EDitorial ± 26-Jul-2015

130Story: Fry / Chair / Lemon / Trail / Roll

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Fry

Chair

Lemon

Trail

Roll

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 23-Jul-2015

Light Lunches: Regatta Cafe, Alton Water

Did you see any of that Channel 4 show, Humans, about a society where robots walk and talk just like us? There are marked similarities as Andy, the synth chauffeur, calmly steers his silent electric vehicle towards Stutton. Somehow, perhaps via an internal sensor, he knows that there's an unvisited eatery around these parts. To a halt, we glide.

We've already entered Alton Water and skated past the unremarkable visitor centre towards the boat hire area. I see no caff yet Andy assures me it's right around the corner. Sure enough, he's on the money. Here's the Regatta Cafe, a seasonal venture apparently open only in July and August. Now that's what I call good timing. Inside they'll do you a bacon sandwich, a (life) jacket, sarnie, etc. Make that an all day breakfast for the driver and, taking advantage of the offer to put almost anything on toast, double egg O.T. for me. Plenty of Famous Five-type kids in wetsuits are seated at tables tucking in to lunch after a tough morning on the beautiful briny.

Outside to grab a table on the terrace among trainee teachers talking tacking. That, my friends, is a pleasing view over the water, bringing to mind the likes of Winkles and the View Point, serving to elevate the functional food. Those, though, comments Andy, are some excellent mushrooms. A request for HP is met with an industrial bottle of chef's larder brown sauce, enough for a six-month Caribbean cruise (if Daddy's paying).

Weighed down by his egg & bacon, our driver declines dessert but will accept a takeaway beverage, ta very much. In again for an OK pair of lattes, aka milky coffees, and to choose from a wide selection of prepacked cake. Has to be the big choc chip cookie for nourishment through the long office afternoon ahead. If you're heading to the Regatta, bring your yacht.

If it was a car -- Fiat Regata.
If they were passing by -- Ben Fogle.

EDitorial ± 20-Jul-2015

Latitude 2015

First time for Middler to do the whole camping thing at Latitude. Off they went in the very sensibly organised coach on Thursday morning. Then came the call at 10:30pm from a clearly distressed daughter:

[sobbing] "Dad, I've hurt my foot. It's all swollen. Can you pick me up?"

Tried to talk her down. Attempted to pass on details of the RICE technique. Ended up driving up the A12 (with Eldest) at 11:30pm and managed to extract her limping form from the secure site around 1am. Thought it would be a parentally sound idea to get her checked out in A&E. In 2am, triage 2:15am, X-ray 2:45am, discharged 5:30am and drove home in the early morning sunlight.

Around 5pm -- now Friday -- she decided she was fit enough to return. Back up to Blythburgh and felt dead sorry for her as she dragged herself the mile or so up a footpath to the campsite.

Come Saturday and my attempts at blagging a BlaBlaCar liftshare (see Latitude 2014) have bombed. Han Solo drive, half an hour of queueing and over the temporary crossing to the promised pastured land. First stop is the Alcove tent where that Edith Bowman off the telly and wireless is recording a show called Guitar Star with guest judges inc Huey Morgan and Mr Benn, lord of Latitude. Some amazing jazz gee-tar from bloke number one and the chance to play on the main stage. Quite the prize.

Missed SuperGlu opening the Lake Stage yesterday but over the bridge to watch talented local lads Frett knock out some tunes. Too. Many. Food. Options. Returned with messy chilli burrito to the Alcove for Suffolk-based Cove Hithe. Good at the recent Pulse festival and great today, cooking up a storm in front of friends, family and fans. Ones to watch.

Bit of grumpy Badly Drawn Boy at the huge Obelisk and next door into ex-Word now-6Music tent for cult-ish Sun Kil Moon. No idea what to expect. Intense big guy sung diary entries about dying relatives and accompanied briefly by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. Oddly compelling.

Mobile signal always dodgy here but arranged 4:30pm rendezvous to check Middler still alive and with two legs. Her and mate are fine, thankfully, and better after Dad splashes the cash on veggie burritos. Beats working, sitting here in the sun eating top nosh and hearing top sounds. On my recommendation, all three of us off to 18+ cabaret tent for Gein's Family Giftshop (after the scary sexy American girls). Two blokes, one girl, a thinning out audience yet many laughs. Hey, look, a coupon for Jif!

Left the limper for third Alcove visit, this one for Lonelady. Boppy edgy Talking Heads grooves had everybody up. Half-hour set not enough. Long walk back up the hill past kicking-off Savages for the experimental soundscapes of James Blake. Man, those bass notes. No compromise set, all a tad avant-garde and well-received. What a nice bloke, too!

Half an hour in which to grab some foil-wrapped falafel and to find a good spot for Portishead. Oh lord, that spine-tingling voice. Big sound, excellent visuals (Cameron laser eyes) and killer tracks from Dummy onwards. Off for the encore thing then some other bloke appeared on stage with them to duet on The Rip. Hold up. Is that Thom Yorke (previously)? What a moment.

Obligatory coffee and doughnuts and a sit-down in the literary or poetry tent, except that the former is filled with fans of Robin Ince and Josie Long and the latter is stuffed with John Cooper-Clarke acolytes. No matter. And the Lake Stage disco is going mad thanks to I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor.

...and still missed Mike Figgis, Jane Weaver and Simon Armitage.

EDitorial ± 19-Jul-2015

130Story: Flow / Card / China / Crease / Rainbow

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Flow

Card

China

Crease

Rainbow

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 12-Jul-2015

130Story: Brace / Chocolate / Boast / Deflate

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Brace

Chocolate

Boast

Deflate

More to follow.

EDitorial ± 5-Jul-2015

130Story: Key / Back / Fish / Sweat

The rules of 130Story are simple: given a random seed word, write a story in 130 characters.

Key

Back

Fish

Sweat

More to follow.