Rugby Union World Cup in Lego
Comments (0) Brilliantly brought to life through the medium of Lego….
Comments (0) 
Ken Bates and his Slow Arousal
By gareth, August 22, 2011 10:24 pm
Ken Bates - aroused
In one of the most disturbing things ever written about sport, Leeds United chairman Ken Bates has compared his rebuilding of the club to sex. In his program notes, the 79 year old Captain Birdseye lookalike wrote:
“The rebuilding of Leeds United is a bit like sex. In an age of instant gratification, Leeds United is having a long, drawn-out affair with plenty of foreplay and slow arousal.”
Which is enough to put you off Leeds, sex and fish fingers (in that order).
The rest of his article was devoted to calling protesting Leeds fans “morons”.
Packing my bags for the misty mountains
By gareth, August 21, 2011 10:32 pm
Newlands Valley in the Lake District - Photo by Ann Bowker
Actually I’m not – but I wish I was.
More “blog neglect” going on I’m afraid, life is very busy at the moment and I have some “paying jobs” to attend to so the new content has been few and far between. I have been meaning to post a link to this site for a while though. Beautiful photos of some of the best countryside in the world (the Lake District in the UK) – certainly responsible for me pining to visit another one of my adopted homes!
Click here to visit Ann’s website.
Middle Age Dread – Appreciating Rod Stewart
By gareth, August 14, 2011 5:30 am
Rod Stewart - before his cultural implosion
I started to take an interest in music in the late 70′s – about the same time that Rod Stewart was taking bad taste to previously un-dreamed of extremes. Rod’s satin, leopard print, peroxide and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” excesses had ruled him out of any serious consideration from me. Strange then to appreciate so much later just how monstrously talented he used to be… Continue reading 'Middle Age Dread – Appreciating Rod Stewart'»
London – Mob Rule
By gareth, August 9, 2011 11:05 pm
My only comment on the depressing and worrying scenes in London and across the UK at the moment.
Wakeypedia Stan Barstow 1928 – 2011
By gareth, August 2, 2011 10:10 am
Photo credit http://hipteens.blogspot.com/
I was saddened to read that Stan Barstow died yesterday. Fittingly enough for someone who’s work was so firmly rooted in his hometown of Wakefield, he died on ‘Yorkshire Day’. Continue reading 'Wakeypedia Stan Barstow 1928 – 2011'»
Bon Scott of AC/DC “the Robbie Burns of our Age”
By gareth, July 24, 2011 1:34 am
Photo credit www.crabsodyinblue.com
According to an article in posh UK paper “The Guardian”, Bon Scott deserves greater recognition in his native Scotland and should be officially honoured as the modern day heir to Robert Burns. No arguments here.
Bon was born in Forfar, not far from Perth (the Scottish one) but emigrated to Australia aged six. For a while the family lived in Fremantle West Australia, not far from Perth (the Australian one). Later on he hooked up with the Young brothers – also Scottish born – and joined AC/DC. They went on to conquer the world with their brand of loud, good-time, Scottish-Australian hard rock. And this is precisley the kind of UK – Australian crossover that this blog delights in.
No doubt that Bon was good, bloody good in fact. A great rock singer, electrifying frontman and a talented lyricist. It is unlikely that he ever though that his output would be described in these terms though…
“In 1978′s thoughtful ‘Sin City’, there is an ineffable joie de vivre running through the lyric that celebrates living life to the full and enjoying the blessings from the Lord’s table.”
(Elsewhere in the same newspaper, a Rugby League cup tie was described as “coruscating ” – God these guys can write!)
Bon always liked a drink and alcohol was instrumental in his early death in 1980, aged 33. Given that people tend to become more respectable with the passing of the years, surely its time to give Bon a bit of official Scottish recognition?
Primitive “Move to Australia” TV Advert
By gareth, July 22, 2011 11:43 am
A bit of a mixed bag of 70′s TV adverts here. The first one, “Join the Men in Mining”, harks back to a simpler time when the UK actually HAD a mining industry and other trifles such as a skilled working class, social cohesion etc… Quite poignant and rather sad really.
At the two minute mark, after some fluff featuring Fanny Craddock and “Nimble” bread, we reach the baffling advert suggesting we move to Australia, via the medium of filling out a coupon in your TV magazine (ah! they were the days !). What an absolutely impenetrable advert though! After a few stirring picture of beaches and the Sydney cityscape the narrator assures us that “there’s a woman’s world in Australia” (“yes – go on”, we find ourselves thinking, wrong-footed but wanting to know more). The narrator reflects for a few seconds as we view a dodgy 70′s shopping centre, which must have looked quite swish in an “Alan Whicker” sort of way, he is then moved to reflect that – “yes there’s a wonderful woman’s world”. Only this time he is really feeling it. More discordant images of a scary pink-haired clown on a post-modern rocking horse follow and then we are transported to an Aussie back yard – and we can safely assume that its Australia because the bloke is wearing knee-length white socks, as is the fashion. Our narrator is also transported – into being a Scotsman- as he assures us its a greeeyut place for families. And then the coupon in TV Times and, voila, begin your new life Downunder. What could be simpler?
Also on the travel theme the next advert informs us we can save four bob in the pound by going Inter City. Seriously, why bother emigrating to the “Woman’s World” of Australia when you can work down the mine in Northumberland, get a coal allowance AND save four bob on the trains?
*Shakes head*
Testcard
By gareth, July 19, 2011 12:08 pm
Ring-a-ding-ding cats & kittens! Dig a very swinging, “Sinatra-esque” testcard whilst we cue up a repeat of “It’s a Knockout”
Closedown…
Normal service will soon be resumed
By gareth, July 19, 2011 11:30 am
Deaf in one ear, spaced-out echo-ey feeling inside my head, one nostril constantly streaming hot water (the other one strangely dry), bloated lips as dry as paper, bone-shuddering cough, left shoulder feels like one big toothache – welcome to manflu! When I am back in the pink I will put some more effort into this blog, I promise.
Themocracy