Definitely not the former. By all means noxo, do you, but uhhhhhhhh.... Hmmm...

Yep.

afgavinstan wrote:

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

What I’m thinking could be written with the same letters, but I’d be interested to know if we’re making the same noise in our heads.

I'm with Noxy. A simple pleasure.

Nice

The Rock is rather great.

An extension of my radio love is falling asleep to the sound of people talking. I know that could be a podcast but I tie it to my radio love.

Also owls. Just because. Look at them.

Might be worth to take a look at Slay The Spire @davyK. It's a card game, pc and coming to Switch, I don't know about other platforms. The rules are like Magic and similar, but there's a random element (and thus luck) to the enemies and cards you get. Meanwhile there's still a lot of actual planning that you can do while picking and playing cards. Tempy posted some good videos in the thread.

First thing that came to my mind is vinyl. Sadly I left everything behind and promised myself I won't buy any here, but it's hard. Was one of my favourite items to pick up after a gig.
Feels so good to pick and album, put it on, see the needle move slowly towards to center while listening to an album from start to finish. Plus the album art itself. Love the big square piece of art you get.

In no particular order whatsoever, and with fairly vague reasons because TIME:

Star Wars – I cannot even begin to describe how important this is to me, or what an impact it’s had on my life. Just hearing the first couple of notes of the intro music is enough to lift my mood. Genuinely saved me from a world of bullying and violence growing up as it gave me an escape where I wasn’t getting the smeg kicked out of me every day. Couldn’t live without it.

Hot buttered crumpets – I’m sorry, does this even need explanation? Hot. Buttered. Crumpets. The bottoms must be crispy.

LEGO – A proper obsession this. I collect mostly Star Wars and car / Speed Champions LEGO, but also build my own creations (MOCs). Probably have around a quarter of a million bricks now. The most relaxing thing in the world.

Art / Design – Not just a job for me, but a true passion. Although I’ve put them together here, they’re actually very different things. Not sure what I’d do without a pencil/pen/paintbrush in my hand at least once a day.

Damn big engineering – Love me a big machine. Big trucks, airplanes, ships, spacecraft, whatever. Or structural engineering projects – damns, large buildings etc. Anything that makes you stop and say “how the hell did they build that?!” Favourite still has to be the Space Shuttle. Not sure mankind has ever built a cooller thing.

Books, especially the classics – the smell, the feel, the heft of a proper tome… E-readers cannot convey these sensations and are all the poorer for it. Even sat on a shelf they’re things of beauty and potential – all that knowledge and craft bursting at the binding to escape. I have a particular love for late 17th – early 20th century literature, especially Dickens, HG Wells, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas and Thomas Hardy.

Metal and soul – When it comes to music I’ll listen to pretty much anything as long as it’s well done. But my real passions are heavy-rock / metal (old-school and tuneful, not the modern shouty stuff – Metallica and Silverchair being my faves) and soul (Otis Reading, Aretha, Marvin Gaye, early Stevie W  etc.). Not sure music gets better than “Try a Little Tenderness”…

Dogs – Always had dogs growing up (and cats, birds, hamsters and fish for that matter; it was practically a zoo). My wife is nervous around them though, as she had bad experiences growing up. It actually hurts a bit when I think about not having one. The companionship, the love they express, the joy on their faces as they bound across a muddy field and roll in fox poop (WHY?!). Man, I love ‘em. Mrs J is gradually getting better with dogs, so we’re thinking of getting one this year once I’ve finished the house. Am so excited, it’s almost unexplainable.

Biology – We are wonderfully made. As is everything around us. The earth is a treasure trove of amazing biological machinery and processes, all carefully interlinked and working in perfect harmony (until man started sticking their fat fingers into the pie, natch). It fascinates me. From the humming-birds wings to the iridescence of a butterfly’s wing and the box-section construction of a seahorse’s tale, the natural world utterly astounds me.

The countryside / nature – there simply isn’t anything better than walking in the countryside. I especially love hills and forests, but anything away from people will do. I get a calm and peace I simply don’t get anywhere else. Genuinely feels like it’s where we were meant to be. I love everything about it, rain or shine. From the squelch of mud and leaf mulch, to the crunch of frosted grass underfoot or the sting of cold winds against hot skin after a big climb… It makes me feel truly alive.

Cars – A proper obsession this. Ever since I was 5, I could tell you what engine / drivetrain was in any given car. Mom and dad have no idea where the obsession came from, but it’s always been there. I watch / read more about cars than anything else. Ferraris and old-school muscle cars are my go to. Would love to own a ’67 fastback Mustang, Ferrari 458 or a Shelby Cobra, but lack the necessary funds sadly. But I do regularly take part in track days and driving experiences, and have a lot of friends who are into cars too, so there’s not much I haven’t driven or at least been a passenger in.

Lapsang Souchong – I love tea, but this fabulously smokey concoction is truly the best. Could drink it by the pint.

Chopping wood – I love the exercise; and the mindless, rhythmic activity allows me think on all manner of stuff while I swing the axe. When you get into a proper rhythm it's fabulous. An hour or two of this and I'm set for anything.

Calvin & Hobbes – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: not only the greatest comic strip ever written, but both a lovely work of art and an interesting literary work. Watterson's penmanship is superb and his turn of phrase is by turns hilarious, intelligent and though-provoking. The way it deals with some seriously big and difficult issues is magnificent. It's an under-rated gem. The Complete Collection is a joyously beautiful thing, and the best £80-90 you'll spend on anything ever.

A fresh bed – Cool, freshly pressed cotton against aching muscles is such a wonderful thing. After a long day walking in the hills, sinking into a fresh, newly made bed and just pulling the covers up to my nose is simple bliss.

You guys – Genuinely. No matter how different we are, how much we fight or bicker, how daft some of our assertions are, we still all come here and are friends. Folk are kind, generous and caring with one another. It's a little haven of awesome in an internet full of awfulness. x

Davy making secret Santa this year so much easier!

There's an Escher exhibition in Melbourne at the moment. I think I'll be going on Thursday and I'm really looking forward to it.

My girls are 19 and 20 now but I still hanker for the time I used to take them out on a Saturday morning and called at the local butcher, greengrocers and bakery - and then into a charity shop and allow them to pick a book. The interactions with the shop staff, the handholding, the routine of it. Pure joy. Such a simple time.

SpaceGazelle wrote:

davyK wrote:

The Rock is rather great. An extension of my radio love is falling asleep to the sound of people talking. I know that could be a podcast but I tie it to my radio love. Also owls. Just because. Look at them.

Radio 4 seems to be dropping the F-bomb a lot these days, usually in the morning. There's no apology or any acknowledgement, it's just part of the conversation. It's not bad but it does make me feel old because I realise my gen are moving into Radio 4 upper management.  Funnily enough, I've just heard "Tits, vag and minge" as I was typing the above.

My bedside clock radio is perma-tuned to Radio 4.  Dropping off to the Shipping Forecast, heralded by the tune below, is bliss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFdas-kMF74

SpaceGazelle wrote:

I love Radio 4. Couldn't imagine my life without it tbh.

Yes! I need my morning dose or Snow, my afternoon PM and my evening comedy shows almost as much as I need air.

News Quiz am best.

Lord_Griff wrote:

Enjoying the Calvin and Hobbes love. I have the big collection, three hard backs, maybe my 6 year old will like it?

Yup, that's the one. After my wife (obviously), it's my next most cherished thing. The only possession I'd bother to save in a fire.

Perfect fodder for the nipper – discusses some big issues in a very easy/approachable and gentle way. The little raccoon series on death breaks my withered old heart.

*sniff*

SpaceGazelle wrote:

Jaco wrote:

News Quiz am best.

And The Unbelievable Truth.

Yes. But then again, anything with Miles Jupp or David Mitchell gets my vote.

Some presents to brighten your day, for my C&H peeps...

Vela wrote:

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy < Thats from the cereal box top series, isnt it? I loved the imagination he had of the propellor hat and what he thought it would do vs reality.

That's the one! It's just the most wonderful work and is sooooo quotable.

My personal fave: "your bangs really cover the lobotomy scars"...

The transmogrifier / duplicator / time machine is a thing of wonder.