Category Archives: about me

by | September 19, 2011 · 11:53 am

why do I love music and books?

Music and books played a part in my life from an early age. I was something of a sickly child and would be laid up for one to three weeks at a time. As both of my parents worked, albeit not that far away and could pop in to check on me, when I was ill in bed it was just me and the radio to start with. Thankfully talk radio hadn’t been thought of then (not many of us had ‘phones to call in with anyway) and most of the programming was music.

This was in the 1950s and so a lot of the music was from the big shows; Carousel, South Pacific, Calamity Jane, Oklahoma! and so on. These especially sparked the imagination for farway places and times and could take that small boy with them.

One of my early treasures was an atlas, and I would try to find anywhere mentioned in a song on the map. Of course there were some fictional places, but, through song, I found a love of geography, travel and maps (even now I can spend a happy hour with an ordnance survey map).

Song also helped my vocabulary, pestering my parents when they came in about new words, and when Doris Day sang Que Sera Sera or Dino crooned Volare more horizons burst into my developing mind.

Picture books and annuals with cartoon strips came into my life as well then and I began to understand a few written words too as I struggled with the captions. We didn’t have much money, but jumble sales were a good source of cheap books that helped me read well before I went to school even if I did make a complete nonsense of pronouncing some of them (ocean came out as okeen, and Pharaoh as something like farrower I recall).

Books still play a big part in my life, but music require less effort and I can listen with my eyes shut (that does tend to impair one’s reading ability). I have an ancient i-Pod that I love dearly and be transported to places and memories or just listen to the different components of the sound.

I have very catholic tastes and there are all sorts of genre on the i-Pod; punk, chamber music, folk, big bands, blues, light opera, soul, classical , protest songs and pop plus a few that I’ve no doubt missed.

Along the way I’ve I’ll write some more about music and books that I enjoy in coming blogs

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by | July 25, 2011 · 7:43 pm

Garden progress here in North Wiltshire

Tonight dinner was enhanced by the first potatoes from what used to be our rockery. We dug it out a couple or three years ago and made a raised be into with we’ve planted various greens and potatoes. Tonight’s are the result of a potato that I just planted because it was sprouting in the veg drawer. A nice change from some of the shop bought (we were very disappoited with the Jersey Royals this year – almost tasteless).

Earlier in the year we had a great crop of strawberries that lasted us throigh about 3 weeks of enhancing puddings. Not so many coming through now though.

The tomato hanging basket (Tumbler) is cropping like mad and making salads nicer as are lettuce from the garden. The plum and full size tomatoes are flowering, but no crops yet.

We tried Pak Choi this year for the first time and managed to use 4 or 5 in stir fries before they went to flower.

Fennel, garlic, round carrotts and beans all coming along.

We’ll never match Tom & Barbara, but it is a bit of fun and relaxation, the food miles are minimal and it all tastes good, so we’ll be doing it all again next year.

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by | July 7, 2011 · 10:34 am

back (excuse the pun) at the chiroprator

Having managed to put my back out speaking at the Public Procurement Show the other week I have been back at the chiropractor. The one that sorted me out after being rammed from behind on Birdlip Hill has moved so I have found myslef a new one. Not the one where the owner runs a Maserati and wanted me to pay them thousands, presumably to keep up the payments on the trident job, but one who has reasonable charges and has got me walking around pain free again.

If you do take up this route you do need to think about long term work on your skeleton to get bones and muscles working and, as you get older, this makes more sense.

So if you have problems, do consider a chiropratctor to help you. It has worked on me and I would be happy to recommend my lady to you. Drop me an email or post a comment here and I’ll pass on the details.

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by | June 3, 2011 · 1:53 pm

the power of the media – e.coli and all that

So there I am, networking away after giving an evening presentation, when realisation of the time creeps up on me. I need to get moving. I’ve missed out on the sponsor’s excellent looking buffet, but plan to grab a sandwich at Paddington – it’s a long time since 12 and my hurried lunch.

Farewells said I head out into Kingsway and cross the street heading for Holborn Station and the Central Line. As I funnel into the stream of others squeezing into the entrance I take the free Evening Standard and shuffle through the turnstiles and down the escalator.

A westbound train is just pulling so I dive on, lean up against the partition and open my paper. The news is bad: Mutant e.coli sweeping Europe and the US. Deadly bugs passed on via salad items seem to be the cause and we have 7 victims over here in the UK now. Nasty stuff, and I feel for the folks in Hamburg, the epicentre of the outbreak the paper tells me, as it is somewhere I have visited many times on business and have always been warmly welcomed.

A change of train at Oxford Circus and I get a seat this time. I read more about the outbreak and its implications. All very unpleasant.

Paddington comes up and I make my way through the tunnel and up onto the concourse. I have 10 minutes before the train is due out, so head for the food concessions to find, you guessed it, row upon row of tired looking concoctions (well it is just after 9pm) all embellished with limp salad.

Even if the chance of any of it being likely to be carrying a nasty bug is infinitesimal, ThatConsultantBloke goes home to bed hungry, unable to face any of it, the power of the media having put him off thoroughly.

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by | April 12, 2011 · 12:24 pm

shock, horror! monty python not funny?

On Facebook today I learned of others who did not find Monty Python funny, and realised that I was not alone, at least if you exclude the older generation of the time.

I had grown up on the extreme radio comedy of the Goons, and later such wonders as Cambridge Circus, I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again, and then their morphing into TV with At Last The 1948 Show and similar, so Monty Python was much looked forward to.

For me, though, it largely bombed. I faithfully watched very week, despite (or maybe because of) parental disapproval, but it let me down every time. The only thing that I found mildly amusing was the Lumberjack Song sketch and that was my lot. As for the follow-up films, I did see a couple because the lady in my life at the time was a fan, but I thought them abysmal.

Maybe there is a touch of the Emperor’s New Clothes here; no-one wants to speak out, but now there is some hope. For years I have though that it must be me, because the programmes are so much-loved as a cult classic, so it is nice to know that, whilst I may be in a minority, I am not alone.

On that note, with apologies to Mr Cleese, I will make another confession. I don’t like Fawlty Towers either. Its only redeeming feature for me was Prunella Scales’ performance as Sybil, the rest of it I found embarrassingly awful.

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by | April 9, 2011 · 4:10 pm

john bowen? no, that one isn’t me

Hardly an original title, but since I started to get active on the blogging front I’ve come across all sorts of namesakes around the world and over time.

Just for the fun of it I’ve created a page here to list some of the other JBs with a link to more information about them, or to their web sites if they have one.

It will build over time as I come across ones I think that I’d like to include and, if you are a JB and would like me to mention you here, please let me know and I’ll gladly include you.

To see who’s there, click on the tab at the top of the page, or on this link.

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by | April 8, 2011 · 9:04 am

friday fun in the sun

Well it is a beautiful morning (no I’m not about to burst into a selection from Oklahoma!) and I am having a few moments in front of the laptop checking emails, blogging and passing the time until I have to capture a pair of moggies and take them off to the vets for the annual jabs.

All of a sudden here in Jottings I have got all political again. After GE2010 I promised myself that I would leave the soap box in the shed for a while, but the Yes2av campaign crept up on me and had got the juices flowing in opposition, so apologies to my regular readers who prefer my more whimsical offerings, but there will be a steady stream of no2av campagning for the next few weeks.

I will try to add more of my usual scibblings to water things down though, so please bear with me if you find the politics boring.

So, time to drink my tea and turn into Hunter John and track down the cats. This posting will be filed amongst Wildlife Encounters; they may me domestic animals, but somehow they know that a trip in the cage is coming and are already plotting against me. I shall return later to dress my own wounds and with a lighter wallet.

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by | March 28, 2011 · 6:35 am

tough times

Over the last couple of weeks two people we know very well have both been diagnosed with cancer and neither is likely to be around this time next year. Of course such predictions are not always true, but they both have to think about how they deal with what may well be a shortish time left and, sorry if this sounds selfish under the circumstances, those around them, including us, have to consider the impact their last months and passing will have.

As I’ve written in another blog recently we don’t get to choose when our time is up, but when mine comes I would rather it was quick. A lingering demise, as both of my parents had, is hard on those around you. I don’t want to inflict that on anyone.

 

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by | March 27, 2011 · 9:19 pm

a bit of a day!

Finally wrapping up the day. At one stage we thought that we had a Coach Parties Welcome sign at the end of the drive as we’ve had more visitors today than we’d normally get in a month.

I’ve finally finished the VAT return that I started over 12 hours ago, tomorrow’s Monday Musing is loaded ready to appear at 0600, next week is planned and a very welcome bed is calling.

The Berkshire Belle and I lead such tranquil lives normally, so a house guest and a horde of unexpected callers is somewhat disruptive, even if we are pleased to see people.

Normality should return sometime on Tuesday when we’ll be back to just us and the cat.

 

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by | March 20, 2011 · 8:37 pm

somtimes I forget that I’m not eighteen any more

Another weekend of decorating done, and just a couple of final touches to do before we have a rare house guest at the end of the week. I’ve never enjoyed wallpapering, and this job has meant a lot of fiddly work in confined spaces. The days when I could do all that physically with ease are long past, and I’m sat here writing this feeling the effects of two days of strange contortions.

Age may be taking its toll, but, as those who follow my Monday Musings will see tomorrow, I’ve always advocated pushing the boundaries. Never, never, never give up.

 

 

 

 

 

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