Jazzy D's Soul Notes

Wonderful lie-in this morning. Too cosy to get up early. In fact, I listened to the radio and got out of bed around ten. Never feel guilty, I say.

I did pop into town this morning, as there was chores to do, and some other items I needed. It was cold, but sunny and dry, and around 2 degrees centigrade.

I posted off one item and then headed towards my local pub. I met Ewart for a few drinks and gave him his late Xmas pressie. The present was the Guardian Yearbook in hardback. It was from 2025 anyway, and I remembered buying it from the Fleurs Bookshop.

When I arrived back home, I hit the decks and spun some vinyl. An excellent LP from Rare Vinyl had arrived. It was the classic 1974 album by The Crusaders called "Southern Comfort". Just £17 for a copy in near mint condition.



I just love really good jazz, jazz funk and fusion.

Eunice has passed and gone to Europe. Perhaps if it reaches Russia it could blow the troops around Ukraine away. Meanwhile, pics of the dereliction of the O2 Arena begs the question should we keep that carbuncle that is an eyesore to some and not to others, or simply demolish it?

Anyway, I was going to do a rail travel survey job for one of my companies but due to the havoc of yesterday, all trains are extremely delayed or cancelled altogether. I decided not to go and now it is raining hard.





It was going to be four journeys from Faversham up to Margate, then Canterbury West and then Ramsgate and back and only on a Saturday. I could do it next Saturday but I feel now that I cannot be bothered.

So I popped into my local pub and had breakfast there.

It is very mild. 12C according to my phone app if s lttle windy. We had a chcken sandwich esch to which Riley had half.
We may Chinese for dinner.

Apparently, we have had the mildest New Years' eve clocking in at 16C and the mildest evening if you wanted to celebrate fireworks outside.  I clocked 15C yesterday here in Faversham after midday. Today it is sunny and mild with a high expected to be 14C.

Of course, it will not last.  So let's make the most of it until then. 

Looking out from my front door.

I was expecting it to be a sunny day but the weather turned very chilly and rain-soaked during the morning. The afternoon was dryer with the occasional flash of sunshine. I had a muzzy head for most of the morning but after a shower, I felt much better, and a few coffees later much better. However, my sense of mordant humour saw the funny side of a day of bleakness being that is Halloween. So, after reading a creepy short story from my collection of Edgar Allen Poe, and after playing the theme tune to Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street, I listened to a CD I found cheap in a charity store but did not get round to listening to the set until now. The CD in question is Puccini's opera "Turandot", his last one before the throat cancer finally lowered the curtain of life at the age of 65. He was a chain smoker of Toscano Cigars. He never completed his opera Turandot but in my opinion, it is his best and darkest of all his operas.



Last night I finished watching the seventh season of Endeavour. Morse fell in love with this Italian woman in Venice during his vacation there and did not realize that she was the wife of a friend who was at college with him in Oxford. As the episodes unfold we begin to find out that this colleague finds out about the affair, and confronts Morse. Later on, we discover that all these so-called accidents over a long period were perpetrated by this friend and the wife to obtain insurance money by fraudulent means. In the final episode, Morse is back in Venice and confronts the colleague and the wife and tragedy happens - the wife is killed as she saves Morse from the husband's bullet and we find that our protagonist is distraught. Like an opera, the tragedy has come to its ultimate denouement - the fraudster is shot by Morse's superior. Fini. The end.

Well, despite what the forecast said, Monday turned out to be another sunny day after the first hour of torrential rain. So perhaps the rest of the week will not be as bad. It is quite a lot cooler and feeling quite autumnal now.

At around ten Monday evening I di feel tired and went to bed. I have just woken up from that sleep hence the reason for writing now.

I have already watched the first two episodes of Foundation and I must say I am impressed.

Dinner was cheesy pasta, that is pasta twirls with a rich tomato, onion, and garlic sauce and then topped with flaked mature Cheddar cheese. Simple and yummy.

I forgot to do my regular Monday at The Movies post. Run out of ideas but it will be back next Monday.

Watched my Monday night quiz shows and did fairly well. Only Connect is the real toughie though as straight learned knowledge from University Challange and Mastermind are ones I excel at, rather than the lateral qualities that are required for Only Connect.

Hre is a recent example of Only Connect -



Enjoy or not.

Another fine sunny day. Quite a lot cooler than 30C yesterday. It hit around 24C but was quite windy too.

Today, I hoovered and dusted around during the morning before popping into town to get some provisions. form Gillingham to darftfprd.

I enjoyed walking around town on yet another good sunny day. The so-called thunderstorms we were supposed to get had not arived.

Hope it stays dry tomorrow because I am doing four jobs from Gillingham through to Bluewater and Darrent Valley.

It goes to show how two days can be so very different. Midday yesterday it was gloriously sunny with a sunbathing 25C in the garden here. Today it barely crept beyond 18C and was dull all day long.

I have been doing some covert online mystery shops in the afternoon after a visit to Whitstable in the morning.

All the reports have been done and I am currently listening to some jazz piano from Michel Petrucciani.

I was wrong about the number of seasons for Primeval. I remember seeing it back in the day and remembered it was more than just two. It ran from 2007 to 2011 and there were five seasons of the show. Not just two. But for some reason, Britbox is just showing the first two seasons which I have now watched.

I hope they soon get to show the next three!

It was another generally sunny day with just a few showers to spoil it slightly.

I popped over to Maidstone to do a couple of covert betting shop visits. This time I betted on football but I doubt I will be as lucky as last time. Once again, I used the brand new Stagecoach X4 bus route. I love the new service.

Anyway, a good relaxing weekend awaits.

Another dull day. Windy as hell as well. Some sunshine but too little of it.

So, I walked into town, picked up some food items, then checked in at a couple of charity shops. I picked up three classical CDs for £1.50.

These are -

Mozart Symphonies 40 and 41 - Vienna {hil./Levine (DG)
Edward Macdowell - Suites 1 & 2 (Naxos)
Arnold Bax - Symphony No 1. (Naxos)

Waiting for a bus back at the library bus stop, I noticed that Stagecoach had put up a new timetable. From Monday they are running two new regular bus services -

The X3 from Canterbury through to Sttingboumre via Bysing Wood.
And more important to me -
X4 from Canterbury to Maidstone via Ospringe.

So, goodbye Arriva, ever since you stopped a direct service from Faversham to Maidstone or even Sittigbourne you were threatened with another company taking over the route. Thank you Stagecoach.