Summer's Here.....

Or at least, it was at the weekend. Seems to have abated somewhat, damn. Spent a lot of it cooking (as ever) with Xacuti curry being top of the pile. Finally got a chance to use the spices I brought back from Goa!
Also managed to squeeze in a trip to Islington to see Spear Of Destiny. Great to see Kirk again, he was on fine form, and the band were as tight as I've seen them, playing "One Eyed Jacks" in its entirety. However the icing on the cake for me had to be seeing Elizabeth from Westworld doing backing vocals! It's been years since I saw her on a stage (1988, I think) and her voice was as wonderful as ever. I'm going to have to dust off my copy of "Where The Action Is" later.
While I'm obsessing about Westworld, here's the video for the title track off the aforementioned album - filmed around the Westway! Ah, I love it when everything dovetails together.....

Morning time.....

And I'm sat in the kitchen. My breakfast today? A piece of toast, an apple and a yoghurt. I'm off to the gym in an hour. There's a feeling of normalcy about today which is close to perfect.
It's been a week of organisation for me, lots of boxes full of possessions, lots of re-assimilation, lots of memories. The divorce got finalised yesterday, which was odd, and sad too; but left me determined to be thinking about now, and all the now to come.
Am just finishing off the links for the Download of The Day, which I do on my show. If you're one of those people who gets it - you'll see it in your inbox in about eight hours. The Santigold tune is IMMENSE. Just sayin'.

More posts about buildings and food.

The building in question being my flat in Shepherds Bush. I've spent the last week tidying it, and having it painted. It now looks AWESOME. Nothing like a lick of white paint and some gleaming windows to raise the spirits. I looked out over West London today, and realised what a truly magical place it is. I'm happy to be up here permanently now; it's been a slightly tortuous few months, but there is happiness around the corner. Life's good.
And the food? Pork tenderloin, rolled in finely chopped fresh herbs and garlic, flash-fried then roasted in a hot oven, with purple sprouting broccoli and new potatoes. Simple, tasty, perfect.

This is how I feel today.....

A little bit of FAIL, and a sore head. Mind you, the Sun has been helping, as has the DS. I'm playing the new version of Broken Sword, and it's aces.
Need to start thinking about food for tonight - what shall I eat? I'm toying with making Macaroni Cheese; that's serious comfort food, isn't it? With nice chunks of Pancetta in there, OM NOM NOM.

A beautiful day....

Sees me sitting in the sunshine, nursing a minor hangover, thinking about the day ahead. This week has been packed full of stuff: Jez has been sorting out the flat, getting it painted (which it definitely needed) and there's been lots to do at work. I've been adding posts to the In The Studio blog, and I'm filling in for Neil Cole this weekend too. There's also the small matter of preparing and recording the show we do for Virgin Atlantic. Tomorrow brings another voiceover for the Travel Channel, and more organisation for weekend shows. Phew.

Well, the weekend is upon us....

And I'll be spending Saturday night in Burnham, for my God-daughter's birthday, then off to visit my parents on Sunday.
It's been a gratifying week, getting back to the business of blogging again, watching the number of followers for my humble little blog start to rise a little - and feeling happy to start to communicate again. It's been a fairly intermittent process, over the past year, but I'm hoping I've turned a corner. Thanks for your patience.

Slightly jaded today.....

Due to an unexpected RAGING FULL-ON night of bad behaviour in Ladbroke Grove. How did that happen? I've no idea, but it was great fun. I'm paying for it today, mind you.
Today has also been notable for it's lack of Twitter activity. Could this be linked to the hangover? It's possible.
Need some comforting food tonight, that's for sure. Steak and Salad, I think. That should do it.

And here's what the studio looks like.....

That's me, Peter Robinson from Popjustice, and Andy Capper from Vice magazine....

More blogging from the studio.....

And this time I'm blogging in two places. I'm trying to get a couple of blog posts a week on the "In The Studio" blog on the NME site, so wish me luck. Comments, etc, always welcome.

Hey - my first blog post from the studio!

So I'd better be quick hadn't I ? Just to let you know about this site - Archived Music Press, it's scans from the NME and Melody Maker, covering the years 1987-1996. It's nostalgia, sure, but it's still putting a smile on my face on what is otherwise a fairly drab day.

Just a wonderful day....

Really sunny, crisp, fresh and beautiful.
The blossom is out on the trees, the daffodils and crocuses are in bloom, the air smells sweet and clean. I walked through the streets to the north of Golborne Road, dropped down along the Portobello Road, then cut through Pembridge Crescent to Notting Hill Gate, to meet Jeff for a Sunday Lunch, then a leisurely exploration of the bargain basements of the Record & Tape branches, seeking out weird and wonderful vinyl. We had a pint in the Castle, flicked through the racks of sevens in Rough Trade, and checked out Intoxica. I came back with a Stupids album,and a repress of the first ever Studio One album.
As soon as I got back home, this was on the stereo:

It's been a weekend of cooking too - vegetable soup, meatballs in tomato sauce, home-made bread - I've been slaving over a hot stove, and I've loved every second.

Sitting in the studios...

Getting ready for the show. Listening to Tom Brosseau, looking at links for downloads, I reckon that this site may well be in there: HipHop Mashups over the Soundtrack to Zelda on the N64! Geektastic!
Voiceovers went well, was for a brand new series "Travel Notebook" I'll post links to the trailers once they're online. Also, today has been notable for yet another giveaway at Shepherds Bush station (they're ALWAYS doing this) today's swag: Aero bars. OM NOM NOM.

Still dazzled by the sunshine....

I'm blinking my eyes and looking out over West London, even loving the smell of Diesel from the buses nine floors beneath me - today is just one of those days when everything seems OK. Well, there's plenty of time for that to unravel, I guess, but for now - all's good.
I'm just about to head off to do more voiceovers for the Travel Channel, which is always fun. If you want to hear what I sound like, check this out. Then it's off to Southwark for the final radio show of the week, then some leisurely cooking to round off the day. I love how the promise of a day can put a smile on your face.
The weekend should be good too, Jeff's over from Cleveland, so there will be pints in the Portobello road, and some leisurely shopping for bargains in the basement of Record & Tape. Life doesn't get much better than ale and vinyl. Musically, today is soundtracked by the wonderful First Aid Kit.

A track from one of my all-time favourite albums...

And a band which no-one else seems to know about (what a typical scenario for me!)
More on the band here.
The Stars Of Heaven - "What Else Could You Do?"

Twitter stuff....

We finally got a decent Twitter client sorted out in the studio today, which means that the presenters can finally interact with the followers of our Twitter stream. Spent most of the afternoon sneaking furtive glances over the stream, getting a feel for the makeup of the Tweeps we've got following us, occasionally firing off some Tweets to test out whether people would reply (They did, phew!)
Apart from that, it's another evening filled with food - specifically, Sausage & Mash, with cabbage. Comfort food at its very best. I'm off to have a quick decco at the mp3 blogs. More tomorrow.