Going back to being a Brownie

 

Brownies on parade making the salute are part of my memories of the 1970's and early 1980's although this picture is a more recent one from a country where the poat 90's uniform changes here in the UK didn't happen so the brown tunic remained.

Although being socialized as a boy back then meant I knew more cubs and scouts, Brownies and Guides were more my thing and for me a resumption of much of that makes sense.

Sometimes though as important as any and all the things elsewhere are, somehow you feel overwhelmed by it all and that was both a major trigger in the regressed side of my life and connected to some changes around this blog.

For me the walk down that road wasn't the easiest thing to do and indeed physically walking isn't for me but it was necessary to go beyond that busy core where one could instead focus more calming sounds, smells and warm colours and yes take a breather.

The spirit of Scouting lives through me being mentioned from time to time through my explorations and adventures.

Cross gender play

The subject of how gender divides play and other learning experiences continues to lead for discussions but to me it isn't even  what it is we learn from even that's at issue but how  move on from a position of hostility and almost reverse sexism where anything with a hint of masculinity is bad to one that is more balanced and respectful for all.

This is from a much criticized era, the 1950's the era of the retreat to the kitchen and being #2 to the man of house but actually is really good in that we have an engineering based toy that can and is shown used by girls as well as boys and unusually the girl is show putting a piece together even.

The message is a girl can make things and moreover we have gender co-operation too, where his is allowing her to play a role as an equal.

Yes, she's actually putting a coupling rod in while still being feminine! You CAN do both.
One wonders how many female engineers of the 60's and early 70's took part in those baby steps in getting women in engineering on the back of such cross-gender toys?
Where is its modern day equivalent???

I did have a Meccano set when I was younger but found much of suggested things to make too masculine but this would of been really ideal.

It's not just girls who suffer from the sharp gender signalling that many toy manufactures go along with, it's also gender fluid children who in time of course become gender fluid adults.
It may sound ironic but maybe a return to this kind of toy would be better where we all play together as equals.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Monday April 21st is Record Store Day here in the UK so there's a special post today.

This album, Piper At The Gates of Dawn, goes back a good while with me buying my first copy in March of 1981 from Mike Lloyd Records Newcastle under Lyme branch but that copy left the collection in the late 1980's.

There is something else though that made today's release special, namely that that copy I originally had was in stereo but this is in Mono.

The packaging is a bit weird in that the actual record in its sleeve goes in this special envelope that also contains a poster  

Yip, rather like that with a period poster included to no doubt to tempt record buyers and collectors to pick it up.

Record company and distribution changes can be hard to keep track of but the original lp was made by an EMI company in the UK called Columbia not to be confused with Columbia Records in America who became part of the Sony Music Group in 1991 and who now have the rights to the Magic Notes logo.

In 2013 EMI was split up after making losses with most of it going to Universal Music Group and this might of been heading that way except for Pink Floyd having the rights and licensing them to Warner Music in the UK and Europe and Sony Music in North America.

They managed to make arrangements so the historic Magic Notes Logo could be used for this issue although the original label was Black with a blue background on the Logo and "Columbia"

The reason I wanted this was because the mono mix was more complete with organ underdubs on Interstellar Overdrive a  eleven and a bit minute instrumental that I heard in junior school when it was played to us in 1974 when our teacher had taped it from his mono lp and other mix  differences abound.

There had been a mono cd reissue in 1997 but while welcome it was made louder overal than it should plus sounding a bit harsh.

This record version is much better.

In many respects the main lyricist was in a very child-like frame of mind writing this with some tracks being more like lullabies, children's stories and in the case of Astronomy Dominé, virtually a list of space systems recanted to music.

April arrives

Into April where after one important event were soon enter the world of the Easter Bunny with treasure hunts, arts and crafts such as we had at school and obviously sticky paws as we get through our Easter eggs and the other chocolates included in them. 

Believe it or not it is Ten years and four months on since I sat by the behemoth that was that Stone tower system PC running Windows XP with separate monitor and keyboard cranking out posts around this thing as much of the online stuff wasn't anything like me or worse.

It's obvious I was the biological male equivalent to the Tom Boys I knew and where we could hung out together, not questioning our sex but having variant expressions of gender roles compared to our peers that we need to express even if we did dress and act sometimes more in tune with them.

Melodie referred to us as Jane Girls which if we need term is up there with Tom Boy given we're not "crossdressers" by a large distance.

Mozart

Mozart on cd for me started in 1991 with the DG Mozart Masterpieces  25 cd set that I bought an awful lot of during that era.

Those discs were mainly drawn for performances in the 1960's and 70's usually from mid 1980's cd transfers from analogue tape rather than the late 1990's and onwards remasters for "The Originals" or "Collectors Edition" box sets so I felt it was time to look at newer performances that would sound better in super audio cd to go alongside them.

 This does actual breach that rule being a 1972 recording  but it was exceptionally well recorded in quadrophonic sound being one of the finest ever performances with Alan Civil's horn playing standing out.

This was part of a series of recordings made by Linn Records, part of the Scottish Hifi manufacturer that use modern instruments but with a smaller scale orchestra than has been the case in the past to great effect, letting more light and shade in. 
Technically these best my mid 1970's accounts on DG.

This is a set of performances by the label BIS performed under Historically Informed  Performance criteria, which is HIP in some classical circles even if some traditionalists like me feel it's flawed as a concept. This account using an early 19th century piano while being a bit faster than I'm used to, do work quite well bring Concerto 27 that can sound plodding to light.

I bought this on recommendation in September as it has all of Mozart's violin concertos plus a few other works performed by that modern day gem of a violinist, Julia Fisher. 

Mozart's flute concertos always interested me as our Head Girl was a Flautist so one often heard them but the recordings I had didn't breathe as much as the best modern ones which was why I tracked down this 2005 release complete with catalogue as these are the finest available to date.

I have two groups of recordings of the main Symphonies, one set conducted by Karl Bohm  mainly in the 1960's and a mainly 1970's box set by Herbert von Karajan both of which were featured in the Mozart Masterpieces series.

These two double sacd sets while using modern instruments do use a smaller scale and some elements drawn from in vogue period performances and were very highly regarded upon issue in 2008 and 10 with the very finest of sound by Linn Records.

Spring outdoor week

Phew, it's been a warm week out with plenty of sunshine so I've been out for quite a while so if I haven't been as active as I might on social media, that's unfortunate but I honestly feel it's better to prioritize my physical and psychological well-being.

It's so great to start to wake up to the dawn chorus now that it's getting a bit bit bright and for longer because it sounds so peaceful and when I'm out walking often I stop and listen out for them spotting them in the trees or just overhead near the fields.

Also the people who look after our Inland Waterway have been at work so I've been over there on my travels talking with them and other people about too.

It's strange but all of this actually leads to me feeling less stressed and from that much less likely to lash out at people when it just all becomes too much emotionally and when it comes to stimulation too which is a great help not just to me but Mom too.

Fresh air and exposure to sunlight  ultimately are better for me.