Favourite foods

A warmish bright morning here so after seeing quite a response to last Fridays post and I got another Bartok recording to enjoy on headphones or stereo via my Fiio music player, I thought I'd get around to doing todays.

"There are men, lots of men, lots of Gingerbread men" as Syd Barratt, the person who did so much to launch the rock group, Pink Floyd, in 1967 said in his very child-like composition Bike for their first album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn"
No doubt those things from his childhood played a big part in his choice of imagery for much of that album and his solo work.
Anyway I just love Gingerbread men (was there ever Gingerbread women?) and I'm about to nom one with my tea!

Classical music round up 2015

Another bright sunny day so why not get this post written so I can chill a bit later on as after that rotten migraine I need the rest.
Anyway as several of you know I have had a long liking for what is termed Classical music  stemming from actual childhood having had my own meagre record collection from around the age of 8 of my favourite pieces.
Over the years I've added recordings to them, changed formats  as the years have seen the availability of and advent of recordings new media has changed and I've written a bit in the past on the blog about them.
The music of Ravel was one of the first composers I encountered and recently this recording by the distinguished American conductor  Leonard Slatkin, whose career I've followed over the years. The playing by the French orchestra is superb and I can see this and  it's second volume that I also purchased gaining a few awards at the years end.

Bela Bartok's Concerto is a fine example of twentieth century classical music, indeed many have said it has some of the boldness associated with American composers that period so it's fitting this is performed by an an American orchestra and a remarkable female American conductor Marin Alsop who has conducted in many countries including the 2013 Last Night of the Proms in England.

How many of us just loved watching Disney's Fantasia and can remember that series with Mickey Mouse getting in trouble as the Sorcerer's Apprentice?
 
Well that was written by by France's Dukas and is featured in this excellent modern recording that has plenty of character.

 Finally and fittingly back to Catgut Music (tm) and a violinist I first encountered way way back in 1992 in a program of french Sonatas for violin and piano.

One thing technically all these recordings I purchased have in common is that although they are available on regular cd, I bought these as better than cd quality 'High Definition'  24 bit downloads which can be played on a computer.
I play them using my Fiio x3 digital audio players line output through my hifi system as well as on headphones where the smoothness and lack of the low level artifacts that even the best cds have is noticeable.

Hair today!

Well I could be so easily feel better suffering  pretty much with a severe migraine and Rest is best but Marmalade's pinched my bed space so no chances of that! He's such a cheeky scoundrel.

View image | gettyimages.com

Apart from loving the plaid zip up dress she's wearing, I've always had a soft spot for doing things with hair as in like braiding and I'd of loved mine to have been put in pig tails like this although I like traditional ribbons with bows more.
As for why she's facing that wall, perhaps it is she's said or done something that doesn't quite warrant anything else other having to stand in the corner for a period to think about it.
Few of us were perfect as children and not a few of us can and do get things wrong even now.

Frozen colouring

On a bright sunny not as warm as it was yesterday morning I went in to town, which is almost a history trip in  itself in our district and ventured into the local branch of McColls, the newsstore group in Cheshire passing the weekly outdoor market with the fashion and fruit stores with the store holders engaged in sales patter.

Well with some of my up and down emotions of late I felt the need  to have something to do  that would be enjoyable so I picked up this  Frozen colouring book I could work through armed with my stack of coloured pencils.
I so need this.

Random Monday round up

Phew that's the weekend  gone not that after a day or or of so-so weather the sun hasn't gone as while I'm typing this it is actually shining as I sip my tea.

Did I tell anybody I have this Katie Kitty Jellybean plushie comforter? 
I think she's awful cute in that dress and easy to keep by me when I need to hug something badly and is easy to take with me.
I thing I've learnt lately is that need is very real in me.

I spent part of the day putting some music, the ahem *lost* music from the dead laptop, on to a card for my music player and part of that involved altering the order of the songs as my US cd of one title  goes in the wrong order to the UK original album by altering the data a player uses to know what tracks play next. Perhaps I should of been employed as a studio engineer?

One of thoughts on my mind has been why it is sometimes someone you just get to know a bit about just completely disappears from a site leaving you feeling half a conversation is missing and critically all your interactions with them just gone completely without any real warning.
I don't feel comfortable at all with the idea of copying peoples posts and private messages so it's rare I do and I like to get peoples permission first for anything other than my own but it just feels so awkward staring where they were and not seeing them anymore.  Like they never existed particularly when the person concerned made a big impression on me.

Lucy's trip out

Just sat on the floor typing up this bit of an account of Lucy trip out in the brilliant sunshine that we don't always get in April here in the Midlands.
Lucy, that adorable 14" doll and I went to visit a couple of close friends earlier on this week after receiving an invite the week before.
For us journeys always start with two bus rides, one from our estate to the nearest town with a direct bus to the rail station where we catch the train to meet with one of friends which is one the main interchanges in the UK. The bus ride in was fairly straightforward with no traffic hold ups and although the station was very busy, our train was on time in its distinctive London Midland livery.
We made our way into the disabled area of the train as one of us is very much disabled requiring space and ease of access to the doors and after two stops we arrived ready to be escorted to Andi's.
The weather that day was really warm and bright, being more like summer as we walked from the rail station through a shopping mall to the parking lot near the towns busy outdoor market.
There are numerous ways of getting to it but this time we went through Sedgley which is somewhere I really could live happily and Tipton with it's modern  leisure centre before arriving.

Tipton Canal: South Staffordshire has some great sights if you know where to look. Honestly!

Having arrived and taken my coat off (!) -I do feel in hindsight I could of done not bringing it with me - There we were in the front room with Lucy in her purple dress with pink bow and I in my black tunic, white blouse, grey socks and red and white striped tie that I had managed to fasten all by myself.
We talked about many things between trying to fix some computer problems (isn't Windows wonderful?) plus some things which were related to those recent events that had hurt a number of us and while I will not disclose the contents, I found what we were able to share to be of great benefit as was being able to give openly vent to my own feelings and part of why this had upset me emotionally so much.
It was a conversation that needed to happen so that that it did while in very much  little mode hugging my dolly made perfect sense.
Between things Evening meal was being prepared by hand and we had roast chicken, carrots, green peas and beans, potatoes and gravy made with stock, which I think is better than just using a cube and boiling water.
As I mentioned ahem 'elsewhere' I wasn't sure if I'd be in chat as usual as I generally don't take computer stuff with me but I and the others were are tied in to Andi's superfast broadband which is even faster than mine. Good job Susan wasn't there otherwise the 'Grrs' would of been out I'm sure!
I had the netbook with me running off the battery that I had fully charged overnight which would be just long enough for that. Because of my ahem problems with computer usage, it was left well away from me overnight too.
Part way through chat, our home made Apple crumble using brown sugar and butter had cooked so we sat eating it with Elmlea cream with me impersonating a cat licking it to the mirth of everyone online. Sorry DeeDee, we ate it all so none left to mail to you!!!
Much Elderberry press was consumed and even Miss Lucy had  some .
I went to bed after one person had left having said ones goodbyes in my fleecy pj's getting a good nights sleep in free from the usually disturbances of Grumpy at home overnight and woke up about 7:30 to have a wash and dress myself this time with a green long sleeved cotton t shirt on under the dress before going downstairs checking FA and GT before the battery said 7% and I was forced to stop.
After chatting for a bit over a cup of tea we had a cooked breakfast of fried sausage, egg, bacon and fried bread which was a bit a treat as Mommy does most things in the oven but it's just not the same(!) before it was time to go.
Do you know you can't trust Sat Nav's? Well this one came up with a route out of town that was supposed to have been quicker but wasn't and hardly direct either but as we we learning about it's limitations then we sure learned that. Sometimes local knowledge is better!
Anyway we arrived back at the rail station with 6 minutes before my train was due in so after mooch hugs Lucy and I departed back to our part of the North-west Midlands.

We'd like to thank the Head Girl of GHS for her company and giving us a much appreciated lift and Andi for the amazingly tasty home made food, great company and internet.

Easter Monday

On the nom here as you'd kind of expect for an Easter Monday having finished one set of my chores off for today, breaking into an egg with aid of a knife. Before now I've just bashed my way into it with a spoon but I felt like, you know, being a bit neater.
I'm feeling better in myself compared to the last ten days or so where I've struggled to feel like logging into certain sites we know and taking part in much of the activity never mind chat so I'd like to thank everyone not least LKM for trying to support me through this period as events have hit harder and deeper than perhaps might of been expected.
I'm just getting a few things together ready to visit a couple of friends tomorrow between finishing off tasks for a few days having been tearing my hair out yesterday when I mislaid a card only to find it between two Wellington boots!
It's crazy ol' World, eh?

Easter 2015 edition

It's that weekend coming up folks.
The season of the nom'ing of chocolate, that is although there is a very important spiritual side to Easter some of us hold to as well.

So I have an Egg to get through over this period which will be appreciated and a few Easter cards with chicks on them that is taking on more of symbolism with me presently for reasons I've touched on in the last few posts.
Let's enjoy Easter and help each other move on.
P.s Thanks to Inga  for following this blog.