Tag: Hampshire

Last Knockings


This is pretty much the last knocking of our tomato crops this year. There are just a few green tomatoes yet to ripen.

We have had a good crop this year, but sad to say, it could have been better. We sort of  screwed up.

We have two pyramid planters, but we, by mistake, planted bush/trailing varieties in one.

Oh well, lesson learnt. Overall, we are pleased, and the flavour of homegrown fruit and veg is always superior.

These varieties are all very sweet, but the little orange ones are sooper sweet.

View From The Conservatory


This squirrel was keeping a watchful eye on me after beating a hasty retreat from the neighbours cat.

View From The Conservatory


I’m a lumberjack and I’m OK
I sleep all night and I work all day

He’s a lumberjack and he’s OK
He sleeps all night and he works all day

Well, thank you Monty Python.

Today, we have the guys taking down a dead tree, which is threatening to fall in mine and my neighbours backyard.

The tree doesn’t belong to us but we couldn’t cope with the bureaucracy of dealing with the Highways Agency, who moved their boundaries, and the local council, who have not “adopted” the remaining, abandoned, strip of land.

So, we have taken matters into our own hands.

The tree is a goner.

View From The Conservatory


The slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is a reptile native to western Eurasia.

 These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms.

I disturbed this one whilst mowing my lawn.

View From The Conservatory


Grey squirrel with an albino in the background. The albino has been hanging around for a few weeks now.

A Little Prog Rock Please


This was us, Gerry, me and a couple of friends out for a Fridays entertainment.

Honestly, we were in the stalls, somewhere just left of centre, three rows from the  back.

The picture was taken at the very end of the show by Genesis Connected, a very competent tribute act.

I have been a Genesis fan since the early 70’s. In fact, the first time I saw them live, they were only 2nd or 3rd on the bill, still very much on the rise.

I followed them closely, seeing them live every time they visited Portsmouth. That is  until Peter Gabriel departed.

After that, I found it very difficult to differentiate between Genesis with Phil Collins taking the lead vocals or a Phil Collins solo effort.

This new phase for Genesis saw the band transition from Prog-Rock to Pop-Rock, and my interest in Genesis waned.

Not having any prior knowledge of this act, I will admit to being a little disappointed during the first half of the show. I was expecting more offerings from Prog-Rock Genesis.

Where were tracks from Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway ?

Turns out that I was being a tad unfair. The image below tells why.

“Celebrating the hits ….”

Genesis didn’t start to have hits until they transitioned to Pop-Rock, although they did enter the UK charts with a track taken from Selling England By The Pound. I Know What I Like was a minor hit, reaching number 21 in April 1974.

Once I had rationalised what this band was about, I began to enjoy the show more.

We were treated to crowd pleasers such as Living Years and Cup Of Coffee from Mike and The Mechanics, Biko, Sledgehammer,  and surprisingly Panopticom from Peter Gabriel, but for the most part, this was a Phil Collins love-in with songs such as In The Air Tonight, Easy Lover, Turn It On Again, Invisible Touch, Sussudio and more besides.

Genesis Connected had the audience singing along, clapping, and even dancing for the final song of the night.

All in all, it was a polished performance. I sang and clapped with the rest of the audience but when it was over I was left hankering for the Return Of The Giant,  Hogweed, The Knife, Watcher Of The Skies, just a little more Prog-Rock.

Having said all that, I would go to see them again. I’ll just have to get my Prog-Rock fix elsewhere.