Album of the Year – 2011

Posted by Malcolm Toogood on December 31, 2011
Posted in: Albums of the Year. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I have probably purchased more albums during 2011 than for some years and, what’s more, it’s been more difficult than I can remember for many years to select a short list of just the ten.  So quite a bounce-back for this, my 49th, album of the year round-up.  Hopefully my fiftieth will be just as interesting next year; if not, I guess I can always do a retrospective!

AOTY11 This year there have been several albums from established artists that one might expect to be a shoe-in to any top ten, but somehow they proved disappointments, not even making it onto the buy list, thereby excluding them from possible selection.  Continue Reading

The Whirlwind

Posted by Muntle on August 19, 2011
Posted in: Short Stories. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Alec sat on his favourite ramshackle bench in the Park, as he did every Sunday on his way home from Morning Service.  The park was empty of people other than himself, which was not unusual, because although this was a small park in the midst of a large housing estate, very few of the residents used it.    So it had become a small oasis amongst a desert of hubbub, somewhat unkempt and wild in parts, with the grass more meadow than lawn.

The sun was shining on this beautiful June day, and Alec closed his eyes to feel the warm rays slowly cooking his bald pate.  His children often chastised him for not wearing a hat in this weather, and were always quoting him the latest medical research on skin ailments, which he dismissed with the simple words that if God had wanted him to worry about melanoma’s and the like, He would have had Alec’s school teach him about them when he was young enough to absorb the knowledge.  Now, at the age of 82, he had surpassed his allotted three-score-years-and ten, and was merely grateful for every additional day he was allowed by his Master. Continue Reading

Album of the Year – 2010

Posted by Malcolm Toogood on December 31, 2010
Posted in: Albums of the Year. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

2010 seemed to be a somewhat slow year on the music scene, reflected in the fact that my album purchases were probably the lowest they have been this century; in fact quite a lot of the output seemed to have somewhat of a retrospective air about it, including the influences that inspired possibly half of this year’s selections.

AOTY10
Of course, recession years often mean that quality album output is somewhat sparse, because the music industry tends to put what investment it can into singles releases to ensure a quick return.  The promotional effort goes into creating singles-artist trends that are aimed to keep particularly popular songs at the top of the charts for many weeks.  However, even that failed in 2010, with just two tracks managing the maximum-stay for the year of just three weeks, and only two artists managing to have more than one individual number-one during the year. Continue Reading

The end of the Queue

Posted by Malcolm Toogood on August 29, 2010
Posted in: Nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Tagged: , , , , .

There is something wonderfully English about queueing; not only is it the only word in the Oxford Dictionary that strings five vowels consecutively together, but it could be worth no less than 119 points in a game of Scrabble if strategically placed for a triple-word score and formed by using all seven of your tiles – the odds of which occurring are, realistically, probably in excess of those for winning the Lottery.

queue

However, it isn’t just the word that is fascinating, but the concept that an undefined number of people can randomly assemble themselves at a given point on the planet at the same time, all seeking the same, or similar, end to the quest that called them there.  Having done that they will, almost unerringly, regulate themselves to acquire what they seek in exactly the same order in which they arrived, with minimal communication beyond an inquisitive eyebrow-raise, or surreptitious beckoning hand, occasionally accompanied by a polite “after you”. Continue Reading

The Hawk

Posted by Muntle on August 1, 2010
Posted in: Short Stories. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Kirsty settled into her steamer chair next to the small pond in her garden.  It was late Friday afternoon, and she liked to relax for an hour or so before the turmoil of the weekend burst upon her, normally heralded by one or other of her, now fully-fledged, children bursting through the door with news of their exciting week.

She had finished all of the chores necessary for their home to be as spick and span as it could be for the homecoming.  Her husband, Michael, was tapping away at that infernal computer in his study at the front of the house.  She had hoped that, after a lifetime as an international salesman, his new job that allowed him more time to work at home would give her more access to him, but the lure of the Windows Desktop had proved as strong as the call of the road.

She loved her garden.  It was small but fashioned in her favoured cottage-style over the many years they had lived here.  The borders bristled with colour, attracting the many bees and butterflies that flitted between the myriad of blooms competing for their attention.

Of course, it was not all her own work.    Michael had stretched the canvas by building the conservatory, laying the patio, digging the pond and then linking it to the small stream via a water feature.  But she had flourished the brush that painted the shapes and colours, softening the harsh lines of edging bricks that defined the terraced lawns and borders.

She lay back in the chair and looked at the sky.  It was as clear a blue as she had seen all summer, with not a cloud to break the continuity of the backdrop.  It was another blank canvas awaiting a picture, she thought, except for the small shape of a hawk circling high above.

Continue Reading