D'j'remember that episode of Father Ted, where they have a Craggy Island disco... but the DJ only has a copy of 'Ghost Town'..?

That was me, today, in Emmaus Letchworth... having forgotten the shop iPod, and only having Van Morrison's Greatest Hits CD to fall back on... five times, in total.

Mmmm.

Fred, this evening, discovering that I'd decanted a handful of his medicinal-kibble-for-ancient-cats-with-dickie-kidneys into a little bowl (so I could try convincing him they were Dreamies(TM)):

(We have tried teaching him shame, but he just doesn't get it...)

Blezz 'ee..!

'S probably the moment to reveal that anyone playing a SpanAm tune on t'rajoh is entitled to a week's FREE rental of Fred the SpanAm cat.

I've explained to him that he'll be spending a week in Brighton and, frankly, he seems keen.

Boy, can that cat EAT, tho'.

'Forewarned...', etc..!

A hop along the M62 to Leeds for today's shop soundtrack... mostly Gang Of Four this morning, mostly the Weddoes this afternoon... and then Microdisney in the car on the way home.

Did this melodic smorgasbord drag the punters in..? It did not. Did it perk me up no end..? It did, it did, it did.

Tuesdays may now need to be renamed, universally, 'Saturday Mk 2' - 'cos the retail madness of 3 days ago continued unabated today... with a veritable QUEUE of secondhand sofas making their way through the despatch bay... all heading off for their new 'forever' homes... mostly to The Fall. Nice.

"If that chick don' wanna know, forget 'er..."

(Well... I mean, he *would*...)

More larks on t'vans today (delivering - and installing - an orthopedic 'electric bed' in Baldock - as you do), then an insane day on the shop floor... supplying antique pine by the bushel to the fine burghers of Letchworth.

Soundtrack: Future Bible Heroes, Magnetic Fields, Massive Attack. Synthy!

(Sorry, Phillippe - I think we might have *slightly* exaggerated, there. Please don't get our access rights to brie, Orangina or spares for our ancient Renault 11 revoked... Ta... 🙂)

🎉

Joseph "Run" Simmons... and thus say I, The "Spanish" Amanda.

👍

A back-breaking day 'on the vans' - house clearance japes a-go-go, trucking around the byways of North Herts, accumulating '80s pine dressers and mid-century sideboards as I trucked.

Broken, now. Restorative chips have been promised by Mrs Darling.

Van soundtrack..? The Fall and The Three Johns. ❤️

More Microdisney today... not that I heard much - it was in competition with Heart FM and multiple Makitas (drills, sanders, egg whisks... possibly) emanating from the workshop. Tragically, the Makitas won the day... but I do now have a bunch of refinished Edwardian tables to show for it. Hurrah! 👍

(It's here, by the way... 👍)

thespanishamanda.bandcamp.com/album/paint-...

This very morning, the Letchworth Daily News has declared you to be (and I quote) 'A Lovely Chap'.

Even the Dalai Lama has only been declared 'A Fairly Decent Chap', so I think we can agree that being 'A LOVELY Chap' is high praise indeed.

Wishing you a thoroughly delightful day...

❤️👍🙏👍❤️

Well... today was the day I regained control (temporarily..?) of the shop's sound system. The spoils..? Wall-to-wall Microdisney, early Elvis Costello, Bill Pritchard and Look Park... a break from my normal Saturday 'ska/reggae' policy.

Sold a LOT of mid-century teak. Thanks, Letchworth..!! 👍

SABOTAGE upon SABOTAGE..! Was out most of the day on a house clearance ('a festival of pine and draylon') - during which, m'colleagues informed me that the shop - MY SHOP (well, mine... & the charity's...) became a living shrine to Dolly Parton.

And they DIDN'T put The Smiths on when I got back. 😠

Aaaaaaaw, thanks, Darrin...

...and the Lamborghini's in the post.

❤️👍🚙👍❤️

SABOTAGE in the shop today - work companions (after an unexpectedly bad reaction to The Fall) brought in their own, rival, Bluetooth(TM) speaker today... and proceeded to play CLAIRE TEAL and RAYE at the punters.

Sales were quite good, regardless. And they put on The Smiths for me at closing time.

More grunt work, today... and I am *not* (contrary to local folklore) a giant of a man, lean, sinewy and rippling with muscularity.

Mostly salvaging weighty end-of-life chipboard furniture from inaccessible attic rooms today, anyway. Soundtrack - Curtis Mayfield and some 70's KPM programme music. 👍