Best laid plans of mice and moose

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After my last post a week ago, I fully intended to knuckle down and write every other day about my European wanderings, and make a serious start on this year’s Fringe programme. Unfortunately the gods had other ideas and laid the moose matriarch low, very low, so everything went out the window. It’s been a busy, taut time; thank god for the NHS, they’ve been brilliant. I’m in Edinburgh for just a couple of days to sort some things out, a wee chill out, then back down to Yorkshireland tomorrow.

I arrived yesterday at noon, so was able to trot along to the Farmers Market to stock up on some good quality frozen meats to take back down (for some good, quality, hearty frozen dishes for mother’s freezer). Co Co Co. were at the Market with another new chocolate, Strawberries & Cream, well, I had to, and a packet of Crème Brûlée (mother’s favourites).

Later in the afternoon the R&R really began when I popped in Whistlebinkies to catch Jed Potts and Nicole Smit doing their thing, just what the doctor ordered! Washed down with some Olicana, Stewart’s latest brew. I’ve since checked out their tasting notes, Stewart’s say mango, grapefruit and passionfruit; I say peapod. Honestly, the first sniff was like opening a bag of peapods, the taste did nothing to change that thought. Oh, I did like it in some weird way, but I couldn’t drink a lot of it.

There’s a film in cinemas at the moment with Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy, oh my heartses. The Bikeriders is one hell of a movie with a soundtrack to match (currently playing on my Spotify). The writer/director Jeff Nichols was inspired by a photo book by one Danny Lyon who took photographs and tape recordings of a chapter of outlaw motorcyclists between 1963 and 1967. Apparently the recordings Lyon made of Kathy, played by Comer in the film, are still around to listen to, gonna have to check them out. All three of the leads are mesmerising to watch, and another accent nailed by Comer! Hopefully I’ll get to see it again before it disappears from the big screen.

Time for my bed, still got a lot to do tomorrow before I hit the road south. Still no sign of a drought in Yorkshireland this summer….

G’night!

A moose in Europe – feeling the fear

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Why Linz? It was in the right direction, not too long a train ride and I like the name, something about it appealed to me! Also, I’d still have a couple of days in Austria; no, I don’t know why that should matter, it’s just how it was. Good choice, a nice place to find my feet and expel all the breath I’d been holding in trepidation.

Oh gosh, yes, looking back on it now, I had a whole conference hall of What Ifs, Buts and Have Yous, all arguing in my head. Some delegations were appeased and left once I’d successfully clicked my first train journey on to my Interrail Pass, got on the right train and got off at the right place. Phew. A sandwich from one of the many food stalls in the station helped quell the ongoing jabbering and I was ready to set off in search of the Airbnb.

Now some folk can walk in anywhere and be comfortably at home, their inner self-esteem never doubts how right they are – I am not one of those folk, entering a stranger’s apartment to share their living space for the next day and a half? Awkward, unsure – I’ll just sit in a corner til it’s time to go. No, I didn’t, but that conference was still busy debating my inadequacies.

I found the street, no problem, then walked right past the number I was looking for, doh. The apartment was in a building not dissimilar to an old Edinburgh tenement, the staircase had a style and air to it, high ceilings, and the old water tap on the ground floor lent some extra character. My room was big and airy with a sofa and table and chairs, besides a bed. The kitchen was small, a tad messy and scruffy but perfectly functional with a shower room off one side and separate toilet off to the other side in the hallway.

After some time to pause, breath and collect myself, I went for a wander round (and to find a supermarket). Not exactly the warm, continental spring I was expecting, in fact pretty much the same as I’d left behind, cold with rain threatening. By now I was fairly knackered from very little sleep the night before and the journey, but walking round, looking up at the architecture, seeing the people, hey, I was in Austria! I was actually doing something – in Austria! Next stop Germany and I still wasn’t 100% decided where! Yes, it was time to start feeling excited.

Or maybe get excited in the morning once I’d had a good night’s kip. Some tortellini with creamy cheese for tea, a message to my old ma (so she could follow my travels on a map), lights out. Ooo, a galaxy of stars appeared on the wall and ceiling! I’m guessing the room has had a child occupant. And so to sleep after a long day of travelling, geographically and in my headspace.

Probably the most awesome mural I’ve ever seen!

Some will read this and wonder what all my fuss was about, erm, I didn’t write this for you, this is for all those with silly, nagging doubts, the worriers, the ones who’d love to have an adventure but, but, but. You can, you know.

Toodle pip!

A moose in Europe – a prologue

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So, that little trip I did – three countries, six gigs, ten stops, in twenty days. The postcard blog posts idea started well, then kind of, erm, but I did keep it going – with excuses. Next time I’ll do better. Oh yeah, there will be a next time, when the stars align again.

I’d only stayed one night at an Airbnb before this trip, and that was a BnB that advertised through Airbnb, so this was my first real experience of Airbnb-ing; and so many different experiences! Boy, my comfort zone felt terribly faraway at times! I also stayed a few nights in hostels, also very varied experiences from exceptionally good to godawful. More on all that later…

I did have some trepidation about how well I’d eat on my trip. Oh, not that I wouldn’t like the food, but how I’d figure out what things were and how to pronounce the words. My awkwardness and embarrassment almost swallowed me whole a few times! (that also includes being in strangers’ kitchens). Plenty of the time I lived off yoghurt, bananas, ham, cheese, and bread, bread, bread, ha, and individually wrapped pieces of Yorkshire Parkin I’d baked to take with me (for sustenance when I had nowt else). Oh, I did eat plenty from the food counters at all the train stations; so much bread – how I managed to misplace half a stone over there is a mystery!

Did you ever see a wurst croissant?

The whole Interrailling thing went fine, just a few blips. The app is extremely good (mind I was keeping things relatively simple, not bothering to reserve seats or any overnight journeys with sleeping requirements). Different options and itineraries can be looked at and saved until you’re ready to make a final choice and book it in, and then the app asks twice whether you definitely want to go ahead and book. Sometimes I was literally about to step on a train when I booked it – ok, so that was in case plans went awry.

My train travels were certainly enlightening! I’m happy to report that German trains are not as perfect as they are perceived to be, oh, not by much but how nice to see some flaws (it’s a British thing to unfavourably compare our train services in particular to Germany’s). You humans are so fascinating to observe, and yes, different nations do have different traits, or stereotypical behaviours (oo, that word stereotype does upset some folk). Train passengers were one thing, but pedestrians in Germany and Austria, wow, I definitely wasn’t in the UK (traffic still oncoming round the corner when the green man is on – I flinched every time!)

Linz, Austria.

My wandering feet did a lot of wandering and exploring. Some days I probably walked for five, six hours, just taking in the sights and sounds, admiring the different architecture. Statues and sculptures on walls became a thing for me, especially the ones flashing a knee (honestly, there were some many). Lovely parks over there too, I strolled through plenty between bed and venues. Venues, ah yes, the actual reason for being over there, Logan’s Close on their European Tour.

Yes, ostensibly it was for a friend’s party and LC, but really it was almost like a cover story that excused me also romping around Germany. Then, sadly, the party had to be cancelled; my journey to Bremen was quickly rearranged. Somehow it seems that our friendship was cancelled too, not a peep since – not that I haven’t tried! Okay, so be it, but, if I had known, then I might have forgone the Munich gig and headed off for Logan’s Close’s next gig in Trento. Hmm, Ingolstadt to Trento, then two days later up to Vienna just for my flight home – bet that’s some stunning scenery! Bloody humans!

Oh, the Munich gig was good, the guys were on fine form, but, there’s a certain hostel I’d not bother with again (later). Sure, I would have missed Eurovision, but then, Logan’s Close or Eurovision? No contest! The gigs I did get to, Bremen, Berlin, Hamburg, Prague, Ingolstadt and Munich were amazing. Time and time again, just little touches would blow me away, the attitude, the grand swirls, the spaces in their sound, the sheer exuberance, the obvious joy and shared smiles – all of it together, so potent, such an incredible high!!

God yes, I’ll be doing that again, just next time a little more aware! I shall leave you with a few aftershow pics in Ingolstadt…

Oh, charming!
Carl on merch, again!
Look! A moose!

Quite a fair weekend in all

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And there ends the first weekend in June, another Meadows Fair done and dusted (ok, it’s the Meadows Festival these days but it did used to be the Meadows Fair – to hark back to a time of midsummer fairs? Then festivals became much more the rage, but I’m an old timer, so). It’s always well attended but the glorious weather was surely a factor in the bumper crowds that turned out.

There were the usual multitude of food stalls, three music stages (Out of the Bedroom – open mic, Future Sounds for new, young bands, and the Tone Garden, main stage), the Stewart’s Brewing bar, and a myriad of stalls selling allsorts. I was rather tempted by a lovely tactile wooden elephant puzzle, but I left the decision to the gods and when I meandered back later it had gone.

Want an old tin or two? There’s the odd old book, but those playing cards – nice!

The only thing I bought was a pork gyros from a Greek food stall, I must say it was very tasty! I don’t usually buy food as it is, to my eyes, expensive, but I do love pork gyros so I succumbed.

Oh, I did buy something unexpected this weekend – my first lot of Fringe tickets! Yes I know, I usually hold out until the whole programme is officially out, but Underbelly decided to do a sneaky early offer, so I just had to check out their line-up. Just as well I was paying attention, the offer was only on from Friday until midnight just gone. Underbelly usually do some kind of early offer but this time it’s very early (and very short), I wonder how many folk actually spotted it.

The deal was £6 tickets for all shows on each Wednesday of the Fringe, pretty good, huh? I didn’t bother with tickets for preview Wednesday, there’ll be plenty others vying for that spot, but it was good to get expensive tickets for acts I have never seen, because of the prices, on the final Wednesday. They would be Danny Bhoy and Foil Arms and Hogg, yep, I’m fairly chuffed about that; and with several other tickets I got my moneys worth of booking fee (it’s £1.25 a ticket up to a maximum of £5 for one order).

It’s late, time to kip. I’ll leave you with one more from the Meadows Fair……

Just a wee catch up

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Another month almost gone and I’ve only been in Edinburgh for seven days of it; after only a few days back from my European wanderings, I was summoned down to Yorkshireland. Busy, busy, and two sick pooches as well. Oh, they’re both fully recovered now – now that I’ve left.

I’m still working through all the photos, videos and occasional scribbles from my trip. As a matter of curiosity, this afternoon I went quickly through which songs I’ve taken videos of, and surprisingly there are none of Babestation, I know! Really?! Hot Blondes and Lost In You have the most clips, followed by Merry-Go-Round, Mock Marble Linoleum and Dans Le Jardin. Some will pop up randomly on Instagram, but I do intend to put them in some semblance of order later (mind, good intentions can just stay that way).

I am without tv to distract me – it says there’s no signal. It actually happened back halfway through April but as I had a lot to sort out I just left it. I’ve plenty to be getting on with now, so it can stay off, well the tv can, I do have a number of tv series on dvd that I can watch; there’s radio shows too. I’ve been listening to That Mitchell and Webb Sound on Spotify, still as funny and sharp as it was (on the Radio 4 early evening comedy slot between 2003 and 2013). I’m now on series 4, particular favourites are the Stargate sketches and the Old Lady Job Justification Hearings, so bitingly funny.

Missing watching tv at teatime, I dug out my old Coupling dvds, a tv comedy sitcom by Steven Moffat from about twenty years ago, loved it then and still do, especially Richard Coyle as Geoff. Some of the monologues would make brilliant set pieces in a stand-up routine. If anyone does snaffle the cushion speech by Steve, I’d know it from about six words in!

Last night I finally got round to watching Ash vs Evil Dead, it’s only been in a drawer unwatched for, oo, fifteen years?! OMG, it is so good! No, I don’t know why I never got round to watching it before, I think it was going very cheaply when the HMV store on Princes Street was closing down, I did buy a number of dvds at the time. I will definitely be looking for the second and third series at some point. Yeah, so no tv signal but I have plenty to entertain me.

There’ll be plenty to entertain this weekend, the first full weekend in June so it’s Meadows Festival time. The rain gods are being canny this year, rather than a wet weekend, there’s heavy rain everyday up until then, the ground will be pretty soggy and with all those feet traipsing everywhere – there will be mud. Saturday evening I’m off to see The Crow in the cinema, I’ve never seen it so grabbed a ticket for the 30th Anniversary Re-Release, better late than never, as they say.

It’s only two weeks until the full printed Edinburgh Fringe 2024 programme comes out, oh yay. Yes, I’m still being good and not peeking. Okay, so I know some shows that are up through social media, and ones that aren’t, like Aidan Goatley who’s not bringing his new show Looking For Edith, noooo!! If he’s doing it in your area, lucky you, bloody go see it and be thankful! The other Aidan, Aidan Sadler will be back, yay. And very exciting, just spotted this evening, John Robertson is finally doing another stand-up show at the Fringe, happy happy, joy joy!!!

It’s very late so I shall away to bed and leave you with, well, is it just a sign or sage advice?!….

It means nothing to me, oh…

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There’s always one postcard that arrives after you’re back home! One last long train journey back into Austria and Vienna for my flight home. Nice having a little time to relax in such a great city. After meeting up with Accordion Ryan I meandered about and found myself at the Prater, Vienna’s famous amusement park, my god, it is so big! Rides of all sorts, didn’t go on any but thoroughly enjoyed looking around. There is, of course, the Giant Ferris Wheel (featured in the classic film The Third Man), I remember going on it the last time i was in Vienna, over thirty years ago!

Ah well, I shall start sifting through everything to write up my experiences from German techno to wurst croissants to the sublime that is Logan’s Close.

Toodle pip!

Well, it’s a picture, from Munich

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Sorry, no postcard from Munich, either. I had one chance to buy one, but left it intending to do it later, oops. Instead here’s a pic of the venue sign ….

Munich is alright, I didn’t see much of the city to be honest, it was a quick in, suss where the venue was, meander back to the hostel, eat, head back for the gig. There is a whole other story about the hostel, but I’ll tell you about that another time. Oh, and there’ll be some very interesting vid clips from that evening on Instagram later (when LC came up against German techno!)

Toodle pip!

Not quite a postcard…

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Erm, didn’t buy a postcard in Ingolstadt. In my defence, I don’t think I saw any on sale. It’s not really that sort of town, mind it does have a few museums and Audi is from there. I chose to visit the German Museum of Medical History (incidentally, it was Ingolstadt where Mary Shelley had Dr Frankenstein study) which I can thoroughly recommend if you ever find yourself there. Bizarrely, there was a side exhibition of keeping fit for skiing through the twentieth century, again, some fascinating (and some downright hilarious) stuff in there.

More bizarrely, Ingolstadt is twinned with Kirkcaldy!! Why?!? I heard this from Logan’s Close as part of their list of interesting facts about Ingolstadt, I have no reason to doubt it’s veracity – apart from, well, Kirkcaldy?!

It’s very late, I’ve written enough to cover the back of a postcard, the gig was bloody awesome, more details later.

Bye for now, Brucie x

Well, it’s kind of like a postcard, Ingolstadt’s wavy cycle and pedestrian bridge

Another town, another postcard …

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Wow! The Prague gig was something else and what a great venue! Cafe V lese is definitely a place to check out, see a band, when you’re in Prague. A cool bar on street level, hot sounds below, sweet.

It’s Ingolstadt this evening at Neue Welt. My penultimate gig this tour, tomorrow morning I’ll head to Munich for one final continental blast at Live.Evil. Folk may wonder at the excessive folly of this trip, but hey, I won’t be sitting in a rocking chair at 85, wishing I’d done it! When music is this good, c’mon!!

Just one pic of Mr Rough from the Prague gig…..

Sorry, second class mail!

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I should have written and posted this card a couple of days ago, but well, erm, I was busy?! Not really, hey ho. Dresden is sooo nice. I would definitely be happy to go back again, maybe see in some of the museums next time (especially the one of military uniforms).

Once I’m home and can sort through everything, no doubt deleting half the photos I took, then I shall collect together my thoughts and put them down. Oh, and the photos will find their way on to Facebook and Instagram.

Currently in Prague, a very wet Prague today, but I think the rain should be easing soon. The lads are playing at Cafe V lese tonight; I wonder how they’re holding up? How smelly is the van by now? Are they all still mates or is there murder being plotted?! I might find out tonight.

Just a few choice pics for you….

I’d tell you where this is, but all I’ve got is Dresden
They all begin with the letter C?!
A bike for a family of three, seriously!
Oh my lord! This takes me back! Anyone else?

Toodle pip!