Presidential Suite (Five Days to Go)

"How will all this affect me"

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Love, Poetry and Revolution - Wednesday 1st January 2025

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The old year stretches out behind me and the new one beckons me. I haven't made any resolutions as I believe that you should try to improve every day and learn from things you got wrong.  Doesn't always work that way, but trying is half the battle. What I want most this year is for E's suffering to end as soon as possible. We don't even know the full extent of it, only the part of the iceberg that's out of the water. Over the past few weeks, her decline has continued apace, such that we are now keeping one eye open for signs of sepsis.  Fingers crossed it happens sooner than later. This weekend I should be off to Amsterdam with Q and her daughter (who is returning to her home there) to celebrate Q's birthday, hot on the heels of Christmas. I had a neck, head and shoulder massage at the Sue Ryder hospice yesterday which set me up nicely for New Year's Eve.  I have three more sessions to go and I can try reflexology (which I might try) and reiki which sounds l...
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Love, Poetry and Revolution - Sunday 8th January 2023

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A later start, mainly because I need to get packed and return 'home' today and I don't want to go. My target is to leave at around midday, though that's not set in stone. Q and I had breakfast and were joined by her mum.  Scrambled egg on toast followed by toast and marmalade.  Need to get organised, sadly, and so I continue. Packed, car loaded and time to say goodbye. Q's mum returns to Australia at the weekend, so I'll not see her again for a while. It's been good to get to know her, and we'll hopefully meet again at some point later this year. I'm home. The roads were unusually quite and I did the journey in just over 3 hours, including a stop to buy lunch, coffee and take a break inspired by a call from nature. Unfortunately on my return I was greeted by coloured lights, and so my first task was to bring Christmas to an end with the help of sons 1 and 3. Son #3 made dinner (sea bass and play it), and son #1 and I watched TV while we ate. Time for...
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Tales From The Crypt - Monday 28th June 2021

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I've only gone and bloody well done it! Welcome to the first of my 'Tales From The Crypt': I'm bored as fuck with the old title and anything to do with Covid:  obviously I'm still going to adhere the guidelines and protect the vulnerable person I care for and about, I'm not a complete and utter bastard. We all have a part to play in keeping one another safe.  Sermon over. Started the day with the return of the early morning carer who's been on leave for two weeks - updated her with the latest news, which she was keen to hear. Knocked up and ate breakfast early, in order to finish eating 2 hours ahead of yoga at 10:00, then it was a bit of organising to get the compilation CD completed and ready to post. Off to the post office just before 9 a.m. to complete the process and then return ready to head for yoga at 9:30 a.m. Back from yoga after a chat with one of the other class members, followed by a longer chat with the teacher: I gave her a bit of a life updat...
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World Shut Your Mouth

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A lot of people seem to go to gigs to hear the headline act, but nothing more (not to mention those who don't seem to go to hear the music at all?)  I'm  always keen to hear the support, especially if I've never heard of them as you never know what you'll find. And so I found myself at the front of the stage in SUB89 waiting for Tom Hickox to take to the stage. Never heard of him or heard anything by him, so looking forward to hear what he does. As the hour of 8pm arrived, he took to the stage and seated himself behind a large electric piano, joined by Sam Grimley on various guitars. From his opening number, I was struck by his voice - he really has presence on stage. For the first song or two I just thought, 'yeah, he sounds OK, but...', and wasn't really drawn in. A couple of songs had great stories behind them, and his spoken intros to 'The Lisbon Maru' and 'The Dubbing Artist' were intriguing.  The song that really land...
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Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble at South Street Arts Centre in Reading 27th May 2017

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Inexplicably this is my first visit to South Street Arts Centre though I've lived in the Reading area off and on for more years than space allows. After this visit, though, I will plan to return again especially to see bands but probably other gigs. Why? It is a great size - a really intimate venue in which to see bands - and a really friendly venue, like seeing a gig in a room in your own home (assuming you had a fairly large spacious home). The support act was a band called Mauno from Canada who've been supporting Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble on this leg of their tour. A four-piece with 2 guitars, bass and drums playing I guess some kind of hybrid of pop and rock with Talking Heads-style rhythmic shifts. Not being familiar with either them or their songs it took a couple of numbers to get into their sound, but as the set progressed it became clear there was something interesting going on, both lyrically and musically.  In such a small venue it was great to see the...
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