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My mate and famous science fiction author Tony Ballantyne prompted this post with his own writing about the Valeta; not some form of motor scooter, nor a type of ice cream dessert but a dance popular among working class people who had their entertainment in Working Mens' Clubs up and down the country.
Tony and I are fans of folk music, or roots music as it has come to be known among the middle classes who like to associate themselves with whichever tradition they find most appealing sat in the audience at Cropredy or Cambridge Folk Festival.
But listen to the Copper Family speak about how they passed songs from generation to generation through times when they were truly out of fashion, before the current revival of interest in 'folk' music, and you begin to understand how cultural heritage really works. Their motivation for passing on songs was rooted in a mortal fear of their heritage dying out: the songs said something about what made them the people they are. So when popular culture scorned their songs they persisted, not of some desire that they should become universally popular, but out of a desire that their heritage should be preserved.
So, what's my musical heritage? Despite my own love of acoustic music, sea shanties and Bellowhead, I can claim no heritage from it. If I am to follow the example of the Copper family and trace a line back, in order to preserve the tradition of my forebears, I must anchor my ship to the memories of Edge Lane Methodist Church Hall and the sound of feet scratching and swishing across the salted hall floor as dancers joined in songs made famous in Oldhams Adelphi Music Hall. Songs that made Gracie Fields famous, or the songs of George Formby, the songs that helped people forget the stress of life in Post-War England. And as I sit here writing I can hear the communal singing and can join in 
as I sing along too, the memories resonating in a way that prove the point.
So, do I put my money where my mouth is and next time Tony and I get together, he with his accordian, I with my guitar, do we knock out a Valeta tune before launching into a technically more complex but authentic version of 'Leaning On a Lampost'?
Or do we check the latest Bellowhead album for a song we both like (and can play)?
I'll let you know... "Turned our nice again..."
I know I go on a bit about food and the various merits of animal welfare and such, but our last Devon camping trip had an unexpected bonus. As well as the usual pay-as-you-go-through-countryside-that-by-all-rights-should-be-free trips, we fell across the ultimate example of how food should be reared.
The quacking from the other side of the hedge at Barley Meadow C&CC site should have been a clue that there were ducks, but we were so busy with new found enthusiasm for cloud spotting (of which more another day) it took till late in the week to pop round the corner to Higher Fingle Farm for a dozen eggs.
Not only did we get our eggs but also an invitation to visit and learn about the organic farming of Neville and Rona Amiss, and the work of their daughter Elsa in rearing a flock of egg-laying ducks to become suppliers of high quality produce to Waitrose, Duchy Originals and other high-end retailers. That coupled with Neville's enthusiasm and intelligent approach to producing food in a way that is not only sympathetic to animals (before the killing them bit, Lisa) but also sympathetic to the environment, made this the most worthwhile (and cheapest) trip out on our holiday.
The trials that Elsa, Rona and Neville have gone through for their food to be acceptable to retailers was a fascinating insight in to the way that regulation aimed at satifying food hygiene and health and safety actually make it difficult to produce good food.
Talk about tail wagging the dog!
They are currently waiting to hear whether they have been sucessful with a grant application to help them purchase an egg washer - it's like a dishwasher but more careful - the current machine, that we saw in action, is a bit like a galvanised bucket that gently jiggles the eggs around in the water, but judging by the pile of broken eggs by the kitchen door, it's not always succesful.
Best for me was the discovery that Neville has his own small registered abbatoir on site which answered one of my biggest concerns about meat production - the transporting of animals miles from their home to, what amounts to, a killing factory. Neville's humane treatment means the animals are dispatched on-site quickly and kindly (if you can kill something kindly - I think you can).
Neville and Rona's philosophy and vision runs through everything they do like streaks through bacon; chatting to the people who actually produce food really does make the link between our plate and the field - if you get the chance to visit Higher Fingle farm - or any other friendly organic farmer - do take the opportunity; it will make you think differently about your food. Particularly the paying more and eating less bit - organic meat and food is expensive, no question, but we don't need to eat meat every day.
You can find out more about Higher Fingle Farm Here, or have a look at Elsa's Eggy Blog here - oh, by the way did I mention that Elsa is 11yrs old, and will be probably the only pupil to have her own flock of ducks and her own growing business when she starts senior school in September.
Now, here's my dilemma. Back in Oldham should I order some of Elsa's lovely eggs and incur the food miles all the way from Devon?
I think I can stand the guilt.
When I was a nurse, twenty or so years ago, I never found it difficult to remember the shape of the prostate gland - a walnut shaped gland sitting just below the bladder - but its position, snuggly nestled up there out of reach, has only just recently mattered. Being 'just below the bladder' makes it vey awkward for a medical practioner to examine. Actually that's not true; it is remarkably easy for a medical practioner to examine, it is only awkward for the patient.
I have for a while had symptoms that are, shall we say, inconvenient in a man of my age. The symptoms are to do with the frequency one has to pee, and also the speed of response required when one discovers the need to pee. In short - and I use the word carefully - you need to go NOW!
These symptoms are usually reserved for men who are a little older and who don't have to worry about things like meetings or giving presentations; and what's more, these symptoms have been slightly worrying given that one of the causes might be Prostate Cancer.
So I went to the doctor. It took only a simple blood test to determine it wasn't cancer, so on to the expert Mr Sharma - a urological consultant. Anticipating a considerable wait and the usual NHS multi-visit format I contacted the new fangled call centre for my appointment. The young lady apologised that the earliest appointment she could offer was Saturday - this Saturday? I asked, incredulously, astonished not only at the speed but the fact that I wouldn't have to explain any absence from work.
The appointment wasn't in hospital but in a lovely old victorian house, the waiting room was full of men, each glancing at the other wondering which bit of plumbing they were there with. An older man had obviously been asked to bring a specimin, but perhaps had not been told what size of specimin; the jar on his lap looked heavy and full, and looked large enough to hold a couple of litres - he had my admiration.
A short time later my turn came and I was again pleased. I was subjected to a barrage of tests there and then - no wait, nor repeat visit. These included an ultrasound scan (almost a banker for a further appointment weeks ahead) and a peeing test that would have delighted me as a schoolboy (just pee in the funnel Mr C, no, not from there!). After only a half hour I emerged with a diagnosis, a prescription and a renewed faith in the NHS.
During conversation with the excellent Mr Sharma (have you tried making conversation with a guy who has his finger up your...never mind) he explained that this excellent standard of service was arrived at by allowing medical staff to run it. Sounds odd doesn't it? But it seems the sorts of service we are used to - for example the barrage of repeat visits I anticipated over weeks and weeks for tests and such - is designed by people interested in processes rather than patients.
By putting patients at the centre of the thing you get a service that is, hardly surprisingly, good for people.
The worrying thing is that Mr S was eager that I should pass on my feedback to the Oldham PCT, he said it in a way that made me think that the service was possibly at risk. So I shall send a link to this post to them with my blessing.
Oh, before I go, just in case any of you are worrying about the prospect of a future prostate examination - it's not that bad; not something I would personally choose to indulge in as a leisure activity mind, but who am I to judge.
The last time anyone asked me the question 'What do you think of EMI?' was when the Sex Pistols fell out with their label and left nobody in any doubt what they thought of them.
I didn't like the Sex Pistols, I thought they were posturing prats who did punk no good. I was with them though on their rant against the commercialisation of the music industry.
So why do I mention that now, when I've been casting a critical eye over EMI's new music website?
My review is in the context of how I access music on the web: I like LastFM - I use more or less all of their facilities and have come to view them as an impartial partner in my music browsing. And this is my problem with the EMI site - there's just too much of EMI on it. The new website is too steeped in the brand to make the it comfortable to use for on-line music browsing.
If that all sounds a bit obvious I'll try to explain.
The web developers have worked hard to make this site look cool and have given it bite and immediacy with a high standard of news stories, videos and the cool spinny album selector on the home page. All that that amounts to though is little more than window dressing. Because the site is so heavily branded it isn't as comfortable a place to be as an 'independent' music interest site like Last FM where the user is allowed to find their own way, whether or not that results in a decision to buy music.
When you visit the EMI site you are already in their shop, so to speak: music searches bring up a list of mainly EMI artists, and in the test searches I made, little else - particularly when using the 'find similar artists' function. The Artists section of the site is interesting, just to see who is on the label, I just can't think of a reason why anyone would want to browse who is on a particular label in that way.
Perhaps I'm not the target audience for this site - I hope not because there's obviously an awful lot of money and development gone into it. Maybe the audience is people who are ready to buy music and not just browsing. That being the case, it's a nice place to shop - but I'm not sure that is what EMI want; after all why else would you add the 'playlist' facility if you weren't expecting people to customise the site and keep returning?
So, do I like it? For my purposes, no I don't. I'll stick to Last FM and other places that let me wander around the music world and decide what to buy in my own time and my own way.
Ironically one search that did bring up a degree of success was, ironically, The Sex Pistols
