Thursday, June 29, 2017

Ketchup soup and puree, don't get left behind (Paul McCartney)


Hats off to the Minister of Defence (and his gorgeous daughter) this past week!

Brian Smith (a.k.a. Smithy, a.k.a. Minister of Defence, a.k.a. the father-in-law) has spent the last two weeks hunched over my 1953 Ferguson tractor repairing and restoring it to life. 

His beautiful delectable sexy eldest daughter (a.k.a. SWMBO, a.k.a. Light of My Life) has been assisting, while I have been hunkered down at school, bringing home the bacon (and beer).

Lawdy mama! He was successful. The patient lived!

In other news (a.k.a. random thoughts): Paul McCartney tickets go on sale this week; August and the Jerry Seinfeld show got a month closer; July means Keegan takes off for China; SWMBO offered a new job in SCBU; Jade and William are done with being star witnesses; SWMBO's new glasses are cool; loving Gotham season 2 on Netflix - amazing production values...

...tomorrow is the weekend and I get to hang out in Abbey Road Three again and, weather permitting, harrow the paddocks on my rebuilt 1953 Ferguson tractor.

Love and peace - Wozza

Sunday, June 25, 2017

Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering and it's all over much too soon (Woody Allen)


Hope you're keeping up with the 50 books in 52 weeks countdown. You're not! For shame.

We're up to Week 20 and Books 21: Memories Dreams and Reflections (Marianne Faithfull) and 22 The Wishbones (Tom Perrottahave come and gone. 


I especially enjoyed Marianne's collection of thoughts, much as I did her first autobiographical effort. Mick Jagger still looms large over her memories and that's cool.

The Perrotta novel was taken a punt upon because the back cover said - The American Nick Hornby. Which turned out to mean he was working the same sort of subject matter as High Fidelity, rather than a reflection of Nick's style.



I'm onto number 23 this week: ...but we need the eggs (Diane Jacobs). It's subtitled 'The Magic of Woody Allen'. Published in 1982, it's a look at Woody Allen's films up to and including my favourite - Stardust Memories and before the Mia Farrow person life tabloid meltdown/train wreck.

SWMBO hates Woody but I find his work hilarious and fascinating. Reading about him can be a chore but I love being reminded of these classic movies.

Love and peace - WNP

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Got to try to find a way (Led Zeppelin)

Literally, a rose between two Purdys - Graham Purdy, right.
Four things my dad never told me

#1 Dad never told me to be loyal

Loyalty is part of my DNA. My parents displayed loyalty on a daily basis. My mum and dad were super tight. My dad stayed with the one company for all the years of his working life after I was born. He retired early from Burroughs Wellcome but not before going through all sorts of moves over under sideways down (to quote The Yardbirds). He remained loyal to them, throughout it all.

#2 Dad never told me to be honest

In June of 1975, when I was 16, I stole something that didn't belong to me. There was no 'talking to', he made me keep the item (I still have it) and I have not stolen anything since. I felt deeply ashamed that I'd let myself and the most honest man alive down. I won't ever forget that feeling.

#3 Dad never told me that I should honour my mother

Growing up, I couldn't connect with my dad's mother and I told him in an immature way that I hated having to go to see her every Saturday morning with him. He simply let me know that it was his mother. He didn't tell me that I should also honour her but I could tell by his example that I should. 

#4 Dad never told me to be a stickler

Values are tricky. They peel off your parents and worm their way into your psyche. My dad was the quiet, steady sort and his values found their way into my core in many ways. I can't help but be a stickler.

(This post was inspired by Dan Rockwell's post celebrating Fathers' Day in UK and US - thanks for the call Samantha!)

Love and peace (miss you dad) - Warren

Thursday, June 15, 2017

There's been a hoot-owl howling by my window now for six nights in a row (Michael Murphey)


I spent a week at Fieldays one day this week and realised a few things:
  • I still HATE the way they join field and days to make the non-sensical 'Fieldays'.
  • Wozza's world and Fielday's world don't normally intersect - except in this case - when supervising my Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) students at their stall in the Innovation Tent.
  • Farmers (bless 'em) are a special breed - who knew that there could be so many variations and industrial mechanisms for pumping water?
  • Farmers like gadgets - the bigger the better. Forget 'like', love.
  • Aucklanders (I'm a born and bred but can't/won't live there no more) are insane to put up with that traffic every day. Took me five hours each way. 
  • Ole Timey, real Nu Zild was on show big time - Swanndris, gumboots, floppy hats or baseball caps, beards and stubble (I was going to go for the yucks and say, 'and that's just the women' but that would be a cheap shot and I'm better than that).
  • The cringe factor still exists - Rural Bachelor of the Year contest anyone?
  • Nestled as it is in the countryside near Hamilton, Mystery Creek is well named and well placed for Fieldays.
  • This was my first, and last, visit.
Love and peace - Wozza

Saturday, June 10, 2017

I can tell you been hurt by that look on your face (The Osmonds)

Been thinking about that slightly embarrassed guilty feeling I had when buying the Donny Osmond autobiography.

I would say, we all have those kinds of feelings from time to time. But who knows, could just be me!

These are not guilty pleasures, more guilty non-pleasures: the kind of items  avoided because of their severe lack of the cool cachet, the kind of things my mates back in the seventies and eighties would have riffed on mercilessly if I'd have expressed interest, the kinds of things I would have dissed them big time for too. 

They are the kinds of things I won't buy, or if I ever do I want to carry them out in a brown paper bag.

They are not to be confused with stuff that I just hate and would never buy - top of the list, James Last style muzak springs to mind. 

Instead, people like Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond and groups like The Osmonds, and Abba are examples. 

Mind you, some of them have turned into guilty pleasures since then. Things like the deeply uncool The Carpenters or The Partridge Family.

It's a cruel (stoopid) world.

 


SWMBO's response to me reading the Donny Osmond book was interesting: why on earth are you reading that?? Donny Osmond?? He's horrible.

I think he'd be the first to say he's not perfect, the book certainly details much inner soul searching about his public persona (the one SWMBO was reacting to), and even his self deprecating humour gets a bit strained throughout the run down of his successes and failures.

Hey - he's a human being and he allows us to see glimpses behind the mask in the book. Kudos for that Donny!

Love and peace - Wozza

Monday, June 5, 2017

The queen of the scene ( Blue Blood)

Jade (staying this weekend with Keegan) is not a fan of my book run down but I need to track my goal for the year (50 books in 52 weeks 'member). Sorry Jade. It's gotta be done - it's a large part of my day to day.



So, yeah - week, um, 17 and Book 19: Eight Days A Week (Graham Hutchins) and Book 20: Life Is Just What You Make It  (Donny Osmond) mean I remain on schedule.

The Hutchins book supposedly traces the Beatles 1964 visit to Nu Zild but that's only a fraction of the book. All of it is really poorly written and largely made up of various talking heads who were there or there abouts. Dull!


The Donny Osmond autobiography is actually pretty good. 

I grew up with the Osmonds on TV, both as guests on Mr Moon River's variety show or The Donny And Marie Show (although I've never owned any of their records). 

Donny is only two months older than me (we both turn 60 this year) and when I picked up the book in The Piggery, I became instantly interested in reading things from his point of view.

I did feel a little self-conscious buying it. I don't know why. Well, I kinda know why. I still have that vague snobby feeling (same snobby feeling that means I refuse to buy an ABBA record) but really, not many people remember much about The Osmonds these days so it was all a little silly feeling like that, I guess.

Love and peace - Wozza