Too Much War - Marcia Davis - SPI/Living Room Records

My Paradise - North Norfolk...

There's something realy special about a visit to north norfolk..its taken quite a few visits up there for me to finally pin point why i love it so much..i've not explored the delights of wells and blakeney yet but will in the near future..im just basing this blog on my visits to cromer...

Upon entering cromer on the train from norwich you get a glimpse of the wonderfull north sea before heading into the very dingey tacky cromer railway station..dont be put off though cos theres so much to enjoy in cromer..walk past morrisons and along the road and you'll taste the sea literally..then before your very eyes appears the vast open north sea..a truly breath taking experience..glimpse to your right and the victorian pier with lifeboat station rises out of the sand and sea...the real jewell in the towns crown !!!!

It realy doesn't matter to me what the weather is like in north norfolk..i just embrace it for what it is and what it does for me..clearing the cobwebs from my head and refreshing my feet and inner self with a paddle in the sea..

Maybe its just me or maybe its the 1000's of visitors who head for cromer each year..im realy not sure ,but one thing that is for certain......

            

                                                              "IT'S MY PARADISE"

The pride of british boxing tony jeffries.

As most boxing fans will know..england has a long and proud tradition of producing some fine pugalists(thats boxers to you and me)...as an ex amateur boxer(more fights in the street than in the ring) it fills me with great pride to see young lads coming through the amateur ranks to olympic standard and then moving on to the pro-boxing circuit and being paid good money trying not to be punched senseless.

One such lad i take a keen interest in is tony jeffries from sunderland..a city not too far from my birthplace of hartlepool..he boxed to olympic standard and got a bronze medal in 2008 in beijing (china).

Now on 7 fights undefeated and in fine shape after his latest win on friday night by knockout with a killer body shot..i truly believe tony jeffries will become one of the greatest british boxers ever like joe calzaghe and lennox lewis  to name a couple..he has all the skills,reach..height..and a deft left hook and accurate jab..the north east once again is producing fine fine boxers to follow in the footsteps of greats like billy hardy,dave garside,glen mcrory and my personal favourite and fellow hartlepudlian michael hunter....keep your eyes peeled over the next couple of years boxing fans cos tony jeffries is something very special.

A SHOUT-OUT FOR LAURENCE..............

Not that this slightly off the wall cockney and resident of hartlepool needs it,,no way he is known all over the country for his cross-dressing habits and musical talents(not) in and around hartlepool town centre and on match days he can be found strutting his stuff at victoria park,,entertaining the pools fans as they gather to see their team.



The first time i took my mrs to see pools while visiting family in the area,,she was totally gobsmacked at the sight walking past her in the town end terrace,,yes true to form laurence was cheering on carlisle united in his knee length boots and very fetching skirt and matching jacket.
well being a norfolk lass the wife hadnt seen the likes of laurence before on the streets of yarmouth and she just looked in total amazement at him/her or is it IT.

MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH NORFOLK (part 1)

Its shortly coming up for 20 years since i left my native north east for the green lush pastures of norfolk..
to be honest i wasn't too impressed at first,all pretty flat and uninspiring and it kinda reminded of of holland and belgium..where i'd spent a few years as a kid in the mid 70's due to my dads work in the oil industry..thats a story for another time.
So yeah im here in norfolk in sunny great yarmouth and my main concern is getting a decent job,,being a young keen hardworking chef with a few years of very good training and a head full of recipes and ideas my first job in the area was landed by pure accident,,while i was talking to a waiter in a restaurant..
so after a quick phonecall i was off to the very grand sounding "savoy restaurant" to sell myself..getting the job was a piece of cake and i immediately felt the warmth of the cypriot people,my employers.
Filled with pride on my way to work next day at 8-30 am i breezed into the kitchen to be greated by the owners and a curious old man cutting chips by hand..anyway sleeves rolled up i got stuck in and started one of my many shifts on regent road.

Cutting away from the catering for now,,i was discovering the wonders of life in norfolk and despite a bit of a bumpy first year getting known and getting used to the locals,,i was beginning to feel very comfy with the laid back chilled out way things are here.the main thing that struck me was how unfriendly and very wary the locals(yarmouth people) were but being a friendly outgoing fella , there was no way that was gonna bother me..i was in a pub on my day off and happily playing darts and having a bit of banter with a few locals,,i knew they were wary of me being a northern stranger but because i am a fairly good darts player i soon won them over and was invited to join their summer darts team, ice broken my social circle had just taken a turn for the good in this very hostile pub in the dingy backstreets where the holidaymakers never tread.

DARYL HALL WITH SMOKEY ROBINSON (dedicated to T-BONE)

simply the finest singers and musicians on planet earth...pay special attention to sarah smile "pure genius"

"OH I DO LIKE TO BE BESIDE THE SEASIDE"

A few random photographs from a visit to the beach today............

" ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR IN GREAT YARMOUTH "

Rocketsmith

May i take the pleasure to introduce to you "Rocketsmith" a band that has just completed its first year in the indie/rock scene.,hailing from pickering in north yorkshire,england...they are fronted by andy warriner on lead vocals and acoustic guitar,then comes the very charismatic guitar wizzard hank bartrum and on bass the "baby" of the band as andy calls him john-henry joss cheetham,completing the line up is rowly palmer on drums.

I came across rocketsmith via myspace last may time,when i recieved a request to follow the band,being a curious chap and lover of all genres of music i joined and awaited some tunes to listen to.i didnt have to wait long as the lads had been hard at it in the studio putting a few numbers together.
The first track i heard was "three car pile up" "BANG" something clicked and i was so impressed with this and played it over and over till my poor long suffering wife couldn't take anymore,then came "real life" and "gravity",three cracking tunes that had me hooked on this band.



As you can see from the live gig in york last year at the dutchess,the band are more than capable of performing live and have done various slots at charity functions/private parties and in pubs in the north yorkshire area.

It only remains for me to wish the rocketeers of rocketsmith all the very best in their future ventures in the music world,they can be found on facebook/myspace and reverbnation and are building a good steady following...i hope you will follow them too and boost their fanbase.

2000 TWEETS AND LOVING EVERY MINUTE I SPEND ON TWITTER.

Just a quick blog to thank all the truly smashing people i've had the pleasure of sharing a bit of banter with on twitter,you each have your own unique qualities and i thank you all.
i've been on twitter since mid may 2009 and built up a nice following , its always a pleasure to read blogs and links to various sites and of course read your tweets.i have learned a hell of a lot from twitter and have only had crossed words with one person who tried to tell me i was something im not.needless to say that asshole got banned and can go rot in hell for all i care.
Anyway that said and out of the way all thats left to say is happy tweeting folks and remember the buzz word on twitter is RESPECT.

MY TWITTER MY FAVOURITE WASTE OF TIME..

http://twitter.com/#!/_Monkeyhanger_

Please come follow my antics on twitter and i will duly follow you,as long as you're not a spammer or some kinda crackpot who wants to sell me porn or useless videos on how to be a zillionaire in 7 days...Buzz word as always...RESPECT..!!!

I can also be found at blip.fm searching the archives for good tunes to share.. http://blip.fm/Dj_Monkeyhanger

                                                                            

CHRIS REA - BECAUSE OF YOU

A special song for my wife jayne...its because of her im here today .

COAL IN MY BLOOD PART (1)

Well its not realy cursing through my veins, but it is part of the very spirit of which im made.
Let me take you on a journey through deepest darkest county durham (gods country) in the 70's and 80's when i was just a wee nipper with a snotty nose and holes in the knees of trousers.

My grandparents lived in a coal mining village called murton in the heart of the durham coal fields.A very bleak place not too far from the sea , which often blew up a storm to cut through you like sheffield steel.
Anyway i loved the visits to nana and grandads little house that clung to the side of a hill on the east moor estate (wembley) along with about 8 streets rising up to the railway line,which led from hawthorne shaft to god knows where.

There was always a warm loving welcome when we went through the big green door into nanas compact parlour/kitchen.always a "get yer coat off pet and get a warm by the fire".aaaah the coal fire, such a rare thing these days but very much the norm in those days.
Dinner was always served up with love and care from the very best fresh ingredients from woods terrace bought that day and transformed into a hot steamy platefull of joy and sustinance.

After dinner we always played gin rummy, a card game that kept youthfull minds busy for hours,then the old black and white telly would go on for the news and that nights offerings from 3 channels.
After a few hours viewing it was supper time,a mug of hot cocoa and a bag of tudor crisps while nana put the hot water bottles in the beds.
I tell you this,climbing the stairs in nanas house was a freezing experience till you jumped into the huge bed feeling the warmth of a mass of blankets and crisp cotton sheets.

" THE LURE OF STARBUCKS "

As a coffee lover visiting the mecca of great coffee purveyors is always a special treat for me.From the moment you ascend the indoor ski slope in our monstrosity of a shopping centre,the aroma of freshly ground coffee hits your outermost senses and like the bisto kid,you eagerly follow to a welcoming place of jazzy solitude.

Now im not one for all these fancy double chocca mocha frappa whatever they call them with a cherry on top.oh no its just straight up tall americano with a splash of skimmed milk and a couple of dainty sachets of the finest brown sugar,all served in a mug like how it should be.

                                          So yeah coffee in hand,relaxing to the sweet saxy tones of some obscure jazz genius,  
                                          i like so many drift into a coffee enduced trance as the world passes by .it always
                                          amazes me the very mix of folk you see in starbucks great yarmouth,young ,old ,scruffy students,pin stripe suited lawyer types.they all flock for their fix and the various sweet and savoury offerings ,enjoyed in relative comfort.

To be honest with you i've always thought people who frequent these trendy coffee shops were somewhat snobbish and elitist,now after numerous visits to my favourite haunt in town ,my views are for the better changed and i feel a sence of togetherness when relaxing in starbucks,you know what i mean im sure,like being in grannys parlour with a mug of your favourite beverage served to you with love and care.

"CANADIAN MEATLOAF WRAPPED IN SMOKED BACON"

One of my favourite dishes to put together for the family...i wont reveal my "very secret recipe" but i will include a few pictures.

I served it up with new potatoes , savoy cabbage and onion and red wine gravy with a hint of grain mustard.