Watching the race for the leadership, you couldn’t really be less than impressed by the Labour party’s ability to make something ostensibly so straightforward a little bit of a mess. But, even allowing for the accusations of ‘infiltration’ in registrations – from the left if anti-Corbyn and from the right if, let me see, anti-Corbyn, the margin of the man’s victory is still astounding.
Category Group: Main site
This is for the main site, not the R&B section
Last Minute Sunderland trip – August Bank Holiday
A flying visit to Sunderland for Denise on Bank Holiday weekend, to be at the official opening of the new Keel Square and the Propeller monument structure. Inspired by Sunderland’s shipbuilding and industrial heritage, the maritime-themed art feature is set to be a new focal point for the city and will host a number of events in the future. The Propellers of the City sculpture …
Sunderland Sojourn – August 2015
Just back from a short trip back to the North East, combining a three day stay with Scott and Ginnette and a three night break in Durham. Astonishingly, blessed with reasonable weather throughout. Never needed a coat, unheard of in this part of the country (unless you’re a Newcastle supporter of course)!
Paul Carrack – 24th July 2015
A rare Friday night foray out into the metropolis that is Bury St. Edmunds to see Paul Carrack at the Apex. Mucky weather but suitably sustained with pre gig food and drink we settled down for what we hoped would be an excellent evening.
Maverick Festival 2015
Spent yesterday on our annual pilgrimage to the Maverick festival at Easton Farm Park. This is a Friday evening to Sunday mid afternoon celebration of Americana although, as has become the norm, we decided to only go for the full Saturday line-up (after promising yet again we would go for the full three days).
Puglia, Italy
Just back from a lovely week touring the Puglia region of Italy. Although this was an escorted coach tour and there were around fifty on the trip, it proved to be a reasonably relaxed affair. Normally, this type of travel would not be a preferred option for an old grump like me!
B.B. King RIP
I rgemember I bought my first B.B. King LP (yes it was vinyl) in around 1974 or so. It was called “Lucille Talks Back” and was probably some kind of hybrid UK release, as I’ve never seen it on any official discography. The LP singlehandedly generated my life long love of the blues.
Otis Grand at the Apex
Caught Otis Grand and band at the Apex in Bury St. Edmunds last night. Worried that at 7.25pm he was going to be playing to a largely empty hall, but then within the next five minutes it was virtually full – Apex regulars know how to time their pre-gig drinks!
Private Gallery: Japan
Private Gallery | 2014-2016 | Japan (April 2015)
Continuing Care – Part 2
When we got back from Japan, we had a letter waiting for us outlining the result of the Independent Review Panel that we attended in Leeds back in March. I may have remarked at the time that it had taken over two years and a lot of hard work (and much detailed analysis from Denise) and frustration to get to the IRP and challenge the Clinical Commissioning Group’s decision that my mother did not have a primary health need.
Japan In A Hurry (April 2015)
Not long returned from a two week tour of Japan (or the main Honshu island at least). This was a trip we had been promising ourselves for a while, and decided that a tour was on balance probably the best way to get a sense of Japan in the time we had available. On reflection, we both agreed that the ratio of travelling to ‘experiencing’ was a little off kilter and might be improved by extending the length of the tour, but more on that later.
Picture of Doreen Gray – Wolsey Theatre
Yesterday, went to see the latest production from Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding – known collectively as Lip Service. This year’s offering takes its cue from Oscar Wilde’s A Picture of Dorian Gray. All the usual Lip Service trademarks are present and correct – the minimalist set is the butt of many of the jokes, the ageist humour is in full flow and the facial mugging and …