Dust In The Wind

The Triple Crown , The French And Melweg

2008-03-08T14:39:00.000-08:00

So - "where has he been ?" you ask. The answer is all over Western Europe but frequently in London and Amsterdam.

First up however, today Wales won the Triple Crown. This will mean nothing to those of you who live outside the UK (unless you live in France or Italy) but tonight has been party night in Cardiff and "National Pride" has finally been restored.

Next Saturday we play France in Cardiff for the Championship and the Grand Slam.

Win and Cardiff won't sleep for a week.

Then there was Melweg in Amsterdam and The Gutter Twins (Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli ; both American citizens but you've never heard of them I guess).

To say this was a mind blowing experience would be an understatement. 6 hours sleep in 3 days and the "horror drive" of all time back from Bristol Airport.

And London - God I hate the place now. Meetings about PSBA (Public Sector Broadand Aggregation). Yes people ; he really does work for a living and this project might just kill me or my collegue Ben who's been made to suffer also.

"Dead Blog" Ferfe ? No - not yet. I want to see some sunshine and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Next stop Barcelona.

Hugs to all.

Scotland The Brave Shot Down In Flames

2008-02-11T12:47:00.000-08:00

Wales 30 - Scotland 15

I promise you all that this isn't going to turn into a boring rugby blog. But this is about as exciting as Welsh rugby has been for 10 years or more. The game on Saturday was simply stunning : the party - as predicted - continued well into Sunday (and it's probably still going on somewhere).

We now have a two week break before we play Italy in Cardiff. If we win that ............

( By the been way Ruby - it's unlikely that you've driven past my kitchen window but if you've been anywhere like Chapter in Cardiff you've been 5 minutes away).

The Power And The Glory

2008-02-04T13:06:00.001-08:00

ENGLAND 19 - WALES 26

I'm sure that to many people who view this blog from time to time this means very little.

If you live in Wales, however, it marks the end of 20 years of pain and humiliation as the Welsh rugby team finally pounded the English into the mud at Twickenham.

Great, great joy : so much so that some us might need trauma counselling.

Next Saturday we play Scotland in Cardiff about a mile away from my house.

I might become unbearable if we win.

For The Rose (The End Of The Affair)

2008-01-22T11:51:00.001-08:00

Time, all the long red lines, that take
Control, of all the smoke-like streams that flow into your
Dreams, that big blue open sea, that can't be
Crossed, that can't be climbed, just born
Between, oh the two white lines, distant gods and faded
Signs, of all those blinking lights, you had to pick the one tonight...

Holes, dug by little moles, angry jealous
Spies, got telephones for eyes, come to you as
Friends, all those endless ends, that can't be
Tied, oh they make me laugh, and always make me
Cry, until they drop like flies, and sink like polished
Stones, of all the stones I throw,
How does that old song go?
How does that old song go?...

Roman Candles

2008-01-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

How many special people change
How many lives are living strange
Where were you when we were getting high?
Slowly walking down the hall
Faster than a cannon ball
Where were you while we were getting high?

Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova in the sky
Some day you will find me
Caught beneath the landslide
In a champagne supernova
A champagne supernova in the sky

London Haymarket - 2007 Finally Ends

2007-12-31T14:45:00.001-08:00

I know I dreamed you, a sin and a lie,

I have my freedom but I don't have much time

Faith has been broken tears must be cried,

Let's do some living after we die



Wild Horses, couldn't drag me away,

Wild, wild horses, we'll ride them someday

Merlin - London. December 29, 2007

2007-12-30T14:54:00.001-08:00

Here are we one magical moment
Such is the stuff from
which dreams are woven.

Bending sound
Dredging the ocean lost in my circle.

Here am I
Flashing no colour tall in this room
overlooking the ocean.

Seasons Greetings From The Bush Of Ghosts

2007-12-23T13:07:00.001-08:00

And I, too, live inside me and very often don't know who I am;
I know I'm not a hero;well, I hope that I'm not damned.
I'm just a man, and killers, angels, all are these,
dictators, saviours, refugees in war and peace
as long as Man lives...

A very happy and joyous Christmas to you all. Lets' not forget what it's all about.

( Manchester United 2 : Everton 1)

More Ghosts Appear And Fade Away (Possibly)

2007-12-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

And she and I would sleep on a boat
And swim in the sea without clothes
With rain falling fast on the sea
While she was swimming away, she'd be winking at me
Telling me it would all be okay
Out on the horizon and fading away
And I'd swim to the boat and I'd laugh
I gotta get me a Sylvia Plath

And maybe she'd take me to France
Or maybe to Spain and she'd ask me to dance
In a mansion on the top of a hill
She'd ash on the carpets
And slip me a pill
Then she'd get pretty loaded on gin
And maybe she'd give me a bath
How I wish I had a Sylvia Plath

It must be near Xmas. Ex-girlfriends are appearing everwhere.
Why do I get this funny,sinking feeling ?

( No answer necessary).

Guitars As Promised

2007-12-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

I like to eat bananas
Cos they got no bones
I like marijuana
Cos it gets me stoned.

Deke Leonard - former owner of the Ibanez.

(You should have been there ; really you should have !).

Temptation

2007-11-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

You're an impossible dream
So when I go to bed
That's all I'm doing I'm just sleeping
Cocktails in the ESP
Think about you to think about me

I wonder -- I wanna see you tonight
I wanna see you, I wanna see you,
I wanna see you smiling back at me in the starlight

Shining on the streets downtown
I was looking for you
Looking for me, again
God I wanna taste your mouth
Back you up against the wall behind a subway station

I wanna see you smile
I wanna see, I wanna see, I wanna see you tonight
Meet me on the corner -- 44th and Broadway
Did it rain, oh, God

Following Lines

2007-11-10T16:26:00.001-08:00

So, this is the Wales Millenium Centre in Cardiff (about a mile away from my house) where later today (Sunday) I finally get to catch up with Ryan Adams - a man who is at least 20 years more mature than his age and who makes The Eagles sound like a bunch of naive, naughty schoolboys.

(Which - let's face it - is pretty much what they are with the exception of Don Henley).

After this I only have Spoon left to see before I can happily shuffle off this mortal coil and leave my millions to Zara to pursue her career in bi-sexual surgery. I might even travel to the good old USA to see them - you are warned. (Anyone live near Austin, Texas? I'll pay for bed & breakfast).

" How do I hold on to you if I can't hold on to me ?"

Guy Fawkes Night - Cardiff

2007-11-05T00:43:00.001-08:00

Festive Welsh folk celebrate Guy Fawkes night in the time honoured tradition.

Remember The 5th Of November (Why ?)

2007-11-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sandy the fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight
Forcin' a light into all those stoned-out faces left stranded on this Fourth of July
Down in town the circuit's full with switchblade lovers so fast so shiny so sharp
And the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York girls

I don't know if you celebrate November 5th anywhere else ; there seems to be a massive gap in my education here. To be honest I don't know why we celebrate November 5th in the UK any more.

But tonight Cardiff was truly spectacular.; sometimes I remember why I love living in this insane country so much !

From My Colleague Mikey (who is as cynical as me)

2007-10-31T06:45:00.000-07:00

Bullshit Bingo

Do you keep falling asleep in meetings and seminars? What about those long and boring conference calls? Here is a way to change all of that!

How to play: Check off each block when you hear these words during a meeting, seminar, or phone call. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, stand up and shout BULLSHIT!!

Synergy	Strategic Fit	Gap Analysis	Best Practice	Bottom Line
Revisit	Bandwidth	Hardball	Out of the Loop	Benchmark
Value-Added	Proactive	Win-Win	Think Outside the Box	Fast Track
Result-Driven	Empower [or] Empowerment	Knowledge Base	Total Quality [or] Quality Driven	Touch Base
Mindset	Client Focus[ed]	Ball Park	Game Plan	Leverage

Testimonials from satisfied players:

"I had only been in the meeting for five minutes when I won." -Jack W. - Boston

"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically." -David D. - Florida

"What a gas. Meetings will never be the same for me after my first win." -Bill R - New York City

"The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the 5^th box." -Ben G. - Denver

"The speaker was stunned as eight of us screamed 'Bingo' for the third time in 2 hours." - Kathleen L. - Atlanta

El Padrone ( On His Birthday).

2007-10-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

A short time ago - I believe on Eva Gales's blog ( smooches to you sweetie) I think I explained that I'd been "away" for a while shedding my skin again and turning into a (slightly) different person. This happens every few years ; to me anyway.

I'm not sure if I like this guy yet, but at least he seems to be happy - or totally smashed.

What the hell ? It was my birthday.

I was a quick wet boy
Diving too deep for coins
All of your straight blind eyes
Wide on my plastic toys
And when the cops closed the fair
I cut my long baby hair
Stole me a dog-eared map
And called for you everywhere

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill looming

Now I’m a fat house cat
Cursing my sore blunt tongue
Watching the warm poison rats
Curl through the wide/white fence cracks
Kissing on magazine photos
Those fishing lures thrown in the cold and clean
Blood of Christ mountain stream

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, brown hair bleeding
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill, stuck going down

London Calls (Louder Than Ever)

2007-10-15T14:30:00.001-07:00

You live beneath another star
You are pretending love is worth waiting for
You always breathe another air
The rivers in the distance must be leading somewhere

Heatwave, Heatwave
Why is it rolling down on the young and foolish?
Heatwave, Heatwave
Are we rich or poor ?
Does it matter anymore?
Heatwave

Can this be all we will desire ?
Straw houses in the promised land
Why is it time for taking sides ?
When all I say and do is take too many chances

Heatwave, Heatwave
Why is it rolling down on the young and foolish ?
Heatwave, Heatwave
Are we rich or poor ?
Does it matter anymore?
Heatwave

Severn Estuary : 6.00 AM

2007-10-09T14:16:00.001-07:00

Well, my money's no good when I'm up to no good
No good ever comes from it, honest
I got a really good heart
I just can't catch a break
If i could I'd treat you like you wanted me to I promise

But I'm fractured from the fall
And I wanna go home
I'm fractured from the fall
And I wanna go home
But it takes two when it used to take one

Men Playing With Their Balls

2007-10-07T14:52:00.001-07:00

This might just be my favourite place in the world. Barcelona, Venice, New York - all wonderful places but "home is where the heart is" and a large part of mine is here (and has been for 25 years).

The ghosts of some of my best friends haunt this place : sometimes I can feel their presence.

I feel comfortable here and I belong here. It's old (about 120 years) , it's seedy (you wouldn't believe how some of the people who play here make a living!) and it's almost exclusively members and men only need apply.

It's where you can find me at 1:00 in the morning most Saturday nights talking utter bullshit and loving every minute of it.

And it's one of the last remaining parts of "real" Cardiff.

Finally a few of the guys I play ball with. If you think they're all older than me you're right (thank heavens). I always was the "enfant terrible" !

Another year passes ; I don't like the 21st century at all.

And Now Something For My German Friends....

2007-10-04T06:54:00.001-07:00

October

2007-10-02T06:47:00.001-07:00

One more drink tonight as your gray stallion rests
Where he lays in the reins
For all of the speed and the strength he gave

One more kiss tonight from some tall stable girl
She’s like grace from the earth
When you’re all tuckered out and tame

One more tired thing the gray moon on the rise
When your want from the day
Makes you to curse in your sleep at night

One more gift to bring we may well find you laid
Like your steed in his reins
Tangled too tight and too long to fight

By Popular Demand (Sort Of).

2007-09-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
You been out ridin’ fences for so long now
Oh, you’re a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin’ you
Can hurt you somehow

Don’ you draw the queen of diamonds, boy
She’ll beat you if she’s able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet
Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can’t get

Desperado, oh, you ain’t gettin’ no youger
Your pain and your hunger, they’re drivin’ you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that’s just some people talkin’
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don’t your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won’t snow and the sun won’t shine
It’s hard to tell the night time from the day
You’re loosin’ all your highs and lows
Ain’t it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin’, but there’s a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it’s too late

Back Into The Future

2007-09-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Oh can't you see me standing here,

I've got my back against the record machine

I ain't the worst that you've seen.

Oh can't you see what I mean ?

From A Radio Engine To A Photon Wing

2007-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

The phone don't ring
And the sun refused to shine
Never thought I'd have to pay so dearly
For what was already mine
For such a long, long time

We made mad love
Shadow love
Random love
And abandoned love
Accidentally like a martyr
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder

The days slide by
Should have done, should have done, we all sigh
Never thought I'd ever be so lonely
After such a long, long time
Time out of mind

We made mad love
Shadow love
Random love
And abandoned love
Accidentally like a martyr
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder

2007-09-22T17:23:00.001-07:00

I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence and
So the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're going through

Close To The Edge - And Back

2007-09-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

There is lambswool under my naked feet.
The wool is soft and warm,
-gives off some kind of heat.
A salamander scurries into flame to be destroyed.
Imaginary creatures are trapped in birth on celluloid.
The fleas cling to the golden fleece,
Hoping they'll find peace.
Each thought and gesture are caught in celluloid.
There's no hiding in my memory.
There's no room to void.

The crawlers cover the floor in the red ochre corridor.
For my second sight of people, they've more lifeblood than before.
They're moving. They're moving in time to a heavy wooden door,
Where the needle's eye is winking, closing in on the poor.
The carpet crawlers heed their callers:
"We've got to get in to get out
We've got to get in to get out."

Stress people : where have I been for three weeks ? " I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues")

Two Belgian Churches For Eva

2007-09-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

This one's in Bruges. I remember thinking at the time that the tower at the top wasn't exactly perpendicular - it seemed to be sloping slightly. Then I thought it was just me - stoned again.

A couple of days later I was talking to a guy in Antwerp about Bruges and he said " Did you notice that the tower on top of the Church is sloping slightly ?"

This is St. Nicholas in the "Old Town" area of Brussels near the Grand Place (or market square).
Unusual for a Dutch/Belgian Church - it looks very English or possibly German. I should have asked questions : I should also have photographed the interior which is gorgeous.

Who's That Girl (Running Around With You) ?

2007-08-31T10:45:00.001-07:00

You would probably die before you shot up 9 miles high
Your eyes dilated as light played upon the sight
Of TVC16 as it sings you goodnight
Relaxed as hell and locked up in cell 45
I hope you're feeling better

From Brussels - "The Capital Of Europe"

2007-08-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

So what the fuck is this UK
Doing fucking about with the USA
In Iraq and Iran
And Afghanistan ?

Fear And Loathing In Bruges - No Sleep For The Wicked

2007-08-28T09:30:00.001-07:00

I can't get to sleep
I think about the implications
Of diving in too deep
And possibly the complications

Especially at night
I worry over situations
I know will be alright
Perhaps its just my imagination

Day after day it reappears
Night after night my heartbeat, shows the fear
Ghosts appear and fade away.........

Merlin Leaves The Country Shock (Yawn !)

2007-08-21T09:55:00.000-07:00

Lieblings,

Once again I have been forced to abandon my beloved United Kingdom (God bless all who sail in her) for a few days with the savages in Western Europe - in this case the aptly named "Benelux" countries. Back around 28 August.

Just to set the right tone a few endearing words from my old friend Mr John Dowie who suprisingly hasn't been certified or sectioned (or murdered) yet - but I probably will be if he ever reads this :

[Lalalala - Dick van Dyke]

I'm a British Tourist and I'm very, very rude.
I hate the stinking foreigners-hate their stinking food
I don't like French or Germans
I don't care for Belgians much
But worst of all worst of all
I hate the Dutch

The Dutch, the Dutch
I hate them worse than dogs.
They live in windmills
and mince around in clogs.
They don't have any manners
They don't say 'thanks' or 'please'
all they eat is tulips
and stinking gouda cheese...

I'm a British tourist with a countenance severe
I love to strike the foreign type and box their poxied ears
But there's one woggy dago
I cannot bear to touch
The slimy crawling ,stench appalling, snotty grotty Dutch

The Dutch are mad
Their fingers stuck in dikes
They use the wrong side of the road
And ride around on bikes
They don't have any manners,
don't have any brains.

There's only one race worse than them
and that's... THE DANES!

Fuck

2007-08-14T06:14:00.001-07:00

Organisation

2007-08-10T07:06:00.001-07:00

Very recently my little friend Crashdummie was talking about being organised - or not - as the case may be. In order to illustrate my understanding of the situation I thought I'd post the Management Organisation Hierarchy Chart of the Company that I work for.

Just about says it all really.

Home Is Where The Head Is

2007-08-08T10:20:00.002-07:00

If you want to cry
You can always find something to cry about
Its so easy to be wise
Over someone else's tears

But you have a gift
That the rest of us just can't live without
And its something in your voice
When you tell us how you feel

Cause we've all loved something and lost it
And its burning my heart
I can't open my mouth and just let it out

But when I hear my Blue Orpheus sing
I know that life is a wonderful thing
Somewhere there's love and perpetual spring
I know life is a wonderful thing

Persuasion

2007-08-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

You and I, tempted by the promise of a different life
Time has fled, there's a constant battle running through my head
I don't know what to do...'cos I still believe
After all the foolish things you put me through
I could always make a start on something new
And I've alway been a man who's open to
Persuasion

Blind romance, there'll be no half measures given half a chance
But we never learn, trusting in the fire while the cruel flame burns
And we need to rebuild what was never there
What got left behind
After all the foolish things that we've been through
I could always make a start on something new
And I'll always be a man who's open to
Persuasion

And it's written in my heart so that everybody can see it
And it's written in my soul, after all I still believe it
I still believe it
I still believe it
I still believe it
I still believe it

I don't know what to do...'cos I still believe
After all the foolish things you put me through
I could always make a start on something new
And I'll always be a man who's open to
Persuasion - Persuasion

More About Very Cool People

2007-07-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen - Mr Richard Thompson ...... who played at The Point in Cardiff Bay a few nights ago and completely stunned a packed audience of about 800 people.

"Not many" you say ? This is because The Point is a de-consecrated Church that retains all the original features (stained glass windows, candle-lit sconces, choir stalls etc) and - as such - space is limited. It is, however, one of the most magical venues possible with an intimacy that's impossible to describe.

Performers regularly pick up on this : Wow - this is an amazing place to play ; you must be very proud of it. And we are, we are.

Of course this isn't the first time I've seen Richard. We originally met at the Stonedhedge Festival back in 1590 when he was calling himself Cerdic The Bard and playing the lute.

I dimly recall downing several quarts of Mead with him in "The Goat And Scientist" and warning him about the psychotropic qualities of the local "magic mushrooms" : advice he apparently chose to ignore given the evidence of his subsequent performance during which he dropped to his knees and commenced to play the lute with his teeth whilst wailing something that sounded vaguely like " Purple hay - it's in my barn".

"Christ" I thought "give it another 500 years and this might just catch on".

Slightly more in control of himself in 2007 ( experience is a wonderful thing) he played for two hours and included my favourites - "Persuasion" (a song co-written with Tim Finn of Crowded House) , "Vincent Black Lightning" ( a cautionary tale about Irishmen with motorbikes ) and "Turning Of The Tide" ( a cautionary tale about a few women of my aquaintance ; they know who they are ) :

How many boys, one night stands,
How many lips, how many hands, have held you
Like I'm holding you tonight
Too many nights, staying up late,
Too much powder and too much paint
No you can't hide from the turning of the tide

Did they run their fingers up and down your shabby dress
Did they find some tender moment there in your caress

The boys all say "You look so fine"
They don't come back for a second time
Oh you can't hide from the turning of the tide

Poor little sailor boy, never set eyes on a woman before
Did he tell you that he'd love you, darling, for evermore?

Pretty little shoes, cheap perfume,
Creaking bed in a hotel room
Oh you can't hide from the turning of the tide

Did they run their fingers up and down your shabby dress
Did they find some tender moment there in your caress

The boys all say "You look so fine",
They don't come back for a second time
Oh you can't hide from the turning of the tide

A very fine night indeed : see you in another 500 years.

Tagged By "Mailyn The Minx" !

2007-07-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Before we go any further I should explain that I seem to suffer from a slight abnormality : I don't feel any particular sexual desire towards people I've never met. This means that film stars, rock stars, TV personalities and famous models etc. don't seriously turn me on.

I seem to function on the basis of "chemistry" and in order for that chemistry to work I have to be sitting in the same room as you - preferably very, very close to you so that I can see you and smell you and touch you and taste you and run my fingers through your hair and caress your neck and shoulders and kiss your throat and feel your hand moving slowly up my thigh.........enough - you get the idea ?

Anyway : 4 women that I find "do-able". OK , but please bear in mind that these are "Disney Girls" ; as far as I'm concerned none of them are actually "real".

1. Monica Belucci

I've said it before but I'll say it again : sheer perfection.

2. Gwen Stefani

I don't know what it is but Gwen has loads of it and she's got legs that go all the way down to the ground too. They'd look good wrapped around my neck.

3. Zhang Ziyi

Mailyn seems to have a thing about oriental men : I have a bit of a thing about oriental women - particularly this one. Simply stunning.

4. Katherine Jenkins

There has to be one Welsh woman in the list and Katherine Jenkins is an outstandingly beautiful opera singer and untouched by human hand (or so we're told). I don't believe a word of it.

Part II - the 5 men I would most like to get hammered and chill out with will follow shortly.

Mailyn The Minx - Part II

2007-07-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

I don't "do" men. I can't even toy with the idea of "doing" men. If you rate heterosexuality on a scale of 0-100 I score about 350.

There are,however,men who I instictively know I like. Guys who I'd like to spend a night in the bar with : drink some beer,smoke some pot,play some pool,shoot the breeze,stagger home together cackling insanely.

Here are 5 of my favourites. I'm not going to tell you who they are. If you don't know you're either not cool enough or not Welsh enough.

You could have a quiz to see who can name the most of them :

Fall Into Gotham

2007-07-27T02:18:00.000-07:00

Stay out super late tonight picking apples, making pies
put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

Tiptoe through our shiny city with our diamond slippers on
Do our gay ballet on ice
bluebirds on our shoulders
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

Arcachon and Nimrod

2007-07-23T14:40:00.001-07:00

It's a pastel neon tourist town
With turbulent oceans of emerald cream,
Vanilla white, willow lined beaches,
Silver starlings singing
In heliotrope peppered coral coves,
Frilled lavender geckoes
With tiger faces
Dancing in the hyacinth breeze.
Come, sodium night,
Voices washed in milky starlight.
Sweep away the snowy window
With your hands.
My darling,
I am there with you.

The Ladies Of The Night - Paris.

2007-07-20T16:22:00.001-07:00

I spent the night in the map room
I humanised the vacuum
I'm in need of someone to care of me tonight.

Saint Sernins. (Fractured From The Fall).

2007-07-19T09:24:00.003-07:00

When you get the time

Sit down and write me a letter

When you're feeling better

Drop me a line

I wanna know how it all works out
I had a feeling we were fading out
I didn't know that people faded out so fast
And that people faded out
When there was love enough left to fix it
But, there it is

There it is, we are only one push from the nest
There it is, we are only one moment from death.
There it is, the sun rises
But the sun sets, the sun also sets

For Shmoop - who originally suggested it.

2007-07-17T12:41:00.001-07:00

I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was staring in my empty coffee cup
I was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'
All the salty margaritas in Los Angeles
I'm gonna drink 'em up

And if California slides into the ocean
Like the mystics and statistics say it will
I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill

Don't the sun look angry through the trees
Don't the trees look like crucified thieves
Don't you feel like Desperados under the eaves
Heaven help the one who leaves

Still waking up in the mornings with shaking hands
And I'm trying to find a girl who understands me
But except in dreams you're never really free
Don't the sun look angry at me

I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel
I was listening to the air conditioner hum
It went mmmmmm..
........................... Look away..........................................
(Look away down Gower Avenue, Look away....)

PS There is a "star prize" for anyone who can correctly identify the city in this photo.

Purple Pain ( I think the medication's wearing off).

2007-07-17T04:09:00.001-07:00

And you don't talk to the water boy
There's so much you can learn but you won't understand
You have no fear of the underdog
That's why you will not survive.

On a completely different note I have to admit to becoming fascinated with this Cluster Map thingy that now adorns the side of my blog.

I can account for most of the dots on there but who do I know in :

i) The North Of Germany and
ii) The South-East Of France

Hands up please : no need to be shy !

Siddhartha Strikes Again

2007-07-16T11:01:00.001-07:00

With an hour or two to spare this evening I went "blog surfing" - as you do from time to time - and found myself on Dance Chica's blog (don't ask) where I discovered the results of one of those quizzes that predicts your personality.

With my usual scepticism I decided to give it a go and the result was this ; just about perfect as some of you will know.

The link is below if anyone else is tempted.

You're Siddhartha!

by Hermann Hesse

You simply don't know what to believe, but you're willing to try anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you've spent some time in every camp. But you still don't have any idea what camp you belong in. This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely.

It's time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in ferries.

Synopsis of Siddartha :But this man, Siddhartha, was not a follower of any but his own soul. Born the son of a Brahmin, Siddhartha was blessed in appearance, intelligence, and charisma. In order to find meaning in life, he discarded his promising future for the life of a wandering ascetic. Still, true happiness evaded him. Then a life of pleasure and titillation merely eroded away his spiritual gains until he was just like all the other "child people," dragged around by his desires.

(Ah yes .... I think I can definitely see myself in this description).

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Restless (Again).

2007-07-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Mr.D do you want me to be
A farmer, a cowhand, an old country boy ?
To get up in the a.m. and tend to the chores
And leave all my troubles behind a locked door
Layin' with my lady and strummin' on my toy
Oh I know what you mean and it sounds good to me
But oh Mr.D. I'm so restless

Hey Mr.L. so you want me to yell
To howl at the moon when I'm losin' my grip ?
Without no possesions and findin' myself
The picture of mental and physical health
But I'm still payin' dues for that Indian trip
And I know what you mean and it sure rings a bell
But oh Mr.L. I'm so restless

Hey Mr.J. you want me to stray
To be a bad boy a mean boy and ready to kill ?
Wrigglin' and slinkin' in snakeskin and black
Holdin' my thumb on some chick in the sack
And never say no if it gives me a thrill
Well I know what you mean and I'd go all the way
But oh Mr.J. I'm so restless

European Terror Alert - Panic Strikes

2007-07-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

*Subject: **Heightened Security*

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross."

Londoners have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out.

Terrorists have been re‑categorized from "Tiresome" to a "Bloody Nuisance."

The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was during the great fire of 1666.

Also, the French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Surrender" and "Collaborate." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's military capability.

It's not only the English and French that are on a heightened level of alert. Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans also increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbour" and "Lose."

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual, and the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels ..

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy.

These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Unashamed Pimping - Part 1

2007-07-11T02:16:00.000-07:00

So on Friday night I ventured out to "The New Dock Tavern" to see my old friend Phil's new Country and Western Band " Cheatin' Hearts".

As you may have gathered I'm not normally a Country and Western type but these guys can really play and I have something of a "hidden agenda" (There are no prizes for guessing what it might be ; most of you know me too well by now).

Sadly it's unlikely that they'll ever tour outside of South Wales but if you ever get the chance to see them do so : they're talented, they're funny and they're genuinely nice people.

And they do one of my favourite Ryan Adams songs too :

Dancin' where the stars go blue
Dancin' where the evening fell
Dancin' in your wooden shoes
In a wedding gown

Dancin' out on 7th street
Dancin' through the underground
Dancin' little marionette
Are you happy now?

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely
I'll follow you
When the stars go blue

Laughing with your pretty mouth
Laughing with your broken eyes
Laughing with your lover's tongue
In a lullaby

Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely
I'll follow you
When the stars go blue

It seems that the've heard of Warren Zevon as well so my long-term aim is to persuade them into doing a version of " Carmelita" or "Hasten Down The Wind". Possibly I should suggest that they need a pianist ? Hmmm......maybe not ; why spoil a good thing ?

"Pool-Hall Richard" - Now He Wants To Steal Your Woman Too

2007-07-08T08:59:00.001-07:00

Finally, and after much hard work and practice, I reached the pinnacle of my snooker career in the early hours of this morning by taking the coveted title of "Undisputed Champion Of The Back Room Of The Gower Pub" by 67 -22.

There will be some debate about the outcome of this match based, principally, around the totally un-founded accusation that I knobbled my opponent (Mr Hugh O'Driscoll) by slipping him two or three joints of the most evil Columbian grass imaginable in the beer-garden before the match commenced. Apparently this accounts for his total inability to focus clearly on the snooker table (God knows - it's big enough) and the fact that he couldn't seem to recall in what order you have to pot the coloured balls. In my defence I can only explain that I was similarly handicapped and that I seemed to be coping admirably (even if I did keep "losing" the chalk at crucial moments when he needed to chalk the tip of his cue before a vital shot).

As he handed over the £10 he owed me to cover the modest side bet we had on the outcome of the match I thought I heard him mumble "cunt" under his breath but I gave him a lift home just the same as it seemed that his "legs had turned to jelly" and he was having difficulty remembering where he lived.

So - onwards and upwards or perhaps "to infinity and beyond". Next week I get to play my old friend and flat-mate (and best man at my wedding) Mr Chris "Dizzy" Dawes who took great pleasure in demolishing me 3 months ago when I started playing again.

I hope he has his "sense of humour module" firmly plugged in. He's going to need it.

From A Monastery Garden

2007-07-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
In high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth
And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone
Who called to say come dance with me
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn't all it seems
At seventeen

Hammered In Avignon

2007-07-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

So after 7 years of not touching a single drop of alcohol I finally capitulated and got totally hammered in Avignon. Like most things in my life this has a sound, historical grounding : the last time I got totally wasted here was on May 1st 1342 with my old friend Pierre Roger (Pope Clement VI to you ) although he hadn't actually ascended at that time ( He became Pope 6 days later on May 7 and he was still hungover at the time).

Anyway we were sitting there in the sunshine on our 5th or 6th pint of Creme de Menthe when he said to me :

" Merlin old boy - tell me what you think about all this birth control business. You like to put it about a bit ; what's with all this "condom stuff" ? "

As future Popes go Pierre Roger (Rog to his friends) knew how to get down and rip it up a bit himself and I knew he'd had his eyes on the barmaid for some time so I thought I'd better fill him in on a few facts of life.

" They just don't do it for me Rog" I said, " all that animal intestine wrapped round my dick takes the fun out of it and the smells a major turn-off dude ; best stick to the tried and tested coitus interruptus bit even if it is a bit messy."

I skinned up another fat one whilst P-R ordered another round of Creme de Menthe.

"So what are you saying then Merlin ?" he asked through a cloud of Lebanese Kif " Give the bloody things a wide berth is it ? "

"Better still ban them completely" I replied "no self-respecting man can enjoy a good shag wearing one of those things and it'll bugger up the Catholic Church for years to come."

P-R took another few tokes then fixed me with that soon to become infamous glare " Lend me a few Francs until Tuesday Merlin ?" he asked ....... " I'm going to make that barmaid an offer she can't refuse" and with that parting shot he staggered off into the gloom of the Locus Publicus leaving me to wonder if I'd advised him as well as I could.

I can't stand the smell of Creme de Menthe to this day but I'm partial to the occasional Guiness again.

Only last night I found myself lost
By the station called Kings Cross
Dead and wounded on either side
You know its only a matter of time
I've been good and Ive been bad
I've been guilty of hanging around

Someone told me Monday, someone told me Saturday
Wait until tomorrow and there's still no way
Read it in a book or write it in a letter
Wake up in the morning and there's still no guarantee

Place de la Republique : Paris - 26 June 2007

2007-06-30T11:15:00.001-07:00

You say you want a revolution ?
Well, you know, we all want to change the world.

Exactly four and a half years ago to the very day (Boxing Day 2002) I turned up here for the first time with a suitcase in one hand and my 12 year old daughter in the other. It was 22:30 at night and dark and I was tired and hungry and lost. I was also desolate and running away from the most miserable Christmas I'd ever known in my entire life. Most of you probably know why. I had no idea how I was going to face the next 5 days let alone the next 5 months or the next 5 years.

I booked into a small hotel just across the road from here and sat there all night trying to plan a future I couldn't even begin to contemplate.

So you can only imagine my joy at turning up here again 3 days ago in a mood of celebration with a nearly 17 year old daughter to keep me company and a Parisian summer in the air.

This place and these people saved my life that Christmas. I'd always loved the French (as those of you who know a little of my history will realise) but to say that they lifted my spirirts would be an understatement. They re-built me somehow and I still don't know how they did it.

So - Vive la Republique,Vive la Revolution and Vive la France.

(And if that Monument looks familiar it is - indeed - a smaller version of the Statue Of Liberty).

And if you want money for people with minds that hate,
All I can tell you is brother you'll have to wait.

Don't you know it's gonna be ......alright.

Toulouse " Clocher de Rodez" June 2007

2007-06-29T10:47:00.001-07:00

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time

You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied, satisfied

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
If I make you feel second best
Girl, I'm sorry I was blind

You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied, satisfied

Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You are always on my mind
You are always on my mind

Merlin Has Left The Country - Back 30 June

2007-06-18T22:53:00.000-07:00

The frog-eyed woman clawed feverishly at his belt. "Stand up!" she pleaded. "Please stand up! You'd be a very handsome man if you'd just stand up!"

He laughed distractedly. "Listen, madam," he snapped. "I'm damn near intolerably handsome down here where I am. You'd go crazy if I stood up!"

Lieblings - by the time you all wake up on Tuesday morning I will be in 85 degrees of sunshine somewhere near Toulouse. Be good and take care - back in touch around 30 June. Hugs M xx

Kids : What Can You Do ?

2007-06-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

From Zara's "End Of Exams" party on Friday Night.

L-R Zamora, Eleanor and Nazir ........and errr some unidentifiable pink object on the mantlepiece.

Red Devils - For Nathalie

2007-06-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

And I, skywriter high, look out down below,
Skywriter here we go.

Kite

2007-06-16T14:48:00.001-07:00

I'm taking the long way round tonight
So come on and help me fly a kite
We'll climb so high.

No Time Toulouse

2007-06-09T09:59:00.001-07:00

More from those wonderful guys from Austin, Texas.

Eva - The Obvious Choice

2007-06-07T01:19:00.001-07:00

The right song and the wonderful Pastorius on fretless bass.

What more could you want ?

Some Robbie Burns For The Aesthetic

2007-06-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

When first my brave Johnie lad came to this town,
He had a blue bonnet that wanted the crown;
But now he has gotten a hat and a feather,
Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!

Cock up your beaver, and cock it fu' sprush,
We'll over the border, and gie them a brush;
There's somebody there we'll teach better behaviour,
Hey, brave Johnie lad, cock up your beaver!

Amy Winehouse

2007-06-04T01:28:00.001-07:00

This isn't really what I have in mind for Eva either but here's Amy in the early hours of New Years Day.

What on earth is she doing with that dress ?

Amsterdam - 2007

2007-06-03T01:05:00.000-07:00

Drive west on Sunset
To the sea
Turn that jungle music down
Just until we're out of town
This is no one night stand
It's a real occasion
Close your eyes and you'll be there
It's everything they say
The end of a perfect day
Distant lights from across the bay

Babylon sisters shake it
Babylon sisters shake it
So fine so young
Tell me I'm the only one

Here come those Santa Ana winds again

For Eva - I Couldn't Resist It.

2007-06-02T04:36:00.001-07:00

Tryfan

2007-05-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

" To remember love after long sleep ; to turn again to poetry after a year in the market place, or to youth after resignation to drowsy and stiffening age ; to remember what once you thought life could hold, after telling over with muddied and calculating fingers what it has offered; this is music made after a long silence. The soul flexes its wings and, clumsy as any fledgling, tries the air again. I felt my way, groping back through the chords, for the passion that slept there ...."

Now the only things that vibrate
Are your wet fingers trembling on my ribs,
The howl of your name in my throat.

Tagged By That Little Minx Holly

2007-05-31T01:46:00.000-07:00

Two names you go by:
1. Malherbe
2. Miles

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Black and White Check Vans
2. Levi 501's

Two things you would want (or have) in a relationship:
1. A woman
2. Two women

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Listening to music
2. Two women

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. Warm, sunny weather
2. Two women

Two pets you had/have:
1. Willow (my dog)
2. Todd (my previous dog)

Two things you did last night:
1. Got smashed
2. Watched TV

Two things you ate today:
1. Toast and Marmalade
2. Chicken and Cheese Club Sandwich

Two people you last talked to:
1. My daughter Zara
2. My friend Dizzy

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Working
2. Playing snooker

Two longest car rides:
1. Cardiff to Barcelona
2. Cardiff to Macduff (North Scotland)

Two favorite holidays:
1. Easter
2. Summer

Two favorite beverages:
1. Pepsi
2. Tea

Four things About ME!

Things you may not have known about me:

1. My birthday is October 8th.
2. I have never been arrested in the USA.
3. I am exactly 6ft tall.
4. I smoke too much.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Steelworker
2. Postal Worker
3. Laboratory Technician
4. Computer Operator

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Godfather I
2. Godfather II
3. Gladiator
4. The French Connection

Four places I have lived:
1. Bradford
2. Manchester
3. London (part-time)
4. Cardiff

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Steak
2. Cous-cous Royale
3. Sheesh Kebabs
4. Rogon Josh

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. Barcelona
2. Marrakesh
3. Venice
4. New York

I seem to remember that Steamy tagged me for something a couple of weeks ago but I've forgotten what it was. If someone would care to remind me I'll get on with it now I have this new profile sorted out.

M.

South : The Palace Of The Popes

2007-05-25T07:20:00.001-07:00

Are those halos in your hair
Or diamonds shining there
Without a hope, without a prayer
This rain beats down like death
You turn your eyes to better men
Before I go I'll hang in a cross on nails
I hung on for you in there

Pizzicato In E Minor

2007-05-24T06:42:00.001-07:00

A Case Of You.

2007-05-24T02:47:00.001-07:00

Just before our love got lost you said
"I am as constant as a northern star"
And I said "Constantly in the darkness
Where's that at?
If you want me I'll be in the bar"

On the back of a cartoon coaster
In the blue TV screen light
I drew a map of Canada
Oh Canada
With your face sketched on it twice

Oh you're in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter and so sweet
Oh I could drink a case of you darling
Still I'd be on my feet
Oh I would still be on my feet.

Merlin Conjures Up Superbowl Win

2007-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Merlin models Chicago Bears T Shirt

Zara discovers "Why Men Fall asleep After Sex" (Her Dad Doesn't).

My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (Part 1)

2007-05-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Given the Chance
I'll Die Like a Baby
On Some Far Away Beach
When the Season's Over.

Unlikely
I'll Be Remembered
As the Tide Brushes Sand in My Eyes
I'll Drift Away.

Cast Up On a Plateau
With Only One Memory
A Single Syllable
Oh Lie Low Lie Low.

The Temptress

2007-05-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Long Walk Home

2007-05-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

It's the last ride - our little game is over,
It's the last ride - it's time to take me home,
And I can't cry because I saw it coming,
No use running ........take it slow.