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.

"PROUD TO BE A MONKEYHANGER"

The monkey-hanging legend is the most famous story connected with Hartlepool. During the Napoleonic Wars a French ship was wrecked off the Hartlepool coast.

During the Napoleonic Wars there was a fear of a French invasion of Britain and much public concern about the possibility of French infiltrators and spies.

The fishermen of Hartlepool fearing an invasion kept a close watch on the French vessel as it struggled against the storm but when the vessel was severely battered and sunk they turned their attention to the wreckage washed ashore. Among the wreckage lay one wet and sorrowful looking survivor, the ship's pet monkey dressed to amuse in a military style uniform.

The fishermen apparently questioned the monkey and held a beach-based trial. Unfamiliar with what a Frenchman looked like they came to the conclusion that this monkey was a French spy and should be sentenced to death. The unfortunate creature was to die by hanging, with the mast of a fishing boat (a coble) providing a convenient gallows.
" NOW MOCK YOU MIGHT LIKE MANY VISITORS DO,BUT REMEMBER WHEN IN HARTLEPOOL THERES PLENTY ROPE LEFT FOR YOU "

The Gastronomic Genius At Work

A huge inpiration to me in my younger days as a novice chef,i do miss him on tv and luckily you- tube is well stocked up with his pure genius,charisma and the simplicity of using good fresh ingredients.

" BON APPETIT GASTRONAUGHTS "

Jean Carne - Don't let it go to your head

"Prefab Sprout"

Now listen up kids cos im sure a lot of you will be wondering what prefab sprout is all about,thats where i come in see cos im gonna steer your musical ship towards one of the finest BRITISH bands of all time....hailing from "gods country" county durham,a place im oh so familiar with, being as 50% of my life was spent growing up there or there abouts.

The nitty gritty of this blog realy is not only to steer you to take an inquisitive peek on youtube or wherever but to open your ears to some fine fine music....not this fabricated popped in spewed out garbage thats churned out by the bucket load into our living rooms every day.

Im not going to beg you to peek but i can assure you if you do,your senses will be pricked by such musical genius ,beautifully crafted and moulded into offerings that have spanned 3 decades.not to everyones taste im sure, but even the hardened deaf metal heavy rocker will find their work quite simply brilliant.

Go on i dare you to dip your toe into the calm waters ,once sampled i can assure you of one thing, you will be HOOKED forever.

"My vote - My choice - My hopes"

So we have a general election looming and a lot of public mudslinging in the media at the moment,all good friendly banter designed and spun to gain those all too important political points in the vital weeks and months before the BIG DAY.

Now i have always been of the liberal persuasion and my first vote cast in gloomy teesside was for the no-hopers SDP way back in 1988.i will always remember visiting the tiny polling booth in linthorpe then rushing home to tell my dad i had voted SDP.

I for one have seen at first hand the handywork of the IRON LADY and her conservative rule through the 80's and the systematic distruction of the major industries throughout the north east.I dont need to remind you of what that did to so many and how it literally ripped the very heart out of the good working people of the north east. Needless to say so many like myself upped roots and moved to pastures new to gain work and a better future away from the doom and gloom.

Well here i am happily settled with a great family in a great town with a decision to make,im pretty sure the right man for the job is BRANDON LEWIS, his overall efforts around the borough of great yarmouth have realy impressed me and i truly believe his heart is 100% on the job to bring back a brighter future to our town.

Now never in my wildest dreams would i even consider giving approval to anything conservative after witnessing the mass destruction in the 80's , i do hope my vote goes some way to putting BRANDON LEWIS in office and i for one trust him to take our town forward in the next few years and to put in place greater prospects for all who truly want it in our great great town.