Agent Zigzag, The End of the Affair and The Small Hours

"Agent Zigzag" is an amazing story of one of the most important double agents of WW2. Eddie Chapman, small time crook, serial womaniser and chancer, is such an interesting character that his exploits are extremely colourful. To escape the police in England, he escapes to Jersey. But he is eventually captured there for another crime and is in prison during 1939 when the Germans invade. Narrowly avoiding transportation, he persuades his new goalers that he would be a highly useful spy for Germany, given his record on the mainland. So begins a tale of cross and double cross. He is trained by the German secret service (with many of whom he becomes friends) and is parachuted into East Anglia where he immediately gives himself up to the authorities. Again his talent of persuasion convinces MI5 that he can become a double agent and so is born Agent Zigzag.
Ben Macintyre has carried out some remarkable research with the files that were released to the National Archives in 2001 and contained a vast amount of records on Chapman's case. He also persuaded MI5 to declassify more files and talked to numerous individuals with knowledge of Chapman and his experiences. There is almost too much information to take in. But Macintyre tells a great story, especially when he relates the personal life of his central character. It is when he starts describing the background of the many individuals from opposing sides that the book gets bogged down.  I found the first half of the book to be far superior than the second. His inclusion of too many verbatim reports need some judicial editing. But it did give me a terrific sense of how our secret service operated during the war and the character of the men who were involved. But apart from the tracing of radio traffic at Bletchley Park, I wonder just how much other intelligence work contributed to the ultimate success. Perhaps the creation of deceptions did make a difference and Eddie Chapman played a part.

It must have been forty years since I read anything by Graham Greene, so when I recorded the film version of "The End of the Affair" I decided I would read the novel first. A book that combines passion with religion is a heady mix. Maurice Bendix looks back on a wartime affair with Sarah that ended so suddenly, and tries to make sense of his recollections that filled him with love and hate.
The first half of book is as poetic as it is filled with spare yet heart wrenching prose that is as good as anything I have ever read. So it is a disappointment when we temporarily leave Maurice's first person narrative for a literary device that pales in comparison. But it here that Maurice is confused with how God has taken away the love of his life, and Greene gives us an intellectual, yet straightforward twist on the meaning of religion, including the catholic faith and rationalism. Both of which involve Sarah.
The latter's representative explains love to her as "The desire to possess in some, like avarice; in others the desire to surrender, to lose the sense of responsibility, the wish to be admired. Sometimes just the wish to be able to talk, to unburden yourself to someone who won't be bored. The desire to find again a father or a mother. And of course under it all the biological motive". Greene challenges us to think about what love is, and does it with beautiful writing. The story is also pretty good.

Once in a while I find a book that just glows with superb writing and emotional insight."The Small Hours" is one of those. Susie Boyt has created a wonderfully fragile character in Harriet Goodman, someone who will stay in my memory for a long time to come. Her fragility is mental, not physical. She is over six foot tall and I could not get Miranda Hart out of my head. There is something from her childhood that her therapist has been looking to unravel, but her sessions are over. What has helped is the large legacy from her deceased father. I guess that her inheriting did nothing to help the alienation from her mother and brother, something that hurts even more than it should.
Harriet's investment in a nursery school is a beautifully imagined piece in it's own right. There is much to feel good about, the vision Harriet creates, her brilliant young staff, the exceptional children. Only with Harriet there is always a sense of foreboding. Trying to understand her childhood and family are never far from mind. So it is not all sweetness and light, and you know from an early fast forward, the dream collapses.
The changes in time do the book a great favour, softening the blow,and Susie Boyt has given us a shortish novel that tugs at the heartstrings and warms the senses with her distinctively fabulous writing. I wish I could give it more than five stars.

Nerina Pallot, Aimee Mann, Jewel, Thea Gilmore/Sandy Denny, Tina Dico, Sharon Van Etten and Honey Ryder

Up until Christmas, I had hardly added to my music collection over the previous six months, but suddenly here comes a rush of some of my favourite singers and bands.

After enjoying her classic album "fires", and the not so great "dear frustrated superstar, I found some very reasonably priced offers for Nerina Pallot's 2009 album "The Graduate" and her latest "Year Of The Wolf". I have to say that I prefer her ballads to the yup tempo stuff, especially when she sings with basically just a piano accompaniment. There are few of those on the first of these albums, but "It Starts" represents what I mean. There are more of these on "Year Of The Wolf" especially the back to back "All Bets Are Off" and "If I Lost You Now". This is a high quality collection.

Even better is Aimee Mann's first solo album "Whatever" from 1993. I don't know why some of these songs seem familiar, but maybe not surprising given the rave reviews this debut received. There are some who believe this is still her best recording, and that is what persuaded me to go back to her beginnings. I'm so glad I did. "4th July" is an exquisite quiet waltz punctuated by some superb percussion, but there are so many great tracks. Unfortunately her concert at The Royal Festival Hall is sold out, so I will have to do with her new album "Charmer".

I hummed and haahed about Jewel's "Perfectly Clear". In the end it is too country for me. The backing is far too twangy for my taste. The songs are almost OK, and with a different production it could have been right up there with the other four albums in my collection.

"Don't Stop Singing" is an unusual CD. When a number of unknown song lyrics, written by the late Sandy Denny, were unearthed, her estate selected Thea Gilmore to provide the music and to record the tracks. In my opinion, the result is more of novelty value than a satisfying collection. If you just listen to the lyrics, they are quite a haunting memory of Sandy, but that is it. The music is repetitively and distinctly Thea. Maybe it needed one person to write the melodies and another to sing.  The stand out track "London" is maybe an exception. This could become a classic.

Tina Dico does it again. Three mini albums make up "A Beginning, A Detour, An Open Ending". A collection of 20 simple yet beautiful songs with basic acoustic accompaniment is right up my street. She has a superbly clear distinctive voice and her consistently great songwriting defies belief. I have yet to purchase her latest album "Where Do You Go To Disappear?" so another treat is obviously in store.

I was so looking forward to Sharon Van Etten's new album "Tramp", especially as it was given great reviews and after her "Epic" album is so good. But, for me, she has entered a world that is alien to my ears. I guess that explains the reviews. To me it just drones on and on, sounding off key (I guess it is meant to). Think Bon Iver, with whom she has previously collaborated, but not in a good way. I will try to see if it grows on me, but I'm not holding my breath.

However, I have saved the best for last. Honey Ryder's first album "Rising Up" is one of my favourites of all time, and the new one "Marley's Chains" is also fabulous. First of all I want to know what has happened to Martyn Shone. He joins vocalist and joint composer Lindsay O'Mahoney on the front cover of "Rising Up", the band being this joint enterprise. The two wrote all the songs on this album and played together on tour. I thought there must have been a complete separation for the new album, produced as it was by Lindsay's husband Jon (a story here?) and Honey Ryder are now Lindsay, Jason Huxley and Matt Bishop. In an interview for femalefirst, Lindsay says Martyn left "for personal reasons" whatever these were. So no more Martyn, or so I thought. It  was therefore with some amazement that when I looked at the sleeve for "Marley's Chains", there is Martyn as joint writer of five tracks and "a special thank you" credit. Who knows, but who cares? The songs are all brilliant, this is just how up tempo songs should be. The instrumental backing is so crisp, it could crack. The one joint composition of Lindsay and Martyn is called "Never Say Never". So just maybe?

Songs from Call The Midwife - Series 2

The second series of "Call The Midwife" is now being shown on BBC1.  Following on from my previous posting that listed all the songs from the first series, here are those from Series 2.

EPISODE 1

"Younger Than Springtime" by Bill Lee and John Kerr.

"Shangri-La" by The Four Coins

 "Friendly Persuasion" by The Four Aces

I am not familiar with any of the above, so it is thanks to Amazon listing the songs in the soon to be released compilation. The person choosing the songs still tries to find something by The Four Aces. Their fourth appearance on the show.

EPISODE 2

"My Special Angel" by Malcolm Vaughn. (Sorry - I originally put Michael Vaughn)

I normally only include the old songs, but I must mention the version at the end: an Original Cast Recording by The Cub Scouts. This is also on the double CD compilation out on 18th February.

"Jump Jive An' Wail" by Louis Prima.

"The Ying Tong Song" by The Goons. Why only just over 30 seconds worth? What a swiz. Even worse, it is not on the CD. Go to YouTube to hear the full version. Awesome.

"Memories Are Made Of This" by Dean Martin with Dick Slade and his Orchestra. One of my favourite singers, and what a song to end a highly emotional episode. And isn't Vanessa Redgrave superb?

P.S. There was a song played in the background when Jenny and Trixie are talking in their bedroom that was so indistinct, I didn't even mention it. Thanks to Christine, it was "I Only have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos (5th March 2014).

EPISODE 3

"Young Love" by Tab Hunter

There is also an inaudible song in the background half way through. Anyone hear it?

Found it!

"In The Still of the Night" by The Five Satins

EPISODE 4

"Raunchy" by Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra (the opening instrumental - that took some finding)

"Young Love" by Tab Hunter (Yes, the same as at the end of Episode 3)

"Everybody Loves a Lover" by Doris Day with Frank Devol and his Orchestra

"Tequila" by The Champs. Thanks to Iain Cooke for the advice. 

EPISODE 5

"Love With No Love In Return" by The Five Satins

"Baby Lover" by Petula Clark

"Blue Moon" by Elvis Presley

"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair" by Mitzi Gaynor

"If I Loved You" by Jane Morgan

Unknown song at the very end. Thanks to Christine, the song played over the end credits was "Last Night I Dreamed" by The Fiestas.

EPISODE 6

"Secretly" by Jimmie Rogers

Unknown song played on the radio when Trixie shows off her new shoes. Thanks to Iain this is "We Are Not Alone" by Frankie Vaughn.

"Born Too Late" by The Poni-Tails (this takes me back)

"When" by The Kalin Twins (so does this fabulous song)

"If Dreams Came True" by Pat Boone

"For Your Precious Love" by Jerry Butler (did not know this song, but isn't it great)

"The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin

EPISODE 7

"Volare" by Dean Martin

"A Certain Smile" by Johnny Mathis

"I Can Dream, Can't I" by The Andrews Sisters

"Patricia" by Perez Prado and his Orchestra (the title had me stumped for ages, although I knew the tune)

"Baby Oh Baby" by The Shells (a group I had never heard of)

EPISODE 8

There is a song played on the radio where Fred is talking to his daughter. It comes on after 11minutes or so, but is hardly audible. Again thanks to Iain, this is "Am I Wasting My Time On You" by Frankie Vaughn.

"Catch A Falling Star" by Perry Como (the fourth, and best, of his songs played in the series. It gained a gold record as the "A" side of a record which had "Magic Moments" as the "B" side and also became a separate hit. We had it on 78rpm. I will write a separate post about "Catch a Falling Star")

"Wonderful, Wonderful" by Johnny Mathis

So that concludes this series of "Call the Midwife". There are a couple of songs on the double CD that I somehow missed. "I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos, (see final note on Episode 2 above) "Meet Me On The Corner" by Max Bygraves and "Good Golly" by The Johnny Otis Show. There are also a couple of instrumentals: "Tequila" by The Champs and "Ram Bunk Shush" by Bill Doggett. Any advice on when these were played would be gratefully received.



Memories of London in the early Sixties

When I started my job at George Wimpey in 1963, the company had sorted out digs where we could stay n that first year. They even paid for a retainer for when we went to college in Brighton.  My digs were in Riverview Gardens in Barnes, just the other side of Hammersmith Bridge, so easy walking distance from the head office on Hammersmith Grove.

I have already written about concerts at the Odeon Hammersmith  and the one minute past midnight showing there of Thunderball. And about the tape recorder: 

As well as my record player, I soon saved enough to buy a portable Grundig tape recorder. I shared a room with Derek Anderson, another Wimpey trainee. There were also two older girls sharing another room. One had the Dionnne Warwick record, and I recorded them singing along to it playing in the background. If I remember, Derek married Marie, the younger of the girls. I just had the tape, now long gone.

But I cannot find if I gad written about those two guitarists. I remember one of my friends from work knew these young musicians and we went to see them one day. They played acoustic guitars with amazing dexterity, who they were I will never know.

I also wrote about the George Wimpey Dinner and Dance:

Our first digs in Brighton were in Silverdale Road, that is actually in Hove. There must have been six of us in the house, those were happy, carefree days. We always had time for last orders at the nearby pub. See postings February 2010.

The first January we were in Brighton coincided with the Central Estimating Dinner and Dance. This was a huge event paid for by the company and our presence was required. We did have to hire dinner suits for the occasion, and I found mine in Brighton. Some of the others had hired theirs in London so these had to be brought down by the training manager, Mike Godber. Having left them at our digs, some wag decided to mix then up which caused a big  ruckus and much laughter.

When we arrived at the venue (possibly the massive room above Derry and Toms on Kensington High Street), we were struck by the organisation. A large dance band played on the stage, playing quicksteps, waltzes etc. So we just watched, enjoyed the food and free bar! But half way through the most amazing thing happened. Now you have to remember this is January 1964, and the vast majority were mature people. But low and behold, a rock group took to the stage. How someone had persuaded the organisers to let one in, I shall never know. But there we were, just the trainees bopping alone on the dance floor to the music of The Beatles, Cliff, Gerry and the Pacemakers and The Searchers. I guess the more adventuress of the older staff might have joined in. Absolutely amazing.

Then there was my visit to the writer Alun Owen where I noted: 

 The writer of A Hard Days Night was Alun Owen who was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay. He and his family lived a couple of doors down from where we lived on Napier Road in West London in the mid 1950's, and he and his wife were good friends of Mum and Dad. When I left our home in Braintree in 1963 to work in London, they asked me to call in to see Alun and Mary his wife who were then living in Bayswater. If I had known a year later that he had written the screenplay, I might have been able to engineer an invite to the studio.

It was in 1965 that I moved to the attic flat at 7 Airedale Avenue, Chiswick (very like that on the right of the above photo, but actually in the roof) that Bob Owen and I shared from to September 1966. Two rooms either side of the top landing, each with a tiny window. The kitchen was hardly that. It did have a sink and a cupboard. Plus a small Formica table but no fridge. The other room was a bedroom with two single beds and a cupboard at the end where we sat that pathetic TV. We shared a bathroom on the first floor with other tenants. The ceilings sloped steeply, so there was not a lot of room where you could stand up straight.

 It was very handy for work. A short bus ride down Chiswick High Road to the Hammersmith offices of George Wimpey. And it was my first flat share after digs and a bedsit, so it seemed the height of luxury at the time. London in the swinging sixties. I left in the September to go to Leeds and my first proper site based job. I believe Bob stayed on for a while.

One memory I cannot quite place. I'm sure that around the corner from our flat was an Italian restaurant where I feel that I ate my first spaghetti bolognese.  That must have been special in 1965.

Other postings on this blog include my time at Brighton College of Technology, going to the football with Ray, and my working life.

Bob Dylan on the BBC - 1965



 

I remember watching these two programmes on a small black and white tv with horrible reception in the attic Bob Owen and I shared in Chiswick (7 Airedale Avenue) from early 1965 to the September of 1966. 

 

 

 

Jack Reacher, The Impossible and Quartet

Having never read a Jack Reacher book, I went to see the movie with no preconceptions as whether Tom Cruise would be anything like the hero described by Lee Child. What I did see was an actor completely comfortable in the role of this ex-military detective come action hero. Coupled with a decent plot (not sure I would have thought that if I knew the story from the book) and some flashy direction from writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, what we get is popcorn entertainment. The producers added credibility with the addition of some fine actors like Rosamund Pike and Werner Herzog, but unfortunately their dialogue is pretty clunky. It seems to get in the way of the plot. A lot has been said about the diminutive Cruise playing a character apparently described in the book as being very tall. There is one scene, I noticed, in a packed bar that is shot from high level and our Tom seems head and shoulders taller than the rest. How comical was that.

Once "The Impossible" gets past the inevitable drama of the tsunami itself ( which I thought was dealt with in a pretty subtle way, if that expression can apply to such a disaster) the movie is mainly about how difficult it was to locate family members who became split up, and it is from this that the film is so successful. If you didn't know the ending, it would be almost too awful to watch, as things go from bad to worse. Although the screenplay is not the best, this is more than made up for by the superb direction by Juan Antonio Bayona (his movie "The Orphange" was quite superb) and some outstanding acting from Ewan McGregor (in maybe his bets ever role) and Naomi Watts. It has elements of a nerve wracking thriller tied in with a huge human drama. I guess it could not fail to impress.

The cinema on a Wednesday afternoon is usually very quiet, but today Screen 6 was packed for a screening of "Quartet". First of all, what we have is a great screenplay. Ronald Harwood has adapted his own successful stage play and for those of us who missed it in the theatre, what we get is such top quality actors who would never have got together on stage. It is a lighthearted and fairly trivial piece about a retirement home for musicians and singers. Surprising that given their advanced years, nobody dies, but this a pastiche about growing old, but very entertaining none the less. Billy Connolly as Wilf is surprisingly good. I know he gets some of the best lines, but his delivery is quiet and understated. Who would have guessed? Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins and Maggie Smith are great and Michael Gambon revels in his over the top performance. Dustin Hoffman directs with aplomb, but how could he go wrong? The stars are almost eclipsed by the setting. Hedsor House and Park near Taplow, Berks has been beautifully filmed.

My Bush Record Player

My first two record players were second hand. We moved to Braintree in Essex in the summer of 1959 and in the autumn we acquired an old wind up machine that only played 78's. So the first two singles John and I bought (I believe that Nanan provided the funds) were Cliff's "Living Doll" and "Travelling Light", both on 78rpm!

 

Sometime in 1961, I managed to get hold of a tiny record player that actually could play 45's and LP's. The latter were wider than the player. The sound quality was pretty poor, but my jazz records from the twenties and thirties sounded fine.

 

By the spring of 1963, I had saved enough from my paper round (and borrowed the rest from Mum) to purchase my first proper brand new record player. I had been looking at the beautiful Bush machine in the shop for some time. Still only playing in mono, it was at least portable. Listening to The Beatles' second album "With The Beatles" in my digs in Barnes was pretty unforgettable. The photos are exactly like the one that I owned. Perhaps not as iconic as the Dansette, it was still a brilliant piece of kit for it's time.

   

The Greatcoat, The Unconsoled and Twelve Bar Blues

A clever little ghost story by a terrific writer. Once I had read Helen Dunmore's "The Betrayal", she immediately joined the list of authors whose books I want to read. "The Greatcoat" is a short novel, but one that is properly haunting, but never horrific. For me, it brought back memories of the early fifties, sleeping on metal framed beds in unheated bedrooms with frost on the inside of the draughty windows. This book superbly captures post war Britain, telling what austerity really meant.

Well, I did finish it. "The Unconsoled" is the strangest book I have ever read, and probably if it had not been for the author, Kazuo Ishiguro, I would have given up early on. Someone said that it was worth it for the last 100 pages. No! They are just like the rest of the book, one long, very detailed dreamlike experience. But nobody has had a dream like this. I think that Ishiguro might have started to write a short story about this type of dream, but got carried away and let the thing get out of hand on purpose. It's as if he gives Ryder (whether it is his dream or not, it hardly matters) the opportunity to find his own way through the story. However, the prose is always spot on, but only what you would expect from this author. The tone is as mysterious as the narrative. This is because Ryder meets a succession of characters, all of whom want him to do something for them. Ryder has a busy schedule, but the unexpected demands upon his time leads to a more and more agitated state. If he heard "it shouldn't take long" one more time, he might have screamed. So eventually, the book becomes a series of almost hallucinatory diversions. It is hard for me to recommend this book. As one reviewer puts it "reading not as pleasure but as anxiety, as irresolution". If you are looking for something normal, can I suggest "Nocturnes".

Fortis "Lick" Holden. Man or myth? The legendary cornet player from New Orleans is at the heart of this brilliant novel. "Twelve Bar Blues" by Patrick Neate won the Whitbread Novel Award in 2001, and well deserved in my opinion. A complex, yet smoothly dovetailed plot switches between the jazz clubs of that city in the early twentieth century, to present day Africa and America. The early chapter's concentrate on the childhood and youth of Lick, as he finds how hard life is for the black community in the early 1900's. We then switch to coffee coloured Sylvia who, at 45, is a prostitute (retired) and singer who gets talking on the plane to New York to Jim, a young white man. Sylvia is on a mission, to find out about her past, and Jim becomes the rock in what becomes a major quest. It is how the author makes this a gripping story of identity that is so successful.

131 Songs - The List

Although I concluded my postings on 131 Songs over a year ago, I never published one complete list. So here it is:

Number 1     Rock Island Line by Lonnie Donegan - posted on 15.10.09
Number 2     Only You by The Platters - posted on 15.10.09
Number 3     Travelling Light by Cliff Richard - posted on 21.10.09
Number 4     The Fat Man by Fats Domino - posted on 28.10.09
Number 5     Roll Over Beethoven by Chuck Berry - posted on 28.10.09
Number 6     Diana by Paul Anka - posted on 09.11.09
Number 7     Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly - posted on 14.11.09
Number 8     Somethin' Else by Eddie Cochran - posted on 01.12.09
Number 9     Hello Mary Lou by Ricky Nelson - posted on 01.12.09
Number 10   Runaway by Del Shannon - posted on 01.12.09
Number 11   The Wanderer by Dion - posted on 01.12.09
Number 12   Handyman by Jimmy Jones - posted on 14.12.09
Number 13   Hushabye by Chris Barber - posted on 05.01.10
Number 14   St Louis Blues by Louis Armstrong - posted on 05.01.10
Number 15   Ain't Misbehavin' by Fats Waller - posted on 05.01.10
Number 16   Seventh Avenue Express by Count Basie - posted on 05.01.10
Number 17   Robot Man by Connie Francis - posted on 15.01.10
Number 18   I Saw Her Standing There by The Beatles - posted on 27.01.10
Number 19   Walk On by by Dionne Warwick - posted 04.02.10
Number 20   Only Make Believe by Conway Twitty - posted on 04.02.10
Number 21   Needle in a Haystack by The Velvelettes - posted on 04.02.10
Number 22   Singing The Blues by Tommy Steele - posted on 19.02.10
Number 23   Green Onions by Booker T and MG's - posted on 19.02.10
Number 24   Route 66 by The Rolling Stones - posted on 20.02.10
Number 25   Intro Outro by The Bonzo Dog Doo Da Band - posted on 27.02.10
Number 26   Subterranean Lovesick Blues by Bob Dylan - posted on 10.03.10
Number 27   In My Life by The Beatles - posted on 17.03.10
Number 28   Before The Deluge by Jackson Browne - posted on 23.03.10
Number 29   Hotel California by The Eagles - posted on 29.03.10
Number 30   Wish You Were Here by Fleetwood Mac - posted on 30.03.10
Number 31   Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd - posted on 30.03.10
Number 32   Virginia Plain by Roxy Music - posted on 31.03.10
Number 33   Rockin' In The Free World by Neil Young - posted on 13.05.10
Number 34   Teach Your Children by Crosby Stills and Nash - posted on 13.05.10
Number 35   It's Getting Better by Mama Cass - posted on 13.05.10
Number 36   Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits - posted on 04.06.10
Number 37   Freebird by Lynrd Skynrd - posted on 08.06.10
Number 38   Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel - posted on 08.06.10
Number 39   There She Goes by The Las - posted on 08.06.10
Number 40   Telephone line by ELO - posted on 08.07.10
Number 41   All Or Nothing by The Small Faces - posted on 08.07.10
Number 42   My Best Friend's Girl by The Cars - posted on 08.07.10
Number 43   Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer - posted on 22.07.10
Number 44   All Of My Heart by ABC - posted on 22.07.10
Number 45   Driftwood by The Moody Blues - posted on 22.07.10
Number 46   The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood - posted on 28.07.10
Number 47   99 Red Balloons (Luftballoons) by Nena - posted on 28.07.10
Number 48   The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades by Timbuk 3- posted on 28.07.10
Number 49   Caravan Of Love by The Housemartins - posted on 28.07.10
Number 50    San Francisco Bay Blues by Eric Clapton - posted on 23.08.10
Number 51   The Last Laugh by Mark Knopfler and Van Morrison - posted on 23.08.10
Number 52   Split Decision by Steve Winwood - posted on 23.08.10
Number 53   That Was Your Mother by Paul Simon - posted on 07.09.10
Number 54   Local Hero by Bruce Springsteen - posted on 07.09.10
Number 55   Heaven by Bryan Adams - posted on 07.09.10
Number 56   First We Take Manhattan by Jennifer Warnes - posted on 29.09.10
Number 57   Will You by Hazel O'Connor - posted on 29.09.10
Number 58   The Weakness In Me by Joan Armatrading - posted on 29.09.10
Number 59   Rockin' In Rhythm by Duke Ellington - posted on 03.10.10
Number 60   Goodbye To Love by the Carpenters - posted on 13.10.10
Number 61   Legacy by Carole King - posted on 13.10.10
Number 62   Hard To Make A Stand by Sheryl Crow - posted on 13.10.10
Number 63   I've Waited So Long by Anthony Newley - posted on 10.11.10
Number 64   I Should Have Known Better by The Beatles - posted on 10.11.10
Number 65   You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry - posted on 10.11.10
Number 66   El Matador by Los Fabulos Cadillacs - posted on 24.11.10
Number 67   Hotel California by The Gipsy Kings - posted on 24.11.10
Number 68   Ballad Of Lucy Jordan by Marianne Faithful - posted on 24.11.10
Number 69   Let It Snow by Dean Martin - posted on 12.12.10
Number 70   Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee - posted on 12.12.10
Number 71   Earth Angel by Marvin Berry - posted on 18.01.11
Number 72   Come Up and See Me by Cockney Rebel - posted on 18.01.11
Number 73   The Sound Of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel -posted on 18.01.11
Number 74   Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys - posted on 18.01.11
Number 75   Time After Time by Cyndie Lauper - posted on 18.01.11
Number 76   Cat People by David Bowie - posted on 18.01.11
Number 77   Hold Tight by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky Mick and Tich - posted on 18.01.11
Number 78   Love On The Rocks by Neil Diamond - posted on 18.01.11
Number 79   In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett - posted on 18.01.11
Number 80   Slipping Through My Fingers by Abba - posted on 18.01.11
Number 81   Can't Buy Me Love by The Beatles - posted on 18.01.11
Number 82   One Of These Mornings by Moby - posted on 03.02.11
Number 83   Shelter From The Storm by Bob Dylan - posted on 03.02.11
Number 84   Take The Long Way Home by Supertramp - posted on 03.02.11
Number 85   Late Night Grand Hotel by Nanci Griffith - posted on 02.03.11
Number 86   This Girl Is Taking Bets by Thea Gilmore - posted on 02.03.11
Number 87   Doesn't Have To Be This Way by Alison Krauss - posted on 02.03.11
Number 88   Building A Mystery by Sarah McLachlan - posted on 02.03.11
Number 89   Missing by Everything But The Girl - posted on 01.04.11
Number 90   Wild Child by Enya - posted on 01.04.11
Number 91   Why Can't We Be Together by Sada - posted on 01.04.11
Number 92   You'll See by Madonna - posted on 27.04.11
Number 93   Walk Away by Matt Monroe - posted on 27.04.11
Number 94   Let There Be Love - posted on 27.04.11
Number 95   Lost by Michael Buble - posted on 27.04.11
Number 96   Absolutely Sweet Marie by Jason and The Scorchers - posted on 28.06.11
Number 97   Promised Land by Johnny Allen - posted on 28.06.11
Number 98   Hard Rain's Gonna Fall by Roxy Music - posted on 28.06.11
Number 99   Always On My Mind by The Pet Shop Boys - posted on 28.06.11
Number 100 The Day Before You Came by Blancmange - posted on 28.06.11
Number 101  Put The Message In The Box by Gina Villalobos - posted on 28.05.11
Number 102  This Old Skin by The Beautiful South - posted on 28.06.11
Number 103  Bones And A Name by Nina Gordon - posted on 25.08.11
Number 104  The Time Comes by Nina Gordon - posted on 25.08.11
Number 105  Solo by Sandy Denny - posted on 13.09.11
Number 106  Come On Come On by Mary Chapin Carpenter - posted on 13.09.11
Number 107  Right On Time by Lucinda Williams - posted on 13.09.11
Number 108  Get Out Of This House by Shawn Colvin - posted on 13.09.11
Number 109  Wall In Your Heart by Shelby Lynne - posted on 13.09.11
Number 110  You Do by Aimee Mann - posted on 13.09.11
Number 111  The Scientist by Coldplay - posted on 17.10.11
Number 112  Bohemian Like You by The Dandy Warhols - posted on 17.10.11
Number 113  When The Stars Go Blue by Ryan Adams - posted on 17.10.11
Number 114  Loch Lomond Live by Runrig - posted on 19.10.11
Number 115  It Must Have Been Love (Live) by Roxette - posted on 19.10.11
Number 116  Nothing Else Matters by Lucie Silvas - posted on 28.10.11
Number 117  Through The Dark by KT Tunstall - posted on 28.10.11
Number 118  Freeze by Honey Ryder - posted on 28.10.11
Number 119  Poison Prince by Amy McDonald - posted on 28.10.11
Number 120  Hometown Glory by Adele - posted on 28.10.11
Number 121  Again Today by Brandi Carlile - posted on 28.10.11
Number 122  Life For Rent by Dido - posted on 28.10.11
Number 123  The Cheapest Key by Kathleen Edwards - posted on 28.10.11
Number 124  Next Time You Fall In Love - posted on 04.11.11
Number 125  We Sail The Ocean Blue - posted on 04.11.11
Number 126  Ernie by Bennie Hill - posted on 04.11.11
Number 127  Don't Let The Sun - by Elton John - posted on 25.11.11
Number 128  The Air That I Breathe by The Hollies - posted on 25.11.11
Number 129  Telegraph Road by Dire Straits - posted on 01.12.11
Number 130  The Last Laugh by Mark Knopfler - posted on 01.12.11
Number 131  Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits - posted on 01.12.11

Two Endings - Homeland Series 2 and The Killing Series 3

spoiler alert

Theses two serials have kept me entertained all autumn, and both came to a conclusion at the end of the year. Both with basically the same ending with Brody ("Homeland") and Sarah Lund ("The Killing") finishing the last episodes by going on the run. How disappointing was that!

I was reasonably convinced by Brody's disappearing act, as he had been set up nicely by the real terrorists. But would Lund have shot dead the unarmed murderer, just because he looked like getting away with the crime(s)? Absolutely not. She would have worked and worked to bring the killer to justice. What a pathetic conclusion.

The Roberts Family Monument - All Saints Churchyard, Ecclesall

When I visited Sheffield in 2009 (see posting of 22nd June of that year) I went to All Saints Church, Ecclesall. I knew that there were some of my Roberts ancestors buried there, but little did I know that there is a tomb quite close to the north porch. The church records list those who are buried there.

The church records are vast as there are several thousand graves with over 14,000 people buried in the huge eight acre churchyard. On page 4 of the records, item 23) above records the following buried in this tomb:

Louisa Roberts     dau of Jacob and Mary           Age 5m        died 18/11/1811

 Morton Roberts     son of Jacob and Mary          Age 17yrs     died 24/12/1814

 Percy Roberts       son of Jacob and Mary          Age 6m         died 23/06/1820

 Jacob Roberts                                                    Age 56 yrs     died 23/06/1820

 Mary Ann Roberts   his wife                               Age 79yrs      died 27/04/1849

 Sidney Roberts       son of Jacob and Mary       Age 54yrs      died 21/02/1859

 Mary Ann Roberts   dau of Jacob and Mary       Age 71yrs      died 14/05/1866

 Matilda/Martha                                                    Age 73yrs      died 01/12/1878

 Caroline                                                               Age 71yrs      died 09/01/1880

 Helen Maria Clare                                               Age 85yrs      died 12/06/1891

Missing from the record is John Shearwood Roberts, but the picture below has his inscription.

Although the above records do not give the following information, it is certain that Matilda (not Martha), Caroline and Helen Maria Clare are all daughters of Jacob and Mary Ann Roberts. There are baptism records for all three, courtesy of distant cousin Christopher Rathbone.

Some of the inscriptions are hard to read, having deteriorated over the years, but the first of the following photographs is fairly legible.

Update to "Songs from Call the Midwife"

The posting that has received more hits than any other is that of 22nd February 20012 called "Songs from Call the Midwife". With the kind help of a number of contributors, and the listings on Amazon of the soon to be released CD, this has now been updated. The songs are listed episode by episode which might help anyone with the DVD of Series 1.

Seven Psychopaths, Life of Pi and Pitch Perfect

I guess that like so many other people who loved Martin McDonagh's In Bruges we were very much looking forward to his new movie Seven Physchopaths. In the end it was not quite up to his previous standard, but it still had lots to recommend it. The story is a bit off beat, but the screenplay is a delight. The difference here is that the characters are basically American and the story is set in Los Angeles, a departure from the two leads of In Bruges who are Irish. McDonagh feels very much Irish as his many plays will testify. He does have Irish parents despite being born in London and living his entire life in this country. I'm not sure if he gets properly into the minds and culture of the USA. The voices of the main characters almost have too much a British feel, despite the accents. These are minor quibbles. The story is very witty and and there is plenty of fun to be had with the opposing views that film scripts are either violent or sweet. We have both. The acting is first class. Colin Farrell has followed McDonagh from In Bruges, but he pales in comparison with heavyweights Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson and especially the brilliant Christopher Walken. Hardly a lady present, but that mirrors their lack of roles in Hollywood.

I never liked the book Life of Pi, so I could only think that Ang Lee had found something in it to make a movie. Well he hadn't. We still have a plotless experience that relies heavily on narration, and you know how that nearly always disappoints me. Yes, it is beautiful to look at, but I need a lot more than that to enjoy a movie. So lets leave it at that.

When a movie is made that is aimed at teenage girls ( and the audience was them in the main), I would avoid it like the plague. But the reviews of Pitch Perfect were surprisingly good, so I gave it a go. And I was glad I did. First and foremost, the script is clever, lively and intelligent. Where did that come from? It was Kay Cannon, three time Writer's Guild of America award winner and Emmy nominated for 30 Rock. So I enjoy any movie that has a great screenplay, and this adaptation of first time author Mickey Rapkin's book is just great. That is not to say there are some queasy moments, both literally and figuratively, but there enough highlights to outweigh the cringey parts. The casting of the girls is terrific, that of the boys horrific. Anna Kendrick in the lead role is an actress always worth seeing, except at 27, and like almost all the cast, way too old for college. But it was fun anyway.

Tring Book Club - The Lighthouse and The House of Silk

After the complications of the last book I read, it was good to get back to a straightforward and engrossing story. Alison Moore's first novel The Lighthouse made it to the Man Booker shortlist and I guess it was the subtle exploration of one of life's losers that impressed the critics. Futh is English but with a German ancestry, and is on a circular walking tour around the Rhine. He is not pleasant company, as this pathetic man's memories are mostly tiny disasters, as is his holiday. But Moore's writing is never mournful, an ill placed optimism follows Futh around which I found quite appealing. There are lots of nice little mysteries that we work out for ourselves, or know will be explained later, and they are. When he gets to his first hotel called Hellhaus (or Lighthouse), and we find out this will also be his last stop,we can hardly wait for the ending. No flashy prose in this book, just a darn good story.

It's probably not fair to give The House of Silk only three stars, because detective thrillers are not what I like to read. But our book club chose it, and who am I to argue. I guess of it's type it is quite a superior story. It certainly has the feel of a Sherlock Holmes novel, and the atmosphere of London of the time is very good. The plot is pretty smart, and the clues to solve the two mysteries are all there for you to guess before they are revealed. I didn't work out either. So I just got bored with Holmes and Watson visiting one character after another. It seemed too repetitive for me.

Goodbye to 2012

What a year. I thought 2011 was good, what with our big trip to the USA and Michael and Sara's wedding. But this year, my sixth of retirement, was something else.

Where to start. Early in the year I posted quite a few articles about Mum and Dad, something that had been in preparation for some time. Recently I have transferred all my family history data on both Mum and Dad's ancestors onto two websites. So what has been one of my major projects for the last few years has come to an end. Well not quite. There is always something to do. A visit to Rotherham is a priority, and finally completing all I can find about my great grandfather, Bob Leather, who played for Rotherham Town.

Perhaps the most amazing thing that happened during the year was starting running. It is Alison I have to thank for her encouragement and helping me get started by pacing me on our runs along the canal. I normally go out three times a week, one of which is a long run of six to eight miles. I have completed five Park Runs at Milton Keynes and Black Park, a 5K at Charvil and the wonderful Marlow 5 Mile. I still cannot quite believe what is happening. I still get out for walks in the Chiltern Hills, but not quite as often as before.

Two improvements on the house this year. A new glass roof to the conservatory and a new block paved drive. Nothing like that envisaged for 2013.

Then there was the Jubilee Party for our everyone on our road. Diverted from the street to a marquee in one of our neighbour's garden, we were still frozen despite being under cover. But there was a good turnout. One of next door neighbours was coming, but Cathy ended up in hospital after a fall, so her husband was otherwise engaged.

Obviously the Olympics has been a huge event. We joined the crowds to see the torch relay on it's way from Aylesbury to Stoke Mandeville, and then the Paralympic torch relay that came through our village at nearly midnight. We were at the Olympic Stadium for Super Saturday, only in the morning. Our seats were just above the long jump pit so we were able to cheer Jessica Ennis on her way to winning the Heptathlon. Her penultimate event, the javelin, took place after all the track qualification races were over. Just magic.

Other sporting highlights inclduded watching Alison's beloved City winning the Premier League. The balloons were out again. We were glued to the Tour de France, watching Andy Murray win the USA Open, the Ryder Cup and the Test Series in India. Finishing the year with victory in the second T20 there with a six off the last ball.

Two holidays. Our spring venture to Bruges via Eurotunnel was marked by an unexpected event in the city. The Procession of the Holy Blood was spectacular as it was surprising. Cornwall in September was as great as ever. The bodyboarding the brilliant.

Book Club continues every two months, and I have joined Michael and Sara on goodreads.com. My favourite book of the year was "The Art of Fielding", but there are quite a few with five stars on my reviews. My favourite film was "Margin Call", very early in the year, but recently "Silver Linings Playbook" also gets my vote. "A Long Day's Journey Into Night" was the best play I have seen this year, although "King John" at Stratford was something else. And in the autumn it was great to go with Alison to see ENB's "The Sleeping Beauty" (watch out for newcomer Ksenyia Ovsyanick) and "Phantom of the Opera", both stunning productions at Milton Keynes Theatre.

Alison went with her sister to see "Strictly Come Dancing" which turned out to be a fantastic day/night. On my blog, "Songs from Call the Midwife" (22nd February) has been my popular posting yet, with over 5,000 hits. Amazing.

So to my number one highlight of the year. When we went to that Saturday morning session of the Olympics, I took with me an extract from The Times that compared the top heptathletes, and the current points scores so we could keep up with how Jessica Ennis was doing. When her third round jump came in at 6.48 metres, I knew the gold medal was hers. What a day that was.