Sunday, April 10, 2005

Six items about music and nature.

1. There's some MP3s of The SK5 to download from www.gishsounds.com, along with all kinds of other lovliness selected for your listening pleasure by the boy Gish, late of Miss Black America and Tex La Homa (though not at the same time as me and Rich), currently of My Hi-fi Sister and Sunshine Republic. Click on the "sounds" link on the front page.

2. Badgers have done an unbelievable amount of damage to the lawn I spent hours mowing last week. I spent this afternoon filling in countless badger-holes, a pointless and sisyphean (sp?) task if ever there was one, I know they'll all be there again next time I look. (By badger-holes, I mean of course ones they have dug in their search for juicy earthworms to eat, not the ones they live in. I haven't been burying them alive!) Apparently the smell of human urine discourages them, so I'm going to make sure and drink plenty of water next time I go a-mowing.

3. I saw the first swallow of summer today, along with some of his swallow mates. He's a good month or so early, I don't normally see them until around May / June time - another symptom of global warming I suppose. On another ornithological note;

4. There are an extraordinary number of buzzards around at the moment, they're not usually a common bird around here but over the last couple of weeks I see one on pretty much every car journey I make. I guess they're getting like foxes and moving into more urban areas where there's lots of whatever buzzards eat, mice, rats and beetles maybe?

5. An opportunity for spotting
Betika in the wild will occur in the next seven days when Carolyn and I perform a few of our songs arranged for two voices, guitar and woodwinds at Consortium next Sunday (17th). There will also be two full live bands and probably two other acoustic acts, but I don't know who any of them are as yet but I will post details as I get hold of them.

6. Delicate Hammers (see last post) are confirmed to play with us at Mr. Smiths on Thursday 8th July. This is very good news!