There was a thing in Harry Potter where someone said don’t trust a magical object if you can’t see where it keeps it’s brain.
I feel you shouldn’t trust a website unless you can see how it makes it’s money.
Well….I might be overstating a teensy-weensy bit, but THERE’S A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL FOR PEOPLE WHO CHANGE MY SHORTCUTS!!! 🔥🔥🔥👿👿
#mbjune micro blog challenge day 11: brick
Two brick-y buildings with musical connections. I’m very much a fan of one, but not the other
📸 #mbjune Micro Blog Photo Challenge Day 10: Rail
This is John Betjeman, at St Pancras station
He wrote a poem about a local station, Dilton Marsh Halt
“Was it worth keeping the Halt open, We thought as we looked at the sky Red through the spread of the cedar-tree, With the evening train gone by?
Yes, we said, for in summer the anglers use it, Two and sometimes three Will bring their catches of rods and poles and perches To Westbury, home for tea.
There isn’t a porter. The platform is made of sleepers. The guard of the last train puts out the light And high over lorries and cattle the Halt unwinking Waits through the Wiltshire night”
Day 8: travel 📷 #mbjune
This isn’t the most exotic of locations. I was on my way up to the City Ground last season to watch Chelsea, and this is Kettering station. I think the ironwork is rather beautiful
I had a lovely time at the folk festival at the Salisbury military museum today, despite the dreadful weather
This David Mitchell is now my favourite David Mitchell, out of all the David Mitchells.
I took this photo shortly before getting shocked because I hadn’t turned the right switch off for the mains. I’m an idiot.
📷 Day 7: Switch #mbjune
I got over-excited yesterday and posted the wrong photo on the wrong day, so this is wrong too
It’s the Old Mill pub in Harnham, probably taken while out jogging, very, very slowly
📷 Day 06: Reflection #mbjune
My 'Crucial Track' for today - "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by Toots & The Maytals
Describe the perfect song for a road trip and why it works.
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots & The Maytals
I think Toots and the Maytals works better at some stages in the trip, and John Denver at others
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots & The Maytals on Apple Music
Fascinating podcast episode about Gabriele D’Annunzio, who Mussolini called “The John the Baptist of Italian fascism”
My friend Tom talks to Lucy Hughes-Hallett, who wrote his biography
The Hated and the Dead - Gabriele D’Annunzio
I took this at Stonehenge on a winter solstice a few years back. The solstice is about sunshine and shadow, but I’d not seen this particular shadow before
#mbjune day 3: Shadow 📸
This is part of the Circus in Bath.
According to Rosemary Hill’s book on Stonehenge the Circus was inspired by Stonehenge, and inspired the traffic roundabout, so it’s a pivotal curve, perhaps?
#mbjune day 2: Curve 📸
#TodayILearned that the bloke who invented Iron Mountain originally had a business growing mushrooms
The company was started by Herman Knaust, who had made his fortune growing and marketing mushrooms.[3] He purchased a depleted iron ore mine and 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land in Kingston, New York for $9,000 in 1936, needing more space to grow his product. Iron Mountain (company) -Wikipedia
These trees are at Old Sarum (Iron Age/Norman hill fort outside of Salisbury), and I always think they look like one tree that’s been split down the middle, and seperated
#mbjune day 1: Tree 📸
We were on a Replacement Bus Service a couple of weeks back, from Woking to Andover
I think we were on the way back from the Pogues
Anyway, I was pleased to see that Horsell common has a ‘Mars Trail’…as it’s where the Martians landed in War of the Worlds
I’m delighted that we got the result, but that was no fun at all. I hadn’t realised it, but, supporting Chelsea has,in a way, been fairly low stress for some time, in that we’ve not been in a really crucial match since 2021.
My nerves are shattered
Hard luck, Forest and Villa
⚽ #ChelseaFC #cfc
The words ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ and ‘open-top bus parade’ have appeared in the same sentence, and it wasn’t a joke.
Strange times
⚽
BBC News - Tottenham Hotspur parade: Spurs players celebrate with thousands of fans
An Englishman talking about the weather is a bit of a cliche, but I love the warm wind that’s blowing in my bit of the Shire today
Crucial Tracks over the last week - Wilson Simonal, Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra, Paul Kelly, Alaine, Tv Personalities, and Elvis, twice
These are the posts from my Crucial Tracks profile for the last few days.
23 May 2025 - What song best matches the energy of today?
“Nem Vem Que Nem Tem” by Wilson Simonal
I guess the energy of this song is laid-back and cheerful, which is the energy I aspire to.
When I’m not being laid-back and grumpy.
“Nem Vem Que Nem Tem” by Wilson Simonal on Apple Music
22 May 2025 - What song best captures your current phase of life?
“The Last Time” by Andrew Oldham Orchestra
It was between this and the Redskins' Keep On Keeping On (just for the title)
As time passes, I’m becoming aware that there are things I’m possibly not going to do again!
I prefer this version to either the Stones' original or the Verve song that nicks a bit of it
“The Last Time” by Andrew Oldham Orchestra on Apple Music
21 May 2025 - If today were a genre, what would it be? Pick a matching song.
“Bradman” by Paul Kelly
The first Test Match of the summer starts tomorrow, so for me today’s genre is cricket songs.
Somewhat regrettably, my favourite cricket song is Australian
I particularly like the line in ‘Bradman’ that ‘fortune used to hide in the palm of his hand’
“Bradman” by Paul Kelly on Apple Music
20 May 2025 - What’s a remix or cover you like more than the original?
“Hello” by Alaine
There are a number of covers I could pick. Virtually any Elvis song, for example. Although I’ve heard many of the originals and liked them, I like Elvis' versions more…but because his versions are so familiar they often don’t feel like covers, especially given singer-songwriter-ing wasn’t as much of a thing at the time.
Instead I’ve picked a song from one of my favourite micro-genres - reggae covers.
This is the Adele song, not the Lionel Ritchie. Adele’s original is marvellous, but I listen to this one more often
“Hello” by Alaine on Apple Music
19 May 2025 - What’s a song that grew on you over time?
“Part Time Punks” by Television Personalities
I saw this band a couple of hundred yards from where I’m sitting now.
I was underwhelmed. They probably weren’t angry and aggressive enough for the stroppy teenage me.
The incident of the evening was that my mate Ged got on stage. I never did the spitting thing but a lot of other punk rockers at the time did, and Ged allegedly contracted hepatitis or something
Anyway, I wasn’t fussed then, but I love this song now
“Part Time Punks” by Television Personalities on Apple Music
18 May 2025 - What’s your favorite deep cut from an album?
“Reconsider Baby (Elvis R&B Version)” by Elvis Presley
I’m a big Elvis fan, and I’ve said, when asked, that this is my favourite Elvis song. It often is.
“Reconsider Baby (Elvis R&B Version)” by Elvis Presley on Apple Music
17 May 2025 - Share a song you feel was ahead of its time.
“Mystery Train” by Elvis Presley