Birthday edition

*Something* happened last week that has a tendency to occur once a year I believe which given how I am remains a child's birthday for a boy in a dress like me.

It was my birthday two days ago in the present into past life I live as this adult in law in all other respects a child it is not that surprising that parts of my birthday are just as you might of expected them to of been when I was younger by date of birth.

I still watch children's programs some different than I did back when I could sing along to "Remember you're a womble" and some that actually still run one of which as you know is my favourite all time program, Blue Peter

  

I might of mentioned I have a many of the books I was given from the late sixties up to the early 1990's for Christmas that I then bought myself but as anyone around that time knows, there were a number of years where they were not issued such as in 1986, 1990 and 1993 through 1998.

Typically they had accounts of the main features on the show, overseas trips with pictures and the 'makes' - things made from paper, card recycled bits and bobs not forgetting the sticky back plastic - of the previous 12 months.

That means some of things I remember by way of the 'makes' such as Tracy Island one of the 1990's featuring locally born Anthea Turner were never documented and as I don't have books 1 through 4 and from 28 onwards there are gaps.

This book with its forward from Valerie came out on the back of last years 60th anniversary covers many of the such as the classic Advent Crown and yes Tracy Island too!

It has suitably old-fashioned feel too it.

For some reason I didn't get that at Christmas so it kind of makes up for it.

The year 2008 that in this blog is only covered by some of my recently imported photography centred posts saw the 50th anniversary and the then recently sacked producer Richard Marson wrote a book giving an impression from what being inside the program making team of what making the show, the challenges of the live segments, filming and so on was like.

For someone like me this kind of book is of interest as the only show I can recall watching about making it was the November 4th 1974 Blue Peter show that explained camera work and the studio side.

Coming out during the same year, Biddy Baxter who played a big part in making the show what it was (and is) wrote an introduction to this book and selected the letters sent to the show by viewers.

Letters as the ten year old me recalls were a big thing about the show because it was how we interacted with it and was a main route by which you earned your badges so it reflects very much what we felt about the programs and our interests at the time.

It also has some letters from adults too as sometimes the show caused controversy like how in 1969 Peter Purves showed men caring for baby Daniel by being doing so and some adults actually thought he should of been doing an adventure instead with Valerie Singleton doing that as she was a woman!

Thank goodness as a society we've moved on from such attitudes!!!

I also had some money that will help pay for some bits for my new digital photography kit I mentioned a few weeks ago.

One tv show I  loved was Blue Peter and this originally published a few years ago is less a potted history of the show by  its producer and film editor from 1975 through 2011 although it does give you a breakdown of presenters, notable program items, years expeditions and appeals talks about the challenges in filming and making the show and working with presenters, guests and yes the numerous pets who were for a long time on the production set.

One thing I also love us music, especially classical music and this acclaimed recording came out but a month ago on Super Audio cd, playable on regular stereo cd on what looks to be a great new symphony cycle by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra of music  by Schubert. My main set is from the 1960's with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra conducted by the late Karl Bohm.

One thing I am keen to do is expand as far as is possible my range of classical recordings on  super audio cd and Berlioz is one composer I do like.

I got this two disc set of his Romeo and Juliet opera with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony which is highly acclaimed .

There's no one like Andrew, Andrew Davis that is  having seen him conduct and a week ago this brand new recording of Berlioz's L'Enfante du Christ was issued as a double Super audio cd that will join my collection of Berlioz's works on sacd.

Birthdays do have an element of the past in the present for me and so it was fitting a collection of stories that connected a certain Paddington Bear with a tv show I loved was bound to feature.

 The stories were written by Michael Bond for the year annuals of Blue Peter published 1966 through 1972 so tend to be about 14 pages long per story that makes the easy to dip into although a little familiarity with the show and presenting team at the time helps.
Actually I did at one point have a copy as I had other things connected to the tv series  so it's nice to get another hard back copy.

This is an illustration from it and it's in lovely condition, with no felt tip pen scrawling and the like in its original 1973 form.