The magic of Autumn

 After last weeks trip to the past this week we're in the present even the inspiration is very much from our childhoods.

Things that with all the other stuff in the world going on that I'm far more interested in is Halloween which creeps in towards the end of next month and in the first couple of days of November.

Good things about for me include spending more time outdoors as I'm not really an indoors type of person at all which can include things like outdoor crafts such as pumpkin based lantern making and games which benefit from having that room to spread around.

In the past they would of included things like toffee apples, dress up with props

 

There's nothing wrong with getting up in the trees and even being a fairy

Fall is magical for the amazing colours of leaves that may be gathered and I can remember when I was young doing a leaf based collage on black card.

He may be thinking "Can I jump up there?" but if he hangs around long enough a leaf will land right on his nosey!

Now Yearbook 1979

 Delayed for obvious reasons, we are getting around to reviewing the latest edition in NOW's yearbook series that sees us return to the nineteen seventies, an era generally not well covered in year based compilations.

As with every issue in this series that started in 2021, this comes out in two cd forms, a simple cheaper quadraple fold card sleeve or in a book edition which has short entries each song, a short resumé of the year and a quiz.

Issued on September 9th, I opted to get the book edition with its 85 songsalthough there is a shorter 3lp version available too.

There's a decent width spine and the four discs are held in cuts outs which I lined with mylar inner sleeves

Musically the main chart sound as disco based which is well represented by Donna Summer and Hot Stuff, soul veteran Edwin Starr with Contact, the Village People with Y.M.C.A. and In The Navy (covered comically by Billy Connolly as In The Brownies) and Leif Garratts I Was Made For Dancing.

Classy soul included Still by the Commodores (darn fine group btw), Woman In Love by the Three Degrees, Lady's Night by Kool & The Gang and September by Earth, Wind and Fire.

Reggae including Ska was big thanks to the Two Tone scene  with On My Radio by the Selector, One Step Beyond by Madness, that nutty North London group, Silly Games by Janet Kay and Walking On  The Moon by the Police..

Great Pop included Pop Music by M, I Only Want To Be With You by the Tourists, We Don't Talk Any More by Cliff Richard, Bang Bang by B A Robinson, Abba with Chiquitta and Queen's Don't Stop Me Know.

New wave as big in in 1979 which pleased me so Dreaming by Blondie, Eton Rifles by the Jam, Accidents Will Happen by Elvis Costello, Money by the Flying lizards, I Don't Like Mondays and Rock Lobster are all included.

The Cars aren't included but after their first two UK hits were bigger in the States, pity as I loved them buying Candy-O that year.

Heaver rock sounds came in although they tended to sell better on albums so Rainbow's Since You Been Gone, Bat Out Of Hell by Meat loaf feature as does Rappers Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, the first really popular rap song.

It was a fantastic year to be a teen into music with big variety of styles, images and associated youth culture and we haven't even mentioned Don't Stop Til You Get enough from Michael Jackson's first Epic solo album issued that year.

On October 21st the now legendary top "Extra" volume was released that added an additional 67 tracks to the series in the more bare bones tri-fold card sleeve with slots for each disc.

This set isn't quite as disco heavy as the main having a mixture of Pop, New Wave and then Disco hits included such as Cats U.K. with Luton Airport a ditty to that other "London" airport, Sally Oldfield's Mirrors and the hard to forget as a fifteen year old Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney.

Other hard to forget numbers include Mike Oldfield's arrangement of the Blue Peter tv show theme, Daytrip To Banger by Fiddler's Dram and Gerry Rafferty's Get It Right Next Time from his Night Owl album.

Add a dose of new wave classics to the mix and it couldn't be better!

The Queen and Me

It was announced on Thursday 8 September at four-thirty pm Queen, Elizabeth 2nd had died at Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

At the heart of this institution lies a family and her in this picture taken in 1936 Elizabeth aged 10 with her father who my parents knew as King George VI and upon his death in 1952 she ascended the throne as Queen reigning for some seventy years, marking the anniversary in June this year.

Her service as Queen was beyond reproach.

The Queen pictured on the right was a Girl Guide but of course had been a Brownie before and this colour photograph restored shows the then uniforms.

Some might write more about her as an adult but that is not my focus as for me it was more that we grew up with her family, sharing in that story as children just like us, learning about them, yea even meeting them.

Her comedy sketch filmed for her 70th Anniversary of being Queen with Paddington Bear, taking tea, revealing her taste for Marmalade sandwiches after Paddington has some near misses before they tap out using a tea spoon against the cups the beat of the Queen song We Will Rock You that lead to a live performance wasn't just funny but connected with children.

It let out beyond all her adult role that eternal child-like side that could take pleasure in the simple things of life.

For me she was a role model and from now on I feel drawing from her life, not least her childhood dressing more as she would of, embracing my feminine gurl side is the better lesson to not just learn but go with.

Be that feminine gurl, be reliable, trust worthy and work on being the best you one is capable of.

Return to home school for Littles

Officially  across the land thousands have returned to their daily routines, others changed buildings and some freshly started.

In England school returns and the active wear gets changed for school uniform of various sorts with the adults kicking up a fuss about it and yet isn't it easier when you just have the one thing to wear and you know your peers will too?

Back in the day feminine gurls like me would get short thrift for even saying we'd rather wear a skirt or dress to school when not being insulted and humilated by staff when we did show the slightest sign of not gender conforming.

These days through being a Little and a Gurl there's no reason I cannot wear a pinafore dress or a smart skirt based school uniform while letting that side out perhaps doing some formal study