A New Gas Fire

Remember the TV advert? A new gas fire? I have a vague memory of it. Our gas fire in the dining room suddenly smoked the surrounding wall, all in a matter of hours. Called the gas fitter we knew. Call out fee £45 ($67.50). Condemned the fire and, after a smoke bomb test, said the chimney needed sweeping - and we needed a new gas fire and a cowl fitted to the chimney top to prevent further debris entering the chimney. OK....
New gas fire £600, chimney swept £50, cowl £65, fitting £15, take away old gas fire £10, fit new gas fire £140. So, this beautiful new Robinson Willey Firecharm gas fire has run up a bill of £925 ($1,387.50).
And after fitting and turning on, because of the 'newness' it generated enough 'smoke' to set off every smoke alarm in the house having me running around like a headless chicken to disarm them, whilst my three cats were diving for cover...
'Smoking' doesn't cover it....

Rebecca Ferguson - Embraceable You (Live)

The delightful and thoroughly under-rated Liverpool lass Rebecca Ferguson sings the George and Ira Gershwin classic "Embraceable You".  Love her smoky voice. Female contestants on the voice - watch and learn...

The Best Pub in Brighton

I spent a pleasant day on Thursday at our regular Lunch Club. I usually travel by bus into Brighton, the 38 route takes me to the back of Brighton mainline station. The approach to the terminus is on a gentle curve, reflected in the contour of the roof.

The main concourse has had a makeover and is open and bright.

From the main entrance it is a short walk to Surrey Street and the location of the best pub in Brighton: the Evening Star, which is owned by Dark Star brewery and serves a range of its ales plus several guest beers.

The Evening Star

The cosy interior

Me enjoying a pint of Dar Star Hophead 3.8%ABV

My brother Dave and good friend Graeme and I then took a brisk walk to Bellota's Bar y Tapas where we joined Lesley for lunch at our favourite eatery. Delightful, bright interior, excellent Spanish beers and wine and a wonderful selection of tapas.

Whiling away a couple of hours over good food and good conversation with good friends. Salad days....

Brighton Marina

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Brighton; a chilly 4ºC though! Ideal conditions for a visit to the Marina and a wander along the Boardwalk to one of my favourite restaurants - Café Rouge, a French style brasserie with an al-fresco area overlooking the yachts in the marina. Although I live in Brighton I always get that feeling of being on vacation here, rubbing shoulders with day-trippers and holiday makers. Here are some pics:

the interior of Café Rouge

the approach along the Boardwalk

Café Rouge exterior - yes, it's red!

Some of the excursion boats in the Marina

Along the Boardwalk looking west

Happy days....

25th Anniversary Brighton Beer Festival

The 25th Anniversary Brighton Beer Festival organised by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) took place yesterday at the Corn Exchange. The venue for the last 24 years, Hove Town Hall, is apparently no longer available. A great shame as the new venue is frankly not fit for purpose; too small, not enough chairs and tables, with the result that many visitors (I reckon 60% or more) were left standing and milling around in front of the central area where the selection of beers was located. This inevitably led to delays in getting served. The Corn Exchange is located just around the corner from the Royal Pavilion (two photos below):

Nevertheless, my friend Graeme, my brother Dave and I managed to commandeer three seats for the afternoon.

Me and Graeme

Brother Dave - often spotted with mouth in glass!

There was a selection of around 180 beers available and my list of ales consumed was:

• Hepworth Brewery Horsham Pullman Best Bitter 4.2%ABV
• Isfield Brewery Framfield Ethel Red 4.2%ABV
• Brains Brewery Cardiff Rev James 4.5%ABV
• Pig & Porter Brewery Tunbridge Wells Red Spider Rye 4.8%ABV
• Long Man Brewery Litlington Copper Hop 4.2%ABV
• Uley Brewery Uley Old Spot 5.0%ABV
• Uley Brewery Uley Pigormortis 6.0%ABV

Despite the change of venue we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, even paying £5.00 for a hot-dog! And I managed to make it home in time to catch the final match in the Rugby Six Nations Championship to see England beat France 55-35, which left us just six points short of winning the championship, which went to worthy winners Ireland, for the 2nd year running.

Wolf Winter

Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekbäck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Quite unlike anything I have read before. Wolf Winter is a classic piece of Scandi-noir, a gripping atmospheric novel set in 1717 in Lapland. Maija and her family move away from the coast, where her husband Paavo is haunted by depression, to take over a farm on Blackasen Mountain, a scattered settlement where people keep to themselves gathering only for church or when forced into town by the bitter winter weather. Taking their goats to pasture the elder daughter Fredricka finds the mutilated body of man. The locals explain it as a wolf attack but Maija suspects these wounds are the work of man. And the murder is only a starting point. Links to the spirit world in a judgemental puritan church framework, a fear of witchcraft, simmering tensions between settlers and displaced Lapps - there is something primeval about life on the mountain. The harsh conditions, the treacherous weather all add to a deep sense of foreboding. What is finally unearthed about ‘initials carved in wood’ is both unexpected and very disturbing. Wolf Winter is lyrically written by Cecilia Ekback who is a brilliant writer. The book took her four years to complete and is a most compelling read. 

View all my reviews

Cassandra Wilson - Fragile

OK, here is my last music post tonight. Something completely different from my collection. This is Cassandra Wilson's wonderful bossa nova take on Sting's 'Fragile'. IMHO, better than the original. The wonderful, smoky voice of Cassandra lifts this song to a new level...

Icehouse - No Promises (official video remastered)

Here is my other favourite track from this iconic 80s band Icehouse. 'No Promises'. Hard to believe that this was recorded 30 years ago. Where has my youth gone?!

Icehouse - Hey Little Girl (Official Video)

I was browsing through my mp3 collection today, catching up with some tunes I have not played for a while. Here is a track from Icehouse, an iconic band from the 80s. I love this track along with 'No Promises' from the same album. I love the surging beat of Hey Little Girl. Hope you enjoy this.

Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors

There are many covers on the internet, but this one of ‘Stair Way to Heaven” has something so magical as it brought Led Zeppelin to tears and left the whole audience speechless including Obama. You have got to watch this one and share it with your friends!

Stair Way to Heaven is a famous song released by the English rock band Led Zeppelin in late 1971. The song was released in the fourth untitled studio album ( referred to as Led Zeppelin 4) by the band and it was composed by the band guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant. This hit is considered to be one of the greatest rock songs of all time. The song contains three stages that start with slow tempo and volume, then increases as it goes on in both the tempo and volume and instruments. “Stairway to Heaven” was voted as number 3 in 2000 by VH1 on its playlist of the one hundred Greatest Rock Songs.

The Ice Twins

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A gripping, thrilling page-turner that kept me awake into the early hours to finish; and a cracking ending that completely wrong-footed me. The bleak setting in the Western Isles is the perfect location for a clever, twisted plot. And yes, it is spooky!

View all my reviews