s mcm

Haha, yes, we’ll never let him forget about that.

All the ones I have are free (I think!) so definitely worth it.

My phone is full of plant/insect/birdsong/fungus ID apps for when I’m walking the dog with the kids, you learn so much!

Paper bellflower rather than harebell I think

Torturous moment at the quiet start of a set by The Necks today at Cafe Oto when some music began playing, barely perceptibly, from someone’s phone, and I was terrified it was mine (but couldn’t check it as that would draw attention to me / make me look like an idiot who has done this before).

Marshall Allen collab with Wolf Eyes in Philly this eve

Winning an Oscar doesn’t seem to have had a huge impact on the number of people willing to come to Cafe Oto to hear someone scrape a guitar on a concrete floor, but that Margarida Garcia set was the best solo guitar performance I’ve heard in years.

Bought my copy of Oh Yeah (which is brilliant, of course) from Andra Jazz in Stockholm which is crackpot but in all sorts of different ways.

Definitely going to come back to this one, enjoyed it more than I thought I would given I’ve never really been into the early stuff (“Why are you listening to this Henry VIII shit?” my wife asked). Suspect there must be some magic in those interludes.

I was listening to this yesterday and thought “I bet Andrew Male will absolutely love this one”, pleased to see this.

I’ll take all of that you got!

Not sure if this fits the bill, but I had a weird urge to listen to this one earlier today, and haven’t really recovered yet.

I’ve heard it before, but for some reason tonight I was stopped in my tracks by the amazing un-songtitleness (possibly not a word) of the Northern Soul song titled “You Don’t Know Where Your Interest Lies”.

Ah that’s amazing. I’ll look out for the name in future! Love the last para about this maybe all being some sort of 50 year long protest against the council about a bypass, just wow.

Great article, always thought of him as an eccentric old prick, but didn’t really know until now how absolutely awful he is and the consequences of that.

(NB I do love both test cricket and darts very much).

Two weeks in and really invested in this Ding/Gukesh chess match now. So little action, yet so much tension. Thirty minute thinks between moves! Makes test cricket look like darts.

Northwall Road aka Ghost Road aka Concrete Block World. An odd place but it has its uses (mostly photoshoots, but also a handy place to ride your bike when you find the neighbouring Velopark is closed). Always wonder what the long term plan is for it.

Love the Coltrane one so much. Really must check this one.

Take your running shoes - a run alongside the Clyde, through Glasgow Green, is great in the morning.

One minute video but I’m guessing/hoping he did this for a full forty minutes.

Next festive wallchart will be one for the darts world championship, I’ll get on to that at the weekend (might need to buy my own Blu tack).

First festive wallchart is up (and yeah, DO NOT mess with Alma’s Blu tack if you want to live to see Christmas)

Probably also applies to much of the music I like.

As someone who really loves sports where nothing much happens for hours but in a really tense sort of way, the first match of the classical chess world championships today was an absolute treat.

Spent all of today in a very boggy, hilly and windy field in Cockfosters. Life choices, etc.

*anxiously checks train times*

Yeah, I hadn’t appreciated it is a load of towns that have sort of grown together. Makes it an oddity with no real “centre”, but I guess the different bits have their own character and identity and people are proud of that (though they almost all also say it is a terrible place - not sure I agree).

I’m in Stoke-on-Trent. No, locals tell me I’m in not. I’m in Hanley. Hang on, I’ve only walked 15 minutes from the station, are you sure? Yes, this is definitely not Stoke. OK, what about there, over the road, is that Stoke? No, that is Newcastle-under-Lyme. Right. Now not sure Stoke even exists.

Darts is bit unpredictable at the minute, lots of lower ranked players coming away with big pay cheques. Not saying this is why my kids spent a few hours chucking arrows at a board today. Totally their idea. Honest.