered in a not good way. the fine city has been crippled and ruined by this man who clearly hates the place. his ruthless parking restrictions are just the cherry on the cake of his general war on motorists, doing all he can to prevent anyone at all from ever driving anywhere ever again. the sooner he f***s off to the same place of irrelevance as, say, Bercow, the better. 

i actually managed to capture the above picture, taken from a passenger seat, quite by chance. yes, that very much is the fabled cat statue of Catford. which makes me wonder why Dartford has statues of two of the proper members of the Stones instead of a dart, but anyway. yes, it is well worth going to see this, but the incumbent (at time of writing) mayor has placed three (or so) layers of driving tax and some parking fines on anyone wishing to go there. should for some reason you not have any wish to throw £100 or so at driving to see this, hope the picture helps. 

but, back to the defaced sign. i must say the purple pen used is a (really) lovely touch, and there is something quite engaging about the handwriting. just not sure about the sentiment. 

there is every likelihood that, in our society, some truly bad landlords operate. actually have, for purposes of verk, encountered one or two, but anyway. it is also likely there are a few good ones, too. so i am not certain "all" is appropriate here. further, i don't think you can just go around killing people on the basis of one aspect of their lives as if it defined them entire. do be careful giving the power to do so, as who knows, next something of you may be on that particular list. 

right, well, that's that for another insight into London (innit) thinking. i suppose, in many (or several, at the least) respects this is a quasi companion piece to someone in that there London who had an unexplained disdain for yuppies, which you can see (and read of) by clicking here. mostly, though, i would suggest, say or just ask if we can't all just get along. 

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

it's only rock and roll

hello there

every year, at least for the past few, i have done what i can to make sure there's at least one (1) post here which features a statue or statues. normally, notionally (or even nonchalantly, look you see) such pertains to ones outside football stadiums, or other such sporting concerns. not so this year. 

late last (2023) year was quite the time for all things Stones. for a start there was that album of theirs which was actually pretty good and sold several copies. then came news that, if they were not so already via their music and general existence, they were to be immortalised in the form of statues. well, two (2) of them at least. yes, the third one (or thing) you can see in the below what is not a statue would indeed be moi. 

kind of a form of good fortune saw me needing to be in Dartford recently. the kind of element is that obscured by doubt sense of if it is wise to be there, but as it happens yes, for it provided a chance to go and see these fine statues of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. not sure if you can make it out, but the statues, sculptures or art installation is (as point of fact) called The Glimmer Twins. without going and looking it up, i am fairly certain that is the name the two of them used for any production credits they gone done on their albums. absolutely no idea why they didn't just use their names for it. 

one immediate question is why, of all Stones past and present (not sure if there shall be future), was it that only these two were celebrated so. a potentially mean, if not catty, answer would consist of wording suggesting they are the only two proper active members of the band left. maybe, and i think this is likely, it is that these, other than obviously being the core heart of the band, were the only two what had that great fortune to have been born in Dartford. i have no idea where the others were born, but i do seem to remember Ronnie Wood making a big deal (if not fuss) that he was the first land born child of his otherwise water gypsy clan family. 

doubtful that i need to clarify this, but yes, that is Mick Jagger, or Sir Michael Jagger, above. i would suspect (or imagine) there are loads and loads of more better pictures of the statues around the internet, but as you are here hopefully this gives you some idea. 

is it worth going to Dartford to see these statues? from that complete question, yes. if you were to ask only the first five (5) words of that question, not really, not really no. so hopefully you kind of get the kind of good fortune i did and happen to be reasonably close to the area anyway, so as to go and see them. and yes, one does have to google "glimmer twins" to get the map location. 

being fair would be to also present a closer look at the Keith Richards statue too, so here it is. the modern day revisionism is appalling, really. a much more better, authentic and realistic statue of Keith would, of course, feature him either having a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, or stuck in the head part at the end of the neck of his guitar. to this day i still have no idea why in America he gets called "Keith Richard", but going on how they drop the "u" from so many words it is little wonder they get spooked and scared of the odd "s", i suppose. 

not the first time i have expressed doubts about the point (or wisdom) of presenting some video of a thing identified as not really moving (much), but here we are. should you wish to watch about eight seconds of video of these statues, then the video you wish for is below. 

great stuff, i hope you agree. 

yes, i am somewhat intrigued by the lack of Ronnie Wood here. there are all sorts of reasons not to have an actual statue of him, but still. considering how much he celebrates his own art, does feel rather strange that they didn't get him to do the statues. actually, now that i think (as i wrote this), they may well have asked him, and in return got a massive statue of Ronnie Wood. just go and look at the (very expensive) paintings he does of the band; he always makes himself fractionally bigger than the rest of the group. artists privilege, i suppose.

finishing this off then is the image above, which is kind of the two (2) statues but very much without me there disturbing the view, 

actually, i do hope these statues do bring a lot of people to Dartford, so as to see them. it may well inspire some other towns and cities to erect (so to speak) similar for legends from their area. we, the wider group known as the British, may have got a fair few things wrong, but we do tend to get our rock and roll perfectly spot on full tilt correct. this should be celebrated far more. even if it is already celebrated a fair bit. 

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

just another rainbow

howdy pop pickers

yes, indeed i am aware that this is only getting published about a month after its release. i have just been a bit busy with other things, look you see, and besides, i very much doubt many (if any) are waiting for my comments prior to spending five (or so) minutes listening to this song. with this song being the semi quasi surprise first "proper" collaboration between Liam "Oasis" Gallagher and John "The Stone Roses" Squire, no less. 

so, two (2) music legends in general but Manchester in specific have, after a few months of speculation, gone and announced a joint venture. well, a few months of speculation and several years (actually, oddly, decades) of Liam idol worshipping John Squire (rightly). apparently a full blown album is on the way, but just not quite ready for release yet. in the interim, then, we got the first single from this rather quite class sounding collaboration, Just Another Rainbow. indeed i very nearly did sprain my wrist with the speed i got my wallet out to order it the moment it was announced. 

no, this is not the first venture for the two in the realm of vibes (music). other than the celebrated guest appearances Squire made with both Oasis and Liam on his own (both Knebworth, though), it was so that the debut (and only) album off of The Seahorses (an anagram of He Hates Roses) featured a song called Love Me And Leave Me, which is credited to both John Squire and Liam Gallagher. odd that Liam would write a song for another band before he wrote one for Oasis, but still. actually he probably very well did write a song for Oasis, but, hey, Noel. 

and is it any good? you have heard worse from both. indeed you have heard (considerably) better from both, too. oh. so it's kind of quite better than average, decent. singing wise Liam does that sort of softer voice what he does from time to time, like on that All You Are Dreaming Of (i think that is what it was called) semi-Christmas single he did a few years ago. for the business end of the music, as in the guitar parts, it starts off a bit psychedelic Waterfall, and then Squire gets two (or so) minutes in the middle of the song to do all that "blues traveller" kind of thing. you know, the type that went down ever so well with everyone on the Second Coming album. 

my favourite bit, and i intend not to be contrarian or obtuse or what have you, was unexpectedly the drums on it. right proper boss, they are, to be sure. but that is absolutely not to say the focus of attention here, being Liam and John, is to be left aside. just really thought it would be all showcasing them two, so splendid to hear an absolute bangin' drums on it. 

how has the reaction been across the board for it? most reviews have tended to use one word in particular, and that is "predictable". i suppose Just Another Rainbow sounds exactly as one would have imagined it to, but this is no bad thing. regardless of how private and quiet he may be, John Squire is not someone who will deny the fans what they want. the lifeblood of Liam is, of course, giving fans precisely (and exactly) what they crave, it's giving that which keeps elevating him higher and higher.

where two after this? according to snippets (or if you will, highlights) it seems of the ten tracks proposed for the album they have 8 (eight) what they are happy with, and some work to do, i take it, on the other two (2). there have been a few gentle comments about some gigs, but one needs to be mindful of Liam being full tilt committed to a fairly extensive tour celebrating 30 (!!) years of Definitely Maybe. not too sure how much of a rush i would be in to see the pair of them live, but we shall see how it goes as and when (if) they announce any gigs. 

understated is perhaps the best and most surprising one word way to describe Just Another Rainbow. considering just how many anthems these two have been involved in the creation of, songs that shall almost certainly (maybe) outlive us all, it's a bit unexpected that they didn't hit the accelerator and go full tilt with the debut release. still, let's see what the album holds. 

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

 

pointy pointed pointless

heya

despite what you may (or might) think from the title, with particular emphasis on the latter word, no. this is nothing (really) to do with that quiz show, look you see, or even the former Sonia backing dancer what became really, really famous off of the show. just another instance of a shiny thing drawing my attention and costing me coins. 

i was, recently, out and about. doing a bit of a wander around with rare free time that i, apparently, had no fixed idea on how to fill or what to do. whilst doing this a rather distinct, somewhat unusual and reasonably curious item in a shop window caught my eye. so to speak. as in not literally. 

as you can (probably) clearly see above, what with it being presented in the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode, a bullet shaped thing. no, not an actual bullet, it is a bit large for such. perhaps i should have included something for scale. also not a love bullet, for those thinking that way. nor is it, ostensibly, a key ring, but it does appear to function as one also. if you want it to. 

this is, as point of fact, one of them so-called "USB" memory sticks, or flash drives, or what have you. oh. i have, or had, no particular or incidental need for such, but it was on offer for £3, so i deemed it curious enough to purchase it on the spot. the (memory) size of it is 8GB. a size which, a decade or so ago, would have made it a quite large one (so to speak) but now i don't think they make them of such a small nature no more. don't know, really. 

for comparison, or to entertain (if you find this sort of thing entertaining), here it is next to a regular looking memory stick / flash drive what i bought at some random stage of 2023. which was, at the time of writing at least, last year. indeed the "regular" one is a 128GB drive, and cost somewhere south of £10, off of Tesco as i recall. mostly i bought it via the vagaries of the temptation of price. i had and have no real use for that one either, hence it remaining in packaging. quite nicely this (or that) pic shows where the connector is to shove into a PC (or whatever). a bit bulky and cumbersome to use on the design of some devices, in truth.

not entirely sure all that many people still use these drives, or sticks. it's all "uploading it to the cloud" or "streaming" now, isn't it? from what i recall the main use of these devices were to (ahem) borrow films and tele shows off of an internet via a computer or what have you, then put this stick in the tele, or dvd player, to watch them. i suppose now most just have devices plugged into their tele what streams, officially or otherwise, what they fancy directly. lament the dying art of physical piracy if you will. 

maybe some (a select few) of you may wish to see a bit of a "think piece" on how a bullet can be seen as a metaphor for a love letter, or vice versa. with vice versa likely being more better. over to you, then, Frank, with a severe warning that the below video is absolutely not for everyone. be careful with that play button, now. 

people like to do polls, or votes, on things. some of these are film related, with a few being on the subject of who is (or was) the greatest ever screen villain. routinely such are won by the likes of Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, Dracula, Blofeld out of James Bond or even that shark. i would have thought the answer, or result, would always be Frank Booth out of Blue Velvet. those who watch this film routinely cannot sleep properly for days or weeks after the fact, for when they close their eyes their minds conspire to torment and scare them with a wide eyed Frank Booth staring at them. or maybe that's just me. 

giving the matter some thought, i suppose Spiros uses these memory drive stick things a bit. you might think he does so to transport important legal documents, but no. i generally switch off when he starts saying these things, but from what i remember he often films instances in public restroom facilities when he makes short term but mutually beneficial friendships with men of a similar proclivity. he has, somehow, obtained several flash drives or memory sticks branded with corporate logos from financial institutions. every now and then he shall add the mutually beneficial part of a video he has taken on to one of these sticks, and then leave it in a taxi, or on the tube, or perhaps even (in one case in particular) on a plane. you would have to ask him why. 

owing to the shape and dimensions of this device there is little chance of me using it as an actual flash drive or memory stick. a smaller sized one, or even one of them "micro sd" things what one shoves into a (non-Apple, of course) phone would be more likely used. but, even then, i am not sure when i even last used a conventional shaped one. 

but, still, i suppose i do now own this one. or i am (at least) the present, incumbent custodian of it. maybe i shall just (ahem) borrow some films off of the internet what have "bullet" in the title, or things that sound a bit like that (yes, Steve McQueen), to store on here so as to make some form of statement. 

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

sssshhhhhhhh.........

well, hello

do you know, i am not entirely sure (so also not close to certain, look you see) that i have the correct spelling in place for the title of this. truly, it is so, both here and in my life outside, that spelling has come to be a sort of abstract, theoretical thing for me. yet i for some reason have concerns about presenting a proper way of wording that "ssssshhhhhhh" sound one makes when they are indicating something should not be spoken, or general kept quite quiet. 

anyway, here we are. be it that you are a regular reader of this or have just elected to click here, it may be so that you are aware of me having a David Bowie calendar up on the wall for the year this year (2024). a major motivation for this (other than it being who it is one of) was the picture (image) used for the month that is this month, at least at time of publication. which is february, for clarification. 

it thus felt appropriate, or apt (pick one), to display images of that month on the calendar as and when it arrived. which is of the day today, or now. my presumption or assumption is that via presenting in the form of the greater good and glory of Commodore 64 mode (and VHS below) all of this kindly neatly steps aside of any provenance concerns. not that i believe, or think, that them what made this particular calendar had much in the way of concern for rights, etc. could be wrong, but probably not. 

so far as i am aware (and i have not looked) this image of Bowie only really came out and into the eyes and mind of we, the general public, after his passing. i don't ever remember seeing it other than in the last five (5) or so years. which is apt, if you are aware of a certain song. this has, as i am fairly sure i mentioned (once or twice) before, a firm favourite one. not entirely sure why, probably just the whole unspoken side to it all. 

my suspicion, or instinct, is that no, i shall not be showcasing (or showing off) every single month as it is presented on this Bowie calendar. but, that said, there are also further really smart images, so perhaps one or two shall pop up. especially if i feel short of something to write. 

right, well, off and on i go to do other things of stuff. possibly upside down. kind of. 

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