Christmas 9

Happy Christmas everyone.

I have been trying to get the killer shot today, which is Grandad playing Guitar Hero on the Nintendo Wii.

Christmas 8

I promised some pictures of the band at Goodison Park on Monday so here we are.

If Carlsberg did Christmas Carolling

Last night was my second to last engagement as bandmaster. We went to Goodison Park for the Everton v Chelsea premiership game to play in the executive lounges, before the game on the pitch during the pre-match warm-up and again at half-time on the pitch.

We got insulted by Duncan McKenzie in the Alex Young Suite (made my day). He introduced us as "Take That" (whoever they are and what brass instruments do they play?).

I saw him later when we were on the pitch - he recognised me and gave me a thumbs up sign.

I'll try and get some more pictures from Pete.

Howard (my brother) said if he got a chance he would trip up John Terry with his trombone, make it onto Sky Sport and onto MOTD 2. But he didn't have to, he got sent off before half time (John Terry not Howard).

Missed the incident as we where queuing up waiting to walk onto the pitch.

We all have blue gravel and pitch mud on our shoes, we are all refusing to clean them. My dad has already spread it around his carpet at home.

Christmas 7

Radio Merseyside tonight with a few guys from the band. They told us they needed us from 5.00pm so we all rushed from work to get there on time. Only to be told we would not be on from 6:50. Doh!

Almost there now, only two more caroling engagements a Sunday, then the Everton v Chelsea game on Monday night.

Oh and Christmas eve.

Christmas 6

Its been a busy few days for Liverpool Walton Salvation Army band. ITV telly on Friday, we did BBC last year (The Liverpool Nativity) it's ITV this year. The consensus of opinion amongst bandmen is that BBC look after you better, we had to fight for sandwiches and muffins with the techy guys with ITV. The BBC sorted us out with a cooked meal with celebs. It was cold, dark and a bit miserable, we only had one chance to get thing right even though it wasn't live telly, so we don't really now what it will come out like. I suspect it will sound a bit dodgy. Too cold.
Saturday morning was carolling in Liverpool City Centre. We spent the morning looking for sports stars as Sports Personality was filmed in the Echo Arena, I didn't see one. There was loads of Spanish people around who had come to see Liverpool FC draw with Hull.
Sunday was our "Civic" carol concert. Two performances, good day.

Christmas 5

Tonight we did the ITV recording at Alder Hey childrens hospital for Christmas Eve.

We are all very tired.

Christmas 4

I have spent this morning playing carols outside Morrisons at Ormskirk. I marvelled at the near misses in the car park and the long queues to get out.
Our morning was livened up when the security people chased a young man across the car park when he tried to leave with a full trolley of food without paying. The security guards gave a good chase and I thought they where going to catch him at one point, but he got away.

Note: Always pay for goods at Morrisons you could never beat the security guards to the car, load the car and queue up to leave before they caught up with you.

Christmas 3

Does anyone else irrationally dislike the colour of Des O'Connors jumper on the latest Tescos advert?

Christmas 2

The tat has begun its Christmas creep across our house.

Christmas 1

This is my cornet. We bought it more than 20 years ago now, and Heather reminds me that it almost bankrupt us when we bought it. Its a bit battered and bruised these days but its out of its box from today for Christmas playing.
I thought I would start Christmas blogs knowing that we have a busy schedule which includes several highlights:

• Telly on ITV Christmas Eve from Alder Hey Childrens hospital.
• BBC Radio Merseyside
• Before the Premiership match, Everton v Chelsea on the 22nd December
• A couple of Christmas Carol concerts.

But it has started today with Sainsburys Knotty Ash

American President

I was really impressed today with the speech given by Barack Obama, Americas new President elect. But, there is one thing I need to warn him about, and that is Bob the Builder.

"He can't sue him"

"YES HE CAN"

Pets 2

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a colleague who keeps a few pets. Today she came into work a bit distraught. Apparently one of her dogs ate one of the chinchillas over the weekend.
At the moment, its circling the Axolotl with fur round its grinning, contented mouth, dreaming of desert.

Most embarassing

I was watching telly the other night, channel hopping as normal (I own the remote control). When I came across a programme, "Teenage Embarrassing Bodies" (Only for the brave). I must say at this point I am a bit squeamish when it comes to real blood and guts on telly. I can watch pretend stuff all day, but real blood makes me quake behind my 13inch Apple laptop screen.
Heather on the other hand does not seem to be squeamish at all, in fact she made me stay on the programme. I didn't watch, just heard the sound, which seem to go a bit like this:

Male teenager: I have a bit of a problem down there (pointing)
Doctor: Lets have a look then. Drop your trousers and sit up here.
Male teenager: OK (jumps on table and drops his shorts)
Kevin (Shouting at director): Cut away, cut away, Ohh do I need to see this (then hides behind laptop) Tell me when its finished.
Doctor: (Sharp intake of breath), Ooh that looks sore
Male teenager: Is that normal
Heather: Don't look yet
Doctor: How many partners have you had?
Kevin: Do we really need to know this? Can I look yet?
Heather: (shouting) NO!
Male teenager: (smiling) I quite active in that department, but no permanent partner. Just lots of different ones.

The programme went on in similar vein for an hour, I think, then repeated on C4+1. I wandered where the embarrasment was in this show. It certainly wasn't on any of the teenagers featured on the show as I don't think they would have volunteered to share there rashes and growths with the nation.

I was the one embarrassed hidden behind my laptop. Can I look yet.

Heroes

We are watching the new series of Heroes on Wednesday night. We have to watch each show twice, on BBC Two then on BBC Three before we can get what is going on.

Is this just us?

Pets

I work with some strange people. A colleague of mine was telling me how her chinchillas had eaten through the cable which supplied power to machine which provided oxygen to her fish. Who promptly died. She was upset by this because she was beginning to "bond" with her fish. I don't know what happened to the chinchillas, I presume they survived electrocution.


Rather than buying new fish she bought an Axolotl. Which looks like this.

I think you must admit its a strange looking thing. She insists that this creature gets excited when she comes into the room. I keep searching her face for some sort of irony but cannot see any at all.

I get appalled looks when I explain my first impressions of small animals is that I wander how far they would travel if I kicked them.

Annual appeal 4

Another nights collecting, and it finished early as most people seem to go out on Friday night (surprisingly). But I did find myself getting a bit up tight with a couple of people who live in very large houses out of sight from the main road. The first bloke surprised me when he came to the door as I was admiring his lovely Austin Martin DB7 car. He said he didn't do business at the door so I thanked him and left. The next guy at a bigger house came to the door with a napkin and he couldn't possibly give any money because he was eating dinner.
Hay Ho, never mind, nearly finished.

Annual appeal 3

Second day collecting and Ray and I are doing Long Lane. It is an interesting fact how Long Lane has got its name. It's not to do with it's width or even it's height but it's length, it is long. This has a special appeal to door to door collectors as not only is Long Lane long, but it is straight. So when we have finally finished collecting, we have to walk the long length of Long Lane back to the car.
Long lane starts with old houses populated mainly by professional people who get home late, who are not in when I call. And finishes with older retired people who won't open the door because it's too late.
At least the copper jar was given to me near the end of the evening so I didn't have too far to carry. And Gill drove down Long Lane to pick us up, happy days.

Annual appeal 2

Sadly (or not) collecting was canceled tonight. But that gave me the opportunity to play with my new iPod Touch. I shall update my blog from this device when I get to grips

Annual appeal 1

Here we are, third week of September, time for Salvation Army Annual Appeal. It's been our first night out collecting today. On the way round it seems traditional that I make up a blog entry. But I have struggled tonight, but Will has posted a motivational video on Youtube, check it out (Hi Ho, it's off to work we go).

I promise to think harder tomorrow.

Big Bang Day

Tomorrow is big bang day, so radio 4, on the bbc, is making it a feature. Tomorrow, we could know how everything works or we could blow everything up. If everything does disappear in a black hole tomorrow, there will be a lot of egg on faces at CERN.

I just hope before they turn the thing on they have built in the reverse polarity button or have designed a feature so they can fire a tachyon burst at the new black holes. (it always works in Star Trek)