whistlin’ ::

Favourite whistlin’ song of the day:

‘Wake Me Up’ – The Lost Brothers {Trails of the Lonely Parts I & III}

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i am listening to the beach boys ::

Hello sunshine.

Gah. If only i wasn’t at work today. A 9am start is made somewhat easier when one has blue skies to wake up to, though.

Next stop: Back to The Spa for my padre’s birthday and a bituva family reunion.

Sun sun sun.

times, they are a-changin’

Sometimes i’m lazy, sometimes i’m busy, sometimes i’m utterly uninspired, sometimes i’m simply intimidated by the blank computer screen. I never have nothing to say – i think ‘opinionated’ would be up there in the top three adjectives people used to describe me – but sometimes i feel unable to adequately articulate or as though what i’m thinking shouldn’t come out.

So, what’ve i been up?

Well, the times, they are a-changin’.

Not only have i melted on The Bob Dylan Matter {namely, my staunch refusal to give the guy a try} but i have made my peace with the fella & we’re coming to some sort of an arrangement.  Perhaps my boy’s endless humming, imitation harmonica-ing & lame impersonations have slowly endeared me. I’ve warmed to his scratchy voice & have always been a sucker for some ‘monica. But i will never, never, consider him to be The Best Communicator of Our Time. On this matter i am unflinching.

My boy’s housemate & dear friend of mine has decided to move out from their little Victorian terrace & into a new house which he will soon have purchased with his partner. The four of us have been shacked up together, unofficially & only when convenient {i.e. not when i’m watching one of my many t.v. addictions – E.R., Brothers & Sisters – or when the boys are watching the football}, for the past few months now. They have assured us that they are moving exactly 15 doors away from the house in which my boy will now live with myself & my two housemates. And we have been assured one guest room & one sofa have our name on them. I don’t think this is unreasonable.

We have had teary conversations & internet browsed for furniture & wallpapers. We have argued about colour schemes & fabrics. We have all very personally reminisced & we have all at times acted like it’ll never happen.

We have also risen on early mornings & gone to Car Boots in search of new furniture for their new & very empty house, & to fill what will now become a shared attic room between myself & my boy. I scored a massive woodern floor lamp  – i mean, taller-than-me-MASSIVE – for just 4 squid which i intend to strip, re-paint & re-shade; & a mint plant for the garden for 50p. I had to prise my boy away from a broken camera {i checked the aperture: faulty} & some antique binoculars {murmuring: ‘budget’ and ‘clutter’}.

Sunshine at The Arbo’ :: Nottingham

And sunshine finally reappeared in Nottingham. Wah. Sunday roast at The Golden Fleece {winner of our survey of Nottingham’s Sunday roast providers} on their sunny terrace with pints of cider; sunbathing in The Arbo’; fizzy wine with my boy’s parents in their garden; and an embarrassing sunburnt nose.

Great Lake Swimmers :: Glee Club, B’ham

T’other day the boy & i went to see Great Lake Swimmers at The Glee Club in Birmingham. Because i can be a worrier, we arrived at the venue an hour beforehand. Thanks to The Glee Club’s utterly ridiculous opening times {15 mins before the gig} we were left wandering around Birmingham which is, in the main, bland, uninteresting, & soulless with poor eateries selling over-priced munch. The Glee Club itself, however, was a complete surprise. Appearing predominantly designed toaccommodate comedy gigs, the space itself was small, seated, cosy & perfectly suited to the band. Thanks to our early arrival, we were first in & first seated within a crowd full of middle aged bearded folk, and so we sat slightly to the left at the very front: Ace view.

I have decided this year to purchase as many gig posters to record the many musical adventures we have – memory aids & something nice for our walls. Unfortunately, I am already beginning to appreciate the difficulties i may have in achieving this & found Great Lake Swimmers’ merch’ stand bare. A bit of research has taught me that it’s highly unlikely that posters will be available at gigs unless the bands have comissioned them themselves, & they’re certainly not as ubiquitous as in America where venues often commission the work of local artists to silkscreen designs to promote their specific gigs. Bah. Come on UK.

I entered a film quiz last night and proved to be mediocre.

Today i went into the office to discover two presents waiting for me: A package of prints from Amy Blackwell {etsy shop}, whose work i adore, and some pin badges to promote an art event i’m helping to coordinate. Because i’m special.

It’s the weather, i think. The weather, yes. Clouds, really now, bugger off.

leeeeettle one ::

Some silver lining:

My little sister popped up to see me this weekend after being in France for five months. Welcome back, little one.