Spring is Coming

Spring is coming the Pie Tribe have been down to Plot 109a to do some digging with help from two drop dead gorgeous ladies pictured above. Fricasse and Stroganoff have taken to helping with any plot holder as soon as digging commences.

The shameless hussies run with the gait of a badly out of shape Pieman after a few shandies ,at the sight of a big fat juicy worm. Many thanks to the owner of these wonderful Black Rocks who parted company with some fresh eggs for the Pie Tribe.

If anyone is looking for some back breaking exercise to work off Christmas excess please contact the Pie Tribe who have some wilderness area which needs some effort. Also if you have any spare manure please let us know!!!

Valentines Day

Who needs a Valentines card with a cookie this size, Wow! Pie would be nice but this beats a card any day. Hair by Draggedthruahedge Ltd. Mrs Pieman got a fork for digging (She is so spoilt).

Gathering 17 - Electric Night

The second night of the Gathering in Llandudno and this time the Dog was left at home as the Dragonslayer drove on this occasion. We arrived and parked easily out front timing our arrival to coincide with the lights going down and a countdown to the band coming on stage.

The only downside to this was missing the superb Dave Sharp in support. But with three and a quarter hours of concert to go we needed to pace our selves.

The Band and Mr Peters were in excellent form throughout the night even with a few Guitar gremlins for the main man. A fairly eclectic mix was offered up with it seemed a particular empathise on Alarm v2 songs, certainly at the start. As ever the set list contain some surprises and plenty of favourites.

The band were joined on stage by Mr Sharp at the end to help finish off a brilliant night marred only by the fact that the Pieman had forgotten his house keys in the excitement and couldn't wake anyone up at home !!!

Gathering 17 - Acoustic Night

Second gig of the year came in the form of the Acoustic night of the Alarm Gathering 17 weekend. The Pieman and Ashman headed for Llandudno giving the Dog a good run with no problems. The venue once again was the North Wales Conference and Theater Centre right on the front.

This year again the room was set in the round with about twenty rows of chairs emanating from a small stage. We settled in to a standing spot by the main stage with a good view. The sound quality this year seemed excellent to the Piemans ears and the whole evening seemed a little bit more relaxed than on some other occasions.

The set list was a nice surprise with a good mix of favourites old and new with some not heard for a long time. Mike Peters actually sat down for a while and there was a good bit of chat explaining the situations in which some songs were written or were inspired by. All in all a great evening of the usual excellent standard.

Where's The Brakes???

We decided to head for Wales for some serious snow and sledging, heading first to the highest village in Wales, Bwlchgwyn. Unfortunately we couldn't find any decent runs and headed to Worlds End and the Horse Shoe Pass.

But just before we reached Worlds End we found a lay-by and a suitable slope. Ski Sunday eat your heart out, excellent fun. The Brakes were a bit iffy and a number of runs ended in a glorious heap of laughter at the bottom of the hill. Best fun since I last had a pie!

Pie Spotter

On Sunday last the Pieman headed for the Cheshire Railway Modellers Club exhibition at the Crewe heritage centre. The purpose of this trip was two fold. One to marvel at the miniature engineering projects which were on display and secondly to give the dog a run.

Both goals were achieved with the displays being incredible in their detail and ingenuity. The dog got the pieman there and home which is all one can hope for.

The Pieman recently found an undeveloped 35mm in his camera bag. Not knowing what what was on it meant considerable surprise and delight when the film was returned. Taken on a Pie Tribe holiday in Mid Wales the picture below, in deep Oggy country at Fairbourne, shows a GINSTER sponsored Arriva DMU train. Pies on the move!

This however is not the first time the Pieman has found lost film. A film some 10+ years turned up one day taken on the Pieman's honeymoon and still came out albeit a little tinged with grey not unlike it's owner!

The Beast

The Beast is no more. Recent weeks has seen the demise of the Beast due to financial necessity (How Much!!!) and now we have the DOG!! Heavier, Slower and Cleaner (meticulously so) the new vehicle excedes the Beast only in miles already covered and it's glorious capability on the Horn. The Beast was sadly lacking in this department with it's horn sounding like a wet fart on a bad morning.

Bling wheels are still a feature of the new vehicle but in a slightly more understated way than the Beast. There is also some concern that certain gardening tools may not fit in the DOG which may mean the Pieman will have to purchase a shed. Which if nothing else will confirm to certain nameless parties the Pieman is one step away from being a Senior Citizen! Many thanks to the Dragonslayer family for providing a home to the Dog whilst awaiting documentation and vaccination to make the DOG legal.

Nutcracker

First gig of the year for the Pie Tribe who went to the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool to hear the Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform the Nutcracker. This performance was performed against the backdrop of a 1993 film version of the Nutcraker based on George Balanchine's Ballet version with the New York Ballet, including in the cast a non dancing McCauley Culkin. The orchestra was conducted by Carl Davis.

Unlike the Pieman's previous experience with watching Ballet he wasn't allowed to fall asleep this time. As several nudges in the first half alone were given when the nodding dog started and before snoring began. On the way out chocolate was handed out which is nice, Pie would have been better, but chocolate will suffice.

West Cornwall Pasty Company

Although having been in Chester for a few months now the Pieman has only just managed to visit this new emporium, West Cornwall Pasty Company, which with its Cornish roots is slightly rare up north. Although it now has a presence in Leeds and Manchester Airport.

On this visit the Pieman selected the Steak and St Austell Ale Pasty for tasting. Supergirl selected the Cheese & Bacon pasty option and we were both very pleased with our choices.

Business was very brisk while we were there, as you can eat in or take away. There was a choice of tasty pastries including a seasonal turkey version. So we look forward to trying this emporium , based in Northgate Street opposite the cathedral, again soon.

The Hills Are Alive

The hills are alive with the sound of bones creaking, chests wheezing and mouths moaning !! New Years day saw the Pie tribe heading for the hills, Moel Famau to be precise (1818ft / 554m - Hill Of The Mothers) . The view from the top and Jubilee Tower was cloudy but interesting enough.

The weather sunny/cloudy but extremely cold with a fierce biting wind at the top and exposed areas. The Moel was busy with lots of people having the same idea to clear away the cobwebs of the old year. We even bumped into The JiveMonster and Megatastic on the way down which was a pleasant surprise.

The Pink Princess was a little dissappointed to find no chip shop located at the top of the hill and I can only wonder where she got the impression that such a thing might be there?. This may have been responsible for her jaw dropping comment of " Dad your so immature"!! The Pieman's Flabber was well and truly gasted!