It was kind of a happy, clappy type of a weekend.
During the day there were music concerts, workshops, dance performances
(mainly morris and clog) and impromptu bands (samba and jazz ) sporadically playing wherever they were, be it in town or on the festival site.
I was upstairs on the festival bus, Sunday midday.
I was on my way to town to see an open air concert at the market square when I heard a racket going on down stairs so I went to take a look.
As with all my camera vids I apologise in advance for the crappy sound quality, although I hope you can hear the music amidst all the chatter

THE HAPPY BUS

The weather was fair with sun, cloud and some heavy rain on Saturday evening throughout the night, fortunately my little tent held good and I managed to stay dry Some parts of Warwick school fields were waterlogged but I managed to nab myself a spot of well drained earth

It was hard saying goodbye to the 'neighbours' on Monday morning
but unfortunately, it was inevitable, we were all to be evicted!!

A song and dance was made

but eventually defeat was admitted

so we all packed up and went home.

Back in sunny Yorkshire after my three hour train journey home yesterday afternoon, I had a welcome bath and slept soundly (camping is great but not so good for the old bones).

Here's to a good day for one and all,
a day in my garden has been prescribed for me

See if I care if it rains

see you Tuesday

Last night I sat down to dinner with 27 ladies.
These included two counsellers who work at the well woman's centre, one english and one asian(who wore a beautiful sari), a couple of office workers, a nurse, a syrian waitress, a flute and sax teacher, a self-employed bridal jewellery maker, a bus driver and one other supermarket worker(checkouts I think).

Where were we and what were we doing there?
Well, we were in Leeds at 'Fairuz' lebanese restaurant which is situated close to the Merrion centre.
We were there at the invite of Kathy who I know through my dance class, it was her 40th birthday so as well as having a family celebration she decided to ask various women friends from all areas of her life for a get together over dinner. I only knew two of the ladies but by the time we were through we were all on nodding terms

The food was great we had an assortment of mezzes for starters, feta cheese, hummous, a beetroot dip, aubergine, tahini, etc.There were fresh mediterranean vegetables with lashings of garlic and olive oil. My favourite cold dish was grape leaf dolma, these were vegetarian with veg and rice stuffed inside, they were scrumptious and I must have eaten at least five

The hot dishes included charcoaled chicken breast, spicy lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce, a beany stew and a couscous concoction which were all delicious.
For dessert we had a semolina pudding (don't know what it is called) which was flavoured with rose water and contained nuts (pistachio, I think) and finally we finished off with strong turkish coffee. The rest of the ladies partook of copious amounts of vino but being teetotal myself I abstained.

Nevertheless, when the promised belly dancer failed to materialise, it was left to me and Kathy to provide the 'floor entertainment' We wiggled our hips and did a few camels
Hardly in the same league as the absent professional although kathy can strut her stuff and she cajoled a few of the wine drinkers to make a fool of themselves along with us
Gawd knows what the other diners in the restaurant thought but tactfully no-one objected.

We all remember when we first started to blog..don't we? So let's make my newest blog friend welcome by popping in to say hello to Mormonmarion

I really must take myself to bed now for I have a busy day tomorrow.

Hot from the press from Warwick Folk festival website

*
23-Jul-2007 - WEATHER WATCH

Keep an eye on Warwick's 5 day weather forecast.

We are! The campsite is well drained and we are prepared with an emergency roadway to protect the entrance of the campsite. Although there has been some national TV coverage of flooding in Warwickshire, the school has not been affected.

It may also be a good idea to keep an eye on the road conditions for your route.

--------

22-Jul-2007 - CAMPING IS SOLD OUT!

If you need accommodation, see the accommodation page for the telephone number of the local tourist information office. *

-------

I am cautiously optimistic

T'old man said to me yesterday.."Pah, if it were me, I would never book anything in advance for outdoors in this country for you can never rely on the weather"
Well, it's a good job it's not him who is going then!!
Hey that's just reminded me, he's not come in from attending the funeral yet
He must be catching up with a lot of old school friends then! It will be like friends reunited class of 1955 down at the village Catholic club bar.

Right, OK...it's going to be action day today

T'old man is going to another funeral today, it is an old school friend of his who after recovering from a triple heart bypass operation decided it was all too much for him and sadly took his own life.

This means I will be in the house alone, the ideal time to blitz the box room (office) of all unwanted files, scraps of paper etc., then when that's sorted out I will take all my camping gear out of the garage and sort out what I need to take to Warwick for my weekend trip to the folk festival.  I'll be travelling down by train so I can't take too much but I have to prepare for the possibility of bad weather so this may require some thought.

I wonder how lonemum is getting on with sorting out her camping gear as she is due to go on a camping trip soon too.

btw...i have no idea what all these smileys really represent but for me the one
with sunglasses means I hope we all have a sunny, groovy and happy time!lol

Right off I go...how long will it be before I stop and check back in here.. not too long is my guess 

You can click to enlarge

These smug people just keep right on walking when the bleepers are triggered ...or maybe she could be setting a new trend!

Sometimes I find that this is the best way

It was 5 minutes to 10 and the foyer was fairly clear. Then suddenly just before I was due to finish work, a young woman I know who attends my slimming club appeared and enquired as to where the queue for the Harry Potter book was.
She became the first in the queue and as the managers hadn't sorted out where the queue was to be I took the advertising hoard, placed her behind it and said "it starts here".
I clocked out, came back round and a few more had joined the queue.
I took out my camera , took a photo and developed it for her in the self service photo machine. She was well chuffed!!

By the time I had finished my shopping (10.40ish) the queue had grown to about twenty. They will be waiting there now as the books won't be brought out until one min past twelve.
So if you want one get down there quick as the queue must be out the door by now...and it is only a fiver!!

The store I work at is a 24 hour store and I usually work 'til 10pm on Friday.
It's rumoured that we will be selling the new Harry Potter book (launched at midnight) for a fiver
As far as I know the supermarket doesn't take advance orders so i'm wondering if there will be any queues forming whilst i'm working.
Gawd, i'll be glad when all the hype surrounding it has quietened down, I know i'm out of touch with kids nowadays and although I admit to not having read any of the Harry Potter books, I can't believe as has been speculated that counseling may be on hand for the children who have been adversely affected by the deaths of some of the characters

Read on a Harry Potter forum this morning.

Hazey..Jun 21 2007, 09:45 AM
"I'll also be on here, mourning. I can't believe it's already almost here"!

Pyewackett..Jun 21 2007, 10:15 AM
"I wonder if they'll set up helplines and stuff, like they did when Take That split up...
I for one am definitely going to need some sort of counselling".

If children are affected to this degree then I vote that all tv programmes and books where characters die should be prohibited, i'm sure we never had this problem when we were kids, didn't the Babes in the Woods die and I recall reading in a book that Jesus was nailed on a cross (and he was the hero) and left to die.
It's all very tragic but I can't recall having nightmares about it.

Disclaimer:
In the interests of all sensitive emotional children, I in no way ,shape or form am inferring or am wishing for Harry or any of his friends to come to a sticky end.

After more overnight rain, I looked out my window this morning and wondered if my Yukka had finished flowering. I fear the weather has affected it this year and what with the heavy rains predicted for the next day or two it has probably reached its peak.

Received a text from Bella earlier

Hi, we're here, it's great, eating paella! not burnt yet X

Awww bless

The Silent Treatment

-----

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.

Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife
to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote
o n a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM ." He left it where he knew she would find it.

The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM
and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM . Wake up."

Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

Bella! she's certainly her mother's daughter
I trawled her around the Folk festivals when she was very little, then when she got to about age 12 we headed for the rock festivals to see such 90's acts as Oasis, Blur, Pulp,Foo fighters, Beck etc.
She abandoned me when she went to college and went off with her friends to Glastonbury, V fest, Leeds fest but would still occasionally come to a gig with me as she did last year when we went to Harewood house for the O2 festival to see 'The Who' Flaming lips and the Zutons.
( I treasure the crazy photo we had taken there)

Well, she's just texted me to say that after boarding a 7am flight she has arrived in Barcelona safely and is at the train station awaiting a train to take them down the coast to Benicassim. She says it is boiling there (well it would be wouldn't it).
I texted her back to suggest that perhaps she could get a good sleep when she arrived at the festival and had pitched the tent.
She replied to inform me that there was not much chance of that as the music doesn't begin 'til 4pm and goes on all through the night 'til dawn and beyond. Oh, to be as resilient as the young again
nevertheless she has assured me that she has packed away the spanish fans I gave her
she's remembered to take the sachets of Dioralyte which I had kept from when t'old man had his illeostomy, they are very good for dehydration
and she has promised to always carry bottled water around!

The line-up for Benicassim festival is as follows...as good as any Britt Fest

!!! + Albert Hammond Jr. + Aldo Linares + Amy Winehouse + Animal Collective + Antony And The Johnsons + Arctic Monkeys + Armand Van Helden + Dj Artista Por Confirmar + Astrud + The B-52's + Black Rebel Motorcycle Club + Dj Bluetonic + Brazilian Girls + Bright Eyes + Calexico + Camera Obscura + Cansei de Ser Sexy + Carl Craig + Cassius + CatPeople + Chloé + Chris Aliano + Ciëlo + Clap Your Hands Say Yeah + The Clientele + Cosmo (Bitches Brew) + Damian Lazarus + Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip + Datarock + Delon & Dalcan + Devo + Digitalism + Dinosaur Jr. + DK7 + Dorian + Dorian Dj + The Electric City + Ellen Allien + Fangoria + Filthy Dukes + Fischerspooner + Flashforceone (Videojockeys) + The Go! Team + GusGus + Hazcaso + Herman Düne + The Hives + The Horrors + The Human League + Iggy & The Stooges + Jamie T + Jesús Ordovás + Johann Wald + JoJo De Freq + Jonston + José María Rey + Juan Demenzial + Kiko Veneno + Kings of Leon + Klaxons + Dj Koze + Light Project (Videojockeys) + Lo-Fi-Fnk + Dj Lui (The Melting Pot) + Maadraassoo + The Magic Numbers + Mando Diao + Marc Romboy + Mario Ciëlo + Matthew Dear - Big Hands LIVE + Mirafiori + Muse + Os Mutantes + Najwajean + Nouvelle Vague + Ok Go + Olimpic + Oliver Huntemann + Onavisión Decoración + Paco H + Patrick Wolf + People Are Germs + Peter Bjorn And John + Peter Von Poehl + The Pipettes + Los Planetas + Potapop + The Presets + The Rapture + Remate & Loco Band + Dj Rojiblanco + Rufus Wainwright + Sascha Funke + Scream + Simian Mobile Disco + Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down + Soni Render + Tobias Thomas + Trash Pussies + The Unfinished Sympathy + UNKLE (live) + Vacaciones Diyeis + Vitalic + Whomadewho + Wilco + Dj Yoda +

I'm feeling a lot better today than I have done for last few days and i'm popping out soon to the local beauty parlour for a therapeautic neck and back massage
I'll be catching up with all your posts later so 'til then hasta luego

Think i'll change my profile pic again tomorrow...this one is not having the desired feel good effect!!

I'm feeling quite low today, I really don't know why, it can't just be the weather!!
The weekend was fine. My two shifts were quite unremarkable, busy but unremarkable.
Friday afternoon I had a fun time with the dance troupe.
We had been invited to attend an event in Pudsey civic centre organised by YAMSEN( Yorkshire association for Music and Special Eduational Needs) which is a charity promoting the making and enjoyment of music for disabled adults and children. Carers and their patients from many local areas had come together for an afternoon of entertainment and interaction.
We performed three lively dances for them and then got them to join in, dancing, clapping and generally having a good time.
No inhibitions displayed here

I had to listen to this after reading Lonemum's quoting of the lyrics.
Not exactly a beehive but 'bighair'
First released in 1988

Tesco stores shut in security alert

Fourteen Tesco supermarkets across the country have been closed in what some reports said was a bomb scare.

Police refused to give details of the incidents, beyond saying the 'safety alert' was a precaution.

Officers from Hertfordshire, where the firm has its headquarters, said no-one had been hurt.

The force said they had launched a criminal investigation following a series of threats made to the stores.

In a statement, they said: 'Police in Hertfordshire have launched a criminal investigation following a series of threats made to 14 Tesco stores across the country that occurred today.

'Police were alerted immediately and have liaised with Tesco throughout the day. Public safety has been of paramount importance to all involved.'

Police said the closures affected stores in Lancashire, Suffolk, Dyfed Powys in Wales, Fife and Strathclyde in Scotland, Leicestershire, Humberside, West Mercia, West Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and London.

© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

SO THAT'S WHY WE WERE SO BUSY TODAY !!!!!!!

My sister sent me this in an email and I thought it was quite 'touching' so I am sharing it with you.

A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa , officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.
"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to be very happy with being a 'mother'," said ecologist Paula Kahumbu, who is in charge of Lafarge Park.
"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the
hippo was traumatized. It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.
Fortunately , it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond. They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist
added. "The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it
followed its mother.
If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes
aggressive as if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu
added.
"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very
tender age and by nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay
with their mothers for four years," he explained.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away."

This is a real story that shows that our differences
don't matter much when we need the comfort of another.

We could all learn a lesson from these two creatures.

"Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk
the path together."

GOING OUT
From London Stansted(STN) to Valladolid(VLL)**** Sep07 Flight FR3124 Depart STN at 08:30 and arrive VLL at 11:35

COMING BACK
From Valladolid(VLL) to London Stansted(STN)**** Sep07 Flight FR3125 Depart VLL at 12:00 and arrive STN at 13:10

PAYMENT DETAILS
*0.02 GBP Adult
*0.00 GBP Taxes, Fees & Charges
*0.00 GBP Aviation / WCHR Levy
*0.00 GBP Car Rental
*0.00 GBP Insurance
*0.02 GBP Total Paid

Sale ends midnight tonight
http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

See two posts down

Walking around my garden earlier I noticed the flowers were smiling at me despite the rain's attempt at dampening their spirits.

Here are some that have bloomed whilst there are still some others yet to do so.

The flowers on my Yucca plant are only just opening up and it has grown into a peculiar shape. I will post this at a later date when all the flowers on it have opened

Wednesday afternoon:
Cleckheaton's over now so what next? I finally made my mind up and have decided to return to Warwick Folk Festival again at the end of the month with the hope that the rain will have rained itself out by then. I quite like camping but i'm a fair weather one at that.
I had a frenzy with the old credit card yesterday and booked my festival ticket and the train tickets to get me there. While I was at it I waded in and booked some flights (for myself) to Valladolid for September.
I had received an email from the family I have stayed with twice before asking me if I was going to return this summer .
I had been putting off making a decision in case t'old man had any plans he wanted to involve me in.
No sense was forthcoming from him so off I jolly well went and booked the flight and train tickets. I had waited around long enough.
It will be fiesta time again (I planned the timing of my visit ) so I know I am in for a splendid time.
"What is it with you?" t'old man says "all you can think about is gadding off and enjoying yourself"
"Maybe so" I said "but i've paid my dues"

Meanwhile the garage is still in full use as the laundry room because Lulu is still bringing her washing round. It won't be for much longer though as she has had her insurance claim sorted (well done 'Tesco' insurance) and her new washer etc should be delivered in the next day or two

Thursday morning
Ryanair have a 48 hour promotion going on, with lots of flights at 1p and no taxes to pay either. Now we all know these cheap prices don't usually materialise in reality but I had a look anyhow. I was cringing at the thought that the £70 flight I had just purchased would now be £1.99 or something.
Sigh of relief The prices for the dates of my flights were still the same...but there were other dates a week later at 1p each.
I mentioned this to t'old man and he studied then said
"the fiestas are on in the towns and villages about that time..aren't they?"
"Yes" I replied with trepidation
"Right" he said "book me any dates within that period that will only cost 2p, i'll stay in a city hotel while you are with the family..we can meet up for a couple of hours a day"
I hesitantly went through the booking process reasonably confident that there would be at least some surcharges on the dates we chose and couldn't believe it when 2p showed up as the TOTAL cost of a return flight to Valladolid from Stanstead in September.
I will be there for 16 days whilst t'old man's trip is 8 days.
He may cramp my style, then again he may get a good job offer and then he won't go..after all he will only lose 2p

T'old man has received a phone call from a work agency.
They have sent him a text to register, asking him to 'text a word' using a five digit number.
We only ever use the mobile for friends and family and are wondering how much it costs to send a text to one of these five digit numbers.
Anyone know??

After drooling over an actor on Thursday (and spotting a fit singer this weekend), I was confronted with a few more lithe bodies to savour(what am I getting like?).
Cleckheaton's never seen anything like it!!
There on the green opposite the town hall all dressed up ready to do their stuff were...THE MIGHTY Zulu Nation...a troupe here on tour all the way from South Africa.

I have a little thing going where I take a mini vid (to place on my youtube account)of at least one street act at every event I attend.
THEY were prime candidates for my Cleckie minivid.
They were happy to pose for photos and I thought this was nice with the old mill town's Town Hall in the background

I filmed a longer version of their act but have posted this shorter one here (only just over a minute). Maybe this how the 'conga' evolved

Sorry about sound quality etc. I will have to invest in a 'proper' video camera one day

On Saturday afternoon I was stood at the entrance to the campsite talking to Geoff Pickles, the director of Cleckheaton folk festival.
I remarked about the reasonable state of the field where the tents were pitched after the deluges of the last three weeks.
"Aye" he said "but when I came down on Thursday to take a look it was still covered in two inch of water in certain areas"
They had laid yard upon yard of metal gridding on the entrance to the site for the cars and campervans to drive over, sand was poured at the entrances to the wash rooms and toilets but remarkably, apart from the ground being a little soft, there were areas that were fine for pitching.
Geoff carried on to say "I have been spent the last week on my knees praying, and thank the Lord, he was listening...he looks after this little bit of Cleckheaton y'know"
The sun kept shining all the way through the weekend and apart from a little bit of mud on the bottom of my jeans when I went off course on the way to the Loo in the middle of the night, there were no ill consequences of the past rain at all
T'old man had a hot bath awaiting me when I arrived home and boy, did I need it.

post script.
I was in the town hall concert room this afternoon when I received a text from Bella...it read.."Happy Anniversary"
Ooops ...I'd forgotten again, that fateful day 24 years ago!!
It was alright though 'cos he'd not remembered either

Back tomorrow

We were two old biddies sat in Row B of the stalls at the Leeds Grand theatre, who had never ever seen an episode of 'Desperate housewives'. The actor 'Ben Richards' who played Sky Masterson was absolutely scrumptious. He was even more handsome than his photo implies and his demeanor and stage presence was delightful, enough for the two of us to remark to each other about this fact....admiring young nubile young men is not something we "60 year olds" do very often
The show was up to the standards one would expect from a West end production with its West End cast and its West end prices to match.
Claire Sweeney played Adelaide with panache and Brian Capron (Richard Hillman of Coronation Street) played Nathan Detroit acceptably well.

btw. Ben looks even more dapper and appealing in the Salvation Army uniform he wears at the latter end of the performance. he bangs a mean tambourine too
Another succesful matinee trip to the theatre concluded

The last time I recall seeing 'Guys and Dolls' was at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford when Bella was small, early 1990's I think.
Barbara Windsor played Adelaide back then and I remember enjoying her performance too..although i'm not really a fan of our Babs!!

Cleckheaton Folk festival is still on and I have arranged to be chauffered there by the nice Morris dancer who brought me home this time last year. If I recall correctly it was siling it down then too, but only on the last day. Forecast says that it should settle down a bit and we might even have sunny some spells....we will see!! Ah well, at least its not too far to go home to my nice warm bed if the worst case scenario happens.
Meanwhile t'old man has a face as long as a fiddle, methinks he will be visiting the local hostelry this weekend
I've asked him to tag along with me but

My happy mood persists.

I'm happy when everyone else is happy

The daughter's have spent a rare Tuesday together as they are both off work at the moment.
Lulu is happy 'cos the loss adjuster has been in touch and as her claim is only for the items stored in her cellar and not for major flood damage then they are going to deal with it electronically via email. A skip is being organised and the items of property will be checked off before being disposed of. The poor loss adjusters are going to be so busy that this is the best way for them to deal with the 'smaller' claims.
Bella is happy 'cos she starts a new job next week(in Manchester) which doesn't entail the commuting that she's been doing recently, then on the 19th she will be attending the rock festival in Benicassim and won't be giving a damn about anything!
I have given her a haversack to use, a pack of Diarolite sachets and a couple of spanish fans to keep her alive in the spanish heat.
T'old man has been uncharacteristically bouncy as he misses his youngest daughter a lot and has enjoyed seeing her this afternoon.
He's downstairs eating leftover cream buns as I type.

Like I said...When my lot are happy...i'm happy...it may not last

So I showed t'old man the Yogi video and he wasn't impressed
"He's crackers" he said "It's hardly a new concept is it? I much prefer that 'Laughing policeman' tune"

So now as I walk around the house aimlessly waving my hands and chanting "I'm so happy, i'm relaxed,I'm so happy, i'm relaxed"
he responds with a great big belly laugh...hohoho
To counteract my "happy" chant he assists with "I'm so happy happy... i'm a skunk"
He said it not me and he wonders why I almost throttled him the other day, lol

The alternative happy policeman

As I was not entirely successful at cheering myself up yesterday, I may become a devotee of this guy:-

Yogi Ramesh is one of the finest laughing yoga teachers in the world. His ability to bring tears of laughter to all those who practice with him is truly a gift from the heavens. He began Yoga at the age of five, and has been practicing every day for over forty years. Yogi Ramesh has been teaching his knowledge of Yoga for the more than a quarter century. He is a member of the California Yoga Teachers Association, and the founder of the Universal Yoga Center.
He produces the television show "Universal Yogi" which has been airing for the past twelve years. He has also appeared on NBC, CBS, and ABC on programs such as Oprah and the Roseanne Show, where he promotes the healing benefits of Yoga.
My apologies if you've seen this clip before as I know it's been doing the rounds for a year or so.

Laughing Yoga with Mahatma Anand Guru Yogi Ramesh

Perhaps I could join a laughing club, they are sprouting up in many cities apparently. This next vid is where John Cleese visits one in Mumbai...notorious prisoners benefit too it didn't help the guards much though

The showers were less frequent today and we have even had a spell of sunshine..just in time for me to hang some washing out..and boy have I had some washing today.
Lulu fetched bags and bags of it over as her new washer/dryer ended up submerged in water as it was housed down her cellar which was flooded.
"Will the washer 'dry out'?" I asked her.
She replied "I don't know i'm not going to risk electrocuting myself trying it, let the loss adjusters test it if they want!"
So consequently, this afternoon, it was like a launderette in my garage(where my washer is housed) .
Doesn't anyone have their washers in their kitchen anymore?