Build me up

I'm heading off to leafy Essex today, for my annual pilgrimage to visit Baby Steve and Houseboy Alex - and to visit as many garden centres as is humanly possible over one weekend, in the expectation of bringing back a load of new goodies for the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers. As per the forecast, the lovely warmth of midweek has evaporated away, and it's all back to normal temperatures for this time of year [dammit!], but that won't stop us!

Meanwhile, even though I am off, it is still the end of another (albeit short, thanks to Easter) week - and I have something suitably "plant-themed" to get the party started. Thank Disco Northern Soul [and vocalist Colin Young's performing trousers] It's Friday!

The Foundations - Build Me Up Buttercup

Have a good one, dear reader!

"Normal" service may resume on Monday...

Reach!

Among a huge list of fellow celebrants today, including Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Sir Robert Helpmann, Tom Lehrer, Valerie Singleton, Hugh Hefner, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Hannah Gordon, Paul Robeson, Hugh Gaitskell, Patty Pravo, Marty Krofft, Charles Baudelaire, Marc Jacobs, Seve Ballesteros, Michael Learned, Dennis Quaid, Carl Perkins, Nigel Slater, Jacques Villeneuve, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Cynthia Nixon, John Hammond, Kristen Stewart, Sir Bernard Jenkin and - erm - the crazy Lil Nas X...

...I have chosen to focus in on just one of those "birthday boys and girls" - that paragon of late 90s "manufactured pop", Miss Rachel Stevens!

She was, of course, a key founder-member of that archetypal "bubblegum" band S-Club 7 - among whose output was this mega-hit, a staple at every one of our parties:

S Club 7 - Reach

She also branched out into more "grown-up" music as a solo artist, with a modicum of success. This Richard X-produced number was one of her best [it sounds a bit like Goldfrapp, which is no bad thing in my book!]:

Rachel Stevens - Some Girls

Heavens! That song was twenty-two years ago - and S-Club's is 26 years old! Where does the time go..?

Many happy returns, Rachel Lauren Stevens (born 9th April 1978)

Keeping versed and on my feet

If only you could smell the wallflowers, filling the air with perfume at the moment.

Whew, what a scorcher!

We in London have had the hottest early April day in 80 years - the official figure was 26.5C (79.7F) at Kew Gardens, but according to our thermometer, we had already reached that temperature in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers when I was having my first fag and a mug of coffee out there at 8am - and I was in shorts with my top off [not a pretty sight], doing some pottering, after I got in from work at around 5pm!

Lovely. Here's something suitable for the occasion, that I haven't heard in ages:

Len - Steal My Sunshine

Inevitably, it's all going downhill by the time the weekend (and the start of a week's leave pour moi) comes around...

Just like that there London

The sight of a single takeout pizza van has caused villagers to think their town is now on a par with London, it has emerged.

Having grown accustomed to their Nisa and a chippie that takes half an hour to drive to, residents of a Gloucestershire village believe they are about to become the new Shoreditch thanks to a van that sells overpriced pizzas.

Local Donna Sheridan said: “I thought food trucks were something MasterChef made up for the telly. Yet there it is, in all its dazzling, gentrified glory for a pleb like me to enjoy.

“I phoned my kids who live in Camden to tell them I tried something called 'fior de latte' on my Margherita. They already knew what it was thanks to their swanky university education, and suggested I try an anchovy topping next. It’s all very cosmopolitan.

“The young lad who runs it says you can’t move for food trucks like this in the big city. Apparently they even sell Asian-fusion tacos and curried lentil dishes. Sounds a bit extravagant for our tastes but each to their own.

“Maybe if the novelty of pizza served out of a van catches on we’ll be treated to other London perks like a Gail’s and unaffordable housing. We can only dream.”

Pizza cook Jack Browne said: “A place like this is perfect for entrepreneurs. I could serve these hicks reheated Pizza Express ready meals and they’d never know.”

The Daily Mash

Of course.

The Devil in Miss Bosé

It's been a gloriously sunny and warm Bank Holiday for a change, and I've spent another exhausting day in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers - potting-on loads of otherwise neglected plants (and a few of the newer ones we purchased at The Gardening Club yesterday) into fresh compost; I barely scraped the surface, to be honest, as there are still dozens yet to go...

I haven't forgotten, however, that it is a Tacky Music (Easter) Monday! With only a few weeks to go till our next Spanish holiday, let's revisit one of our faves from that country.

Miguel Bosé (for it is he) is a megastar in Spain, with 21 albums, roles in more than 35 films (including Pedro Almodovar's High Heels and the award-winning French film La Reine Margot) and his own television show. His father was one of the country's top bullfighters Luis Miguel González Lucas, and his mother Lucia Bosé was a renowned Italian actress, who counted Luchino Visconti and Pablo Picasso among her friends. From that promising start it was obvious that Miguel was destined for a life in the spotlight.

Of course the fact that he was cute must have helped. The fact that he's also as gay as a handbag full of rainbows probably helped too - I expect it made his mum proud, if not his dad!

In this season, what could be more appropriate than his mega-hit - about The Devil [the cover version of which by Las Seventies remains one of our all-time faves]?

Miguel Bosé - Don Diablo

Scarily, Señorita Bosé celebrated his 70th birthday on Friday!

Have a good week, dear reader.

Dave permitting

Our Brunnera macrophylla “Jack Frost” - taking centre stage, as it should! [click to embiggen]

I had another busy day in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers yesterday - I potted up some brand new Zantedeschina aethiopica (hardy Calla lilies) tubers that arrived in the post earlier this week, repotted a whole load of biennial foxgloves and campanula we have been nurturing since last summer, split and potted-on a tangled mass of baby self-seeded ferns that had been bunged into one pot for the winter, and did the same for some nerine bulbs [that have done bugger all for years, in the hope they might one day give us some flowers] and a few hardy geraniums to increase the stock.

Phew. One might think that flurry of activity might prompt a nice, quiet day to follow - but we plan (the side-winds of "Storm Dave" - yes, "Dave" - permitting) to pay a long-overdue visit to the horticultural wonderland of Crews Hill, and the phenomenal Gardening Club [before the bastards pull it all down in favour of one of the Labour government's flagship "new towns" - as was confirmed recently] today.

Meanwhile... some home decor suggestions, courtesy of Soft Tempo Lounge:

Soft Tempo Lounge - Simply Modern

Perfectly lovely.

[Music: Max Raffeng - Leila]

Ceol nua! *

"One is a DJ, one is what one plays..."

As we live in hope that there might be at least some sunshine over this long weekend (as opposed to looming grey skies and blustery winds), it's time, methinks, for a little selection of some of the "newer" music that has caught my ear of late:

Let's open with something fairly low-key and jolly - a very welcome new choon from probably the only boy-band that has actually progressed to assume the "national treasure(s)" mantle...

Take That - You're A Superstar

Speaking of sunshine - this sublimely summery number from Reigate's most notable export since Dame Margot Fonteyn, Disclosure, really lifts the spirits [especially so for me, as it is a mere four weeks to go before we are back in Spain!]:

Disclosure - The Sun Comes Up Tremendous

Who else but the fantabulosa Mr Bill McClintock would ever have thought that 90s boy-band NSYNC and death-metallers Slipknot would ever fit together? But they do!

SYNCknot - Bye Bye Bye to The Devil In I [NSYNC - Bye Bye Bye vs Slipknot - The Devil in I Bill McClintock mash-up]

House favourite eccentrics - beloved here at Dolores Delargo Towers, and over at Hexenhausli DeVice - Haute & Freddy are back, and as completely fruitloop as ever...

Haute & Freddy - Showgirl At Heart

Multi-award-winner Raye is certainly more Lily Allen than Kate Bush - but her new release (a very surprising collaboration with Oscar-winning film music composer - everything from The Lion King to the recent Dune remake - Hans Zimmer) is quite the work of art. It took a few watches/listens, but I love this!

RAYE feat. Hans Zimmer - Click Clack Symphony

Even the mighty Raye, however, isn't top of this list. Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (CMAT)'s lyrics in the opening verse are rather scathing...

I was at the
Jamie Oliver petrol station
I needed deli but god I hate him
That man should not have his face on posters

...which makes it even more remarkable that the fat-tongued Mockney git makes a personal appearance in the video! Regardless - it's utterly, utterly brilliant!

CMAT - The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station

As ever, dear reader, let me know your thoughts...

[* ceol nua = "new music" in Irish Gaelic]