Druids Pie

To get us into the Christmas frame of mind we headed to the Christmas Markets in Manchester. Our trip was by train which was excellent apart from Mr Creosotes contribution as we approached Oxford Road Station!

From Oxford Road it’s just a short walk to the Town Hall and the best of the Markets with stalls from all over Europe with plenty of Bratwurst, Gluhwein, cheeses, gifts and Pie.

Spotted almost immediately was the Orchard Pigs stall which the Pie Tribe made a bee line for. The Piemans choice for today was the Druids Pie consisting of Pork, Druids Ale, Mustard seed, sage, pepper and nutmeg. A bit heavy of the pastry but tasty, very tasty (7/10)

We take a break from the Town Hall and head round the other markets which are dotted about taking in the dancers, walkers, displays going on and heading in the direction of Corporation Street and the cathedral. A brief pause in a café we head into the Triangle centre for Vintage clothing fair.

We then met up with the Blister in law and a number of her friends before heading back to the Town Hall for sustenance. Gluhwein and Bratwurst a winning combination with a side dish of Tartiflette. Pie Princess and Claire Bear are interviewed for BBC Radio Manchester. The weather was a bit grim but it didn’t matter we were determined to have a good time.

Squeeze/Lightning Seeds

 

What a double bill! We only found out a week or so before, that the excellent Lightning Seeds were going to be support to the mighty Squeeze. So for the first time in ages the Pieman and Georgio made the effort to be there for the support band.

We arrived at the Manchester Apollo just as the Lightning Seeds started and they were brilliant. Nearly all hits of pop perfection including Sense, The Life of Riley, Change, All I Want, Song for No One, Marvellous, You Showed Me, Lucky You, Sugar Coated Iceberg, Pure and a rendition of Flaming Sword by Ian Broudie pre-Lighting Seeds group “Care” …. Brilliant.

Then came Mr Difford and Mr Tilbrook with a cornucopia of hits and tunes. With some the best tunes ever written (and a band that included Steve Nieve on keyboards) it was easy enough to get your feet tapping, your hands clapping and give your vocals chords an out of tune workout.

Some but not all of the tunes included Black Coffee in Bed, Take Me I'm Yours, Annie Get Your Gun, Loving You Tonight, When the Hangover Strikes, Hope Fell Down, It's So Dirty, Goodbye Girl, Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken, Up the Junction, Labelled With Love, Is That Love, Hourglass. Cool for Cats, Tempted, Slap and Tickle, Another Nail in My Heart, Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)……

Another bonus for the night was the crowd entertainment when certain groups/sections took umbrage with others. This was an entertaining side sideshow which fortunately was overwhelmed by the superb songs being belted out onstage. Two great bands, great songs and a great atmosphere.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

The Pieman got to go see Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) recently in the company of Pie daughter No 1. The gig was at the Echo Arena in Liverpool in support of the release of their latest album “History of Modern”

I’ve always been impressed by a band who could write a song about Stanlow! Also you have to be impressed by lead singer Andy McCluskeys dancing which must surely make him the King of Dad Dancing? Supergirl Pie Daughter can guess where some of my best moves come from now!

The arena was used in a shortened format so we were actually quite close to the stage and they played a good mix of new and old including History of Modern parts III + IV, New Babies: New Toys, Messages, Tesla Girls, Bunker Soldiers, History of Modern part I, Forever Live & Die, She's Leaving, Souvenir, Joan Of Arc, Maid Of Orleans, New Holy Ground, Green, Talking Loud & Clear, Walking On The Milky Way, So In Love, Locomotion, Pandora's Box, Sailing On The Seven Seas, Sister Marie Says, Enola Gay, If You Want It, Electricity…..

All in all, an excellent evening.

Feed The Yak

Many thanks from the Pieman to Mr Georgio Dragonslayer for our trip to see the magnificent blue boys. He managed to get us tickets for the Bullens Rd stand for the recent visit of the Potters.

Not the easiest of matches to watch as the Clay tribe didn’t real seem to want to win and sat back hoping for a break or set play to score from. However the Yak was fed and the toffees emerged deservedly triumphant at full time.

Moroccan Pie

In search of new Pie Mr and Mrs Pieman left the continent of Europe and headed for Africa. After much searching Pie was found on the main square in Marrakesh, Place Jemaa-el-Fna.

A particular specialty in Marrakesh is Pigeon Pie although it was a bit expensive. So we tried the cheaper and identical looking Chicken Pie/Pasty. A slightly different experience to our normal fare as this had a sweet and savoury composition. Minced chicken in a light filo type pastry, with crumbled almonds/icing sugar on top! Sounds a bit odd but strangely it worked (8/10).

Ostrich Pie

Following on from Mrs Piemans birthday we headed to Llangollen for its Food and Drink festival. It was pretty good although we didn’t leave enough time to go around but saw enough to interest us and pick up a few present s for Christmas. 

Orchard pigs had sold out their pies but we found a new pie an “Ostrich Pie with Black Pudding and Lancashire Cheese” from a company called Ostrich Direct based at Weatheroak Farm near Preston. The pastry was a bit dry but nonetheless it was an interesting and worthwhile eat (7/10).

Mrs Pieman’s Birthday

Quite a while since last entry so first a big thanks to everyone who made Mrs Piemans birthday this year so extra special. Following from the Auvergne Gastronomic meal at Chez Jules we retired to Mark and Viv TVs house for a great end to the evening. 

Many thanks to all those who travelled, made a cake, brought a present, sent a card, lent a house.……..

Fly Like An Eagle

First vist in a long while to Manchester Apollo saw the Pieman and Mark Shed watch the most excellent Steve Miller Band in concert. A rare performer on these shores it was great to catch this gig supporting the release of his first studio album in 17 years, Bingo!

The venue was ok, a bit tatty but the sound was good. No support but that didn't matter. Five piece band including Mr Miller himself with no dedicated Bassist. Right from the start to the finish it was excellent with a variety of material from the new album and plenty of the "old" stuff including Take The Money and Run, Wild Mountain Honey, Swingtown, RockNMe, Fly Like and Eagle, Jungle Love, The Joker, Seasons........... 

Mr Miller was superb with more guitar changes than I have ever seen well supported by an excellent band with Mr Sonny Charles singing and dancing, not too dissimilar to the Pieman at times. Many thanks to Mark Shed for making it a brilliant night out. 

Spa Part 2

After leaving Spa we headed back to Brussels and swiftly got a taxi into town. We headed for the Grand Place which has more waffle, chocolate and kebab emporiums that the Pieman has eaten Pies. An excellent evening was had with a light show on the Grand Place to finish followed by the fastest taxi ride ever, back to Hotel....for no apparent reason!

Race day dawned again with a blue sky and again the rain clouds appeared as we headed to Spa. At the track we headed straight to Pouhon complex as the crowds are a lot bigger to claim a spot. The rain comes down, the sun comes out, the wind begins to blow changing all the time. We find ourselves surrounded by beer swilling dutchies and settle in for the next few hours before the race starts.

Whilst the support race take place including GP2 and the Porsche supercup. The race is preceded by the parade of drivers but not on the back of a truck this time but individual sports cars for each driver. This is then followed by the biggest cheer of the day as the parade is followed by one of the support vehicles the dump truck. Yes the effluent man has joined the parade!

An explosion of sound signals the start of the race and we hear 24 thunderous engines at the limit roar up Eau Rouge and onto Les Combes before turning and dropping down hill to us. Lewis leads oh happy days. It's hard at times keeping up with what's happening but the result is excellent a win for Lewis and big disappointment for Jenson through no fault of his own.

After the race we have our own race to get back to the coach in time and take a short cut through the forest along with several thousand others. The journey back to Brussels is a bit of a nightmare and takes nearly four hours. Food and sustenance is immediately required and we head off for a strange Turkish experience!!

Spa Part 1

August Bank Holiday the Pieman and Giorgio Dragonslayer headed by coach to the tropical rain forest of Spa for 2010 Formula 1 Grand Prix. Happy days, bring on the pies. A long leg numbing journey followed before our arrival at the hotel on the outskirts of Brussels, our home for three nights. It is the noisest and quietest hotel being next to Brussels International Airport and Brussels grand cemetery.

After a Laffe or two or three our spirits are  revived and the search for Pie begins. Unfortunately we have to settle for a Calzone (Looks like a pasty) in the land of waffles, fries and strong beer. Qualifying day arrives with blue skies all around. As we travel early morning the hills and woods of the ardennes appear above the flat lands of Belgium shrouded in mist, cloud and Raiiiinnnnnnnnn!!!!!! The circuit is fantastic from the the first view as we enter the circuit at les combes with the vista of the circuit spread out below carved out of the rain soaked trees and hills of the Ardennes forest.

Our first stop is the chemical toilets. Better than Monza but breath through your mouth, not your nose and don't look down!! Next stop the waffle stand for the slightly fragile dragonslayer who needs a sugar boost. It is so hilly and steep the TV pictures just do not convey. We head slowly down the hill to the top of eau rouge and claim a spot to watch the 3rd practice session.

The thundering noise which reverberates against your chest and your internal organs, the smell of burnt fuel, the speed as they fly up and over eau rouge its intoxicating. At the end of the day your foot/muscles sore, sweat soaked,  rain soaked, sun burnt and leg cramped but who cares after watching formula 1 cars in the flesh.

Practice finishes and we wander on through to the F1 village and admire the view of Eau rouge from the bottom up. Wow tarmac and sky is all you see as you look up your driving blind its that steep!! We wander further checking out potential spots for race day as the crowds will be bigger than today and finding/keeping a  spot will be of utmost importance tomorrow. The crowd is a much more cosmopolitan group than Monza with a strong German, French, Polish, Scandinavian, British and of course those quiet self effacing Dutchmen.

Eventually we cross underneath the track and head through the trees getting absolutely soaked to the downhill sweep of  Pouhon Corner which is a great view with the cars coming down from Les Combes and off up through the gears to Campus. Stamina issues set in and so we stop here ahead of the practice for GP2 / Porsche Supercup cars. Rations are needed and Mrs Piemans red cross parcel is attacked with relish. Also attacked with relish are the ubiquitous Belgium fries available by the bucketload all around the circuit, with a mustard flavoured mayonnaise on top, orange in colour!!!!

Qualifying starts, is affected by the rain with Petrov coming off on the first out lap before even recording a time!! Idiot! Although it did give us the opportunity to see his damaged car close up as they carry it back to the pit on truck by us. Webber, Hamilton and Kubica is how qualifying finishes.The sun is shining and we are getting burnt, crazy weather!

We carry on walking around the circuit with Porsche/Gp2 races practice taking place and sussing out our spot for the race day. We've settled on the area were going to aim for on race day and so begin the long climb/walk back to our coach and the journey back to Brussels.

Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory

Whilst in the Black Country travelling around we went past that bastion of Pie making "Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory" in Tipton. Unfortunately on this trip we were unable to sample their wares, which currently include..

Wham Bam, Thank You Lamb Pie

Hen Pecked Pie

Bob Marley Pie

Kebab Pie (Have you tried one sober?!)

Posh 'n' Becks Pie

and the 4lb Desperate Dan Cow Pie

Also noticed whilst passing they have accommodation available for the serious Pie eater to rest up between meals. Their refreshingly honest sign refers to their rooms as "Nearly" en-suite !!! Can't wait to try their Pies.

Tribal Gathering

Following from our travels down south the Pie tribe went down to the sunny Black Country to meet up with the Viking and Tipton tribes for the first time in a while. First though we stopped off for a visit to see "Doris" the Cadbury cow in Bournville. Much rejoicing from the female members of the Pie Tribe!

Saturday evening saw a fanatstic tribal feast combining Indian and chinese foods. Chat, liquid refreshment, guitar playing, old photos (!!!!) and laughter were the order of the evening. What an excellent time.

Sunday saw the gathering head en masse to the Country & Western festival in Stourport. The Dad Police unfortunately stepped in to ensure that certain members of our party did not join in the massed line dancing taking place.

Everybody chilled with the sun breaking through and the rain staying off long enough to enjoy the fair, town, river, canals, festival, ice cream, floral gums, walking, go karts, pinball, singing, dancing (nearly) ....... and each others company.

Many thanks to our hosts the Tipton Tribe and can't wait to do it again.
PS. P Villa were lucky

Duck Pasty

Whilst staying on Exmoor we decided one day to sample a bit of local life by going to The Exford Show. A miniature sort of County show with show jumping, Sheep shows, Dog shows, Antler competitions (?), various displays and country activities including the fascinating and hugely comical terrier racing. Held up on the top of the moor the day proved to be time well spent and the sun was shining.

One tent in particularly caught the eye of the Pieman, the local Produce and craft marquee. Making a bee-line to a vast collection of foods to try and purchase. One particularly stand drew us near and we found a Duck Pasty, a new one for us. Not cheap at £3.50 a pop but in hindsight well worth a punt. Very rich and with quite a bit of potato in it, it was very satisfying nonetheless feeding 2 of us because it was big and packed. Definitely worthy of an 8/10.

Exmoor Pasty

From Kent the Pie tribe moved across the country to a stay on Exmoor on the Devon/Somerset border. On a trip out one rainy day we headed to Dunster Castle a national trust property near Minehead. It was a pretty grim day but started to pick up when we walked down to the nearby village finding bookshops, floral gums and pasty.

The excellent Dunster Village Shop & Deli, on the High Street, serves up an Exmoor Pasty. Which seemed to consist of minced beef, oregano and spuds, carrot swede, onion and other things?? It was pretty good and filling, we would give it 8/10. Leaving Dunster with pasty consumed the sun came out and the day just seemed better.

Square Pork Pie

Early August saw the Pie Tribe to Kent for a holiday and the search of Pie. An excellent week was kicked off by a visit to brother Kenny in sunny Bromley for a swim and excellent barbecue.Various trips around the county kept us busy and amused. Particularly interesting and worthwhile was our trip to Chartwell (Winston Churchills home) which led us on to the lovely Tonbridge Wells for walks, books and Pie.An otherwise damp day just kept getting better and better.

Well noticed by the younger members of the Pie Tribe was  the "Peter Speight" delicatessen in Chapel Place serving an array of worthwhile tasty looking pastries. We chose their own square Pork Pie. The owner seemed a little indignant when asked if they made them themselves !! A lot don't. As to the pie itself it was very good, a little on the dry side but still very edible - 7/10. The shop would be well worth a visit.

 

Rock Chick Goddess

Went to see the another concert this week as part of the Chester Music Festival in the company of Rock Chick Goddess, Nanny Pie. She was under strict instructions not to throw any knickers onstage as this was no Tom Jones performance and she behaved admirably.

The concert was at St Marys Centre, near Chester Castle and what a lovely venue. The group we went to see was Aquarelle, a guitar quartet and they were excellent. Technically mesmering the sound they produced was captivating. A mixture of classical with dance flavoured tunes from around the world with samba, rumba, salsa, flamenco affected rhythms and styles.

Penguin Cafe

Last night Mr & Mrs Pieman headed for the Town Hall in Chester to see The Penguin Cafe. Who are for tonight anyway are a ten piece group led by Arthur Jeffes, son of original Penguin Cafe Orchestra leader and creator Simon Jeffes.

Extremely difficult to describe as they encompass many styles, genres and rhythms to produce a beautiful, beguiling, bopping and absolutely brilliant sound. Often starting slowly with a particular instrument to the fore the rest of the ensemble join an ever growing cacophony of sound to get your feet tapping, lifting the spirit and putting a smile on your face. The only disappointment is the end!

The group starts as pianist, Percussionist/Drummer, Viola, Violin x2, Cellist, Double bass, Cuatro, Ukulele, Guitar but quickly this evolves throughout the performance with a roundabout of movement on stage between songs. A wide variety of instruments are taken up by the group during the performance including a harmonium  for a rendition of "Music for Found Harmonium". They are clearly accomplished musicians and their obvious enjoyment on stage is infectious. 

The venue was ok (very Hot) although the acoustics were not brilliant. I can't recommend the group highly enough, I won't pass up the opportunity to see them again.

Halfords Tour Series

With the Tour De France starting today (3rd July - Rotterdam) an excellent opportunity arose to see some high speed cycling as the Halfords Tour Series came to Chester. With 8/9 teams racing for team honours over a short (Criterium ) course around the city centre the racing was fast and furious with intermediate sprints along the way.

The race lasts an hour and five laps with three sprints along the way. Breakaways, tactics, sweat, very loud music, speed, an open pie shop and an enthuastic crowd made for a good evening only slightly marred by the two large crashes on the last corner of the last lap!

Winner for the evening was Kiwi, Jack Bauer from the Endura racing team. Overall team Series leaders remained Motorpoint Marshall Pasta team.

Pie Day

Big thanks to the Pie Tribe girls who made Fathers day that bit special. Pie for breakfast and Pie for tea! The day started well with Pork Pie for breakfast, a basket of edible goodies and a limited edition shirt from the team that matter.

Taking advantage of the wonderful weather we headed into sunny Wales and the Ceirog valley. From Llanarmon DC we went on a circular walk of nearly five miles without meeting a soul. Apart from the lady who subsequently was to serve us Pie at the excellent West Arms Hotel back in Llanarmon DC, not that we knew  that then.

Tha walk was excellent and the Steak, Mushroom and Herb Pie was an excellent way to end the day, along with a pint of very cold cider!

Smash and Grab

At Plot 109a we have to contend with various pests and invaders. Some are two legged, four legged, no legs and some are known to fly. Mice, rats, pheasant, ducks, various insect, slug, snails and the dreaded Wood Pigeon who treats the allotments as their own personal late night take away smorgasboard.

But now we have bi-peds of a different order who steal plants, tramp over beds, uproot plants ...... They took my whole clump of chives, one Onion (?), lettuce, strawberries.......

So if you see any furtive individuals knocking about carrying one onion let us know!

Des Res

A wonderful des res has arrived at Plot 109a a shed. Many thanks to Andy of Oswestry for it and to Piester in Law/Mrs Pieman for collection and assembly. 

All I need to do now is fix the solar panels to the roof , get the 50 inch screen, microwave, and chiller cabinet. I'll be all set for uninterupted World Cup/Tour de France watching.

All Around My Hat

Bank Holiday Monday saw the Pie Tribe visit the Chester Folk Festival for the first time ever. Armed with a picnic (pie included) we spent the afternoon chilling, watching and listening to the variety of events going on around the festival site and its satellite venues around Kelsall.

The weather stayed good and the entertainment was interesting including the massed tribes of Morris Men ( and women!). Stand out for the day for the Pieman was French Chanteuse Flossie Malavialle who sang a lot of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel songs accompanied by herself on guitar. Well worth a listen with entertaining chat between the songs in a curious french/Geordie accented English.

Also worth a mention was Roy Clinging with his "When this Old Hat was New" repertoire which was a musical history lesson through the 19th Century and fascinating it was. Although the Pie girls might not agree.

Today's Pie of choice was Sainsburys own Pork Pies and they failed badly with dry pastry, no jelly and little taste to the meat. Even with this poor offering we still had a good time. 

Colin Darcy, Who?

Sunday saw us heading to Lyme Park and Hall a few miles southeast of Stockport. It was very last minute decision and in hindsight the place deserved a bit longer. We didn't have time to go around everything but saw enough for us to want to go back and explore a bit more particularly the parkland.

The female members of the Pie tribe were particularly interested in trying to find any locations used for the filming of "Pride and Prejudice". Stairs and ponds seemed to popular places?

To Hilbre and Back

Taking advantage of the wonderful weather the Pie Tribe headed to West Kirby for a walk across the sands to Hilbre Islands. What a beautiful day, fantastic views and grey atlantic seals to watch as well. Lots of rock pools to investigate and no shops!

If your looking to go then check out the Friends of Hilbre site for details of tides and special events. Oh and if your in need of Pie there's a Morrisons just up from the beach with a Morrisons Steak Pie for 57p and highly recommended by the Pink Princess.

A Day Of Glee

Saturday saw the Pie Tribe head to North Wales to celebrate Supergirl Pie's birthday.  First point of call was Bodnant gardens for a few hours wandering around their magnificant gardens. We had never been at this time of year and it was fantastic with an amazing array of Azaleas, Magnolia, Rhododendrons ..... in flower. The weather stayed good and we left later than expected.

From here we headed over to Sychant Pass and the old Conwy Road. We had booked into the Austrian Restaurant in Dwygyfylchi. We had been planning to go for quite a while and were not disappointed. All the menu is Austrian, the staff wear traditional outfits, the music is heavily accordion based with the odd yodel, and the beers are interesting Austrian/German varieties.The food and service was excellent. We look forward to going again.

The only problem with the meal, particularly after the delicious puds, was that we were stuffed. We all agreed we needed to walk it off a bit. With the weather holding and still sunny, if a bit cool, we headed back up Sychant Pass to walk up Conwy mountain. We arrived at the top just as the sun went down which was a great end to a great day. 

Love or Loathe?

Spotted on the way home from work today. Couldn't tell from the side but it's a Ford Ka! Note the twin chrome heart shaped exhausts. Note also the weird wing attachments. I'm not sure what to make of it. Admire the effort and detail but loathe it.

"If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now" and other great song titles !

At the concert on Saturday Robin Williamson mentioned some of his favourite song titles including "Drop kick me Jesus through the goal posts of Life" and "I Never Went To Bed With An Ugly Woman But I Sure Woke Up With A Few". 


Have a look at these taken from LaughItOut.com

Actual Country Song Titles

List of some of the most funny country songs title.


1. Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure
2. How Can I Miss You, If You Won't Go Away?
3. Get Your Biscuits In The Oven, And Your Buns In Bed
4. I Keep Forgetten I Forgot About You
5. I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself, Or Go Bowling
6. She Got The Ring and I Got The Finger
7. You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly
8. I Just Bought a Car From a Guy That Stole My Girl, but The Car Don't Run; so I figure we Got An Even Deal
9. Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth, Cause I m Kissing You Good-bye
10. I Liked You Better, Before I Knew You So Well
11. I Still Miss You Baby, But My Aim's Gettin Better
12. I Wouldn't Take Her To a Dog Fight, Cause I m Afraid She'd Win
13. I ll Marry You Tomorrow, But Let's Honeymoon Tonight
14. I m So Miserable Without You, It s Like Having You Here
15. Please Bypass this Heart?
16. If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now
17. Mama Get a Hammer ,There's a Fly On Papa's Head
18. My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love Jesus
19. My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, and I Sure Do Miss Him


Two memorable favourites for the Pieman include "Constipation Shake" by Legendary Lonnie and "The Intergalactic Laxative" by Donovan. If you know of some genuinely standout song titles do let us know.

Release The Pressure

Last night the Pieman & Georgio Dragonslayer went to the Academy2 in Liverpool to see The Alarm on the last night of their "Release the Pressure" Tour.

Slightly different from the previous night's concert this was cramped, sweaty , physically demanding and loud Rock and Roll. Despite it being one of the shortest gigs we've ever known from Mr Peters this was a non stop roller coaster ride through current album (Direct Action) tracks and classic Alarm songs. Surprisingly little chat and without a pause at times, a brilliant time was had.

Direct Action, Absolute Reality, Alarm Calling, Marching On, Loaded, Rain In The Summertime, Change 111, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke, Drunk & Disorderly, Blaze of Glory, Release The Pressure, Strength, Rescue Me, 45 RPM, 68 Guns.

And for encores: Deeside Town, Declare Yourself An Unsafe Building, Walk Forever By My Side, Spirit of 76, One Guitar (With Willie Nelson), Love Hope & Strength – Blaze of Glory (reprise) – Love Hope & Strength.

All this followed by a rousing rendition of "Knockin On Heaven’s Door" performed by a crowded stage including the Alarm, Support Killing for Company and Willie Nile, and Crew members. 

Unfortunately during the preparation for this encore half the audience went home thinking the concert had finished!! Like football matches never leave until the end except if it's Aimee Mann (truly awful).

We think the last time we were at the venue it was called The Lomax and was nowhere near as cramped. However it was easy to find and had a pretty good atmosphere going.

Beard Convention

Saturday night saw Mr & Mrs Pieman headed for the Clwyd room at the Theatr Clwyd to see John Renbourn and Robin Williamson in concert. A little out of the ordinary for us but we have been listening to guitarist Renbourn's recordings quite a lot.

The room was laid out with chairs set around tables like a cabaret night giving the whole evening quite an informal feel to it. 

The music was brilliant combining a heavy dose of folk with blues, country, jigs and a variety of instruments from Robin Williamson (Harp, Mandolin, Bass drum, Penny Whistle..... Songs of love, history , passion, and injustice provided an absorbing evenings entertaintainment. It was informative as well with Mr Williamson in particular being both fascinating and witty. 

We didn't know most of the tunes apart from a cover of Bob Dylans "Absolutely Sweet Marie" which didn't really matter. One song I do remember though is "Stoned on your love all the time (Tennessee Whiskey)" most excellent. 

Oh and there was an awful lot of facial hair in the room apart from the Pieman's greying goatee. I would certainly go to hear them again if the opportunity arose.

Loose Kites - It's All Greek To Me

Whilst out taking pictures the Pieman was hailed by Simon Poolevic (Singer) and Ollie (Guitarist) from the Loose Kites. They were on their way for a bit of practice in advance of some upcoming gigs. Great to chat to them and catch up on their news.

It sounds like busy time ahead for them with the imminent second album release (Just Finishing) and a "live at the BBC album" to come out soon. Delighted to hear they have had a Christmas No1 , in Greece!

So if you like a "toe tapping, hip shaking, soul searchin, mind blowin, harmonising heaven of an experience and a rollicking good time to boot " get yourself along to one of their forthcoming gigs. Check out their myspace site using the link above.

Plank Heaven

 

Plank Heaven for little planks

for without them what would little plots do?

Many thanks to to as number of people who have helped the Pie tribe recently with Plot 109a and specifically helping create our raised beds. Big thanks to Cliff Chough (Transport), Piester In Law (Labor), Linda Horse (Manure), Mrs Pieman (Labor, Catering and heavy dose's of patience) and of course Nanny Pie (Operational Management & Direction).

Today has seen half of the finished beds planted with various onions, shallots, garlic and rocket. We also received some excess strawberry plants from a near  neighbour and they are planted now.

Jenson winning the Grand Prix, a bottle of Badger Ale and a load of planting, perfick!

 

This Means Nothing To Me ...... OHHH Vienna !!!

The Pie Tribe headed to the Philharmonic in Liverpool to hear Ultravox in concert. Unfortunately friends Harry Barnet and Dave Rave were unable to go due to illness and we wish them both well soon. We arrived part way through the support act which was South African singer songwriter Arno Carstens. He was alright, worth a listen.

Ultravox came on and played for nearly two hours with four encores. They set contained an array of songs from their career and plenty of hits. They were excellent and were well received. Particular favourites of the night were the tracks from the Vienna album including Astradyne, Passing Strangers, New Europeans, All Stood Still, Vienna, the brilliant Sleepwalk and Mr X! 

The Vienna Album was one of the first albums the Pieman ever bought in Broadmead Shopping Centre, Bristol 1980/81.

 

Here's a fairly complete set list: New Europeans, Passing Strangers, We Stand Alone, Mr X, Visions in Blue, Thin Wall, Death in the Afternoon, Astradyne, Rage in Eden, Hymn, Lament, One Small Day, All stood still, White china, Vienna, Reap the wild wind (Piester In Law Theme), Dancing with tears in my eyes, Love's Great Adventure, Sleepwalk, The Voice

A great gig with some impressive dad dancing from Billy Currie, mean tub thumping from Warren Cann, powerful vocals from Mr Ure and pulsating bass notes from Mr Cross.