We’re heading to Southend this evening for our first Peat and Diesel gig. We’re assuming there will be a support act, but as of 2 pm they were still looking.

Head to the band’s Facebook page if this could be your chance to shine (and say hello after your set). The gig is at Chinnerys on Southend seafront near the Pier/Adventure Island and it’s doors at 7 for an opening set at 8.

Is anyone else playing Connections, the new time waster from the New York Times Wordle page? Its similarity to the board round in Only Connect has not gone unnoticed.

Anyway, you can access it from the menu button in the top right of the Wordle page. Join in if you’re playing too.

Good. About [expletive deleted] time. Now let’s hope he stays [expletive deleted] off.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65863267

Gigs that is, not your house. Your favourite band/musician is coming to town, and you have a free choice of seats* to buy. Which do you choose?

I quite like to be front row and centre where I can get a feeling of being in the presence of the act, but for venues with a higher stage that can mean emerging with a sore neck after staring up their noses for two hours. With a free choice I’ll go for the centre of the front row of the balcony I think. A clear view, being able to see the whole stage at once for more spectacular shows, and observing the crowd below rather than being part of it.

* You can make the case for sore feet and being jostled for the best view of the backs of tall people’s heads at standing gigs if you wish, but I won’t be persuaded.

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We spent the first half of the afternoon at the house of The Light’s late father, picking up some items before the house is put on the market. The bulk of it is ‘collectible’ decorative plates which were left to her in the will, the sort of toot advertised in the back of the colour supplements back in the day. Really, so many plates … most of them still boxed with their certificates. We reckon there are between 150 and 200, and it took us two car trips to relocate them from one house to the lean-to which they currently fill at hers.

What do people do with this sort of stuff when it gets passed on to them? It applies to our record and book collections as much as a more specialist items like this. Following a death possessions get passed on to people who have no idea what to do with them. What have you done if it has happened to you?

We can’t believe the plates have much value, or at least not as much as her dad paid for them, though we don’t really know how to find out. There are too many to pass on » Continue Reading.

Lenny Law, late of this parish, made an interesting point on Twitter the other day. He wrote that if asked when younger he would have said that he didn’t have a ‘type’. But looking at his youthful crushes, a pattern emerges – short hair, delicate features, and large eyes. Summed up in one word: ‘Elfin’.

If pushed, I would have said that my type was ‘any woman who would give me the time of day’ but looking at past partners, and indeed the current one with whom I hope to spend the rest of my days, they are generally round of face, with ample curves and usually, though not exclusively, fair. I suppose the shorthand would be ‘earth mother’.

It seems odd to me that I have never realised this until mid life, though I dare say close acquaintances would shake their heads and say they could have told me that *years* ago.

Anyway, how about you? What’s your type, and have you only just realised you have one because I’ve asked the question now?

Yesterday Amazon expanded the range of songs on Prime from 2 million to 100 million, which ought to be good news. What they also seem to have done, unless you stump up for Premium, is remove the user’s power to control what it plays. Try to select an album and it will instead give you a playlist of ‘similar music’ on shuffle.

I played a couple of Sarah McQuaid albums yesterday after seeing her mentioned on here, but when I selected another Sarah McQuaid album I got Adele instead, followed by someone called Hades.

There is a shuffle icon, but pressing it just informs you that ‘to listen to what you wanted try Amazon Music Unlimited, or, if you prefer, just fuck off instead’ (I paraphrase.)

Does anyone know how I can hear what I actually asked for?

PS – Oh joy. I’ve just found I can’t even skip to the next track when it throws up a track I actively dislike.

Due to an unfortunate combination of circumstances* I have two tickets for Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House this Saturday, 1st October, at 12:30 which I can’t use. I’m gutted to miss this because I’ve waited for years for a production of Madama Butterfly at Covent Garden, and this is the last performance of the run.

These are cheap but excellent tickets, in the upper slips (the highest level, on padded benches rather than individual seats), at the far end of the auditorium from the stage with great sight-lines, excellent sound and a close-up view of the most opulent ceiling in London.

If you’re an opera fan, or even just opera curious (this would be a good beginners’ opera), and, this is important, you’re sure you can get to Covent Garden for a 12:30 curtain up on Saturday then PM me including your email address. I’ll forward the E-tickets to the first one who asks.

* The rail strike, and the car developed a fault today so we can’t even drive to somewhere we could join onto a TFL option. I blame the Queen – if she hadn’t died the strike would have been last week.