Lifespan

Well, I'm beginning to wonder. I had prepared a delicious meal of lightly smoked salmon fillets, English asparagus and Jersey Royal new potatoes served up with Hollandaise sauce for the asparagus and whey butter on the potatoes. Glasses filled with a delightful Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, accompanied with compliments from my wife for another tasty dinner. I finished my meal with some wonderful Brin-de-Paille soft cheese and a glass of Mondelli Chianti Riserva.

Time for a Double Chocolate Mocha and a dram of 10 YO Jura single malt. Perfect. Awash with hubris I decided to tackle the dishes, the washing up, whilst my wife indulged her passion for "Casualty" on BBC1. I told her I would be 'plugged in' to music whilst I performed this domestic duty and got stuck in to Pat Metheny's album 'We Live Here'. Soundmagic earbuds are astonishing, terrific bass, no roll-off on the top notes, amazing stereo separation. I stood at the sink with my head nodding and my feet tapping. Dishes done in no time.

I needed to 'phone my mate Graeme so I went off in search of my iPhone, still listening to Pat Metheny. I found the 'phone case but no 'phone. I looked upstairs in the bedroom, in the lounge, in the dining room, in the kitchen - still unconsciously nodding my head to the fantastic rhythm of Pat Metheny. 'Best track coming up', I muttered to myself as the edge of panic set in over the whereabouts of my iPhone. 'Damn it', I thought, 'I had better use the landline to ring it, that'll locate it'. Better switch Pat Metheny off though before I do.

I dug in my shirt pocket and pulled out...... my iPhone, connected to my Soundmagic earbuds....

I shrugged it off, laughed to myself and took another loading dose of Vitamin B Complex. And took another look at 'Lifespan', the UK's leading health magazine, to see if it can help me remember that I listen to music on my F***ING iPhone!

 

Classic fM Hall of Fame 2014

Like 1000s of other classical music lovers I tuned in to Classic fM over the Easter weekend and enjoyed four days of people's favourite classical pieces as voted for by the public. The list of 300 pieces is eclectic and encompasses such composers as Holst, Vaughan Williams, Einaudi, Beethoven and Grieg. The scope of this annual event is unsurpassed by any other musical chart and I enjoy participating every year.

And so it was with a great deal of delight that I purchased today the 4CD set containing 42 tracks selected from the original 300, at Sainsbury's, for a bargain £7.99 (around $13.00). The recorded quality is superb and the pieces that came first and second are included:

1. The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams here played by Nicola Benedetti and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrew Litton
2. Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2, 2nd Movement, with Vladimir Ashkenazy on pf, and the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn

Whilst I have most of the composed extracts as full recordings on other CDs and mp3s this collection is a sheer delight to listen to. I recommend this collection without hesitation to all music lovers. CFMD34 on the DECCA label.

Madeleine Peyroux - Smile

I love Madeleine Peyroux's rendition of "Smile" taken from her album 'Half The Perfect World'. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

The Blue Room

The Blue Room is the latest offering on CD from Madeleine Peyroux. Brooklyn and Paris-bred with a New Orleans pedigree, Peyroux is an artist whose eclectic musical mix makes for magnificent story-telling. This outstanding album is in part an homage to Ray Charles and his "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" albums released in the 60s.

Madeleine Peyroux's delicate phrasing with that breathy inflection is so reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Peyroux has a unique ability to deconstruct a lyric and melody and stitch it back together in her own arrangement that leaves me spellbound. For me, this is her finest album by far. She includes timeless classics and makes them her own with her jazz, country and blues influences.

Madeleine covers Charles' "Take These Chains From My Heart' with an upbeat tempo and just makes it sizzle, with strings arranged and conducted by Vince Mendoza. She includes gems like Warren Zevon's "Desperadoes Under The Eaves" and Randy Newman's "Guilty" - a heartbreaking slow tempo number that Peyroux gives new depth to. Her resurrection of a wonderful and obscure Buddy Holly song "Changing All Those Changes" is breathtaking.

The album is produced by Larry Klein and engineered and mixed by Helik Hadar and was recorded at THE VILLAGE RECORDER, Los Angeles, CA and Market Street, Santa Monica, CA. The album artwork photos were shot at The Blue Room - the oldest bar in Burbank, California.

Every song on this album depicts the genius of Madeleine Peyroux, a songstress of sublime talent:

• Take These Chains From My Heart
• Bye Bye Love
• Changing All Those Changes
• Born To Lose
• Guilty
• Bird On The Wire
• I Can't Stop Loving You
• Gentle On My Mind
• You Don't Know Me
• Desperadoes Under The Eaves

I have played this album three times today and this lady can bring tears to my eyes with her approach to the material. This is an album that is letter-perfect but coursing with blood and as comfortable as an old pair of shoes.

Madeleine Peyroux reinvents everything she touches.   

Rochester - loved by Dickens

In 1998 Rochester in Kent lost its city status owing to the outgoing council neglecting to appoint ceremonial "Charter Trustees" to continue to represent the historic Rochester area, an error not even noticed by the council for four years until 2002. Rochester stands at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (48km) from London.

Rochester was a city loved by Charles Dickens. Anyone who's ever thumbed through the likes of Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or The Pickwick Papers will know that the landscape and people of 19th Century Kent provided rich pickings for Dickens.

The town is home to a number of important historic buildings, the most prominent of which are the Guildhall, the Corn Exchange, Restoration House, Eastgate House, Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral. Many of the buildings in the town centre date from the 18th century or as early as the 14th century. The chapel of St. Batholomew's Hospital dates from the hospital's founding in 1078. 

With my interest in the county of my birth I have started to collect books about "The Garden of England" and have found www.abebooks.co.uk  to be an excellent source. I purchased "Rochester: A sketch in pen and verse" by MALCOLM JOHN here, published in 1977 by John Hallewell Publications.

It includes a selection of verse by the author accompanied by prints based upon sketches drawn by Katherine Kimball in 1912. Katharine Kimball was born in New Hampshire. After studying at the National Academy of Design she went abroad to continue her studies, not in Paris, whose academies were still largely closed to women, but in London at the Royal College of Art. She pursued her career in England, exhibiting between 1906 and 1940 at the Royal Academy and the R. E. (the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers), of which she was elected an Associate. Her art was influenced by her admiration for the work of James McBey. As with many talented women artists of her pioneering generation, information about Katharine Kimball is hard to come by, although her work is in the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Bibliothèque d'Art et d'Archéologie in Paris. Many of her etchings show scenes in France.

I have also tracked down a book entitled "Dickens' Rochester" by John Oliver at Abe Books. I shall look forward to reading it.

Shedding the Shed - Part 2

I have had a particularly busy day today. I could put it off no longer. Clearing my garden shed of 27 years of detritus including rusted implements, old bathroom tiles, broken storage containers, warped MDF shelves and not forgetting the numerous woodlice that crawled out of every nook and cranny, the snails that had attached themselves on every available surface and of course, the spiders. Six heavy duty bags of 'stuff' were dispatched to the municipal tip. What remains will be stored under a tarpaulin on the patio in readiness for Phase 2.

Phase 2 requires a logistical approach to dis-assembling the incumbent shed. My good friend Graeme has been coerced to help. This event is planned to take place on the 11th June when Ros and I will have returned from our vacation in Copenhagen. A local tradesman is booked to carry away the various panels of this dis-assembly. So far so good, if all goes to plan.

A builder friend has agreed to then lay a solid concrete base ( a level concrete base) to accommodate the new shed, which should be delivered and assembled on 27th June by Skinner's Sheds. So, the base has to be laid soon after the 11th June. One can only hope for clement weather.

That is the plan - to have a robust, shiplap tongue and groove shed installed by the end of June. Somewhere I can sit with a good book and a glass of beer and watch the nature in my garden. Sad, I know, but I am rather excited about having a new garden shed...

We Live Here

This is the title of a Pat Metheny Group album recorded in 1994. It has the best first four track thread of any album I know.

Check this out if you enjoy jazz funk guitar and accompaniment. Play it loud if you are driving the open road or indeed if you are relaxing with a glass of something in your garden. It is timeless music to enjoy and just make you feel good.

One of my top 10 albums of all time! Download from iTunes. Love it!

The New Generation Hyundai i10

I have been driving a Hyundai i10 Style for six years now and have nothing but praise for this great City car. I bought the vehicle from new in 2008 from Brooklyn Motors in Seaford, Sussex - a family owned business that is a pleasure to deal with. Yesterday my car underwent its annual service and MOT test during which an oil leak was found from the gearbox seal. It had to be replaced. The day's event concluded with an eye-watering bill for £445 ($740). Time for a change? The sales manager in his infinite wisdom loaned me a new generation i10 whilst my car was being 'serviced' and I enjoyed a few hours of driving the new model around Seaford and environs. Six years of development has seen Hyundai produce a vehicle that is a joy to drive. A mere 10cm wider and 11cm longer provides a feeling of infinite space. This car feels bigger in every respect. A new onboard computer and cruise control add to its refinement.

It has been voted City Car of the Year 2014 by several motoring journals and it's easy to understand why. So, I am now faced with a decision. Whether or not to invest in a new i10 and spend a chunk of savings or to soldier on with my six year old vehicle.

I am very tempted I have to say....

European MEP Elections

For readers in the UK, will you be voting tomorrow to elect MEPs in your area? There are 31 parties putting up candidates for these EU elections tomorrow, 22nd May. Yes, that is thirty-one.

Those parties who had candidates elected in the 2009 big yawn event included Conservatives with 25 MEPs, UKIP with 13 MEPs, Labour with 13 MEPs, Liberal Democrats with 11 MEPs, the Green Party with 2 MEPs, the BNP with 2 MEPs, the Scottish National Party with 2 MEPs, zzzzzzzzzz..... sorry, almost nodded off there for a moment.

What is my point? Well, I guess my point is that most of us do not know what the fuck these 'elected' MEPs do for us apart from turn up in Brussels or Strasbourg or wherever else the fancy takes them, earn ridiculous salaries, draw untold expenses, keep their heads down and have no influence whatsoever on the legislation that matters to us because that has already been decided upon by unelected EU Commissioners. 

Nick Clegg would have you believe that you are unpatriotic if you do not want the United Kingdom to stay in the EU. Unpatriotic?! I know where my patriotism lies Mr. Clegg...

Do you know how much the United Kingdom pays into EU coffers? Britain's payments to the EU have soared to an eye-watering £53 million a day. Even taking into account Britain's receipts from the EU we taxpayers are still contributing a net figure of £30 million to Brussels every day. These figures show just how much we are being bled dry by our membership of the EU. Can anybody show me the benefits? After Germany, the UK is the second biggest net contributor to Brussels of the 27 EU member states.

If you would like to see an end to this, like me, get out to your polling station tomorrow and vote, or, if you are happy with the status quo, don't bother but please don't put your faith in the promised EU Referendum offered by David Cameron. Pipe dreams...

Around Historic Sussex

The quest to find out what happened to Midas Books continues. Not quite up to 'The Da-Vinci Code' perhaps in terms of scope but a puzzle that nevertheless intrigues me. How can there be no trace of a small independent publisher that was in business in the 70s? My brother, who has a 'nose' for such intrigues, has joined the investigation and journeys tomorrow to Rochester in Kent to visit Baggins Book Bazaar, an emporium that might have a link to Midas books.

In the meantime I have tracked down and purchased another Midas Book: "Around Historic Sussex' published in 1976, compiled by Ray Miller and illustrated by Gerald Lip (Dave, note these two new links).

I bought this through the excellent website AbeBooks.co.uk that seems to be able to locate any publication of note. This is another beautiful publication, includes a forward by Dame Vera Lynn, and covers locations from Alciston to Worthing, each entry illustrated with stunning pencil drawings by Gerald Lip. It also includes a leaflet from St. Michael's Church in Amberley that requests a donation of 3p in the Restoration Box! What is 3p worth 38 years on?

I look forward to reading this book on Historic Sussex although I suspect that many of the entries will have been overtaken by continual momentum of modern urban and rural development.

The Colour Purple

This wonderful spell of warm, late spring weather has brought out a mass of bloom in my patio garden. I sit here enjoying the sun, reading a book and listening to the funky saxophone playing of Vandell Andrew. It dawns on me that the predominant colour in this area of the garden is purple.

Asters, lavender, peonies, rhododendrons and aquilegias. I don't recall a conscious effort to select this colour but it is very soothing.

Retirement has its simple rewards....

Days Like This

Perfect. Sat in my garden enjoying wall-to-wall blue sky, sunshine, 25℃ and a chilled glass of Chardonnay & Fernão Pires from Portugal. A good book lies open on the garden table, the Benedictus from The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins plays on the radio (Classic FM), Goldfinches are singing - their song a mix of trills and harsh notes, bumblebees are showing interest in the aquilegia flowers and a small Holly Blue butterfly drifts through the garden.

Moments to cherish.

Priceless....

Around Historic Kent by Malcolm John
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beautifully crafted and illustrated with fine line drawings by C.A.T. Brigden. Locations covered in alphabetical order with a potted history of each. Originally published in 1978 so many of the places covered have probably been spoiled to some extent by inevitable development. Nevertheless, a most enjoyable, nostalgic journey for me as I rediscovered the county of my birth.

View all my reviews

Wallander - Back to Front

I was delighted to learn that BBC4 is broadcasting six new film length episodes of 'Wallander' starring the masterly Krister Henriksson, who looks like a tatty old teddy treasured since childhood. My favourite Wallander actor by far. The first episode airs tonight at 9:00pm. Although this should be the last... ever. Because the programme makers in their infinite wisdom are showing 'The Troubled Man' as the first in this new series. If you have read The Troubled Man...

SPOILER ALERT

you will understand what I am getting at as it is in this, the very last Wallander book ever, that the author Henning Mankell gives Wallander his irrevocably final swansong. So, the conclusion of this first episode will have to be dramatically changed to avoid the book's devastating conclusion.

The Troubled Man would have made a fitting end to the entire Wallander saga. I seriously do not understand how they can follow this with five more episodes. It just doesn't make sense...

Baggins Book Bazaar

It's a strange name for a book shop. Or is it? Baggins seems to suggest a link to Bilbo Baggins, the protagonist of the Hobbit in the book by J.R. Tolkien. My brother assures me that this book bazaar is indeed still trading and does allegedly contain more than half a million books. I want to establish if there is a link between Baggins Book Bazaar and the author Malcolm John and the publisher Midas Books.

This is apparently the shop front of Baggins Book Bazaar

So, a trip to Rochester in Kent is on the cards. Not the easiest place to get to from Brighton in Sussex. I don't particularly want to drive so this would mean a train from Brighton to London Victoria and then a train from there to Rochester. I am determined to do this. I want to find out more about Malcolm John and what happened to him. He also wrote a book called Rochester and I would love to find a copy of that.

Quaerite et invenietis.....

Around Historic Kent

My brother bought me this delightful book 'Around Historic Kent' for my birthday. It was published in 1978 by Midas books and is written by Malcolm John with superb illustrations by C.A.T.Brigden.

Malcolm John was born near Tunbridge Wells in Kent and attended Gillingham Technical High School before training as a teacher. He taught in various schools in Kent. In 1976 he left teaching to open a small antiquarian book-selling business in Rochester, which became the largest new, secondhand and antiquarian bookshop in private ownership in Kent. Malcolm John built up a world-wide reputation as a dealer of Kentish Topography. So, why then can I find no trace of him or Midas books on Google? This is very curious. No doubt, Midas Books was a small publishing firm in the 70s that has ceased trading, but why no record of it?

Further investigation on the Internet turns up Baggins Book Bazaar, established 1986 and claiming to be 'England's Largest Secondhand and Rare Bookshop'. Location? 19 High Street, Rochester, Kent. Might this be the bookshop founded by Malcolm John?

A testimonial from 1996 says: "It is a bookworm's paradise. More than half-a-million hardbacks and paperbacks line the shelves, covering every topic under the sun. You will probably never have seen so many books under one roof -- there are libraries that are ill-stocked compared with Baggins Book Bazaar in Rochester High Street..." Does Baggins Book Bazaar still exist? Why are there no entries anywhere that I can find about Malcolm John?

I am enthralled by this mystery and I am determined to do more research to try and establish the roots of this bookshop, what happened to Malcolm John (deceased probably?) and Midas Books. In giving me the book 'Around Historic Kent' my brother has unwittingly sent me on a quest to investigate this historical curiosity.

If any of my readers can offer any information concerning any of the above, I would be delighted. Meanwhile I shall don my deerstalker and keep searching...

Illegal Hunting in Malta

This is the content of a letter that I have received from Simon Kirby MP following various correspondences that we have shared on the subject of illegal hunting of migratory birds in Malta:

Dear Michael

RE DEBATE ON MIGRATORY BIRDS IN MALTA

We have previously corresponded on animal welfare issues, which as you know are something that I have taken a close interest in.

I have been very concerned at the reports that migratory birds are being illegally hunted in Malta. I know this is also a concern of many constituents.

Last week, I was able to take part in a Parliamentary debate on the issue and I put the point to the Minister that a barbaric practice like this, in the 21^st Century, should not be permitted.

At the end of the debate, the Minister explained the discussions he has undertaken in meetings with the Maltese Government over this matter and the role the EU has in trying to manage the issue across Europe.

You can see the Minister’s response to the debate here (please see his comments from 4.50pm):

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2014-05-07a.122.0&s=speaker%3A24900#g122.4

Please be assured I shall continue to watch this matter closely and monitor the actions taken by EU governments in dealing with the illegal hunting of migratory birds. I will follow up the debate in a few weeks to see what further action is being taken.

Kind regards

Simon

A Sting in the Tail

Comfrey and Smelly feet, Ketchup and Turkish Immigrants and Does Size Matter? are just three of the intriguing chapter titles in Dave Goulson's popular book about bumblebees: A Sting in the Tale.

The book, which was published in paperback this month following its successful debut in hardback last year, is both enormously informative and hugely entertaining.

Founder of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Goulson describes how he first became interested in bumblebees as a young boy growing up in Shropshire. Childhood experiments in taxidermy and insect collection led to a career as a professor of biology - a job that has allowed him to earn money while following his passion.

Full of fascinating facts about bumblebees, the book also has a serious message about the negative effects of intensive farming and the industrial breeding of bees as pollinators.

If you want to learn more about Bumblebees this is the book for you.

eTalks - The Secrets of Food Marketing

Think you aren't being fooled by food marketing? Watch this presentation....

Soixante-neuf...

I reached this landmark birthday today. Soixante-neuf sounds better than sixty-nine. One short of the 'three-score-and-ten'... Hmmm.

Anyway, I had my usual jaunt around Sainsbury's this morning. The 'Big Issue' seller, Stan, wished me a happy birthday then asked what I was doing shopping on my birthday. I always do the weekly shop on a Friday (well, mostly). Nothing changes there.

I will be enjoying a steak dinner with my wife Rosalind, a bottle of Carta Roja Gran Reserva 2007 (a rich, intense red from Spain) and a couple of Aberlour single malts from Speyside.

Amongst my presents I received from my brother a 2 CD set of Chris Barber & His Jazz Band, recorded in 1956, 1957 and 1958 originally on the Pye label. The sound quality is astonishing and many of these tracks take me back to my youth, particularly 'Petite Fleur'. He also found a book by Malcolm John entitled 'Around Historic Kent' published in 1978 by Midas Books. It's a little gem. Each entry of village, town or other location is accompanied by a beautiful line drawing. Much nostalgia here for me being a 'Man of Kent' (born south of the River Medway - those born to the north are 'Kentish Men').

As I write this I am listening to the wonderful pianist Ivana Gavrić playing 'Grieg Piano Works'. My favourite is the Lyric Piece 'Notturno Op.54 No.4'. And I am awake, daydreaming... Here is a link to this piece played by Mark Farago:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XOQPrb46uEY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> 

And now, the sun is below the yardarm, somewhere - time for a birthday beer!

24 Live Another Day

Jack Bauer is back. He's in London, and so is Chloe, who looks more like a punk groupie than an ex, disenfranchised CTU agent. I missed the first three minutes. ITV used a typical ploy of an over-run. Programme due to finish at 8:57pm on ITV (to allow for adverts before the 9:00pm start of their next airing) concluded at 9:02pm. As I switched channels to Sky 1 I realised what ITV had done. A rather pathetic attempt to spoil the start of a new blockbuster on another channel in the hope that viewers would switch back to them. Stuff and nonsense. I had already set my Virgin box to record all episodes of '24 Live Another Day' and I will have to watch these first two episodes again, merely because I missed the first three minutes! Which clearly has an impact on the plot-line.

Soon picked up the thread though and in typical '24' fashion the action was intense, the plot line emerged (I think), Bauer, as usual, seemed unassailable, but, wait a minute, what the hell are all these US agents doing running around the streets of London armed with automatic weapons like they own our capital city?!

All great fun though, and we now have to wait for the next episode every Wednesday for the next 10 weeks. Maybe I should have waited to watch all episodes back to back!

Invasion by Deadly Ticks

Sounds like something written by John Wyndham, but no, Britain is being infested by ticks that can spread potentially deadly diseases.

Richard Wall, professor of Zoology at Bristol University, found 300 of the blood-sucking parasites in just one square metre of a busy park. Their numbers have soared apparently following the winter's wet weather. Wall found this alarming number at the Ashton Court Estate, a popular site for dog walkers and hikers near Bristol.

Ticks can spread a terrifying array of illnesses including Lyme disease, which can be fatal to both humans and dogs.

If you go walking in green spaces you should check regularly for ticks, both yourself and your dog. If bitten remove any tick rapidly. There are a number of tick removal tools available on the market and it is worthwhile to carry some with you when out in the park or woodland. Take a look on eBay for example.

An arachnid tick

If you have to struggle to remove a tick from your dog you should take your pet to a vet right away.

Expensive Cancer Drugs and the NHS

Professor Karol Sikora, a senior cancer doctor, has said that expensive drugs should not be given to the elderly (I wonder if he includes himself at age 65 in that category). "They only prolong lives for three to six months" he stated, "we are kidding ourselves if we think they make a difference".

Is this what our NHS has come to? Maybe it should be replaced with something more caring. How many drug doses I wonder could be bought for the £80 billion cost of the useless HS2 high-speed rail line? Or the billions squandered in aid to foreign dictators and countries that do not need our money?

Those of us who have worked all our lives, 50 years or more, have paid our taxes and national insurance contributions, should feel infuriated by Sikora's remarks.

A Shed Load

In the sense of a load shed, I spent a shed load of money today on a shed. £500 to be precise, or approximately $830, on a garden shed. Ros and I went to Skinner's Sheds at the Lewes Garden Centre in Kingston as they have numerous wood built sheds, potting sheds, log cabins, workshops and summer houses on display. It is satisfying to be able to see what you are about to spend a shed load of cash on.

Skinner's are noted for their build quality and this was certainly evident in the shed that we selected. A 6' x 4' pressure treated shiplap pent roofed - garden shed. Delivery and on site erection is free. The shed is built with extra strong framework with diagonal bracing for extra strength and durability and is fitted with a tongue and groove floor and tongue and groove roof. They claim to build the strongest sheds on the market.

The only downside is that we have to wait until 27th June for our new shed to be delivered and erected. This is an indication of just how popular Skinner's sheds are.

It does provide adequate time for me to dismantle our existing shed, which is 25 years old and looks it, and have it disposed of. The content of the shed will need to be stored on the patio under a tarpaulin until the new shed arrives. I will need to shed some of the paraphernalia that has accumulated over 25 years.

I will need space in the new shed for a comfortable garden chair and somewhere on the shelf to strategically place a few beer mats.....

Jazz Funk on a Higher Plane

I don't often post about music. Wait a minute. Have I ever posted about music? Anyway, today I came across Patrice Rushen whilst on a trawl through iTunes. I find it hard to believe that I had not heard her music before now. This virtuoso of the jazz keyboard and R&B vocalist was new to me. What a find! This wonderful lady is now 60 years of age and has enjoyed phenomenal success as music director, jazz pianist and vocalist.

This album I am listening to as I type is a revelation: 'Signature' by Patrice Rushen. 10 tracks of sublime jazz/funk. A stunning album recorded in 1997. Her take on the track 'Sweetest Taboo' that I have on an album recorded by Sade, who I always associate it with, is quite simply superb. Her virtuosity on keyboards is stunning.

It is a joy to come across talent like this. Talent that has been around for many years and talent that I was ignorant of, until today.

If you enjoy this genre of music I recommend that you take a listen to Patrice. Simply divine stuff...

Coping with Arthritis

I heard someone talking about arthritis this morning on BBC2. It can be very debilitating. I know. Last year over a period of a few months the joints in the fingers of my right hand in particular (not so severe in the left) became painful and stiff and 'clicked' with movement. It progressively got worse to the extent that I could no longer form a fist (not in anger I hasten to add!).

I spent the last few years of my business career employed in the health supplements industry and amongst many had sold a product called Celadrin, a natural product comprised of a proprietary blend of cetylated fatty acid carbons. More recently this product has become vegetarian sourced.

I had to do something and saw no benefit in visiting my GP. So, during the Autumn of last year I took to a daily regime of 525mg of Celadrin combined with 1500mg of Glucosamine HCl and 250mg of Rose Hip Extract.

This treatment took a while to have any affect. But eventually the results were truly astonishing. Today I enjoy full, painless movement in all finger joints with no sign of the arthritis that I used to suffer with, quite badly. I still take these products on a daily basis.

If you suffer with arthritis you might also benefit from following this treatment regime.