Happiness is...Buzzin' Ears

Live music is the best music, combine it with a good pit of beer and its a recipe for a great night out. A new music venue has opened not too far from where I live. 'not too far' being a fiver or less in a taxi. Route 44 is based in what I presume is an old 'function' room at the side of a pub in Acocks Green. It was once a pub with a reputation of 'ENTER ON YOUR OWN RISK' written all of it...literally, the graffiti artists work overtime around here.
I need not have worried, the venue was decked out in all late '70's/80's splendour and the children of those era's could breath again...if they could, still trying to get into jeans they bought at around the same time..tut, tut.
The 'support' band...one guitarist and a singer straight out of the later new romantic era, singer with little finger raised front he mic, doing his best to be Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet) and failing miserably to our great delight...a wedding singer gone horribly wrong. One 'Marc Almond' comment too many and it was too much for him and he left the stage for a pint...of beer hopefully (nudge, nudge, wink, wink to people in the know).
So on came 'Rockstar' and instantly won the crowd over, loud proud and covered songs that don't normally get an outing, you can only listen to Freebird and Ace of Spades so many times. Throw in a lead singer with a voice like Rob Halford and the comedy touch of Lee Evans and the the gathered masses were with them all the way...finishing with the Beasties boys 'Fight for your Right'...job done. We spilled into the chilly night air shouting ( it was loud, we were deaf) that we will meet again in a couple of weeks time...just need to find my old 'cut-off' denim jacket with the rock band patches on the back....then again......

Twiddling thumbs..Not.

Lots of stuff happening in Ordinary Towers. Big, events in my life about to take place which is now taking up all of time, time which is fast running out. Explains my absence from the virtual world anyway.

I've always put aside 'chill-out' time, when after a hard days work or running around at home I can switch off, turn on the TV, get a book out, hit the lap-top, generally mess about with not too serious stuff...those days seem, for now, seem to have gone. No time to buy a new motorcycle (really missing Sunday mornings with a cup of tea just cleaning it, it was a sort of therapy!), no time for socializing of the excessive beer intake type, no time for blogs...and just when I don't need it, work is picking up as well. Love the overtime money, it pays for big boys toys, but I've got no time to do it, my weekend seem to have been gobbled up, my nights seem to be the same. The recession could have gone on for a bit longer if I had my way.

Rediscovered Wings and Beatles this week, not the flying kind or creepy crawly bugs, but the 'Paul McCartney and...' type. Strange how a lot of films nowadays are featuring 70's music on their soundtracks. Unfortunately it means the prices of the said CD's goes up on ebay, but still cheaper than downloading from itunes.

So TTFN and its back into the muck and the bullets...anyone got a motorbike I can polish!!!!

Party time

From having really nothing to do for most of this upcoming bank holiday weekend, all of a sudden the social diary is full. Unfortunately one of the event s means that bank holiday might be mostly spent horizontal on the sofa..fast asleep.
A friend of mine has a wedding anniversary on Sunday and is celebrating with an all day barbecue. Excellent, so much better than a night only one where you know you've only got limited time to..er..enjoy yourself.
What it does mean is that a) don't eat anything during the day before I get there, he's BBQs are legendary (Carlsberg BBQ...all meat, no veg, you've probably seen the advert on TV) and b) Is a two case BBQ, two cases of Budweiser for the bath tub full of ice. You always take extra and leave some for the host at the end...48 bottles should do it!!!
They are lucky people, the next door neighbours are a lovely elderly couple who, and its probably a good thing are tone deaf. The hosts are huge rock fans with a huge music collection and a system to play the stuff on to match.

I am supposed to be selling my motorcycle this weekend (will happen..fingers crossed) and then going off to find my new off-road bike (will not happen...you don't by motorcycles when you've got a hangover...you buy rubbish because bartering hurts your head). May have to leave that until next weekend. Oh well it gives me a week to lie on the living room floor, motorcycle papers and magazines scattered everywhere, with my tongue hanging out, circling everything that takes my fancy...probably everything. Then bribing my better half with a new pair of shoes to take me to some god forbidden part of the country to go and look at something that looks like nothing like it did in the picture or the description. She loves it.

Recommendation of the week... The Hurt Locker. Get to your local cinema now, don't wait for the DVD.

Have a great holiday weekend...pass the aspirin!

Ebay...money for nothing

...or money for rubbish I should of thrown out years ago. Old RAF uniforms, football, rugby league and ice hockey shirts, confectionery collectibles (thanks to my Dad working at Cadburys), you name it, it's about to be sold to the highest bidder, even my bike at the rate it's going.

I've never sold anything on ebay before, bought loads, always in for a bargain. I've never been drawn into a bidding war, what's the point, there'll be another one along shortly.


So I've spent the last couple of days in the loft eyeing up what would be greatly appreciated by the general public out there. I can't wait to get into my Mum and Dads loft, that will be a true test of mental strength. My 1960's Scaletrix set, forget Damon Hill, we are talking Dad Graham here. I haven't used it for 30 years, should I let the dust get thicker or get rid of it now..me thinks the later. Huge piles of Birmingham City programmes, 'Park Drive' books of football, oh yeah, get cancer and collect football books while your doing it. The list go's on and on.


The only problem I find with ebay is I try to re-buy my childhood. The 'Johnny Seven' for £165.00 was one example. Luckily I was out bid with 5 seconds to go. What the hell was I going to do with it...straight in the loft. My first moped was another, watching a bidding war going on and thinking "if it goes past £1000..I'm out". 3 minutes later...."if it goes past £3000...I'm out. Fools game. But my CD collection is mostly ebay. HMV £9.99, ebay 2.99, no contest.

So tonight it's back in the loft, rummaging in the garage to see what else I can profit from. So much easier than car-booting and without the horrid banter that you always get there..."how much do you want?"..."£5.00"...."I've got 20p...etc etc.

How much do 2 year old male tabby cats fetch nowadays!!!!!

Timewasters...shoot 'em

With my bike up for sale in in various newspapers and on the odd website, the phone calls started bright and early on Friday. One in particular was very encouraging. A guy from south Wales. Lots of phone calls between us agreeing a provisional price upon him seeing the bike (he would not of been disappointed) and it was all sealed. I would pick him up from he local train station, cash payment and he would ride the bike away, but could I fit a couple of the accessories that I was selling with the bike, "no problem" I said, "see you tomorrow..2.05pm train" he said. There was also a couple of phone calls after when he was sorting out his insurance. As good as sold.

Come Saturday, I'd left work early giving up some valuable overtime to be there, 2.05pm at the local station, the train pulls up and low and behold...no Welshman with a crash helmet, missed the train, got on the wrong one, off at the wrong station...I would ring him and find out.


"Hi Paul, just wondering if your on you way here?"

"Hello mate, you just read my mind, I was going to give you a call. I will have to give it a miss
with the bike, we are doing some work to the house instead"


He didn't get chance to finish his explanation, I'd already decided to save my phone credit. So it seems Munchhausen syndrome is alive and well in south Wales. I did get warned with my bike that it would lead to 'wannabes' and 'tyre kickers' coming after it but the first one...jeez.
Oh well, I've got his mobile number and I'll pass it on to the local 'massage' parlour stating the guy on the end of the phone wants to know if you can bring yourselves and a couple of donkeys around to his for a party, but give him a ring first...I do hope his wife answers.

Bitter and twisted signing off for today. See you soon.

Stan the man...I mean...eagle

"How much!!!!". Thats what replaces the initial ooohs and aaahhhhs at the sight of one of England's best preserved castles. £50.00 off me before I've seen my first jester and if he had taken the stage at Birmingham's comedy club 'The Glee' he would of had to retire...hurt. Jesters may have been a figure of fun to people many centuries ago but to a two year old they might as well be Godzilla, fire breathing and all. But Jesters have an amazing turn of speed when parents and uncles are trying to stop their kids from screaming. Why have they all got Cornish accents??

Sad news of the day, Arthur the Buzzard is no more, probably a good thing. Good news of the day Stan the sea eagle and his mates the American bald eagles have replaced him. Much better entertainment, not quite worth the entrance fee alone, but great all the same.

Stan is the star of the show, an enormous bird, 6 foot plus wingspan, but totally focused on his handlers glove and whats in it...food.

The handler told the crowd that he had been told off by a couple of members of the public earlier on in the year for trying to scare the ducks and mallards in the castle pond before the show. He explained to them that they were in danger from the sea eagle, but the public complainers were having none of it, so he stopped shooing the birds.

Later that day, in the middle of the show, he introduced Stan and form out of the distance sky's came a magnificent sea eagle...mallard in talons, he landed mid arena on his perch with the screaming duck and proceeded to dismember the still live bird in front of the crowd. The handler spotted on of the members of the public who had remonstrated with him, what did he do..."I just smiled as she tried to shield the eyes of her sobbing kids as she led them away". Brilliant.

Stan the Sea Eagle

The jousting, all very spectacular. Out of work Shakespearean actors earning a few 'bob'. Over acting in the extreme. Out came our hero, Sir Richard, loads of cheers, then the black night, loads of boo's, then the French night, bigger boo's. A lot of people had obviously been doing their homework before they arrived yesterday.


But Warwick Castle is..well, not bad. It seems to have 'Americanised' itself a bit nowadays, not really sure that's what our colonial cousins really want when they see our history but its obviously what the Tussuad's group who own the castle are pampering to. Would I again, yes, but buy tickets in advance, saves you a fortune and take a picnic, the ground a manicured and the burgers are £4.75...nuff said.

Old bricks

Off to see a pile of old bricks today....Warwick Castle. Having a day out with my nephews. Its only down the road from where I live really so it's nice and easy, you don't get stressed just travelling there then have to cope with five mile long ice cream queues, it is the school holidays.
The last time I went to Warwick Castle with the little ones it was on the basis of the much heralded and advertised 'Birds of Prey' exhibition/demonstrations that the castle was pushing along with a Madamme Tussauds waxwork display of all the English Kings/queens of legend.
The birds of prey were very impressive, falcons skimming the heads of the crowd, Buzzards picking things of peoples heads, ooohhs and aahhhhs in abundance.
Then came Arthur, the golden eagle, a huge magnificent fully grown creature, happy to be touched by kids, displayed his absolutely enormous wingspan on demand every time.
Arthur, we then told was going to be released and come back down from a great height skim the crowd, attack a lure and land back on to his trainer arm, all good stuff.
So off went Arthur, soaring into the sky circling above us, out came the owners tempting 'half mouse on a string' bait for Arthur to attack and the owner starts swirling it above his head, all the time telling the expectant crowd what they were about to see.
At this point my niece pointed out that the mouse on the string was now mouseless, it had come off with all the swirling. Now nieces must have the same intense eyesight as a golden eagle because no one else had noticed...except Arthur, who then, without a tempting mouse to tempt him back to his trainer decided to bugger off and find his own. Arthur became smaller and smaller until he'd completely disappeared, out came the hand held satellite dish to home in on his microchip, along with apologies from trainer about his skiving bird.
I hope Arthur is there today, his disappearing act was the most entertaining part of the show, but try telling a blubbling 5 year old that.