Tag Archives: humour

Pigeon Fancying In The Sun

Posted on September 30, 2015 | 1 comment

Having headed off to Glasgow last Sunday morning to meet up with some special friends, I found myself with half an hour to spare before their train arrived into Queen St station.

So far it had been a pretty surreal morning. There had been a huge mix up between trains at Gourock station resulting in all the passengers doing three laps of the station and involving three trains. Bear in mind it’s a small station with only three platforms and one train an hour on a Sunday! The journey had progressed quite calmly and peacefully after that until the train was pulling into Glasgow’s Central Station and I noticed that the woman sitting across the aisle from me had donned a full Batman hood. “Ok, this is a bit weird,” I thought then noticed the teenage boy sitting opposite her was in full Batman costume. I assumed my caffeine levels were too low and chose to disregard them. On my way from the train, down the platform and across the concourse I passed The Penguin, three Jokers and a Klingon! A swift text home to Girl Child revealed the answer – Comic Con!

Whew! I wasn’t losing the plot after all!

A few minutes later I found myself basking in the sun in George Square, camera in hand. (Wish I’d had it handy as I’d walked through the station!)

Now those of you who are friends with me on Facebook and those of you who follow me on here may recall that I have a tendency to photograph seagulls. I can’t recall how it all began but it did involve a very bizarre conversation about how long they live.

Anyway, there was a distinct lack of seagull subject matter in George Square.

There were however plenty of their grey “cousins” hanging about. Yes, you’ve guessed it – pigeons! (For the record – pigeons in the wild live 5-6 years and 8-15 years in captivity)

They proved to be very obliging models as you can see and provided me with a few moments, alone and anonymous in the city with my camera, before I headed off to meet my friends for a fabulous day filled with coffee, good food, wine and  a lot of fun and laughter. All good for the soul.

tagged g1 tagged g2 tagged g3 tagged g4 tagged g5

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Bank Holiday Monday – a household chore that nobody wants to tackle

Posted on May 4, 2015 | 1 comment

Bank Holiday Monday – oh what to do?

Yes, there’s the usual list of chores that could be done, the compulsory trip to the nearest DIY superstore or a venture to the local garden centre.

It would be nice to go out for a leisurely family lunch. ( A girl can but dream)

If the sun stays out, I could venture out later, camera in hand,

If the rain comes on, there’s one task that should be undertaken.

This is a task that any of the four of us who live in this house could do. We all know and agree that it needs to be done. Once it has been done, we will all benefit from its completion.

Will it get done today?…….well, the day is young……but I’m making no rash promises here!

So what is this dreaded chore that desperately requires attention?

The family CD collection needs to be put into alphabetical order. (The DVDs and Blu Rays are already done- the books are a lost cause!)

Considering the amount of music played in this household, there’s not an unmanageable amount to sort out.

In the dim and distant past, when we only had about 50 CDs, they were all neatly stacked in a small black storage unit from Argos and were in strict alphabetical order.

Then two things – well three technically – happened.

We had children, both of whom loved to tip the CDs all over the living room floor as toddlers.

And we bought more music so the original storage unit rapidly became too small.

The end result is, that over a lengthy period of time, law and order has long since vanished from the family music collection. I hasten to add, my treasured box of vinyl is in perfect alphabetical order.

Bearing in mind the diverse musical tastes of the household, if you randomly select a CD, Lord knows what you may find in your hands.

When attempting to agree on which CD should provide the background music over dinner, we’ve resorted on many occasions to selections such as “middle shelf, second column from the right, six discs down.”. Then you pray it doesn’t result in the soundtrack from High School Musical or Bob The Builder.

Suffice to say, there’s an eclectic mix lurking on those shelves.

We also have a size issue to consider when one of us finally gets around to restoring law and order. Some albums have come in presentation boxes of non-standard size. Others are CD/DVD combinations in boxes of a non-standard width. There’s some in cardboard gatefold sleeves. And don’t get me started about the number with cracked and broken boxes!

Throw in the countless Now CD’s that will require numerical sorting too, is it any wonder that no one wants to tackle this labour of love?

Well, I suppose I should stop procrastinating and bite the bullet and get on with it.

 Oh wait! I’ve just remembered I need to go to garden centre as a matter of urgency to purchase some plants for the patio!

I guess the CDs can wait a while longer….

P1060223

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Can You Take A Loaf Into A Gig?

Posted on March 9, 2015 | 2 comments

Five twenty five and I’m on a train. It can only mean one thing. Rock Mum aka Rock Friend was off out to play.

Little did I realise……

After a few last minute changes of plans due to illness, I was accompanied by Boy Child, Girl Child. FB Son, Rock Chick Friend and a new addition to the posse, who will be christened later in this tale.

Our destination was the legendary Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow where the American rock band Halestorm were headlining for the night.

tagged 1

As the train pulled into Glasgow’s Central Station, FB Son and the as yet un-named member of our group declared that they needed to grab something to eat. While I darted off to the loo, the two boys headed off in search of some food. FB Son duly returned with a sensible healthy sandwich and some fruit juice. His friend returned with a loaf of bread. Not just any old loaf – an M&S loaf!

Cue every bread joke imaginable!

Bread Boy, no longer nameless, promptly began to munch his way through said loaf slice by slice.

On the taxi ride out to the venue, the loaf was securely tucked into the seat belt just to ensure it arrived safely at the gig.

tagged 2

It queued patiently with us for forty minutes without a murmur of complaint, although it was now reduced to less than half a dozen slices.

I bumped into my fellow rock chick writer friend and her husband in the queue and they too were duly introduced to Loaf and Bread Boy.

“Are you allowed to take a loaf into a gig?” was a question I never thought I would ponder.

The loaf made it through security and was escorted upstairs via the merchandise stall into the ballroom.

At this point our tale splits – or should that be slices?

The three boys, having dumped their hoodies and assorted t-shirts with Rock Chick Friend and I, disappeared off with Loaf in search of some moshing and crowd surfing. It had already been pointed out that a baguette would’ve been a smarter choice for crowd surfing.

Us girls took ourselves across the hall and secured a spot fairly far forward with a clear view of the stage.

The first support act, Wilson, took the stage by storm and played a blistering half hour set. In front of us, two “females” had pushed their way in and stood drinking throughout the entire set.

Second support band, the amazing Nothing More, followed Wilson and held the audience captivated with their performance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more athletic display of drumming. Awesome set! Check both these bands out if you haven’t done so already.

The two “females” still stood in front of us downing pint after pint.

As the hall filled up, it was getting to be more tightly packed around us and it was getting hotter (not helped by the fact I had three hoodies tied round my waist and at least three t-shirts stuffed down the various sleeves).

Halestorm took to the stage, opening their set with Mz Hyde. Love that song!

The two, now very drunk, “females” launched straight into full on dance mode. Both of them were completely oblivious to the carnage they were causing with their drunken gyrations. One had also by now soaked Girl Child down one side as she had thoughtlessly discarded the remains of her beer. After too long watching my baby girl getting bodily thumped and smacked in the face with hair, I stepped in between her and the gyrating drunk.

Now I’m not a large person and I am most certainly not a violent person but I will not stand back and watch my kids getting hassled.

Bracing myself, I let the “female” bounce off me a few times, barely able to retain my own balance. At least Girl Child was out of the firing line.

The crowd was tightly packed around us and there was no visible alternative spot to relocate to. If we wanted to see the stage, we had to stay where we were.

At the end of the number, the “female” turned round to face me and hurled a foul mouthed rant at me about what did I think I was doing. Cue angry rant back about what did she think she was playing at and did she realise that she had repeatedly battered into my daughter. She spat a mouthful of abuse back at me. It was clear to see she was too drunk and too ignorant to care!

To our left, another mother was having a similar conversation with the drunken friend to the same effect.

Despite our best efforts neither of us could attract the attention of the security staff at the front of the crowd. We were stuck with them. I silently prayed that the beer would take over entirely and that they would run out of steam.

Girl Child had had enough. She bailed out to sit at the side of the room. I offered to go with her but she said to stay and enjoy myself. Awash with guilt at my baby girl missing out due to the thoughtless actions of the two drunks, I opted to stay put.

OK, there’s a stubborn streak in me- I wasn’t moving for anyone least of all an ignorant foul-mouthed drunk.

Rock Chick Friend had wandered off to the side to get some air so I hoped Girl Child would find her and not be entirely on her own. (Sadly she didn’t)

Out on stage Halestorm were playing a blinder of a set that included three of the songs from their forthcoming album Into the Wild Life. The main set ended with a fabulous rendition of I Miss The Misery.

And during that who did I spot?

FB Son crowd surfing!

The two drunks had thankfully long since run out of bounce and were at long last not disturbing those around them. Hallelujah!

During Halestorm’s encore someone threw a Scottish Saltire flag up on stage which Lzzy duly held up before tying it round her neck. Wearing it like a super hero cape, Lzzy and the rest of the band ended the show with Here’s To Us.

As the lights went up, I quickly located Girl Child and greeted her with a huge hug. I still felt like I’d failed her.

As the crowd dispersed we waited for the boys and Rock Chick Friend to reappear. The boys turned up first, minus Loaf. The loaf had enjoyed Wilson and Nothing More but after a bit of crowd surfing (humble apologies to Halestorm – those naughty boys lobbed a slice on stage!), the loaf failed to survive the moshing and was trampled underfoot in the mosh pit.

R.I.P. Loaf!

If only the two females in front of us had used their “loaves”. If they had had a little – ok a lot- less to drink and actually been aware of their surroundings then perhaps all of us could have enjoyed a memorable gig.

tagged H16

 tagged H20

tagged H26

Aftermath – due to adverse weather conditions the trains had been disrupted while we were at the gig. Shortly before midnight, tired, wet and weary, the six of us boarded the last train out of Glasgow. It was jam packed. There’s nothing worse than being stone cold sober on the “Piss Head Express”. The train service terminated five stops from home and we were all herded back out into the wind and rain and onto coaches to complete the journey. The six of us ended up on a bus filled with folk who had been to see Lionel Ritchie at the SSE Hydro and who insisted on serenading us with “All Night Long”.

A long night it had been. A long surreal night!

2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

How The Hell Did That Happen?

Posted on March 3, 2015 | Leave a comment

Some of you may find this hard to believe but sometimes I do have to act like a grown up.

It goes against the grain and is bad for your mental health but it has to be done.

Last week I reached VERY grown up milestone.

One that pulled me up short.

One that made me think “How the hell did that happen?”

I celebrated twenty five years of service with my employer.

Quarter of a century! GULP!!

I recall at the time thinking I’d work there until I decided what to do with my life -what to do when I grew up. College hadn’t gone to plan (Never was any good at Physiology) A brief stint as a management trainee for a well-known burger chain had ended in disaster. (Great way to lose weight- 20lbs lighter after six weeks and two days. Perhaps I should go back?….)

I was at a crossroads.

So my employer opened their door at an opportune moment and welcomed me in.

And I’ve stayed.

In this day and age I wholly appreciate how fortunate I am to have secured a job that has allowed me to stay safely employed over the years. An opportunity that’s sadly denied to too many.

So what else was going on in the world in 1990?

-Saddam Hussein ordered the Iraq invasion of Kuwait

-A formal ban on the trade of ivory was introduced world wide

-Nelson Mandela was released from prison

-Margaret Thatcher resigned

-The Leaning Tower of Pisa was closed to the public due to safety concerns that it was falling down.

-The Berlin Wall came down.

On TV we enjoyed The Simpsons and Twin Peaks for the first time.

In the cinema we watched Ghost, Pretty Woman and Edward Scissorhands, among many other now classic films.

We were listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and, in the Big Green Gummi Bear’s case, Erasure. (Yes, the Big Green Gummi Bear was around then too)

On the technology front, a 16 MB chip was shown to the world for the first time and the Hubble Space Telescope was placed into orbit.

When you read that list, suddenly it all feels a very long time ago.

So in twenty five years have I made up my mind about what I want to do when I grow up?

No. I’ve long since decided that growing up is bad for you!

I was fortunate enough to be given some vouchers as a thank you and in recognition of surviving all this time in the salt mine.

I’ve kind of done a grown up thing with most of them. I have finally invested in a decent “adult” watch. The Big Green Gummi Bear will be pleased.

 And with the change? New  red Bose earphones!

Can’t go acting like a grown up for too long!

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , ,

Just How Many Clothes Do You Need At A Gig?

Posted on February 16, 2015 | Leave a comment

This week it was time to resume normal musical activities.

Rock Mum made her first appearance of 2015!

Chaperoned by Boy Child, we headed off to Glasgow last Wednesday.

Yes, usual train.

Yes, usual venue.

When we saw the lengthy queue outside the O2 ABC some forty minutes before the doors were due to open I was convinced to forego my usual caffeine fix to ensure a spot on the barrier.

Forty minutes is a long time to stand in the cold, staring across Sauchiehall Street at my missed coffee opportunity. (One more stamp on my loyalty card and I get a free fix!)

An hour later coffee was the last thing on my mind!

I had Crobot on my mind! Oh and headliners Black Label Society.

I was also beginning to feel like a clothes horse! Due to the cold weather, I had worn two thin hoodies and a long sleeved top over my Crobot t-shirt. Now as I stood on the barrier, I had the two hoodies, one inside the other, tied round my waist with the long sleeved top stuffed down the sleeve of the hoodies. In my trusty red “gig bag” I had another two Black Label Society t-shirts, procured from the merchandising stand (There was no one manning the Crobot stand at this point- return visit was already planned). Beside me Boy Child was grumbling about having to wear a hoodie and what was he meant to do with it.

The lights dimmed. Crobot hit the stage with all guns blazing! An awesome sight to behold!

I’ve been a huge fan of this band since being given their EP and subsequently their debut album to review last year.

I had the honour of seeing and meeting them last September in the smaller O2 ABC2. They were amazing that night, performing as if they were playing to a packed arena instead of to less than fifty folk.

This time round the room was much bigger and it was almost full. Result!

Watching Brandon, Jake, Chris and Paul give it their all made my heart sing.

How Chris manages to twirl that Fender Telecaster round his body the way he does I’ll never know. Neat trick!

All too soon their seven song set was over. (Please hurry back and headline a show, boys)

Time to go and say hello.

With Boy Child in tow, we surrendered our barrier spots and headed back across to the merchandising stand.

Front man, Brandon, was already there and deep in conversation with a fan. A part of me began to fret that I was being a bit presumptuous here. Would he recognise or remember me? After all, how many folk must these guys meet and greet?

I needn’t have worried. A huge smile, an interrupted conversation and an equally huge hug reassured me that I had been recognised. Cue one happy girl!

Politely I stepped aside and allowed the other fans to chat with him while I slipped past to buy two new Crobot t-shirts (one was stowed in the trusty handbag and the other went down the other sleeve of the hoodie)

When Brandon was finished chatting to the other fans, he turned back to Boy Child and I. More hugs and quick introductions to Boy Child then a couple of photos. Enter Jake, the bass player, from the right. More hugs and greetings and introductions. More photos! Love the face these boys pull!

We chatted briefly then they excused themselves (OK slipped out the back door for a sneaky smoke) while Boy Child and I wandered back over to watch the second band of the evening, Black Tusk. Great name. Pity about the noise they made. Wasn’t impressed. (Sorry, guys)

While the stage crew worked to clear the stage and set up for Black Label Society I headed for the little girl’s room and the bar (Diet Coke- honest!) I met Jake en route and we exchanged pleasantries. I also met a work colleague who seemed somewhat amused that I was happily camped out down at the front of the crowd – again!

I wasn’t sure what to expect of Black Label Society. On the other hand, Boy Child had been surveying the crowd and had his hopes set on a mosh pit.

Before the lights dimmed, he handed me his hoodie to look after. More clothes!

Hoodie number three was duly tied round my waist. This was getting silly, not to mention hot!

Let me attempt to set the scene with regards to the crowd here. Black Label Society fans appear to be almost “patched in” like a scene from Sons of Anarchy. Most fans had “cuts” on with Black Label Society emblazoned on the back and were sporting beanies on their heads. And I’ve never seen so much facial hair in one room before!

So how do you get everyone on side before you start? Playing a bagpipe rendition of “Flower of Scotland” was inspired. Everyone in the place was singing their hearts out. When “Flower of Scotland” was done, the lights remained dimmed and the Black Label Society curtain still hung over the front of the stage while a mash-up of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” blared out. Cue more enthusiastic singing.

The curtain dropped and Black Label Society stood on stage in their full glory, blasting out their opening number “In The Beginning…At last”

Cue second inspired move – Zakk Wyle was wearing a kilt! Brilliant!

I’ll be honest- I’m not overly familiar with their music but I do love some of the tracks off their last album. If you don’t like lengthy ego-massaging guitar solos, give these guys a miss.

Boy Child had darted off into the midst of the crowd as soon as they had started while I had slipped back down to the barrier at the corner of the stage. Perfect vantage point for my camera.

A few songs in and much moshing later, Boy Child appeared at my side, clutching his nose, muttering that he was OK and then thrust his sweaty t-shirt at me. It took me a moment or two to realise he’d been covered in blood, by which time, he was long gone back into the dark.

The “mother” in me twitched a bit but figured he’d be back if he was really hurt. I returned my attention to the stage.

Not however before I had stowed said sweaty t-shirt down the sleeve of his hoodie and re-tied it round my waist. Thank God it wasn’t overly hot in the venue!

This was the first night of Black Label Society’s European invasion…sorry, tour….so I’m possibly about to be a bit harsh. (If I am, I humbly apologise)

On stage at Zakk Wylde’s feet I had noticed a pile of A1 laminated sheets. Lyric sheets in large print. Everything about these guys is larger than life- even the cheat sheets!

I take my hat off to vocalists. I have no idea how they remember the lyrics to all their songs.

Highlight of their set for me was “Angel of Mercy”. Love that song.

It was followed by an impressive piano solo by Zakk Wylde and a song called “In This River”, sung in tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell.

Time was running away from them and curfew was fast approaching. Black Label Society declined to go off and return for an encore, electing instead to stay out on stage and just play the final couple of numbers.

As the last chords died away, the lights went up, roadies invaded the stage and I went in search of Boy Child, feeling somewhat weighed down by three hoodies with three t-shirts in their sleeves.

I found him. Hot, tired, sweaty, a bit battered and broken but grinning from ear to ear.

The “mum” in me was relieved to see him in one piece. Baby Boy Child was nursing a suspected broken nose, a punched face and some bashed ribs but he’d survived moshing with the big boys…just!

All in all, a successful night out. Wish Crobot had been able to play for longer. Wish Black Tusk hadn’t bothered to play at all!

And I wonder what Zakk Wylde was wearing under that kilt…………..

 BLS collage

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

ASBO Tagged In My Sleep

Posted on January 26, 2015 | 1 comment

For Christmas I asked the Big Green Gummi Bear for a new watch. Not an expensive watch. A simple black or purple every day watch. Nothing fancy.

Following an expensive mix up with dates and tickets for a West End show, I was pushing my luck asking for anything. (If anyone wishes to buy two tickets to Riverdance in London on 4 April please drop me a message. Best seats in the house.)

Anyway, Christmas morning duly arrived and I opened my gift from the Big Green Gummi Bear to find an ASBO tag – sorry- a Fitbit Charge inside. True, it tells the time as requested but I eyed this strange black device somewhat suspiciously.

I am not the fittest person on earth. Not a total couch potato but Hell will freeze over before I go to the gym. The Big Green Gummi Bear freely admitted it was a bit of a wild card gift but he hoped it would trigger my OCD and encourage me to become a bit fitter. I had to admire his optimism.

As I was badly in need of a watch, I began to wear my ASBO tag. (Still not convinced he hasn’t tampered with it and it’s my whereabouts being tracked rather than my activity)

While I go about my daily business, it counts away silently on my wrist – steps, stairs, distance and calories required.

We tolerated each other quite nicely for a few days.

The first time it reached the daily step target of 10 000 steps, it scared the crap out of me! Completely unexpectedly it started to vibrate on my wrist. My ASBO tag seemed rather over excited by the fact I had been trailing round Tesco and the local shops then dared to go out for a walk. It soon got over the shock!

After a couple of weeks, the Big Green Gummi Bear asked if I’d tried its sleep activity tracker. I eyed him rather sceptically and said “No.”

I never wear a watch while I’m sleeping!

Curiosity got the better of me. How could this inanimate black band possibly know if I was asleep or awake?

Let me tell you- it does!

The step, stairs, distance thing I understand. But how the Hell does it know when I’m asleep, restless or awake in the middle of the night?

I have had a rather annoying cough for several weeks so I know my sleep pattern just now is horrendous. It’s never great, if I’m honest.

Night One – I managed to keep the damn thing on all night, a major achievement in itself, and according to the app on the pc, once I’d synced my ASBO tag, I’d been restless ten times for a total of 22 min 49 sec, awake for 5 min 52 sec and asleep for 6 hrs 44 min. It even showed me a bar chart detailing the time I fell asleep, when I stirred and when I was awake during the night.

Every night since has been pretty much the same story give or take a few minutes.

This has me baffled!

The Big Green Gummi Bear may have succeeded in triggering my OCD here but perhaps not in the manner he intended.

I WILL sleep all night without being restless and without wakening up!

The goal is 8 hours of completely undisturbed, unbroken sleep. Somehow I don’t ever see it happening and, if it does, my ASBO tag will probably get itself over excited again, start rattling and waken me up!

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

The Annual Duvet Battle

Posted on January 13, 2015 | 1 comment

The annual duvet battle has comenced!

We’ve had a few preliminary skirmishes where I begged and pleaded to be allowed to swap the thin lightweight summer duvet for the thick fluffy one. Each time I was brow beaten back under the summer covers.

A more subtle approach was required as the nights grew longer and darker.

The pink stripy fleecy blanket that is usually folded neatly along the bottom of the bed, was duly spread out across the bed. The majority of it was spread over my side of the bed, I may add.

Slowly, over a period of time, it became evenly spread across the entire bed. Hmm I wonder why? Could the Big Green Gummi Bear be feeling the winter chill creeping in?

A cold snap around Christmas saw me add a second fleecy blanket on top of the pink stripy one. Again, primarily at my side of the bed.

I was nice and cosy – result! J

Wrong!

Gradually, over a few nights, the second blanket too found its way over to the Big Green Gummi Bear’s side.

All the evidence I needed!

If it was cold enough for a summer duvet and two layers of blanket then I could justify the winter duvet without challenge! I was feeling confident about winning the duvet battle.

Last weekend I swapped the thin summer duvet for its thick, fluffy, warm, cuddly cousin – the winter duvet! Welcome back, old friend!

So for the past two nights what has happened? NO! Nothing like that!

For the past two nights the Big Green Gummi Bear has pulled most of the duvet off me because he was too hot! Go figure!

Me- I surrender!

I’m buying a onsie and putting the summer duvet and the two blankets back on the bed at the weekend. At least then I’ve a one in three chance of a share of some of the bedcovers!

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

To Go Or Not To Go? – There She Goes Again!

Posted on November 24, 2014 | Leave a comment

To go or not to go – that was the question trundling through my head at the start of last week.

None of my usual partners in crime were showing the slightest sniff of interest.

If I went, I’d have to go alone. Was that even “normal”? (That particular thought lasted a split second as normal doesn’t usually apply!)

Logic – if I didn’t go then I would spend Thursday evening sulking and wishing I had. If I did go and it didn’t turn out too well then I’d wasted my money and given my detractors ammunition to last until Christmas.

Well, you only live once. So I decided to go!

Those of you who have been following my posts should’ve figured out by now where this is heading.

The cause of my great deliberation was, of course, another gig. This time it was The Quireboys 30th Anniversary gig at The Garage, Glasgow.

I loved their first album – still do – and have loved their last two but I have never seen them live. The latest CD came with a live CD and a DVD. Both of these are great but did leave me slightly concerned that this 30th Anniversary tour may involve just too much beer, if you catch my drift.

At the end of the day, there was only one way to find out. Cue another log in to Ticketmaster and Hey Presto once more I held a concert ticket in my hands.

This was going to be a first on two levels. First Quireboys show but also the first gig I’d gone to on my own – unchaperoned!

As I boarded the train, I have to admit it felt a little odd heading off into the darkness without at least one of my usual chaperones. Being the creature of habit that I am, once off the train, I set off in search of caffeine to fuel me for the evening. Sitting in iCafe on Sauchiehall St on my own, I watched the world go by as I topped up my caffeine levels. It was beautifully peaceful and relaxed.

Outside the venue, shortly before seven, I joined the end of the short queue that had formed. There were a couple of familiar faces ahead of me that I recognised from other recent gigs. Once inside, and after a quick stop at the merchandising stall to purchase the obligatory t-shirt (slightly disappointed at the lack of choice and that the only shirt on sale didn’t have the tour dates on the back), I headed into the hall and wandered leisurely up to the barrier. Standing there with no concert buddy beside me felt weird but then the first band stepped out on stage and all thoughts of being unchaperoned vanished. I was soon lost in the brilliant opening set by Irish band Preachers Son- highly recommend them!

Behind me the hall was filling up nicely.

The Vargas Blues Band were on next and I have to slip into “girlie mode” for a moment. I’d kill for their lead singer’s hair! Long thick blonde curls. Why do the guys always get the best hair? He was a blur of hair for most of their set as he lost himself in their music and danced in his own hair encased world. Another really great band worth checking out.

By the end of their set, the hall was suitably filled. It wasn’t getting any warmer, mind you! The hall was decidedly chilly- another first for a gig!

As the earlier caffeine had worked its way through the system, I abandoned my barrier position and made my way through the crowd to the ladies room, bumping into two colleagues from work en route. Surprisingly, I was able to return to my previous vantage point with no problems. Now, however, there was a familiar face standing behind me. A FB friend and Scotland’s biggest Massive fan had arrived with his friend. It was great to meet them both and to have some company for The Quireboys set.

Shortly before nine The Quireboys took to the stage. And so began an hour and three quarters of good fun RnFnR J

Yes, Spike had his pint of beer to hand on occasion but, from the spark of mischief in his eyes, he was having as much fun as the crowd were. He sang. We sang. He forgot the lyrics at one point. We sang the correct lyrics back – much to his great amusement.

Hearing “7 O’clock” round off their main set made me regret never having been to a Quireboys show before.

Their encore ended with a rousing rendition of “Sex Party” and, with an anxious glance at my watch, I realised I was tight for time to get back to the station to catch the train home. With a hurried farewell to my fellow Massive fan, I shot off through the crowd and into the night. (Not quite Cinderella trying to beat the stroke of midnight as I kept both Converse on but you get the picture!)

With my mother’s words of warning about staying away from dimly lit streets and not talking to strangers echoing through my head, I trotted briskly back to the sanctuary of the Central Station, catching the train home with time to spare to buy a much needed bottle of water and a cereal bar aka dinner.

As I sat on the train flicking through the photos from the evening, I reflected on my deliberations of earlier in the week.

To go or not to go? Hell, yes! And I can’t wait to go back again when they return next year!

Quireboys collage

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Lost Socks Looking for Sole Mates

Posted on November 17, 2014 | 1 comment

images

I’ll confess to being ever so slightly OCD about certain things. One of these is the washing – or laundry, if you prefer.

When hanging up wet clothes to dry, whether outdoors on the clothes line or indoors on the clothes drier, radiator or pulley, there is one absolute must. The be all and end off of “washing etiquette”. Socks MUST be hung in pairs.

On the rare occasion that a member of the household assists by hanging up the washing and doesn’t hang the socks in pairs, I can feel myself twitching to fix them. In fact, I have actually been known to re-hang whole loads of washing if they haven’t been hung up to my standards. Crazy, I know.

Girl Child seems to be on a lifelong mission to tip me over the edge when it comes to many things – particularly socks.

For as long as I can remember, she has been a total nightmare with socks. As a baby/toddler, she would haul them off at the first opportunity and hurl them from the pram. Once she got a bit older, she would pull them off and run barefoot until I caught up with her. As she grew older, she developed a new bad habit- one that is still continuing.

She will go to bed wearing her socks (sometimes multiple pairs) then kick them off in her sleep as she becomes too hot. The result here is, of course, a sock graveyard at the foot of the bed.

This is almost bearable as long as the pairs find their way in to the laundry basket.

The occasional odd sock I can deal with- as long as I take slow deep breaths and its mate turns up in the next load of washing.

Last week Girl Child went one step too far. As I hung up the socks, I had not one or two odd socks– not even three. Six!

Six odd socks had come out of one load of washing and were all hers!

An immediate sock hunt ensued in her “bat cave”. More socks were located, lurking under the duvet and cowering on the floor at the foot of the bed.

The next load of laundry resulted in three sock reunions (I love a happy ending).I was almost breathing easily again.

Now, however, several loads later, I still have three sock “orphans”.

Does anyone want to adopt?

images7BBS21EG

1 Comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

Tonsurephobia confessions

Posted on September 22, 2014 | Leave a comment

After a week of working away, the Big Green Gummi Bear came home late on Saturday afternoon and, after greeting me with a quick hug, practically his first words to me were “You’re going grey.”

Some of you may think he was dicing with death by risking such a bold comment. Those of you who know me won’t be surprised to learn that my response was “And you think I’m bothered about that?” or words to that effect.

I truly don’t care if my hair goes snow white. The colour of it has never mattered to me in the slightest….just don’t ask me to get it cut!

Yes, I am terrified of visiting the hairdressers. I suffer from tonsurephobia – a fear of getting your hair cut.

While other friends, both male and female, enjoy a trip to the hairdressers/barbers. The very thought of it brings me out in a cold sweat and fills me with fear. Without a word of a lie, it has in the past taken me six months to pluck up the courage to step over the threshold of a hairdressers.

And the reason for this fear?

Well, it’s rooted back in August 1978 when I was taken for the “back to school” haircut. At that point in time my hair sat neatly in a long pageboy cut that touched my shoulders. (Regulation 1970’s girl child haircut) Back in 1978 “The Avengers” was a popular tv show and the female star, Joanna Lumley, was sporting a shorter than usual style – The Purdy.

Yes, you’ve guessed it – that’s the style I emerged from the local hairdressers with.

I hated it! Coupled with the blue National health specs, I looked ridiculous!

I declared then that I was never having short hair ever again.

Thirty six years later and it is still waist length (it refuses to grow any longer despite a life-long desire to sit on it)

Over the years I have watched friends cut, colour and perm their hair and only once been tempted to try “highlighting” mine. Never again! Torturous experience a few months after the birth of Boy Child that was meant to perk me up. After more than two hours in the torture chamber – sorry a popular local hair salon of the day- I emerged traumatised but with a head of subtle golden blonde highlights. The first time I washed it, I emerged from the shower with a head of hair like a Brillo pad and tangled beyond belief. Cue floods of tears and more than two years of using toddler de-tangle spray daily before normality was restored. Never again!

Two years ago I realised that I had perhaps be a little more mature about things and deal with the straggly dead ends that had been made worse by the hot summer holiday sun. Taking a deep breath I ventured into the hairdressers and asked them to trim off about four inches- a major sacrifice in my book! The girl showed me the amount she proposed to trim off and, quivering inside, I agreed to the four inch loss. Over the next few minutes she cut off not four inches but eight! I was beyond heart broken. My hair hadn’t been that short since about 1981 and I sobbed all weekend, over dramatically mourning the loss of the length.

That was the last time I let anyone near it with a pair of scissors. When my fringe needs trimmed I do it myself; when the ends need trimmed, I do it myself. If it doesn’t sit quite straight – c’est la vie!

There is one mildly humorous hairdressing anecdote from my wedding day. Not surprisingly the trip to the hairdressers- a necessary evil on this occasion- was my biggest fear about the whole wedding day experience. This time the hairdresser was fully aware of my fears and was gentle with me as she washed, dried, curled and “fancied up” my hair. In the background the radio was playing hits from the 1970/80’s and, for only the second time ever, I heard the full length version of a lesser known Rod Stewart song . I started to giggle at the irony of the song title. It was probably the first and last time I’ll ever laugh out loud in the hairdressers. And the song? – “The Killing of George parts 1&2”.

If I’d known at that point where my intended was I could’ve been tempted….but that’s a story for another day.

 blog photo 1

Leave a comment

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,