There And Back Again

Today I've spent the past few hours in the city of Cardiff (capital city of Wales) visiting my relatives, something I'd not done in a few years. I went with my parents and my brother as a late addition to their trip (I was only asked yesterday if I had the day free), as Dad & Rhys were going up to watch a Rugby match and Mum was going to spend time first with Nan (her mother) and then after the other two returned from the match, to visit Grandma & Grampy (Dad's parents) for tea.

Since it's been a good couple years at least since I'd seen any of those relatives I eagerly agreed to join the trip, and so left the house at about 9:30am this morning to trek across town to my brothers flat, where we were to be picked up from by the parents at 10am. Sure enough they turned up on time, Mum sat in the back seat with their dog Shannon and so I grabbed the front seat next to Dad. The drive up was unevertful apart from noticing the new arrivals at the side of the motorway.

To explain: For years there was a large model camel at the end of a farmers field facing onto the motorway and it was there so long that it became something of a local landmark (so much so that when the farmer actually removed it to repair it, it made the local news as drivers had known to look out for it for years and could measure their remaining journey time from it!). So that started the trend. Then the district council added a huge piece of art in the shape of a wicker man... which got burned down by vandals, so they rebuilt it, doused it in flameproof stuff and put a moat around it to deter future burnings. So far this tactic has worked. The new arrival (for me at least as I'd not seen it before) was a large Tyrannosaurus Rex that has appeared to overlook the northbound side of the motorway, so that was amusing to see.

Anyway we got to Cardiff in time for lunch at Nan's. Now Mum had mentioned that there would be Clarks pies for lunch. There wasn't. This to me was a great shame, because as nice as the Chicken & Mushroom pies we had were, Clarks pies are on a level far above and beyond that of any other meat pie I've ever eaten. So when me & Mum took the dog for a walk a bit later on, I made sure to nip into the local store to get a couple of them, which are now in the fridge and will be my tea tomorrow night.

I napped on the sofa in Nan's for much of the afternoon, drifting in and out of consciousness. I guess I must have needed the sleep, though I'm not sure I want to know what I sounded like as apparently I scared the dog a few times. I have been told before that I growl in my sleep, so maybe the people who've told me that in the past weren't kidding after all!

Once Dad & Rhys returned it was off to see the Grandparents, where we enjoyed a nice picnic like tea of sandwiches, crisps and Grandma's ever fantastic trifle. Was sad to see that Grandma's arm is badly injured from a fall she took on holiday earlier this year, she holding it like it was a prosthesis and it showing about that level of movement. I really hope the doctors can sort that out for her soon. I wish I'd brought my digicam with me actually, as it has just occured to me that I have no photos of either of my Grandparents or my Nan for that matter.

The trip back was a blast from the past, driving in the dark now that the clocks have changed, it bringing back many memories of similar drives home in my youth, so I was quite quiet on the return trip. Dad was nice enough to swing past my house and drop me off pretty much on my doorstep, saving me a trek back across town. The pies are now in the fridge and I'm slurping a mug of coffee that has gone lukewarm (which doesn't bother me as I love coffee regardless of the temperature of the drink). It has been a good day.

Evil Tony

So there was me this evening, curled up on the sofa downstairs in the lounge watching the newest episode of the BBC's new Robin Hood tv series when I feel a tap tap on one shoulder. This being a tactic of Tony when he wants my attention for some reason, I turned my head to look at him and it took every ounce of self control I have not to leap backwards out of my seat when I got a look at him. This is because Tony looked like this:


This is a photo that was taken a few minutes later, and in good lighting conditions, and it is still pretty scary looking. So you can likely imagine my expression when I looked at this rather hideous visage looming over me as I lay on the sofa!

I'm not entirely sure quite why Tony is dressed up as a member of the glam rock band Kiss tonight, but it being Halloween in just a few days and Gareth mentioning the Black Horse pub earlier (notorious for having edgy live bands play there), I'm going to guess he's gone to a gig of some sort. I can only imagine the looks he must have gotten walking through town looking like that!

As for me I spent my money on some suitable rock music to listen too, so I am writing this too the sound of Meatloaf's new album: Bat Out Of Hell III The Monster Is Loose. Certainly a fitting subtitle considering the creature this house has unleashed on Taunton tonight!

Carnival Capers

Not that I got up to any capers mind you, I just stood and watched for a while. This evening Taunton had its annual carnival, an event that I'm not a fan of. Perhaps its being dragged down there as a kid by my prents to stand on a roadside and watch the floats and bands go by in the cold that soured me on the experience. that or it being roughly the same thing every year, so once you've seen it once, you're really missing all that much by skipping future perfomances.

Anyway, for whatever reason I've given the carnival a pretty wide berth for the last decade or so, and would have done so again tonight, only whilst talking to my friend Dan Shapter in work today, I came to the realisation that while I've seen it before, plenty of other people haven't. Such as most of the people reading this article. So I resolved to go down and watch it tonight and take my digicam with me to snap a few pics and post them here.

Well I went down and while I missed the first part of the carnival (cos it started at 7pm and I didn't get to the Market House to watch it go past there until about an hour later, because of watching the episode of Robin Hood that was on TV), I did watch the back half of the procession though and I took a load of photos... most of which have turned out crap. I took about 20 photos in all and out of that I have a grand total of two that are any good at all, so here they are:




As you can probably tell they are two halves of the same float. A shame really, as I would have preferred to have a couple different floats to show pics of, but if it has to be one, then I'm glad it was this one as it was big, loud, very bright and it looked stunning. I'll try and do a better Carnival report for next year.

Who's Leaving Who?

There is no special meaning for me to this song, in fact until I spotted it on www.allofmp3.com the other day whilst browsing compilations of 80's songs I had completely forgotten about it. Now that I think on it I actually used to own this track on 7" vinyl (and might still do so, as my old singles are presumably still in my parents attic where I packed them many moons ago). So anyway, in recognition of a fun song with a thumping disco beat, here are the lyrics to a song that I forgot, but am glad to have rediscovered.

Who's Leaving Who? by Hazell Dean

Here we are with goodbye in our eyes
Running out of reasons to try.
The leaves of change have fallen down
With both of us wondering why.

We're all alone but still it seems
We're thousands of miles apart.
The sands of time have shifted now
And the end is beginning to start.

And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -

Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you?

Do you think we could change if we knew?
Tell me who's leaving who?
Is there anything left we can do?
Can you tell me who's leaving who?

Talk to me.
Is there a chance, of working it out?
Heart to heart?
Can we go beyond our angry eyes
Before everything else falls apart?

And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know -

Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .

And I don't know the answers
'Cause I don't know the questions
I'm just trying 'cause I don't even know

Who's leaving who? Is it me? (Is it me?)
Is it you? . . .

Under Fallen Stars: A Book Review

Oy I need to be less lazy when it comes to writing up these book reviews, as now I've got a backlog sat on my desk to type up. Under Fallen Stars by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the second book of the Threat From The Sea trilogy. The theme of this trilogy is a devastating war waged by the evil undersea creatures of Faerun (primarily the sahuagin) against the good undersea races and also the surface dwellers who sail on the oceans and live along the coastlines. This book follows on from where Rising Tide left off with the various characters all heading towards the port city of Baldur's Gate.

What follows is a spectacular night assault on the city by pirates, sahuagin and various sea monsters that devastates the cities bustling port and hard presses the cities famous Flaming fist soldiers to prevent more of the city going up in flames. Jherek is in the thick of the fighting, alongside his new friend, a dwarf with a pegleg by the name of Khlinat Ironeater. Also in town, searching for Jherek is the elderly bard Pacys, drawn there by the epic song he is chasing.

While the battle rages above, Iakhovas and Laaqueel slip into the city unnoticed, retreiving an item that has long been hidden in the sewers, he again spending the lives of her people to provide a distraction adding fuel to his priestesses doubts about the nature of her master. The battle is very well written and I enjoyed it immensely. The aftermath finds Khlinat injured and Jherek wandering the streets in search of a priest to tend to his friend. It is there that he again encounters Sabyna, the pretty ships mage he befriended in the first book, and together the pair are captured (along wth her ship, its captain and crew) by Vurgrom, a pirate in the employ of Iakhovas.

As Jherek and Sabyna are sailed away from the city, heading upriver at a considerable speed (thanks to a strange chair that she is strapped into which adds power to the ship. From a D&D DM/players point of view, it was nice to see a Spelljamming Helm in use), so Pacys finds Khlinat, the two striking up a friendship as the bard learns about Jherek from the dwarf, quickly getting over his despair at having missed/lost the lad he had been drawn too, reasoning that if his god had intended for him to meet Jherek then, then he would have and such a meeeting must be ordained for a later date.

Iakhovas meanwhile reveals what he took from beneath Baldur's Gate to a less than impressed Laaqueel, a ship in a bottle. But not just any ship, this is the Tarjana, a mudship capable of sailing through anything, and a floating fortress from which he intends to command the next phase of his war. Taking the bulk of his kingdoms warriors, Iakhovas opens a portal and brings them through it with him, Laaqueel and his ship to the Inner Sea of Faerun, a place that the undersea residents of it call Seros, and which everyone else calls The Sea of Fallen Stars. Here he rallies the sahuagin of that sea to his cause in a rousing finale to the book.

By the end of the book all the major players have made their way to The Sea of Fallen Stars, Sabyna accompanying Jherek when they finally get free of Vurgom's clutches, the pair travelling with a paladin of Lathander (God of the Dawn) by the name of Glawinn (arguably my favourite character in the series) to a port where they join the crew of Black Champion a ship under the command of the half-elf Captain Azla, she a fierce rival of Vurgom's who wants to find out what he is up to. Pacys and Khlinat arrive by another means, much to the astonishment of the Priests of Gond (God of Invention & Smithing) in Baldur's Gate.

This is a brilliantly written book, I loved reading it and I found myself flicking forward a couple pages each time I had to put it down to return to work at the end of a break just to get a glimpse of what was going to happen next. Unsurprisingly this book gets 5/5 from me.

Drama On The Doorstep

So I'm sat in my room now, and every now and then I'm peering out the window to my right at the crowd on the pavement outside the house next door. Theres a good dozen people there right now, stood about, talking and gesturing in a variety of tones including a couple policemen. The cause for this happened about half an hour ago when some very drunks men staggered out of the Pen & Quill pub on the other side of my house and headed towards the half-sized coach parked outside the Westgate Inn a little way up the road.

All but two of them had a bottle of drink in hand, one instead carrying a crate of bottles of Bulmer's cider, the other for some bizarre reason carrying a wooden drawer (as if from a cabinet). What happened next was that the guy carrying the drawer wandered over to the front window of the house next door (which used to be a hairdressers salon downstairs but is currently being renovated)... and then put the drawer through the window. Quick as a flash the bloke with him grabbed him and hauled him off towards the coach.

About ten seconds later all hell broke loose when the people who live next door emerged and the shouting began, the drunks quite content to get on their coach and go, but my next-door neighbours were having none of it, immediately calling the Police and their daughter tok down the coaches details and registration plate. Cue a few of the more sober people on the coach getting off and a confrontation.

Looking out now the street has no cleared, presumably with my neighbours and the policemen having gotten payment (or more likely a promise to cover the cost of the repairs) out of the drunks. Good to see a situation that could easily have gotten ugly, resolved without recourse to violence, and for my part nice to have something to write about as it's been a bit of a dull week.

Any Four For Five Pounds

The supermarket which I work in has the above deal permanently covering its range of bottled Real Ales. Prior to the store changing from a Safeway to a Morrisons, I think I'd maybe tried a couple varieties of ale. I'm fairly sure I tried a couple brands that tasted pretty yuck during the Rag Week at my University when the bar would get in 15 different barrels of ale. Once each was gone it was gone. You would get a stamp on your Ale Passport for each brand you tried, and if by some chance you were lucky/stubborn enough to try all 15 during the course of the week then you got a prize of some kind. I think I gave up after two, because I didn't have much money and I preferred to spend it on drink that was going to get me drunk and that I liked the taste of. I've likely also had a sip of one of my Dad's pints of one brand or another as a kid, but I can't remember the names of any of those apart from knowing that I've tried Old Speckled Hen at least once.

So getting back to the point, I was pretty unexperienced when it came to ale. And since most British pubs serve ale lukewarm from a barrel, the notion of trying any of it always dies the moment I enter a pub, and I opt for a nice cold pint of lager instead. But Morrisons stock a pretty good range of bottled ales from all over the country. And the shelf edge labels that detail the price of each bottle (invariably £1.59 each) also include some details about the taste of the drink itself, which is helpful in picking which brand/s to try. At 4 bottles for £5, and able to Pick N' Mix, I've slowly been working my way through the selection.

Whereas originally I'd just pick up 4 different brands and try each in turn (after suitably chilling them in the fridge for a few hours), nowadays I've found a few favourite types (most notably Waggle Dance, an ale brewed with 20% honey, so a cross between beer and mead, and very nice it is too). As a result of this I tend to get 1-2 that I haven't tried before and stick with what I know for the rest of the four.

I was planning to buy some alcohol today and 4 bottles of ale is usually a strong contender for my money. But not today. Today I was surprised and delighted to see that the same offer has now been copied to cover the £1.59 priced bottled ciders, including my recent favourite drink Strongbow Sirrus, a mild cider that is drunk poured over ice. I've never been a big cider drinker (it always used to make me sick), but I can drink Sirrus without any problems (even when mixing it with vodka), so I decided to try a couple other brands. Cue me buying 2 bottles of what I know (Sirrus) and 2 of what I don't (Bulmers and Scrumpy Jack).

I shall see how I go with these, and assuming I'm not violently ill as a result of drinking them, then I'll think about trying a couple other varieties in a few weeks. I've drunk the Bulmers already whilst watching TV earlier tonight and that was nice, nothing special though. Think I'll save the rest for tomorrow evening. Right now I'm going to head out to the pub... next door.

A Horse Walks Into A Bar...

... and the Barman says "Why the long face?"

Yes I know it's a crap joke but it's the only title I could think of. As longtime readers of this blog will note, I have a fondness for posting weird animal articles, so here's another one, courtesy of the BBC News website. Gotta love a horse that has a fondness for John Smiths bitter (even though I can't stand the stuff myself).

Rising Tide: A Book Review

Finished this book over a week ago now (and in fact I have the second book in the Trilogy sat in front of me to review also as I write this), so about time I got this novel review written up. Rising Tide by Mel Odom is a Forgotten Realms novel and the first book of The Threat From the Sea Trilogy. Set a few years before the "present day" of the Realms (the year 1374DR currently), the Trilogy details a devastating war that is waged by the evil undersea races against both the peaceful undersea races and also the surface dwellers who dare to sail on the seas and live along the coastlines bordering those same seas.

The instigator of this great war is a mysterious villain by the name of Iakhovas. He is found in a comatose state in a sunken tomb by the malenti priestess Laaqueel. A malenti is a sahaugin born in the shape of their most hated enemies the sea elves. Most such cursed offspring are killed at birth, but some are kept as spies. Laaqueel is doubly cursed though, as her skin has the pale colouring of a surface dwelling elf, rather than the blue or green of a sea elf. It is because of her unique appearance though that she is able to infiltrate surface realms and learn from their libraries of One Who Swims With Sekolah. Sekolah is the Great Shark, the savage and uncaring god of the sahaugin race. Seeking out this legend, causes her to find Iakhovas and awaken him.

Iakhovas is very powerful, an accomplished sorceror who cloaks his true appearance in illusions at all times, appearing to the sahaugin as an impressive example of their own species. Laaqueel though sees him as a one eyed human, scared with runes etched into his skin. Though she rises to power at his side, and she revels in the strength he can bring her people, she has her doubts about her new master. It is through her eyes that we see the evil forces side of the war.

The other main character is Jherek, the bastard son of a ruthless pirate named Bloody Falkane. Branded with his fathers symbol on an arm, Jherek has spent his life since escaping his fathers ship hiding who he really is, knowing that the reward on members of Falkane's crew would cause pretty much anyone to turn him in should they see the mark. Raised by a fortuneteller who took him in, and the phantom Malorrie who haunted her house, he has lived by building ships and working as a sailor.

Fate really doesn't seem to smile on Jherek, one ill turn following another, but ever since the night when he dived from his fathers ship, whever he has been in danger, a voice has called to him with the words "Live, that you may serve". He doesn't know who it is that calls to him, or how he is meant to serve though. When his brand is discovered by the crew of the ship he is working on, he is forced to leave both the ship and then to the town of Velen where he grew up, the only place he has ever called home. He takes passage on another ship, where he befriends Sabyna, the ships pretty mage, who he always calls Lady, even when she tells him that she is no such thing.

Elsewhere, the great city of Waterdeep comes under devastating attack by thousands of sahaugin warriors and many great creatures of the deep, Iakhovas using the resulting carnage as a diversion to claim an item of power, one of many that he has agents in both the outer and inner seas of Faerun searching for. He is determined that all that once was his will be again, but his willingness to shed her peoples blood for the sake of his personal power adds fuel to Laaqueel's doubts, even as she clings to his rising star, sharing in the power he gathers about himself.

Witnessing the onslaught on Waterdeep is the elderly bard Pacys, a man who has wandered the highways and byways of Faerun for most of his seventy six years of age, reciting songs and tales, but who has yet to compose any great saga to pass to the world. He yearns to record a story that he will always be remembered for. A devout worshipper of Oghma (the God of Knowledge) he has heard tantalising hints of such a epic story/song for years now. When the attack comes, he feels the pull of destiny upon him, knowing that there is a greater story than just the attack, and that what he is seeing is merely one act of a far larger plan.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, it is a little slow in getting started, and Jherek doesn't really seem to do all that much. Still by the books end, all the various plot threads weave towards each other, for a fateful meeting in the next novel. Both Jherek and Laaqueel are very well written characters, both plagued by doubts for different reasons, both outcasts in their way. The battle scenes are engaging, and in Iakhovas we have a truly sinister villain, his motives and indeed his real identity kept secret, and his speech both powerful and condescending (he always refers to Laaqueel as "little malenti").

I'm going to award this book 4/5, as it is a very entertaining read, but it could have been better.