WARMING UP....

Current mood: SUNNY...!
Category: SUNNY...! Music

So, the big week of Meltdown whoopsie is over and I'm now getting back to something of a normal life here on Fish Island...

Meanwhile 140,000 odd people are in the process of starting the pilgrimage to Glastonbury for one of the biggest weeks of communal ding donging in the English calender...


Now. long term readers of this here blinger, might remember my promise made this time last year to attend this years Glastonbury Festival AT ALL COSTS!!!

But unfortunately no-one's been able to supply me with a VIP pass - so I'm staying at home.

Yes boss, the long and the short of it, is that I really can't be doing with slumming it in the mud at Glastonbury anymore. If I ever go back there (and I'm sure I will) I'm gonna be needing a full trailer and private garden - I NEED TO GET WITH THE TIMES AND MOVE ON UP!!!!


So, this year, instead of Glastonbury, we've got a batch of Italian family coming over, and I've got to do some wine retail - which should ensure I don't end up sitting watching Glastonbury on the TV....

Yes boss, Mrs Giovanni's brother is a big man in Prosecco wine (Italian Champagne) and he wants to expand sales and take advantage of Londons current adorration of expensive fizzy thrills.....

Now, in all honesty, I have no idea why he thinks I can sell wine for him. I can most certainly drink it - but I'm simply not the salesman type.

We'll see what happens...


One thing I do like doing in that particular business, is picking the grapes.

I did the harvest down there almost 2 years ago, and I'll be going to do the same again this year...

It's the kind of regular work I can tolerate: It's slow, physical and outdoors in the sun. You can drink all day on the job and have a good laugh in the process, in fact I found laughing to be a very important part of it....


As with most things in Italy, the Prosecco wine business is all about family..

I worked for 3 families when I was down there, though there was one with whom I spent the most time - the family Bronca..

Here they are, and here's their website...

The night we finished their harvest, we all went out for drinks...

Of course, Italians might be good at many things (fashion, football, SHOUTING!!! etc), but in general, they have no idea as to how to get properly drunk.

No boss, drinking is more of a sideline to a meal, than an event in itself in Italy - so I soon found I was able to put them into difficulty...

They called me 'The Sink'

Well, that night went late, and I didn't get back until about 5am. It was alright for the rest of them - job done. But I was working for another family at 7am along with Mrs G's Dad..

Naturally, when I was prized out of the bed (2 hours after I'd slumped into it not feeling all that well) I wasn't in the best of moods, and as we were driving there, Rugero kept looking across at me like grown men do at their favourite daughters boyfriend...

'A che hora dormire??'

'Due' I lied

'Yeri serra festa! Oggi lavorro!!' He said

'Si, si' I mumbled...


Well, I managed the days work by running around alot and maintaining the level of booze in my system, care of the wine that's taken up with the tractor. There was absolutely no point in trying to sober up - it simply wouldn't have worked...

Later that day I confessed I had in fact, got in at 5am and not 2, and ever since then I'm told Rugero has been rather proud of the achievement of his son in law doing a hard 8 hours on top of 8 straight working days and a 5am drinking session...

In fact, I think I proved something that day...


Anyway, there ain't no grapes to pick in London, so this morning I had to do a different kind of work.

Yes boss, today I went and bought labels, printed 1000 of them, cycled into soho, met the boss and exchanged them for a copy of the video for his band Last Man Standing - this video needs to be recoded to go on youtube etc...


Last Man Standing are an interesting act. They've not really grabbed me by the balls thus far, but I can appreciate what they do and they do colour and outfits which is one of the things I really like to see....

As we exchanged goods, I chatted about last night - neither of us were that impressed with Primal Scream. Glenn described them well: Professional...

'Professional' is todays Primal Scream all over.

They play the festivals, knock out an average album every few years, make themselves a 100k a year and live a nice and regular middle class life...

IT'S ROCK 'N' ROLL BABY ROCK 'N' FUCKIN ROLL!!!!