Day 181: Drive on

Today's soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys - Very

Today was spent out front, finishing off the driveway cleaning. A job that took most of the day, having unfortunately underestimated the halfway point yesterday. It's actually quite therapeutic - at least the 'washing' bit is...the 'shovelling up the crap' bit is just backbreaking!

Still, by about half three, the bulk of the work was done, all the dirt that had wedged itself in the cracks had been dislodged, swept up and redistributed in the flower beds (I've convinced myself it's really fertile stuff - we'll see about that) and I was showered and freshened, a significant amount of the dirt had found its way beneath my clothes somehow, as well as lodging itself in my hair and beneath my fingernails - ugh!

With the promise of good weather continuing across the weekend, I'd persuaded Mrs W that this might be the opportunity to crank up the barbie. Not that she took a great deal of persuading. So it was off to the farm shop to get some essentials - burgers, beef, lamb and salad - to go with the marinaded chicken that's been lurking in the freezer for a goodly while. Oh, and to pick up a few bottle of wine as well.

I really ought to check out the barbie itself - I've a horrible feeling there may still be some cremated ribs lurking on the grill from last time we cranked it up...over twelve months ago...

Then back home to put my feet up after my day of hard labour - until my services were required in the kitchen! A nice spag bol tonight, rich of sauce and piquant with herbiness. Eaten whilst watching The Killing Room on Sky, in the absence of any really rubbish films on DVD to watch.

Petties on the soundtrack again, with what is probably their strongest album. It is, quite literally, Very Pet Shop Boys!

I seem to remember buying my copy in Dublin, or maybe Cork, on one of my work trips over there. In any event, I got the album in its rather posh orange 'dimple pack' livery, which I'd like to think is some kind of rare 'special edition' but which is no doubt as common as muck.

Whatever. The Petties really hit their stride with this album. Go West was the big single, but the other singles off the album - 'Can You Forgive Her' and 'I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing' - are archetypal PSB.

Here's the video for 'Can You Forgive Her?' - nice headwear chaps!

Day 180: Drive, She Said

Today's soundtrack: David Bowie - Bowie at the Beeb

Actually, she didn't, but why let the truth get in the way of a convoluted song-title-based pun?

Having started to re-tile the bathroom, in true male fashion I have chosen to leave that job unfinished and start another one. To wit, the cleaning/de-weeding of the driveway at the front of the house. We've got one of those brick-laid drives, which look great when clean and well-maintained, but which look a mess when they get dirty and clogged with grass, moss and weeds.

Guess what ours looks like?

And it looks even worse when the neighbours have just cleaned theirs up...

So suitably shamed, it was on the list of things to do. And with the sudden onset of decent weather for a few days, I thought best do the drive while the sun was shining and save the tiling for the rainy days that will surely return soon.

So it was on with the wellies, out with the pressure washer, and away we went. I actually really enjoy half of this job - the pressure washing itself, blasting away at the moss and leaves, and sending a mucky river of sludge down the driveway, pristine bricks behind me. Unfortunately this sludge has got to be disposed of somehow - and it's wet, heavy and smelly.

Anyway, half the drive was successfully cleaned today, leaving the other half for tomorrow.

Oh, the convoluted song-title based pun? Surprisingly, I've two completely separate songs with the title 'Drive, She Said' - one by John Cooper Clarke, the other by Julian Cope. Unsurprisingly, neither refer to the singers' spouses ordering them to scrub the pathway...

So not much else to report today. While I was out breaking my back in the name of good neighbourliness, I was downloading the latest version of iTunes, which was launched with great fanfare by Apple the previous day. No major changes, other than an interesting 'Genius Mix' feature that analyses your music collection and prepares 'mix tapes' based upon specific music types. I suspect a few teething problems, since it gave me a 'Female Singer/Songwriter Mix' that was based upon 'Crowded House, Edwyn Collins, Scouting For Girls and others'.

Mrs W returned home in a nice Lexus tonight - her boss is changing his company car and she's got the use of his old car for a week or so. Very nice it is too, albeit with a tiny boot, and not something she ought to be getting used to any time soon! Not that I'm jealous or anything!

She brought home a couple of Salmon steaks, which I baked in the oven in foil parcels - I marinated the salmon in some sesame oil and maple syrup, with some chopped garlic and seasoning, than baked in a hot oven for 20 minutes or so. Served the salmon on a bed of fried brown rice, combined with a melange of stirfried vegetables.

Oh yes.

The Dame on the soundtrack today. Is this for the first time? Can't remember him coming up before. Bowie at the Beeb is, unsurprisingly, a compilation of songs recorded in session for the BBC, mainly from his pre-Ziggy period, with a 'bonus' disc recorded for the Beeb in 2000. I've quite a selection of BBC session discs, and by and large the quality is pretty high. I'd particularly recommend the Zeppelin sessions, the Hendrix sessions and, naturally, The Beatles at the Beeb as well.

Bowie is on the cover of this month's edition of Word as well, which turned up today. To be read in the garden this weekend when the sun is shining, bottle of cider on the go, cat at my feet!

And here's the Dame on the Beeb - actually on the Whistle Test back in 1972, in his satin and tat!