It’s a great film and a wonderful soundtrack – I believe the film introduced Kurt Russell to the acting world as a precocious kid who kicks Elvis in the shin for money!

Hope you enjoy the video!

Nichols has always been able to deliver an emotional song effortlessly and until I heard this song “I’ll Wait For You”, taken from his 2005 album III and written by Bill Anderson and Harley Allen, was my favourite song. Don’t get me wrong I love most of his songs but I’ll Wait For You had that something special and the two videos that accompanied the two versions were amazing.

Alcohol has played a huge part in his songs but few were aware of his addiction and problems with Alcohol but with the release of his new album Nichols is frank and honest about his problems. He has been sober for over a year and “An Old Friend of Mine” is his emotional storytelling account of his drinking.

It will inevitably strike a chord with people who are struggling with any form of addiction but for me, someone who is fortunate not to suffer from such an addiction, it delivers on all fronts. Emotional, honest and simple. The use of one camera doesn’t detract from the message the video brings and is key to this kind of song. Country songs are famed for a broken truck, a bitter divorce or the dog dying but this track steps up a gear and arguably provides support to those in need.

Sony PS3 Slim

The New PS3 Slim will be released on September 4th – so get your order in now – £249.99

Well in what has been the worst kept secret of the last year, certainly in gaming terms, Sony have released information on the much heralded PS3  Slim at Gamescom and it is as we expected.

The console is much much smaller than the phat version and has a bigger hard drive and power performance is positive too!

120GB hard disk drive, 32% size reduction, 36% weight reduction, 34% less power consumption. Price at €299, US $299, £249.99, ¥29,980, AUD $499, NZD $629

The New PS3 is now available to pre order at a recommended retail price of £249.99 (released September 4th)

Old and New

Another PS3 Slim View

PS3 Slim Out 4th September

Quite often, early memories are clouded when you get a little older, things always seemed better in the good old days – children’s tv always seemed better and the films and programmes you watched as a teenager were better than the offerings today. That rule doesn’t always apply and it freaks me out when I catch an old programme I used to love growing up and now think “how the hell did I like that as a kid”?

I digress! What could be nicer (Mum the kettle’s boiling) is an example of the former, I loved it then – perhaps because mum and dad loved it so much, and I love it now. So many fond memories come flooding back of road trips and quiet moments in the house listening to Gilbert’s melodic songs.

You don’t hear much about him any more, time to do some investigating and find out what he’s up to, if he still performs etc! I’ll update this blog with info on him if I find any – in the mean time if anyone who reads this knows anything or this song evokes fond memories of growing up then drop me a line!

The Lyrics !

Mum, the kettle’s boiling
Daddy what’s the time
Sis, look what you’re doing
Can’t you see the baby’s crying
Tell your Uncle Tony
Helen wants to know
Did he get the letter
That she sent a week ago
All in all what could be nicer
Than two people young at heart
[ Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics are found on www.songlyrics.com ]
Looking forward to the future
That together they will start
When you think of all those people
Who are left out in the cold
All because they never dreamed
That they’d be written off as old
Mum, the kettle’s boiling
Dad, ‘ere what’s the time
Sis, look what you’re doing
Can’t you see the baby’s crying
Can’t you see the baby’s crying

Top Cashback

Well, further to my post a few days ago on the Top Cashback I can now report back on my findings after doing two test purchases, one with Zavvi and one with Wallace Sacks.

I am always sceptical on the claims some of these sites make and having never used this one before (always used Quidco) I was unsure as to how good it really was. That said, even after using a few days I can safely say I will continue to use Top Cashback. Very simple to use and it updates the trackback very quickly.

Zavvi took approximately 16 hours to show up on earnings but Wallace Sacks showed up within 3 hours – very quick indeed. What made the Wallace Sacks purchase even sweeter was the 10% cashback on offer and boy did it deliver! The way I look at a site like this is – if you are going to buy the product anyway then why not go via a cashback site and get a little back?!!!

They claim to have over 2000 companies involved in the system and I obviously haven’t tested this out fully but first impressions are very very good. I’ll report back later this week with an update from my experiences and a couple of friends who have also signed up – remember this is a free service and costs you nothing to use!

Enjoy!

With this in mind, and always keen to save money and get the best deal possible, (who isn’t?!!) I came across a new site today called Top Cashback – apparently it has been the best kept secret for four years now. I can’t believe I haven’t come across it before now!

The site appears to have a lot more relationships with retailers than quidco and one thing it has right from the offset – no annual fees (ever). Quidco takes £5 from your account every year and given that Top Cashback don’t, I think I’ll give these guys a go – nothing to lose right ?!!!

So there you have it, sounds and looks like a great deal so why not sign up and try it out for yourself – remember no costs involved and you can only save money on your purchases! I was sceptical about quidco before I tried it but I am glad I jumped on the bandwagon, it has given me a lot more confidence to try this new site out now!

To give you an idea, if you took out car insurance with AVIVA – you’d be rewarded with £70 cashback – and given that the average annual fee is around £200 – £300 – that’s a great saving!

Check out the video now then head over to eBay to bid on the actual pedalo Fred uses. We’re auctioning it off for charity, with every penny of the proceeds going to the Andrew Flintoff Foundation – a charity that helps fund physio wings in kids’ hospitals around the UK. So bid now and bid well.

I’ve always loved his music and always will in all probability. I wasn’t a great fan of the man, he was a complex entertainer who in fairness carried a lot of baggage, some of his own making, others out of his control. Whoever or whatever the cause, he came across as a man/boy unsure of his own mind.

With each hour that passes, we the public and internet followers learn a little more about the circumstances surrounding his untimely death. Was it a “simple cardiac arrest” ?

Were prescription drugs involved?  If they were, was it a case of too many drugs over a sustained period of time or a morphine overdose by his physician?

The toxicology report is expected to come back within six weeks and given the sensational story and the family involved the coroner is unlikely to be pressured into making rash statements or cause of death.
As I write this short piece, Michael Jackson’s music occupies the top 15 best selling albums on Amazon! It is to be expected as fans and new fans clamour to hear his music. Thriller remains the best selling album of all time and it is unlikely to be beaten. When his comeback album (Invincible) “failed” despite selling 10 million albums he never released another album. His highly anticipated 50 night tour at the O2 in London was expected to kick off a new desire for his music.

Unfortunately the tour will now never materialise but in death his “off the wall” music, just like Elvis, will live on and become more popular. What a macabre and wonderful world we live in.

Oh well, too late now! It probably won’t work but hey, there’s no harm in trying is there ! (all photos taken using the iphone 3G)

I planted the garlic on Saturday the 13th June 2009 and was rather shocked at how quickly the first signs of life appeared! The first shot (below) was taken on the 16th June just four days after initial planting.

I have kept an eye on the growth over the last few days and I have been amazed at how quickly things change with garlic. Is this normal?! Again, not sure if this is the right thing to do but I’ve kept the pot in the small greenhouse since planting.

Taken this morning (22nd June)

The garlic is an organic variety bought from Tesco (on the 13th) for 40p I think it was! If it does work or at least give me something to work with later this year it will be something.

Day 10 in the big Garlic Howz !!!!

Carrot Seeds were planted on the 23rd April 2009 (once again all pics were taken with my iphone 3G)

a few weeks on …..

side on view, where’s Bugs Bunny when you need him ?

Taken today (21st June, 2009)

Taken today (21st June, 2009)