Sunday, 5 April 2026

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 repotted 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 mignt 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:

Perfectly lovely.

[Music: Max Raffeng - Leila]

Saturday, 4 April 2026

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...

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!]:

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!

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

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!

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!

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

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

Friday, 3 April 2026

Bang, Bang

It's that time of year again, dear reader - and some traditions here at Dolores Delargo Towers will never change...

"I think I'm going to Hell. Oh, dear!!"

Happy Easter.

Thursday, 2 April 2026

It's The Way That You Do It

Sharing the date with a whole raft of fellow celebrants, including Dame Penelope Keith, Sir Alec Guinness, Marvin Gaye, Émile Zola, Hans Christian Andersen, Casanova, Linford Christie, Serge Gainsbourg, Paul Gambaccini, Emmylou Harris, Pedro Pascal, Buddy Ebsen, Sue Townsend, Max Ernst, George MacDonald Fraser, Teddy Sheringham, William Holman Hunt, Michael Fassbender, Camille Paglia, Brian Glover, Kenneth Tynan and - erm - Dr. Demento...

...it is the (gulp!) 65th birthday today of the lovely Miss Keren Woodward, founding member of house faves Bananarama!

No further excuse needed for a dose of cheer from the ladies themselves:

[Yes. It is a tribute to another great "house favourite" here at Dolores Delargo Towers, Hypnotic Tango by My Mine...]

As it is a foreshortened week thanks to Easter, perhaps I should be saying Thank Disco It's Thursday(?)!!

Have a great extended weekend, dear reader!

Wednesday, 1 April 2026

Fools!

From Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service this morning:

At 01:04 this morning, Beacon Hill in Charnwood, which has lain peacefully dormant for countless millennia, suddenly and unexpectedly erupted, sending millions of tonnes of super-heated rock, ash and magma into Earth's atmosphere.

Please avoid the area.

A cursory glance at the calendar, on receiving such news, would have alerted you to the fact - it's April Fools' Day again! Here are some of the choicest pranks:

Don't like the jam in Jammie Dodgers? Try the "middles"...

Apparently most people log in to play the National Lottery while on the loo - and Tombola has announced a themed toilet seat...

Oh, yummy - how about IKEA's new meatball-flavoured lollipop..?

Whovians of the world head to Iceland! - their new "Darlic Bread" is apparently in stores now...

Ever wondered what those sneaky sheep are saying behind your back? Herdy Homewares has an app for that...

Chocolate-covered Babybel, anyone?

There were loads more, of course, including a Scottish Mountain Rescue search and rescue cat, Robert Gordon University's "therapy capybara", Asda's adult-sized shopping trolley seats and the announcement of the "first female James Bond"...

...and then there's this:

All very clever. Did anyone fall for any of them?

Tuesday, 31 March 2026

Of banana excess, Viv up North, chocolate theft, "Hello Campers!", a Macca media mishap, Totty of the Day and surrealism


RIP the utterly surreal cartoonist Glen Baxter (4th March 1944 – 29th March 2026)

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

  • Yes! We have no bananas news: Tesco in Kirkwall, Orkney, is giving away boxes of bananas for free after mistakenly ordering 38,000 of the things - apparently equivalent to two per person living on the island! They had, it seems, intended to order 380kg (750lb) of the fruit. However, a mistake meant that 380 wholesale boxes arrived at the weekend instead.
  • Fashion maven news: A new landmark exhibition dedicated to one of the most off-beat fashion pioneers the late Dame Vivienne Westwood opened last weekend - featuring dozens of items from the personal collection of a Lancashire chemistry teacher(!), as well as items on loan from other museums across the country. I was getting excited when I read about it, but then realised that it's actually on at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham! I'm not likely to be travelling 262 miles just to see it. Let's hope it arrives in London some time in the future...
  • Easter, ruined? news: The theft of a shipment of 12 tonnes of the eternally popular Nestle KitKat chocolate bars somewhere en route between Italy and Poland has led to warnings that there might be a shortage - just in time for the "peak chocolate season", Easter. I imagine Cadbury's is rubbing its hands with glee...

  • British holidays nostalgia news: To celebrate 90 years in operation, the pioneering holiday-camp company Butlins [the inspiration for the comedy series Hi-de-Hi, of course] has commissioned a bejewelled version of its iconic "redcoat" (as worn by the camp hosts) to mark the occasion in style. The "Rhinestone Redcoat" [designed by The Masked Singer costume designer Tim Simpson] is being auctioned now to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital charity. I could be a "camp host" in that...
  • Old people and social media news: The venerable and venerated Sir Paul McCartney found himself banned from Reddit for sharing photos of his own concert! Apparently attendees at the Fonda Theatre in LA were instructed to deposit the mobile phones before the show, and this was intended to be his way of rewarding them with official pics taken by his team. Oops...
  • And finally: Happy 55th birthday today to "sex god" Ewan McGregor!

And the weather? Blustery, showery - but warming up. Typical Spring.


PS - more Glen Baxter:
[click any pic to embiggen]

Loved his work!

Monday, 30 March 2026

Nessuno, ti giuro, nessuno!

Oh dear. It's that time again. Having lost an hour on the weekend thanks to the clocks going forward, it feels even worse this morning trying to adjust to the alarm going off again...

Never mind, eh? Another recent birthday [she's 86 - gulp!] we missed was that of the utterly magnificent Mina, our "Patron Saint of Screamers" [several of whose biggest hits were translated into English and became hits for other singers, including our very own Shirley Bassey's Never, Never, Never] - so what better way to wake us up on a Tacky Music Monday than this faboo number?

Oh those groovy hepcats!

Have a good week, dear reader.