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      • I hope the leg length discrepancy is not too problematic; it is a far too common occurrence post THR. It shouldnā€™t be, as surgeons ought to factor it in, but donā€™t always remember, possibly thinking they can equalise by doing the other side. Careful with your back, in the meantime.

        • Troubling me with a touch of sciatica down the back of my leg from arse to knee. Apart from that and some femerol stem pain I’m certainly better than I was ten weeks ago. I’ve put the crutches to one side now and I’m back on my stick but I can get around without any walking aids it just aches if I over do it.

  2. Listening –

    After a 14-year hiatus caused by the loss of the bandā€™s rhythm section, Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter have a new album out – Forever, Iā€™ve Been Being Born. Despite the long absence, itā€™s immediately recognisable for its shimmering guitar and keyboards sound, a kind of ethereal Cowboy Junkies. Top stuff. Iā€™ve also caught up with newish material by Wisconsin singer/songwriter Jeffrey Foucault. New this year is The Universal Fire, his first album for 6 years; out a few years back was Deadstock, a fine collection of lost recordings. If youā€™re familiar with JFā€™s back catalogue, youā€™ll know what to expect – quietly introspective folkish songs, peppered here and there with splashes of the blues and country. Both are worth a listen.

    Iā€™ve long been a fan of Townes Van Zandt, and over the years have collected most of the bootleg / live recordings which far outnumber his studio albums. Some are excellent with better renderings of his songs than those on the official releases. Others, towards the end of his career smack of barrel scraping. TVZ is clearly drunk and slurs badly when regaling his audience with long and rambling stories, his singing voice shot to pieces. One of the missing albums from the mid-90s is Rain on a Conga Drum, a live concert recording from Berlin which I previously had on cassette only. Thanks to eBay I got hold of the CD. Itā€™s pretty good too, full of the trademark rambling stories, but containing 15 of his best songs and 3 covers.

    Reading –

    Just one Maigret novel this month, Lock No. 1, one of many early Simenons set in the gloomy world of canal bargees, seedy bars and broken lives.

    Ian McEwan is one of those writers Iā€™ve read many times off and on over the years. Atonement is probably the one Iā€™ve enjoyed the most, but this month I read Lessons, a long and sweeping novel that sets the whole life of its protagonist against the world events of his times. Roland Baines drifts through life, which largely happens to him, which is perhaps the point of McEwanā€™s book. We can end our lives having learned nothing from the lessons it teaches us, just as humanity learns nothing. Itā€™s a very good read – worth a punt if McEwan is your cup of tea.

  3. Seen: Absolutely loved Guillermo Del Toroā€™s Frankenstein. A visual fiest with strong performances from all. Iā€™d taken against Jacob Elardi , probably ā€˜cos I didnā€™t care for much Saltburn, but heā€™s stunning in this.
    By contrast, me and the Sarah like to watch dumb Hallmark type Christmas movies around this time. Low-brow fun and I can never remember the names (or plots) of any of them as they all bleed into each other – itā€™s like gorging on Cadburyā€™s Heroes – the first is nice but by the fourth or fifth, they all taste the same. Anyway – thereā€™s one with Champagne in the title thatā€™s worth a look, and one where an American girl visits London and falls for an injured footballer thatā€™s unintentionally funny.

    Read: nothing really – see AOB

    Heard: Mostly podcasts, but I enjoyed the latest albums by CMAT and Dave.

    AOB: I had a stroke.
    Belated thanks to those of the Wordle Massive who asked after my health last month. I did write a long reply from the hospital – but it didnā€™t make much sense and I think I lost it somewhere.
    I got up in the morning as usual, whilst the kettle was boiling I checked the news online and found it didnā€™t make sense. Words were all jumbled. I tried to write but couldnā€™t read that either. I wondered if it was a weird migraine but my partner thought it best if I went to A&E.
    Bedford gave me a CT scan but could find no bleed on the brain. They arranged for me to be rushed (not sure why) to Luton Hospital, sirens blazing, where I was admitted to the stroke unit. Apart from a mild headache – I felt absolutely fine. I had a few tests – the most notable being the MRI scan – ā€˜do you want music?ā€™ asked the technician as he bolted my head into a medieval torture device. Itā€™s noisy and claustrophobic, though not as bad as I feared. Until the music startedā€¦ ā€˜I donā€™t want a lot for Christmas ā€¦ā€™
    Anyway – Iā€™d had a stroke as presumed. The doctor showed me the hole in the left side of my brain and sent me home with some aspirin and a reduced vocabulary. Apparently it might have been caused by some pain killers I was taking for something else – who knows. Both my dad and younger brother have had them, so maybe itā€™s just one of our things.
    My reading has recovered to an extent – itā€™s like Iā€™m suddenly dislexic. Reading allowed is slow and torturous. Spelling is weird – I know Iā€™ve used the wrong allowed in the previous sentence but canā€™t call to mind the correct spelling. Nouns refuse to be recalled or spoken, everything is a thingy or an oofa-doofer.
    Oh well – could have been a lot worse.

  4. Seen: I have just finished binge watching all 125 episodes of Parks And Recreations. They are available to stream on the U channel. I didn’t want the TV series to end it was that good. I could easily watch the whole thing again and one day I will. Highly recommended. I have also watched all 27 episodes of Lead Balloon starring Jack Dee. It’s available on YouTube and it’s marvellous. There is a brilliant documentary on the BBC iplayer called Pauline Boty. I Am The 60’s. The sad tale of Britain’s forgotten pop artist who is at last gaining recognition as one of the leading lights of the movement. Wonderful stuff. Also on the iplayer is The Intruder, a French 4 part psychological thriller. Magnifique.

    Read: A Mind Of My Own by Kathy Burke. Very sad and funny.
    I An Actor by Nicholas Craig. Hilarious send up of the life of a thespian by Nigel Planer.

    Heard: Messy by Lola Young.
    You’re Out Of Your League by Blood Orange.
    You Got Time And I’ve Got Money by Smerz.
    The Paisley Window Pane by Wendy and Bonnie.
    Touch Me Like A Gangster by Jessie Murph.
    Brand New Me by Saint Etienne.
    Do You Believe This Town by Dean Martin.

    I would also like to send my best regards to @badartdog and wish him a speedy recovery.

    Merry Christmas Everyone.

  5. No….vember.

    How did it go?

    Read: nothing of importance.

    Concerts: an afternoon jazz concert with a couple of chums, after the first couple of numbers I thought what they needed was a trombone they then announced that their trombone player’s car had broken down leaving Norfolk so wouldn’t be joining them until later in the tour. I think I was one of the youngest there.
    A friend posted on Facebook that he’d decided not to go see the Penguin CafĆ© Orchestra in Leeds and did anyone want the ticket. Yes Please. Down to the Howard Assembly Rooms front row superb sound and band. Probably my musical highlight of the year.

    Watched, having moved we couldn’t pick up any television stations and the only app that worked was BBC iplayer so we watched a lot of old films. Other stations could be accessed on my tablet and then cast to the TV. Now fixed notorious round here for bad reception.
    Two films The Choral, written by Alan Bennett and filmed near where we moved from (Saltaire, Halifax and Keighley.) Good to see and most enjoyable.
    I Swear as others have said it’s a great film and most enjoyable.
    The cinema is volunteer run so come the new year I shall be offering my services.

    Other business: we moved here in October and have had loads of house redesigning done luckily all completed in time for the Festering Season.
    Met up with Retro and his lovely wife in Thirsk for a meal and an afternoon blether.

  6. I liked two films that dealt with similar themes this month: After The Hunt by Luca Guadagnino and Anniversary by Jan Komasa. Both touch upon the idea of positive discrimination and “woke” inclusivity veering into fascism. After The Hunt is a more subtle, academic, dialogue-based film – centred around a university prof (Andrew Garfield) who’s accused of sexual assault. It’s interesting, but I thought Anniversary, despite its much sillier plot, was more entertaining. In Anniversary, a teacher’s son’s new girlfriend turns out to be one of her ex-students who has gone and written a book about how America should change and lo and behold the whole country up and does exactly as she prescribes, becoming a fascist state in the process. Bit silly, but good fun and Diane Lane is great as the teacher.

    I was disappointed with Edward Berger’s Ballad Of A Small Player. I thought All Quite On The Western Front was the best film of 2022 and Conclave was the best film of last year, but this one is a real let down. Colin Farrell plays a compulsive gambler in a downward spiral of guilt and addiction that is some sort of allegory for something or other (purgatory, perhaps). No fun.

    • Another movie-related thing I enjoyed was TimothĆ©e Chalamet’s promotional video for his new film, Marty Supreme. Much funnier than Spinal Tap 2.

  7. Another dang month to give good riddance to…
    Let me explain, and, no, I look for neither sympathy nor derision, as the setting it down on “paper” is proving to be a good way to diminish the beast. And it may be a warning for those unastute, as I was, to such risks…
    We need a gardener. Mrs P is no longer up to the task and I have, at best, blue fingers. It isn’t a big garden, but we like it. I thought I would “help” by finding one. Anyone heard of Bark? It is one of those online repositories, like Clickatrade, of supposedly reputable tradespeople. You fill in a form and Bark field it out to willing contractors.
    Amongst the phone calls that came, came one from a nice enough sounding fella, who duly agreed to come around and give us a quote. On the day in question came a text to say his van had broken down, and, instead, could we send him some pictures and/or a video to describe our needs. Done, followed up by a phone call, suggesting a fee. It seemed rather steep, but Mrs P had a brief word with him and, given he spoke all the right words, like aeration and scarifying, we agreed, just delighted it was to be done. A date was arranged. A deposit of 20% was agreed, and transferred to the bank account details sent. (Hindsight, that great leveller, assures me of this folly……)
    Let me set the scene, given the amount of pruning, weeding, lawn work and edges, this was, in our estimation, a good two days work, minimum. So, when they, two of them, arrived, later than agreed, on the Thursday, they set to. Leaves were blown, which hadn’t been on their to-do list, and some front garden shrubs sheared, inexpertly, as in the lilac was chopped way too back, as was the hydrangea. One of them also “suggested” the slabs at the front had been badly laid and needed attention, which of course they could remedy, naming a price. They then buggered off for an hour, ostensibly for supplies. During this time we watched our CCTV back garden feed of them in the back garden, peering through windows and taking pictures on their phone. And doing little else than bringing out equipment from their van, and returning to the front, where all their work seemed ongoing. Some pressure to replace the back lawn was applied, but, at Ā£6k, was deflected. (Don’t want it anyway.)
    They returned and continued for perhaps an hour, before leaving again, conveniently as I was out walking the dog. “Everything alright, love”, to my wife as they left, along with a cautionary tale around how previous clients had neglected to put up any good reviews on the Bark website. These were bad people, she was told.
    Even allowing for the hour away, this was 3 1/2 hours spent with us. O, and we were to send over the further bulk of the money, ahead their return on the following day…..
    On my return we agreed this was not going to end well, and we weren’t wrong. I sent a text suggesting my surprise to see them gone so quickly and with so much still to do. I said that the deposit they had had was more than sufficient for the time spent and that I was unhappy to send over any more, saying they needn’t bother. This led to a prompt phone call saying that we were crooks and that we would pay the full amount to them, as that was the sum agreed for the job, irrespective of whether they completed it or not. This was conveyed with not a little menace and the threat that it would also include my teeth and head being kicked in. I mentioned the Police at that point and was told they didn’t believe in the law, as they made their own and that they would be back at 10 in the morning to collect.
    Well, I did phone the Police, frankly scared by the exchange. We were visited by a PC who took full details and made arrangements for some back up to be available in the morning. He considered that the contactors, by their threats, had crossed the line from any civil disagreement into a criminal public order offence. Whether they actually would return was debatable, if with a fly in the ointment that they had left a ladder, a rake and a pressure hose cleaner in the back garden. The Police took these into safe keeping, and contacted them to collect from the station, rather than our house.
    At 9.30 rather than 10, up rolled their white van. Instructed not to open the door, we didn’t, but, along with a torrent of abuse, the contents of their van, garden debris from our garden and from others, as there were plots unfamiliar, was hurled, by spades, at our front door. About half a ton, all told. Promising to be back, as often as needed, until we paid up, off they went.
    The sirens arrived after they had left, as, again, as instructed, we had again called 999. A different set of cops came and were less sympathetic, thinking, at first, this just another civil dispute. That was until a phone call came in to me, which I proffered to the Sgt, he getting a full flavour of our ‘friends’. More details taken and a further promise that we should now leave it in the hands of the Police.
    Despite that, and despite some telephone contact between the Police and they, I was continued to receive phone calls, with, as unanswered, subsequent texts, all demanding variable amounts of money, solicitors, courts and CCJ’s. Plus that they would sue us and the Police for the theft of their equipment and for the subsequent loss of income. So much so that I sought further help from the Police, with a 3rd crime number added and the additional charge of malicious contact added to the list. In the meantime, I had tracked them down, via Companies House, to their registered address, this tallying with the Police tracing the van number plate to the same persons/address.
    That afternoon we had further contact from the original PC, who apologised that his colleagues had reneged on the plans he had submitted the day before, so as to prevent the escalation. He had also spoken to each of the individual, explaining exactly why this wasn’t any civil dispute, by way of the threats made and demands ongoing, becoming, instead, of interest, criminally, to the Police. The main aggressor had admitted to “losing his temper” and saying the things he had said, which was the cross then used to nail them to.
    Since then we have heard or seen neither hide nor hair of them. The promised hand delivery of a solicitors letter didn’t take place, to our relief, not that we can imagine any kosher solicitor taking up the case. (No written quote, no itemised detail, no legal opt-out arrangement, as is required, no name or address proffered, etc etc) Staffs Police have issued the pair of them with a non-court disposal order, which is like a caution with conditions, and remains on record for 2 years, with, should they contact or harass us in any way, then formal court proceedings will ensue. They have yet to collect their kit from the Police, apart from one ineffectual attendance, when, on being asked to wait and to be interviewed, they drove off, effing and jeffing at the Police. Their order was given them at their address by our new hero, James the good cop.
    Is it over? I don’t know, but suspect so. I feel they are low level chancers, pond life who prey usually more on older and less savvy individuals. It isn’t in their interest to “pursue” us, as Druids Heath is a fair old drive from Lichfield, and there will be targets aplenty more local. And they certainly aren’t welcome in Lich. Sure, I have burnt my fingers, feeling I was above being taken for such fool, but we “only” lost Ā£240, some lilac and a hydrangea bush. We have a spanking new security system that now covers also the front of the house; Verisure had some excellent Black Friday deals! And I had to deal with the bin and 3 bags of detritus at the front.
    Soooooooo, if anyone out there is seeking a gardener, be careful. And I would avoid Bark, with Trading Standards actually agreeing that point with me!
    Thanks for listening.
    I’m sure I listened to records and watched telly as well, at some time. And, as mentioned by @hubert-rawlinson, at the top end of the month, long before this, we did indeed have a splendid Tuesday lunchtime Italian feast, with he and his wife, part of a spiffing week in York. And, did you know, it was Hube’s birthday yesterday!! HB, fella, we owe you a lunch!!

    • Oddly enough my wife has been looking for plumbers and Bark came up, having told her just now of your travails she’s pleased she didn’t look further into using Bark’s suggestions We’ve had some somewhat dodgy tradespeople from similar sites so we are wary of using them now especially after reading your story.

    • So sorry to hear this awful story. There really are some very dodgy and nasty people out there. The same thing happened to my in-laws a few years ago, but nothing as bad as what you’ve been through. It still shook them up badly, especially my elderly mother-in-law. Hopefully you will find a decent gardener who will get your garden back in shape.

    • Scumbags the lot of ā€˜em. Iā€™ve had similar experiences with tree surgeons and roofers, rip-off merchants and chancers both, but mercifully without the threats and aggression. Tree surgeons charged me an exorbitant amount to remove a small tree, promised not to damage my garden and promptly trashed it. They certainly knew f-all about trees and/or surgery. The roofers ripped me off for work that didnā€™t need doing, which still needs remedial action as they didnā€™t do it properly. They were so plausible I fell for it. Both were selected from a well-known tradersā€™ website. You have my sympathy whether you want it or not!

    • How horrendous for you both – evil buggers. Iā€™m impressed at your strength and courage throughout this ordeal and hope the rest of the year is considerably more peaceful.

      • Thanks all. Brown trousers rather than strength and courage, though! Put paid to any ā€œwhat Iā€™d do, ifā€ scenarios, the sort of nonsense where you imagine yourself invincible, imagining outcomes quite differently to the reality, when actually presented.
        Less Harry Brown, more his friend.

        • Robbers, conmen, bastards people like those who tried to con you are quite simply scum They prey on vulnerable people with no respect, shame or guilt luckily you had a Police Officer who knew what he was doing unlike his lazy associates
          In the times we live in scum like this are on the increase we all need to bee aware
          I always get tradespeople who come recommended by friends and acquaintances
          I hope youā€™ve seen the last of these hosers Retro, take care

    • @retropath2 if you still are in need of a gardener we gave one we can highly recommend. A female ex teacher she works like a Trojan and charges Ā£25 per hour. Local to us both and I can vouch for her. Excellent with plants too. Let me know if interested.

    • That sounds absolutely bloody awful, sorry to hear you went through all that. Police response can be a real mixed bag these days, but glad it sounds like they got there in the end.

      On the upside, I hope you donā€™t mind me saying that ā€œI mentioned the Police at that point and was told they didnā€™t believe in the law, as they made their own and that they would be back at 10 in the morning to collectā€ is a piece of comic writing worthy of Jerome K. Jerome. šŸ‘Œ

  8. At the start of the month, both myself and my wife came down with covid. It really knocked us for six, and it’s the roughest I’ve been for about 20 years, when I last had the flu.

    I only read one book, but it had a big effect on the rest of the month. The book was Love and Let Die by John Higgs, and it’s about the two huge cultural icons of the 60s, James Bond and The Beatles, who are still huge cultural icons today. It’s a great read, and went into a lot of detail about both subjects, and a lot of coincidences along the way. One fascinating fact, which I already knew was that the first Bond film, Dr No, and the first Beatles single, Love Me Do, were released on the same day, Friday 5th October 1962.

    As a long time Beatles fan, I already knew most of the stuff mentioned in the book, but most of the James Bond stuff was new to me. I learned a lot about Ian Fleming, Sean Connery, Roger Moore etc, and it piqued my interest in the Bond films.

    Finding out they were all on Amazon Prime, I started watching them in order. I thought I might watch a few a week, but after watching the first three films over three days when I was ill, I was hooked. I ended up watching all 25 of the official James Bond films in 25 days, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was quite disappointed when I’d finished watching them, as after spending nearly a month in James Bond’s world, it was back to reality. I was thinking of doing a blog post about it, but I’ve been a bit busy recently. Hopefully I can do it in the next week or so.

  9. Heard
    * Wreckless Eric – England Screaming
    Proof that one should never compile best of the year lists in October.
    It made it on to my list, and would’ve been higher if it was released earlier in the year
    * celebrating no particular anniversary, Stiff Little Fingers debut album Inflammable Material gets the big box set treatment. Original album gets a 2025 makeover, Peel Sessions are added, a live show from Troon, and a collection of videos including Old Grey Whistle Test and Shellshock Rock.
    Add in a 1000+ word book, it’s a fine thing indeed.

    Seen
    * rewatching Beatles Anthology on Disney+
    * new series of The Night Manager coming on BBC, so iPlayered the first series (it was in 2016, which is why I obviously can’t remember it)

    read
    Ben Elton – What Have I Done?
    He’s done plenty, and (refreshingly) does admit to his own failings.
    Decent bloke, bit of a workaholic, humble

  10. November came and went very quickly, probably because I was back at work full-time for the first time since the first week of January… I’ve slightly reduced my hours per week, but still – the contrast between having all the time in the world doing anything I want to or need to do, and now being stressed both during work hours and in my free time to get less than half of it done, is really insane.

    I’m glad to be back, but it’s no picnic at the moment.
    The knee is holding up OK-ish, but will never get back to how it was before, and I have other problems in my other leg, stemming from sciatica – at least I hope that’s it! It’s been getting worse and worse and now my left thigh experiences either sensations of burning lightning strikes or the same kind of painful nerve pains but ice rather than fire! Anything touching my skin can set it off, or if I’m standing up too long, and it keeps going for hours. I’m avoiding seeing a doctor about it for as long as I can, firstly because I’m sick of the sight of them after the past year’s ordeals, secondly because coming so soon after the knee problems I fear they will see me as a work-shy malingerer. Or, just as bad, say I need another operation that will keep me away from work for a long time! So I’m doing my best to ignore it, and work on my core strength at the gym…

    Read:

    Finally; my reading slump is over! Partly I can thank the reading experience of Colin Harper’s endlessly interesting Northumbrian Blues, which I’ve been reading parallel to novels (as I often do with non fiction, as a sort of palate cleanser, and as a way to not OD on facts).
    And partly thanks to a huge haul I brought home at a 25% discount a few of weeks ago, where I found a whole heap of books that were just what I needed at this point in time.

    As an easy way into getting back into my reading routines I read the diaries of a famous (to us) Swede, which was quick work, and then I dove into Patti Smith’s latest memoirs, Bread of Angels. Loved it – this focuses more on her childhood and the years after the time period that was the core of Just Kids, and it’s quite wonderful. Her world is a world of magical realism, with signs, synchronicity and real connections with artists and poets that lived a long time ago, and some might find it over the top and weird, but I find it to be charming and a glass-half-full way to appreciate life, both the good and the bad that comes your way. She is every inch an artist and poet, no false humility, no shame, no doubts. And it shows in her writing here as well.

    Now I’m two thirds into Vanessa Springora’s new book Patronym, about her father and grandfather and the family secrets and lies that she discovers after her estranged father’s death. It doesn’t seem to have been translated into English yet, but I can recommend it for when it is. Looking forward to reading all of the other books I bought, now that my slump is over.

    Seen:

    Other than my eclectic collection of YouTube channel subscriptions, I’ve been watching old films of varying quality. Favourite classics like Hobson’s Choice, Harvey, and Night of the Hunter, but also disappointments like Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel (I happen to own and love both books since childhood and have reread them at least twenty times each, so to me the films are terrible works of heresy).
    Tried and abandoned many TV documentaries, series first episodes et cetera. No patience for it.

    Heard:

    The Autumn Defense – Here and Nowhere is sort of pleasant but also quite dull and constantly reminds me of other bands and other songs, all better than these.

    Mavis Staples – Sad and Beautiful World is good, but for me there’s something lacking that I can’t quite put my finger on. Her voice is as always brilliant, the way she interprets the songs is immaculate, the production is good (if a bit too expected), so I guess it must be either the songs being OK rather than great, or perhaps I expected another rousing call to arms – more anger than sadness? I don’t know – I also haven’t listened to it quite as many times as needed to really hear it in detail, so it could grow in my estimation. There certainly are moments of great beauty there.

    I haven’t listened enough times to form a final opinion on the latest album from Swedish comeback kid Jakob Hellman either, nor the new album from RosalĆ­a. The first sounds like it’s going to be difficult to love, the latter is more of an instant enjoyment, if not as easy to love as her previous album (which I’m honestly a bit surprised to find out that hardly anyone here seems to have liked).

    But the new album from Noura Mint Seymali – Yenbett – is brilliant (of course), an absolute groove! Not surprising, as she’s always been brilliant. It’s been playing constantly since it arrived.

    Another one I’m enjoying, but haven’t spent as much time with yet, is the new Rufus Wainwright album where he sings the songs by Kurt Weill (live with The Pacific Jazz Orchestra) – I’m a Stranger Here Myself. As a fan of both Rufus and Kurt, I’m having a good time with it, and his vocals are a great fit for the material.

    Other than these I’ve been getting some reissues, remasters et cetera, from Prince, George Harrison, Emmylou Harris and The O’Jays. Can I hear if they’re remastered or not? Do I need the extra tracks and remixes? No, but I’m happy to have them on CD rather than the many LPs I never play!

    AOB:

    I experienced the best Julbord (Christmas buffet/smƶrgĆ„sbord) I’ve ever had yesterday, and when I rolled out from the restaurant and made my way home through the city it was a magical surprise to find out that it was the first day of the annual Nobel Week Lights – featuring wonderful installations of lights, film screens and music in the streets and parks around the city center. My walk home felt like a surreal walk through a fairytale, to a modern score of pulsating electronic music. Leaving those behind I passed the “Skating Disco” (“skridsko-disco”) at the temporary skating rink in KungstrƤdgĆ„rden where a brilliant DJ in a booth at the middle of the ice mixed irresistible tunes together while people of all ages skated around the statue of an old king that the rink is built around. Next stop was the big window displays of the big department store NK, where mechanical tableaux of Pippi Longstocking, her monkey and horse and a bunch of mice were doing winter-y and Christmas-y things to music while kids and grown-ups ooh’d and aah’d, watching them. The bridge over Kungsgatan provided the next magical view, of elaborate Christmas lights and decorations everywhere, and the whole way through the city I was busy photographing the many magical sights.
    A wonderful celebration of San NiccolĆ³, the Italian Christmas celebration I grew up with through my dad, and still celebrate as an adult every December 6th – buying myself special San NiccolĆ³ candy every year for my polished plate, and sometimes a small gift to put in my shoe…

    And a week from now I will go on vacation for three weeks, to really be able to enjoy and celebrate Christmas and New Years properly this year. Last Christmas (I gave you my heaaaart…sorry) I was in so much pain and just waiting for my operation, and I didn’t use my vacation weeks this year, due to being on sick-leave anyway. So it seemed like the perfect way to spend three of them, and I’m really looking forward to it.

    • Delighted you’re reading once more Lo. I understand how you’re feeling all doctored out I’m feeling the same however when bits of us go haywire we need to consult with the medics. Perhaps you should “screw your courage to the sticking – place” and get yourself checked out. It’s probably due to the added stress you’re inadvertently placing on your left leg due to your knee problem but I’m just guessing. A stitch in time etc.

      • Yes, but I’m going to wait until my vacation to book an appointment in the beginning of the new year, when I’m hopefully feeling more up for it.
        I have my “free healthcare pass” until March, I think, so I want to get things going before that expires!
        Another thing I’ll be doing on my vacation is reading… šŸ™‚

    • Thanks for letting me know about the Rufus album, Locust. I wasn’t aware of it and have added it to my Christmas list.
      Well done on being back in the working world (I think?)

      • I hadn’t heard about it either, I just happened upon it while scouring the “soon to be released” list at my online vendor (not Amazon), which is how I find most albums these days!

    • The sciatica, and indeed the cold neuralgia, which may be part the same, may be a new leg length issue, as per Sqeezerā€™s hip. It may be as simple as an insole inside your shoe to solve; mention that point at if you have it, any follow up.

      • Well, I haven’t really done anything that would change the length of my leg, as far as I know, but I’ve suspected for years that my legs are of different lengths anyway.

          • I know my right leg is now slightly longer than my left leg post THR surgery as I can now bear my body weight on my new hip and when I do so my left foot hovers in the air. Handy for reaching objects that are on a slightly higher shelf but for bugger all else.

          • But I didn’t have knee replacement surgery, they just went in to tidy up some minor details, were surprised about the other problems they found, but couldn’t do anything about. When I asked about prosthetic surgery, they said my knee was unfortunately too “healthy” to qualify for a replacement, but too bad for a pain-free life…come back in a few years and ask again!

      • Thanks, right back at you – mine doesn’t wake me up, thankfully!
        I just suffer through the days, take painkillers to fall asleep and once I’m asleep, very little can wake me up…including my alarm clock (which is why I’ve always had two or three of them)!

  11. Something on every weekend, with plenty of dancing involved. Quite apart from all the local stuff that is inevitable from the Folk Club and the good people of Chester Folk Festival, we started with Audlem Bagpipe and Hurdy Gurdy Day. I got a double helping of Andy Cutting, which is bound to make it a good month for me. First up, he was at Stoller Hall in his duo with Gudrun Walther. The music was gorgeous in its own right, but what probably made this gig of the year was that I was there with one of my dancewives. It would be tantamount to self-flagellation to miss out on dancing to Andy Cutting, so we took ourselves off to right of stage to mazurk and schottische. I’m always slightly worried in these situations that some audience members might find it irritating to have the visual distraction but, far from it, we actually got plaudits; some even thought we were part of the show!
    No such worry the following weekend when Blowzabella came to Holmfirth. We all know that feeling when you’re at gig and they are ‘your’ band. It’s heartwarming. I loved the fact that this was a new, yet retrospective setlist. For all my years with the band, there were tunes here that I’d never danced to.
    Finally, I was dancing in Herefordshire last weekend too. This schedule is proving typical. December is, of course, as bonkers as usual, but looking ahead to 2026, I have already decided that nothing new is going in my diary, quite possibly for the whole year, so mapped out as it is. Next year will definitely be my last year working full time. Pre-retirement course not required.

  12. TV
    Dancing on Saturdays, otherwise The Beatles. I’ve only done three episodes so far but it is truly tremendous and they’re utterly unique.

    Pop
    I visit a local record shop which dedicates itself to pasty white indie bands on the vinlys at hefty prices. Meanwhile, in a dark hidden-away corner are some truly excellent CDs, mainly from the Golden Age and usually by black acts. The owner concentrates on Ā£30 vinlys by people from Hull (why wouldn’t he?!) and so… Harlem River Drive, Jimi, Rocksteady, Ska, Blue Note… frankly, fill yer boots for peanuts.

    This month… James Carr’s first album (67) on Ace for Ā£4 with copious As and Bs, a Dr. John 5-CD box set for Ā£10 with Babylon (69), I’ve been after Babylon for ages, it’s brilliant. Tim Buckley’s Anthology (how ironic!) for Ā£5. And finally, Axis: Bold as Love (67) for Ā£2. I’d forgotten how wonderful it is. My favourite Jimi album… no, make that my favourite album. No U.K. 45s obvs (it was the Golden Age) but who on earth thought the best bet for a U.S. 45 was Up From the Skies?!

    Cinema
    Die My Love – Set in Montana, this is the third American release I’ve seen this year which after a reasonable first hour has gone on to fall off a cliff. The others were On Swift Horses and The Mastermind. Needed editing and would have made a better film if it had ended with the wedding scene. We’d also have been spared Love Will Tear Us Apart and a Sainted Dave song (whatever happened to ‘original film soundtracks’?), neither of which scream ‘remote house in Montana’ to me.

    The Fifth Step
    A theatrical performance on film. A two-hander about an alcoholic and his ‘sponsor’. Very funny and thought-provoking. Also a very taut ninety minutes. Less is more.

    Wake Up Dead Man
    A sort of Agatha Christie mystery set in a U.S. church with loads of famous people in it. Enjoyed it well enough but, once again, would have been better if had shed half-an-hour.

  13. I wrote out quite a long description but ‘lost’ it somehow and don’t have the heart to type it all out again. Here’s the short version

    Seen at the cinema Bugonia and The Choral.

    Heard in performance:

    Mozart Solemn Vespers and Coronation Mass
    Holst’s opera Savitri
    Fitzwilliam Quartet playing Beethoven String Quartet Op. 18 No. 1, Charlotte Bray Ungrievable Lives and Shostakovich String Quartet No. 3
    Eliza McCarthy playing piano pieces by Mica Levi, Donnacha Dennehy and others. The Dennehy piece in particular was fantastic.
    CSD Brass Band
    Lady Clare’s Consort ( made up of college choir singers and lay clerks) singing Byrd, Tallis etc
    Gilbert and Sullivan cabaret ( notably performed by 1 Chinese, 2 Indian and 3 white singers accompanied by a Chinese pianist.)

  14. November was COP month, but I was not in Brazil, supporting from Bonn. The standout person for me from the many events I watched and supported virtually was Yumna Kamel, an extremely articulate lawyer active in work for climate refugees – a voice that was much needed in the halls of Belem, in ny opinion, giving a blistering assault on the complacencies of even those who profess to care about climate justice

    Musically, I dug out my CDs from storage and sorted through them, selecting 20 favourites to go in a rack for listening on my hifi when I am in the mood for music I really love.

    I have far too many albums that I picked up cheap or free in the post-product period, like a cactus in the rainforest, and I am enjoying jettisoning CDs that I know just don’t bring me enough joy to listen to.

    So that’s out with latter period Edward II discs (lacklustre and spoiling the absolutely brilliant 2nd album by comparison), a Lemon Jelly album I have never really cared for apart from the glossy packaging, Hal Wilner’s Whoops I’m An Indian (there’s quirky and then there’s random sampling for no good reason), a couple of recent Blancmange albums picked up in Glasgow (sorry El Hombre – they were tempting for the price and the monochrome, but there was nothing to them for me).

    Saved from the rout was a Jan Garbarek album (In Praise of Dreams – with rapturous collaboration with viola which I hadn’t spotted before through the syrupy sax sound), a Battles ep (frenetic and glorious noise) and a couple of others that are waiting on judgement.

    There is a large box of posterity CDs that I want to keep, but even more that are good, but not amazing that may join the exodus. It feels cathartic to reduce the physical music to those I want to listen to on hifi, not phone or laptop, even as my online collection grows and grows.

    There were some 25 new additions in November, of which my undoubted favourite was Ernest Ranglin, as featured in the History of Rock in 500 Songs. Now nearly 30 years old, Below The Bassline is a beautiful listen as evinced by this sample:

  15. Second attempt. First attempt took me a good while and then I stupidly deleted it, thinking it was already posted here. Grrr..

    T.V.:
    I don’t watch much T.V.

    Shetland. BBC iPlayer.
    A very twisty plot in this series involving murder, drug trafficking, corruption, misplaced loyalty and family tensions. Plenty of red herrings here, with just one more episode (tonight Wednesday 10th) till the resolution. A strong hint as to who the killer is (for observant viewers) came in the final moments of last week’s penultimate episode.

    Slough House S5. Apple TV.
    Faintly unsatisfying compared to the previous 4 series. A certain amount of plot deviation, between original book sources and adaptations can be necessary, in order to turn a full-length novel into 6 hours of television. Not sure some of this series deviations added anything or made much sense – ho-hum.
    As someone pointed out somewhere elsewhere, it was good they stopped portraying River Cartwright as some kind of frustrated superspy and showed him to be just as much of a screwup as the rest of the gang.

    Down Cemetery Road. Apple TV.
    Very disappointing. They seriously messed about with the plot here and for some peculiar reason turned it into part- neo slapstick comedy and part- drama. Some of it just came over as rather ludicrous IMO. The chase scene on the sleeper train was quite good, though. Final episode airs tonight (Wednesday 10th December).

    Must say I’m not very happy with Apple TV over the repeated freezing of the video on both of their shows that I’ve been watching. Checking online, it seems to be quite a common complaint from customers, which they just seem to be answering with initial excuses followed by silence.
    No other streaming services I use are problematic here and my 250mB fibre connection shows no problems whenever I run speed tests. I suspect they’ve underestimated the demand for these shows and don’t have sufficient infastructure.

    Radio: No music radio listened in real time.

    The Naked Week. BBC Radio 4.
    An incredibly scurrilous look at the week’s news, helmed by Andrew Hunter Murray and written by John Holmes of The Now Show’ s better days. Amazing how they get some of this past the BBC’s legal eagles. Seriously, wickedly funny.

    YouTube. I have an effective ad-blocker, I’m pleased to say.

    Page 94, from Private Eye. Plus other Private Eye YT shorts.
    Topical and amusing. Plenty of news items that other outlets either neglect to cover or indeed choose not to cover. Andrew Hunter Murray, Adam McQueen and Helen Lewis are the regulars, plus sometimes Ian Hislop and other Eye contributors.
    Private Eye also have a jolly good Page 94 podcast that duplicates some (but not all) of the YT content. Worth subscribing to.

    Out And About: Shortage of those readies curtailed my gig activities a fair bit in November.

    November 2nd The Oxley/Meier Guitar Project @ The Elephant Inn, North Finchley.
    November 9th Simon Spillett @ The B3 Lounge, North Finchley.
    November 16th John Etheridge @ The Elephant Inn, North Finchley.
    November 20th Mark Lockheart+Kaiyo 3 @ Karamel, Wood Green.
    November 21st Ankora @ Karamel, Wood Green.

    The Oxley/Meier Project are guitarists Pete Oxley and Nicolas Meier, performing at The Elephant with house stalwarts Rick Finlay (drums) and Jeremy Shoham (alto & soprano saxes) plus electric bassist Dave Jones.
    Simon Spillett had his quartet at the B3. He was a bit out of sorts, with a chest infection starting, but still managed to play well. Pete Cater on drums, Steve Brown on bass and Pete Billington (not THAT one) on piano.
    John Etheridge had keyboardist Neil Angilley and house saxophonist Jeremy shoham with him and a drummer and bassist whose names escape me.
    Mark Lockheart guested at Karamel with house band Kaiyo3 (Simon Purcell on piano, Amy Baldwin on bass and Dave Ingamells on drums). Veteran trumpeter Henry Lowther came on for the last few tunes in the second set.
    Ankora are the former Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline female band, now setting out in their own right. On the night One of the trumpet players, Klara Devlin was missing, along with pianist Kezia Abuoma and drummer Miranda Radford. Subbing for Kezia was another female (who looked about 16 but played beautifully) and for Miranda a young male drummer. Didn’t catch names for either of the substitutes.

    Albums Played: A big list, as usual. In no particular order.

    Lyle Mays – Lyle Mays (1985)
    Slim Gaillard – Anthology: The Complete McVouty (2021)
    Kenny Burrell, Art Blakey – On View At The Five Spot CafĆ© – The Complete Masters (1959)
    Gordon Franks And His Orchestra – Jazz Britannica Vol. 6 (?)
    Frank Zappa – Apostrophe (‘) Box (1974)
    Milton Nascimento, Esperanza Spalding – Milton + Esperanza (2024)
    Tom Lehrer – The Remains Of Tom Lehrer-Complete (2000)
    Zoe Francis – Blue Town (2019)
    Dexter Gordon – Gettin’ Around (1965)
    Bobby Wellins Sextet – Homage To Caledonia (2024)
    Arild Andersen, Daniel Sommer, Rob Luft – As Time Passes (2024)
    Gary Burton, Steve Swallow – Hotel Hello (1975)
    Terry Gibbs Quartet – Take It From Me (1964)
    Gladys Knight & The Pips – The Ultimate Collection (1974)
    SĆøren Bebe Trio – Echoes (2019)
    Snarky Puppy – We Like It Here-Remixed, Remastered, Reimagined (2024)
    John Lewis – Jazz Abstractions (1961)
    Mal Waldron – Candy Girl (1974)
    Pat Leacock – Have Mercy On The Groove (1999)
    Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet – Warm Up: The Complete Live At The Highwayman 1965 (2023)
    Ken McIntyre, Eric Dolphy – Looking Ahead (1960)
    Graham Collier Sextet – Live At Ronnie’s (2023)
    Freddie Roach – Brown Sugar (1964)
    Lee Konitz – Live At The Half Note (1994)
    Joe Henderson – Double Rainbow: The Music Of Antonio Carlos Jobim (1995)
    Byron Wallen Quartet – Indigo (2002)
    Ensemble C – Every Journey (2025)
    Betty Accorsi Quartet – Nature Prints (2025)
    Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop – Migrations (2006)
    Junior Wells’ Chicago Blues Band – Hoodoo Man Blues (1965)
    Nubiyan Twist – NT Soundsystem (2025)
    Nubiyan Twist – Jungle Run (2019)
    Black Jesus Experience – Time Telling (2025)
    Dhafer Youssef – Shiraz (2025)
    Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims – Whooeeee (1956)
    Sophia Domancich – Wishes (2025)
    Theo Croker, Sullivan Fortner – Play (2025)
    Levitation Orchestra – Sanctuary (2025)
    Fire! – The Hands (2018)
    Amina Claudine Myers – Solace Of The Mind (2025)
    Misha Mullov-Abbado – Effra (2025)
    Hiromi – Electrifying Piano (2025)
    Booker Ervin – The In Between (1968)
    Oliver Nelson, King Curtis, Jimmy Forrest – Soul Battle (1962)
    King Curtis – The New Scene Of King Curtis (1960)
    King Curtis – Soul Meeting (1960)
    King Curtis – Have Tenor Sax, Will Blow (1959)
    Lester Young Trio – Lester Young Trio (1994)

    Any Other Business:

    My rent has just gone up from Ā£725/month to Ā£825/month. Not unexpected as my rent has remained the same since 2017 and previously was unchanged since 2007. A fly in my ointment has been that the letting agent (my landlady lives in Spain) has been rather tardy in getting a signed copy of the rental agreement back to me so I can submit it to the Housing Benefit Office and get my Housing benefit increased. The office no longer accepts in-person applications for changes of circumstances. It has to be done online, with supporting documents emailed to them. Not so great for anyone who hasn’t got access to a computer and doesn’t have an email address. I am now paying rent at the new rate but my benefit has not yet been updated and apart from two acknowledgement emails (one for the web form I filled in and one for the emailed .pdf of the signed rental agreement) I have no idea how things are progressing.

    Having to scrap my old car, purchase a new (to me) one and have work done on the new one created a black hole in October and November’s finances which I’m now starting to fill again. My belt hasn’t been tightened this much since the ’80s. Oh well…

    After going to see a doctor about persistent pain in my left shoulder (which, naturally started clearing up between making the appointment and seeing the doctor and was completely gone by the time I saw the practice physio afterwards) I got referred to a free course of tailored exercises (by app) and a few brief online consultations with another physiotherapist. The app selects a couple of exercises every day from a selection of 8 and also offers strategies for pain management. Following the course over 12 weeks (it ends this coming weekend) has not done me any harm and might have done some good. Of course the online provider would like me to sign up for a paid continuation. I shan’t be doing that but I may well keep doing the exercises without the daily app reminders.

  16. In my earlier post I forget to include what was actually my favourite of the month. I was working and couldn’t go on the night, so had to watch on You Tube. The Clare Music Society’ performing Schubert’s Winter’s Journey. I loved every minute.

  17. Seen:
    Sunday Driver at the Blue Moon in Cambridge. Or was that October?
    Lots of music documentaries during my recuperation (see below). DEVO on Netflix and Great Australian Albums (Classic Albums for Ozzie acts) on Youtube were especially good.

    Heard:
    Fen Creatures by Fuzzy Lights. A superb melding of contemporary folk tunes and sludge metal. Uncut gave it 9/10. And yet more Shirley Bassey.

    Read:
    Maconie’s Fabs book and Hep’s Abbey Road.

    I started Jonathan Gould’s “Burning Down the House: Talking Heads and the New York Scene That Transformed Rock” which is a bit of a doorstop. It really does cover the history of the whole scene – there’s a whole chapter on the Fabs in Hamburg. A month on I’m only half-way through, and the Heads have just released their debut LP.

    AOB.
    At the beginning of November, I went to Norfolk for the last time this year. I picked up a few bits in the chazzas of Cromer and a few 12″ singles in Another Planet.

    The day after returning from Norfolk, off to hospital for flexible ureteroscopy. A random scan earlier in the year found kidney stones, but I’m asymptomatic so this was preventative. Unfortunately, my four stones were inaccessible, so I still have them. I still had the pain of recovery, though. Frustrating. I went back to work (part-time) after 12 days which, in retrospect, was about a week too early.

    • Certainly that new Fuzzy Lights is the heaviest folk album of this year. Or was, until Gil Brenton, which came out on Friday. From a now Martin Simpson free the Magpie Arc, allowing the residual members to pursue all their metal prog tropes with even greater abandon than before. Iā€™d put it in my list but it isnā€™t better than any of them, ā€œjustā€ as good.

      • I spent a day going slowly deaf while recording them live, 12 or 13 years (so two albums) ago. There was no indication back then that they’d ever get a 9/10 review in Uncut.

        I saw them live last week and the soundman put earplugs in at the start of their set. Eh?

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