Five songs to live your life by.

That simple.

So here are mine.

This song gives me goosebumps. In fact it gives my goose goosebumps. I want to love like this and be loved like this. Sighhhhhhhhhh.

I love this song. It makes me smile, fills me with hope and makes me want to grab people and hug them. I don’t actually do it as it would scare people and I might get arrested, but omg I love it. The words are so sweetly clumsy and honest and warm, and so very very true.

“Throw those curtains wide. One day like this a year’d see me right.”

I love Supergrass. Love love love. I was so sad when they went their separate (ish) ways but omg they left a trail of joy and a humungous great big bucket of boingy pop tunes. I love the mood of this – we’re not perfect, stuff happens, but we’re alright. It makes me want to dance. It can change my mood and make me want to go out into the sunshine and do daft stuff with my mates.

Having been married to a man 14 years my senior who also happened to be a musician, I was lucky enough to broaden my musical tastes hugely. Mr B generally has fab taste though he can also be a bit of a music snob at times, but omg my kids know some cool tunes. This one is gorgeous. It calms me, and reminds me that the everyday things in life that we take for granted or sometimes miss, are the often the best. It reminds me to stop and look around.

Ok. I’ve always said I have eclectic taste right? I love retro, punk, ska, indie, Northern Soul, boingy pop, anything that has a good tune, real music and real lyrics, and while I’m not a fan of dance, house, rap and stuff along that line I get why people love it. Passion is passion whatever your taste. So as far as I’m concerned there is also room for a little cheese. It it makes you feel good and it doesn’t hurt anyone then that’s what counts right?

Sighhhhhh, that was so much fun.

Right, I’m going to tag:

Lovely Emma at Adventures of an Englishmum

Gorgeous Zoe aka Surprised Mum

and the fabulous and blumming wonderful Jean at NotSupermum

I would have tagged more but Miss M has just come down and I need to get her back to bed. But if you want to join in you’re very welcome.

Miss M is doing pretty fab at school though and E has settled straight away with her new teacher so that’s all good.

My back is pretty much sorted so that means I might swim this week, gulp. I put my cozzy on the other night and suddenly became even more scared, but I have a cunning plan. I will wear a swimming hat and draw on a false beard, moustache, sideburns, big eyebrows and a pointy bit on my forehead. Then people will think I am Ming the Merciless and not a portly parent blogger attempting to lose a few pounds.

And, AND, I’ve been hearing this song on the radio a lot but kept missing who it was by, so I googled it. It’s by Plain White T’s and it makes me go all squishy.

Oh and one last thing, my British Mummy Bloggers friend Kate Morris wrote a book, The Seven Year Itch. She sent me a copy, I read it and I liked it. You might too.   I especially loved the dialogue between the main character, Ellie, and her best friend Tilda as it reminded me of the daft conversations I have with my mates and the fact we just ‘get’ each other.

In fact, Supergrass at Rock City was our honeymoon.  We got married when I was a 24.  We were both at Uni, me doing English, Mr B Sociology.  Being a mature student (snort), I worked as well as studying full time.  We bought a house in my first year.  Got married between my first and second year, and had Miss E at the beginning of my final year.

I know, mad.

No wonder my head is in need of chopping off, stirring around a bit, spraying with WD40 or something and fixing back on with extra strong gaffer tape.

So instead of a honeymoon we went to see Supergrass at Rock City and they were amazing.

I love them, love their attitude, love that they’re the same age as me and still cool, and love that they’re playing Clumberfest tonight, so I get to see them in the open air with some of my best mates in the whole world ever.

Lou, Pod, Tim, Nic, rock on dudes.  We’re going to have a blast.

And OMG, what the blumming heck has happened to Youtube?  We have been abandoned.  How rude.  I wanted to give you a few clips of the golden oldies as well as the erm, leass golden coloured newies.

Bugger.

So so rude.

As I’ve mentioned before, oohh about 8 million times, I was a 90s kid.

A 90s kid as in I was 15 in 1990, so my teens and early to mid 20s was spent in cherry red Doc Martens, opaque tights and either little black dresses or long floral numbers, twinned with crocheted cardys or mouldering vintage leather jackets I rescued from Charity shops.

I was an Indie kid to the very core.  From the moment I heard The Senseless Things, Wonderstuff, Mega City 4 and Lemonheads at 17, I felt elated by the buzz of fast guitars, a crashing snare and a bouncy sing along tune.  Thursday nights were spent at Rock City.  My reading material was mainly the NME and Melody Maker, and I tended to spend any spare dosh on singles.

So when Virgin books asked if I’d like to review Jo Whiley’s Autobiography, I jumped at the chance.

Why?

Well,  Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq (pronounced Stoooyve L’Mack) fronted Radio One’s Evening session from 1993 to 1997.  They played everythng that was hip and trendy…if you were an Indie kid.  They showcased Britpop, ligged with music’s big boys and girls, and were mates with the cool people.

As the years have passed, somehow Jo Whiley has remained kind of cool.  She’s still at radio one, albeit recently in a new slot.  She has 4 gorgeous kids, the oldest born in 1992, the youngest in 2008.  She’s presented Top of the Pops, brought to us the joy that at times is The LIve Lounge, and has sat on a hay bale in a muddy field with the wonderful and sadly missed “John Peel”, and been a judge on E4’s Mobile Act Unsigned.

She often comes across a bit awkward and scatty, but in my opinion this is actually quite endearing as it conveys the message of ‘normal’ and approachable, so I was interested to see whether her book would echo this, or if the ‘real’ Jo Whiley would surprise me.

She doesn’t.  But that’s ok.

The voice that tells her story is completely familiar.  She writes as she speaks.  She is matter of fact, humble, self effacing and seems to have a quiet appreciation for good music.  I loved her eclectic taste and her openness, and the fact that, well, she comes across a bit geeky really.

I enjoyed the playlists that accent different parts of her life.  ’The goth years’, ‘Coco’s birth’, ‘Frances’ – her much loved sister who suffers from ‘cri du chat‘ and has been a huge and irrepressible influence on Jo and her family.  Jo’s description of her relationship with her sister is honest and very moving and more than anything highlights the importance of family, a thing that has perhaps helped her to remain grounded.

As you would expect there are a plethora of musical anecdotes, from the time she booked L7 on The Word where one of them decided to bless the late night Friday show viewers with some full frontal nudity, to the time Girls Aloud came to tea.  And she talks with some degree of pride about The Little Noise Sessions, a series of Charity shows she has organised with Mencap, ‘the voice of learning disablility’ a cause she works closely with.

Her story is at times moving, sometimes funny and is illustrated by 2 groups of glossy photographs that show Jo with family, friends and musical legends, as well as bad haircuts, bad outfits and a few seriously cheesy tongue-in-cheek poses.

As someone who has always liked Jo Whiley, I’ve really enjoyed this insight into her life and her career.
I love that she still seems normal and real and likeable, as well as hardworking, passionate and a little bit ambling at times.

My one criticism would be that at times I felt Jo repeated herself which made me wonder how much time was spent on the editing of this book, but I suppose you could also argue it means she definitely put it together herself.

If you’re a fan of Jo Whiley, a lover of live music, or a 90s kid then it’s likely you’ll find something in this book to enjoy.  And even if you’re not, you might be pleasantly surprised.

So, indulge me. Click play and join in, but with the following lyrics…

I have a car, fo lee fo laa
Now I can drive, both near and far
I can go to Skeggy, if I feel the urge
Or nip down to Tesco, if I want to splurge,
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
Cos’ one found some lovely wheels for me
I have a car, fo lee fo laa

I have a car, so say ta ta
To having to, rely on Ma
And my destination, will be up to me
Cos’ I’ll be the driver, we’ll pop round for tea
I belieeeeeeeeeve in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
Cos’ one found some lovely wheels for me
I have a car, fo li fo laa
I have a car, oh tra la laaaa

(Get your kids to join in here if you want it to be really realistic)

I have a car, fo lee fo laa
Now I can drive, both near and far
I can go to Skeggy, if I feel the urge
Or nip down to Tesco, if I want to splurge,
I believe in angels
Something good in everything I see
I believe in angels
Cos’ one found some lovely wheels for me
I have a car, fo lee fo laa
A lovely car, oh laa di daaaaa

(And all bow)

Love you loads, and thanks for all the time you’re spending on finding the right car for us.  It will be a life changer and we really appreciate it.  And thanks for being there for E and M.  It means the world to them, and me. 

Yesterday was such a good day but we are suffering the consequences today in the way of a tired Mummy, sleepy girls and a huge insect bite on my right shin.

My Mum took Miss M and I to our friend R’s 5th birthday party at Willow Tree Farm, while Grandad took Miss E for her swimming lesson.

Miss M got brave and stroked a snake.

And an enormous owl.

And fed a greedy sheep, which in itself might not seem a big thing, but for the first 10 minutes all she would do is hold the food just out of reach which seemed kind of cruel but she couldn’t help it, I promise. After she’d actually flung the food at them a couple of times, I decided to step in and together we kept our hands flat and let the soft mouth snuffle the pellets away.  After three joint efforts she went for it herself.  I am so proud.

Then it was off to Sherwood Pines to watch McFly in an open air arena in the middle of the forest.

The sun shone, the rain stayed away, and Mr B and I did OK, brought together by two small girls and a chilled out atmosphere.  I don’t know what it would have been like if we’d been sitting in tiny seats in a large arena where the girls would have had no air and no space, and Mr B and I may have been pressed together awkwardly, but it wasn’t like that at all.

In fact, as we’d managed to get a spot just near the soundbox, behind us was just space.  Space for two little girls to run and play and find random bits of shrubbery to put in Mummy’s bag, while they waited for the show to start.

And room to dance and sing along…

..and escape early when our two little girls began to flag.

All in all it was a success.  I don’t know that we’ll do it that often, but I think it’s good that we did.  

P.S.  If you’re waiting for competition results they’ll be up tomorrow as it was an early night for my two little monkeys after having Father’s Day breakfast and lunch with Daddy, and then tea and cakes with Grandad, so we decided to wait another day as they wanted to help.  Which means there’s still time to enter people.  Just click here.

P.P.S When my Dad saw our McFLy tickets he asked who M.C. Fly was. Heh heh, he is so down with the homies.

They’ve been one of Miss E’s favourite bands for quite a while, and even her Daddy approves of them as they play their own instruments, write their own songs, and can kick out a good tune. We booked this evening’s entertainment a year ago when our circumstances were very different, but we’re still all going.

I think it’s kind of important to show our kids we can still do stuff as a family. That’s as a Mum and a Dad and our children. I’m hoping this will continue as they have a lot of ‘firsts’ still to come which neither myself or Mr B want to miss, but this is a pretty cool way to start. Fingers crossed it will be ok.

The clip below is the video for McFly’s Comic Relief song, and as well as being a fab single, there are some amusing cameos from a few UK celebrities, including Davina McCall, Fearne Cotton, Dermot O’Leary, Simon Amstell and Johnny Vegas, with Ruby Wax as the cleaning lady. If you get fed up of the intro’ move the little arrow forward to about 1:05 and the song actually starts.

Enjoy

Starts here…. 

Gundeflan
aeronnombnofe@gmail.com | 89.149.253.183

I want to listen good music. Help me please.

2009/06/10 at 2:10 PM

..and this is me again

I read it and it just cracked me up.  

And then I thought, what if its not spam?  

What if somewhere in a land far far away, down a wibbly wobbly road, under a bridge, through a door and inside a cupboard, there is a tiny elfin man, sat on a small wooden stool with his hands over his ears, his eyes screwed up tight, and his mouth wide open in a silent scream?

He owns all the music you could ever wish to own, yet he dare not play any, in case it is so bad it gives his cat boils.  SO he sits, and he wonders.  A small hand reaches out towards Foster & Allen but is snatched back the moment his skin senses the plastic cover.  It hovers over Elvis, brushes within a millimetre of Britney Spears, eenie meenie minie mo’s between Razorlight, Kings of Leon and Super Furry Animals before returning swiftly to the safe confines of a pocket, possibly a large one in the from of his leather lederhosen.

What if this is his last cry for help?  His final chance before he succumbs to a life without melody, an existence bereft of beats, a tuneless doom?

Then I think, naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Miss E has had a busy day singing for 3 hours in 2 shows at the Nottingham Albert Hall.

It was fab and I managed to capture one of the songs her group performed…

Sadly my little monkey is currently at our local out of hours doctors with a really bad ear ache.  It’s 10pm and her appointment was at 9.45pm so I’m hoping she’ll be home soon and I’ll finally be able to settle her down to sleep.  Miss M is in the land of nod and has also been a star today watching her big sister.  She had a little dance, stared at the man next to me who sang along annoyingly to half the songs, then she fell asleep on her Daddy’s knee for most of the second performance.

UPDATE

Miss E is back with antibiotics for an ear infection, poor babe.  I’m so proud as even with a bad ear she battled on and sang so well – because yes I could hear her voice amongst that throng, honest.

She’s all cosy and snug in her bed now and I have meds lined up in case she needs them through the night.  Fingers crossed she’ll get some sleep.   Ok, fingers crossed I will too.  (Bad Mummy.)

10 years ago I wouldn’t have imagined I’d ever attend a “mainstream” music event.  I suppose like most young people I was in awe of the world I was discovering and the fact I’d found a place for me in it.  I was relieved I had found music I could be passionate about and a cool club I could dance my little heart out in.  It meant so much to me that there were songwriters who had been through similar stuff to me and WHO could articulate these things with intelligence and humour as well as a blumming good tune.  

I am an indie kid at heart and always will be, BUT,for an evening of pure girlie indulgence it doesn’t get much better than this…

Great mates.  (Yeah, ignore the red cheeks, sticky out tongue and extremely odd nose close up.  I’m trying to.  ;D)

Stunning costumes.

Sassy costumes.

Costumes??

Brilliant choreography and flashy sets.

And, giant men swimming around and stripping down to their pants.

Sighhhhhh.

It was truly gorgeous, exhilarating, fascinating, inspiring, beautiful and fun.  

Somehow these five unbelievably, some might say sickeningly attractive women manage NOT to alienate the whole of the female race, but instead make them feel TRULY fabulous about being a girl.

I’m not saying I’m going to rush out and buy all their albums and become their number one fan or anything, but I had a really, really fantastic time and it kind of surprised me.  

Oh, and they make their male dancers do “I’m a Little Teapot” poses.  How can you not love them?