It's been a while. It's actually been a long time since I spoke to myself via the medium of my blog spot!. So, whats new Chris? Well, we lost a few more people, amongst them the following who meant something to me at one time or another - Raquel Welch, Tina Turner (sounds unreal adding her name here), Christine McVie (again, wtf, I was a big fan), Cynthia Weil (you won't realise it, but you'll know lots of her work), Ryuichi Sakamoto, Hugh Hudson, Bert Bacharach, Tom Verlaine, Jeff Beck, Melinda Dillon and undoubtedly a few I may have forgotten. May their god bless them wherever they are now. Life is unrepentant and relentless. Lead with love and do no harm.
I turned the big 6-0 in May, so yeah, THAT happened and to be fair, any existential crisis about the landmark passed and I had a great birthday week. For a start, the karmic forces of the universe were in play when it was announced that Springsteen was going to be doing three shows in Dublin the week of my birthday. You couldn't make it up. If anyone had asked me about what would I like to do to celebrate my momentous landmark occasion, quick as a whip, I'd have said I'd like to see Bruce Springsteen in concert. The fact that he was in Ireland THAT week, is coincidence enough, and then I got to see him three times!! Concerts 50, 51 and 52. I've been very lucky. On the day of my birthday my wonderful Amanda had organised all my family to come over to the house (plus Justin Evans who's like family anyway) and we had a lovely evening. I don't do social occasions or celebrations that have anything to do with me, indeed, there's a rumour that I may not even turn up for my own funeral. Ha, you'll have to catch me first.
Later in May my beloved Everton retained their place in the top flight of English football, undeservedly I feel, but credit to the manager Sean Dyche for getting us out of trouble. It was a ridiculously tense and anxious week waiting for the last game of the season to decide if Everton would be relegated to a lower division for the first time in 69 years. Lots of relief and a celebration (Zerosecco and cigars) but all tempered with a sense that we shouldn't have been in that position. Nothing as entitled as football fans eh? I suspect right now, a full year away, we'll likely be down there again next season.
Alex and I ventured to Goodison Park (and Merseyside) in March and were delighted to be present when Everton had a rare home win against Brentford. We were interviewed for local tv before the game! It's a l-o-n-g drive back across North Wales to the boat home when you lose, so this was a happy return. I brought Alex to where I am from originally, where I lived, where I went to school and where I played as a child.
I always go back to Lowton when I go to England. I left there when I was twelve (on my birthday in 1975) and I often wonder just how different things might have turned out if my parents had stayed there. It's 17.1km from my old front door to Goodison. Anfield is 18km. I had to be a Blue, simple as. To get from L4 to Lowton takes 35 mins. I often forget thats how close we were from Liverpool city. I don't remember us going to the city much as a kid, if we did head west it was to the beaches of Ainsdale and North Wales or the lights in Blackpool during the season. A drive to picturesque Rivington was also a familiar Sunday spin. There are some beautiful parts of Lancashire, and I think in general when we think of England we tend not to think of the beauty of its countryside and, in the north west, its lovely people. Haven't done it in years but the drive north from Liverpool to the Lake District is just wonderful, and “the Kendall freeway's fast” (thanks Macca)
Ok, time to go and catch up with some tv or as I'm currently working through it AGAIN, the brilliant ‘Peep Show’ comedy (with David Mitchel and Robert Webb). It's just great and this is at least the third time I'm rewatching the whole series. Currently on S05. Wonderful stuff that you often have to watch from between your fingers.
At lunch everyday I watch about 25 minutes of something, just to clear my head and then go back to work. A whole episode of Peep Show (or any US sitcom, I just finished Brooklyn 99) fit the timing perfectly.
Thinking of starting a podcast for my own amusement, there wouldn't much interest in it but I think its a way of building a legacy of some sort? My grandkids (IF they ever arrive) might only get to hear their grandads voice from the songs or maybe, a podcast.
Until the next time!