All ye oul wans and oul fellas out there! Wakey wakey, rise and shine!

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Could someone educate me as to what Absynth is?

looksee wrote: »

Horrible. :eek:

That's what I was going to post! yuk..

It's a herbal drink popular in Austria and Switzerland, tastes like a mixture of aniseed and pigsiht but is supposedly a good 'digestif'. There's a variation of it called Unterberg that you have to drink in the Austrian ski bars when you lose the game of bar bingo... I've gotten quite used to it

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Could someone educate me as to what Absynth is?

it is greenish and tastes a bit aniseed like. It was the forerunner of such drinks as Pernod which taste similar. It was made illegal in many European countries due to people over indulging and apparently going mad.

BBDBB wrote: »

well I don't think it grew back ;-)

Sometimes you lol meaning answer appreciated, other times you actually do laugh - that was one!

I occasionally feel that I'm the only non French person in the entire world who likes anise and pastis drinks. The real appeal of absinthe is not so much the flavour but the 'magical' transformation and use of alchemists apparatus to change the colour from emerald green to an off creamy white with the addition of a few drops of iced water carefully dripped through a lump of sugar.

I for one, am really enjoying the rugby. Sadly, work schedule interferes a lot.

Hurling ..... I love the game. Way back when I still lived in Liverpool my priest was trying to get me to play..... sadly I never did. Anyway with my family originating in Dublin I became a sort of Dub supporter. I was watching a game on TV and the commentator said that to ply for a county team in Ireland you had to be born in that county. No idea how true this is. BUT I realised that despite the family history, as I was born in Liverpool I would never play for Dublin. (Not that I would ever have been good enough anyway, but the thought was there, I am too old and infirm now anyway)

I found, happily that there is a team in Liverpool, it is a Ladies team but it is a nice shirt, so I ordered one from O'Neill's. I only ordered it on Saturday and it arrived today. Great service to be fair and I have a great shirt for the Liverpool Wolf Tones .... Look it up, it is a cracking looking shirt.



By the way has anyone seen Chucken lately?

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

I thought she was travelling incognito. Haven't you come across her on the airwaves Rube?

Not seen either her or her O/H in a while and the station has had to close down for the rest of the year.

Yep, I've been posting on a thread she started a few days ago in the Politics Café.

looksee wrote: »

I have seen her posting around the site fairly recently.

Thank you oh Dane-ax-wielding-one

OldGoat wrote: »

Yep, I've been posting on a thread she started a few days ago in the Politics Café.

Thanks OG as long as she is doing well. Was the post about Post Election Trauma and the effects of lettuce soup?

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Aw, Chuckie, doesn't like us any more. (sniffle!) Sorry the station closed Rube, you need to offer your services to other radio stations, maybe hospital radio. You'd cheer everyone up!

I was considering joining my friends on Mon FM here on Anglesey, but Saturday is already covered. Have to see what I can manage, and my Welsh is not that great either.

OldGoat wrote: »

Just raging against the machine - in this case the onslaught of electioneering posters that are about to assault our sensibilities in the run up to a general election.

Naught like a good rant of righteous indignation to start off your week.

Thank heaven ours is over and done with for now. But already building up to the In.Out referendum on Europe in two years time.

Alice1 wrote: »

Very wise Rube - say nothin' and keep sayin' it

Too right Alice, you never know where it will lead :cool:

Sorry JB not seen either of them for a while.

Went to the theatre once with the school, but it was to see a film!

"Lord of the Flies"

I hated it.

*sigh*

Not really a film enthusiast, I go to the cinema occasionally though I haven't been for a while. I am more interested in the visual aspects so I enjoyed Lord of the Rings and Avatar - the latter didn't have much of a plot but I don't really bother too much with plots, I did enjoy the visual effects though.

Otherwise I have been to a good few of the opera and ballet culture nights at the cinema, where a show is broadcast live from whatever theatre it is happening in, usually first nights. Of course all the intervals etc are included so they tend to be a long session, but very enjoyable.

LIVE ARTS!
And dead arts come to think of it. Who'd a thunk that I have a science background.

@Brenz. Glad to see you still hanging in there old bean, and incredibly jealous of you having seen Grappelli.

I've been to so many gigs. Used to run a rehearsal studio in Dublin and worked with countless bands over the years here and in the UK (both unknowns and named) however the most memorable night of music was in a pub in Kilfenora in the Burren. Now I'm not a great aficionado of Irish music but I do know musicians and musicianship.
The missus and myself were touring the country and passing through the town decided to stop for a drink in some random pub. There were a few local musicians jangling away in the corner, nothing pass remarkable about them. After a while a visiting Belgin bodhran player asked to join in and the music got a bit stronger. The missus (a non native) was quiet intrigued by the fluidity at which people could just drop in and out of the set.
A short time later another touring visitor arrived. Loud, brash and a tad self imprtant. Turns out he was a professor of ethnic musics in SomePrestigiousCollegeSomewhere. He ask to join in and was soon settled by the fire. He unlocked and took out an obviously cherished violin with kid gloves and proceeded to play with all the flourish you might expect from a showman akin to Andre Rieu. He took the music and layered on beautiful flourishes.
Thats rather nice I says to myself and decide to stay for another couple of pints.
However, there was a bit of musical tension. The local fiddler took a bit of a dour look at being taken out of the first chair. He upped his game.
Now I'm sure you've all seen the duelling banjos scene were the music 'battle' is goes on. This was like that. Every time the prof added a flourish the local would throw in new complex slide. The prof would pick up on it and add it then add a bit of vibrato. Not to be outdone the local dropped the whole thing down to a muted almost funeral lament forcing the prof out of his high-handed frivolity and into a more sombre mood. The prof was well up for that change and produced some of the most soul wrenching fiddle-twiddling I've heard. Local lad instantly whips the music back into a frantic high-stepping double jig.

This went on for hours. Other musicians would turn up, join the little band in the corner and within the space of a tune or two were quickly relegated to the roles of support. Some even just packed their instruments away again and just sat back to listen.

Between tunes the two fiddle players chatted happily, swooping notes and techniques but when the music started again there was an intense rivalry I've seldom seen. It remains the most thrilling night of music I've had the pleasure of witnessing and I've seen some magnificent acts throughout my life.

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

... dark, dirty and manky.

There were only a few studios around at the time. One was high end (with a high end fee) and the others were fleapits. We tried to take the slice of market in the middle. Not the most comfortable in the world not not too shabby either. It funded a couple of years drinking for those of us involved.

Friend of mine started out his career in sound engineering at the Bridge in Canning Town in it's early days. Owner of the pub Terry Murphy has just published a book of the stories. Fuppin' legend! Well worth a read if you were in anyway interested in music.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/legends-of-the-bridge-house-the-venue-everyone-loved-769508.html

Once upon a time there was a King who wanted to go fishing.

He called the royal weather forecaster and inquired as to the weather
forecast for the next few hours. The weatherman assured him that there
was no chance of rain in the coming days.

So the King went fishing with his wife, the Queen. On the way he met
a farmer on his donkey. Upon seeing the King the farmer said, "Your
Majesty, you should return to the palace at once because in just a
short time I expect a huge amount of rain to fall in this area".

The King was polite and considerate; he replied: "I hold the palace
meteorologist in high regard. He is an extensively educated and
experienced professional, and besides, I pay him very high wages. He
gave me a very different forecast. I trust him and I will continue on
my way." So he continued on his way.

However, a short time later, an absolutely torrential downpour of rain fell from the sky.
The King and Queen were totally soaked and, well, their entourage chuckled upon
seeing them in such a shameful condition.

Rather furious, the King soon returned to the palace and gave the order to sack
the professional upon immediate effect.

He then summoned the farmer and offered him the prestigious and high paying role
of royal forecaster.

But the farmer said, "Your Majesty, I do not know anything about
forecasting. I obtain my information from my donkey. If I see my
donkey's ears drooping, it means with certainty that it will rain."

So the King by-passed him and hired the donkey.

And thus began the practice of hiring dumb *sses to work in the
government and occupy its highest and most influential positions.

And what's more, the practice is unbroken to this date...