Monday April 14, 2008

Bowling going, going gone?

Like the village green and duck pond the village bowling green is very part part of what you expect to find in the UK. Sadly though people are now becoming reluctant to join bowling clubs and without the support of full time members these clubs are at risk. I think this is very much what this country is becoming - we are starting to go home shut the door and stay there instead of going out and meeting people and interacting with them. Henry VIII actually put in place a law where the game was forbidden to be played except at Christmas - that law only repealed in 1845! It seems Henry wanted the population to spend more time doing archery much more useful in his opinion. As usual the Wikipedia site has an excellent item on bowls.

Public Enemy Number One..

It seems in Northumberland conservationists have decided if they are to save the Red Squirrel in their county they have to exterminate large numbers of the North American "imported" grey. The Grey Squirrel is larger than its native cousin which means it can cause the red to leave the area as the greys move in. Also the grey carries a bug that it seems immune too but which is usually fatal to the red if it catches the bug. The canny Northumberland residents don't waste what they cull; the meat of the grey squirrel is fast becoming a popular new game dish.

Waking the dead..

This series - about a cold case squad is back tonight. Trevor "Shoestring" Eve is still in charge but the series is not the same since they killed off Claire Goose .

New CD's P.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand. Awsome cd. No wonder it has been so well received. Apart from the fact both are world class vocalists they have a excellent backing band. Although on most tracks they sing together there are also a few tracks they sing on their own. Worth buying.

Pulp - Different Class. Great line in the cd insert Please Understand. We don't want trouble. We just want to be different. That's all. Cocker's talent for writing awsome vocals are clear in this and the other Pulp albums mentioned below. F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E is very good. You know Pencil Skirt is not going to be one of his polically correct track or one you should play for your granny...

Pulp - We Love Life. Weeds and Weeds II good starting tracks. The Night that Minnie Timperley Died is next and is one of my favourite tracks on the CD. A very close second best must be Bad Cover Version, listen to his vocals carefully. Beautifully crafted. "Every time he kisses you , you get the taste of saccarin" and "The latest Tom and Jerry when the both of them could to talk".

Pulp - This is hardcore. Help the Aged I think my favourite on this cd. Perhaps given my ever increasing age - it is a track the makes you realises we should be more sympathetic towards older people and it won't be long before we get old. The title track also excellent. I'm a Man is a track I should pull over off the road when this track comes on.

Pulp - His and hers. Not so keen on this album - the tracks are ok but compared to the other albums not their best.