A bit of an overreaction I know, but anyone who knows anything about the Uk will also know this minute spattering of the white stuff will bring chaos across our once green and pleasant land.
Chaos
Transport will cease, hospitals will close and main stream media will go into overdrive with the “We’re doomed” scenarios.
All for about 0.5cms of snow. Crazy.
Just do it
We’re absolutely bonkers in this country.
And we’re heading off on holiday today to the east coast for a few days. Because we don’t mind the cold, we are real troopers you see who enjoy a challenge.
And this blog today is written mostly in “Sarcasm” font.
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
Anyone who reads anything on this site will know I am a glass half full kind of guy, most of the time.
Do I think about the future? I plan like most people and that’s about it, I don’t really dwell on the future as i kind of have a tomorrow never comes attitude. I’ve developed a live for today way of life because too much sorrow and heartbreak has hit me in the past, and what you have today, may well be taken from you tomorrow, so take what you have now and cherish and appreciate whatever that may be, as the future is a thief that steals everything of importance from you.
Do I think about the past? Again, I try not to dwell on it but when you are a fan of most things “antique” it’s hard. Fantastic memories and people you have met along the way, why would you not reminisce on how they have shaped your life. If you have loved, it’s built on what has happened in the past and determines how you feel about that relationship in the present.
So in summary I am a thinker of the past and present. Life is a precious gift, what’s the point of worrying yourself about the future, we all know what the outcome is. Enjoy what you have had and what you have at this moment. That’s all that matters.
As you progress through life you start to collect favourites. Favourite sports teams, favourite foods and favourite bands to name just a few.
This post regards my favourite band, a band from Athens in Georgia who go by the name R.E.M
I was there…
I was casually browsing a shopping website when the above metal reproduction of a tour poster caught my eye and the memory banks opened and flooded my brain with fantastic memories of this very day. Yes I was there and what a day it was. And today I purchased that poster to go in my workshop, beautiful memories.
Milton Keynes Bowl
Milton Keynes Bowl (or the National bowl as it was officially known) was just that, like a massive crater in the ground that during this period of time in the 90s attracted a number of big groups to this part of the Buckinghamshire countryside.
The National Bowl (originally the Milton Keynes Bowl) is an entertainment venue located in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay pit (for brick-making), filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area. It has a maximum capacity of 65,000. The arena is open-air grassland, without seats.
Wikipedia
I was living in Watford at the time and a friend and i had to make the journey north by train. Not a particularly long journey it’s only about 30 minutes each way.
This was part of the R.E.M Monster tour.
The support was superb with three acts who all became well known in their own rights, Sleeper, Radiohead and the Cranberries, mix that with plenty of sun and beer and it made for a fantastic day.
When my favourite band came on, Wow, they were superb.
Here’s the set list for their show that day:
Set list
I can’t believe it’s almost 30 years ago, the band split in 2011, and by then I’d seen them about 5 times. I’ve always said if they were ever to reform for just one concert anywhere in the world then I’d be there.
It’s just amazing that one picture, can bring such good memories flooding on back.
Now don’t get me all wrong, I’m not demanding that my life be extended, all I am saying is the best gift you could give me is your time.
A simple, “How are you?” A “Good morning” or even a smile, it sets a scene, we don’t have to rush, let’s talk a while but it rarely occurs. Probably the only person you speak to in the morning is the barista, when you give them your name to put on your coffee cup on the way to work.
Society has changed to the extent that we hold everyone in suspicion, we don’t trust anyone, not for any particular reason apart from society dictating that we should all be suspicious of one another. It’s just ingrained into society right now.
What Gift? Speak to anyone who knows me and you will see that I’m a person that likes gifts that have had thought go into them. I do not need items of materialistic value, you could just as well pass me an old battered book or a pair of socks, of no particular monetary value, if they mean something to me I will cherish them.
And that is where time is important. We all have an undefined amount available to us, it costs nothing to give it, and it has a value that is priceless.
Give your time, and you will be rewarded equally, it’s so simplistic that it’s crazy. If only society would sit up and pay attention.
A BRILLIANT RE-pro of an iconic Stylophone Pocket Organ from 1968.
Bought for me as a birthday present back in 2008. I packed it away and placed it in my loft.
I’ve just found it again and have added 3 Duracell Plus AA batteries to test it for the first time. (Included in sale)
All works extremely well.
The unit is as new, the box has very minor wear.
EBay
We will just have to wait for delivery to see just how true this listing is… however I have spoken with the seller today, he’s a lovely chap and my mind is at ease that this is a genuine good purchase.
Unit differs slightly from the 60s oneIn general looks similar All looking good, original packaging
Anyone that pays the slightest bit of interest to my blog will know I love retro electronic equipment, especially if at sometime in my life it has meant something to me. Well, the Stylophone was a very basic synthesiser/toy that popped its head above the parapet originally in the late 60s, but was super popular in the mid 70s and that was when I first got my hands on one. It was a cousins unit, not mine as my parents wouldn’t pay out for toys like that as they were just a fad. (How wrong were they?). So envy struck once again as I was never able to have one…..now fast forward 50 years and I’ve now purchased a good example of one.
The Stylophone is a miniature analog electronic keyboard musical instrument played with a stylus. Invented in 1967 by Brian Jarvis, it entered production in 1968, manufactured by Dubreq.
Some three million Stylophones were sold, mostly as children’s toys, but they were occasionally used by professional musicians such as John Lennon, Kraftwerk and David Bowie.
Wikipedia
Back in the day a chap called Rolf Harris was constantly on the TV advertising or playing these units, however the less time talking about this fellah the better, he was a right wrong ‘un.
This particular unit is not an original, I’m still after one of those. This unit was a reissue in 2008 so it’s about 17 years old now. But I’m happy with that. And it works, and for me that’s unusual as I normally only buy broken ones to repair, maybe the original one I’m after will fit the bill, if I can find one that is not completely overpriced. The original unit ran off a single PP9 9v battery, these newer units have improved circuitry and operate off 3x AA type batteries using half the original power. I’ve said before retro electronics are rapidly become the antiques of tomorrow, and people are out of their heads with the prices they are demanding even for something that is completely wrecked. They all need a reality check for the prices they are demanding. The total I have paid for this one is £20:00 GBP and that includes the postage and batteries, so in all I think I’ve got a bargain if it matches the actual listing.
I’m actual going to record a video of learning how to play this unit, just to see how easy or hard it is, and this creation will also be the subject of a later post, Here: You were warned
In the meantime prepare your ears for an assault to the auditory system as someone with no ability to hold a tune tries to play a toy/instrument from the 1970’s, you are truly blessed 😂
Well I’m not going to spill the beans on my actual places of learning, that’s just plain rude WP. Does anyone else notice a daily prompt structure on this platform that possibly assists scammers and questionable persons regarding an easy way to obtain details about you? No? I must be alone on that thought process then.
Anyway.
Boring answer is I’m a fully paid up member of the college of life. There’s no time off, no years out, it’s a constant stream of learning, experiencing, and getting things done.
The only college that, emotionally drains you, exhilarates you and makes you judge and value your existence and why the hell you are even here. It’s brutal.
That’s life.
Keep learning, for instance, don’t tell WP everything.
Foxes Den 
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