"Musik, Maestro bitte!"

More on Frankfurt - Did you know that Frankfurt gave rise to a bustling techno scene?

No!   Then why not??!

It's a very cosmopolitan city, where lots of cultures and races come together and live in relative harmony, or so it seems to me.

It's also one of the most popular cities to work in in all of Europe, with the majority of people being very happy, thank you, with their quality of life!

What does it take, do you think, to be happy?  

Here are the stats for Frankfurt am Main - Frankfurt on the Main (the name of the city's river):

Quality of Life Theatres 46 - of which foreign 7 Museums 47 Art galleries 109 Cinemas 48 Film festivals 9 Foreign business + leisure clubs 180 Restaurants 2,300 Discotheques 38 Music pubs 29 Music bars 13 Sport clubs 424 Public swimming pools 13 Botanical gardens 2 Zoo 1 City forest area 4,500 hectars City parks 48
Forty-eight city parks - Wow! I can feel the Wanderlust now!     I shall also be attempting to get into at least two of those swimming pools - They even have open air ones around the city - Like to see them try that in north east England!
In the past, I must 'fess up, I've often got the work/life balance wrong.   Now, since being made unemployed, my cup of me-time almost runneth over...
Not sure how long I'll have this time for a stab at some leisure and pleasure, but I'm going to give it a go for a while.
Music often has the power to make me very happy, so I'm sharing with you today a little bit of Laith Al-Deen, who hails from Germany via the US, an Iraqi dad and a German mum.   He's singing "Pictures of You" - I'll bet you've never heard of him, but I picked up on his music while in Germany ten years ago, and I'm particularly fond of this song.
Hope you can sway a little to it today, mes bloggy Blackberries while you contemplate what gives you your qualité de vie ... And your joie de vivre, as the lovely Frogs say.

And the days go by...

I have been listening to Stevie Nicks' silver words since I was twelve years old.

I don't think I ever thought I would still be here, singing along to the sound of her voice when I was almost fifty.

I never believed I would see Stevie in my lifetime, because Fleetwood Mac had disbanded and re-formed over and over throughout the years, plus Stevie never seemed to perform outside of the US, and I never would never have enough money to go to America to see her there.

But, making my fortieth year for me, I had the pleasure of seeing Fleetwood Mac for the very first time, when they toured the UK with their Say You Will album tour.   I might have cried during Rhiannon, because her performance was just so moving and magical.   There were tears in GJ's eyes too, as I recall.   And he's not a man to cry easily...

Then, a couple of years back, I saw them perform again, this time at Wembley in London, for their Unleashed tour.   Admittedly, these days they tour without Christine McVie because she prefers a quieter, English provincial, life but I honestly believe Stevie and Lindsay are the powerhouse of the band nowadays, leaving the bold, bad John and Mick to provide the same, solid, powerful percussive background that they have done for all of their lives together.

Yet, when I heard last year that Stevie was touring the USA with Rod Stewart I have to admit that I was puzzled.   I wondered how this pairing would work onstage and I have been guilty of castigating Rod over the years for 'selling out' (as I saw it) with songs such as ‘Hot Legs’ and wearing leopard skin leggings, when he could have been the biggest blues/soul singer the UK had ever seen.   (Do Google Python Lee Jackson's 'In A Broken Dream' for more evidence, mes bloggy dahlinks).

So when it was announced (signalled to me on FaceSlapBook by my fab friend, Saz, bless your heart, my sweet!), that Rod would be playing London's Hyde Park this summer with Stevie supporting, I rushed to Ticketbarsteward's website like a person who'd never heard the words 'redundancy,' 'unemployment,' 'penury,' 'penniless' and 'workhouse'...

This weekend has been an absolute dream for me.   I shall share more laters, m'dears!

(Always keep them guessing and wondering...   That's what the Gold Dust Woman would say, after all!)

Fika Meme - Wha'?!

MEME: from Sallymandy via Mervat and Moannie and Scriptor Senex...

What is your current obsession?
Blogging, bien sur! Even although I am now back in the full time shackles of the orifice, I wish I were here - laughing and chattering, and carrying on as if I led a life of wilful ease, non?! And, oh I am so afraid to admit to it - Someone young enough to be my son - Robert Pattinson! I love tortured poets... Lord Byron, John Keats, John Clare...



Good fika place? (That would be coffee to us non-Swedes) The Bookhouse, Newcastle, before Central Perk ever existed - Beautiful, spiral staircase leading down from excellent bookshop to cafe hangout - I don't even know what this place is now - But The Bookhouse remains in the mind like a lost lover, whom you never really wanted to let go, and you never properly bid adieu to...

Currently, my favourite place is Coffee Beans, an independent, locally owned, coffee house, near to The Office, very seventies but with WiFi, lime green and teak wood decor and brown suede sofas, and the staff are just fabulous, dahlink!



I met the wonderful Sazfab from never has been Fat, Frumpy or Fifty...there on Wednesday, and it was magical! Magical, I tell you! More of our tale later, sans doute, mes bloggy air biscuits!

Do you nap a lot?


Good goddess yes. Whenever I can, I curl up, whip out the disposable lenses and snooze as if there were no tomorrow... I love my pit, I love warmth and comfort, and my wide, room-divider, boundary-pushing, sofa is my second bed...

Who was the last person you hugged?
My friends at work who have welcomed me back like the prodigal daughter... My last hug was with a stakeholder lady, whom I have known for seven years - I hugged her, kissed her cheeks, and got my lip gloss all over her hair - Embarrassing, non?! But sweet and very, very genuine, nonetheless. I love her.

Rescinded to say that my last wee hug was with the energetic and indomitable Saz! She is more than fabulous, dahlink, and it were such a treat to finally meet!

What’s for dinner?


Chip leftovers with decent German Rye Bread, with a smidgen of Tomato Ketchup - And I'm on a diet, so this is not allowed, mais tant pis!

What are you listening to right now?


The TV is on - Dark Water, a psycho-thriller film... I've seen it before, and yet I cannot remember how the movie pans out!

What is your favourite weather?
Sunny, not too hot, bright and warm. I've my sunnies on, a light blouse and skirt/troos, and I know I'm not going to get wet today! P.s. I'm not in England, apparently...

What’s on your bedside table?
I have a hand painted cupboard, rather than a table - Tables, I just knock things off... Fhina's middle nom de plume is Calamity, as my lovely late mother would say...

Anyhoo, my glazed placard is black with violet vines and flowers - In it there are books, some of my favourite novels, a couple of jew-jaws, my specs, (Prada, dahlink!), a Georgian map I bought for my husband in an antiques warehouse, some juice, a pillow, and the erstwhile remnants of my life... Can you tell what it is yet?!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?
Paris, always Paris! Probably La Porte Doree if we could not afford a garden and cat in Montmartre, where the vinyards once were...

Favourite vacation spot?
After Paris, Nice in the south of France, where I long for a second home...
Trouville in Normandy, with its mists and literary electricity and eccentricity, as well as the Dominican Republic, for its greenness that reminds me of England, and its wonderful people...

~The things you can’t live without. .
My family, my good friends here, my new-ish laptop, my music, animals, books, coffee, wine, and now bloggering.

What were the happiest two years of your life?
My third year at college, and the first year I had my beloved son, Grizz...

What would you like to get rid of?
Despair.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Where my sadly-passed mum and dad are, to smell their scents, and hug their warmth and deep love to me... Failing that, c'est toujours Paris - Non?!

What did you want to become as a child?
A singer, (Sandy Shaw - I remember, I must have been about four, wanting to be called Sandy...and even writing the name, playfully, in my reading book...), then an English or Modern Languages teacher, then a mother, then a Registrar, then a shopkeeper, then a famous writer...in that order...

What do you miss?
My mum and my dad, ca va sans dire! Friends who live a long way away - Then and now, including vous, mes bloggeristas!

The orifice is sadly interfering with my Mojo and my blogging life - Visiting y'all... I am so sad and so sorry... : (

I also miss my youth and my thin-ness!

What are you reading right now?
The Twilight Saga, again ;0 Wonderful Blogs, and I have a backlog of fabulous contemporary novels to dig into ...Graduellement!

What do you fear the most?
Losing everything, as do we all, eventuellement, no?!

Which designer piece of clothing would you most like to own (new or vintage)?


It would have to be a Louis Vuitton handbag above all, or something from Biba in my super-size!

What did you last watch on television? A programme about David Bowie, made over 10 years ago!


If you’d like to do the meme, here’s how it works.

1. Answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention; add a question of your own.

2. You may tag others or leave it open to anyone who feels like giving it a go.


This Meme was posted by the darling and talented, John, Scriptor Senex at 4/19...

And I snatched it there, mes bloggy Cat-Burglars!

Please clock, mes petits chamois-leathers, that I am not around this weekend, non...

I am visiting the bold city of York with my family for two and a bit days... So I might not be around in Bloggusland, but know once more that I am, always, thinking of you, and I shall catch up with you a toute a l'heure, mes checkered lives... Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!

Time has told me...

I think I might have said something about singer-songwriter Nick Drake in the past, probably in relation to his early friendship with the now sadly-departed John Martyn.

Nick had a troubled soul, rarely performing live as his nerves got the better of him, so there remains no intriguing live footage, other than that of him as a baby and small boy, enjoying family holidays, carelessly paddling at the seaside with his elder sister, the actress, Gabrielle Drake.

What remains of Nick for us is his beautiful, haunting, enchanting, wondrous music and through his lyrics, his poetry... He is more famous now, than he ever was in his lifetime. Rumours abound, of books and film offers, as fans attempt to dissect his very soul, to understand what made him tick, and what stopped him, finally, tocking.



I was inspired to this, by hearing this beloved song of mine on my husband's favourite digital radio station this morning. Time has told me, you're a rare, rare find... continue the lyrics. This sums up, for me, what we feel about those we feel akin to, those we care about, those we treasure...

GJ is this morning dismantling disgustingly heavy night storage heaters, and vacuuming furiously through the house, trying to sweep away some of the debris remaining from our epic window voyage in the latter half of this week...

Why bother...? Part of me wants to say - I'm only going to be bringing back the silver-haired Plasterer at the end of the week, and then the hard-living, genius-painted-pine-kitchen-creating Craftsman, and I still need to find an electrician, and then I'm expecting the estimate for works from the bright-and-breezy Central Heating and Plumbing man who arrived amid the confusion on Friday, when I had forgotten I had ever called him...

Then there'll be more dust and devastation, hubble, bubble, toil and trouble, (and ultimately, even 'though I can't envision it yet, beauty will reign...and all will be becalmed...)

...And another part of me wants to applaud him for trying to put to rights the damage caused from countless weeks of me just sitting here looking at the chaos, tippy-tappying away, and enjoying myself through your words, your music, your songs, your stories, your poetry, your wit and your wonderfulness, bloggeros and bloggeristas, one and all...



So, to be as brief as I can ever be today, while I must rally and attempt to support GJ's valiant efforts, I shall leave you with Nick's words, and this rare recording of Time has told me, from Youtube.

(There are more polished versions out there, should you wish to seek them out - A great introduction to his music is through Way To Blue - A later album, compiled by his much-loved producer, Joe Boyd. Which is where I first found Nick through his music - I was in a tiny shop in York in November 1993 - It was full of windchimes and crystals, incense and dream-catchers, and there he was, singing Northern Sky as the backdrop to my thoughts on Christmas shopping! ...Nineteen years after he had left this world).



The message for me here is to cherish those who mean something to you, including yourself

- And someday we'll all find a place to be, where we fit like an iron fist in a velvet glove, where we belong... At the moment, for a lot of us, that's here in Bloggyland, talking to, and more importantly, listening to (and reading) friends! Thank you...




Time Has Told Me

Time has told me
You’re a rare, rare find
A troubled cure
For a troubled mind

And time has told me
Not to ask for more
For someday our Ocean
Will find it’s shore

So I’ll leave the ways of making me be
What I really don’t want to be
Leave the ways that are making me love
What I really don’t want to love

Time has told me
You came with the dawn
A soul with no footprint
A rose with no thorn
Your tears they tell me
There’s really no way
Of ending your troubles
With things you can say

And time will tell you
To stay by my side
To keep on trying
‘til there's no more to hide
So leave the ways that are making you be
What you really don’t want to be
Leave the ways that are making you love
What you really don’t want to love

Time has told me
You’re a rare, rare find
A troubled cure
For a troubled mind

And time has told me
Not to ask for more
For someday our ocean
Will find its shore



"Nick was in some strange way out of time. When you were with him, you always had a sad feeling of him being born in the wrong century. If he would have lived in the 17th Century, at the Elizabethan Court, together with composers like Dowland or William Byrd, he would have been alright. Nick was elegant, honest, a lost romantic - and at the same time so cool. In brief: the perfect Elizabethan."

Robert Kirby, a Cambridge friend of Nick's who orchestrated his first 2 albums

10 Things I Can't Live Without

10 Things I Can't Live Without

1. Colour in my life - I often dream in colour, and they say that we don't...



2. Paris - Sights, sounds, smells, tastes, views, being In Seine (groannn!)... you get it



3. Magic - Spells, incantations, chanting, hoping, wishing, do-gooding... all that and wishing on stars! Oh, and luck... "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all...!"








4. Laughter in my life......



5. Greenery and Scenery - I cannot exist in a grey world far from greenery, even if it is just the verdant leaves of a plant...



6. I cannot live without my wild heart...



7. Strong, funny, witty, crazy, beautiful women...



8. Music



9. Words and Language



10. And, last but by no means least...

6 Things that make me happy...

After yesterday's marathon, I shall be happy if there's anyone still out there reading this - I promise to be swift! I typed marathong there - Wonder what that would look like?!


Today, I am tagging myself with a short Meme, I spotted, um...somewhere...


6 Things That Make Me Happy...


1.

Music:- I don't listen as much as I would wish, and don't know why. Music can lift my soul.

I sing appallingly, caterwaulingly, in the car, in the house, to favourite songs on the radio. Singing is good for my heart and my mood, and especially if it's live music. I've made a New Year's pact with GJ to go to more live gigs this year - I don't care if we are the oldest liggers in the audience, or the mosh pit - I'm going! Er, once me back's fixed...


2.

Reading: I love to spend time luxuriating with a good book, sometimes one of my comfort books. Reading has taught me much about life and the lives of people.

A lecturer of mine, Kelsey Thornton, (he wore capes and floppy hats to lectures apparently - Before my time though, sadly... it would have been fabulous!)



...once told a hushed auditorium: "Literature is the quintessential essence of life..."



I think it is, and I'll fight you if you tell me it's not!


3.

I could not live without Human Contact, or should I say, positive human contact...


"’Tis the human touch
in this world that counts,
The touch of your hand and mine,
Which means far more
to the fainting heart
Than shelter and bread and wine.
For shelter is gone
when the night is o’er,
And bread lasts only a day.
But the touch of the hand
And the sound of the voice
Sing on in the soul always".

by Spencer Michael Free


4. I am happiest when I am with and amongst animals - See my about me -

Alpacas,



Goats and Sheep can make me squeak with delight. I love dogs, but have not owned a dog since leaving home for College - I would really love to be adopted by a dog or dogs. If I ever had the time and space, and would like a German Shepherd, a Bedlington Terrier, and two Dachshunds

, but he/they might fight with this one my cat:

I will settle for the two dachsies in time, and more cats, and a goat!

I also love wildlife and birds, but not to keep, as such - Although I keep getting GJ to stop the car in a nearby village where someone keeps emus!




5. The art of creating things makes me happy - Whether in my beloved Stained Glass Art class, writing stuff, as in blogging, is fun; Making new friends here has given me a huge boost in confidence and contentment... Thank you, bless you!


6. My family and good, good friends - Nuff said!



They are my rocks and my comforters...

I'm not going to tag anyone, this is just for fun - If you want to pick it up yourself for a quieter day, please feel free to do so?

The usual rules…

Link to the person who gave you the award. If you want.

Post the rules on your blog.

List six things that make you happy.

Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. If you want...

Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

Let the person who awarded you know when your entry is up.

Stalking John Smith...

You're probably quite sick of me now, go on be honest, I do tend to go on, and on... and on...

Managers carrying out my annual Personal Development Assessment, have been known to ask if it was still daylight, when we eventually emerge from a windowless room...

So today, to give you a rest from blethering, mithering me, I thought we could have a musical interlude, a sort of 21st Century version of TV's Potter's Wheel!

As our friends over the pond will understandably be glued to TVs watching precious new moments in history, and I reckon won't even find the time to blog or read today... I thought I could treat you all to a few moments with one of the greatest rising young stars of British nu-folk

- That's folk music for those of you over 40...

I find as I segue into my mid 40s and my son grows away beyond my grasp, GJ and I have a little more time to go to gigs when we can, and to explore new music.

I was excited when I first saw this young singer-songwriter guitarist, when he supported John Martyn at The fabulous Sage, Gateshead, and indeed I have been stalking him ever since.

Of course he doesn't know... Well maybe he does now? Oops!

"His name, you say?"

"Why, it's John Smith".

"Who did you say again?"

"John Smith!"

"Honestly?"

"Yes!"

Blurb: "John Smith is the guitar man from Devon, (now living on the banks of the Merseysippi, when not in his VW car touring from gig to festival), and quietly becoming recognized as one of British Folk's most exciting new voices.

He has toured with and supported John Martyn, Davey Graham, Tunng, John Renbourn, Martin Simpson and Jools Holland and is currently working on his new record. John is a totally independent artist".


This is a quirky video (lasting 3.06 mins) that was produced to illustrate his somewhat magical song, The Magician, from his first album - Hope you like it...




His sort of hallmark piece is this one, Winter (5.14) with John tapping the guitar on his knee as if it were a drum - It always makes for a silent audience, as you can't quite believe what you are seeing and hearing:




You might know Cara Dillon better, so here John performs on her video for If I Prove False (5.48) - a very traditional folk song. John occasionally performs with Cara's band:



Finally, for the younger ones, here's John's own version of The Queens of the Stone Age, No-one knows... Electrifying! (3.59):