Extreme Pop

Mauby Fizzz:
Saw this nestling on the shelf in my regular grocer yesterday there was not  great deal on the  label other than  "Aniseed" in the ingredient list to let on about it's flavour.
So after a good chilling I had sip and ewww I think we'll file this under "acquired taste". It's very medicinal more so than say Pernod or even Doctor Pepper. The difference with Pernod is there's not even the promise of alcohol to make the bitterness acceptable. It's somewhat like neat Campari but with perhaps more sweetness. It's from a group of drinks from the Caribbean and seems to be from root beer fermented Ginger ale school of pop, but I'm not sure I'd try it again. First time imbibers are warned of its laxative properties according to wiki (thankfully I only managed a few sips!)

More outre pop here

A corner of a foreign field..

Acts of remembrance
I found this a while ago (which may be appropriate for today), while going through some crates of vinyl. It’s from a BBC lp from the early 70’s, at first I thought it was one of those endless military brass band lp’s but it seems to be something a bit more complex. It is a sort of sound picture of various naval activities.

 Most of the tracks are existing bits of popular music with recordings of Royal Navy personnel going through their day to day operations such as firing missiles and launching aircraft all with the tunes over the top. By today’s standards it's a little unsubtle but a nice idea, if under produced. One track is quite odd if has a choir of monks singing plain chant while we hear a missile being guided onto a drone aircraft as part of practice exercise.

Anyway the best track not unsurprisingly is by the Radiophonic workshops which mixes the account of the funeral of the Poet Rupert Brook.  It’s of its time (and seems to be narrated by Brian Sewell’s cousin) but the sound effects and music work well together. If you listen right to the end there is a final twist which adds to the complex nature of remembering  the dead of all wars.

An even bigger bang!

An even bigger bang!
Originally uploaded by bltphoto

Went to some great fireworks with SA on thursday at Crystal Palace. The fair was fun too, spent our time taking snaps and soaking up the atmosphere.
Would have been perfect if they'd have had a bonfire but  London events seldom do, it's a shame as well it is bonfire night...

It was BLTP that won it!!!!

The power of the internet is rising day by day and look 6 comments on this blog and the PO tower is to re-open!

A Bit Parky!

Winter draws on
The wind seems to be determined to blow the all the leaves off in one go today and stick them with the greasy rain to the fogged up living room window, it's 10.30 in the morning and I've got the light to write this :(

Some ways to fend off winter: well I made some Parkin the other day, our S sent us this recipe from the WI baking book. I basiclly doubled up the recipe and it made 2 loaf tins worth (it's handier as this way as you just add a small tin off golden syrup and one of black treacle and don't have to weigh them out etc so everything doesn't get covered in syrup).

I used these oats because I couldn't get fine oatmeal also I like the pop art box!. Also one critism of Parkin can be that it's a mouthful of faintly gingery dry crumbs to combat this I added extra ginger and also add a splash more milk (basically if the batter not runny before it goes into teh oven it's not going to get any moister).

Also I tried to undercook it and also took it out of the tins quickly to stop it over cooking. Then all you have to do is wait at least a week for the spicey treat in it's silver foil shroud to mature and serve with some strong tea.

and because puns cheer me up he's Parky to with your Parkin.

Update:
Delayed posting this as I managed to "kill" my phone in the middle of getting the pictures off it :(  Thankfully while I was stomping round the flat looking for my old phone my new had a rest and decided to talk to me again!!! So :)

Trafalgar Square Vigil

Vigil for Victims of Hate Crimes 
Trafalgar Square 30th Oct 2009.
More pictures here
Here's my views from the other day.

And some Johnny C because the version last night was lost into the night air.






 Johnny Cash - Danny Boy

5am eternal

Not sure if it was the sound of the fridge going off (it's a small flat)or the mess of the clocks going back that means i'm a wake. After the usual sleepless stuff pillows,cold feet or cold shoulders i end up wondering if john humphries is awake yet . In his car being driven through the finally empty streets of west london.
Then the first plane goes over full of weary travellers ready for 24 hour croissants ,bad coffee and the chug of taxis at Heathrow.
Then the woman that shouts in our block wakes up and starts shouting.
Just then the fridge comes back on and the next plane full of bad pastry eating cab riding hopefuls comes over and i reach for my phone to write this.