So, Blur wanted to do a parody of "punk/grunge" for track 2 on their new album, with nonsense lyrics, and a grungy punk sound. Little did they know it would become more popular than the rest of the album. Thank you the genius of Damon Albarn for "Song 2"
Walking down a backstreet in Sevilla, we hear drums, and a band, then are greeted by this scene. I am reminded of a lyric from the Frank Turner track "love ire & song":-
If we're stuck on this ship and it's sinking, Then we might as well have a parade.
The World seems to be going to shite again, so I think the locals have the right idea.
The full lyrics are here, somewhat poetic imho:-
Well a teacher of mine once told me
That life was just a list of disappoints and defeats,
And you could only do your best.
And I said "That's a fucking cop-out, you're just washed up and your tired,
and when I get to your age, well, I won't be such a coward."
But these day I sit at home, I'm known to shout at my TV,
And punk rock didn't live up to what I'd hoped that it could be,
And all the things that I believed with all my heart when I was young
Are just coasters for beers and clean surfaces for drugs.
So I packed all my pamphlets with my bibles at the back of the shelf.
Well it was bad enough the feeling, on the first time it hit,
When you realised that your parents had let the world all go to shit,
And that the values and ideals for which many had fought and died
Had been killed off in the committees and left to die by the wayside.
But it was worse when we turned to the kids on the left,
And got let down again by some poor excuse for protest -
By idiot fucking hippies in fifty different factions
Who are locked inside some kind of Sixties battle re-enactment.
So I hung up my banner in disgust and I head for the door.
Oh but once we were young, and we were crass enough to care.
But I guess you live and learn, we won't make that mistake again, no.
Oh but surely, just for one day, we could fight and we could win,
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossible.
Well we've been a good few hours drinking,
So I'm going to say what everyone's thinking:
If we're stuck on this ship and it's sinking,
Then we might as well have a parade.
Because if it's still going to hurt in the morning,
And a better plan's yet to get forming,
Then where's the harm spending an evening
In manning the old barricades?
So come on old friends to the streets
Let's be 1905 but not 1917,
Let's be heroes, let's be martyrs, let's be radical thinkers
Who never have to test drive the least of their dreams.
Let's divide up the world into the damned and the saved,
And then ride to the valley like the old Light Brigade,
And straighten our backs, and we won't be afraid,
And they'll celebrate our deaths with a national parade.
So come on, let's be young, let's be crass enough to care.
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again, yes.
And then darling, just for one day, we could fight and we could win,
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossible.
I thought Swansea to Wooburn Green was a challenge, but this guy takes the biscuit. 3 years to circumnavigate the world on a vootorbike.
In the summer of 1965, a 22-year-old university student wrote to Genichi Kawakami, then President at Yamaha Motor Co., requesting a motorcycle that he could ride around the world on.
The young Shigeru “Stan” Yoshida was surprised to learn that Kawakami would not only provide him with a brand-new Yamaha YDS-3 - a 246cc, twin cylinder two-stroke sports bike - but also a cache of spare parts
“No matter how old you are or what you’re riding, life is best spent behind the handlebars”.
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan (c. 1341–1401) was a wealthy Carmarthenshire landowner who was executed in Llandovery by Henry IV of England in punishment for his support of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh rebellion.
The monument to Llywelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan at Llandovery
Until recently Llewelyn was little known even in his home area, but has become celebrated as a "Welsh Braveheart" after a campaign to construct a monument to him in Llandovery.
Henry had him drawn, hung, eviscerated, beheaded and quartered before the gate of Llandovery castle on 9 October 1401 "in the presence of his eldest son"
Off to see the WNT production of Amadeus next year, with the Lovely Sarah, and the Modeller-in-Chief. If the last WNT production was anything to go by, it'll be a rare treat.
Margaret saw the London show back in '79, with Paul Schofield (no relation to the disgraced one), as Antonio Salieri, Simon Callow as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Felicity Kendal as Constanze Weber. She said the play was fabulous.
This time the wonderful "not for profit" actor Micheal Sheen will be Salieri, and Callum Scott Howells (no relation) of "it's a sin" fame as WAM.
I was told yesterday by Dyl that one of my favourite songs ever is actually Hip Hop! I had no idea - I just assumed it was a jazzy rap sorta thing.
Hence, the definition of Hip Hop is :-
Hip-hop (also known as rap music or simply rap) is a genre of popular music that emerged in the early 1970s alongside an associated subculture in New York City. The musical style is characterized by the synthesis of a wide range of techniques, but rapping is frequent enough that it has become a defining characteristic. Other key markers of the genre are the disc jockey (DJ), turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks. Cultural interchange has always been central to the hip-hop genre: It simultaneously borrows from its social environment while commenting on it.
It seems that Jazz riffs are often used as the backing (?) track to the rap. I think I came to Us3 via this track, with the Billie Holiday sample intro. I then bought the album (remember albums?) and discovered that Cadbury had nicked one of their tracks for a chocolate ad!
After visiting Llanstefan, I pressed on around the Towy/Taff/Gwendraeth estuary, & down to Laugharne.
This Castle was on a different level! loads of interpretation panels, a free, well laid out map, and even lawn games! Again, the views were stunning. The Coran was in flood as I watched. Some more snaps were taken:-
Today was a beautiful sunny day, so off to Llansteffan! What an amazing site! Perched atop a tump overlooking the entrance to the Towy (Carmarthen, not to be confused with the Tawe, Swansea).
It's another Cadw site, but is very low key - the signposting to the castle is dreadful, and it seems the preferred way to see it is by parking in the beach side council car park, and taking a walk. The last bit being quite steep. Motorcyclists can park at the bottom of the private lane leading up to the castle, tho, as they are all very cheeky. It's worth the effort though, as the views over the estuary are breathtaking. You can just make out Worm's Head in the distance.
Stunning drone footage to be had if you are not afraid of little Chinese gremlins taking over your computer & stealing your wife:-
Whilst chatting to Kim about Welsh politics this morning, I had a St. Paul moment, and realised that Fascism is the powerful elite's way of stealing the votes from the lower half of the middle & lower income voters who should be supporting socialism & a fairer distribution of wealth. They use Fascism to stay in power & increase their wealth while we watch.
I.e. they manipulate stupid people to maintain control.
This is demonstrated by the recent results in Salford.
There was a 17% turnout, leading to a fascist win
Reform won barton & winton by 33 votes
The votes must have come from Labour voters, voting for reform because the press tell them :-
Labour are doing a bad job,
All politicians are liars
All parties are the same, apart from Reform, who are new, & will "drain the swamp" ( to quote trump)
Therefore its time for change.
Also, what is the point in voting.
Trumplethinskin won twice using this strategy
The beauty of this lie is that promises cannot be measured until after the event. The Fascists can claim anything they like & not be challenged.
The reason Tories flock to Reform is to allow them to promise the moon, without being measured on what they actually did in the past - all bets are off, no history to measure. Simples.
There is scary similarity panning out in Wales now. Reform are on 29%, neck & neck with Plaid Cymru. Ironically, Plaid are reaping the benefits of the above points!
If we only get a 50% turnout, generous c/f recent years:-
By definition, 50% of the voters are below average intelligence, 30% thicker, so 20% really thick, that means that Reform just need the thick vote to win. 30% of 50% being 15% of the population. If you get my drift. God help us.
The latest news from the Shitshow that is the WRU here:-
I'm tired of writing about how crap the handling of the game in Wales by the WRU executives is. It now looks as if nothing will change for at least 2 years. 2 more years of chaos. And she is suprised that she is trolled....
The Welsh Senedd elections happening on May 7th will be different. They will use the "D'Hondt" method of PR, 16 year olds will be able to vote, there are new fairer constituencies, and an increased number of MS's.
The new constituencies are:-
We are in Gwyr Abertawe, and the candidates are:-
I've spotted the odious Richard "turncoat" Lewis's daughter heading up the Reform list. Her dad was variously Liberal, Tory, Independent, and Now Reform. Principles, eh?
I'm surprised she married an O'Brien - Irish immigrant boat people descent?
The voting polls intention from yougov. is scaring:-
Reform & Plaid neck & neck. The only saving grace is that it doesn't look like Reform can form a government.
More frustrating than the board game, is the game of ¡HOUSESALE!
It's not SLAM-TASTIC, doesn't have a SLAM-O-MATIC, but it is a chasing game that drives you mad.
Kim's parent's house has now been on the market since mid November (2025), and is still in the process of being sold. 5 Months. We accepted an offer 8 weeks ago, and we still don't have a date for exchange, let alone completion. The purchaser said he had no chain and a mortgage in place. WTF takes 8 weeks? He only had a survey done 9 days ago.
I guess the really frustrating thing is that there is no guarantee that he will actually complete, and could back out at any time with no consequence to himself, whereas we have been off the market, in spring, for 2 months.
Would it be difficult to have a goodwill deposit system, with a sum to be paid on offer? It could be held by the estate agent or solicitor, and only returned in specific circumstances. This could be a compensation for being off the market & potentially missing a sale. Just sayin.
A Sea King landed on HMS Minerva on the last day of the Falklands War after suffering fuel exhaustion. The only known (or admitted) case of a Sea King landing on a British Leander Class Frigate.
An American Sea King landed on a New Zealand Frigate HMNZS in 1978 with the only other alternative being ditching due to fuel exhaustion. The Captain that allowed it was commended by the US Navy and reprimanded by the New Zealand Navy!
Side note:-
Dr Bob lives just outside Bath, and :-
Sulis Minerva was the Romano-British deity worshipped at the Roman Baths in Bath, Somerset, combining the local Celtic healing goddess Sulis with the Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva. A gilt bronze head of the goddess, discovered in 1727, is a centerpiece of the Roman Baths museum, highlighting the site's significance.
I couldn't help but notice that this brand is everywhere at the moment. So I wondered where they came from. Reading up on them, it sounds a bit like a ponzi scheme, with everyone & their dog jumping onboard. The company was founded in 2015 by brothers Thomas and Philip Beahon, when they were 25 and 22 years old respectively. Two clever chaps indeed.
In January 2019, Castore became the official kit partner to British tennis champion Andy Murray, who also became a shareholder in the company in March of that year. The company brands Murray's products as AMC, and it became the official apparel partner of the Lawn Tennis Association. Marlie Packer, who plays for England's women's rugby union team, is a brand ambassador for Castore.
Castore has expanded rapidly in rugby union, supplying kits to major teams including England Rugby, Rugby Australia (Wallabies/Wallaroos), Bath Rugby, Saracens, Harlequins, Leinster, and Scarlets. The brand, known for "better never stops" apparel, partners with several Premiership Rugby and United Rugby Championship sides.
How many sides of top flight Rugby Union can Wales support? 4? 3? 2? 1? See this organ passim for more on this.
I don't know, but I have a sneaking suspicion that with the right people in charge, funneling the revenue into Rugby, and not huge salaries, vanity projects & "support staff", we could manage 4, like Ireland. I still can't see how we should lose Ospreys, Scarlets or Cardiff. For me Dragons are the only club in question.
Looking north, there is a valid debate about how can a national side really thrive with so many players playing abroad. Good article here. With 4 strong sides, perhaps playing in the English (&Welsh?) Prem, we could keep good Welsh players playing in Wales.
