It’s an orange bubble gun. It was meant for the child. It was a sign from on high…
Month: December 2015
Note to self…
For future reference, I will take being dipped in honey and covered with fire ants over doing a 2 hour Tesco run with a tired child, just before Christmas. Just sayin…
Bill, I am your father
Nooooooooooooooooo! :)
The tao of Bill Bailey
Contentment is knowing you’re right. Happiness is knowing somebody else is wrong.
Danish hygge could be considered as “cosiness of the soul”. The Danes insist though that hygge was never meant to be translated. It was meant to be felt.
‘It’s going quite well,’ says Bill Bailey, 30 minutes into his new show. ‘I think I’ll do my joke.’
Yep, Bailey is on typically bewildered form in ‘Limboland’, which has landed in the West End for a Christmas run after a year of touring. The closest the 51-year-old comic gets to a one-liner is a lengthy, meandering gag that starts ‘Lionel Richie walks into a bar…’ But quickfire jokes aren’t Bailey’s style, of course, and his trademark fanciful musings and musical deconstructions are out in force.
‘We’re in a strange time of extremes,’ he explains at the top of the show, before launching into a wonderfully playful routine about the post-election political landscape and the Labour Party’s current ‘experimental album’. As the show title suggests, Bailey feels caught in the middle; the long-time lefty’s not quite sure what to think or who to believe in.
From there, the grumblingly upbeat comic moves into jokes about typical British feelings or trying to explain Skype to his octogenarian father; and in the second half, there are more long-form stories as he explores what it actually means to be ‘happy’.
It’s Bailey’s beautiful turns of phrase and imaginative similes that bring each tale to life. There’s a whimsical poetry to every sentence; each observation is filtered through his fluffy brain like he’s in one long, extended daydream.
But it’s when he gets behind an instrument that the musically-dexterous comic is at his best. Remixes of iPhone ringtones, German death metal covers of Abba songs and ‘Happy Birthday’ reimagined as a 1930s Berlin cabaret number and a Moby masterclass are just a few highlights.
There’s a musical theme to his stories too, as he describes an awkward encounter with Sir Paul McCartney and a trip to see ‘boneless chickens’ One Direction at the O2.
It’s Bailey on top form; joyous, playful and effortlessly funny. ‘Limboland’ brings more festive cheer than Santa this Christmas.
Happy birthday mummy!
Off to London to go see friends, eat, drink and be merry with Bill Bailey!
All this for a fiver
Bobble gets ready to tuck into a proper portion of fish and chips. Not too sure what’s going on in the background.
Lego Star Wars: droid tales
Bobble and I are rather bemused while watching a complete self-pisstake apparently endorsed by Lucas…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Granddad’s garage is always a beautiful thing at Christmas…
[recipe] coffee-infused bourbon
1/4 c. Whole Coffee Beans, Smashed (preferably dark, espresso roast)
1/2 vanilla bean, split
1 tbsp dark brown sugar (packed)
1 1/4 c. Bourbon
First we took the coffee beans and placed them in two plastic bags. We took a metal muddler and smashed the beans until they were gently crushed.
Place all ingredients in a small canning jar, and set the jar in a dark, cool location. Every few days, shake the jar lightly.
Infuse for about 3 weeks, or until this reaches your desired taste.
Strain and filter through cheesecloth, jelly bag (if desired) and finally coffee filters.
This coffee liqueur is so rich and delicious. You can taste all the nuances of the bourbon, and the espresso roast coffee gives it such a good flavor.
We are also going to try this same recipe with brandy. This is a “must try”! If you love coffee, you need to make this.
[recipe] Broccoli and Stilton soup
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion , finely chopped
1 stick celery, sliced
1 leek, sliced
1 medium potato, diced
1 knob butter
1l homemade chicken or vegetable stock
1 head broccoli, roughly chopped
140g Stilton, or other blue cheese, crumbled
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and then add the onions. Cook on a medium heat until soft. Add a splash of water if the onions start to catch.
Add the celery, leek, potato and a knob of butter. Stir until melted, then cover with a lid. Allow to sweat for 5 minutes. Remove the lid.
Pour in the stock and add any chunky bits of broccoli stalk. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes until all the vegetables are soft.
Add the rest of the broccoli and cook for a further 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. Stir in the stilton, allowing a few lumps to remain. Season with black pepper and serve.