Christmas Day edition

In recent years we've had a as it happens Christmas Day post but with events that wasn't going to happen not least as my spoons were on the low side so I needed more rest and less chromebook time.

One thing that's been a staple although much has happened from the over fifty years since I first started having it is the years  Beano Annual, today with newer characters such as Rubi matching our changed world but where they are with those we fondly recall still as old as they were back then.
 

 Providing in someways at least more of a connection with the past has been the Classic Beano and Dandy gift book that features themed reprints from the decades, often in better quality than those early colour editions on newsprint could offer.

 

Christmas albums by popular artists to be honest are more of an American thing and tend to be limited because of the specifically christmas nature of the material but this one does reveal much of the Beach Boys harmonies and in a year that saw the loss of Brian Wilson, in many ways the guru of the group, is a fitting tribute to what they contributed.

This lp has the original mono mix he envisioned and isn't otherwise readily available. 

Linking to that theme of past Christmas's Novembers two cd set "Wings", a highly comprehensive summary of Paul McCartney's bands work from 1971 through 1979 but not strictly speaking definitive has many hits singles I loved as a child and appropriately Mull Of Kintyre, the Xmas 1977 mega chart topping  single that is like The Snowman, a CatMas staple here
 

There were Jellybabies, chocolate and money to put towards other things I love in the New Year

The CatMas Pause

 We're almost there, I think, having just posted one card, seen this years Christmas Blue Peter on the tv and finished the list for Christmas shopping today so with folks coming and me going places it's time to pause this blog until sometime next week.

 

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2026

Preparations

 

We're getting there however slowly and whatever complications seem to com to try you just as you thought you had everything planned but my tree a miniature  tree is up with its decorations and lights have been put across the window facing the road.

Nothing fancy like some today but at least it looks a bit more like CatMas given the last couple of years were very sparse.

It's not that you expect and in our case had a lot although we used to put up streamers and there are a few hooks in the ceiling still where some decorations would be fixed pointing downwards.

It's really more if you'd of walked in you wouldn't of known although I suspect a part of it lies in the Grump never being that much into CatMas, even one year wanting to get rid of all the decorations which is why I did wish to see something more like it this year.

Yes you can go crazy on all that stuff and miss the meaning of CatMas but it all started from a sign that took us through the story that lies at the heart of it.

Advent is here

The slow wind to CatMas begins even if this weekend is a cold and very soggy one having been out when this was typed up with the gas fire fully burning.

The extra CatMas cards were got on Friday from Sue Ryder a chain of disability connected charity shops while going into Morrisons for a few things so all we need to do is find a few stretches of time to write them before posting or paw delivering given how much First Class mail is these day although I'd sooner us them thank the likes of Evri fur stuff. 

We did get an Advent Calendar, to count down the coming of CatMas this year going all teddy rather than celebratory characters from Tv shows and that and I might add the chocolate tastes very tasty too.

I've pre-ordered the concluding recording a series of Brahms symphonies for New Year as a 24 bit high resolution download for the Windows toplap and its external digital gubbins and me Fiio M21 portable player with 1tb micro sd card. 

Exit the X1

 Getting a bit close to Christmas here and I'll work out the blog publishing and forum arrangements for that shortly if we can avoid being run out of time and we do have a Thanksgiving present although it wasn't originally planned to be.

Around twenty fifteen and sixteen I thought had this digital audio player business sorted, I had been using mainly my portable minidisc recorder for run of the mill portable music  having established several hundred discs most recorded on various home recorders but in twenty sixteen the last home recorder died and let's say the ergonomics of my two thousand and four Sony Hi-MD portable were frankly ghastly.

Around that time better quality downloads became available and I'd bought the dbPoweramp cd ripping program to make quick work of making them into files for the digital audio players to play.

That had resulted in a lot of cards which being tiny you wouldn't want to be changing on the bus - they'd fly out to anywhere you couldn't find in seconds - so I bought a budget Fii0 X1 but recently the scrolling jog wheel started acting up so i wanted an inexpensive replacement.
 

That was where the Surfans F20 came in being roughly the same price as the X1 was a decade or so earlier.

 

 It borrows a lot from those earlier Fii0 X1, X3 and X5 players in using a rotary encoder made by Alps and a centre okay/pause button to navigate menus and can be stepped through categories like Albums (which is what I prefer), songs, files and so on.

Where it scores is you can use upto 256 gb micro sd card where the X1 was limited to 128gb and the 5,800 odd songs limit for indexing doesn't apply. Like the X1 it lacks a digital output but then for around £100 you can't expect absolutely everything and you do have a fixed line out output for active speakers or your hifi.

In use it's more like a modern X1, easy enough to navigate to your albums, can be set to play gapless which is a must making a great replacement.

It drives my BayerDynamic DT 770 32ohm X's well. 

And our contribution is...

As I thaw out this Saturday after being out to get a few things as much as I generally don't go with this idea of trumpeting oneself at every opportunity, always ensuring that you are seen and photographed it's sometimes worth asking yourself "What is my contribution to Society"

That's a much deeper thing than saying what do I do in the workplace or at college when you look at more around particular skills you offer or within the structure that say may result in providing something as important as that can be.

It's often things outside of the day job, the support you provide to people who may just encounter waiting for the bus, people you might encounter either in a setting like a club or church group or talking to people down the shopping aisles.

That's while in customer facing roles I'd normally go beyond the immediate job requirements talking about everyday things as much as dealing with inquiries or services we offer and be prepared to "signpost" places or people who might be able to help if that's what they may wish.

We can but try to be the best we can for all of us.

Back to what's needed

The weekend was a bit wild with storms late Friday and into Saturday, some odd Tm conversations regarding delayed items so really it felt like a time for a rest really around just what it is that beyond the most essential things I need and maybe you do to.

It isn't easy to get things, stuff just seems to land on you put it's worth it.

Halloween Party 2025

It's taken a week to get around to doing this but there were other things going on but last weekend I was away to our Halloween Party in the Midlands which for me started the evening before with a train journey and a shared cab from the railway station before arriving at our venue and changing into something more comfortable.

After reintroductions and a few introduction as we had some new faces, we had a meal which for me was a small fish and chips, not a bad thing for me as I'm watching what I eat a little more these days.

We did have some "Trick or Treaters" in colourful costumes call too which was interesting .

After chatting for a bit it was soon time for bed and the next morning where the event proper was to run. 

Across the morning more attendees arrived at various times as some had considerable distances to travel while some near locals had the area's traffic to contend with but soon enough everybody who was meant to be there was so we had burgers and hot drinks.

 The first event was a Halloween based  treasure hunt where you had to find ghosts, pumpkins and things cut out and hidden within the grounds  with special prizes for those who found the both the most and the specially marked one.

I might only of found two but it was fun to just run around looking for them. 

There was a quiz based on decades starting with years with 5's of which if you looked around the venue you'd of found clues such as these kit catalogues, computer guides and yes a 1998 Tandy Christmas gift catalogue whose stores sadly we no longer have.

It was based partly on general knowledge and part on music but as I was having "spoons" issues I needed to miss it.

I mean when you're making several attempts to involuntarily fall from a chair you really do need to rest a bit.
 

Are you feeling sufficiently spooky?
 

We did have a bonfire with fireworks ably provided by Andi and lit by Miss Green and Mr Paul which worked very well with hardly a "dud" as we ooh'd and ahh'd until we got through them waving our sparklers in the air.

We had a buffet with various cold things like pastries, salad and chicken and pizza's and a enjoyable trifle.

A few left in the late evening as the rest of us slept.

Sunday morning was the great rest as some clearly needed it although I'm a early riser pawing up the stairs whose most were sleeping.

A good number of us had an enjoyable meal together at a local pub before making our goodbyes and in my instance being given a lift tot the train station back home with only short delay due to "events" on the network.

Thanks to Miss Green for hospitality and organizing the event and everyone for making it a super time spent together.

Meet the M21

Around 2010 via a number of no longer with us download sites apart from Amazon, music in the form of digital audio files arrived not that "audiophiles" really cared for it given many were still unhappy with the root of them, the Compact Disc and back then pretty any and all downloads were "lossy" Mp3's or Apples Aac's designed to take over from dodgy sites.

I bought a Sansa Clip+ to play some on while travelling on the bus although you had to swap files out due the limited memory.

To be fair they did sound a bit better for having higher bit rates as some  of those other sites were chasing getting the most files on the limited  memory capacity back then but in time software came available to make as a good as cd copies of them and more sites offered cd quality downloads.

Then around the fall of 2014 and into 2015 the so-called High Definition download arrived that could sound better than cd and more like the Super Audio cd without having to upgrade both the player and disc catalogue so I had a Fiio X3 MkI and later on a X3 Mk II which added a jogging wheel to scroll with and the cheap but great for the money X1 that took a few less necessary functions off but offered much of that units performance.

Given my dexterity issues Smartphones were unusable I bypassed the listening on the phone stage of the late 2010's and 2020's.

I do buy HD downloads and have them backed up because I find a good many especially classical ones do sound better than cd on good equipment and as they take up more space per album the 128gb limit of those earlier Fiio's was getting restrictive.

I needed a good player that could use the now more available and cheaper high capacity cards of anything from 256gb to 1 tb (seriously bigger than my Windows computers own memory and recently the M21 has dropped in price making a great replacement for my player loaded with Classical music  and has 64gb of it's own memory.

That's now in the system with the messed up FX1221 making it's way to scrap having a host of issues.

End of month round up

 

It's nearly the end of the month here at Kitty Towers, right of Malory, so the first thing to say is there will be no scheduled post next Monday as I'll be away for an extended weekend and there's just no way a post will be done for Monday morning on top of everything else that needs doing upon return.

The worst of this bug appears to be going away at long long last as apart from being very unpleasant it was rather getting me down to be honest. 

We have made some super progress reloading missing audio files although where they and at least one player has gone I have little idea in the all over place period around 2023, early 2024 as I had found a bunch taken from cds on a Hard Drive (there's something to be said for back ups) and that a good number of bought titles mainly High Definition 24 bit ones were still able to be downloaded from 7Digital where I'd got them from.

The only ones that weren't were some Electric Light Orchestra ones but I had back them up eons ago tthank goodness together with the earliest David Bowie ones up to and including 1973's Pin Ups, his cover album of mid 60's songs  that came out at the same times as the first era themed box set of his albums, b sides and live sets came out.

There's three Rush titles that need adding at some point and we are almost there.

The next step would be replace a couple of players as one has a duff battery so needs to be used off an mains unit and a over active jog wheel for searching and there's a need for one for the Classical albums.

Recovery and getting along

 

Well what's going on here this week?

I've been going through a small number of records bought, cleaned and playing postponed until I'm better and seeing it's blowing a lot here it's been opportunity to play them before final filing  which helps - M for mess doesn't work.

Other things stem more from what I'd call websites that are still are kind of active in ways one is anything but and really relate to where the balance between individual rights and that of the wider community come into play given much of what we love to do.

These things may include things like short dresses or skirts that are likely under normal conditions to expose underwear which may give a thrill to the owner but likely to offend  others who after all haven't been invited to any such event.

Much the same may go for those who enjoy on  being edge of "needing to go" - while accidents can happen when it's more deliberate really the public at large don't wish to see obviously damp attire or chairs as in outdoor cafés.

Those who have continence issues normally take precautions to avoid the embarrassment as all they want to do is going and enjoy themselves.

Sometimes we have to understand there are places all and in which we don't put our quirks in other folks faces. 

Removing the unwanted

 

We are still recovering here, dealing with only the most necessary first, fighting negative mental thoughts and images along the way.

A few things will be dealt with  in due course such as some remarks on Extra in a series I am buying although it's not in my preferred format and newer legwear given my liking for short skirts even in the fall.

The main thing is a bit more work removing duplicates that happen not because I've had a memory failure buying the same things twice although we've all done that once but more because I compare editions of cds and records looking for the best sounding and in best condition if used ones.

It can take a couple of attempts, sometimes more to get a copy I'm really happy with being at times frustrated at both how some treat their records and cds and just how bad some people are at grading even visually.

It can produce bundles that do take space, space that as we get to CatMas will be needed for new things so they're going Tuesday and the odd clothing item that just didn't work out but is in great shape. 

1,250 post and a show girl

Well this week is officially the 1,250th post on this blog that goes back to time of early social media that made making connections easier, finding out about websites with fairly specific focusing when it came to what they were about  

Today such sites seem endangered - will there be an endangered sites listing  like we have with buildings? - but music was a focus of one and music is an interest of mine going right back to childhood.

This week (technically Friday) saw the release of the 12th Taylor Swift album from her 2006 debut that almost dates this blog really where country music is a given although she's embraced synth pop, hip hop beats, folk and more indie territory with here last release Tortured Poets Society.

It's a bit early to give definitive thoughts as it usually takes several plays before things really settle with me but overall I'd give it a solid 4/5, a little less deep lyrically than the last but having more infectious pop sensibilities and melody, nearer 1989 than subsequent albums.

The main inspiration seems to be a reflection on her life, specifically her career in music that shows in both titles and subject matter.

The opener, The Fate of Ophelia is a personal favourite. 

Testing the system

 With other sad news from within the group in this Saturday afternoon that I may comment on later on in the week when I've crystalized my thoughts, thoughts this weekend were more with setting up the hifi, something I've had to get my head around from my mid teens when I first had separates albeit hand me downs and quality used equipment.

Thins like the Tuner are easy to check, it either gets stations clearly sounding good or it doesn't but things like tape decks and record decks normally need a bit more work and often have specific resources you use with it to check and reset matters.

This is what is called a Test Disc which is basically a record with tests to check the arm is set up correctly, speed is spot on, the left channel really is coming from the left and so on.

They are still available new, a sign of the interest in good vinyl reproduction that some expected to go the way of the Dodo by the end of the 1990's but this is one from 1979 from the magazine HiFi For Pleasure  that I used to read and made for them by PYE Records to their specification.

It's very similar to what I had then and recently I came by a used copy which is useful as the instructions are easy to understand so I used to check and reset my turntable with this weekend.

Now what we need is brand new Cassette Test Tape!
 

The thing that never stopped

A rather damp weekend with not that much on the TV here so I might just put the radio on and listen to a bit of music after a few rough days emotionally when everything has seemed up and down and even the night doesn't bring rest.

 I can remember a point when just nothing seemed to work whatever you had socially just stopped working, nothing was being shared, nothing was offered and you just felt totally isolated from everything you'd know for the period before.

You could ask as much as you like but you never got to the bottom of what this game was really all about, what it was you did wrong or even if you had and it just continued until the lead people just lost the influence they had and others slowly got back to being themselves resuming contact. 

By that point you'd lost trust expecting repeat shows the minute you didn't quite make some group or others grade and it never really stopped.

I'd like to think cycles could be broken but these days I just find it hard to believe. 

Tuning out

 Seeing the news is very meh....

Well we were going to have a long blog entry but on the day in question when I was typing this, I had a couple of blackouts so really aren't up to a lot apart from resting so I did play this that arrived in a bumper consignment of recordings and watch the last night of the proms in the evening.

Surprisingly one two in the six discs released in this installment of the English classical music label Hyperion's vinyl edition that are albums released in the last three years in cd before a vinyl edition was prepared this is a 2025 issue featuring the Nash Ensemble performing four pieces by the french impressionist composer Debussy featuring cello and violin.

The playing is superb, the recordings when issued on cd won great praise, and technically they have a much fuller sound than those whose recollection of classical music on vinyl might of expected with hardly a rustle or click.

I felt for just £21 that was well worth it for some 54 minutes of fine playing.
 

The shape of television to come

 

Things always change.

To the person born in the early nineteen fifties, the big entertainment in the home was the radio which may of been a music program, news and current affairs, weekly drama shows or sports and people would gathered by it listening intently.

By the end of that decade, with the second Commercial channel, Associated Rediffusion, for those here in the Midlands on channel 8, tv had made a grand entrance, taking a prime spot in the living room, pushing the radio to one side.

Probably why can be answered in that sets became cheaper and Commercial television provided more the shows people wanted to watch, quizzes, entertainment shows and drama for children where the BBC still felt it was in order to give viewers what it thought was good for them.

For a long time while we gained things like colour television, the information system, Teletext, stereo sound and wide screen pictures things stayed the same even as satellite television and digital services came in giving us more channels, potentially better pictures and even catch up channels.

Today it seems we are at a crossroads in how both consume television and on what as more people choose individual programs through streaming services  and watching on tablets or the ever present smart phone and yet some are unable to get good mobile or fibre broadband services which makes the suggestion by some in broadcasting that one can just "switch off" television by antenna or a satellite dish one that would impact more remote parts of the UK and the least well off.

Access to news and current affairs, sports and at least some everyday tv shows is part and parcel of the shared culture of us all so to lose that would bring social costs and yet there is no clear vision by broadcasters on the way forward, how gaps in internet services can be reduced and what replaces satellite given many operators don't just wish to lose the costs of sending signals up to satellites but also the infrastructure costs of a network of tv transmitters for reception via your antenna.

Perhaps a report set by Parliament to examine this question making recommendations and a binding agreement by the stakeholders  is what is needed because owners of facilities such as satellite services need to know now so they can commission the next generation of satellites which typically takes some four years ready for 2029/30.

Updating the nows - Now Yearbook 1976

We are back on road, rolling back the years with the Now Yearbook so after a gap as I didn't bother with the 1997 edition we pick up from the 1977 Volume and jump back in 1976 the year of the IMF bail out and the great Summer Heatwave.

Back then we'd be sat around the record player or Hifi feeding discs as that was the dominant recorded music format then with our besties talking and singing along which is a good a reason to get the record version (it's on a four cd version) as that just takes us right back.

Basically we get a selection from the cd version with the only moan from me about where Love Me Like I Love You is, a top 5 Rollers hit it delivers on lime green vinyl.

 Record One kicks off in magnificent style with signature songs from legendary artists: A number 2 in 1976, Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’ is first up, followed by Electric Light Orchestra with ‘Livin’ Thing’, Fleetwood Mac with ‘Say You Love Me from Rumours’, and 10cc with ‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’. Dr. Hook had a huge hit with ‘A Little Bit More’, and Chicago chart topping number1 with their all-time classic ballad ‘If You Leave Me Now’, while the side closes with Eric Carmen’s enduringly popular ‘All By Myself’. 

Flipping over to Side Two we have huge hits from the year – including 4 number1s: 14 years after making their UK chart debut, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons enjoyed their first chart-topper with ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night) following on from their 1975 resurgence’, while Leo Sayer reached number 2 in the UK, and had a number1 in the US with ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. 

Pop gems follow from David Dundas, Bryan Ferry, Sailor, Smokie – and Slik, featuring a pre-Ultravox Midge Ure reached the top with ‘Forever And Ever’ produced by the same team that had hits with the Bay City Rollers. 

Showaddywaddy celebrated their biggest hit and their first number 1 with ‘Under The Moon Of Love’keeping us entertained that christmas, and the UK won at Eurovision, with the winner ‘Save Your Kisses For Me’ by Brotherhood Of Man not only topping the chart but also becoming 1976’s biggest seller and bringing the first LP to a close.
 

Record Two opens with a stellar run of pure-pop classics. Elton John celebrated his first UK number1 single, in a duet with Kiki Dee on ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, and Cliff Richard with ‘Devil Woman’, Tina Charles debuted with ‘I Love To Love’ and The Real Thing with ‘You To Me Are Everything’. 

More pop nuggets follow from Billy Ocean and Dana, before the side finishes with R&J Stone with ‘We Do It’ and the evergreen ‘Midnight Train To Georgia’ from Gladys Knight & The Pips.

 Side Two opens with ‘Silly Love Songs’ gave Wings a UK number 2 and became ‘76’s biggest seller in the US and opens a run of great vocalists; Neil Diamond, Daryl Hall & John Oates with ‘She’s Gone’, Paul Simon’s ’50 Ways To Leave Your Lover’ and a trio of the year’s classic rock smashes: ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ from Thin Lizzy, ‘Squeeze Box’ from The Who, and closing with the epic ‘Music’ from John Miles.
 

Record Three celebrates ‘76’s dancefloor scene with a stunning collection of disco and soul gold: First up, Donna Summer with her debut smash ‘Love To Love You Baby’ before ‘More More More’ from Andrea True Connection and Candi Staton’s timeless ‘Young Hearts Run Free’. Melba Moore with ‘This Is It’ comes ahead of Diana Ross with the genre-defining ‘Love Hangover’, and the side is completed with huge floor-fillers from Tavares and Barry White ahead of The Isley Brothers with the soul standard ‘Harvest For The World’.

 On Side Two country music is represented with Dolly Parton making her UK singles chart debut with ‘Jolene’ three years after it was a hit in the US, but it was a Dutch band, Pussycat, who hit the top with their country-pop track ‘Mississippi’. Bonnie Tyler made her chart debut with ‘Lost In France’, and ‘Forever And Ever’ gave Demis Roussos a ’76 chart topper, and an easy-listening classic, whilst Guys N Dolls had a second Top 5 hit with their cover of ‘You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me’. The LP ends with a trio of the year’s most beautiful ballads: Gallagher And Lyle with ‘Heart On My Sleeve’, ‘Love And Affection’ the stunning singles chart debut for Joan Armatrading, and finishing with a second peerless single on this collection from Elton John with ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’.

This is an enjoyable rump through 1976 in music even if for licensing reasons we have no Abba or David Bowie present. 

Raves From The Grave redux

We're going backwards here looking at a post made in December 2010 while it is bank holiday and my thoughts are on the return to School Days next month.

Back then I started to work through from tapes I had finding songs I'd not bought on record and cd and at that time I started to download albums and tracks  so I downloaded a group of tracks from around 1983-4 that were mainly American hits so not compiled over here.

By then I'd got this group of tracks  number had been transferred to various Mp3 players over the years  but when the old computer died, it took some of these.

Billy Satellite: Satisfy Me Aug 84
Ratt: Round and Round July 84
Night Ranger Sister Christian June 84
Dwight Twilly Band: Girls April 84
Twisted Sister: We're Not Gonna take It '83)
Twisted Sister: I Am (I'm Me) (UK April 83)
Twisted Sister: I Wanna Rock (84)
Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry (84)
Twisted Sister: Leader Of The Pack
Twisted Sister: Come Out and Play

Recently though while I've lost my original iTunes and Amazon accounts I used then, I had found my 7Digital one where some were still available.

I decided to download a Twister Sister compilation that added a few more favourites, I'd got the Tell It Like It Is Ratt compilation on cd since given I had liked Night Ranger got their Midnight  Madness and  Seven Wishes from 1984 and 5 resepectively.

I also added Billy Satellites debut, Peter Schillings Error In The System  and John Waite's No Breaks  albums which were all hits with me back then.

 

Moving more into the decade that started after 2010 had finished I was missing the two published albums by the American country pop group The Band Perry from 2010 with the above which was their debut plus Promise, their 2013 follow up.

 

Original they had been Aac downloads from Apples iTunes Stores and lost in time but I was able to track down the original cds and using the dbPoweramp software make copies for the computer and Fiio music player.

 This album a compilation from 2001 that had David Sylvian, Japan and Rain Tree Crow tracks still existed but only in an early mushy Mp3 so I got the full cd quality Flac album version to replace it with as I do now have a reissue lp of it so having a physical copy is as the English say, sorted.

Fleetwood Mac "Self Titled"

 Like a lot of people of my era the radio featured a lot in our lives being the preeminent way of hearing new music in a world with very limited music on tv and no internet.

Sometimes you might write down a list of likes, in the past you may of taped the odd song off the radio or a friends record or borrowed the tape from the library.

I was never a Fleetwood Mac fan in my earliest days although I knew people who were so it wasn't until we were well into the cd era that I bought this, the first "California" era Fleetwood Mac album issued in 1975 when I was screaming my head off for the Rollers! 

It was responsible for the four singles Warm Ways, Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win), Over My Head and Say You Love Me (Edited) that were popular on album based radio, hardly Radio One playlist material.

I had a decent cd of this but no record so this recent Rhino High Fidelity release was welcome not least for being cut for the very first time in over forty years from the actual master tape rather than a copy. No cd has been transferred from it either.

It has deep, clean, tight bass that shows Mike Fleetwood's bass drum kit well and clear mids bringing out the vocals clearly without sounding screechy.

This can join my copies of Rumours and Tango In The Night on vinyl while the bulk of my collection of Fleetwood remains on cd or sacd. 

Warmer sounds

 

We may be heading into another heatwave this week so layers may end up being off and sleep might happen downstairs as hot air rises (and how in this house) so I've got most things done in advance which has taken a bit out of me but less than the attempt to do same during that heatwave.

I've checked up on the record racks to ensure things are more upright rather than snaking with bulges to avoid major warping issues.

There's been a few new record arrive in the last few weeks, mainly classical and one came a few days ago. 

 Issued originally in 1976, this was an early classical lp I did have but it runs for just under an hour which is a lot to get on a single lp so it didn't sound as good as it could.

Recently though the original four channel tape was found and that has been used, remixed on the fly  cut directly to vinyl over two discs now.

It unusually for classic records was also cut at 45 rpm who audiophiles maintain sounds cleaner, something that specialty popular labels having been doing for a while and it does now sound fuller while at the same time allowing to be cut louder does reduce surface noise which is telling in the quietest moments and decaying seconds of notes.

It was well worth it. 

Cuteness my way

It is August and it feels like ages since I last made a post a bit like this, shifting interests, other things intruding a bit more than is necessarily good for me, some issues elsewhere around things and the odd hole emerging.

Way back around 2009/10 I liked going to BHS in the City Centre because they stocked a good selection of things like cute knickers and socks that easily matched everything else I wore however broad that might be compared to so folks tastes.

Things like cute animals such panda's, pretty hearts and stars tended to feature or just more pale pastel designs but they've been gone for ages.

So Neko me chose cats that happened to be stocked by Accessorise In Style (their spelling NEVER mine!) on CatBay tm in a super soft finish in this ankle length design which is ideal for the summer months when you need something between shoes or trainers and your lower paws.

And they're just fine.

Likes an that

We'd be normally away this week but for reasons that's not happening this time so we're looking at other things rather packing cases like really what are you about as this girl as not everyone is the same even some might think you *ought* to tick their boxes.

Really I'm not in with the more uber-frilly sort for a number of reasons that include practicality as a person like me who struggles with dressing and isn't very stable doesn't need something with lots of buttons, tie-up fastenings and so pouffed out skirts and dresses I may catch myself in them, falling over.

I'd need help with things like that which isn't really what other peoples breaks are for by a long shot. 

 

 

It's not that I don't like dolls in their frilly outfits, bows and a bit of pink and objects that more decorative than functional and currently I'm colouring in Barbie but I like being out of doors more and that's not the environment that lends itself to frilly stuff not least on walks when you'd easily get tangled up and no I'm not really into classic "little girl dresses" even you might get me into some a bit frillier than what you'd normally expect.

 

I've been dusting off some classic 80's albums by Haircut 100 and Nick Heyward in the cd racks and this one featuring a reproduction of a postcard of Lake Louise, On. is one from 2017 I liked rather a lot and they're on tape.

 

Well one started off as a tape originally and two were taped back in the mid 1980's on an early hifi set up I had. I just love songs and singing.
 

July round up

Cooler weather most certainly suits me better that's a fact and one era I like to get out to is Hassall Green which isn't so far away  along the canal which is fairly busy at this time of year making their way from the Midlands to Runcorn and beyond in the North.

Fortunately apart from being on the Salt Line, the local bus does pass near it which helps as walking along the main road to Sandbach large portions without any kind of pathway isn't for the fainthearted.
 

There's been a few records in replacing a number that went AWL many years ago which have been cleaned sleeved and played. 

 In other news Hacker T Dogg will be joining the Blue Peter team as presenter number 44 from September 5th according to Friday's reveal on the show before it takes a summer break although activities have been posted on the Fan Club page for people to have a go at during that period before the new style show resumes.

Hot changes ahead

 

Phew it's been a very hot weekend with my head feeling rather like it's been baked despite keeping in the shade and drinking a lot of fluids as really when you run hot like me you really don't do warm although as I type this, the Steak pie is in the oven.

I also can see something going out to the junk pile as a 2019 Chromebook is having major dns and remembering  connections issues as it drops out of sites that you elect to stay logged into and lose connection.

I suppose you can look at that as a incentive to rationalize the machines as there are limits to just how many you really do need around and just transfer over to memory sticks the pictures linked to each internal account as they are the only things that matter as thanks to Google passwords and log in stuff is shared across different machines via the Google Account.

For lap usage I prefer the track pad rather than trying to balance machine on lp with mouse and mat somewhere within arms reach to do things as much as with Windows machines Mouse can be less likely to overshoot.

At least my renewed cds do sound great through the system apart from looking just fantastic in their replica sleeves.

Revisiting things

 

It's warming up again but not as bad as it was last Monday, that was something else so thoughts were looking at a few things I'd started over the decades and completing them not least with my cds as having made some changes to  the stereo over the last year or so I'm re-listening to a number and hearing a few things I hadn't noticed before on things like Lyin' Eyes from the DCC Gold version of Eagles - Their Greatest Hits.

I am finishing off a series of Beatles related titles that got paused just before Covid and decided a several decades kind of a version of a much lp would really benefit from a copy in not just better quality artwork but on better plastic material to stamp out the disc from.

2016's Live At The Hollywood Bowl wouldn't win any awards for the front cover, worse than the original tickets and tiny photo of the venue on beige background but was remixed to reduce the at times excessive audience screams that could almost obscure the bands performance.

This newer version feels better for higher quality card and even having a proper inner sleeve to protect the disc as cardboard soon marks discs when you take them out unless your very careful and pinch the slot open first.

"Tell me what you really want"

It feels warm already as here on saturday I'm typing this weeks blog up after an week trying to figure out how much of the old routines still applies and those which may need to change which isn't help be contradictory tales hours later.

To be quite honest I really feel like a break a totally swap over of roles to something more limiting but where I can just play and where possible help out a bit totally out of adult roles rather than being deluged with no holds bar medical stuff from dawn to dusk.

Just being more "carefree", playing games and that really the thing and we'll have to see if there's a hope of anything later this year or next remotely like that given how things are going on the communication or lack of front.

Fortunately I have comics which help to keep your spirits up.

This year isn't shaping up well and we're only just over a half way through.

The future of dedicated forums

It's been a long, rather hot week at least here having needed to be out during the week following the Grumps return at the start of last weekend as you notice it being heavy laden with things to carry around and from the bus stop to home.

There has been some discussion of and the state of  "clean" sfw sites for  adults who seem themselves adult but girls and boys on the inside specifically the little girl site Girltalk and I do feel the need to talk about some of that.

I think most of us are aware the social media world today is very different than it was around the two thousands and early twenty ten's when many of us started to explore more of what this thing in us was all about and that today the use of Facebook, Instagram, reddit and Discord is more popular than traditional structures one reason sites like Roses, UK Angels have gone and sites like Pdq never got resurrected.

The other is that we're a niche that isn't always appreciated in the wider trans community that focuses more on adult presentation "passing" rather than with classic little girl dresses, gingham pinafores and short tails and a intentional younger than your years look.

We like to present as people we feel we are on the inside.

Because of concerns around privacy, trolling and the like we've always had this dilemma between keeping away prying eyes from posts and how we attract the attention of like minded persons who may not know we exist and from  that join in.

There are sites that on paper may appear to accommodate more the adult kid but are more aligned to various things commonly seen as kink, not that I'm kink shaming, and for many of us that takes out of that carefree playful place of the adult child.

It also without criticism of peoples personal circumstances and impact of real life events, been one where moderation and a sense of leading from the front has taken a back seat while the one of kind theme of the site just doesn't easily lend itself to regular software updates which can easily cause blackouts.

To me IF we want a site then it isn't simply a question of taking on the mantle of running what we have, we need to establish what the needs of a site today is perhaps having a site for all adult kids and not just those who are or identify as girls but keeping the overall ethos and for us to promote its use.

At the moment far too much is getting lost in never ending streams of comments that easily discussed at length and explored that are often hard to follow (I struggle with it personally) and is arguably to detriment of GT even if the idea of a "back up" as we had in the days of Yahoo Groups should the main site go down has merit.

Now Yearbook Vault 1981

Welcome back to THE VAULT, the bolt on of the New Yearbook series that mixes singles that failed to trouble the top 30 but were really interesting with American hits that didn't do much over here in the U.K. and we're doing this vinyl style.

Part of that's a channelling of those tracks on our Ronco or KTel  albums that sandwiched between the surefire hits they added maybe thinking they'd do better than they did and anyway sometimes they interested us more  and part is music meant mainly vinyl for us back then.

Old rituals bring back memories. 

 It's three lps in one sleeve so as it's a bit thin be careful as it will soon crease or rip but at least the discs are polylined so they're well protected.

 

Time to open this bad boy up!

A year away from their Top 40 debut, record one opens with Simple Minds with ‘Sweat In Bullet’ from their ‘Sons And Fascination’ album and followed by Spandau Ballet with ‘Paint Me Down’ from their second album ‘Diamond’. Heaven 17 are up next with their debut single ‘(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang’, alongside the debut from Eurythmics ‘Never Gonna Cry Again’. 

John Foxx released ‘Europe After The Rain’ as the lead single from ‘The Garden’, and Gary Numan reunited with his former band members, now called Dramatis on the superb ‘Love Needs No Disguise’. Closing the side, Altered Images feature with their debut ‘Dead Pop Stars’, along with the 1978 debut ‘Young Parisians’ from Adam & The Ants – re-released to become a hit in 1981. Flip the LP over to celebrate some of ‘81’s best soul and disco featuring Rick James, Sister Sledge and Chaka Khan, ahead of funk-pop genre melding from Freeez, Shakatak and Level 42 before this first disc closes with reggae artist Sheila Hylton who made the Top 40 with her cover of The Police track ‘The Bed’s Too Big Without You’.

Bruce Springsteen starts record two with the title track from his #2 album ‘The River’ which gave him his first UK Top 40 single, and John Mellencamp – who would have to wait another year for his UK chart debut – with ‘Ain’t Even Done With The Night’, his first Top 20 hit in the US. REO Speedwagon are up next with a track, ‘In Your Letter’ from the years’ biggest-selling album in America Hi Infidelity and a big seller here), and Billy Joel released a live version of ‘Say Goodbye To Hollywood’, giving him a Top 20 hit there. Great singles from Elton John and Joan Armatrading lead to the side finishing with The Alan Parsons Project and another US hit, ‘Time’.

Side B opens with the Pretenders from their second album, and a single ‘Louie Louie’ that got a US, but not a UK release. Pat Benatar led into her ‘Precious Time’ album with ‘Fire And Ice’, and Generation X released ‘Dancing With Myself’, a track that lead singer Billy Idol would revisit in his solo releases. Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, and Dexys Midnight Runners all feature ahead of Joe Jackson covering the jazz/blues/swing standard ‘Jumpin’ Jive’, and The Manhattan Transfer – who had a huge US hit with their cover of doo-wop classic ‘Boy From New York City’, which closes the second record.

Record 3 opens with an brilliant run of alt-pop: The Creatures - Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie from Siouxsie And The Banshees - released their debut ‘Mad Eyed Screamer’ along with ‘Primary’, the single from The Cure’s ‘Faith’ album, New Order with ‘Procession’, plus The Psychedelic Furs with ‘Dumb Waiters’. The Clash released the non-album single ‘This Is Radio Clash’, and reggae and new-wave fusion from Scritti Politti with the sublime ‘The “Sweetest Girl” to which we were to more of in later years. The side closes with two chart regulars The Undertones and Squeeze with ‘It’s Going To Happen’ and ‘Is That Love?’ and the final side kicks off with Debbie Harry, as 1981 saw her release her first solo album ‘KooKoo’, and from it here the second single ‘The Jam Was Moving’. Donna Summer released ‘Cold Love’ from her ‘The Wanderer’,( her first for Warners), and Commodores feature with ‘Lady (You Bring Me Up)’. Steve Winwood follows on with ‘While You See A Chance’, and the final three begin with Journey and their rock ballad ‘Who’s Crying Now’, Rush with the epic ‘Tom Sawyer’, and closing the collection, Meat Loaf with the lead single from his album ‘Dead Ringer For Love’, ‘I’m Gonna Love Her For Both Of Us’.

This selection works well bring  a mixture of memories to many of us especially those of us with more ecliptic tastes while sounding more fuller than those old K Tel and Ronco discs did back then.

 

Wish you were here

 

June, traditionally the time of an all day school trip if not a residential usually involving some broadly speaking educational objectives so they will be a field trip with things to find and worksheets to work though either individually in in twos.

There also would be few fun things like some games and a treat such as an ice cream offered if we're good.

With a somewhat hectic week, frankly something like that has its appeal.