Category: positive thoughts

New music Mon… er… Thursday

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Another 6 Music find, via Chris Hawkins. Girl In The Year Above.

This is their first official single, but they’re on the soundtrack of the new Peaky Blinders film with a cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop. I was told to expect a lot from that track, and it didn’t really do it for me, beautiful though it is. But this is very nice indeed. Celtic vibes (as you might expect from an Irish/Cornish band), and a wonderfully expressive, emotive, powerful voice up front in Jennifer Ball.

Inevitable comparisons with Florence Welch.

Oh. And they are going to be at Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival in July.

Incidentally, although I’m not a fan of the series (I’m not not a fan either: I’ve just never watched it), the soundtrack to the Peaky Blinders film is pretty impressive: Grian Chatten, Lankum, Nic Cave, Fontaines D.C. and Amy Taylor of Amyl and the Sniffers.

Es-Cape Town Room

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Lovely family morning out testing ourselves against a local escape room.

And winning, obviously.

And then, a quick wander around the shops before lunch on the Waterfront.

I’m not sure what difference the issues in Dubai and Doha have made to the number of visitors getting over here. Cape Town isn’t quite as busy as it was 6 weeks ago, but it’s still very full of tourists, with Germans and Brits around every corner.

But this was the V&A: their natural haunt. And so what did we expect? And their Euros and Pounds are always welcome in the local economy.

Please keep spending.

Last night was great

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I arrived early enough for a few kms along the Prom: I love a flat run on a decent surface. I don’t mind a hilly run, and I don’t mind an off-road surface, but it’s nice to treat yourself once in a while.

And then I headed into the best game of football I’ve played in for quite a while. A full-on, tight, energy-sapping battle of attrition, with chances few and far between, and in which we had our backs to the wall for a lot of the time, with fewer subs (1) and some challenges with our… “quite advanced” age.

But those are the best games to play in, and they are the best games to win.

Which we did. 3-1.

I am – obviously – quite broken today, but as the team President pointed out, it was completely worth it.

He didn’t play, though, so he can still walk.

That was the last game of this season, and my legs will be happy to take a break next Wednesday, before we head back into battle for the next 10 weeks.

But this was a good one to go out on.

More like this, please.

Sunday

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I have spent much of the day editing photos.

Let’s just say that they are done and leave it there. As ever, some good stuff, some not so good, but then a handful of images that just stand out. Throw enough darts, you’ll get some bullseyes.

Several of them.

And so, with some light relief required, I lit the braai. Because that’s what we do down here.

Yeah. We’ve got some wood to get through.
Can’t wait.

Good chicken, great ribs, disappointing steak – no fault of mine – you can’t win all the time.

But a nice Shiraz and a great evening. Almost – almost – ready for the week ahead.

Almost.