Today I managed to get tickets to see 'Kent' play in Göteborg and Copenhagen later this year. To say I'm excited would be one hell of an understatement! They are probably the biggest band in Scandinavia and I was made aware of them by my friends Morgan and Håkan, who will accompany me to the gig in Göteborg. I won't sleep!

27.07.07

I took Gareth to see 'The Simpsons Movie' tonight as he is a big fan of the show.



He really enjoyed it, but I have to admit that I don't think I have ever seen a whole episode of the show from start to finish yet, so sitting through an extended version was not a prospect that filled me with joy! I'm sure if you are a fan you'll love it. I'm not and I didn't!

26.07.07

I travelled down to the tiny Joiners venue in Southampton tonight to see a gig by 'Hard-Fi'. I met up with Richard, my travelling companion on my journey home from the Keane gig on Saturday. We had a great evening as the band showcased some tracks from their forthcoming album which sounds like it's going to been even better than their debut, alongside all their singles. An excellent gig in great company!

25.07.07

Gareth and I went to see the film 'Transformers' today.



If I'm being honest I really didn't think I was going to enjoy it, but enjoy it I did! If you want a few hours of pure escapism with amazing special effects I really do recommend this movie.

22.07.07

At just after midnight Gareth decided he wanted the new Harry Potter book so we set of for the local supermarket expecting to see loads of kids dressed as wizards. Luckily we were met with just a few other shoppers and some very bored looking cashiers!




Could it really be over four years ago that I attended my first 'Keane' gig? Back then they played to a room full of people in the back of a pub in London's Kings Cross.
I travelled to London to see them again tonight, except this time they are playing the 02 Arena which has toilets bigger than the venues they played all those years ago! With a capacity of 23,000 it was always going to be a memorable gig.
In 2003 Tom Chaplin was an awkward and nervous vocalist but tonight he showed that he's matured into an absolute professional. The crowd adored them from the very first note which was perfect as the show was being filmed for release on DVD. I tried to take some pictures using my mobile phone but as always they came out as blurred blobs, however I just have to display a stunning picture taken by Felicity Morgan from the Keane Forum, who I thank for allowing me to reproduce it here.



Getting to and from the 02 Arena tonight was much more of a challenge than when I saw 'Snow Patrol' a few weeks ago. The tube trains were absolutely packed both ways, but I did get back to Waterloo in good time. In fact as I walked onto the station concourse I saw that there was a train I could take that was leaving in just a few minutes. The draw of the M&S food hall was strong, but the chance to get home at a reasonable hour won out just! By coincidence the person who sat next to me on the train had also been to the gig, so we had a really enjoyable journey comparing notes. Hello Richard if you're reading this!

12.07.07

We travelled to Southampton University today for Gareth's Graduation Ceremony. He looked absolutely brilliant in his robes and I was so proud of him.







His sister Laura and I watched the ceremony on a plasma screen in the comfort of the champagne tent, where we had a fabulous picnic of sparkling wine, strawberries and cream, posh sandwiches and scones with cream and jam! All very civilised. A big thank you to Gareth's Dad for paying for it! When I watched Gareth receive his certificate



 I had to reach for the tissues, it was such a proud moment!

19.07.07

I met up with my mate Gordon tonight for a drink and a meal in Marlborough. He has the knack of asking really thought provoking questions which both challenge and entertain, a rare talent!
We enjoyed a great meal at the Indian restaurant, though for once I went for something mild as I didn't want to have the consequences of hot food tomorrow morning!

18.07.07

I went to see 'La Vie En Rose' tonight.
 Alone!
After making Gareth sit through the German film 'The Lives Of Others' recently, he said a firm 'no' to accompanying me to watch one in French!



 It was such a beautiful film about the life of Edith Piaf with a soundtrack of classic songs of joy and despair. Excellent.

16.07.07

We popped into town today just so I could collect a cinema ticket for tomorrow and ended up spending a LOT more money than planned. I had a quick browse in Boots The Chemist and left with over £30 of "male grooming products", once again confirming my sexuality!
The look of longing on Gareth's face when we saw a great deal on a Nintendo DS was too much to bear so I bought him one!



His train journey to work each morning will now be far more entertaining!

15.07.07

For once this month it stopped raining long enough for the sky to look beautiful as the sun went down.





Somewhere you just know there are some delighted shepherds!

14.07.07

Gareth and I went to see 'Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix' tonight.



An excellent film and easily my favourite so far! The special effects just get better and the interaction between the main actors has become far more subtle and a joy to watch.

12.07.07

We took Laura back to Gosport today and spent a leisurely afternoon with her and Gareth's Dad, who organised a delicious barbeque for us. We sat outside in the sunshine watched over by Bella the family dog (who may have been more interested in the food than us!)



I got to test my camera as I took pictures of some of the wildlife that ventured into the garden as we ate.




 

08.07.07

So it's the seventh day of the seventh month of the seventh year. I can actually remember the same day, 30 years ago, 7.7.77. It was gloriously sunny and I was at primary school. Time flies!

Along with Gareth's sister Laura, we spent the day shopping and sightseeing in the beautiful city of Bath. It's one of my favourite cities in the UK and I've spent many hours wandering its historic streets, some very appropriately named!



It was Laura's first visit so amongst others we went to Pultney Bridge,





and the Royal Crescent.



A great day out rounded off with a trip to the Pizza Express just down the road from our house. What more could you ask for?!

07.07.07

I 'acquired' a copy of 'Hostel II' which I watched today.



There were moments where the violence was gratuitous and tried unsuccessfully to emulate the shock value of the original, but overall it is a worthy sequel that I really enjoyed!

06.07.07

I heard the new 'Editors' album, "An End Has A Start" today.



The track "The Weight Of The World" has the line:
"Every little piece of your life will mean something to someone"
which I think is a very beautiful lyric.

02.07.07

Our good friends Scott & John visited us this weekend and we had such a brilliant time as always.
A big thank you to both for agreeing to be our respective Best Men at next years Civil Partnership.

30.06.07

I went to my first gig at the new 02 Arena in London tonight. It was formerly the Millennium Dome and it is quite an inspiring sight, both outside and in.

 I got to see 'Ash' first, who were excellent but not really getting the crowd going. That was the job of 'Snow Patrol' who were absolutely amazing tonight. It is a well known fact that I can get quite 'emotional' at gigs and tonight they got me twice! When they played "Chasing Cars" the whole crowd sang along and the looks on the bands faces was one of sheer joy. I of course cried like a baby! I'd only just recovered when they played "Run" and I was reaching for the tissues again!
An amazing gig in an equally amazing venue.

28.06.07

So now it's official!

 Gareth and I went to Basingstoke Registry Office today to officially give notice of our intention to form a Civil Partnership.
It will happen in Cardiff in May 2008 and we want to enjoy the day with as many of our friends there as possible. More details to follow!

25.06.07

We went to see 'Shrek The Third' tonight.



I was really disappointed with the film, and found it boring and lacking few memorable moments, but Gareth enjoyed it.

23.06.07

After having to suffer 'Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer' on Friday, I got my own back tonight by taking Gareth to see 'The Lives Of Others'.



It's in German with English subtitles and is set in East Berlin in 1984. It follows a Captain from the Ministry For State Security (the Stasi) and his surveillance of a man whose life is his complete opposite. On a previous trip to Berlin I visited the Stasi headquarters which is now a museum and viewed many of the bugging devices used during its heyday when the service employed over 100,000 people to monitor the populate and ensure compliance to the Party ideal.
 Ulrich Mühe is superb in the role of the Stasi Captain Wiesler and manages to convey both detachment through to compassion as the story progresses. I loved this film, despite having to occasionally wake Gareth up to stop him snoring!

18.06.07

Gareth and I visited his parents today to celebrate Fathers Day. During the afternoon we went to the seafront at Stokes Bay with Gareth's sister Laura to give my dog Bonnie a good walk. She loves it down there as she always meets load of other dogs and there are lots of different scents for her to niff! She got a little tired at one point and just stretched out on the pebbles for a rest!


 

17.06.07

I was having a sort through some video files on the computer today and came across the video for "High Hopes" by 'Pink Floyd'. If you haven't seen this video I urge you to go seek it out.



 It is visually breathtaking and will always remind me of when I first had satellite television installed, as it was on heavy rotation on VH1 at the time and always made me stop whatever I was doing just to gaze in wonder!

16.06.07

Gareth and I went to see 'Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer' tonight. He enjoyed it but I thought it was one of the most pointless films I have ever had the misfortune of having to sit though.



A pile of shite.

15.06.07

So has being 40 changed me? This thought entered my mind this morning as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, applying my anti-ageing moisturiser. "Of course it hasn't", I decided, as I applied the finishing touches to my anti-ageing under eye cream.

14.06.07

I went to see the 'Manic Street Preachers' again tonight on the final date of their tour in Reading.


picture by myskype, myskype.journal.com

Great to meet up with my work colleague Sally and her partner Steve who also got to witness a brilliant gig and a much better crowd than the Southampton gig last week.

09.06.07

Gareth and I went to 'Oceans 13' tonight.



I really enjoyed it, much more than the 'Oceans 12'. Recommended!

08.06.07

I travelled to Swindon tonight to see the 'Pet Shop Boys' play at the Oasis Leisure Centre. Has it really come to this?! (which incidentally would make a great title for one of their songs!)
As I waited for the concert to begin it became apparent where all the ugly gay men are sent to live. The place was full of them!
Last time I saw the Pet Shop Boys play they had a proper band set up and even Neil played guitar on a few tracks. This time they had returned to their more theatrical style of show, with flamboyant dancers and backing singers, giving the whole show a very camp over the top feel which to me seemed very dated. Very mid 80's Erasure.


picture by Bill Taylor, swindonevent.com

However the music was brilliant tonight. Playing a crowd pleasing set with hits mixed with new album tracks, including a brilliant version of "The Sodom And Gomorrah Show".

07.06.07

I travelled down to Southampton tonight to see the 'Manic Street Preachers' at the Guildhall. Their new album 'Send Away The Tigers' is being hailed as a return to form, but in my opinion they never actually lost it!


picture by lindz_delirium, foreverdelayed.org

A brilliant gig!

05.06.07

My second time to see Travis this month tonight, this time in Reading. Having witnessed their unique entrance in Bournemouth I positioned myself at the back of the hall for the start of the gig and was rewarded as the band walked in right next to me. I got to pat them all on the back and Dougie gave me a huge smile followed by Andy.


picture by ClaireG, travisonline.com

 A great start to a brilliant gig, where they also played one of my favourites, 'Battleships'.

27.05.07

An early start as Gareth had to get his car to the garage for a battery change so I took Bonnie for a walk to Stokes Bay with new camera in hand. She really enjoyed the long walk and posed beautifully too!







Once Gareth's car was sorted we whizzed back to Basingstoke to see 'Pirates Of The Caribbean At Worlds End'.



Again the film was a bit too long for my liking but it made a lot more sense than the second one at least!

26.05.07

The mystery of what has been eating our bird food so quickly was solved when I got home from work this evening! As I stood in the lounge I noticed something making its way down the garden fence before it scampered across the lawn...



The squirrel then sat quite happily on the patio, munching its way through a load of food that I'd placed in an old plant pot for the birds!



 This evening we travelled down to Gosport so we could go to Portsmouth with Gareth's sister Laura. We walked around Gunwharf to see how the Spinnaker Tower looks at night







before we ate at Nando's!
 Then it was off to the cinema to see 'Spider-Man 3'



which I didn't enjoy that much. It was a late night showing which didn't help as I was feeling quite sleepy. We got back to Gareth's parents house at around 2am which was a great time for Laura to realise she hadn't brought her door keys. We weren't the most popular guests!

25.05.07