The Head Girl at the Gables & What Katy Did

Part of this whole adult still  a child side of me involves reading  often things about or even from  my childhood so today I'm looking at some books I read back then.

It's a story about a girl called Lorraine who wasn't thought of being Head Girl material by all her peers at The Gables, their school being rather quiet and withdrawn, scarcely one of the schools personalities.

The Headmistress, Miss Kingsley has altogether different thoughts so she's appointed but from the get go, a hard struggle for Lorraine to win the girls over begins. 

She decides to organize a School Show, finding a new ally in artistically minded Claudia, taking command in a most surprising effective way.

She finds a newly discovered talent for painting as part of her school life which leads to the unmasking of a dangerous spy ring. 

The What Katy Did trilogy  by Susan Coolidge a I originally read but never owned as a child having more of Enid Blyton's novels but a good few years back I bought the 1989 World Distributors editions together with Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

I hope to read more.

Also spach Zarathustra

Like many, my introduction to this work by Richard Strauss was on the back of 2001: A Space  Odyssey where the introduction was used in the 1968 movie directed by Stanley Kubrick.

I heard a number borrowing from the library, did own the 1979 Riccardo Muti recording on lp and also from my older brother which did own this one that I recently bought in its newly remastered form from the 1974 analogue tapes that I'm currently enjoying.

Many put this recording over Herbert von Karajan's later 1984 digital remake with the same orchestra. 

The Feminine Schoolgurl

 Most people who have a little side would find it easy to point at one picture and say that is them and from that point a conversation would ensue around pasts, how they like to present as that eternal child now both as more social wear and especially any kind of adult sized school wear.

When you are a gurl like me, a person who is secure in their sex identity as a boy but has sides that are culturally feminine that also goes into clothing preferences it is always going to be different because our existence defies cultural expectations even amongst littles.

As a person with a adult little gurl age of 12 this is close to how I see myself just perhaps a year or two younger in full school girl uniform right down to pereline socks and T Bar shoes although I do wear tights sometimes as do many contemporary British schoolgirls.

It's not that I can't wear the sort of grey short trousers I HAD to back then when the system treated me as a Boy it's just that I have that inner longing to present  in the more feminine way I felt then and now.

I actually own an 'over sized' uniform that starts from having a blazer that goes in a mix and match way with dresses, skirts and a pair of lined short trousers based loosely around what I and my peers did wear but from ranges that fit my size and worn in the same sort of way.

The common factor is it's a biological boy in them all the time whose gender is more neither girl or boy but "sissy" incorporated into the World of Girls as a gurl, taking your lead from them.

I'd like everyone to treat me as child within I am.

Old but not forgotten - artists we loved

In response to much talk on the Angels forum site and with inspiration from Linzi, here is a page to place links to those artists who may be 'old' but certainly not forgotten.

Linzi mentioned her recollection of seeing Paper Lace on Top of the Pops in 1974, after I mentioned about owning and playing an 8 track tape of theirs featuring the hits, The Black-eyed boys, Billy, Don't Be A Hero and The Night Chicago Died.

Here's the link to a Paper Lace web site: www.sonsandlovers.co.uk./PAPER%20LACE.htm

Anyone of certain age will recall seeing a leather clad gent with an infamous leather glove who had a string of hits in the mid 70's.

Yes, we are talking about the one and only Alvin Stardust responsible for 'Jealous Guy' and 'My Coo-Coo Choo' amongst others. He also starred in a Green Cross Code public information film shown on british television.
Jealous Guy video: ALVIN STARDUST -jealous mind
The official site: http://www.alvinstardust.com Alvin contributes to it.
A good fan site is http://alexgitlin.com/nnp/as.htm

Mocked by many but loved for the image as well as the music were the Rubettes.

Nobody, repeat nobody around in the summer of '74 forgets 'Sugar Baby Love' quickly - infectious sugar coated pop music with a doo-wop twist. Another staple of Top of the Pops in the 70's.

There is a good CD out 'The Very Best Of The Rubettes' with all the hits and more available.
The have an official website: http://www.rubettes.com but it has shock wave stuff on it so it may take a while - connection permitting - to fully load.

Forgotten by some but keenly remembered by some of us are the Scottish Group Slik which featured a young Midge Ure. They had a number 1 hit with the song Forever And Ever in February 1976 and released an album entitled Slik on Bell Records which featured Dancerama and Requiem, a top twenty single.

Here's some links: http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/slik

For more on Rich Kids who were formed from Slik see http://punkmodpop.free.fr/richkids_pic.htm.

Musically similar to Roxy Music the group Sailor hold a place in the hearts of many of us around in the mid 1970's in the UK. They had smash hit singles with Glass Of Champaign in late 1975 and Girls Girls Girls in early 1976.

Links to the band can be found here http://www.sailor-marinero.com/sailor_main.htm

Although it's Various Artists, the film Flashdance and it's Soundtrack often crops up in conversation about 80's music. 

Certainly it is an excellent soundtrack album with songs by Georgio Moroder and has the hits 'Manic', 'Lady, Lady, Lady' and the title track (by Irene Cara).

A film database listing information and comments on the film is available http://imdb.com/title/tt0085549/
A fans site outling the films impact on popular culture can be found at:
http://angelfire.com/80s/flashdance/

Another artist very sadly missed since her death in 2004 is Laura Branigan. She had six studio albums showcasing her remarkable voice and featuring both original songs and inspired cover versions.

A new compilation Platinum Collection comes out July 24th featuring the hits, such as Gloria and choice album tracks.

There is beautiful site dedicated to her and her spirit see http://www.laurabraniganonline.com/
Do visit it.

Third Base

 

It's that time of year and I love wearing short skirts so this Honeybee Games type skirt the sort we all used to wear for PE is just great with T shirts.

Handstands are really cool and I wasn't bad at them but you'd need gym knickers  underneath it  to avoid showing anything that's best kept covered.

Nicely finished I could just fancy a game of Hockey and maybe Rounders over afternoon tea.

Perhaps a game of tennis even?

The Steve Miller Band on cd

As you know from last weeks entry I do like music, visiting a record shop on my hols which is a bit of a ritual that goes back to around 1977 and 78 when I first got interested more in buying albums being just in my teens than singles.

One group I like is the Blues Rock group, The Steve Miller Band who've been going from about 1968 and in 1990 the British arm of Capitol Records issued this jolly useful compilation of that early work which included Livin' In The U.S.A and The Joker from the 1973 album of the same name.

That was one of the cd's I bought used last week.

The biggest selling compilation of theirs is Greatest Hits 1974-1978 which has hits from the Fly Like an Eagle and Book Of Dreams albums of 1976 and 1977 respectively plus some earlier recordings which was issued by Capitol in the U.S.A and Mercury in the UK/Europe in 1978.

One criticism that can be made of the original lp and cd was the didn't use the original stereo mix tapes but copies often edited for the singles versions.

In 1997 a man called Steve Hoffman who has a music forum I joined this April remastered this compilation for the specialist cd re-issue company DCC Classics in California from those original tapes to great effect.

I recent bought a new old stock sealed version of that cd which sounds much better than my Mercury one I bought way back in March 1987 providing me with great versions of Fly Like an Eagle, Jet Airliner and Swingtown.

This was another I picked up while away although I hired it in 1987 shortly after release from a cd lending service I belonged to and recorded a lot of the songs from it but that tape doesn't play too well anymore.

There is a bit of over lap with the 1974-78 Greatest Hits set but this is good for having songs from 1981's Circle of Love, 1982's Abracadabra and 1984's Italian X-ray Eyes so we get Give It Up, Shangla La and Abracadabra plus a few more tracks from Fly Like an Eagle and Book Of Dreams sounding very good on this 1987 cd. 

This selection of discs gives me great sounding versions of many of the Steve Miller Bands greatest hits and notable album tracks.

Summer Hols 2006

Today I'm writing about my visit to the Snowdonia national park, in Wales recently as I had been experiencing a lot of stress and it was having a serious effect on my mental well-being.

I was greeted by exceptional hot, sunny weather affording superb views of Mount Snowdon and the isolated moorlands surrounding it.

The lambs were all out in the fields young and old some having a chew of the grass, others sheltering in the shade of nearby hedges, walls and trees.

A few had the bright idea of exploring the human domain of the narrow roads and we needed to slow down to allow them to cross back into the fields.

I liked the solitude up there but I’m not sure the idea of being literally miles way from the nearest market town would really do for me which I guess is a reflection of my urban upbringing.

Betws–y-coed is a place I like to stop off at as here are good range of shops and spectacular waterfalls. There are a lot woodlands in the area and I took a lot photos – on my ageing Minolta XD7 of the trees, sometimes lying underneath the branches to get the viewpoint I wished to capture.

Llandudno: It remains a largely unspoilt Victorian seaside resort with excellent shopping facilities. The Theatre is really good and many amateur choral performances are hold during the summer season in local churches. On Tuesday there was a Brass Band concert taking place, appropriately enough, on the Bandstand along the promenade. The players were really good – I’m no great fan of Brass Bands but the musicianship couldn’t be faulted.
Bangor: 

I visit here a lot, being a University town with bookshops and some good Pubs that serve meals. 

There is an excellent record shop on the High Street, Cob Records, whose staff really know about music. 

The main store is in Porthmadog – this is a ‘satellite’ store – it has a first rate second hand vinyl department that is well worth rummaging through and stock new vinyl releases too.

I took the bus to Conway - there is a very frequent service - travelling on the river, strolling around the town and enjoying the castle

Things that didn’t go as they should: I days filming got wasted as a Fuji film become tight and tore whilst rewinding it out of the camera – we came close Basil Fawty worthy meltdown!