Curly's Capers

Collections There is a need to collect, gain, accumulate,  build up Items things   Large or small, Which appear  ephemeral   To many, but to us are personal treasures Bringing a sense of ownership. a physical manifestation  of our personality. With me it was recorded sounds, so Records and tapes  quickly filled  my living space And now, tunes are stored  in virtual boxes  upon virtual shelves in my virtual library,  remaining in cyberspace to be accessed  via a click or swipe Like these words  on my virtual blog. C k 29/05/'16 ££££££££££££333333333 The shots below were taken in Tewkesbury last Friday ( 27 / 05 / '16 ) at the back of the Avon looking over at the Severn Ham a preserved site of scientific interest. The meadowland looked verdant and flourishing. Blossom before the field. Flowers spotted by the canal side. No sh...

Robins celebrate eventually Put this little video to show the Robins getting the Vanarama Trophy  after what can only be called a triumphant season.  I like the piece in the video where Manager Johnson admonishes the team for not putting the effort in. He wants them to keep going until the end of the season and so they did, amassing 101 points. With this sort of drive, the Robins can go forward in League 2 next season. As we know the play-offs are a tricky affair. Forest Green Rovers who chased us all season, being well clear of the rest, had their hopes dashed at Wembley last Sunday ( 15 / 5 ) when they lost to Grimsby 3-1. Another year in the conference beckons. Whilst in the Championship,  the play-offs for the final Premier position involves Hull and Sheffield Wednesday.  Derby, the team Wednesday beat to make the final were an amazing fifteen points ahead  of them in the table. But with winner taking all, Derby County misses out again. With the ...

The Football League season (2015 /6 ) is coming to a conclusion, with only the Premier League to finish their final games this Sunday ( 15 / 5 /  ). It has been a strange topsy-turvy one, which still has two of the richest clubs in the country, Manchester City and United, battling it out to ensure places in the European Champions League , qualification being a top four finish. Both teams considered this a rite of passage. It is looking like one will fail- oh dear! Here are my promotion candidates  for the Sky Bet Championship at the start of the season and their actual finishing places. Middlesborough           2nd         Promoted Wolves                          14th Bristol City                   18th As you can see,I hardly covered myself with glory, with the last two teams having a very ordinary season. Oh well,...

Thanks to a new power source, my Mac is back in business. I have thus as promised,  added extra photos, words and a sound link to my my two previous postings. I like this notion:"  A Problem is only a solution waiting to be resolved. "  It puts a positive spin on things, which allows you to go forward in the right spirit. i was impressed yesterday  ( 7 /5 ) when I received notification that I needed to obtain a new -style ( since 1998) photo driving licence. I thought with my Mac back in harness I would apply for my licence online. My only worry was obtaining a photo of myself. This can be a headache getting all the criteria correct and I inwardly groaned. Imagine then my surprise  when I learned that as long as it was still a reasonable likeness, the DVLA would use my passport photo on my new driving licence and as I had only re -applied  for my passport a couple of years ago, the likeness was fine. What a great solution ! Problem solved. Another...

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on, rounded with a little sleep"  The Tempest; William Shakespeare. Certainly last Saturday (16/ 4) was one for the dreamers. It started so strangely with the weather which might have prompted the Bard to say," we have seen better days." Timon of Athens." For in heavy rain, at 6:45am, I drove daughter d to the nearby bus stop, only to see snowflakes falling from the sky and the temperature at freezing point. I pondered whether today's match would turn out to be ' A Winter's Tale,' or indeed would it survive the dreaded pitch inspection. Thankfully due to the vagaries of the English climate, by eleven o'clock the precipitation ceased, the temperature moved up and even the clouds went walk about. Making sure I had my required red robin coloured warmth on, I boarded the bus and arrived at my favourite watering hole ' The Bay's ' at half past twelve. Daughter d soon arrived back from work a...

This is a picture of the Late Captain Beefheart ( Don Van Vliet ) One of the few that I know being unshaven . I was reminded of his iconic album "Trout Mask Replica" I mention the good Captain , because recently the actual photo of Don with his carp mask and tall hat on has come to light. Owing to a technical fault with my Mac , I cannot show it to you now, but will do so when the problem has been fixed. Released in 1969 "  Trout  Mask Replica "  is a special album, containing many forms of music and sounds. Indeed so much has been written about, the making; the players; the lyrics, that even after all this dissection, it retains an unique place in Rock history. I haven't checked this, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone has a doctorate through study of this record. I am re-reading "  Riding Some Kind of Unusual Skull Sleigh"  by W. C. Bamberger, which looks at the arts of Don Van Vliet. Here he writes about " Pachuco Cadaver "  a ...

First Record Matters ( 1957- 1969) I paused. And thought it started for me with British Steele- Tommy Steele. His ‘Handful of Songs’ propelled me onwards, found me,  a Diana on The 'Last Train To San  Fernando ' and pretty soon I was putting on the style with Lonnie. I reflected.  My new number was forty five bringing me a 'Whole Lotta Woman', a' Purple People Eater' and soon succumbed me to chirping crickets full of Holly.' Oh Boy' did I' Rave On.' I remembered. 'Come On' it's 1962 and  time for the Stones to start rolling with album covers which bore no script and also to bring white blues here, Satisfaction  was  guaranteed with Them Pretty Things howling at wolves and drinking muddy waters and always  prowled  at by geordie Animals. I recollect. 'Strange Days' ahead. The doors of perception opened And Love and the Byrds flew into the grooves, whilst Jimi M...