Very, very saddened to hear this news. I've always felt a strong emotional attachment to the song Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) as my grandfather bought me the single for my fifteenth birthday. He didn't usually do things like that, maybe a fiver in a card which my mum would buy and probably write too. He died the next year whilst with us on holiday. Yes, a special song in so many ways and a really talented man.

RIP Steve.

Good news if you have a spare $4K lying around.

https://www.gearnews.com/godin-lerxst-alex-lifeson-limelight-signature-model/

This just came up on my YouTube feed;

https://youtu.be/xLt5Vvgc1vA?si=Xhivr74bpl6e5Jlm

I found this fascinating. Must have a look at Maplin online.

A terrible day for sporting legends. I admit to holding back tears about Franz. The most graceful yet powerful example of the defensive midfield role who ever kicked a ball.

I paid little attention to rugby when younger, probably because I was forced to play it at school. I was good at it but resented not being able to play my first love, football, which in all honesty I was excellent at. When I was 23 I went to Ibiza with my friends. There was a group of public schoolgirls there, from some obscure school close to the Welsh border where the uniform included a straw boater hat. Haberdashers springs to mind but I'd need to check. One day, sitting by the pool, drunk probably as I wasn't confident with girls, I spoke to one of the quieter members of the group. She had a long, faded scar on her shin. She had broken her leg quite badly and JPR Williams had fixed it. A bit long-winded but we got there. A clever, talented man. RIP.

This release has given me a problem. This synth has been six years in the making and has been eagerly awaited for by enthusiasts worldwide. I wasn't going to buy another keyboard but this is something special. Based on the famous Oberheim as used by Geddy and others, it captures those incredible 80s sounds that I absolutely loved and devoured. Plus, it has been priced well below what most most were predicting. Andertons have it on pre-sale for late January shipment and I think I'd better order one before the allocation has gone. I know there are Oberheim software synths out there, but I've never really got on all that well with computers. I decided I wasn't drinking this weekend, which is a pity as I think I would have clicked buy, by now if I was a couple of beers in.

I've been in love with the bass since first discovering Geddy, but it was always at the expense of becoming proficient on guitar, even though I buy those as well. It's the collector in me I suppose, but recently I have become a bit more disciplined and doing my best to improve. YouTube is a Godsend for someone like me. However, last week I decided to tackle that masterpiece A Design For Life. I'd love to get to grips with this song, but the chord changes are heartbreakingly difficult for me. Anyone else's remember an occasional setback like this?

I wasn't going to bother with these being strictly a gimmick flavour, but my curiosity got the better of me. First impression was not great, but strangely as I tried a few more I started to quite enjoy the unusual taste partnership. Definitely strong on the cinnamon and fruit which I think would work as a curry side snack alongside the sundries and pickles.

What a player! What a character! The best scrap I've ever seen between two players. No handbags back then. I don't think Norman Hunter's hard man image was ever quite the same after that episode. RIP Sir.

One for Thenop!

https://reverb.com/uk/item/69880343-neil-peart-s-dw-3-x-13-red-sparkle-lacquer-snare-drum

Lerxst is 70 today.

Many happy returns, sir.

I hope that there isn't another thread for this from days gone by. This makes me very sad. I'm not sure why as it's only another man-made device of which we have plenty.

Voyager 2: Nasa loses contact with probe after sending wrong command https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66371569

But farewell, and good luck out there, after we're all just a memory chip in some other device.

I'm so used to not really enjoying fruit that I buy from supermarkets these days that I'm thoroughly loving the local produce at the moment. In particular I don't think anything gets close to a perfectly ripe Scottish strawberry in the summer. I noticed last year that once the strawberry season is starting to wane, that British cherries appeared on the shelves. I think they were from Kent. They were very dark coloured massive fruits and absolutely delicious. Also, not that expensive (well in Aldi anyway). The one I miss though from my childhood days are the large dessert gooseberries we used to get. Never see those nowadays, just the occasional bullet hard variety which would really only be good in a pie. Later on, when everything is starting to get a bit tasteless again, Victoria plums appear. Early September usually, but only for a week or two. The only plums worth bothering about I think.

I wonder if anyone else has had this experience which has happened to me a few times now. Being a really hot, humid morning as I topped up the dogs' water bowl, I muttered, "there you go, keep yourself alive". My mind immediately began playing the Queen track Keep Yourself Alive. It ran silently in my thought process for a while without any real concentration. A few minutes later, when working outside, the silent track had switched to Doing All Right, the second track on the album. As far as I'm aware due to various distractions which had occurred in the interim, I hadn't kept the initial track running in my mind, but the next track seemed to start at just about the correct timing. As I say, it's happened before and I'd be interested to hear if it's not unusual.

Looks like he's been enjoying the sun.

https://youtu.be/IFun5e2RwY0

I read this article today on the BBC News site. The figures for such events in the cosmos are always mind boggling, but this in particular made me wonder if it has been reported correctly, or is my mind putting the point in the wrong place? A light year is 5.88 trillion miles. This super explosive event took place 8 billion light years away. Have I got this right? 8000,000,000 times 5,880,000,000,000. I don't suppose the human mind has a way to process this but I still think I might have absorbed this incorrectly.

The simplest of snacks, but can be a bit of a delicacy when it's just right. My favourite at the moment is Vogel's Original Mixed Grain with Lurpak butter. With a cup of tea of course.

I was thinking the other day of phrases which family, friends and colleagues have used in the past and have stuck with me. I'm sure there are more, but these come to mind;

From my maternal grandfather.
"Treat people the way you wish to be treated yourself".

From a close family friend about ambition.
"A wee fire gives you a heat, a big fire burns you".

And the old well-known cliche from a former colleague.
"The more that folk tell me I'm right, the more I think I must be wrong".

Chuck in "Trust no one" and you should just about get by.

I know this topic is generally scoffed at but with the likelihood of Scottish Independence drifting, why, if the UK is so desperate for Scotland to remain within the union, are Scottish teams not welcome in the English league set-up? It's not just about a share in the spoils of the EPL. It's been mooted since Celtic were crowned European champions in 1967, then finalists again in 1970, wiping the floor with a so called invincible Leeds side along the way. Not just Celtic though. Rangers and Aberdeen also enjoyed European success and Dundee Utd were also beaten finalists which shows what happens when you have great managers / coaches. I just can't get my head round the fact that Welsh teams are welcome yet Scottish teams are foreign.

I've no idea why David Cameron didn't offer this as a gesture when the referendum was looming and it was looking likely he would be the leader when the UK started to fragment. If nothing else comes of this post at least Zoony might make a rare appearance.😁

PS feel free to move this to Politics if it's too edgy for Sport.

I was just reminiscing earlier about a couple of the strange ritualistic pastimes that were about when I was primary school age, and wondered if there were different or regional variations to these brutal practices. For example, if you were walking with a friend and you happened to see a Morris 1000 traveller or Mini equivalent, with the Ash hardwood rear framework, you would shout, "Beaver" and punch the person you were with as hard as you liked on the arm. However, when you shouted this, you also had to add "No back backers" or you could also be punched. Similarly, if you were unfortunate enough to make an audible fart, woe betide you if you didn't utter the fully comprehensive insurance protection word "Safety" at the same time as otherwise all and sundry could knock the stuffing out of you. Cruel things children!