My personal/leisure life continues to be great and fulfilling in direct contrast to my job. Work is the worst ever. One of these days if the right song comes on when I'm driving into work I'll keep on driving and do a Thelma and Louise.

Yeah the June thing didn't happen did it? Could have been great as well. Middlesbrough Music Live, 3 days walking in Snowdonia (stayed in a big house in Carmarthen overlooking Anglesea), great walks round Durham and North Yorkshire etc.

Fuck it!! Just lost an hours work! Blogger is shit! Going to sleep on it but maybe back to LiveJournal tomorrow.

Apparently not! The original "breaking news" story led us to believe Brown was going propose changing the electoral system to PR (n.b. the Tory spokesman's comment, she obviously thought so as well. They've now pulled the breaking news" story. Oh well.

On a brighter note anybody that's got Spotify can download the End Of The Road 2009 Spotify playlist from the link on this page.

Oh my word, Gordon Brown! Does this mean what I think it means?

No post yesterday due to Middlesbrough Music Live. I was hoping to get back in time but I didn't. I'll double up one day to make up.

I was a bit underwhelmed with the day to be honest although (n.b. Ian) Frank Turner was outstanding. It was probably down to bad personal choices (my itinerary and buying drinks at he wrong venues at the wrong times etc.). I was also starving by the end of the night, refusing to risk the burger vans at the Festival.

As ever getting round all the stages is nigh on impossible. It looks really exiting when you see the programme but eyes greedier than belly springs to mind.

There was decent stuff on but I only realised when I read the official programme in the middle of the afternoon. I took too much notice of the Gazette journos local bands tips. What the hell would they know anyway even if they're not just plugging their kids or mates kids bands.

Lessons For Next Year

1 Get an official programme before the event.
2 Don't take any notice of Evening Gazette journalists.
3 Make personal MML alcohol free day.
4 Take some food.

Hopefully I'll remember to revisit this list next year. I'll do a bit of a review and post some photos of my day, tomorrow.

Now what's next?

SRF come on down!!

This may not seem a very important news story but I'm going there next week-end to do the Snowdonia Challenge, a 3 day walking "walking" competition with work.

I've been training and in the last 2 weeks (I suspect not enough) and in that time I've walked/climbed up the 4th highest mountain in England (2 weeks ago) and the highest last week-end and believe me walking up mountains is not for the faint hearted. Last week was particularly brutal, the highlight (?) being a 1000 feet climb up Skew Gill pictured below. This is not us by the way, I was actually scared shitless and in no position to either take or pose for a photo!

Oh well. it's being nice knowing you.

The hounds are out for Brown and it's difficult to defend him. Whilst I don't loathe him in the same way I did Blughhh I have little pity.

His efforts to seem hip and court popularity (eg did anybody see him on tv last Sunday singing the praises of Simon Cowell and Britain's Got Talent) are pitiful. The Labour Party is a dead duck and I suppose Brown's got to take responsibility but I also think he's right when he says "If I didn't think I was the right person, leading the right team, I would not be standing here." He's the best of a pathetic bunch.

I will simply remember him as the chancellor who abolished the 10% tax rate band. The socialist who robbed from the poor to give to rich, rather than the man who cost Labour the next election, or the man who brought the country to its knees, or the man who saved the country from oblivion depending on your point of view.

Let's be honest the last 6 years (Iraq war onwards) have been no better than the last 6 years of the last Tory government but if it's any consolation I am sure the first 6 years of the next Tory government will be worse again. They don't normally need an excuse to run down our public services but this time they've been handed one on a plate.

Music Live Again

The Fat Lad has pointed me to The Sunshine Underground, second on the bill (7.35) on the main stage. I tried their Myspace - nearly quarter of a mllion listeners of Borders can't be wrong. Cheers for the heads up Mike but probably going to give Future Of The Left a go at the Courtyard at 7.10. Also been pointed in the direction of Such Great Heights, 12 noon at Courtyard. If I go to see them, FOTL and Frank Turner that'll be 3 in the Courtyard. It's usually really shit in the courtyard!

Cheers for picking up the blog again by the way. Lot's been going on and I've had loads of ideas for blog entries while I was away but was never quite angry, happy, upset or arsed enough to post. Will see how it goes and might pick up a few of them especially as now that I've suddenly become barren.

Also been watching far too much television. Our Chris is round at the moment and we are watching the Big Brother opening ceremony. For fucks sake!!!!!!

The promised free upgrade from Virgin Media appears to have come through and my the speed of my broadband connection appears to have gone through the roof. Yippee! I've been downloading the complete Bob Dylan Radio Hour shows from here. They were taking a miserable 30 minutes plus each but now they're taking less than a minute. For techies I'm achieving downloading speeds of about 1.2MB a second.

God knows when I'll find the time to listen to them, but that issue's for another day.

Been looking at the Music Live programme in last night's Gazette. I'm planning to watch either General Fiasco or Das Wanderlust at noon at the Empire, Jimmy Bullet And The Baby Shakers, Idiot Savant and Russell And The Wolves on the homegrown stages between 2 and 4 and Future Of The Left (well tipped) at 7.10 and Frank Turner at 9.10 in the Town Hall Courtyard. That'll do for a start. Any other heads ups very welcome.

Yeah, I thought I'd give the End Of The Road festival a go. I actually bought my ticket about 2 weeks ago. I heard about the festival from Dusty, The Young Republic's Drummer (that's right Goffa From The Block, friend of the stars). They were moving on to last years festival to play a covers set the night after they played the Westgarth last September. I checked it out and it looked pretty interesting.

I saw saw Steve Earle was playing this year and giving my new love of all things alt.country, folk, bluegrass etc.. on a whim I just thought I'd give it a go. Although worryingly SE's My Space makes no mention of him playing the festival.

Deffo cup half full tonight. Current pressures of my (not so) new job mean I can't have a Monday to Friday week off at the moment but that doesn't stop me being of Wednesday to Tuesday!

Looking forward to Middlesbrough Music Live on Sunday. I'm planning on getting down early this year and I'd like to invite all my non-Boro council tax paying friends to the free party. Come on down and fill your boots, the milky bars are on us!

More of this drivel tomorrow.

With a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye...

Went to Morrisons at lunch-time and checked out the magazines. My eyes were drawn to the free CD with Uncut, a compilation from Damon Albarn's Honest Jon's label. Non Blur lovers do not scoff.

In truth the magazine's crap and £4.50 for a CD it's even money I won't play is big bucks so I thought I'd have a flick through to see if anything caught my eye. Crikey mick before my eyes a 4 article (mainly photos thankfully) about the Futurama festival from 1979. Ian Curtis, Mark E Smith, Julian Cope, Peter Perrott, John Lydon and Scritti Politti.

It was billed as the world's first science-fiction music festival and took place on 8 and 9 September. Photographer Kevin Cummins accurately describes it as follows - "To be honest the event was grim. The venue was squalid, the sound was muddy , the lighting was terrible. It felt like being shut up in prison for 2 days..... " He then went on about how great Joy Division were and I suppose they probably were. Ian Curtis certainly put the shits up me. And we were all there and we must be in the photo of Scritti Politti (it's taken from the side of the stage facing the audience) because they were one of the few bands we watched on day 2. Do you remember them improvising every other song? In truth we were into SP more than JD and although I go around telling people I invented indie with our Immortalisation EP I blagged all the diy stuff about making your own record off Scritti Politti cover sleeves.

I remember being appalled by the £3000 PIL were allegedly paid for their 25 minutes set. I remember being disappointed by the pathetic laser show and the squaller....? Yeah absolutely! I also remember falling asleep on the Leeds to Darlo train, falling asleep in Darlo Station waiting room and then again on the Darlo to Middlesbrough train. God only knows how we made it home!

But this was our festival, they were all our bands. Wonderful memories and in truth almost certainly better than it actually was.

That was my last festival and how weird's this? In a moment of (possible) madness I've bought a ticket for this! I'm going on my own but if anybody who was at the Futurama Festival or anybody else for that matter wants to join me you are very welcome. I think this might be my festival too.

Happy days.

PS By the way I'm going to post every day in June

Off work and thinking about upcoming events.

I fixed the Spreepark link from the other day if anybody is tuning in and/or interested. I knew it didn't work but I had to get off the train quick.

I thought Woodpigeon were great the other night. Not sure if Gary, Brigitte, Les or Sylvia were that keen. They're playing at the Band Room at Farndale of all places on 8 August and I'm trying to fix me and Shamila up with accommodation so we can combine it with a walk. Should be splendid if I can sort it.

Going to my friends wedding at Blackwell Grange Hotel later today and staying over. As above, should be splendid.

Starting to think about Music Live and SRF. The line up's out for Music Live and an absolute scoop (for me anyway) is Frank Turner. They look like they're trying to replicate the (superior) SRF by having events leading up to the actual day. I'm really looking forward to it.

They've also announced the headliners for SRF. As ever and with the greatest respect, top quality has beens. I can say with almost certainty that unless the weather is totally shit that both events will be brill.

Almost home (Yarm) and now thinking about Woodpigeon tonight. I listen to them whenever I can and they are truly wonderful. They are playing at the Arc in Stockton tonight as part of the Phrased and Confused tour.

Also check out the related Spreepark. You can download their albums for free here. If you listen to nothing else, try Jetzt (030-533-350).

I’m hurting today. It was not the manner of the defeat that is so upsetting (the points are everything) nor the fact it was Newcastle. Followers of my ramblings know my football monogamy is puritanical. I couldn’t give a monkey’s about any other team. It was simply that we got beat and we are doomed.

I’ve been working in Liverpool today and am typing this on the train going home. I was feeling physically sick this morning and feel the same now. We are definitely going down and although I accept that relegation has been inevitable for some time until now there has always been a glimmer of hope. I was ok while I was working temporarily forgetting about the events of last night. But I hurt so much when the realisation returns.

John Arlott, the great cricket broadcaster and writer always used to wear a black tie. A journalist asked why and he said it was because his son had died and the black tie ensured he never forgot this because if he did, even a second, the pain of realising his son had died was too much to bear. Maybe I should war a black tie?

A bit over the top maybe but I also can’t accept the then teenage Boris Becker was right when he got knocked out of Wimbledon in the first round the year after he won his first championship and said he wasn’t bothered because nobody had died, nobody had lost a war. That’s bullshit?
If it was just relegation I don’t think I would be that bothered but with alleged debts of £70m+, the Championship might not be the end of our slide from grace a la Southampton, Charlton and is it Norwich (no Internet to check my facts at the moment)? Maybe even oblivion. A dark day for the Boro and yours truly.

Football is shit. It really isn’t worth the pain, not even for the Boro!

Last Chance Saloon? Come on Boro.

Not sure why but I just can't get going on Blogger.

Lots to tell. Lots of opinions but I've got to get off my arse to tell it. I thought about returning to Livejournal but I'm going to give it one last go here before I hang my index fingers up.

And Boro have just gone 1-0 up. Oh my word!!

More or less later but no more promises.

Caught this story on the BBC news page! Looks like the Leisure Society are about to hit the big time. For those on Teesside that missed their show at the Westgarths, start paying more attention! I've still got high hopes for Horse Feathers and Woodpigeon as well

Saw Russell and the Wolves upstairs at Dr Browns last Friday and they were pretty good in a Cramps/New York Dolls crossover sort of way. They're on at The Princess Alice on Friday and I'll see you there if you can make it.

My problems with Virgin Media continues but I'm at Shamila's, hence a rare post.
Boro won, hurrah! Not going to change the 19 points required though. As we speak, Newcastle are getting beat by Stoke so we are only 3 points from safety (I have taken into account our inferior goal difference to Sunderland). That's 30 points so far. 40 should still be enough so 10 points needed from 6 games? Definitely doable but unlikely. Hey ho!

Went on a brutal walk with Russ, Jacquie and Dave yesterday from Ingleby Cross to Blakey Ridge. Russ' book said it was 23 miles but from what I've read today it was only 21 miles. The walk forms part of the Cleveland Way, the Lyke Wake and the Coast to Coast walks no less so maybe I should claim 21 miles x 3 on my belt = 63 miles!

In my mind the walk was split into 3 parts, Ingleby Cross to Lord Stones Cafe (7 miles). Lord Stones to Clay Bank (4 miles) and then Urra Moor to Blakey Ridge (a revised 10 miles). Until we reached the top of Urra Moor it was definitely the most physically demanding walk I've ever done. Each ascent, some steep and some long and winding was followed by a sharp descent and after the 45 minute long and steady incline that followed the steep walk up Urra Moor I was virtually on my knees. If we hadn't been in the middle of nowhere I might have been tempted to throw in the towel apart from the fact I was with our Russ (Spence family rivalry refers).
Thankfully as in the "Grand Old Duke of York" this time once we were up we were up and we just walked along the flat to Blakey Ridge. Job done, tick!

Here's a picture taken by Dave somewhere early on in the walk. I was too knackered to take in where.


And as ex-Boro Steve McLaren used to say, usually after we'd been embarrassingly thrashed out of sight , we move on. Tomorrow we're going to do a circular walk from Billingham Beck through the Castle Eden Visitors Centre and back via Norton Golf Club - a 9 mile flat stroll in the park! This is the life.

It's still not happening with Virgin Media but I'm in a coffee shop in Keswick catching up with things.



Normal services will eventually be resumed and thanks for bearing with me.



Here in Keswick for the week-end enjoying a chill-out. Me and our lass (don't ever let her know I called her that) walked up to the Castlerigg Stone Circle this morning.



Been doing loads of walking, it beats the gym any day of the week. Talking of walking, I must share this phot with you from my walk on Saturday, taken by Dave. We walked from Seaham to Seaton Carew (apparently 16 miles) and this is me flaked out in Hartlepool. It was next to a graveyard, just off the beach.





It looks like I've got an oil leak coming from my head and it felt like that as well.

Virgin are really fucking me about, making it very difficult for me to post. I keep getting a message to activate my account. Wouldn't normally bother me but they keep asking me to select a password and when I choose my e-mail address (the same one I've had for about 8 years) it says I can't have it as somebody else has it!

Given that I've only stayed with them all these years to keep my e-mail address I'm not going any further until I speak to somebody.

My tenant goes in to my house tomorrow so I'll be a landlord so there'll be no more slagging off capitalists in this house.

Kirkstone Road continues to be sublime. Got a Chinese takeaway from the new Beijing Dragon at Norfolk shops. It was awesome and it goes straight in at number one (according to my discerning pallet anyway) with a bullet. Happy days!

That was a funny apology from David Cameron today. About as subtle as...... something not very subtle. I'm not quite sure what he was apologising for but we all know what he's after, trying to goad Labour into copping for the lot. As if...

The real shame is that he's not far off the mark. They'd have done the same but they didn't and it goes without saying that if we had a Tory government we'd all be up blazing.

The truth is this all happened on Gordon Brown's watch and his "not me guv!" to accusations that he is in anyway to blame is pathetic. His smug smile grates on me more than President of The World, Blair's did.

Mind you, coming home to Berwick Hills in 2009 brings back memories of the place I left in 1983. It's now a desperate place, stricken by problem drinking, drugs, laziness and helplessness. In 1983 it wasn't great but it wasn't that bad (or are those rose-coloured spectacles deceiving me again) but years of neglect by successive governments (Thatcher onwards) have led to people on estates like Berwick Hills giving up. Many people don't even bother getting dressed, What's the point?

And whilst the current shower has been at fault as well, I lay the majority of the blame squarely at the door of your party Mr Cameron. So if you want to apologise for something Mr Cameron, I'd like you to say sorry for the state of the UK's council estates and for the part your party played in starting to isolate the white working class, underclass or whatever else you want to call them.

Don't use the C word though, commonly used by middle class twots or I'll go off on one!

First Post From My New Home

It's lucky I've made a dent in my 50 posts pledge. This is my 7th so there are 43 more to look forward to before the end of the month.

Getting broadband fitted on Saturday so things should improve, but not today.

A rare post on my last night in Acklam, my home for the last 26 years.

For those that don't know, I'm doing my bit for the country's problems. Cometh the hour and cometh the man!

How am I going to help the country?

1 I'm letting my house out thus helping solve the housing crisis.
2 If everything goes ok, after my mortgage and insurance etc. I'm still going to make a few quid.
3 Which I'll spend. Isn't that what Brown is encouraging us to do. Not sure what to get first, an Ipod or a Wii?

Where am I off to? Back to claim what is rightfully mine. Back home to Berwick Hills, where I'm due to be crowned the King of Kirkstone Road on Saturday!

You are all cordially invited to my coronation. No need to buy any presents.

Hope to see you there.

I'd lke to say I have a good feeling about tonight (v West Ham in FA Cup) but I couldn't really give a toss. Even if we win we play Everton (away?) in the next round.

I always like a predictor so I'll go 1-1 after extra-time. West Ham win on penalties. Oh and lowest ever tv football audience. Boro live on the tele'. The country must be thrilled!

Posting live and direct from my new contract mobile phone. Not really sure whether it is worth the effort.

One for the lasses

Taken on Saturday 7 February by the only other person stupid enough to be out walking on the North York Moors that day.

And I believe that makes it 3 posts down and 47 to go. I'm off to bed.

Sleep tight.

By the way, local people - Hope to see you at the Westgarth on Saturday night. Be there or somewhere else.

Seriously though, you've got no excuse - £7 a ticket all in (it might be £8 on the door) to see a Canadian band play at a social club in the Boro on a Saturday night. They even cancel the bingo!

Enough really is enough. In an attempt to force my lazy arse into action I pledge 50 posts before the end of March.

Apologies for not replying to comments recieved. My brain has been pretty much in blog denial for most of the year. No doubt there is a way to tell Blogger to tell me when somebody has posted a reply to one of posts but I haven't yet managed to work it out; thus me only just finding out.

This one tickled me from Braz. Before checking out the youtube I initially wondered and maybe hoped it might be Terry Tranz from our old Teessider days ("signing on the dole 1,2,3,4 etc....."). Of course it isn't and given Lawrence's purported political leanings I'm glad it isn't.

The funny thing is his is the second time this Lawrence character has been brought to my attention in the last couple of weeks. I was talking to a Doncaster Rovers fan who told me about this cross-dresser from Hartlepool who goes to all the Hartlepool footy matches, sits with the away supporters and always supports their team!

Sounds unlikey? Apparently, it's true! Here's an 11 page thread from the Hartlepool forum about him if anybody's interested.

59 years old? It couldn't be Terry Tranz could it?

A Post Of Sorts

Well I suppose that can count as my winter break and I'm now going to post every......... Am I shite!

Been very busy the last few weeks, walking every Saturday and Sunday (will post some photos idc) and going to the pub. Out tomorrow night to see Mumford and Sons at Mohan's (Wigan Pen to Boro exiles) and King Creosote at the Westgarth Social Club (Westgarth Social Club to Boro exiles) on Friday. Walking on Saturday and Sunday and off to do a shift in London on Monday!!

Will try and find some time to post something more substantial but at least I'm back.