Harmony

1970s USA made Harmony classical parlour guitar. Solid top, solid back, solid sides; I've always wanted an all solid shitbox guitar and more recently have been drawn to the warmth of nylon strung and the sound of a smaller body. This one fit the bill in all but looks when I first saw it but since it landed from ebayland it's grown on me; much nicer than I expected to find. Very cute and lovely sounding.

More bread

Still using the sour dough and White flour but being really gentle with the dough once it's risen. This one has risen much more than the last one and while it's not exactly light and fluffy it is better than last time.. Next time I'm gonna "knock it back" fiercely and allow it to prove and see if that makes any difference.
Tastes good.

Shed picture #1

As I stand in my shed smoking a big cigar I see my spanners, cold, covered in old grease but always faithful. An odd assortment collected together through many campaigns. Some of them were my dads, stolen when I was a punk kid trying to keep my crappy jap bikes on the road. Back then, of course they had no sentimental value; I just pinched them hoping he wouldn't notice. He didn't. Others were obtained through other dubious means no doubt, some I think I even bought. I have learnt, through using them, mechanics enough to keep my current stable functional. It's too cold in here now to even contemplate turning a spanner on a bike so I just stand here smoking and musing on what these slugs of metal mean to me. They're my tools and I love them.

Bread

Third time lucky. First effort was a mess, the second was such a car crash it went staight into the bin without seeing the oven. I changed my tack to white flour (organic, of course) with this one as the wholemeal flour was defeating me and I'm pleased I did. Immediate improvement. The yeast I'm using I caught myself using age old techniques. It's amazing but not surprising when this shit starts to work; people have been catching and using yeast for centuries. I've heard of sour dough yeast cultures being kept alive for over 60 years. But don't get me wrong, this is no pet- it's livestock.

Flip

Do you remember Flip? Kensington market back in the 80s. About the best place to get any kind of vintage clothing before everything went Retro. Well, the thing is, there is still one of the original franchise left (yes, it was franchised way back before it folded and turned into Phlip or the other one in Edinburgh) and the cat that owns it still has the same ethos as the original Flip. I was just in there today and he is a solid gold guy with a real love of the cloth- the good stuff. I was gutted because i had not one penny to spend and he had lots of lovely stuff to buy. I fought with myself and the sensible part of me won over- I did not get my wallet out. If you are ever in Newcastle drop in on John and see what wonders he has.

http://www.flip-clothing.co.uk

Weld and grind...

... and weld and grind and weld and grind and so on. Sometimes you wish you'd never started as you flake off perfectly good paint to reveal fresh air. Even on the lowest setting the welder is like a plasma cutter blowing holes straight through the wafer thin metal. It's a very good lesson, for a fella who is more used to clagging stuff using a stick welder, in how to weld thin steel with a MIG and i'm slowly getting the hang of it. That is a good thing because there is plenty of welding to do. By the end of it I should be able to stitch tin-foil together.

Dirtbagging

Travelling light; blanket, bedroll and tarp. Even then I over-packed- I didn't need the bedroll or the tarp. Crashed out on a hay bale under a blanket after beers and jamming til 4am with some very cool people at a local mini festival. There's a good scene here when you look for it and make the effort to get to events. Notes to self; hay bales are not comfortable, absinthe is brutal.

You got the teeth of the Hydra upon you

The Pistoleros lay down a blistering set of the most complicated Led Zep you can imagine together with some kick ass T-Rex at Stormin the Castle. Skinny as a rake and with his foppish dark curls the lead singer/guitarist is perfectly placed between Bolan and Page in looks as well as talent.

Sunset

The sun slowly sets over summer.

It always feels like summer is over after the Stormin the Castle rally because it's the last big event on my social calendar for the year. It's been a quick summer packed with some of the most awsome events you could hope to go to. There might yet be the prospect of an Indian Summer and some local blasts through the countryside, a local party or two- it might be time to peruse the options for further afield and head to the Smoke for some bigger gigs and other events.

I got my mojo working...

... Hanging on the rear view mirror of the van. Work is progressing albeit slowly. Hell of a lot to get done and my welcome has nearly expired up at the college so I'm going to try rush it through an mot so it can rot outside my house instead of up there. I got some good mojo tiki in my van so that should help.