Built on trust

As I was busy making my evening meal last night - Branston's macaroni cheese on buttered, cold, anaemic toast since you didn't ask - this tune came on Absolute 80's. I don't think I've heard it since I played it via a link on the blog of someone else back in 2007. After the events of the last month, it's kind of apt that I heard it.

Bless you, bless you

As I drove home the other night I heard this from Jim Moray at the start of  Mark Radcliffe's Folk Show

It reminded me that you never hear this on the radio these days. Not that I remember you ever did.

Anyway, take your pick

Oh it's been so very long

I meant to post this a few months ago, but life got in the way.

So, November 1980 and we sat our GCE 'A/O' level General Studies exam. It was an exam all those in the VIth Form had to sit at that time. This was mainly due to the fact that it had been a compulsory qualification for those wanting to go to University. I didn't. I also knew I wasn't bright enough. So, in effect for me it was pointless as it didn't count towards the qualifications I needed for Polytechnic. That said it was nice to see the shock on the Head of Years face when the results came through. I was the Queen of re-sits, so apparently he was expecting more of the same from me.

Besides my English Language 'O 'level it was the easiest exam I ever sat. Two Grade A's coming right up...

Please enjoy one of my revision tunes courtesy of an outing on Q Radio's Q The 80's , but in the unfamiliar (to me) 12" version.

I never told...

I haven't heard this in goodness knows how many years, but twice in the space of 8 days has to be some kind of record for a SYNHOTR. First at the London Gateway Services and then second courtesy of Matt Rudd on Q Radio's 'Q the 80s'. It's been in my head ever since and the memory attached to it will no longer be from the 80s but from now.

Welcome to January 1987... via the events of April 2012.

Happy New Year to All Passers By

And a big "thank you" to Uncle Ken for this sing-a-long from earlier today:

To Christmas party or not to Christmas party, that is the question

Back in December 1984 I was just about half-way through a Student placement in Whitehall. As with most work places they had an Office Christmas party to which all were invited to attend. Note I used the word 'invited' there and not 'expected'. My problem was that I had a ticket to see Big Country at Wembley Arena that night so as far as I was concerned it was no contest. When I told a senior manager that I would not be attending due to a previous engagement no comment was made. Well not to my face anyway.

So, I went with Susan and we enjoyed ourselves. The Cult were the support act and she had a great time wondering what wearing such a tight bandana would do to Ian Astbury's brain and musing on the revealing tightness of the trousers on display. However that was nothing to her observations of an unfortunate incident Bruce Watson had in his. They look to be the same pair he has on in the video below, so I hope they were washed and clean again by a week later.

On arriving home that night one of my other student placement friends collared me and I found out that I'd not missed anything at the Office do. There was some story or other about a cake baking competition and a mix up with the contents of some Quality Street tins. No Librarians chasing Store Men into Cold Stores or jumping on a pile of packing boxes to get their Christmas, ahem, 'kiss' (that'll be another two stories for some other SYNHOTR's no doubt).

I strolled in to work the next morning to find that I had been summoned to a meeting with the aforementioned senior manager. Apparently I'd been missed the previous night. I also found out that the Chief Librarian actually knew my name as it was her that made the fuss about me being missing, "How dare [I] not attend!!!". So I had to explain in detail why I had ditched the social event of the year for a "prior engagement". Where had I been, what time did I have to be there, who was I with, how long had I had the tickets etc. It was like being interrogated by your Mum after sneaking in the house past midnight without a pumpkin or singing Disney mice in tow.

It seems it was a criminal offence not to turn up to the party. I was not 'court martialed' only due to the fact that I could prove my ticket had been issued long before the date of the Christmas Party had been set. Much relief appeared on the face of the senior manager when that fact was revealed. This gave her a "credible story to placate [the Chief]" with.

As I indignantly left the Office the senior manager turned to me and said, "Were they really good? I've heard they're excellent live". "Yes", I said. "I would rather have been there too" she wistfully replied as she brought out the Quality Street tin and offered me one.

Pretentious? Toi?

I really don’t get much chance to listen to the radio nowadays, and mainly just dip into Steve Wright on the 2 or 3 mornings (I’m 5 hours behind) when I’m not at work.

Unbelievably after years and years of not hearing a peep out of Clifford T Ward, I’ve heard him played twice on that show in the past couple of weeks. Last week there was “Wherewithal” and today, just as I was getting into the shower, I heard an intro, immediately recognised it and thought “Bloody hell, that’s Clifford T Ward, AGAIN! Has he died?”.

I admit to never having liked the badly coiffed Clifford T. I initially laid the blame firmly at the feet of Mr Hague, our old english teacher, who used to think he was wonderful, perhaps because he was a fellow english teacher made good. Making us analyse his lyrics in class didn’t help endear him to us either.

With the maturity that comes with adulthood, I wondered if I would now better appreciate his flowery poetic lyrics? Today we had the leaking cistern in Home Thoughts from Abroad, last week it was nonpareil, elation and nonchalant, all in the same sentence. I’m sure next week the tray of nice things will be upset. Has he grown on me? Nope. I just cringed and thought “Pretentious, Toi?”

Oh and while we’re on the subject of pretentious, if you were called Clifford Ward, why would you add your middle initial instead of shortening your name to the snappier Cliff Ward, I mean it’s hardly a common name, is it???

So, here's "Home Thoughts from Abroad". Let's hope they've called the plumber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s_rRHCOTXA