This summer has been one of tears, goodbyes, joy, light, and love. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. Yesterday I cried because I talked to some of my friends back in the UK and I missed the life I had there and all the wonderful people I still know there. I cried because I don’t know […]
Summer in the city (3 Months in Denmark!) — Life in Copenhagen
*** I’ve been to Copenhagen (Denmark) a couple of times and enjoyed everything about it — except the price of beer! Great post.
Probably Spalding‘s ‘hidden’ gem, Ayscoughfee Hall Museum and Gardens is a medieval gem, well maintained, with a fascinating south Lincolnshire regional museum.
Formerly also a private junior school, now located elsewhere in the town under the same name, the gardens are noted for their topiary, the rather notable Edwin Lutyens world war 1 memorial and a very nice aviary with many interesting species finches and other birds. Lutyens was one of the most famous and capable British architects of the 2oth century.
Although the town has been deeply affected by the crises of this year, it is still well worth a visit if you live nearby or are on holiday in the area.
And by the way, the locals pronounce it ‘Asscoffee’!
So you were either a Beatles or a Stones fan, right? Well, I liked them both. I remember when the Rolling Stones eponymous 1964 album (Decca) arrived in our little household and was put on our cheap mono turntable. I was immediately transfixed by the music.
Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t really know whether the Stones were British or not. My mother certainly did not like the look of them! She preferred the Beatles, particularly John Lennon‘s humour.
I didn’t know what rhythm and blues was either. I just liked what I heard and played that record until it was virtually worn out! My favourite track, and still one of my favourite Stones songs, is ‘Route 66‘.
Written by Bobby Troup, this was also my first real exposure to the idea of America and Americana in music, about travel for travelling’s sake, not an easy concept to grasp when you are born and bred in an obscure town in eastern England which was so conservative it seemed like Queen Victoria had never vacated the throne.
I was especially entranced by the surging rhythm, evoking movement and travel, but also by the names of towns, cities and states along that famous route. Even now when I here the word ‘St Louis’ or ‘Missouri’, for example, it sends my imagination flying just as it did back then. Sad to say that I have still to actually set foot in the hallowed United States. The nearest I have been is viewing Buffalo across the Canadian Niagara Falls.
So my views have changed a bit over the years. Conservatism and tradition do indeed have a place after all, although I still have very fond memories of that crazy time, particularly the mid 60s, when the Stones were playing American covers so brilliantly.
Of course, messrs Jagger and Richards went on to be great song writers in their own right. Nevertheless, the Stones’ take on this classic, especially influenced by the purist insistence of the late great Brian Jones who did so much to create this superb band, has more than stood the test of time.
The Promised Land Mindanao is the Philippines’ third major island group; the other two are Luzon and Visayas. With its vast potential, Mindanao is often referred to as the Philippine’s promised land. However, this promise has been stymied by armed conflicts that permeated all throughout the island. Through the lenses of the media, it is […]
via The Sun Sets in the Promised Land — The Pine-Scented Chronicles
It was a dark and gloomy day. A normal occurrence in this part of the world. However, it was a lot more cloudy than usual. To my surprise and ignorance, it started to rain hard. Like being hit with a garden hose, I was soaked. I had to find a store that sold ponchos and…
via Passing through Tower Bridge — Passport Overused
Ciscography 