A Beautiful Song

Came across this beautiful song, 'The Birds' by Peter Hammill, quite recently while just surfing for music. 

Had the good fortune to see Peter Hammill opening for Marillion on the 'Script For a Jester's Tear' tour in the early 1980s, and then got to see him again with Van Der Graaf Generator in Cracow/Krakow, Poland in the mid-2000s. 

Tofu Rogan Josh

Got this meal from Bioway at Blue City in Warsaw yesterday.  The nice young lady behind the counter said it was tofu stew and that sounded good enough for me.  However, this meal surpassed all my expectations.  Being more like what I would describe as a tofu rogan josh, it was absolutely delicious with onions and cherry tomatoes melting in my mouth.

Warsaw: 2nd World War Memorial

Here's a 2nd World War memorial in Warsaw that I passed the other day.  It's a short distance up Solidarność from Ratusz Arsenał:
 

There are so many 2nd World War memorials around Warsaw that it's easy to just drift by them.

But sometimes, it's good to stop for a few moments to reflect on things.

Vladimir Putin's Marching Female Soldiers

Some incredible shots of marching Russian female soldiers which went round the newspapers and websites earlier today:

Warsaw: Dark Skies

Love the dark skies in Warsaw

Especially the tall glasstowers

And when the rain holds off

It's Gothic, it's magical

Simon Phillips Protocol Live at Warsaw Proxima 7th May 2016

Finally got to see the drum maestro Simon Phillips last night.  Remember Simon Phillips being on the first MSG album in 1980 and, if my memory serves me right, being in the Jeff Beck Band that played Manchester Apollo in 1981 (I rather foolishly sold my ticket for this gig - not the best decision I've ever made).

Now I'm 50 so the Protocol II and III albums are right up my street: relaxing, dreamy, Jazz-induced soundscapes based on the incredibly professional musicianship of the four members (Andy Timmons guitar; Ernest Tibbs bass; and Steve Weingart keyboards alongside Phillips on drums.

Genuinely wondered how Protocol would work live, and with a couple of beers thrown into the mix, it was a thoroughly therapeutic experience, just the tonic after a hard-working week.

Was also impressed with Simon Phillips' rapport with a small but appreciative crowd.  Several times he came to the front of the stage to have a bit of good-natured banter with the crowd.

At one point, Phillips recognised a guy at the front of the stage who had seen Protocol in Malaysia and some other places, and at another time, he humorously asked if the guy at the lighting desk usually worked with KISS, as the lighting was way too fast-moving early on.

Of course, the musical coordination between the four band members was what mainly caught the eye.

At another point, Simon Phillips came to the front of the stage enquiring about the quality of the beer at the Proxima, as the band quite naturally enjoyed a beer after a 90-110 minute set:

Here, the crowd went a touch silent as the beer at the Proxima is nothing to write home about (Tyskie on draught, bottled Warka etc.).  If the band had wanted good beer, they would've been much better served with the wide range of Polish and Czech bottled beers at the Klub Progresja or the bottles of Perła and łomża at the Hydrozagadka.

Bury (Lancashire): Mr. Barber and Mr. Hopkins

This picture of Mr. Barber (left) and Mr. Hopkins (right), which was being discussed on Facebook recently, took me back to a distant past (1977-1982) when I was at St. Gabriel's in Bury, Lancashire.

Mr. Hopkins came to St. Gabriel's (from St. Peter's, I think) as the new headmaster in 1979 or 1980 replacing the long-serving Mr. Banks.

In contrast, Mr. Barber was there right from my first day at the school.  Can remember having him as a Maths teacher from the 2nd straight through to the 5th year.  Never liked the Maths lessons, was nothing to do with Mr. Barber, I've just never liked Maths.  Can remember having tunes from the classic Rush albums 'A Farewell To Kings' and 'Hemispheres' running through my head throughout the Maths lessons (think this may be one of the main origins of my love of Literature and the Humanities).

More than anything, I can remember a 'tuna sandwich throwing' episode with Mr. Barber, which was the main topic of the Facebook discussion I observed recently.  This episode still makes me laugh today, although for the lads who got 'six of the best' that day, it may have a more bitter-sweet resonance.