Status Quo.

Well, you may have read the yodel blog, now comes one other musical love of my life: The Mighty Quo.

I probably heard their psychedelic stuff as a bit of background music but it really took off with my regular visits to an older relative. There, I would spin the odd LP and try to see what all the fuss was about.

I had probably just started secondary school and the peer pressure was already forcing others to follow Sabbath, Zep and Purple. They were OK, I suppose, but even back then I was on the lookout for a nice tune, a foot tapper as it were. If my memory serves me correctly, foottapper became headbanger; I was being drawn to either Nazareth or Quo, Razamanaz or Piledriver. Well, if you have heard either album you will know what a tight contest it was. Quo won though.

I have never looked back, although there has been the odd occasion when I have listened to a Quo album and thought (in family-friendly terms) Hmm?! I mean, trumpets and backing singers?

Now, like loads of Quo fans, I have had to put up with the "3 chord" jibe since then but, hey, what the heck? It might have bugged me when I was a teen, now I just shake my head. Quo have been on the go for yonks, and, to my ears, nothing quite hits the spot like a good old 3 chord 12 bar. It was around long before Quo and it will be around after they have long gone.

Quo have gone through some changes since the early days but the chugga chugga chugga, heads down no-nonsense mindless boogie is still there.

The Quo site to visit is the official one at www.statusquo.co.uk. but better would be to get your readies out and get along pronto to see them - I guarantee you will not be disappointed. From the classic Caroline, which could open anything, to the best version of Bye Bye Johnny you will ever hear, they are the bee's knees, the dog's bollocks, the whole kit'n'caboodle.

In essence - they cannot be beaten.

As always, feel free to throw your hat in the ring with your comments.

Weird Stamp of the Day/Week/Month

Here are stamps you are unlikely to see on post
or stamps that make me go, "Eh?"

No, not stamp blocks or miniature sheets but individual stamps that, for some reason or another, the stamp issuing authorities thought would be a good idea (ker-ching!).

I will only post one at a time otherwise this blog would rapidly stop as the stamps in question, thankfully, are not that common.

They are not in any order.  They are just stamps that I have come across at some time or other.

They are just odd stamps.  I do not mean to imply that they are not worth collecting or that the issuing authority has lost the plot, but they just get you thinking, "Is this really a stamp?".

So, the dubious honour of being first falls to this item from Royal Mail:

This is a "3D" stamp. The scientist/mathematician in me screams out, "stop ****** saying that!", but we will move on.

It harks back to some "freebies" dished out by ESSO in the '70s maybe, or free in corn flakes?

Anyway, the stamps celebrate the science fiction of Gerry Anderson. Men of a certain age go all dewey-eyed at the memory of him and all his shows in the '60s. This particular block, issued in early 2011, shows Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 4 on a background showing Thunderbird 5.  If you tilt the card, the image on the stamps changes.

The reason for the "Eh?" is that this is actually 4 stamps, supposedly separable. The total cost of stamps is just under £3.00 - a bit much for your average letter. You would need to be Desperate Dan (another '60s reference sneaks in) to get the stamps out to use them individually.

Nice enough design and probably appeals to those "certain aged" men and any young philatelists caught up in the re-invented Thunderbirds' movie. It is good that it celebrates something a bit more recent than some 300-year old dead king.

Royal Mail is not the only stamp issuing authority to dip their toes into this weird stuff, as you shall see later.

That is it - as always, feel free to comment if you agree, think I should "bile meh heid", or just want to throw in your tuppenceworth.

My Favourite Stamps

Here I'll post some of my favourite stamps.

This is, in no way, meant to say, "What a great stamp, what a great issuing authority, I must subscribe to these." They are stamps that, for one reason or another, I find attractive.

There is this set of regional definitives on a cover of Scotland from Royal Mail. I've only ever seen the 1st and 2nd class pictorial stamps on postage. I've never seen the Machin designs. That might be because I no longer live up there and/or no-one sends letters with stamps on them anyway.

What's so special about these then?

I'm glad you asked! :)

The Machins I like anyway - simple design, nice choice of colours. They exist in all sorts - different printers, different shades, different security features. You could spend all day with a magnifying glass checking them out. I wouldn't. They are still being issued and most likely won't change until the monarch does. I wonder what will replace them?

The Regional Definitives I like; possibly the Scottish blood in me.

The designs again are simple enough and they all bellow out, "Scotland!" The Saltire, The Lion Rampant, the Thistle, and the Plaid/Tartan. They, too, are still being issued. I also wonder what will happen at the end of the year if the Scots vote "Yes" for independence.

As usual, feel free to pass any comment on these, whether you agree with me or not.

This yodeling lark.

Once upon a time, when I was but a mere lad, I used to listen to the guy below my bedroom playing his records.- yes, it was a while back.

Along with Tom Jones, Herman's Hermits and the Beatles I would regularly hear an Australian guy who went by the name of Frank. That would be Mr. Ifield. The song was about a Swiss maid who taught him how to yodel. That is where it all began.

It must have remained on the back burner of my mind for a couple of decades or more while I grew up with all the other sounds of the 60s and 70s. I came back to it in the early 80s when I started to travel about myself. As I was, by then, heavily into much Germanic stuff (more of that later), I found myself traveling the length and breadth of Germany and along with sausage and beer found myself being strangely drawn back to cowbells, thigh slapping and yodels. Now, I am no purist when it comes to yodels, I like all sorts from pure tunes to the more commercially written songs with a yodel stuck in the middle. I even listen to the cowboy yodels if I need a fix. I understand that there are yodels from all corners of the globe but have yet to find the pygmy yodels and other lesser known brands.

To give you a flavour of what I'm really into you may want to cast your ears to the following three vids: Der Berg Ruft by K2 , Edelweiss by Edelweiss and the most beautiful yodel in the world above, the Erzherzog Johann Jodler. Until the next installment "Tschüß!"

And remember, comments are always welcome!

Stamps

I don't know why I started collecting stamps, maybe because tea cards were on the way out? Who knows. But I did and I bought them at Boots, yes back in the day, Boots the chemist sold more than just medicines.

I remember buying sets of stamps from Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah because they were pretty stamps and interesting sets. I've had a browse around the 'net but the stamps I have seen don't ring any bells so I can't really show you what it was that helped plant the seed. I didn't have a clue where these places were apart from probably somewhere in the Middle East. I collected them until I was about 18 when I had the collection well and truly nicked along with my entire book collection. This sort of knocked the collecting bug on the head for quite a bit.

I have come back to it though.

Maybe I am a bit of a snob. I don't mean better than anyone else, I mean I have firm ideas on what should and shouldn't be on a stamp - I think stamps should reflect a country's history and people. I don't think that GB should release stamps celebrating Disney, for example.

What should be on a stamp though? Now that is not an easy question to answer.

Take our (GB that is) Machins - you know the Queen's head only stamps. Some would say that is enough and we don't need anything else. But, she won't live forever and I can guarantee (probably) that the Royal mail are already considering the replacement. Who will be on it is anyone's guess just now but again (I guarantee) not everyone will like it or be happy with it.

I know I'll be happy with it as there will only be a small number to collect. Not like the pile of 1st class stamps that have been released this year already, none of which I've yet to see on a piece of post. I'll fix this later and surprise you all with the number but for now I'll leave you guessing. And I'll bet you're not even close.

So what pleases me?

I'm glad you asked.

I don't collect thematics although I have looked on-line to find U-boat stamps, I do have some Winter Olympic themed stamps but in general, I don't collect them.

I do like Germany be it German States, Reich, Berlin, DDR or West Germany. I also have a soft spot for GB, although I am somewhat hyper-critical of the tripe that is sometimes put out by RM. I also have a liking for Austria, a very strong liking. I have considered a yodel theme but, sadly, I have never seen or heard of a yodel stamp. Time will tell - I've seen cloth stamps, 3D stamps, stamps impregnated with wood, stone, jewels, stamps that change colour, so maybe a stamp that yodels when you rub it might be on the cards.

Anyway, that's the why's and what's, I'll post the things I like and then some of the things you'll be unlikely to see. I'll have a think about posting the crap.

Finally, whether you agree with me or not or just want to say, "Ah, what braw", feel free to leave a comment.

Tabaiba Princess and Maspalomas Princess, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

The Tabaiba Princess hotel, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

1. Read the brochure.

2. Read this.

3. Read Trip Advisor.

It might sound like stating the obvious but read the brochure. I've trawled through Trip Advisor (TA) and noticed that in many of the negative reviews, it appears that some people just turn up at the hotel, on an island 4000 km away.

I mean, the brochure clearly states where the beach is, clearly says what all-inclusive means in terms of alcohol supplied, clearly states.....

Yet, some people mark the hotel down because of these failings.

This is MY take on this particular hotel. Unlike TA, I can use up my word count to dismiss the negative comments on TA, without running out of space to say how good the hotel(s) is/are. I have visited these hotels a few times now with my family.

This resort is actually a pair of hotels joined in the middle. One half (at the time of writing), the Maspalomas, caters to the half-board crowd. We have stayed in this half; the other half, the Tabaiba, caters to the all-inclusive (AI) guests. We have also stayed in this half.

Some of the facilities are shared.

The Rooms: The rooms are traditional hotel chain rooms: twin beds, hard but comfortable. En suite bathroom/toilet, safe, fridge, TV, occasional table, balcony table and chairs. You rent the safe and fridge if you wish. Cleaned every day, unless you put out the Do Not Disturb sign. As we, in general, don't live in a room when we're on holiday, it is fine.

As we were AI, we found no need for a fridge. The safe we did use. Even though we were AI, you might need cash when going out and it is safer to leave it locked away until you really need it rather than tempting fate and leaving it by the pools. Yes, you do have to rent these devices.

The TV is a bit hit and miss. Most channels are not English. Just like most channels aren't German or Italian or Dutch or Spanish. The English channel is Sky News.

The Food: What can I say? Meals are provided indoors and outdoors. The range and quality of food was excellent. A large hotel like this is serviced by a buffet but the food is continually refreshed. Plenty of meats and fish are available. Show cooking is available everyday if you want something really hot. Fruits and vegetables are great too. The hotel provides themed nights, for example, Mexican, Chinese, Canarian. Breakfast is also buffet and if you want a full English, I'm afraid you have to assemble it yourself. Continental breakfast is also available. Again, breakfasts are not aimed at the Germans. I've read of people saying the food at the hotel is rubbish when they've eaten out every night. I've read of people saying they are fussy eaters and the food is not up to scratch. I'm sure you could have pizza every night if you wanted. Coffee is instant from a machine. Cold drinks are available like in a pub - concentrate and soda. Beer and wine is available on tap. I can't comment on the range of beers as I only drank Estrella when I was there. Spirits are plentiful but as the brochure says, you can expect a cream liqueur rather than a "Baileys".

The snack bars, where you can get food outside, offer fast food. The mainstay is hot dogs, ham and cheese toasties, fruit and salad, ice cream (in pots) and cold drinks. They do offer other foods and they vary day-to-day. There is an outdoor restaurant that is open to all but everyone has to pay - yes, even the AI guests.

The beach: This is actually not sand but more like very small stones. It can get very hot, so flip-flops or some other foot covering is a good idea. As well as being hot, it does get stuck in between toes and can be a bit uncomfortable, especially if you stand on some on the hard ground. The pools can be walked into as well as climbed into. The pools have attendants throughout the day and are cleaned at least weekly of the detritus from the trees and other plants that surround the pools. There is plenty of space and shade around  the pools and plenty of sunbeds. They are not all hogged by Germans. The Brits are just as bad - the picture below was taken at about 0730 whilst everyone was at breakfast. I doubt they are Germans! If you do crawl out of your scratcher at mid-day, well then, I suppose us early risers have a bed or two.

The staff: The staff are very friendly, always ready with a Bon Dia or Hola.  The staff wear name tags so if you want to be on first name terms with them, you can. In some areas they work like dogs and I have heard them verbally abused for not serving quickly enough. A word of advice - a Gracias and a Por Favor work wonders.

Environs: The hotel is somewhat isolated but only if you don't have a spare €3. Yes, taxis are very cheap over here and you can be at one of the shopping areas in a few minutes for some spare change. There are a couple of local stores nearby, as well as a Chinese takeaway. If you can't spare this minimalist fare, the beach is a 1.5 km walk. A nice walk down by the flood channel/river bed. On your travels you might even see some wild-life skittering in the undergrowth.

As is often the case with a holiday package, the tour operators do have all sorts of excursions for you to try out. 

Moaners: NOT the staff. NOT the Germans. No. The only people I have heard complain there were the English. They could complain for England, so to speak! I have heard complaints about nearly anything: the TV, the tea, the coffee, the dress code, the sand, the pools, the foreigners, the shops, the walk to the beach, the kind of alcohol, the non-AI guests, the snack bars, the food, lights out, the beds, the air-con, the staff, the WiFi....Gold medals winners, easily.

If you do venture into TA territory, treat all that you read as an opinion, nothing more. Just like this Blog.

Some people need to leave those shoulder chips at home when the go on holiday.

Don't let them put you off - this island is well worth a visit. We will most certainly go back.

Eurovision

 

Not the junior contest or the dance contest but the Daddy - the Eurovision Song Contest!

This upcoming one is to be somewhere in Austria.

On Saturday the 10th May in Copenhagen, we saw a great contest with  Conchita Wurst triumphing with her song, "Rise Like a Phoenix".

Here is my take on the contest as it unfolded on Saturday 10th May.

The show started with a parade of the contestants. This might have been useful to the people in the concert hall who, no doubt, paid a great deal of money to be there but as far as the TV spectacle goes I'm not sure it helped. It is probably difficult to keep the TV audience amused for three hours or so. It might have been better to get right to the songs.

The three hosts this year were fine, pity the UK TV host thought it fun to talk over them, even if they were speaking in English.

The songs were preceded by the contestant making a flag of their country from some odd materials before appearing on stage to sing/perform their song.

From the off the songs this year were really good, I think from the whole final there were only a couple of poor songs. On first listen that is. Maybe on hearing them a few times they will grow.

The crowd seemed to enjoy them all, even with the simmering politics of Russia vs Ukraine, homophobes vs the rest, etc..

My three favourites as of the week before had been whittled down to two, Israel not getting through their semi-final.

The voting went well with douze points being spread around several countries early on. My second favourite, Spain, started to fall by the wayside.

Politics raised its head with the crowd booing when  Russia received maximum points.

It developed into a two horse race between Austria and the Netherlands.

I would have been happy if my favourite lost out to the Dutch entry but Conchita Wurst, representing Austria and singing Rise like a Phoenix, took honours.

Already countries are signing up for next year although as of now it hasn't been confirmed exactly where it will be held. The chatterers are saying either Salzburg or Vienna.

Here's hoping we will be successful in obtaining tickets for a week in May 2015 to see is next year's contest can live up to this one. It was brilliant!

As always, feel free to leave a comment.