Lost Ticker Tape

The impending release of Build A Harbour Immediately by Adam Stafford , on a yellow cassette, got me to thinking about tapes. First off, Adam (ex-Y'all Is Fantasy Island) really is an incredibly talented man, I could write for ages about all of the things he has done but it's better that you see/hear/read for yourself: http://www.accidentalmedia.com/adam_stafford.php Oh, and go and see him play in Stereo this Saturday 20 th August! Anyway, back to tapes. I was fascinated by tapes as a kid, I wondered how all of the voices and instruments were held on this piece of plastic (this partly explains my study of Music and Audio Technology). I still own tapes and still have something to occasionally play them on which fills me with nostalgia. Cassette tapes are a little piece of my teenage years that I can't leave behind. There are so many people who will wax lyrical about the humble cassette and the time, effort, thought and patience that went into maki...

Normal service is resumed! I have been thinking and I can not let this little outlet for whimsy and things I love fade into the backgroud. If anything, it is more important now than ever before to make time for it. Little things that made me happy today: 1. Speaking to my 71 year old grandmother who told me she went whitewater rafting on holiday last week along with my grandad and 60+ aunt and uncle. Incredible! 2. Hearing my musical moniker being read out on radio (I was tweeting, I have not yet written anything radio worthy!). 3. A beautiful email from a friend I haven't seen in a while. 4. Being sent new music. Sometimes the simplest of things make the day better than it would otherwise have been. More soon!

I am finding less time to get absorbed in things which are not political at present. I fear that normal service of whimsy and nonsense will never be resumed as life changes and priorities shift. I could write for hours about this but I have strike action to prepare for, I will be there on my picket line and at the rally in George Square in Glasgow on Thursday June 30th. If you are free on Thursday please try to make it to a local rally or picket line and show your support to PCS, NUT, ATL and UCU strikers.

The orange bike above is mine, bought from Glasgow Bike Shed, it is old and a little flaky, the seat squeaks and the breaks scream (so much so that everyone within 100 yards turns to stare) but I love it! It has no name other than 'my lovely orange bike' so suggestions are welcome. Spring sunshine, bike rides and reading in the park were the main features of last weekend. Getting somewhere under your own steam by bike is remarkably satisfying , even more than if you were to walk that same distance. I forget just how much I love being on a bike just enjoying the sunshine, the breeze and the sense of freedom it allows. I like the idea of cycling to work however I reckon I would be squished by a Glasgow bus within a week as the drivers seem to have an almost pathological hatred of cyclists. So, it will be leisurely trips via scenic routes to parks and gardens around Glasgow. Any takers for bike rides in the sunshine?

So, as time goes on this blog reveals a little more about me. Apart from my love of music, dancing and whimsy I do have other things on the radar. Some of you will already know this however a few of you may be surprised to hear that I am a trade union rep. With my diminutive stature, being female and under 30 I'm not exactly what you picture when you think of a union rep, however it is something I am fiercely proud of. I won't go on extolling the virtues of unionism as this isn't the forum for it however I did want to post about what I will be doing next weekend. I will be joining hundreds of thousands of people in London to march for the alternatives to the cuts the Conservative government is making (see http://www.pcs.org.uk/ for more info or google March for the Alternative). It has been proven that these are ideological, unnecessary cuts and I for one will be adding my voice to the call for the alternative. I can post line after line of anti-cuts rhetoric but if ...