tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post9177331018895103890..comments2024-03-27T11:18:59.924+00:00Comments on Sun Dried Sparrows: Anniversary snapshots: 3rd July 1981Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-69618777374800318242017-07-17T22:43:43.982+01:002017-07-17T22:43:43.982+01:00Ah, very vivid, Graham - thanks. It's great ho...Ah, very vivid, Graham - thanks. It's great how we can remember such moments with so much feeling - whole seasons - in spite of how long ago they were.Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-16957613194656291872017-07-17T15:40:05.632+01:002017-07-17T15:40:05.632+01:001981 and that summer stick very much in the mind.
...1981 and that summer stick very much in the mind.<br /><br />I left school in 1981 so that very month or just before - whenever I turned up for my last A level.<br /><br />I was in one of the best bands I was ever in which sadly disintegrated before the year was out as we all left school and floundered about not knowing what we were doing. I originally headed off to be trained as a computer operator, only for the company to decide I showed some other aptitude and rapidly moved me to being a student on a scheme to become a software engineer. <br /><br />My new girlfriend (now Mrs F) went off on holiday to the Isle of Wight at some point and that began to show we had something serious going on as I missed her and she regularly called from a call box near their caravan. I went to see Excalibur with a mate whilst she was away. <br /><br />When she came back I went off on a holiday with my brother, last one ever just the two of us, we went to visit my Aunt in Cheshire and around North Wales etc.<br /><br />I have no idea on gigs that year... Furtheronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903753972242964410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-89692706678693778732017-07-12T08:50:13.466+01:002017-07-12T08:50:13.466+01:00Cheers Dirk. Like C, I also enjoyed the various wr...Cheers Dirk. Like C, I also enjoyed the various write-ups of the Glasgow gathering. Who knows what the next one will bring?!Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05267504526414194713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-76901384609454049142017-07-11T19:21:36.846+01:002017-07-11T19:21:36.846+01:00Ah thanks, Dirk, lovely to hear from you! Well, i...Ah thanks, Dirk, lovely to hear from you! Well, it was brilliant reading about and looking at the photos from your now legendary bloggers meeting in Glasgow, we were all eager to know that it went well and excited for you! It's reassuring to read what you say here (though we know you're all lovely, just some of us are a bit shy!) <br /><br />Thank you - maybe we will all meet up next time - <br />those museums won't know what's hit them ;-) <br /><br />Take care too, CChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-84922829426448849932017-07-11T14:07:44.126+01:002017-07-11T14:07:44.126+01:00Great to have you back, C, with a wonderful post t...Great to have you back, C, with a wonderful post that brings back memories! And don't be shy about or afraid of a larger group when it comes to a next blogger's meeting (nor should you, Martin + Alyson): I can assure to you 100% that there wasn't a single participant I wouldn't want to meet again! Also everyone was constantly able to do whatever everyone wanted, no pressure whatsoever ... what I'm trying to say is: those 'little groups' build themselves up automatically.<br /><br />So I hope to see you all when it comes to the next meeting!<br /><br />Take care,<br /><br />DirkDirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02907703583893968857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-41572960892158707892017-07-10T10:23:42.435+01:002017-07-10T10:23:42.435+01:00PS - hope you had a brilliant vacation!PS - hope you had a brilliant vacation!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-57736200664493103712017-07-10T10:21:38.717+01:002017-07-10T10:21:38.717+01:00Aw thanks Brian! I'm so with you on technolog...Aw thanks Brian! I'm so with you on technology and advances in AI. I could rant at length about that but I'll just get myself worked up - reassuring therefore to know I'm not alone.<br />That's really something about your kids' lack of interest in the digital world, and so refreshing! For all technology's advantages, there's nothing like appreciating the real physical world for what it is and I often wonder how many children it's passing by. At the same time I think sometimes things have to get stretched to the extreme before people realise it's not what they really wanted and things start to revert again - I hold onto that hope anyway, especially when it comes to the idea of a future where we lose sight of all our wonderful human talents and abdicate everything to bloody robots!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-31461605859595927582017-07-10T02:06:39.486+01:002017-07-10T02:06:39.486+01:00Now that was worth the wait! Terrific post, C. Lov...Now that was worth the wait! Terrific post, C. Loved the photos and musical memories. Technology and advances in AI in particular are scaring me these days, and I often wish we as a family had the courage and gumption to get off the grid completely. Overall, we are a fairly analog family, though, and we do a good job of shying away from the latest bells and whistles. Thankfully, my kids have no interest in phones, video games or even television. Makes them sort of odd ducks among their age groups, but I consider myself lucky. Good to have you back.Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04321051045499549249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-33093907997667050152017-07-06T12:53:12.089+01:002017-07-06T12:53:12.089+01:00Thanks Martin - and for your encouragement - glad ...Thanks Martin - and for your encouragement - glad you enjoyed this.<br />Really interesting that you were in Cornwall seeing those bands you mention at that time and also working there. I think I may know the venue in question too, (from exploring the area on holiday later on, though, - not from gigs, sadly) <br />Re. next post, I was also spurred on by something you said in reply to a comment I left at your place a little while back, so have one brewing. Hope I can just manage to hold onto the mojo for it.Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-43783053791786578132017-07-06T12:46:49.941+01:002017-07-06T12:46:49.941+01:00Hmmm....!Hmmm....!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-85934005651829134742017-07-06T12:46:18.847+01:002017-07-06T12:46:18.847+01:00Must've been scary for your grandparents then....Must've been scary for your grandparents then. Thanks re. photo, just to prove I'm not a bot!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-35195468402712834452017-07-06T12:44:41.464+01:002017-07-06T12:44:41.464+01:00Many thanks TS, hope you've recovered now from...Many thanks TS, hope you've recovered now from the very late night! <br />Klaus Schulze/ T Dreamn etc. completely passed me by but I do remember thinking Radioactivity was unlike anything else my sister was playing around that time.<br />I like that Douglas Adams quote, how true.<br />An East of England meet-up is definitely a possibility isn't it? - would be lovely to see you.Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-24167739661715284262017-07-06T10:15:35.909+01:002017-07-06T10:15:35.909+01:00Glad you've found your writing mojo! Really en...Glad you've found your writing mojo! Really enjoyed this. 81 was a year of new beginnings for us. We settled in Cornwall where I was working at an entertainment complex, right on the beach. A surreal summer in so many ways, but a run of bands to see throughout. The Jam, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Ultravox, OMD, etc etc. Also the likes of Whitesnake and Rainbow. An anything-goes kinda time. Already looking forward to your next post. Nice pics, by the way.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494219959077922220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-44111922665317807012017-07-05T11:22:04.146+01:002017-07-05T11:22:04.146+01:00She's back and she has'nt changed a bit??She's back and she has'nt changed a bit??Old Pa's Cornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14367815328789444775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-82567250774026369972017-07-04T22:38:56.216+01:002017-07-04T22:38:56.216+01:00My Grandparents lived in Southall, (they had since...My Grandparents lived in Southall, (they had since the early 50's )and they were really concerned about the aggression on the streets directed at their neighbours. Love your photo btw 😍Circe's Attichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12123904248094064043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-88780173483735928782017-07-04T17:45:47.659+01:002017-07-04T17:45:47.659+01:00I appear to have completely missed your previous p...I appear to have completely missed your previous post, which I must now go back and take a look at - I wondered where you'd got to! The first LP I heard by Kraftwerk was 'Autobahn' in early 1975. I was very much into Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze etc at the time, so it was the next logical step. Those earlier albums of theirs felt somehow less cold and clinical than the way they became later in their career and, to an extent, have remained. My cousin's American husband is a Kraftwerk obsessive and will be dead jealous when I tell him that I know someone who saw them in 1981!<br />1981 was a simpler time tech-wise, that's for sure - then again, ten years ago seems a simpler time from my viewpoint now! We live off the grid to a certain extent and I'm constantly surprised at how quickly technology moves along while I'm not looking! There's a Douglas Adams quote that comes to mind; 'Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is a natural part of the way the world works. Anything that’s invented between when you’re 15 and 35 is new and exciting and revolutionary. Anything invented after you’re 35 is against the natural order of things.'<br />Apologies for the rambling nature of this comment. I had a very late night last night and am seriously beginning to pay for it now - there wasn't even any booze involved! Belated birthday greetings C, from all at Swede Towers. Put my name down for that East of England meet-up.The Swedehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13237251779370596904noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-76788587308621414102017-07-04T16:45:04.460+01:002017-07-04T16:45:04.460+01:00Count me in for all of the above!Count me in for all of the above!Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05267504526414194713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-19826440994012850902017-07-04T14:40:16.070+01:002017-07-04T14:40:16.070+01:00Thanks Chris - I needed a bit of a break, I think ...Thanks Chris - I needed a bit of a break, I think many of us know that feeling! I'd be interested to know what you thought of some of the other bands I mentioned from the '80s, as I can no longer hear them myself with the same fresh ears. I did revisit the Modern English and Positive Noise albums I used to have when I started writing this post, but they didn't sound too good to me any more. On the other hand, early Cure sounded better than I expected. So it's interesting how our tastes and opinions can change - or not!<br />I hope Kraftwerk do play near you at some point too.<br />Those old calculators never die.... I think too many things now have built-in obsolescence.<br />Thanks so much for your very kind words - the low quality of my phone's camera means it's soft focus which is very fortunate....you wouldn't say that if it were HD! <br />But very much appreciated :-)Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-78353419591793544352017-07-04T14:29:09.319+01:002017-07-04T14:29:09.319+01:00Thank you Alyson, I did, very low-key, just as I l...Thank you Alyson, I did, very low-key, just as I like it!<br /><br />The diary/journal idea would be wonderful. I forgot we tended to call them concerts by the way - that sounds more grand now but yes it could refer to even the smallest venues at that time. <br /><br />And I'm now in the "I'll go if you go!" frame of mind if it came to a more expansive meet out of the region... so maybe we will!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-53073089891739441692017-07-04T14:23:10.115+01:002017-07-04T14:23:10.115+01:00Well (feeling brave now!) perhaps that really is s...Well (feeling brave now!) perhaps that really is something we could look into - I'm an East of Englander too and I also like the idea of being an occasional gig buddy if logistically possible! (Mr SDS is no longer into it and has no qualms about me going without him -just people I used to go with live too far away these days so I tend not to!) So maybe that's something to consider at some point, preceded perhaps by a mini-meet in one of our fine East Anglian cities for anyone in the region who feels the same way?!Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-52470700313038815682017-07-04T12:55:43.103+01:002017-07-04T12:55:43.103+01:00Glad you are back writing again. My dad has a calc...Glad you are back writing again. My dad has a calculator from the 80s, it still works(with a battery), and he has no intention of replacing it :) I'm a fan of the early 80s albums by The Cure and Kraftwerk, not heard of New Age Steppers and Positive Noise, I'll give them a try. Kraftwerk sound like a must-see live from your description, they predicted the future, and if touring near me, I'd consider going. Music was definitely more exciting/varied then than it is now.<br />I read about the 1981 riots when I was at the Museum of London in January, a very tense time indeed. Luckily you escaped the violence.<br />Lots of selfies going around recently. 12 in '75, so you must be in your mid 50s by my calculations, you look 10 years younger! Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09395044055566348346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-19314158767872616512017-07-04T09:57:43.383+01:002017-07-04T09:57:43.383+01:00A regional meeting sounds more manageable, not jus...A regional meeting sounds more manageable, not just for the logistics of travel (I'm in the east of England, a lot of the bloggers I read are in Scotland!) but also the size - like you, I'm wary of a large group (although, having said that, it does make it easier to hide, with the "pressure" spread out over more people)... But anyway, occasional gig buddies might also be a plan, especially as I tend to go to gigs mostly on my own these days, and gigs are always better if you have a mate to talk to them about.<br /><br />My Walkman still sees occasional service, if I need to digitise something that's on an old tape. It's so solid, so heavy (the DD series had a direct motor to drive the wheels, rather than a rubber drive belt) - I love it!Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05267504526414194713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-2195103151987611522017-07-03T23:54:03.784+01:002017-07-03T23:54:03.784+01:00Oh - Happy birthday for yesterday - You kept that ...Oh - Happy birthday for yesterday - You kept that one quiet! Hope you had a lovely day.<br /><br />Funny you should mention the blogger who reproduced her old diaries as I found my old journal from my final year at school and it was full of stories of the concerts (didn't called them gigs back then!) and films we'd been to see. Also lots of boyfriend stories! Would have to change the names but it is a piece of social history which will end up in a skip someday so definitely going to use some of it here before it all goes to waste.<br /><br />I'm definitely in if you ever decide to "go for it" with a more expansive meet (and Scotland is very nice in summer if you ever want to venture north!). There's been a fair bit of selfie-sharing of late so we really are blowing our anonymity big style anyway. <br /><br />Good to see you've found your mojo again!Alysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671033552961486737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-52478447997411680002017-07-03T22:16:07.583+01:002017-07-03T22:16:07.583+01:00Ah thanks CC.
So true about Toyah - I hadn't...Ah thanks CC. <br />So true about Toyah - I hadn't thought of that but it absolutely sums up the difference between then and now. We all just looked across at her but the way I remember it is that nobody made a big deal of it. Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6075393268513251879.post-2070650665691555782017-07-03T22:10:59.602+01:002017-07-03T22:10:59.602+01:00Oh thanks so much Alyson, glad you enjoyed the pos...Oh thanks so much Alyson, glad you enjoyed the post and I thought it would resonate with more than a few so I love knowing I'm not alone here! Yes I feel the same about technology - like most things there's good and bad - whilst there are these worrying trends for the sort of thing Martin and I mentioned in above comments, the other side to it is all this, which is very enriching. Someone once said something along the lines of it's about making sure you have control over it, not for it to have control over you. Sounds about right.<br /><br />Thanks re. the photos - it was actually my birthday yesterday and I had this urge a bit like a New Year's Resolution to just go with it and get out there (even if 'getting out there' is a misnomer when used in this virtual sense!) I really enjoy seeing old photos of people on here too, especially when they're so obviously from a particular time, so would be really lovely to see some of yours any time you wanted to share (hope you do!) There was another female blogger ('Kolley Kibber') some years ago who I came into contact with not long after I first started; her posts and comments were always a great read and it was good to have another female perspective (and of similar age). Anyway one of her most popular series of posts was when she reproduced some pages from her old university diaries (full of gigs, flatmates and boyfriend) including some fantastic old photos. I'm sure you'd have loved them... so, if you ever feel like doing something similar... :-) That said, the issue of anonymity from friends and family is still a consideration and I'm the same so completely get it.<br /><br />The 'regional' thing came to mind because it had been mentioned before and would be easier from a practical level, especially for a first time (baby steps!) ... The suggestion once came up of a series of 'mini-meets' to see how it goes. But it would be such a shame never to meet you if we ever did decide to go for it so who knows? - I've never been to Scotland....! :-)Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02423624920558505937noreply@blogger.com