tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-339517922024-03-08T02:24:12.179+00:00Urban FoxUrban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-63070821993596110602018-01-07T11:08:00.000+00:002018-01-07T11:37:38.975+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.1: Creeper - Eternity, In Your Arms<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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And here it is. My No.1 album of the year!<br />
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It would be easy to dismiss this as a pop album on the spoken word introduction from Ellie Price from fellow Southampton band Signal.<br />
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But it is far from it. Creeper fall into the horror rock genre which I will confess is not a genre I have generally explored in the past. I know of Misfits but they are not really a band I have listened to and looking at the list on Wikipedia of other bands in the genre the only other one I actually have heard of is AFI.<br />
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I love this album. There was something about Creeper that I loved when I saw them at Download and on returning was quick to check out their debut album. The band have stated Alkaline Trio and AFI as influences and it definitely comes across.<br />
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There is a lot of energy in this album and a lot of anthemic tracks. It is easy to see why Creeper have picked up awards for best new band in 2017. I hope there is a lot more to come from these guys!<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4Q3AGdThgRrZmYaFtDbWmP" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-12134482246492977042018-01-07T10:35:00.000+00:002018-01-07T10:35:12.859+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.2: Stone Sour - Hydrograd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"Hello you Bastards" - the opening line of this album on YSIF. Bit gimmicky? Perhaps. But it is the opening line to what I feel is Stone Sour's best album yet.<br />
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Stone Sour seem to go from strength to strength with each album release whereas Corey Taylor's other project, Slipknot, have failed in my eyes to really produce an album better than Vol.3: The Subliminal Verses.<br />
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It's one of those albums that doesn't have a real stand out anthem track, more just lots of very, very good tracks. When we saw them at Brighton in December all the new tracks sounded amazing with everyone easily being a show closer (or opener).<br />
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House of Gold and Bones 1 & 2 were amazing albums but this is even far superior and highly worth a listen!<br />
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I love Corey's vocals and in Stone Sour I feel is beautiful singing voice is showcased more than the growly vocals often on Slipknot's tracks.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/4PERSgw7TXqpEZlIVN6zHr" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-6704650900696354372018-01-03T22:29:00.002+00:002018-01-03T22:29:56.389+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.3: Mastodon - Emperor of Sand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mastodon's last three albums have scored top three positions in my countdowns and yet this is the lowest placing but again - this is not down to it being a weaker album. Far from it. It has just been a strong year for albums.<br />
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I first came across Mastodon back in 2008 at The ATP Nightmare before Christmas gig - I kick myself after finding myself standing next to the band after at the bar, not getting my brother to talk to them. I doubt we would have ended up as best buds but you never know!<br />
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Back to the album though, and it is yet another strong album. It kicks off strongly with Sultan's Curse and continues strongly with Show Yourself. But my favourite track is Ancient Kingdom. It is an amazingly powerful track with a fantastic crescendo towards the end. It is one I am looking forward to seeing live when we see them next.<br />
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I can't find an official video so will post a link to YouTube and Spotify to the track as well as the album.:<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/1VzmKgEG38fsUBZVe15wuF" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-85132360824356822242018-01-03T21:53:00.000+00:002018-01-03T21:53:24.904+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.4: Royal Blood - How did we get so Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Royal Blood's second album just misses out on a top three finish. In any other year it could have finished higher.<br />
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With so much hype around their first album there is always the risk the second album just won't live up to expectations (remember the Darkness's second album after all the hype of the first?) but if anything I would almost go as far to say this is actually better than the first.<br />
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It starts strong and continues belting out strong tracks. This is definitely not a case of a few good tracks and lots of filler.<br />
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I also still find it hard that there is only two of them making so much noise. I finally got to see them live back in November - so, so loud! But I am a sucker for a good bass - just so great to hear one played like that.<br />
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My favourite track from the album - I Only Lie When I Love You<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3Rz6kF8eGqrDOEteo5YsBj" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-32531861098783495492018-01-01T22:42:00.000+00:002018-01-01T22:42:41.455+00:00Albums of the Year No.5: Sparks - Hippopotamus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tadders, my best friend, is a massive Sparks fan. In 2008 she went to 21 gigs by Sparks over the course of a month as they played one of their albums each night in chronological order.<br />
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At the time I wasn't sure what the fuss was about. Apart from "This town ain't big enough for the both of us" I couldn't name another Sparks track.<br />
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I became more interested after their collaboration with Franz Ferdinand in 2015. And then the new tracks from Hippopotamus started playing on BBC 6 Music.<br />
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The album has a definitive Sparks sound and the tracks have a quirkiness that made it a highly enjoyable album.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/08nH42w8A0makkX1kKdC6d" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-13411215575093862742018-01-01T21:58:00.000+00:002018-01-01T21:58:37.292+00:00Albums of the Year No.6: Imagine Dragons - Evolve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is definitely more on the indie side of what I would normally listen to but I have found myself really enjoying this album.<br />
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Although their third studio album this is the first one that I have really listened to.<br />
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Thunder was the first track that I heard - a catchy, pop-y track. Later I heard Believer in one of my fitness classes. Having such a great track for chest presses definitely helped me make it through the entire track.<br />
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/5GlPAy2PRJW06GVFhKwGTl" width="300"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-79577660151876578142018-01-01T21:10:00.000+00:002018-01-01T21:10:48.786+00:00Albums of the Year No.7: IDLES - Brutalism<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across IDLES on the Radio 1 Rock Show. The track Well Done instantly stuck in my head. I am not entirely sure if this classes as a protest album but it definitely has a lot of roots in punk.<br />
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There is a lot of anger and energy in this album. I cannot wait to see them live.</div>
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Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-65677681440022316182018-01-01T19:15:00.000+00:002018-01-01T19:15:15.275+00:00Albums of the Year No.8: Arcade Fire - Everything Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I loved Arcade Fire in the early days. Funeral was an amazing album. I loved Tunnels, Power Out, and Rebellion (Lies) - to be honest I cannot fault the album. It was awesome. And then Neon Bible was yet another phenomenal album.<br />
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But although there have been the odd tracks I have liked on the next few albums I haven't really been that interested until now.<br />
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I listen to BBC 6 Music on the way to the station in the morning and heard the track Everything Now and was hooked. There are a number of catchy tracks and the dual vocals of husband and wife duo Win Butler and Regine Chassagne again give depth and variety to the album.<br />
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There are plenty of tracks on the album that I love so narrowing it down to one for this post was hard but I went with Creature Comfort:<br />
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And a link to the album here:<br />
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Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-86540762150039862242018-01-01T18:01:00.000+00:002018-01-01T18:01:28.990+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.9: Prophets of Rage - Prophets of Rage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With world events what they are at the moment it is no surprise to see a number of acts using music to air their opinions.<br />
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Prophets of Rage comprise of members of Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill and Public Enemy. As previously mentioned I had no idea who they were when I saw them at Download initially. But unlike their Download set, the album is full of original<br />
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It perhaps isn't the strong protest album though that I was hoping for. Unf**k the World is still by far my favourite track and the album is enjoyable but it isn't new sounding. It does sound a lot like Rage but without Zack De La Rocha. It doesn't quite have the raw sound that you expect but as I said, it is still enjoyable.<br />
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And link to the album on Spotify here:<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-25529542883587105362018-01-01T16:36:00.000+00:002018-01-01T16:36:00.999+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 No.10: Perturbator - New Model<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At No.10 is this short album from Perturbator. I hadn't heard of him before Download this year but was grabbed by the introduction in the programme - "Metal meets 80's computer games". Hard to pass up!<div>
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I love a bit of a dance metal crossover and this didn't disappoint. This album I would say would be more inspired by grittier games due to the darker sound. </div>
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Favourite track from the album is Birth of the New Model:</div>
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And here is a link to the album on Spotify<br />
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<iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/7ksle1gFTICo9rKw14dvC5" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe>Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-3416099710012099082018-01-01T16:00:00.000+00:002018-01-01T16:00:33.202+00:00Albums of the Year 2017 - Honourable MentionsWelcome to my 2017 Albums of the Year.<br />
<br />
Ok - I know it is actually 2018 already but I have been very busy over the past few months. More and that later.<br />
<br />
This year my music consumption has changed. Moving out of London has meant that I have not had HMV on my doorstep any longer and I have never been keen on buying from Amazon. Not only that but now paying for Spotify Premium, I decided to make more use of it this year. The plus side - I have listened to a lot more new albums this year. The downside - I have had a lot more albums to narrow my top ten down from.<br />
<br />
So to begin with here are the honourable mentions:<br />
<br />
<b>Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold</b><br />
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<br />
Shock? Yeah but actually the quality of albums this year was high and although I do love this album after a few listens I realised that I liked a couple of tracks but the rest just didn't do it for me. It's no Wasting Light that is for sure. It is good though and I highly recommend a listen.<br />
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<b>Queens of the Stone Age - Villains</b><br />
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<br />
This is actually the best album Queens have done since Songs for the Deaf but again there was just stiff competition this year. There are some amazing tracks on the album and another one I highly recommend.<br />
<br />
I also listened to a number of other albums but just not enough to add them here. I do though have a Contenders for Album of the Year 2017 playlist on Spotify which you can find here:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/london_fox/playlist/3f6gtXsidqU3QosltSY2DC" width="300"></iframe><br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-77992247943514262572017-09-17T17:57:00.002+01:002017-09-17T17:59:52.351+01:00"I can't believe you have spent £40 on a pair of flip flops!" - an ode to my favourite flip flops"I can't believe you have spent £40 on a pair of flip flops!" This was what <a href="https://twitter.com/mummylondonfox" target="_blank">@mummylondonfox</a> said to me moments after I had indeed spent £40 on a pair of flip flops.<br />
<br />
In 2006 after years of buying lots of cheap flip flops I decided that I needed to make an investment and get a decent pair. At the time Birkenstocks were fairly new and a number of people were going crazy for them so I took the plunge and spent £40 (well £39.99) on a pair of brown Gizeh flip flops.<br />
<br />
As per the statement from mum, she was less than impressed at what she thought was an insane amount to spend on a pair of flip flops. I can see why. In the past any pair of flip flops I have purchased have never lasted an entire summer so it makes sense she saw this as another frivolous purchase on my behalf.<br />
<br />
But it is me that has had the last laugh. Sitting round the pool this year I decided to figure out where those flip flops and me have been:<br />
<br />
2006 - France (Le Bernard and La Rochelle)<br />
2006 - Goa<br />
2007 - Spain (Seville, Cadiz, Conil and Jerez)<br />
2008 - Broadstairs<br />
2009 - Majorca<br />
2010 - Cornwall and Lanzarote<br />
2011 - Brighton<br />
2012 - Corfu<br />
2013 - Kefalonia and Ithaca<br />
2014 - New York and Turkey (Calis)<br />
2015 - Berlin and Turkey (Kalkan)<br />
2016 - Spain (Alicante) and Thailand (Bangkok and Koh Samui)<br />
2017 - Turkey (Kalkan)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNdMCkTEy0b1ofaprMgtEuVC21h3ghWw4HLOECLBj4lsYHCl5vaDSJiFPu8sQPkRE7sDaUXoCgZHJTAlgRd7W3mwji46evZG5JWRiyJt1mGJFIwZP9M1EUe0Eb09ir1FZLAd6/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNdMCkTEy0b1ofaprMgtEuVC21h3ghWw4HLOECLBj4lsYHCl5vaDSJiFPu8sQPkRE7sDaUXoCgZHJTAlgRd7W3mwji46evZG5JWRiyJt1mGJFIwZP9M1EUe0Eb09ir1FZLAd6/s640/IMG_1867.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My beloved sandals in Kalkan 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
And this is not to mention all the mini UK trips that I cannot remember. Needless to say these flip flops have indeed travelled well and they are SOOOOOO comfortable.<br />
<br />
In monetary terms they have costed me around £3.65 per year - much cheaper than most of the substandard flip flops I had purchased in the past and therefore a wise investment indeed.<br />
<br />
This year I spent £50 and bought another pair (inflation adds the extra tenner) - different style and colour but again - so worth it!<br />
<br />
But my original ones are not done yet. They are possibly only going to last one more summer before I might have to consign them to my travel history but they have done me so well! They were with me back in the days when Trip Advisor didn't exist and travelling anywhere meant arming yourself with some research, a Rough Guide (or Lonely Planet depending on what was your favourite) and a phrase book. They have outlived many a pair of trainers and other shoes.<br />
<br />
So mum - yes I did spend £40 on a pair of flip flops but I think I can safely say I have got my money's worth!Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-25493602561886832552017-09-14T19:29:00.000+01:002017-09-14T19:29:13.428+01:00De-caffeinated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
In my last post I mentioned my unfortunate brush with a nasty stomach bug.<br />
<br />
I cannot remember the last time I was that ill. I couldn't eat anything and when I finally did decide I needed to eat something all I wanted was cream crackers and Haribo - super healthy it was not!<br />
<br />
But I also had another side effect - I didn't want to drink anything except orange juice and water.<br />
<br />
Now as someone who could easily drink 10+ cups of tea in a day this was a big shock to the system. I attempted a cuppa a couple of days after the initial illness but couldn't stomach it. I officially was off tea!<br />
<br />
I continued drinking water and orange juice for the remainder of the weekend and when I went back to work on the Monday and decided to embrace a caffeine free lifestyle. By Wednesday I was having horrendous headaches. I googled giving up caffeine to be met from advice from the NHS that going cold turkey is not good for you.<br />
<br />
Great! Giving up caffeine is harder than giving up smoking! I popped out and bought a bottle of Coke to alleviate the headaches. It worked but I felt annoyed at needing to drink soft drinks to get me through the day so kept it to a minimum of one per day.<br />
<br />
Eventually about a month and a half later I finally felt like drinking tea again but not in the copious amounts I had in the past. And for the past for months I have only drunk a maximum of 2 cups per day (although having recently discovered iced coffee I often swap the second cup for one of those instead) and completely stopped drinking caffeinated soft drinks.<br />
<br />
Winter will be a bit of a test as I do love hot drinks in the winter but I have also discovered decaffeinated PG Tips which actually taste really good so expect I will be substituting a few of those come winter. I also love fruit tea and have found that to be even better in the mornings than a normal tea from my travel mug.<br />
<br />
In terms of the effects, I have actually felt more awake despite cutting down on caffeine and I certainly am not missing soft drinks (although my reduction of those is also down to a healthier lifestyle (more on that at a later point). It's weird no longer being a tea monster after years of being one. But I feel this is a good thing and a healthy turn of events.Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-23639407189687049202017-08-14T13:13:00.003+01:002017-08-14T13:13:52.977+01:00A booze free MayBack in May I decided to have a dry month. At the time my rationale was sound - I am not doing too much, April is hard as it is my birthday month and June is impossible with Download and a trip to Copenhagen scheduled therefore May was the perfect candidate.<br />
<br />
I didn't really take into account the fact there are two bank holidays in May, but despite this I did manage a completely dry month.<br />
<br />
As opposed to January which is the more traditional month for taking a month off the booze, when the nights are short, you have no objection to staying in after spending loads at Christmas and consuming you weight in Quality Street, alcohol and pigs in blankets, May is harder. This May the weather was actually kind and fairly warm which lead to a fair few nights sat in pub gardens rather than staring at the rain out of the window. Not ideal conditions for a booze free month!<br />
<br />
But I did persevere. I'll admit though that I was helped somewhat by a nasty stomach virus which left me bed bound for two days and put me off eating for two weeks. Odd how the body reacts. I still struggle with drinking tea though (more on that in a later post).<br />
<br />
And by the end of the month I was actually really enjoying not drinking. I discovered I actually like lime and soda (something pre-illness I could not stand) and I also realised there is now a big selection of non-alcoholic drinks around so, as nice as it is, I was not confined to drinking BrewDog's Nanny State.<br />
<br />
With a number of friends with babies in their tummies I have continued to have nights booze free but have also kept experimenting to see what is good that I can recommend to them. Here are a couple of my favourite no or low alcohol beers as well as one that you should definitely avoid:<br />
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<b>BrewDog Nanny State - 0.5%</b><br />
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Nanny State is one of the more established low alcohol beers around. Quite hoppy, it definitely does not taste weak. Brewed with Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade and Simcoe hops as well as 8 speciality malts, it packs a punch which you would expect from it's alcoholic siblings. Not something that you can drink loads of over the course of an evening but a great one to mix up with the next beer.<br />
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<b>Franziskaner Weissbier- Alkoholfrei - 0.5%</b><br />
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Brewed in line with Germany's purity laws, this low alcohol number tastes almost identical to its alcoholic counterpart. I found this post dry May but it has now become a staple in the house. Other benefits - well it can also be drunk as an isotonic drink post workout which is great as you get all the flavour of a post work pint without the calories and alcohol (just 21 calories per 100ml so a whole bottle is only 105 calories - half the alcoholic version).<br />
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<b>Echo Falls Tisane Sparkling Infusion - 0%</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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This is probably more in the same category of Sholer rather than sparkling wine but put it in a champagne flute and you wouldn't know the difference certainly in appearance. It does also come in a prosecco looking bottle so if you were in the early stages of pregnancy and looking to hide the fact this would definitely fool your friends.<br />
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<b>Eisberg Sparkling White - 0%</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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This one is the closest to tasting like prosecco. It has a dryness that you get with sparkling wines but a pleasant taste. Another one to fool friends.<br />
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And the one to absolutely avoid:<br />
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<b>Cobra Zero - 0%</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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Oh dear god! There are a number of alcohol free lagers from the big brewers out there that don't suck. But this does. Lots. It tastes nothing like lager and certainly does not match up to its alcoholic big brother. It has a very malty aftertaste. In the end both me and my pregnant friend had to abandon attempting to drink it with our curry. We tried making it into a shandy to see if that would improve the taste but sadly to no avail. If you like malty drinks you might like this but if you want a drink that still tastes vaguely of beer I would opt for something else!<br />
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Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-60015053443562065972017-08-08T21:00:00.000+01:002018-01-07T11:39:58.358+00:00Download 2017My
god I am useless at getting blog posts up at the moment. It has been an
insanely busy month and there is no sign of stopping either. But here is my
review of Download…..finally! (I started writing it when we got back but have only just found the time to finish it!)<br />
<br />
Hang on a minute - something isn't right here! I have just come back from Download and nothing is covered in mud. I got a tan and my wellies only saw the light of day briefly the whole weekend! As hard as it is to believe I have just experienced by first DRY Download. Mr Fox and I were at a bit of a loss - the ponchos never made it out of our bags and getting in and out of the tent was far simpler as we didn't have to worry about a cascade of water off the tent door dripping onto the sleeping bags.<br />
<br />
Weather aside this has probably been one of the best Download's we have been to. Ok, the weather helped as we were not sheltering from the rain at any point and were free to roam the site without the mad poncho dash but the bands playing made for a very hectic weekend where we managed to average around 30,000 steps a day! That is a lot of walking!!<br />
<br />
<b>Friday 9th June</b><br />
<br />
The day got off to a good start - we got out the house pretty much on time and didn't face any traffic woes. We got into the South Car Park which is MUCH nearer the campsite than the West Car Park which we had to park in last year.<br />
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<br />
We went from parked to pitched in a new record of 45 minutes, so we broke out the picnic blanket and the selection of craft beers we had brought with us and geared ourselves up for the day ahead - checking the app to see which bands we wanted to see and what we would be doing over the course of the evening.<br />
<br />
After a few cans of light refreshment we headed to the arena. Security was stepped up for this year in light of the recent terrorist attacks. I did have to laugh though when I got patted down considering I was wearing short shorts and a vest top. Not sure what the guy thought I was hiding in the skin on my legs!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClZ5ELrChVhUQcWfyAO7TT2gUHUnp3HS5y4civJOSnjkQNNDbPbv0OgMrL1zQdakRxqloNxMQdqO4u0KVy3uDyZeqmsy2Mx0_dYBbDz-OtjkfoGdDAdnVwWd1g0slRfYUOFWT/s1600/IMG_1309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClZ5ELrChVhUQcWfyAO7TT2gUHUnp3HS5y4civJOSnjkQNNDbPbv0OgMrL1zQdakRxqloNxMQdqO4u0KVy3uDyZeqmsy2Mx0_dYBbDz-OtjkfoGdDAdnVwWd1g0slRfYUOFWT/s640/IMG_1309.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rare sight at Download - sunshine!</td></tr>
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Despite the latest start time on the Friday we started off with Motionless in White followed by a little bit of Sabaton. We then ventured over to the second stage and caught a bit of Machine Gun Kelly before heading to the Main Stage for one of the days highlights Mastodon. We then went back to the second stage for a bit of Suicidal Tendencies although I was gutted that I either missed or they didn't play Institution.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbPYTjEiOh7Ww6LjtoLOR02PGJCIjXh4Ep8BSl1E6EN3f8RkpiYVptm0pWyhvrgDiF4wkE7K4iQM7eBpzKGo3igG1NLQaUALTT8qu0B4foMcVyobidxy3TpTYPSLhpR_wP1mE/s1600/IMG_1317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbPYTjEiOh7Ww6LjtoLOR02PGJCIjXh4Ep8BSl1E6EN3f8RkpiYVptm0pWyhvrgDiF4wkE7K4iQM7eBpzKGo3igG1NLQaUALTT8qu0B4foMcVyobidxy3TpTYPSLhpR_wP1mE/s640/IMG_1317.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baroness</td></tr>
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And then we saw Baroness which was one of the highlights of the weekend. The band have suffered a lot over the past few years since their tour bus crashed in Bath after a gig in Bristol. It was lucky that they all survived and were able to continue but slowly members have left the band to the point John Balzy is the only original member left. A couple of weeks before Download their guitarist left. Step forward Gina Gleason. I have to say I had a proper girl crush by the end of the set. She is an amazing guitarist and definitely brings a lot to the band. I look forward to seeing more of her and hearing what she and the band produce on the next album.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY1xWyXlYInsgrnSoXgJm1loZBHpTmGQVJMKxqzb0ZT5coq2TtqEtI62oRts0v5K8iOFsZHXs1AG9fuRx5jMooGGjFpcNx6B8Asb7_prSBpmIg5c-CQVm5bjcFqUA33qTLK7P/s1600/IMG_1318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY1xWyXlYInsgrnSoXgJm1loZBHpTmGQVJMKxqzb0ZT5coq2TtqEtI62oRts0v5K8iOFsZHXs1AG9fuRx5jMooGGjFpcNx6B8Asb7_prSBpmIg5c-CQVm5bjcFqUA33qTLK7P/s640/IMG_1318.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prophets of Rage</td></tr>
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I have to confess, I had no idea who the next band were when we went to see them. I had heard some Prophets of Rage on the Spotify Download playlist on the drive to Donnington but hadn't looked too much into them. When they took to the stage I stared at them saying to Andy "Have we seen that guy before? He looks really famillar." Queue facepalming moments when I realised that the familiar bassist was Tim Commerford from Rage Against the Machine along with the one and only Tom Morello as well as Chuck D and DJ Lord from Public Enemy and B-Real from Cypress Hill. They played an amazing set with hits from all their bands , as well as House of Pain's Jump Around. They paid tribute to the late Chris Cornell (who Tim and Tom had played with in Audioslave). They didn't sing. Just played. And the crowd sang along. It brought a tears to my eyes.<br />
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Tom Morello showed exactly why he is one of the hardest bosses to beat on Guitar Hero with some blistering solos. He also made it quite clear to the crowd his feelings towards the President of the United States with a F**k Trump sticker on the back of his guitar. Of their own songs "Unf**k the World" went down a storm with the crowd. And to finish - well wasn't going to be anything but "Killing in the Name of" really. And it sounded amazing even without Zack De La Rocha on vocals.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnbQC2pQpu-stv3bIAh8MVkJ6HorfgtNUsmiT_UnvBqo_EVcDcc6s3CG3WIQDGIaiD4yW3Jmr9CEIKCpUm4sKJ7lG7Zy22ThTKyymPgqxBZru3bFQxXZSxDLGGlafCK5f05_t/s1600/IMG_1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnbQC2pQpu-stv3bIAh8MVkJ6HorfgtNUsmiT_UnvBqo_EVcDcc6s3CG3WIQDGIaiD4yW3Jmr9CEIKCpUm4sKJ7lG7Zy22ThTKyymPgqxBZru3bFQxXZSxDLGGlafCK5f05_t/s640/IMG_1326.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">System of a Down</td></tr>
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<br />
To round off an already amazing day we watched headliners System of a Down. I hadn't seen System since 2004 when they released their two accompanying albums Hypnotise / Memorise. I was excited and I wasn't disappointed even if the performances felt a little too polished. Sadly no new songs which somewhat quashes the hopes I had for a new album this year (come on guys is been 13 YEARS!!) but nonetheless they played a great set. Chop Suey was by far the highlight. I have never been so deafened by the crowd singing along to a track before. It was amazing.<br />
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At the end of the night we headed back to the campsite village for cheese and onion toasties and more beers in our favourite night spot from last year, Hair of the Dog - a "pub" in the campsite (well more a tent with a muddy dance floor but lots of nice ales). We danced a bit but we were not massively feeling the music and I was a little tired after the early start so we headed back to the campsite which was thankfully fairly quiet this year.<br />
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<b>Saturday 10th June</b><br />
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The day started as I feared it might go on. At 5am I woke up desperate for the loo hearing the all too familiar sound of heavy rain hitting the tent. I decided to wait for the rain to ease before braving the toilets. At 6am the rain stopped and I headed out. The ground wasn't too wet but I wore my wellies as a precaution.<br />
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It is always so hard to tell if a rain shower like that has turned other areas of the site in a quagmire but luckily this time round it didn't. Nonetheless I decided to wear my wellies for the day, a decision I later regretted as the ground firmed up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRXkyWU1MsUqefJfeGUacY05TsuHZIU3UCQW46ZUVQwu5P0nN7M9bYv80Sq2WE6-Typ7HII4-l2XsQyZv_h65X-m1n5K9PexOL2fyItWkN17CMIOFPH5_sp2PHRo9K9d5teL5/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRXkyWU1MsUqefJfeGUacY05TsuHZIU3UCQW46ZUVQwu5P0nN7M9bYv80Sq2WE6-Typ7HII4-l2XsQyZv_h65X-m1n5K9PexOL2fyItWkN17CMIOFPH5_sp2PHRo9K9d5teL5/s640/IMG_1334.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A more typical Download Day</td></tr>
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For once we headed into the arena before the bands has started. We were greeted by armed police - a site you don't necessarily expect to see.<br />
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First band of the day were Hacktivist. Glad I did. Will definitely be getting some of their albums for my collection. Next up was Greywind - a band I have been trying to catch live for a while. I missed them supporting Thrice so was glad to finally see what they were about. Lead singer Steph O'Sullivan definitely didn't pack any punches and her voice carried well in the fairly packed tent. They ran though most of last year's album Afterthoughts before ending with the title track, one of my favourite tracks from 2016.<br />
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We headed to the main stage to see a bit of Creeper, a band neither of us knew much about. They were really enjoyable and great early afternoon listening. They finished with I Choose to Live in tribute to the victims of the terror attacks in Manchester and London.<br />
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Back to the second stage for Alestorm, a band we were looking forward to seeing after their performance at Sonisphere in 2014. A number of people in the crowd had dressed as pirates for the occasion. Out stepped front man Christopher Bowes and I remembered exactly why they captivated me at Sonisphere - KEYTAR!! You don't often see that and again I was fixated seeing their energy on stage with a set of songs about alcohol, going out and alcohol and going out.<br />
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We did a quick tour of the stages at this point catching part of Of Mice and Men and Pierce the Veil before heading to the second stage for one of our favourite Norwegian band's Kverletak. Missed that they had released a new album but still Mjöd was the highlight.<br />
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Another wander this time to get some food and then heading up to the fourth stage to catch the Lounge Kittens. Annoyingly we couldn't get anywhere near them, the tent was full and people were spilling out trying to catch a glimpse. We still managed to catch a medley of their unique take of some rock classics before giving up and heading down to the main stage to catch AFI.<br />
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At this point I managed to meet up with some old friends, a welcome addition to any Download weekend before heading over to the 3rd stage to catch Every Time I Die. Their performance of We Are Wolves was one of the stand out moments for me of the day.<br />
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Back again to the second stage this time to see The Devin Townsend Project. Now, I spent a lot of the set trying to work out if JK Rowling was a fan or if Ralph Finnes was - either way some of the facial expression Devin was pulling I could not help but think of Voldermort. That aside their set was one of my highlights of the day and was great to see a band I didn't know much about and be pleasantly surprised. I also liked how humble he seemed even giving out group hugs at the end of the set to security and others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLpmGOnxfq4qsITqroagdwgYxmGgDpjvvn9ah8wngYNV424Bs4y6NO6EqOAQ1w_JjOMzm6F6poTbPIejhZ-VyzzVhV2D-cHYrGpo43hOMhZPTM5muvTja_RJTt9f_Ijsyp7th/s1600/Devin+Townsend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLpmGOnxfq4qsITqroagdwgYxmGgDpjvvn9ah8wngYNV424Bs4y6NO6EqOAQ1w_JjOMzm6F6poTbPIejhZ-VyzzVhV2D-cHYrGpo43hOMhZPTM5muvTja_RJTt9f_Ijsyp7th/s640/Devin+Townsend.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devin Townsend on the Second Stage</td></tr>
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After that we wandered round the back of the second stage to the WE tent to see some NXT wrestling. Usual nonsense as you would expect, a "bad" guy and a "good" guy fighting it out. And just as it looks like the "good" guy is about to lose he makes a remarkable comeback to win. Great fun to watch though!<br />
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Onto the main stage to catch a bit of headliners Biffy Clyro - I have seen them a number of times now so I didn't want to stay for the full set so I could head over to the second stage to catch headliner Rob Zombie. Biffy though were as good as always. They are still one of the best live bands in my opinion. We even caught a glimpse of Mike Vennart playing in the wings - the unofficial 4th member of the band when touring.<br />
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Finishing up at the second stage we watched an amazing set by Rob Zombie. Definitely surreal and looking like something from the 70's glam rock era it was a set that didn't disappoint. There were fluid filled guitars and guitars with lots of lights. We were treated to two great covers - Blitzreigpop and School's Out. He played classic tracks as well that made me smile - Dragula and More Human than Human. I was glad to finally see him live.<br />
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As we headed to the exits, we realised the main stage hadn't quite finished so were stuck waiting to leave as the other exits had not yet been opened. So what does a group of metal and rock fans do when stuck in a big queue? Sing Bohemiem Rhapsody. It started with a few people and then spread like wildfire across the gathered masses.<br />
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We opted for a quiet night that night as we were both tired so we headed back to the tent.<br />
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<b>Sunday 11th June</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E8YBH26A5T0wyQa_gm1mZnSCqMyLDXW1IkjQ6sbafwJ7JiJdr0Ye8IetROj30Gzb9bP3ZQ7HbxR2QntZAYqm-04WQVmOC9CcRu5PbMmxPE0Zylc8mVWRURi_tAAMx8LBBM1P/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8E8YBH26A5T0wyQa_gm1mZnSCqMyLDXW1IkjQ6sbafwJ7JiJdr0Ye8IetROj30Gzb9bP3ZQ7HbxR2QntZAYqm-04WQVmOC9CcRu5PbMmxPE0Zylc8mVWRURi_tAAMx8LBBM1P/s640/IMG_1356.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 3 and yet more sun!!</td></tr>
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The last day seemed to come round so quickly this year, perhaps because we were not spending time avoiding the rain.<br />
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A slightly later start than Saturday due to the need to drain our craft beer supplies rather than have to carry them home the next day. It was also a mega day of walking with another 30k+steps! (over 95k steps for the entire weekend!<br />
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First up and whilst having a cuppa at Motley Brew, we watched the Dead Daisies. A great start to what is traditionally classic rock day.<br />
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Next up we saw Red Fang. It's been a while since we saw the guys and they certainly didn't disappoint. A great set of old and new tracks and a listening performance of Prehistoric Dog to finish with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0xdMKHzpwezT2Uwlo9FDwM8RzWBTvcmZDkRtT3b7KM9MOPV3Ek8Dom1TcPoXtVQmBQlBQpEMKhE8WOZ5VS1vc8to8vjR1lji2gHlWnINaJ2cX6v3pogsh5V69zBENOcKTVRL/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0xdMKHzpwezT2Uwlo9FDwM8RzWBTvcmZDkRtT3b7KM9MOPV3Ek8Dom1TcPoXtVQmBQlBQpEMKhE8WOZ5VS1vc8to8vjR1lji2gHlWnINaJ2cX6v3pogsh5V69zBENOcKTVRL/s640/IMG_1347.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Fang @ Download</td></tr>
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Hanging around at the second stage, next up was Devil Driver who definitely got my vote for circle pit of the day. Another jaunt down to the third stage saw us catch a band we saw supporting Future of the Left back in 2009 - Dinosaur Pile Up. Still a great band.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjGL5hVhmJU9voD3ciyd0QuvDIj6AKYWE-34qtMt7qyJWDteqD_a6vN9DNMgrfiv8YMY703RgrcECZmbrcUssZG6x4senDmG6oNGZec_-lDEz8BXT56fCu0L0IA_aGv-I8r65/s1600/IMG_1352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikjGL5hVhmJU9voD3ciyd0QuvDIj6AKYWE-34qtMt7qyJWDteqD_a6vN9DNMgrfiv8YMY703RgrcECZmbrcUssZG6x4senDmG6oNGZec_-lDEz8BXT56fCu0L0IA_aGv-I8r65/s640/IMG_1352.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinosaur Pile Up on the Avalanche Stage</td></tr>
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Running to use the loos next to the main stage I caught a little bit of In Flames but no tracks I recognise before trekking over to the fourth stage to see a bit of Love Zombies - much more rock n roll than other bands.<br />
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Next up a quick look Anathema - a female fronted back with two drummers (always love a bit of extra drums!) before catching a bit of Airborne. Have to say that i have never really been that sure about Airborne but the small bit of their set that I did catch I actually really enjoyed.<br />
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Touche Amore next - all I could think thought when I was watching them was a metal version of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. Still, they were enjoyable.<br />
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We hung around at the second stage to catch Clutch. We were fortunate the last time they played at Download to see them from the side of the stage but to be honest it was much better being out the front and watching them. They played a great mixed set with classics from their older albums and the best tunes from their last album (never going to get bored listening to X-Ray Visions) and a new song which along with other bands across the weekend seemed to be a f*** you to the American voting system.<br />
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We then caught some Basement and Opeth whilst having a wander and then caught Perturbator - his music could easily be featured on a number of video games. I love a bit of metal/dance music crossover but it is not normally Mr Fox's bag but he quite enjoyed what we saw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-LtGv07-XJXpf1yY2sm_JdXfT2id8KrsAhyZQyJjvWelc4wDZgzsKGtTq2z9mmy59U9gF868PNkoiDd6shYeU8v7kToCaxT84UfR_xIOE-VgbgRb44b1VHPqXl1BALlwfFlz/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-LtGv07-XJXpf1yY2sm_JdXfT2id8KrsAhyZQyJjvWelc4wDZgzsKGtTq2z9mmy59U9gF868PNkoiDd6shYeU8v7kToCaxT84UfR_xIOE-VgbgRb44b1VHPqXl1BALlwfFlz/s640/IMG_1353.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosplay of the Day</td></tr>
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We saw a tiny bit of Slayer whilst walking over to the third stage to catch Dillinger Escape Plan's final performance in the UK. Unsurprisingly we couldn't get into the tent but we managed to get a good spot just outside in the sun. Despite being outside the sound was deafening. I was happy enough hearing Milk Lizard for the last time live. They played a number of hits from across the years and I am sad I will not get to see them again. That said I am glad they are going out on a high!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNEbdW4sOiRa2U0CGW_0Gbh3Go2BEvlCweWEsyqjG775gxOoR1ow1-kF60sqSNf6vUV6uLEKDvZFLy4cmY0HMFvszzur_0d1H4trM1A3piREnubAzYiufWYP4OefVBwA5sk4e/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNEbdW4sOiRa2U0CGW_0Gbh3Go2BEvlCweWEsyqjG775gxOoR1ow1-kF60sqSNf6vUV6uLEKDvZFLy4cmY0HMFvszzur_0d1H4trM1A3piREnubAzYiufWYP4OefVBwA5sk4e/s640/IMG_1358.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect spot outside the tent for Dillinger</td></tr>
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<div style="margin: 0in;">
We are not really massive fans of Aerosmith so we were not too fused about seeing them but as everyone else seemed to be we took the opportunity to wander around the site and opted to have a go on the big wheel. Its been at the festival a number of years but we have never been too fussed about going on. We had been missing out! The views were amazing. We got a great view of the site and were able to see the sheer number of people watching the main stage. It was amazing although a bit windy. We got some amazing shots but could do with a better camera for next time.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQP2SfP_-SMJTp02k8eW1QgXB6iutPApmlcP6t0ayvO1keHIJRkqDScKy_MLhbTVkcftJLQtLmEuuF-IMm8flLwlsV44vlS_ni8eeWE2nNMqZZy94JmRqvboIs5SQq-LVQ__P/s1600/IMG_1377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQP2SfP_-SMJTp02k8eW1QgXB6iutPApmlcP6t0ayvO1keHIJRkqDScKy_MLhbTVkcftJLQtLmEuuF-IMm8flLwlsV44vlS_ni8eeWE2nNMqZZy94JmRqvboIs5SQq-LVQ__P/s640/IMG_1377.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerosmith on the main stage taken from the Big Wheel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After our wheel ride we decided to head back to the campsite village for a wander before everyone came back. Have to say the shop options were a little disappointing this year. There didn't seem to be as many across the whole site and what was there was not great which was a shame.<br />
<br />
We decided to have a couple of closers in the Hair of the Dog before hitting the tent for an early-ish night as we had the long drive back on Sunday.<br />
<br />
Well that was the plan. The music was great and we were soon joined by my friends we had met up with on Saturday. Many, many beers later (well for Mr Fox - I at least had the foresight to realise I was driving in the morning and switched to soft drinks around 11pm) and we were tearing up the dancefloor again, creating a leaning tower of plastic pint glasses and having a brilliant time. Eventually I dragged Mr Fox out around quarter to 2 and then made the mistake of walking through the other tent who were being entertained with a DJ set from the Ultimate Power DJ's. Chris Cornell came on and Mr Fox was heading to the crowd. Just after 2 I managed to drag him away but even I was struggling not to keep dancing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVBE7CtBgCPCpvJ9NYilggkttu9_mNXEL9ErvVfoIlCOO67JQX7ljtZa2cIZ-YouX7iQOymAwDtsVFcYgZecnU8VN6SynIHMH6scc52i0XDY0gqkCWrrgcvNohQLdZHgfEOlC/s1600/IMG_1378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVBE7CtBgCPCpvJ9NYilggkttu9_mNXEL9ErvVfoIlCOO67JQX7ljtZa2cIZ-YouX7iQOymAwDtsVFcYgZecnU8VN6SynIHMH6scc52i0XDY0gqkCWrrgcvNohQLdZHgfEOlC/s640/IMG_1378.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obligatory 2am and we are still partying and don't want to leave Download shot!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So Download 2017! It was great. I amassed an impressive 116,686 steps across the weekend (a normal weekly total), drank more than I can count and had an absolutely wonderful time.<br />
<br />
But there were a couple of pain points. Bar queues for starters despite appearing to have more bars that previous years. They allowed the use of cash again this year which slowed things down and although I used contactless all weekend, the machines were no where near the bar so staff spent time wandering over to the till to get the machines everytime we ordered which was frustrating.<br />
<br />
No Somersby Manor house this year either which despite the dry weather was also missed. We definitely missed 2 Manor DJs providing some tunes in between acts and a place to go for a quiet drink.<br />
<br />
Food prices. I don't mind paying for good food but I did feel the prices this year were steep and would be harder for anyone on a budget for the weekend to meet over all three days. Appreciate food costs are increasing but £7 for halloumi chips? Sorry but I don't even thing the stall in Camden that pioneered them charges that much and you get more with them that I did.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb_Q1e7mpi4rMxYLAfzJCnfarugQByAbPggHSWcfH8nguNOWWHea4ogJP3r5lrcbzGQO4gJoEsb0w3yCV_cJPM9hnp3xqgyU6YK2lJ9fL6aeexYHzaTDFzCF5zfbjVeXL0yUW/s1600/IMG_1346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDb_Q1e7mpi4rMxYLAfzJCnfarugQByAbPggHSWcfH8nguNOWWHea4ogJP3r5lrcbzGQO4gJoEsb0w3yCV_cJPM9hnp3xqgyU6YK2lJ9fL6aeexYHzaTDFzCF5zfbjVeXL0yUW/s640/IMG_1346.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloumi chips - lovely but not worth £7!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Next gripe was the lack of toilets in the arena. There definitely were less that previous years and it showed as queues were huge causing me to miss parts of sets on a number of occasions. Disappointing when it hasn't been an issue in previous years.</div>
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And lastly, and this was what annoyed me the most, the "Guest" area. The guest area has always been there but hidden next to the main stage. This year it was visible to all and looked like part of the main site. But if you wanted to access this little haven with extra bars, toilets and food stalls you had to pay £40 per day to enter. Something rankled with me on this. Download for me has always been about inclusion and a great festival for all and this seemed to go against that promoting diversity by allowing those who can afford it to enjoy it while excluding those who could not. I hope it goes back to it's usual place next year and doesn't promote itself in quite the same way. Also for anyone thinking you can go there and see lots of bands, you won't. I have been lucky enough in the past to be an actual "Guest" and in the guest area you will see a few smaller bands, couple of media people and those who had paid for RIP camping but you are very unlikely to meet Lars, Corey, Serj and the like.</div>
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All in all though a great weekend and I cannot wait to get back there next year and do it all again!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76UfUqzXUfbhjblOeOD3mS5CV1bytV2vw1UF4K8y47t6siy1v08BwP4el0w85oDsQx3Z7WGYOe58fsTLlEGuaUmrEtfoJqyR8WbiB6gupiJ6WESNTY3pak2DxvFDtSw9CkqMP/s1600/Download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj76UfUqzXUfbhjblOeOD3mS5CV1bytV2vw1UF4K8y47t6siy1v08BwP4el0w85oDsQx3Z7WGYOe58fsTLlEGuaUmrEtfoJqyR8WbiB6gupiJ6WESNTY3pak2DxvFDtSw9CkqMP/s640/Download.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone is welcome at Download including scary clowns</td></tr>
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Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-86541781504930821772017-06-30T13:00:00.000+01:002017-06-30T13:00:33.654+01:00Festival Preparation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZuaq_ATD6u5j29FwuNivYUCZpPR2d_dFyYuewmlSZ4Z43Q54hVTGfZh9lfjR9Pryq1MSw6uTGfGz-MXVAm_7HbMyHlnhaqXI7bMCdP1hyphenhyphenPenqwEmN5kI34rH1H-5HrdHS32I/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZuaq_ATD6u5j29FwuNivYUCZpPR2d_dFyYuewmlSZ4Z43Q54hVTGfZh9lfjR9Pryq1MSw6uTGfGz-MXVAm_7HbMyHlnhaqXI7bMCdP1hyphenhyphenPenqwEmN5kI34rH1H-5HrdHS32I/s640/IMG_1287.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Festival packing preparation (except the guitar - that stayed at home!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I went to my first festival in 2004. I would be the first to admit I didn't have a clue what I was doing. The only time before that I had been camping as an adult was when I went on a trip with my kick boxing squad to Amsterdam and it was proper camping with nice(ish) toilets and showers.<br />
<br />
I was not prepared for how different festival camping would be.<br />
<br />
Firstly there is the distance from your car to where it is you will actually end up camping for the duration and getting all your stuff from A to B as easily and as pain free as possible.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_V0Ws2MEVXv269bGdZKxjdMDZcS9S5LEOhbsaqA62fwij5sL15Upf07iGqGEeZ1eRH1tVNGigW7MjCM8bpXlSIC9erLSOGn1E66mwLL8fexpl-BqNkqxa4zCwmXGtGSHUBq2/s1600/Reading+2004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_V0Ws2MEVXv269bGdZKxjdMDZcS9S5LEOhbsaqA62fwij5sL15Upf07iGqGEeZ1eRH1tVNGigW7MjCM8bpXlSIC9erLSOGn1E66mwLL8fexpl-BqNkqxa4zCwmXGtGSHUBq2/s640/Reading+2004.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading 2004 - my first festival</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In 2004 at Reading I did not pack light! Apart from an abundance of clothes, I also had two full sized pillows, a large sleeping bag that did not fold down at all (I might as well have been carrying a duvet) plus two 5 litre bottles of still water (it didn't occur to me that they actually have to provide running drinkable water at festivals!). The car park was either a 2 mile walk or boat and short walk from where we were eventually camping. And that year the campsite was flooded which meant we had to walk a lot further in order to find suitable ground for camping on. In the process of carrying everything from the car we lost one of the water bottles (just too heavy) and one of my pillows ended up in the mud. I learnt quickly that I did not actually need much to get through 3-4 nights of festival camping.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to this year and packing for Download has become a straight forward operation. I have a spreadsheet which we slightly tweak each year as we realise that we actually don't need something or actually there is something that we can add to the list that would be useful for the following year. Having experienced some awful weather conditions in the past 6 years we are quite well equipped now to deal with all weather conditions.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzjjWv8E5_0z-puBjjcowmMITrWlA2wfbSGOSCvCLQzhrueDJ8XoEHRp7OxfW5h0KQPELf7d-XUpae34Ec0k7wO2_Wx17D2sWXHjU7znRO-8O50q6ZCj5N1VztCEprAdF1x3j/s1600/Download+2017+-+tent+pitching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKzjjWv8E5_0z-puBjjcowmMITrWlA2wfbSGOSCvCLQzhrueDJ8XoEHRp7OxfW5h0KQPELf7d-XUpae34Ec0k7wO2_Wx17D2sWXHjU7znRO-8O50q6ZCj5N1VztCEprAdF1x3j/s640/Download+2017+-+tent+pitching.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Download 2017 - car park to pitched and ready to rock in 45 minutes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I still feel now that I am massively over-packing as I don't wear everything I take but I feel I am now down to as little as I can take risk free. Culling anything more from the list would mean that if I was to be hugged by a muddy creature or fall over and rip my leggings or just get absolutely soaked from the rain, I would have no back ups and would be forced to spend the remainder of the weekend either muddy, looking like an idiot or soggy.<br />
<br />
So, if you are planning on attending a festival this summer or, indeed you just want to refine your own packing list, here is our recommended packing list:<br />
<br />
Tent (do recommend a decent tent if you are going to be going often)<br />
Sleeping bag (a decent one that packs away to almost nothing)<br />
<a href="https://www.decathlon.co.uk/forclaz-400-l-self-inflating-mat-blue-id_8363044.html" target="_blank">Sleeping mat</a><br />
Camping pillow<br />
Small water bottle (can be filled onsite and easy to take into the arena as well)<br />
Mallet (because even though it rains normally getting tent pegs in the ground can be hard)<br />
Picnic blanket (handy for outside the tent and in the arena if the ground is a bit damp)<br />
Loo roll (festival loos have a tendency to run out pretty quickly)<br />
Black bin liners (useful in so many different ways)<br />
Torches (because guy ropes are a death trap in the dark)<br />
Tent light<br />
Tissues<br />
Poncho (to ensure you experiences is not entirely soggy)<br />
Earplugs (to help with sleeping and if you are planning on get up, close and personal with speakers)<br />
Phone chargers (a must in this day and age - in 2004 phones lasted forever)<br />
Sunglasses<br />
Waterproof case for you phone<br />
Eye mask (tents are not great for keeping out the early morning light)<br />
Hat (to hide day 3 greasy hair)<br />
Gloves (because night time can get pretty cold at times)<br />
Wellies (because 9 times out of 10 you will need them)<br />
Wet wipes (again useful for lot of things but just to refresh you a bit everyday in the absence of a shower)<br />
Cereal bars (great late night snack as well as breakfast)<br />
Anti-bacterial gel (again festival loos have a tendency to run out pretty quickly)<br />
Sun cream (despite the rain you also will get burnt)<br />
<br />
<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-32569136291306532502017-05-30T13:00:00.000+01:002017-05-30T13:00:14.393+01:00A hard decision - but the right oneYou may remember that back <a href="http://www.urban-fox.co.uk/2016/10/if-at-first-you-dont-succeed-try-10.html" target="_blank">in October 2016 I was absolutely ecstatic at finally getting a ballot place in the London Marathon</a>. <a href="http://www.urban-fox.co.uk/2009/04/28.html" target="_blank">It has been a life long dream of mine to run it.</a><br />
<br />
Two weeks before I was due to line up with 37,000 other runners I made the very hard decision to withdraw.<br />
<br />
And I am really glad I did.<br />
<br />
As weird as that might sound sometimes recognising that you are not ready for something is sometimes harder than pushing on regardless.<br />
<br />
Training didn't get off to the start I was hoping. Unlike last year when I started training around November, with everything that happened with Dad I didn't actually start running properly until very late in January.<br />
<br />
And unlike last year, with my company moving offices in July, I hadn't been cycling either and once we moved house too cycling was pretty much off the menu (for now at least).<br />
<br />
As a result I know that I did too much too soon. I got back into Parkrun after finding our new local one. The one thing I didn't take into account was how different the terrain would be in Haywards Heath compared to London.<br />
<br />
A combination of the terrain and down too many miles at weekends without the training in the week saw me pick up a knee injury after a 12.5 mile run. And rather than realising then I pushed on. A 14.5 mile run the week after and then another 12.5 mile. I didn't even stop then and carried on running and took part in the Brighton 10k. And after that I realised at that point I had to withdraw.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHrtAJ2lw_iV5k06XLH_NZF-9jp3LKseZZxk_5RFGrASswHuU9guQKXIJgzEA8JPo3HR21HZKndr6GyHY43q7HJobzM10OTKMUqgsnaJtWg97z-AFSsn6gccB66pK__OOvTpD/s1600/IMG_1066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQHrtAJ2lw_iV5k06XLH_NZF-9jp3LKseZZxk_5RFGrASswHuU9guQKXIJgzEA8JPo3HR21HZKndr6GyHY43q7HJobzM10OTKMUqgsnaJtWg97z-AFSsn6gccB66pK__OOvTpD/s640/IMG_1066.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice packs and the foam roller</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujMCReUhnq2Dy_pTmksNarOQvDp3MsTu_SKuKxVYxfl9f1xc9oDLIHz8TR1SfgKlWkgPD7uLcKeKmDeyXIEJtK6EJNEizxSN3A3GZgMI7wfF7qkClSQ-NgZnNoWPpEKQ3NQbM/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiujMCReUhnq2Dy_pTmksNarOQvDp3MsTu_SKuKxVYxfl9f1xc9oDLIHz8TR1SfgKlWkgPD7uLcKeKmDeyXIEJtK6EJNEizxSN3A3GZgMI7wfF7qkClSQ-NgZnNoWPpEKQ3NQbM/s640/IMG_1257.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elevation difference between Southwark and Clair parkruns (left is imperial, right is metric - sorry!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When you are having a conversation with yourself about whether or not you can commit to a work meeting because you are not sure if you will be able to walk at all the next day something is not right. Marathons are hard work but you should be able to walk the next day albeit in a little bit of pain from tired and tight muscles.<br />
<br />
So the decision made. What next?<br />
<br />
I am quite fortunate. Having a ballot place I have been able to defer to the 2018 race.<br />
<br />
But it's not just about deferring my place. I have a lot more to do to get fit and ready for the next year and I have set myself some small goals in order to get me there.<br />
<br />
First thing though is to get my knee sorted so for that I need to do the following:<br />
<br />
1. Register with a local doctors<br />
2. See someone about my knee and hopefully get a decent physio regime<br />
3. Spend a lot more time on the foam roller<br />
<br />
But it is not just about my knee. I also have a few other things in mind. Firstly my weight and size:<br />
<br />
1. Weight - get back down to 63kgs (currently 68.4kgs)<br />
2. Size - get back to a size 10 and 32D (currently size 12 and 36D)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideaLbVF_0liDvyLpPY4xCRkS3rBZpk34PUUFTRZfbwyj92pIK9aZ8191H2Dr-eLrlXhvIxoe_OtIQSlZykeVuxUGHQ3D0dpWuibYsEh9fEi8HH8x2I_SMQUd5yn7o2Jpwepl_/s1600/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="351" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideaLbVF_0liDvyLpPY4xCRkS3rBZpk34PUUFTRZfbwyj92pIK9aZ8191H2Dr-eLrlXhvIxoe_OtIQSlZykeVuxUGHQ3D0dpWuibYsEh9fEi8HH8x2I_SMQUd5yn7o2Jpwepl_/s640/FullSizeRender+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want to get my body back to this - 2009 me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
To achieve this I need to get better on my nutrition and improve my meal planning. In all fairness when I started writing this blog back in April I actually weighed 71kgs but a recent bout of illness helped me loose some weight. But it also made my nutrition hit an all time low. Stomach illnesses tend to make me have the weirdest cravings so all I wanted to eat for 2 weeks were cream crackers, sweets and cooked onions.<br />
<br />
In addition to the nutritional aspects of my diet, I decided to have a booze free May. This felt like a good idea at the time but two bank holidays has made it tough. But with bottles of Nanny State, softails, fruit juices and coke (normally I would have drunk lots of tea but the tummy illness also put me off tea. I am only just getting back into drinking it again) I have made it to the 30th May. Only one more day to go!<br />
<br />
Going booze free is helpful. It helps me to realise how much I have been drinking and then helps me to reduce going forward.<br />
<br />
And then I have some goals on improving my current PBs:<br />
<br />
5K - sub 26 minutes (current PB 26:37)<br />
10K - sub 54 minutes (current PB 54:29)<br />
Half Marathon - sub 2 hours (current PB 02:05:14)<br />
Marathon - sub 5 hours (current PB 05:02:07)<br />
<br />
For now as stated I need to get my knee sorted. I have been able to run on the treadmill for 5K and I am aiming to return the parkrun to run (rather than volunteer which I have been doing for the past couple of weeks) on the 17th June.<br />
<br />
The road to London starts now! At least I have a year to prep!<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-36176568400622789602017-05-24T13:00:00.000+01:002017-08-24T14:34:28.402+01:00Making a Chalet Bungalow a Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Firstly, I love our house - well chalet bungalow to be precise! We have done a lot of work since picking up the keys back in November last year to put our stamp on it. Most work so far has been cosmetic but we are now starting work on some bigger and meatier projects - posts on which to follow.</div>
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The living room and bedroom were the first two priorities:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-U8N49UzFBrjOHTqR262d2JsyAQo3h3Ui-5YN80OELP7X4JbCmrP48NXA2RgnsEEDntQ4N3vq70Ww58KNy5Yo3yHvK23VfvRgrKRRqIU66N5wB_SpHzTD03wyvvQEnd198K-/s1600/IMG_1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-U8N49UzFBrjOHTqR262d2JsyAQo3h3Ui-5YN80OELP7X4JbCmrP48NXA2RgnsEEDntQ4N3vq70Ww58KNy5Yo3yHvK23VfvRgrKRRqIU66N5wB_SpHzTD03wyvvQEnd198K-/s640/IMG_1179.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO2kdiymxCEx8RKaapKlajx94TzjhdYY4XogqBkNsi2Y0qbTHjVAKg8ezLI4AfAZZTuuAi5aVkgvOUDIGdg0UTUAscrWtMCWGAAanXkSEo4A5JPa_F6pVq4jBl-XAtYyjz_WA/s1600/IMG_1183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO2kdiymxCEx8RKaapKlajx94TzjhdYY4XogqBkNsi2Y0qbTHjVAKg8ezLI4AfAZZTuuAi5aVkgvOUDIGdg0UTUAscrWtMCWGAAanXkSEo4A5JPa_F6pVq4jBl-XAtYyjz_WA/s640/IMG_1183.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfqVqQbwsWiI1uutN2xbrU7Uz0qBDVkFCG0PlE-LQRQEXTq3J8fs1YYPdi3EF2gqadoPYklpjYzM0A_VUkPvRfTGgEQVnn_mAH5Z89otZ0R1FJ1dYQ_DcTHKLOa8-4P2BuJBz/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfqVqQbwsWiI1uutN2xbrU7Uz0qBDVkFCG0PlE-LQRQEXTq3J8fs1YYPdi3EF2gqadoPYklpjYzM0A_VUkPvRfTGgEQVnn_mAH5Z89otZ0R1FJ1dYQ_DcTHKLOa8-4P2BuJBz/s640/IMG_0582.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - work in progress</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - work in progress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXMz-YUKHjyFNwrpg9FncMkQoQsOqrZvIHGsPvPmTCHJjwJTKBGlXPBEdg_dIrjzokWgORY58QDQN6rL_0R-gby62UhZLA2T5iMQqf7pTDqU59A796Fe-B-i8PJdj3Q91vZd_/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXMz-YUKHjyFNwrpg9FncMkQoQsOqrZvIHGsPvPmTCHJjwJTKBGlXPBEdg_dIrjzokWgORY58QDQN6rL_0R-gby62UhZLA2T5iMQqf7pTDqU59A796Fe-B-i8PJdj3Q91vZd_/s640/IMG_0579.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living Room - work in progress</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8xQ-YSgnGBpBPchBBqg9__Qpg3fNEXffKLQjQQTRId5ePPlF1EFXbacGO1LJ7qQ6eOdc5nyxF495_t5bSlEM6zxBjLjl7IKLbnWSUtc052sal8nile19O8uaabv35cset_FN/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8xQ-YSgnGBpBPchBBqg9__Qpg3fNEXffKLQjQQTRId5ePPlF1EFXbacGO1LJ7qQ6eOdc5nyxF495_t5bSlEM6zxBjLjl7IKLbnWSUtc052sal8nile19O8uaabv35cset_FN/s640/IMG_1251.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room - finished </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQfJQoXjlPIsgRhVW2GpIPW3dmQLnTjrj2nUKt-sH0Il17XDppSz2iS7SmhR_m3tHb5TJhofx7dQvPzHWaVF6m3laW9ByL3Dq48ffqVUzG_s6Oc4wuZM1DnrHPWhoL_-m3uQg/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQfJQoXjlPIsgRhVW2GpIPW3dmQLnTjrj2nUKt-sH0Il17XDppSz2iS7SmhR_m3tHb5TJhofx7dQvPzHWaVF6m3laW9ByL3Dq48ffqVUzG_s6Oc4wuZM1DnrHPWhoL_-m3uQg/s640/IMG_1190.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room - personal touches - guitars (including our wedload one), drinks cabinet, and nice big mirror</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANt_9FBPoKPjWo0ATZOoY661QUeUd3etHDyeCSz_CbRd9HPGppfq6gbBw5AeOg5GaU_Oa-qm9CC89Mq8apEhFU0rPONVnOng-zVEgaeFdJKJTRK5fRoShNfGlNyuQQH9jddiy/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANt_9FBPoKPjWo0ATZOoY661QUeUd3etHDyeCSz_CbRd9HPGppfq6gbBw5AeOg5GaU_Oa-qm9CC89Mq8apEhFU0rPONVnOng-zVEgaeFdJKJTRK5fRoShNfGlNyuQQH9jddiy/s640/IMG_0547.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom - Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilavzSI4jFVVK5ZaBtyGXNCbXda59LbIF77La2NdIWE3mmdZHbw8C94Ym6uo1YmSH0_px7XhKqEr4J3wTDU27MtKbHDhxZRhD5vxfEFQOziuTNIm72ljbArkmqAmN6OAGOsvFx/s1600/IMG_1200.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilavzSI4jFVVK5ZaBtyGXNCbXda59LbIF77La2NdIWE3mmdZHbw8C94Ym6uo1YmSH0_px7XhKqEr4J3wTDU27MtKbHDhxZRhD5vxfEFQOziuTNIm72ljbArkmqAmN6OAGOsvFx/s640/IMG_1200.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before - Estate Agent brochure picture of the bedroom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAjFY00IuYRE9kkLFu-6_xEQcaX-yP1DlFBBVGzUD-oeKIX-3VPrd5MfEYx5XW-8KJMQcVkJqggUqiv2_adukVeNqXZ0VvrH-ITt96GYiEv97Xzr45pz0fD8Jce51NhQlDVnf/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAjFY00IuYRE9kkLFu-6_xEQcaX-yP1DlFBBVGzUD-oeKIX-3VPrd5MfEYx5XW-8KJMQcVkJqggUqiv2_adukVeNqXZ0VvrH-ITt96GYiEv97Xzr45pz0fD8Jce51NhQlDVnf/s640/IMG_1186.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom - work in progress - reading the instructions for my first time wallpapering</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdynFp5S9SU0dkbgDbxVXSk3km6wSOnFg3gWAPHZFgPivEV0ADRJi6eRYfFs55TtS877QWL4yYunEn6Qz2BS34NmRsQKyTOVCepnxz_3AXOh9AfQpC4ppLhn4ZIAD84QJGw0L4/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdynFp5S9SU0dkbgDbxVXSk3km6wSOnFg3gWAPHZFgPivEV0ADRJi6eRYfFs55TtS877QWL4yYunEn6Qz2BS34NmRsQKyTOVCepnxz_3AXOh9AfQpC4ppLhn4ZIAD84QJGw0L4/s640/IMG_1187.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom - work in progress - edging</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i3CUB2-eNA8hUvxNyvSGAdHKPYxLF7qAlrReQfJxi23pgRfBW0QIjLDpqNOC5qbTqif73dKUe7BvA8d1jzhwC7wvakFVjoSJN35qK4x4N2tSGAZgN4vvyOWmSVnto3GFo-r6/s1600/IMG_0618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i3CUB2-eNA8hUvxNyvSGAdHKPYxLF7qAlrReQfJxi23pgRfBW0QIjLDpqNOC5qbTqif73dKUe7BvA8d1jzhwC7wvakFVjoSJN35qK4x4N2tSGAZgN4vvyOWmSVnto3GFo-r6/s640/IMG_0618.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom - finished feature wall (pattern matching is the hardest thing EVER!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi607c4G2V0OnLdAWcgWgDzaXX5vBBXUWGKRLQjn_jYiQBuGej5JW_2iqOKLdfNmlh8y-nFxbPvO3f3jVvuwVxEYub3MGXl0jZnn4loZbVvmZvLJnHarzY6K8G1Yfl52bA907yW/s1600/IMG_0628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi607c4G2V0OnLdAWcgWgDzaXX5vBBXUWGKRLQjn_jYiQBuGej5JW_2iqOKLdfNmlh8y-nFxbPvO3f3jVvuwVxEYub3MGXl0jZnn4loZbVvmZvLJnHarzY6K8G1Yfl52bA907yW/s640/IMG_0628.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bedroom - finished - we moved the feature wall so the bed now looks out towards the window</td></tr>
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The kitchen just needed a lick of paint to make it more us:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhSOSPGMvDHnjNvR4MUQIbMom5VVM91FXUGSo3Yga9Czn6-ZXkteaG7yZDcVvmYwHuqALl2cd9F6bIbHW0xWdqgg2j5JP_lu4_I_YqZE7e99keKeZTFVqyRwcSpKDGQw82Vey/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibhSOSPGMvDHnjNvR4MUQIbMom5VVM91FXUGSo3Yga9Czn6-ZXkteaG7yZDcVvmYwHuqALl2cd9F6bIbHW0xWdqgg2j5JP_lu4_I_YqZE7e99keKeZTFVqyRwcSpKDGQw82Vey/s640/IMG_0544.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen before - very vanilla</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMu5dND9JrTgprRxETOv6vta0LHtHhixXKozInAPlrABGlOzQu_QFDs29W-Ruafpauar_BxuHbfz6HyuoxGmTtQVwTGhcc75KW6ZG0lpdfZnUtWmqfb9sSW6LsG0gmhypR_Vb-/s1600/IMG_1178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMu5dND9JrTgprRxETOv6vta0LHtHhixXKozInAPlrABGlOzQu_QFDs29W-Ruafpauar_BxuHbfz6HyuoxGmTtQVwTGhcc75KW6ZG0lpdfZnUtWmqfb9sSW6LsG0gmhypR_Vb-/s640/IMG_1178.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen before</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAuf-D2aT6EHMyCDjQEncF7l_jyxtZxvwa5XtoGVKxXGoVDUa0hBva2EdP8ZilEAI9EdYU9QymuEutuKdnv-bkEePcoSztibOVfwgQRqkAPyO_xYFpUPY0IOgROnKhT85SkHd/s1600/IMG_0653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAuf-D2aT6EHMyCDjQEncF7l_jyxtZxvwa5XtoGVKxXGoVDUa0hBva2EdP8ZilEAI9EdYU9QymuEutuKdnv-bkEePcoSztibOVfwgQRqkAPyO_xYFpUPY0IOgROnKhT85SkHd/s640/IMG_0653.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen in progress - from yellow to grey</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfK4zV8ni2woNXv10FdcDtzangZbXuLQVMpXiQE0hFOfOIR-4pULeOPnMEov26JrI4RXF2dqsm19oCvqDhDerpLDutsO1IpsRm0Pj5oGrojJh_5FN3OwsMbkPYPKsbn1J3lGV/s1600/IMG_1188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfK4zV8ni2woNXv10FdcDtzangZbXuLQVMpXiQE0hFOfOIR-4pULeOPnMEov26JrI4RXF2dqsm19oCvqDhDerpLDutsO1IpsRm0Pj5oGrojJh_5FN3OwsMbkPYPKsbn1J3lGV/s640/IMG_1188.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen after - excited foxes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsBxr1Iq2rHFgXAxdl4gOUDp-XyvZ-M8ylKqomzqaW-JYKfBYRMIUP_IjD7kX8SvOTpbWQMkhUv9AfBjfWx4XYMfJM_4RO_XtSNPbJw8hSBFATxwMAu4eaSYb5IxX9YItpvpx/s1600/IMG_1252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsBxr1Iq2rHFgXAxdl4gOUDp-XyvZ-M8ylKqomzqaW-JYKfBYRMIUP_IjD7kX8SvOTpbWQMkhUv9AfBjfWx4XYMfJM_4RO_XtSNPbJw8hSBFATxwMAu4eaSYb5IxX9YItpvpx/s640/IMG_1252.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen - finished - cool greys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamZGc7tbEk7za2SNlAeaBPu_ndcXaZQrvjlq74jvVgKUU4XOXobzbPiFhkwVwwtNhaIdaRQi3hKJHfK6yLO2G_T3RQCv1WwakPkVQb3OAALbkugykHdy2fbE_u-owPkk4iDKj/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgamZGc7tbEk7za2SNlAeaBPu_ndcXaZQrvjlq74jvVgKUU4XOXobzbPiFhkwVwwtNhaIdaRQi3hKJHfK6yLO2G_T3RQCv1WwakPkVQb3OAALbkugykHdy2fbE_u-owPkk4iDKj/s640/IMG_1253.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen - finished - lots of cook books!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As you may be aware pink is not my colour and we had 3 rooms that were pink. And not just pink walls - pink carpets too! The upstairs rooms were easier to transform:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXtprMIxBugQil7CntrQl3FHGLaCZZU1xZ_y-W1PnntNZT1QfggIEeumRMmNK0fckuFhG-chuwkReZ2MUwOqeSjpAIO6Me-iz08RamavY0uQYacA3pB8vEZDg50xhfTMrVgdl/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXtprMIxBugQil7CntrQl3FHGLaCZZU1xZ_y-W1PnntNZT1QfggIEeumRMmNK0fckuFhG-chuwkReZ2MUwOqeSjpAIO6Me-iz08RamavY0uQYacA3pB8vEZDg50xhfTMrVgdl/s640/IMG_1180.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office - Before - Super pink<br />
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</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdrjtKZSjVGHR7sCeXDApd93ZY1ZpSX4Iq6szDGOQKgTd0Jzi5gl43G6Gd4b5u-2eD3uF5Z3ITKGPOIxGOAjPJfpYUOWeQsje4rkNeAFhOwXMPDNmYTiakentOXr9nVeIAT23/s1600/IMG_0793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdrjtKZSjVGHR7sCeXDApd93ZY1ZpSX4Iq6szDGOQKgTd0Jzi5gl43G6Gd4b5u-2eD3uF5Z3ITKGPOIxGOAjPJfpYUOWeQsje4rkNeAFhOwXMPDNmYTiakentOXr9nVeIAT23/s640/IMG_0793.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office - After - muted grey tones</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQE42ngbOGIQQa5kFLgcng-B2w-OLMHOJVnjHsZIZmi_qQpqnJgmhjD-sDCr84kPA3-3zjfX13Osnk6U2hOAY39p7e8YBZEe2lte52gL634VR9_OCldjNky_8QS_gbuJryVh4d/s1600/IMG_1182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQE42ngbOGIQQa5kFLgcng-B2w-OLMHOJVnjHsZIZmi_qQpqnJgmhjD-sDCr84kPA3-3zjfX13Osnk6U2hOAY39p7e8YBZEe2lte52gL634VR9_OCldjNky_8QS_gbuJryVh4d/s640/IMG_1182.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest room - before - another super pink room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAiqL40OqUa4BNuxCMy9mjLNGIl0hxOpD6SHhLP6M5I-DTWYY3vr-wQXGC5srZ03COE1xdTVliGxNHORo5fqpsm9kD2z5KWI03SzsA4si9u6H57T1ARqO8xsWz5gTYjMPCFEZ/s1600/IMG_1184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvAiqL40OqUa4BNuxCMy9mjLNGIl0hxOpD6SHhLP6M5I-DTWYY3vr-wQXGC5srZ03COE1xdTVliGxNHORo5fqpsm9kD2z5KWI03SzsA4si9u6H57T1ARqO8xsWz5gTYjMPCFEZ/s640/IMG_1184.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest room - before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrRmZkYGu6p_5YVwunY7wlC7xhaUXseRgPQdO5HkDdFqkm6CcKdK9Ckh4KdpRrxgiG8HljER2Na6_37JCglyPZqIvsDX_jPRUGVx2uiKwY3-rI-DVzvBuoZwPHaSuNw-L6s9F/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrRmZkYGu6p_5YVwunY7wlC7xhaUXseRgPQdO5HkDdFqkm6CcKdK9Ckh4KdpRrxgiG8HljER2Na6_37JCglyPZqIvsDX_jPRUGVx2uiKwY3-rI-DVzvBuoZwPHaSuNw-L6s9F/s640/IMG_1255.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest bedroom - after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqvhKDsnqBJ3ooUpELLjiZ_d4GLDsEla03v9n1OjY82xp6xr8u40NbZi_NFum8uFvJ4UE0L_W-mfJfb55ERKE7Uh84uyNrjCLoveq3tc2XJXH9qbt4rS9zZnYvbdWfqYMTXHh/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPqvhKDsnqBJ3ooUpELLjiZ_d4GLDsEla03v9n1OjY82xp6xr8u40NbZi_NFum8uFvJ4UE0L_W-mfJfb55ERKE7Uh84uyNrjCLoveq3tc2XJXH9qbt4rS9zZnYvbdWfqYMTXHh/s640/IMG_1254.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guest bedroom - after (still a work in process - we hope to build a bed at some point to replace the airbed)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Downstairs though I had an inkling that there might be gold under the bright pink carpet. I wasn't wrong:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoU3UZT-XGUIel0gQEaYEwKpgNEzbsvutPEghcG_SxsLuO2PvMoub0g3NbXM3A3BrNI1fy2dBLL8XU7bw2Bq7Z5xLRgY41fZOuJ69BOpCckinmfUshDyAw81k3Og-1RrxfjCc/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUoU3UZT-XGUIel0gQEaYEwKpgNEzbsvutPEghcG_SxsLuO2PvMoub0g3NbXM3A3BrNI1fy2dBLL8XU7bw2Bq7Z5xLRgY41fZOuJ69BOpCckinmfUshDyAw81k3Og-1RrxfjCc/s640/IMG_0588.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downstairs room - before, after an Ikea delivery - very pink carpet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAFRunj_u2xW5jTp471UZpBSaVe3YIyZjHwHcr_JtQ3JtwFwCKz0nH9xx7lV11TlTzUaaqrjp226DX6LVcJfcjEL1YjfRoAU5Ca6bE9fdOEi1lwdr1BDRuBsCIXiqBPa6atqn/s1600/IMG_0654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXAFRunj_u2xW5jTp471UZpBSaVe3YIyZjHwHcr_JtQ3JtwFwCKz0nH9xx7lV11TlTzUaaqrjp226DX6LVcJfcjEL1YjfRoAU5Ca6bE9fdOEi1lwdr1BDRuBsCIXiqBPa6atqn/s640/IMG_0654.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downstairs room - pulling back the pink carpet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5NS9a2Ztz-2drqGQDtfWPTmzDe7O-cwzYoBxJM5SOR5_axdw2E5XEf_bjCLhxjzADH81deDKNH-GdHgDyEYjqkLoHbwenJQTI18jd-APcn3Ej1agBjaTJ7sE_AxIaAjW39yh/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5NS9a2Ztz-2drqGQDtfWPTmzDe7O-cwzYoBxJM5SOR5_axdw2E5XEf_bjCLhxjzADH81deDKNH-GdHgDyEYjqkLoHbwenJQTI18jd-APcn3Ej1agBjaTJ7sE_AxIaAjW39yh/s640/IMG_1004.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downstairs room - wood floor discovered!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This led to one of the bigger projects we had to undertake - sanding and staining the floor, so we got some professionals in to do it.<br />
<br />
Despite having to deal with a water feature in the room thanks to some previous shoddy work (whoever put the floor boards back after installing the heating failed to mark where the pipes were and put a huge screw through the pipe which was then sealed through pressure - taking in out resulted in some hurried re-screwing and locating the stop cock) we were really pleased with the finished floor.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNzpZ-tpG9QXiH_lq7atWv4SEJuwiffYBEB3WbQShUKHDJ0DwIQIv6qFRGFitJrTcYvPGXibyQG1kSn8HEP60Bqzmwm3wucuvp1nDPt4NC0uFa2ix7UdMP-wKHByyUuoRgHIC/s1600/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNzpZ-tpG9QXiH_lq7atWv4SEJuwiffYBEB3WbQShUKHDJ0DwIQIv6qFRGFitJrTcYvPGXibyQG1kSn8HEP60Bqzmwm3wucuvp1nDPt4NC0uFa2ix7UdMP-wKHByyUuoRgHIC/s640/IMG_1006.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In progress - damaged water pipes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsHNFypuuNxEur8iIoIwN5zJfEdKMaDozbxpxVV-cwDxpdpjTdkT1VP84T8nlBWkAitrSyZpIhIR0a2e2O7ws2wlohiGCeO6FbuYbszHgQLDzMdVFn8vWyjU6AIe73qNuJI4y/s1600/IMG_1005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBsHNFypuuNxEur8iIoIwN5zJfEdKMaDozbxpxVV-cwDxpdpjTdkT1VP84T8nlBWkAitrSyZpIhIR0a2e2O7ws2wlohiGCeO6FbuYbszHgQLDzMdVFn8vWyjU6AIe73qNuJI4y/s640/IMG_1005.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floor taken back to it's original colour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCnf6STjLxZX7s9MY5aIpWJLZwGBCqB6w4NngvQd7UJrt6cBDmLLYhM1zvR3sWJI94MsFGcL0-fmFiJxKZpb_4Yggj5h8KJjhp7ccOd077MmGXqxtoHLjvJ6PojxqSmIjpQKs/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCnf6STjLxZX7s9MY5aIpWJLZwGBCqB6w4NngvQd7UJrt6cBDmLLYhM1zvR3sWJI94MsFGcL0-fmFiJxKZpb_4Yggj5h8KJjhp7ccOd077MmGXqxtoHLjvJ6PojxqSmIjpQKs/s640/IMG_1018.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the floor showing the amazing patterns in the wood following staining</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLi2C0aAp4BEUwqDIV-NdjNspjKCX0uqFAyimuuwOf_nJwOTZ-qIhQar0RkLs_c4I-5M33UMWzL4jsZAGz7HQgoOw9dHT7mvQHnMU5UFd910XtR1PNYJd2Dypk2EvmQmDrB6A/s1600/IMG_1019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqLi2C0aAp4BEUwqDIV-NdjNspjKCX0uqFAyimuuwOf_nJwOTZ-qIhQar0RkLs_c4I-5M33UMWzL4jsZAGz7HQgoOw9dHT7mvQHnMU5UFd910XtR1PNYJd2Dypk2EvmQmDrB6A/s640/IMG_1019.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished floor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4t3VKUL_ygOMpQmpc0M_4pwHFs-nlipyyCH8tNjXmYYaMdI5AhtBCEAfFT_TTJcu9v2POQ_Vd-Yt1oiEbu5_clBujvQVpY6EHpNN1ZHeYI3MCqUGdvinvS2P7ySk-j3y3EmY/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4t3VKUL_ygOMpQmpc0M_4pwHFs-nlipyyCH8tNjXmYYaMdI5AhtBCEAfFT_TTJcu9v2POQ_Vd-Yt1oiEbu5_clBujvQVpY6EHpNN1ZHeYI3MCqUGdvinvS2P7ySk-j3y3EmY/s640/IMG_1191.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Next project was one for Andy - sanding and varnishing the front door (he had been waiting for good weather for months in order to do it).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTIuToBoO-YPo-qZVtv6JiEj-GCUVZXnk7_tYJzqQdPm3SKUMNFTWp-lY_0LHBnlDICduNw3Q65TaBqRju9c3ilQC3KQiRwvlTgK3nYMKXj-VMKpYUYqV9jBjKENOLP0q-_Fu/s1600/fullsizeoutput_1010.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuTIuToBoO-YPo-qZVtv6JiEj-GCUVZXnk7_tYJzqQdPm3SKUMNFTWp-lY_0LHBnlDICduNw3Q65TaBqRju9c3ilQC3KQiRwvlTgK3nYMKXj-VMKpYUYqV9jBjKENOLP0q-_Fu/s640/fullsizeoutput_1010.jpeg" width="326" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front door - before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NtsXy6tDzwFvBk27vxX9-bn-qxgvON-W9XtvwxfmLA3g5etyxfFeUHJXhHoX0xyyl0tXvReKi4Q84R8RDgJmJS9S3PQN8cDqMm5t6LBp0gjcLeeSVZABVspTgBCrB7jynVei/s1600/IMG_1192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NtsXy6tDzwFvBk27vxX9-bn-qxgvON-W9XtvwxfmLA3g5etyxfFeUHJXhHoX0xyyl0tXvReKi4Q84R8RDgJmJS9S3PQN8cDqMm5t6LBp0gjcLeeSVZABVspTgBCrB7jynVei/s640/IMG_1192.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front door finished and restored</td></tr>
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Now we are starting on the bigger projects - namely the garden but also what will become my craft room/spare office. Oh and the garage too. Still so much to do!Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-21943349298130467602017-05-22T22:25:00.000+01:002017-05-22T22:25:29.172+01:00RIP Chris CornellSadly I am writing another tribute post to another artist.<br />
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As you may have read, Chris Cornell - lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave as well as a well renowned solo artist took his life on Wednesday following a gig in Detroit. Now I do not want to dwell on what happened until we know the full facts but undeniably it is a very sad situation where a husband/father/well loved artist has died leaving a hole in many people's lives.<br />
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I missed Soundgarden and Audioslave in the 90's. Back then I was more about pop music for my sins but as my love of rock music grew in the early 2000's I started revisiting eras that past me by and the grunge scene in the North West of America is one that I have really enjoyed catching up on.<br />
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Like most people, I knew <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/3ztCt91U2wGkDZuzbCwH6H" target="_blank">Black Hole Sun</a> fairly well but the rest of the music had past me by first time round. Finally listening to <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4ePl0meknOkJ892O9yszEY" target="_blank">Superunknown</a> I understand why Mr Fox was such a huge fan.<br />
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I have listened to a fair bit of the music he has been a part of but on listening to playlists and tribute programmes there is a lot I still haven't caught up on - early solo records and Temple of the Dog.<br />
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In June 2012 we were lucky enough to get almost front row seats to see him playing <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/20vmGTntqAQmidqhW804ar" target="_blank">Songbook</a> live at the London Palladium. It was one of the most intimate gigs I have ever been too and I was even in the picture Chris took from the stage (sadly the image in no longer available on twitter which is a shame).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Didn't have a great camera in 2012 but Chris Cornell on stage at the London Palladium 18th June 2012</td></tr>
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I hadn't really checked out his solo stuff at that point but I quickly did remembering that he had written and performed the theme for Casino Royal - <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/4HHIVS7mHAXqXVebo3k5Um" target="_blank">You Know My Name</a> - a great Bond track.<br />
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Last year our friends Debbie and Matt bought us tickets for the Royal Albert Hall for another solo outing by Chris. Much bigger than the Palladium but such an amazing venue. We were spoilt to over 2 hours of amazing songs including a cover of <a href="https://youtu.be/61XdPtGMErs" target="_blank">Nothing Compares to You</a> in tribute to Prince.<br />
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I was over the moon to hear Our Time in the Universe from Higher Truth which is a song I have played a lot since hearing of his death on Thursday morning.<br />
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Chris Cornell's passing is profoundly sad. A man you felt still had so much more to give, who managed to be successful in bands and as a solo artist. The grunge era has so many fallen stars already (Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain to name a few) I feel I want to find Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder and wrap them in cotton wool and protect them from the world.<br />
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But I feel I should hand over to Mr Fox at this point. Not only does my husband look a lot like Chris (in fact there are pictures of a young Chris Cornell that scare me as it totally looks like Andy) he was also a huge fan and his passing has definitely hit him a lot harder. He was into the grunge scene back in the 90's so here he is with his words.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Fox in his long hair days </td></tr>
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There have been many great artists who I have respected and mourned the loss of. Hell, 2016 was a calvalcade of misery as one after another musical legend was plucked from this earth at an alarming regularity. It always seems trite to say 'too early' as invariably rockstars burn brightly in the eyes of their fans and so to be without them will always be, by definition, 'too early', however hearing the news on Thursday morning hit me like a hammer. I was stunned and couldn't believe it and as the story unfolded, it just got worse and worse. Now, aside from feeling awful for his family, friends and bandmates, it got me thinking about how I came to be feeling genuinely upset at the passing of someone who had simultaneously meant so much to me but I had never really met.<br />
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To put it into context, and showing my age a little more than Mrs Fox, the 1990's were the start of my musical awakening. I think there were 5 bands of the early 1990's that affected me; Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Dinosaur Jr, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and yes, as Carys eludes to, I was unashamedly into the grunge scene (still am actually). It inspired me to play bass guitar as well as focus my attention on making something of myself; which might sound weird but connecting with music gives you a whole lot of confidence, which is pretty important when you are looking to 'find yourself' in a small provincial northern town. Anyway, of all the bands Soundgarden always had a special place in my heart and the reason was the vocal power Chris Cornell brought to the records. It was amazing to hear the range from a low growl right through to a ear splitting scream; dynamically, I think he was up there as one of the best...but it got better with his solo stuff.<br />
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Euphoria Morning was perhaps the most criminally underrated albums of its time; I remember hearing it pretty soon after it came out and was instantly hooked but I don't recall it getting an amazing reception. Later albums got more exposure with the Audioslave tie up but this was the album that introduced me to the solo artist and I remember playing it constantly. The other albums I loved, although I admit to struggling a bit with 'Scream' but over the years I have come to appreciate it too. 'Carry On', 'SongBook' and 'Higher Truth' are all in my all time favourite albums and have scarcely been off the playlist this week.<br />
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Trying to put my finger on why his death has affected me so much is tricky; yes, I saw SoundGarden play a fair number of times and sat within 10 feet of the front of stage at a solo gig in 2012 and again in 2016 but that doesn't really explain it. A friend of mine commented that it felt like 'one of ours' which, considering that metaphorically speaking, I grew up with Chris Cornell, feels about as close as I can get to an explanation. Many people have already commented on the unfortunate and clear mental issues that appear to be at play; how can someone with so much talent, a beautiful family and adored by millions possible find themselves in a situation where taking their own life seems like the only way to go? Having been mercifully free of mental illness, its not for me to comment <b>but</b> having seen the effect depression has on people and still feeling the effects of the loss of a close friend who recently lost his battle with depression, it's an indiscriminate bastard and should be taken seriously.<br />
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Reach out to your friends and keep in touch with them...<br />
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In closing, I'm clearly not the only one feeling this loss and a while there remains a rich musical heritage, I can't help but feel there was so much more to come..... very sad times. RIP<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-36427853255295490662017-05-15T21:41:00.000+01:002017-05-21T11:34:48.086+01:00Urban Fox to Country Fox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I am not sure if I can officially call myself a country fox. Haywards Heath is a town but it is definitely smaller than other towns I have lived in over the years such as Northampton and Erith (although technically Erith is part of London so actually a suburb rather than a stand alone town).<br />
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It has some of the high street stores you expect to find - Boots, WH Smith, and Superdrug. It also has Holland and Barrett, Mr Entertainer, Next, Fat Face, Laura Ashley, Marks and Spencer, Waterstones, Game and Claires Accessories on the shop front and Costa and Nero on the coffee shop front. There is even a Starbucks in the local Sainsbury's and we also now have a Waitrose (the sign of an up and coming area apparently). But it certainly doesn't have some of the other shops I expect of a big town - Body Shop, New Look, some form of generic sports shop that isn't a sports shop etc.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A regular stop off on the high street for us - Robert Dyas</td></tr>
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So maybe still technically an Urban Fox but with a country edge.<br />
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I like the new surroundings. I actually thought I would miss London more than I am.<br />
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We were slightly fortunate in that Dark Star Brewery opened a pub in the town two weeks before we were due to collect our keys. And it has become a regular haunt for us. Mid-week we make use of the free wi-fi to finish off some work before heading home for the evening, we have eaten in there a fair few times (and the food is AMAZING!) and it is also a regular stopping point on a Friday night.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lockhart Tavern</td></tr>
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There are also some other good pubs in the town - the Sergison Arms which is great for night I don't want to drink as they have Nanny State in the fridge and The Star has live music and a decent selection of beers.<br />
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There are a few more out of town but we haven't got round to trying these just yet although when summer arrives I suspect there may be a few country walks to the surrounding villages.<br />
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There are also a few other pubs in town which we will try at some point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Broadway - a street of bars, restaurants and cafes</td></tr>
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Food wise there is a great selection. We have the chain places - Pizza Express, Zizzi, Cafe Rouge, Cote, and Prezzo but there are also a lot of lovely independents too: Idlewild, La Campana, and Nizam are the ones we have tried but there are plenty more too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">La Campana - our local tapas restaurant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nizam - one of the local curry houses which we highly recommend</td></tr>
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As stated we have most of the major chain coffee shops but we also have our independents too: Torys, The Bay Tree and Flinders. There is a new cafe/restaurant due to open in the next few weeks as well.<br />
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So so far so good. I am sure we will have plenty of other stories to come as we get to explore the local area.<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-14363037051533366052017-05-01T19:37:00.000+01:002017-05-01T19:37:00.777+01:00Tribute to DadThis has been a hard post for me to write and has taken time so I could get it right. It also explains a bit of a blogging hiatus as I have been incredibly busy over the past few months arranging and sorting things.<br />
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2016 was the year a number of legends died. On the 27th December not only did we lose Carrie Fisher but my dad, Bryn Williams, also passed away.<br />
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Dad had been in ill health for some time but his death still came as a shock especially as he has fought and won so many times in the past when admitted to hospital for various different reasons.<br />
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But it would appear he wasn't strong enough this time to beat pneumonia.<br />
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Dad was the biggest fan of my blog with alerts set up to tell him every time I posted and he often would leave a comment. He was a naturally gifted writer himself, writing for many speedway clubs around the country in their programmes and for the national speedway magazine, the Speedway Star. In his younger years he also contributed to fanzines at Crayford and Hackney. He was very proud of his articles and still had a collection of all the Kestrel News'.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad with our cat Woodsey (named after Speedway rider Paul Woods!)</td></tr>
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Speedway was dad's life - a crazy motor sport involving 500cc bikes going at high speeds around an oval track with no brakes. Dad would often travel around the country to see various meetings. And for someone who didn't drive, this was no mean feat! If he wasn't able to grab a lift with a friend or one of the riders, he would make use of his rail card and get there on the train.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and friends outside the Vic Harding Lounge at Hackney Speedway</td></tr>
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When I was younger I would often accompany him to various meetings, and would drive to some when I had passed my test. These trips with stop offs at various service stations and truck stops as well as detours down back streets to avoid roadworks and accidents has stuck with me over the years. I have taken Mr Fox to the Red Lodge off the A11 and cursed when trying to take him to Kate's on the A1 that it was on the other side to where we were travelling.<br />
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But I did get to see a lot of the country - from the Isle of Wight in the South, to Kings Lynn in the East, Newport in Wales, Swindon in the West, Cradley Heath in the Midlands, Newcastle in the North East, Workington in the North West and Edinburgh in Scotland. And Dad could easily visit all those tracks in a week - in fact when I used to talk to him to see when he was available it would often be "well I am at Wolverhampton on Monday, Isle of Wight Tuesday, Kings Lynn Wednesday, Swindon Thursday, Arena [Essex] Friday, Eastborne Saturday and Iwade on Sunday". He didn't really do rest days between March and April, certainly not until his body forced him to.<br />
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As a kid I was a daddy's girl. If mum said no, I would always ask dad as he would usually say yes. I was rather spolit - on holidays dad would often buy me gifts or win me toys on the grabber machines. We once had to buy an extra bag to get the 53 toys we won in Scarborough home! Despite being made redundant and his arthritis crippling his hands making it impossible for him to work, dad's generosity knew no bounds especially where I was concerned and he bailed me out on more that one occasion. When I crashed my first car which I had proudly saved up for, he bought me a replacement, and later when some toerag attempted (badly) to break into that car and wrote it off, he lent me the money to buy another. Without his help I would have struggled!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBQlg2ORO4rZIqnNnKATZsBhAJiXlw2eQ_UF1-fPAT_tLlsZUukzLLdfS5LA9zcBRfu-46sLBPN4H8fo3o4vS9Jj44WdT6qbF5qM00_jTSX4T9uBOTFC9ckBFL5Naf6VCY4tL/s1600/fullsizeoutput_fa7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjBQlg2ORO4rZIqnNnKATZsBhAJiXlw2eQ_UF1-fPAT_tLlsZUukzLLdfS5LA9zcBRfu-46sLBPN4H8fo3o4vS9Jj44WdT6qbF5qM00_jTSX4T9uBOTFC9ckBFL5Naf6VCY4tL/s320/fullsizeoutput_fa7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and I rocking matching jackets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3QE5wRmDUHBGWnCvjbAiMZKajqcCiiGnZ3lg0l6jlUHCMwmntQyI5yh0G9QmInlhhA8xVHsfe7veCp2TYxMpGcfsw_J1_BqkbZL3FMwxipDvPbxLmKosiH5y_jbjBFGZx8Um/s1600/fullsizeoutput_fa3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX3QE5wRmDUHBGWnCvjbAiMZKajqcCiiGnZ3lg0l6jlUHCMwmntQyI5yh0G9QmInlhhA8xVHsfe7veCp2TYxMpGcfsw_J1_BqkbZL3FMwxipDvPbxLmKosiH5y_jbjBFGZx8Um/s320/fullsizeoutput_fa3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad and I at my "I am leaving to go to Uni" party</td></tr>
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In my younger years, not being flush with cash myself, I looked for other ways to pay him back - driving him around, taking him out for meals and in later years, decorating his home and making it a much nicer place to live. He loved Mr Fox and I being in the house and would DJ to us. In his younger years dad had been well known in the Kent area as part of Mr Toad's Roadshow, DJing at lots of pubs in the area. As well as a vast collection of vinyl, dad had also amassed a large collection of CDs over the years spanning many genres.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEEz_1Oiwop8HMReHfhcKUBIjfyGKd09atlff6Vjg-NQ67AZ-UHHQ8t-S5HgMcNObMrg_XX0GsQsQ8hzbmxT0__B4rJ5ntlyflZYiNjpb07feGVFfrAxZ2vXZiKOUeZTK00lz/s1600/14348657_10209515060687550_1291930551_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyEEz_1Oiwop8HMReHfhcKUBIjfyGKd09atlff6Vjg-NQ67AZ-UHHQ8t-S5HgMcNObMrg_XX0GsQsQ8hzbmxT0__B4rJ5ntlyflZYiNjpb07feGVFfrAxZ2vXZiKOUeZTK00lz/s400/14348657_10209515060687550_1291930551_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Toad's Roadshow</td></tr>
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As previously mentioned, dad often wrote for various magazines and programmes. When he had finally given up on his old Amstrad computer, he turned to Apple Mac as a replacement. He loved Macs. But dad was certainly not tech savvy! Often he would call up Mr Fox asking for IT advice - Mr Fox works in communications. I work in IT!! But despite me telling dad I probably knew more about computers he still phoned Mr Fox.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTTdAN2KUcj4du70gxN2Rr7H_NOC_eIuRAsbz8YxTqXUg1RKs1Etb1KFWyCzq9xfMXMEOKInqwK0RT-Kl5lbi-kM0f5NWzqIsmIHbie6F_-KF2sRzObk2pdQB-kneUwJclAfA/s1600/IMG_4255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwTTdAN2KUcj4du70gxN2Rr7H_NOC_eIuRAsbz8YxTqXUg1RKs1Etb1KFWyCzq9xfMXMEOKInqwK0RT-Kl5lbi-kM0f5NWzqIsmIHbie6F_-KF2sRzObk2pdQB-kneUwJclAfA/s400/IMG_4255.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Fox, Dad and Tadders Christmas 2015</td></tr>
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Dad had been a heavy smoker over the years. It was not uncommon to see him with a cigarette (always a superkings black) in hand but after years of being sick of tax hikes he decided to stop, something of a shock to many who knew him. When I was younger he had promised me he would give up smoking if I stopped sucking my thumb. I gave up when I was 10, it took another 21 years before dad held up his end of the bargain! But he did give up and he stuck to it and never smoked again.<br />
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Over the years, dad would often call me and start the conversation "Don't panic, but..". "Don't panic, but I am in the hospital", "Don't panic but I fell over at the (enter name of speedway track here) and am in the St John's hut". The most memorable time dad made one of his Don't Panic phones calls was the Wednesday before my wedding. "Don't panic but, I am at Darent Valley Hospital. I will be out for the wedding so don't worry. It's just a problem with my foot." Fast forward to the Friday "Don't panic, I am still at the hospital but I will be out in time tomorrow". And then Saturday morning "Don't panic, I am still at the hospital but they are going to let me out of the day". Queue me jumping into Project Manager mode and looking at how we can ensure dad get's to the wedding as well as getting him to a barbers to smarten him up for the occasion. Quick call to my friend Ben to secure a lift for dad, quick call to mum to borrow a wheelchair and quick call to the local barbers to ensure they can sort him out.<br />
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Needless to say we got him to the wedding! And after delivering an off the cuff speech (which to be honest no one would have guessed was made up on the spot such was dad's natural ability with a microphone), he watched the first dance and then jumped into a black cab all the way back to the hospital.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eaTHVlWaBmA7snBt3u5-zSfY14pMj-PfXVlEZniLpjaie6IG07IP7CI2R3y7HDv7Grcp20fkbcBN-ePfE0ycHpt28zAJIEmAZXXXtdSAIH5277nO6wJXMqXv7gZ3KnLsrp1Y/s1600/15777086_10154890025754766_4482707646887172419_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3eaTHVlWaBmA7snBt3u5-zSfY14pMj-PfXVlEZniLpjaie6IG07IP7CI2R3y7HDv7Grcp20fkbcBN-ePfE0ycHpt28zAJIEmAZXXXtdSAIH5277nO6wJXMqXv7gZ3KnLsrp1Y/s400/15777086_10154890025754766_4482707646887172419_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad's improv speech</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6lhzgZ98AtsT00m239xpQTTGvTcS5nvkVgKrt2C8yfK-ezcJstWOUrRqMUEd4huRCNs49cecUQuhJUAHySqXDpZuQCG98v0CCZ9NYVYqYkcGVEJVmb0FJrykrzCzj3RMN8jl/s1600/15590630_10157943806810510_8571554437187349692_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE6lhzgZ98AtsT00m239xpQTTGvTcS5nvkVgKrt2C8yfK-ezcJstWOUrRqMUEd4huRCNs49cecUQuhJUAHySqXDpZuQCG98v0CCZ9NYVYqYkcGVEJVmb0FJrykrzCzj3RMN8jl/s400/15590630_10157943806810510_8571554437187349692_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Dad at the Wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMjsGgMHZpPGeNqpWSnF0U4Tj9yhfcEww3p0aCxr8t7WjCYZJhvfkuNa-lgU-Qzfvbq_v2YDYChgv0O_DwAOIjZQWR9nPpPaRVLvO7Jbl0HHi8m1lHPMx1FIkBhpMrDbuMb8V/s1600/IMG_4418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFMjsGgMHZpPGeNqpWSnF0U4Tj9yhfcEww3p0aCxr8t7WjCYZJhvfkuNa-lgU-Qzfvbq_v2YDYChgv0O_DwAOIjZQWR9nPpPaRVLvO7Jbl0HHi8m1lHPMx1FIkBhpMrDbuMb8V/s400/IMG_4418.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, me and the bridesmaids</td></tr>
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Dad was a man of integrity. He swore he would be at the wedding, and he was. This is not the first time though dad has kept a promise to me. When I was 18 my friend Gary and I found ourselves in the Blue Dragon Tattoo parlour in Brighton. I had wanted a tattoo for some time but this was the first time I had plucked up the courage to head to a parlour. After flicking through their books I couldn't find the right dragon. I had seen one that I kind of liked and was all set to ask for it on my shoulder. It was busy on the day and after waiting 45 minutes and no one speaking to us, I gave up. When I told dad he said "I'll make you a promise - have a think about it and if you still want a tattoo in 10 years time, I will pay for it." In 2009 after months of research I finally found a dragon design I wanted. I popped along to Frith Street Tattoo and duly booked myself in. I phoned dad and told him. "A promise is a promise and you have waited 10 years. How much is it?" He never let me down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K0t53fE3BbNTX3oEpuVOLqfAQhUD4HJo-PBQAGRqIJ1Gy3kFIYtY_0NYLvJNF_7hMOvLbSHQXlINCr3ibzqb1rQRu_Vzo7Wnp3Z1BbGlykj6qyZ2cMcF1hd6bOzHABqWw_fi/s1600/Photo-0004_e1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K0t53fE3BbNTX3oEpuVOLqfAQhUD4HJo-PBQAGRqIJ1Gy3kFIYtY_0NYLvJNF_7hMOvLbSHQXlINCr3ibzqb1rQRu_Vzo7Wnp3Z1BbGlykj6qyZ2cMcF1hd6bOzHABqWw_fi/s320/Photo-0004_e1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dragon tattoo</td></tr>
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Dad also loved to shop. As mentioned above, he loved music. He had a huge collection of CDs and it wasn't unusual to find amazon packaging in his house somewhere. But it wasn't just CDs he seemed to collect.<br />
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"Why do you need 10 pairs of scissors dad?"<br />
"Because they were on offer and I got a good deal".<br />
"Why do you have 20 jars of coffee dad?"<br />
"Because they are expensive when they are full price so I stock up."<br />
"Did you realise you had 12 multipackets of Sunbites dad?"<br />
"Yes - I like them so I buy them when they are on offer."<br />
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Mr Fox and I generally tended to term this "dad logic". It did also mean we never had to buy coffee as he was more than happy to donate a jar to us when we were running low.<br />
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One of the things I am going to miss (and really missed earlier this year), is dad's love for rugby especially Wales. We would often sit and watch the rugby together and cheer on the boyos. Dad also enjoyed baiting fans of the other teams especially England fans. Mr Fox was generally the token England fan when we were watching and even though he is not a massive rugby fan he joined in and allowed dad's jibes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3O7fyyjsjloUOe2OiPoau87hFK5u3uR5c0uPYTH3v-BKFMRSoDHwlyMdW_vsoKOHPMbct1gs2NgQjWpTX8osBsizp4A6lPiCwqOdDwVCFK3t8E33n5VW-KiPPwU-6O44epEX/s1600/IMG_4901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt3O7fyyjsjloUOe2OiPoau87hFK5u3uR5c0uPYTH3v-BKFMRSoDHwlyMdW_vsoKOHPMbct1gs2NgQjWpTX8osBsizp4A6lPiCwqOdDwVCFK3t8E33n5VW-KiPPwU-6O44epEX/s640/IMG_4901.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dad, Mr Fox and I in June 2016</td></tr>
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At his funeral it was lovely talking to his friends who have known him for many years (and the years before me) and hear about what he got up to when he was younger. I'm annoyed at myself for not asking him to regale more tales from his youth when he was alive. Dad would often tell us stories when we went to visit him and he did love to tell stories but he also was still a man of mystery. After he died we found out he had been taking part in a patient think tank group for the British Lung Foundation for people with COPD. He was highly regarded by the group and had some useful insights.<br />
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I am sure there is so much more I could say. I have so many memories of dad I could write a novel. He encouraged me to live life to the full (but to be sensible), he had my back when I did things my mum would have killed me for, and ultimately he was the best dad a girl could ask for. Needless to say I will miss him immensely.<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-72089542304412136052017-01-04T23:23:00.000+00:002017-01-05T23:26:25.009+00:00End of an eraThis urban fox is about to join her brethren out in the country.<br />
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After the best part of 35 years as a London resident (well, within the Zones!) Mr Fox and I are heading to start a new life in Sussex.<br />
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We have far too many boxes (seriously? how have we accumulated so much stuff in 4 and a half years!). We have no idea how we managed to move in together using just my little Clio.<br />
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Also we had a team of packers to pack the boxes so we have no idea where anything is so going to be interesting when we arrive at our new house!<br />
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Annoyingly we forgot to ask the packers to leave out the tea bags! Major rookie error!!<br />
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<br />Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-14528954174417986022016-12-31T19:00:00.000+00:002017-01-01T14:38:45.865+00:00Albums of the Year No.1: NOFX - First Ditch EffortAnd finally we reach my number one album for 2016.<br />
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NOFX really should have been a band I loved in my youth along with Blink 182, Green Day, Reel Big Fish and Capdown but I didn't really know much about them until I started dating Andy who was a fan (although not as much as his mate Ryan).<br />
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After listening to Linoleum a dozen times as well as other tracks I was hooked. I feel embarrassed though that the first album of theirs I have bought is their 13th studio album!<br />
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At Download this year we were lucky enough to catch NOFX headlining the second stage with just a handful of others who were not watching Black Sabbath on the main stage. They are a fun band to watch live and the albums also capture that fun element.<br />
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So after a fairly depressing 2016 it is nice to have some fun and laughter. Enjoy!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ohguwyFECHI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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You can listen to the full album on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7C0KC68isgrHpV43072lYE" target="_blank">here</a>.Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-76031318184710012202016-12-30T19:00:00.000+00:002017-01-01T13:56:47.734+00:00Albums of the Year No.2: Thrice - To be Everywhere is to be NowhereI was gutted when Thrice when on hiatus in 2012 and honestly thought it might have been the last we would see of the band. But luckily 4 years later they are back and with an awesomely amazing album.<br />
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I went to see them at the Kentish Town forum in the summer - the same venue I had seen their farewell gig in 2012. It was possibly the hottest gig I have ever been too but I didn't really care. The new tracks stuck in my head straight away. The album feel much more classic Thrice from the Vheissu era.<br />
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I really struggled to decide if this would be no.1 or no.2 in my list. I love the album and it was just pipped to the post. There are a number of amazing tracks on this album and choosing just one to add to this post has been difficult. Possibly one of their best albums to date.<br />
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You can listen to the full album on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4hFDcpvIU9F4OleRAR9nNZ" target="_blank">here</a>.Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33951792.post-13181055667431202192016-12-29T19:00:00.000+00:002017-01-01T13:27:05.234+00:00Albums of the Year No.3: The Algorithm - Brute ForceAs previously mentioned, I love a dance/rock cross over. These guys I would even go so far to say that they are mathcore meets dance given the high complexity of the tracks.<br />
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I can't even remember now how I came across this amazing French project but watching live in 2013 at Download I was in awe. Just two guys - one on drums and the other with a guitar and laptop. The sound was immense.<br />
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When I am working I love a good instrumental album and this is definitely one to keep me motivated.<br />
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This album, the 3rd from the outfit, packs a similar punch to the previous ones. A highly enjoyable album.<br />
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You can listen to the full album on Spotify <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3HNzOyPbz5vPvUie7lI97X" target="_blank">here</a>.Urban Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09443237842945247617noreply@blogger.com0