131 Songs - Numbers 56, 57 and 58

Number 56 - First We Take Manhattan by Jennifer Warnes

The next three songs are definitely three of my favourite all time recordings. The first is the stand out track from "Famous Blue Raincoat", released in 1987 and one of my top ten albums of all time. It is tribute to Leonard Cohen, with whom Jennifer Warnes toured as a back-up singer in the 1970's, and includes a number of his compositions from 1969 to 1984. It also has some new songs, of which "First We Take Manhattan" is one. I do not own a Leonard Cohen album, his voice is just too much of a growl, but given a voice like Jennifer Warnes, the songs take on a different dimension. Leonard does sing on "Joan of Arc", but mercifully on no other.

Number 57 - Will You by Hazel O'Connor

Hazel O'Connor burst into fame with her starring role in the 1980 British move "Breaking Glass". The soundtrack includes the extraordinarily beautiful song "Will You" composed by Hazel O'Connor and Wesley Magoogan. Hazel not only took the lead role but as she says, "ended up writing all the songs for the movie". Although she did have big problems with her record company, resulting in damaging law suits, she now has the rights to the songs she wrote and is currently touring "Breaking Glass Live" in the UK. Wesley Magoogan gets co-writing credits for his awesome alto saxophone solo, my favourite sax solo ever. Unfortunately, Wesley lost fingers in a circular saw accident so that ruined his playing career. They were sewn back on, but only one hand works well. However, the combination of such a wonderful song and the fabulous melody of the saxophone solo makes this a classic.

Number 58 - The Weakness in Me by Joan Armatrading

Joan Armatrading is one of the great British female singer songwriters. I guess that most fans would have gone for "Love and Affection" or even "Rosie", "Me Myself I" or "Drop the Pilot". But I think that "The Weakness In Me", the stand out track on her 1981 album "Walk Under Ladders", is just a wonderful song. Alison and I went to see Joan at Wembley Arena in October 1986. Wow, that is twenty four years ago! She was suffering from a cold, but still gave a blistering performance. A true trooper.

Her Fearful Symmetry, How Far Can You Go? and Adrian Mole The Prostrate Years

After enjoying her "The Time Traveller's Wife", I was looking forward to reading Audrey Niffenegger's new book "Her Fearful Symmetry" and I was not disappointed. The first half is particularly good as the young twin sisters Julia and Valentina move from Illinois to the apartment next to Highgate Cemetery when this is left to them in a will. The story follows their encounters with the other occupants of the house, and their struggle to become individuals. The cemetery itself plays a significant part as the backdrop to so many chapters. However, once the novel turns into a ghost story it is less effective, as a real sense of place and character becomes subservient to fantasy. But on the whole, a terrific book, very well written and a joy to pick up each day.

David Lodge has always been one of my favourite writers. His four latest novels have been brilliant. So catching up on his earlier work led me to his 1980 Whitbread prizewinning "How far Can You Go?" I was seriously disappointed. The story of the progress of a number of friends from the 1950's to the 70's would have been quite interesting if the book was not dominated by their relationship with the catholic church. There were whole passages that I found quite unreadable as it became a dissertation on the relevance of Catholicism in the second half of the twentieth century. OK, it was probably a worthy and intellectually stimulating criticism of religion, but it was not for me.

I must have read Sue Townsend's "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4 when it came out twenty odd years ago. So I thought it might be interesting to see how he was doing at the age of 39, not having read any of the seven intervening books. I have to say I did not feel as though I had missed very much. It is quite light, reasonably entertaining and occasionally funny. But having just read the powerful and dramatic "The Help", I wanted something less intense. But all I got was Adrian's continuing miserable life as prostrate cancer takes it's toll. So not a comedy as such.

A Week in Cornwall

Our ninth year of staying in Port Quinn for a week in September. But this time Doyden was full, so we found an NT cottage in Port Quinn itself, right on the coastal path. In fact it passes the gate and climbs around the back of the property where you could touch the roof.

The journey down on Thursday seemed much shorter this year, four and a half hours travel time, perhaps because there were no roadworks or holdups. We arrived to the normal sunshine in time for a walk to the castle at Doyden. We found the wall where Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker start every episode of "Secret Britain". We could not remember it being there when we watched the first episode of the series, and on inspection it did seem new.

We always like to take the coastal path west from Port Quinn on the first day so we do not have to take the car out. Friday dawned to a shower but soon brightened and we started off in the sunshine that lasted through the day. We used to finish at Rumps, but now we go on to Pentire Point for views over to Polzeath and round to Padstow and beyond. It is a superb viewpoint and we had a fabulous spot to have lunch.

The next day Alison likes to run from Port Quinn to Rock and take the ferry to Padstow where she meets me after my bike ride down the Camel Trail to Wadebridge and back. I even had time to have a walk around Wadebridge which was quite busy as it was a Saturday morning. I enjoyed my fish and chips at the Quayside cafe in Padstow before a walk up the hill to look over to Rock.

It was a little cloudy on Sunday, and wanting to avoid the crowds on the coast, we decided to visit the NT estate at Lanhydrock which is not far away. We had not been for a few years and we were glad to be there again. The weather brightened as we arrived, the gardens looked spectacular and we found an area with nice paths through the trees on the hillside above the house which we had not seen before. Before a longish walk down to the river, we had lunch sitting on a bench with this great view of the estate.

We always try to find somewhere new for one of our days and this year it was Falmouth. We were looking for a park and ride but actually found a "Park and Float" which took us on a ferry from the car park at Ponsharden to a quay in the middle of Falmouth.

After a coffee and a walk around the town, we caught another ferry to St Mawes from where we had good views of it's castle.

Again we were very lucky with weather and St Mawes is a very pretty place to visit.

On Tuesday we parked in Rock, as we do every year, for a walk along the beach at Daymer Bay and the ferry over to Padstow. It was sunny but quite windy which meant we did not stay too long on one of the benches above the port. Although when the tide is out, the sandbanks are really beautiful.

We did not want to be back late as that evening we had booked for a return visit to Jamie Oliver's "Fifteen" at Watergate Bay. Again we had a excellent dinner and although this time we did not have a window seat, we could still see the surfers through the glass wall from our elevated table, and a very nice sunset.

Our last day started off a little cloudy, though still bright. We wanted to revisit Lundy cove as the tide was in on the walk of our first day. Alison ran to Rumps and met me there. On my walk I had time to take some good photos of the sandy bays around this part of the coast, the tide this time being out.

At Lundy, the waves were great and we were able to walk along the sand to a beach that is only accessible when the tide is right out. Previously, we have only seen the caves from above.

The last day turned out to be one of the best. Although it remained cloudy, we had a very nice bacon roll in The Granary, our favourite cafe in Wadebridge (a very heavy shower was over by the time we left). And then we off for bodyboarding at Polzeath. The waves were pretty good, the odd one would take you fifty meters if you were lucky to catch it.

Back at Port Quinn, we had time to take a last look at the tiny harbour before starting our packing for the journey home.

Salt, The Girl Who Played With Fire and Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D

A predictable but an otherwise entertaining cold war thriller, Salt is very comparable to the James Bond/Jason Bourne genre but with a twist. Angelina Jolie takes the lead role in a pacy action movie well directed by Philip Noyce. Hammy, yes, but just what summer blockbusters should be.

I was so looking forward to The Girl Who Played With Fire after the the first in the trilogy was one of my films of the year. The sequel was not quite in the same league, but still highly enjoyable. The tension ramps up during the course of the movie and the cinematography was as good as the previous film. Noomi Rapace is absolutely brilliant as Lisbeth Salander, the only trouble is that she is not on screen enough. The parallel action which involves the Millennium magazine's hunt for the baddies is too distracting. We need to get back to see how Lisbeth is coping. Otherwise, a great movie.

I had no great expectations for Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D. the fourth installment of the game based fantasy thriller. But if ever a movie was enhanced by 3D, this was it. I was impressed that the zombie shootouts were kept to a minimum this time. The plot was fairly lame, and Paul W.S. Anderson does better with the direction of the CGI heavy action than with his screenplay. Mila Jovovich and Ali Larter are very watchable, the latter bringing some much needed classier acting to the table. There is also a cameo role for Kacey Barnfield, a young English actress who has cut her teeth on Grange Hill, The Bill and Casualty, but is perhaps better known as the girlfriend of Stuart Broad. Cameo meaning she comes a cropper halfway through.

Hammersmith Odeon - Programmes from Concerts in the 60's

I posted a piece on this blog on 18th November 2007 about the Hammersmith Apollo and when it was the Hammersmith Odeon in the mid 60's. I found a few of the programmes from many of the concerts I saw there and here they are. I also have one for Tony Bennett who appeared with Count Basie, and whose band also accompanied Sarah Vaughn on another occasion.

Goodbye to The Bill, Hello to The West Wing

This week we watched the final episode of The Bill. After 26 years, the series has come to an end. Admittedly, it had become a little tired recently, although there was the occasional episode that was as good as it ever was. We always watch British police dramas, and The Bill was a mainstay for such a long time. The last scene of the final episode was a four minute tracking shot that showed all the cast inside and outside the Sun Hill station. It first followed Micky through the corridors after the last press conference, then picked up Smithy and Stone as they pack up for the night and framed them outside the back door as the night shift empty a van of drunks, passing the ground floor windows the camera is picked up to go up to the first floor to watch Jack Meadows through the window as he puts on his coat and switches off the light, back down to ground level and we watch the front entrance as some of the cast make for home before ascending again and panning back to watch Jack get to his car and drive off. A fine goodbye.

So what will fill this big gap? Well seven series of The West Wing is a start. My daughter has lent us Series 2 and 3, and I bought Series 1. We have watched the first five episodes and are already hooked. So now it is just a case of fitting them in, but at 45 minutes each, I don't think that will be a problem.

131 Songs - Numbers 53, 54 and 55

Number 53 - That Was Your Mother by Paul Simon

It was hard to choose which song from Paul Simon's Graceland, one of my favourite albums. Instead one of the classic tracks recorded with black African musicians, I went for one of the the final two tracks where Paul Simon tries to find a musical connection closer to home. That Was Your Mother is inspired by the Zydeco bands of Cajun Louisiana. I posted my feelings about Louisiana Blues on my blog on 10/06/2008, and I guess that is why I have plumped for this track. The great accordion playing that is associated with this type of music is by Alton Rubin Snr, or Dopsie himself from the backing band Dopsie and the Twisters.

Number 54 - Local Hero by Bruce Springsteen

Despite not owning a Bruce Springsteen album, I remember reading the reviews of the two simultaneously released Human Touch and Lucky Town, and decided to buy them together. I'm glad I did. The former had apparently taken an age to perfect, whilst the latter, taking no time at all, is a stripped down recording of songs that were written during this time. Bruce dispensed with his band and played all the instruments apart from drums. And it shows in the clarity of the sound that I find missing on many of his other more famous songs. The album has a number of great compositions including the wonderful If I Should Fall Behind and My Beautiful Reward. But I have chosen a typical Bruce uptempo number. If there was one of his songs I could hear live it would be Local Hero.

Number 55 - Heaven by Bryan Adams

Alison is a huge fan, but I find his music a little ordinary. However, the two live concerts, especially that at Route of Kings in Hyde Park in July 1999, were excellent. The venue in Hyde Park was of temporary stands on three sides so everyone was seated. Bryan Adams was only supported by a bass player and drummer, but the sound was great, with a virtuoso performance by Bryan on guitar. One of the most memorable gigs we have been to. I have picked a track that is not so typical of his repertoire. But just a great song.

Hambleden Valley Walk

For my fourth walk in the South Buckinghamshire Chilterns, I chose one from Nick Moon's book Circular Walks along The Chiltern Way. Since I retired, I have ventured south of the M40 on three previous occasions. This time it was a fifty minute drive, so just once a year is enough. I parked the car, as instructed, on the verge of the green in Southend, a hamlet not even on my road map.

I started my walk at 10.30am. A bright sunny day with temperatures from 15C to 20C, just about perfect for a long walk. I only became hot on the last uphill stretch. The first third of the route is fairly ordinary as it mostly goes through woods. Pleasant enough, but nothing different from my local walks. Gussetts Wood and Great Wood are very similar to those around Dunsmore.

But the scenery changes completely coming down out of Great Wood with great views of the Hambleden Valley below.

I crossed over the road just after Bacres Farm ( in the foreground above) to pick up The Chiltern Way at Colstrope. This long and straight path along the valley is just superb.

At the village of Skirmett, the route heads off east and up into Adams Wood with a brief open area at the top of the hill before entering Fingest Wood with this time a downhill stretch. Coming out of the wood, there is a gate and then a bench situated well above Fingest with one of the best viewpoints in the whole of the Chilterns. I have never been in a prettier spot. The view down to Fingest is particularly splendid.

The bench was a perfect spot to have lunch and taken in the views all around. A couple from Beaconsfield came past and we compared notes on our walks. It was about 1.30pm that I started down the last stretch of hill into Fingest. The church there is very striking.

The route then takes a detour around Turville Hill and it was not long before the village of Turville itself came into view.

I had visited the village before as it was the starting point of one of my previous walks. It was very pretty in the afternoon sunshine. The church looked very fine.

The Chiltern Way then has one final long uphill stretch from Turville up to the starting point at Turville. The best bit about this section is the view back up the Hambleden Valley from where I was sometime earlier. A bench about half way up was a good place to have a rest. The sun had become quite warm and I was hot for the first time in the day.

I arrived back at the car about 2.45pm, so it had been a fairly long day. I must have walked about 9 miles, which is longer than my normal weekend routes. But it was a very enjoyable experience. I did wonder a couple of times if I was on the right path, but I managed to avoid getting lost in unfamiliar territory. It certainly makes a change from my regular walks.