Stormy Weather

[greenilex]

Here it's bright and sunny this morning - I hope that goes for Sidcup as well, saly. And I hope you have a suntrap where you can soak up the rays while they keep coming.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

drove down to Hatfield and back yesterday, heavy clouds in the south but the sparse raiin scarcely touched the saharan dust all over the car .... gorgeous this morning in middle kingdom ... 20 minutes in the sun everyone keep the Vitamin D up .... i am also deeply relieved that drinking a lot of coffee is good for elderly males! [shame about the fags ... dare one ask how it is going S_A?]

[Chris Newman]

A discussion of the origin of Billy-O can be found here - http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/like-billy-o.html
The first printed appearance is in a USA newspaper, where it appears as 'billy-hoo' - I wonder if there's a connection with 'Bally-hoo'?

Thanks for that, Flossie,
The devil version makes a lot of sense: ("...like the devil!")

[Serial_Apologist]

S_A and aka CDaJ, if we could do bloomers with a Laura Ashley print featuring Buddleia, we would be in business! Imagine all the teenagers and twentysomethings wearing these as outerwear. We could start a new fashion trend.

I've just had an idea for a new religion - Buddlism!

[salymap]

Buddlism, I like it. Flower worship perhaps? Might cause less trouble than someof the other religions.

PS Am playing an unbelievably bad tape of the Britten Serenade, not labelled except for 'Bostridge', the horn player sounds tipsy to me. I must listen to the soon coming review and get a CD of it. Goosepimple music, not this performance though.

[Serial_Apologist]

Flower Power, saly.

Britten's Serenade is not one of my favourite pieces tbh, saly, but from what you say you might want to check that your cassette player is tracking your tape smoothly. I carefully clean the heads and the capstan thingy - that's the pin and the rubber wheel the tape goes between when playing - about once a month, using a clean rag - in my case torn off strips from an old pillowcase - and methylated spirits. A few rubs to remove the accumulated brown staining, then drying off with a clean bit of the cloth, does the trick OK for me.

S-A

[salymap]

Thanks S-A. My tinnitus, combined with long foreign names meant I only heard the name 'Bostridge' not the one listed on the CD review thread obviously. Turps wouldn't do would it for cleaning tape head?

[mangerton]

Thanks S-A. My tinnitus, combined with long foreign names meant I only heard the name 'Bostridge' not the one listed on the CD review thread obviously. Turps wouldn't do would it for cleaning tape head?

Noooooooooooooo!! I wouldn't even use meths, because of the dye. Ideally one should use IPA (that's isopropyl alcohol, not India Pale Ale), but it's difficult to get hold of. I've had a lot of tape machines - cassettes and open reel - and I have always used vodka or gin applied with cotton buds from the chemist.

[salymap]

Thanks mangerton, an excuse to buy some vodka then

[Anna]

I have just found, no doubt planted by the birds, some double aquilegias which could be described as rhubarb and custard. Totally lovely I must say. As for Isopropyl alcohol, your local pharmicist will supply it after taking A Very Good Look at You!! Personally, I think gin the better cleaning fluid, certainly it works well on diamonds ......

[amateur51]

I have just found, no doubt planted by the birds, some double aquilegias which could be described as rhubarb and custard. Totally lovely I must say. As for Isopropyl alcohol, your local pharmicist will supply it after taking A Very Good Look at You!! Personally, I think gin the better cleaning fluid, certainly it works well on diamonds ......

Oh you rural drug-dealers and your bling, innit

[Serial_Apologist]

What - pink gin?

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

nah mate London!

[mangerton]

As for Isopropyl alcohol, your local pharmicist will supply it after taking A Very Good Look at You!!

Really? Actually, I've never tried, always having had an ample sufficiency of vodka or gin in the cupboard. I'd be worried, if my pharmacist took a VGL at me. She'd probably laugh.

[marthe]

Isopropyl alcohol is very easy to come by over here! No VGLs necessary at all. Of course vodka and gin make better martinis!