Here’s a photo of me looking dynamic and rock star like:

I’m incredibly grateful to Rich, Rich, Paul and Roger for letting me play alongside them. And Rich Bassinder in particular for badgering me to go through with it when I tried to make feeble nervous excuses as to why I shouldn’t. For the record I joined in on “Girls in their Summer Clothes”, “With a Little Help From My Friends”, and a fair old chunk of “500 Miles” until I stopped because I was paranoid I was playing out of tune (I wasn’t apparently, although I’m yet to be convinced).

I must point out that by no means was I any good. In fact I was rather bad. But the room was full of friends with forgiving natures and so it didn’t really matter.

That’s not to say that there wasn’t some pretty impressive talent on display. Not only are the guys themselves pretty damn skilled, but there was a very cool star turn from Craig on the harmonica for a couple of numbers. It’s true what they say you know, we bald men really can play the blues.

And you know what? I really enjoyed myself. Not particularly the playing in front of an audience bit (although that was fun), but the being part of a band.

As anyone who’s known me for more than a couple of years will tell you, I am a man of fleeting passions. I pick up hobbies like a veritable Mr Toad. Flitting from one to another like a butterfly with ADHD. And amongst my various interests over the years I’ve toyed with playing a number of instruments: guitar, piano, accordion, and now of course the ukulele.

But I’ve never actually played alongside anyone else. Which is a real shame because it’s fantastic. The feeling of being a cog in a machine that’s pumping out music that actually worth listening to is amazing. And I really got into it. Kerry said she even noticed me jigging about a little bit on a couple of the numbers. Not much mind, I am severely tethered by my self consciousness when doing anything even approaching the suburbs of dancing. But from me a slight shift of weight from one leg to another is equivalent to a full on break dance routine from someone else, so relatively speaking I was basically stage diving.

So I had a great time. Although judging by the photos that I’ve seen of the evening it didn’t actually look like it. Oli even caught my eye at one point and told me to smile so as not to wreck a photo he was trying to take. But what can I say, I’m the Morrissey of the uke world, it’s just the way I roll.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever play with the band again. They perform extremely infrequently, and anyway I think muscling in on a paying gig would be stretching the boundaries of friendship a little too far. But it was a hell of a lot of fun and has certainly inspired me to practice a lot more recently. I’ve even managed to master the previously elusive “E” chord now so the world is my oyster.

Amy and I are even developing a mighty fine version of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” which, providing you close your eyes, block your ears, and go and stand three villages away almost sounds like the Glee version. Almost.

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Related posts:

1. We’re getting the band back together
2. Rain Stops Play
3. Sunday Morning UkeTube: Blitzkrieg Bop, Mark II

1. We’re getting the band back together
2. Rain Stops Play
3. Sunday Morning UkeTube: Blitzkrieg Bop, Mark II

Their fantastic contribution will be used by The Joseph Salmon Trust directly in their work supporting bereaved families who have lost a child.

Little Sunflowers is a family run online children’s clothing and gift store for kids up to about seven years old.

I asked Bev, who runs the shop, if there were any products she particularly wanted promoting and she said no. And so I had a poke around for myself to see if there was anything that caught my eye.

If I’m honest I was expecting the usual fair of beautiful designer dresses and stylish boys clothes. And to be fair there is a very impressive array of that sort of stuff in there. But this is a shop that caters for geeks too. Geeks that want to dress their kids in this:

or this:

or even these:

Marvelous.

And yes, they do do t-shirts in colours other than red, but those happen to be the ones I liked the best. And they do girls clothes too which look very nice and all, but none of them have dinosaurs, yoda, or enormous crocodiles on them.

As I say, I’m a geek.

Little Sunflowers offer free gift-wrapping and free UK delivery (over £12) so are ideal for sending birthday presents to all those nieces and nephews in far flung parts of the country. They also run a very generous loyalty scheme.

But most importantly of all they are generous and kind people, and that sort of thing should be rewarded.

You can visit Little Sunflowers at littlesunflowers.com follow them on twitter @littlesunflower or even visit them at their shop in Horam, East Sussex.

If you would like to learn more about the Hadrian’s Walk then you can visit our website. If you would like to donate then you can do so here. If you would like to discuss becoming a corporate sponsor then email me at dan (at) hadrianswalk.org

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Related posts:

1. Qtag and the art of scribbling on T-Shirts
2. You look like a gorilla, and you smell like one too.
3. mmm, ebay….

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3. mmm, ebay….

Over the next nine days I will be showcasing the bloggers that will be hiking the trail with me.

Idaho Dad

Idaho Dad started his blog A Family Runs Through It way back in 2004. That’s some seriously old school blogging. I mean the internet wasn’t even invented until 2005! (or something like that. I forget).

He’s certainly been a visitor to this blog almost since the start, and has always been both an inspiration and a source of encouragement to me. He probably won’t remember this, but he once sent me an incredibly supportive email during the middle of my mid-blog crisis about having the confidence to expand the scope of topics here on All That comes With It, and as a result lead directly to me improving both the quality and the enjoyment I get from writing this blog.

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that without Idaho Dad I’d probably have quit blogging by now. Wether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on your perception.

Idaho Dad’s also been incredibly supportive of the walk and has proved an invaluable sounding board to bounce ideas off. In fact it was a comment about how he’d have liked to come along on the last walk that sparked off the idea to post an open invite here on the blog.

Wow. Thanks man.

Over on his blog Idaho Dad posts about life, the universe, and everything; but mainly focusing on his kids, homeschooling, and great children’s music. He’s a good man, and one I can’t recommend getting to know highly enough. Even if he does have a dodgy beard

ImPerceptible

ImPerceptible from ImPerceptibility is another homeschooler. But like Idaho Dad she’s not one of those scary fundamentalist christian homeschoolers. She describes herself as an Educational Anarchist, and I’m sure that moniker fits very well.

Actually I’m not entirely sure if she is homeschooling or not at the moment. But even if she isn’t, the attitude is still there.

I must admit that I’m a little intimidated by ImPerceptible. She’s artistic, intelligent, funny, literate and a free thinker; and sometimes I wonder if that in real life I’ll be able to keep up. She’s like one of those really cool kids in school – not the ones that hang around in the “in-crowd”, but those that just seem incredibly comfortable and self assured in their own skin. To quote Douglas Adams “They really know where their towel is”.

It’s quite possible that I’ve completely misread her, and that she’s as much of a bundle of social awkwardness and insecurities as the rest of us. Or maybe not.

Still, even if she does turn out to be too cool for school (ha! see what i did there?), I’m still looking forward to meeting her and her husband when they fly over for the walk in July. Because in every contact I’ve had with her she’s come across as a warm and lovely individual.

My only criticism is that she doesn’t blog enough. The blogosphere needs more imperceptibility in it.

If you would like to learn more about the Hadrian’s Walk then you can visit our website. If you would like to donate then you can do so here.

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Related posts:

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: JJ Daddy-O & Jo Beaufoix
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
3. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: JJ Daddy-O & Jo Beaufoix
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
3. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes

Over the next nine days I will be showcasing the bloggers that will be hiking the trail with me.

Ed

Ed over at Little m Long a is a fellow nurse, although he gave all that stuff up a few years ago to concentrate on being a full time stay-at-home dad. To say I’m jealous would be an understatement. Saying that however I’m not sure I could cope with everything Ed does. He’s got five kids. Yes five. And the two youngest are twins.

How he has time to blog astounds me.

Ed used to write over at the blog Zoë’s Dad, but recently he’s shifted camps and set up home at Little m Long a (a reference to how you pronounce his last name). He was always a great blogger, but since moving he’s become even better. He has a lyrical and poetic flavour to his writing which is a joy to read.

Ed is one of the cornerstones of the little blogging community that I feel part of, and the fact he’s coming over all the way from America to join the walk is extremely exciting. And I know that his participation has been one of the things that’s spurred a few others to join too.

Looking forward to meeting you Ed. Even if you do have rather dubious tastes in tie-dyed t-shirts

Erin

Erin from the blog The Fierce Beagle asked me to point out that she will be the second youngest person coming on the walk after Arjan. And that’s true. She is the second youngest, even if she doesn’t look it.

I’ve already waxed lyrical about how much I like Erin’s blog, so I don’t want to swell her head any more with my praise. I will just say The Fierce Beagle is a fantastic read and you really should have her in your blogroll.

Oh, and her site is one of the most nicely designed I’ve come across. I especially like the sparkly header.

Erin’s another one who’s coming over from America to join the walk. She’s even dragging her husband Noah with her, which is rather cool as he sounds like just my sort of guy (a geek). He’s a police officer too, just like T J Hooker. Very exciting.

I am trying very hard to resist making jokes about nightsticks, so I think I should probably leave it there.

If you would like to learn more about the Hadrian’s Walk then you can visit our website. If you would like to donate then you can do so here.

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Related posts:

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes
3. A Blog Recomendation

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes
3. A Blog Recomendation

Over the next nine posts I will be showcasing the bloggers that will be hiking the trail with me.

Clair

Clair writes over at Moon in the Gutter, and before that she blogged at Sad Sweet Songs. And if you can show me two better names for blogs than that then I’d like to see them.

I’m not entirely sure how Clair and I first became aware of each other, but I suspect it was because we’re both readers of the rather excellent Becky’s T-blog (probably he finest British transvestite blog in the world. Who said blogging wasn’t diverse).

Clair is a comedy geek. A serious comedy geek. She has a passion for the Goodies and for I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue that puts my own fandom to shame. She’s also seen comedians live that I’d give my left arm to see (give my left arm to, but not travel down to London for apparently). She’s even seen Daniel Kitson who is on my all time wish list.

And of course she’s been one of the superstar DJs on my kids podcasts (and has also contributed to episode 2, which will air as soon as I get my arse in gear to put it together)

She also takes damn good photos.

Dad Who Writes

What can I say about Dad Who Writes that adequately sums up my feelings towards him? Ah yes, I know…

Dad Who Writes for President of the Internet!

Intelligent, knowledgeable, fascinating, cultured, and honest. What’s not to like about this man? Sure, some of his posts might go over my head on occasion (he blogs about Dante’s Inferno for gods sake. I blog about my top ten superheros), but he never fails in having something interesting to say.

I find him most interesting however when he talks about the anthropology of blogging, especially after the periodic storms in teacups that the community seems to go through at regular intervals. He is able to be simultaneously diplomatic, independent, insightful, and spot on the mark. Pretty impressive stuff.

He’s also a damn good photographer, although hasn’t posted anything like that up for a while (if at all now I come to think of it. I may have only seen his stuff on flickr). In fact so far every blogger I’ve featured here has an interest in photography. At this rate there is going to be a pretty impressive photo album of the walk.

But above all, Dad Who Writes comes across as an honest man writing about fatherhood. He doesn’t only report the sugary stuff, nor does he preach about the way he thinks others should do it. He just talks openly about the struggles of parenting that we all go through every day.

If you would like to learn more about the Hadrian’s Walk then you can visit our website. If you would like to donate then you can do so here.

Bookmark It

Related posts:

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Ed & Erin
3. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Idaho Dad & ImPerceptible

1. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Arjan & Catherine
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Ed & Erin
3. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Idaho Dad & ImPerceptible

Over the next nine days I will be showcasing the bloggers that will be hiking the trail with me.

Arjan from Dutchnid

On my trip to Wisconsin last year I was talking to my friend Greg about the people who comment on the blog.

“That Arjan” he observed “comes across like a really nice guy”.

Never a truer word was said.

Arjan is our sole Dutch walker (unless you count Martin, who’s Irish really), and at 25 is the youngest member of Team Ocelot. He’s unfailingly warm, pleasant, enthusiastic, and supportive. And his English is a hell of a lot better than my Dutch.

Arjan blogs rather sporadically over at Dutchnid. He writes about a variety of stuff, Warhammer 40k, Dutch culture, photography, films, and his every day life. I’m always pleased when I see that he’s posted in my feedreader, and only wish he’d do so more often. His posts highlighting models he has painted always fascinate me. No mater what your opinion on the merits of wargaming, you can’t deny that painting this level of detail on a figure only a couple of inches high is anything but amazing:

Arjan’s blog is a window into another world, similar – but also very different to my own (Sinterklaas? what on earth is all that about then!?).

I’m pretty sure I first encountered Arjan over at Lee’s blog, although it was so long ago now I can’t really say for sure. Our friendship is a good example of how blogging can bring together disparate people who never would have met otherwise. I’m glad we did meet though, and I’m very much looking forward to doing so in person this July.

Cathrine from Some Vague Utopia

Cathrine wasn’t a blogger before signing up to Hadrian’s Walk – but she thought she may as well start one up seeing as though half the other walkers have one. You can now find her over at her wonderful blog Some Vague Utopia

If I remember rightly we first “met” in my comments section when she responded to one of my rant’s about misery memoirs.

There is another connection however. Both she and her fiance Richard are friends of Oli Walker, one of the original Dales Walkers. Still there is no reason to hold that against them, and I’m extremely pleased that both of them are coming on the walk. Especially as they have decided to arrange their own accommodation and food, thereby not acting as contributory factors to my impending nervous breakdown.

Considering she’s only just started, Catherine has managed to avoid all the pit traps of the novice blogger. She’s forgone all the tales of what she had for lunch at Debinhams cafe and painfuly dreary accounts of the dream she had last night, and gone straight in with interesting posts, wonderful prose, and beautiful photos.

The swine.

If you would like to learn more about the Hadrian’s Walk then you can visit our website. If you would like to donate then you can do so here.

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Related posts:

1. Some Vague Utopia
2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes
3. Arjan and Moonraking

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2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: Clair & Dad Who Writes
3. Arjan and Moonraking

Our epic 84 mile walk along Hadrian’s Wall looms ever nearer (less than six months now). I’ve posted about it over on The Joseph Salmon Trust website:

During the fundraising for our Dales walk we got a great deal of support from the readers of my blog. In fact donations from the blog accounted for over a thousand pounds of our total raised. So when I started thinking about organising another walk I asked if any of my readers fancied coming along.

The response was incredible.

As it stands there will be over sixty people joining me on Hadrian’s Wall this July. People are coming from all over the world to walk the path and show their support for the trust. We’ve got people from England, Scotland, Ireland, America and Holland. We’ve got paramedics, nurses, policemen, teachers, bankers, writers, editors, and stay-at-home parents. We’ve even got a university professor and an American superior court judge.

Read more here

I’ve also posted a logistics update over on the Hadrian’s Walk blog:

Dates of the walk

Remember, we set off walking on Monday July 5th, 2010 and reach the end on Saturday July 10th, 2010. This means that you will have to book these dates off work. I am talking specifically to Oli here. Oli – you need to book those days off work. Do it now Oli. Go talk to your manager and do it now.

Fundraising

So far we’ve raised a little over £400 [actually now this stands at £569] , which isn’t bad going since we haven’t officially started fundraising yet. I’ve done this via a couple of plugs on my blog and also by agreeing to do a couple of PR companies pitches as long as they make a donation to the Trust.

The ultimate aim is to raise the equivalent of what the trust gives out in a year, about £20,000. it’s a lofty goal, but I honestly think it’s achievable. As the walk draws nearer (exactly six months away now in fact) it’s probably time we at least started thinking how we’re going to raise the cash. It would be really good to pool our collective brains on this one, so if anyone has any ideas or leads then please let me know and I’ll put together a post/email of collected ideas.

As you know the walk has a Justgiving page where people can donate online. Justgiving is by far the best way of gathering donations as it’s automated and the charity gets the cash straight away. Plus only legitimate charities can get listed on there, and so it acts as reassurance that we’re not just pocketing the cash.

Read more here

Meanwhile over at the Midnight Movie Club Lee and I have been having our childhood memories shattered:

Dan:
Hey, hang on a minute! Has someone somehow secretly switched the beloved Cannonball Run of my youth with this huge great steaming turd?

Far from being the modern classic of my memory, the movie seems to be merely a long and rather pathetic excuse for a series of fairly unimpressive car stunts and poorly written comedy set pieces. Surely this can’t be right?

I’m almost scared to watch Smokey and the Bandit again now.

Lee:
I’m having trouble believing that they had a good enough reason to make a sequel. The first two films are really mashed together in my memories so I wonder if the second one was much better because frankly, this first one was awfully hard to get through.

It took me five attempts to watch this all through.

I’ve never seen Smokey and the Bandit, I don’t know if I want to now.

Dan
Smokey and the Bandit was much, much better than this film. At least I think it was. I’m beginning to think I can’t trust my memory anymore.

Someone please tell me Look Who’s Talking wasn’t a duff film too? or Jaws 4? Surely Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure can’t be anything other than a modern classic? Please! Someone!?

Lee
Caravan of Courage IS a modern classic. Actually now that I think about it, wasn’t it a semi Christmas movie or was that the other one?
I mean there were two Ewok films outside of Jedi wasn’t there? *Sigh* I would look that up if I cared enough :)

Read the rest of the post here

And last but not least, Lee and I have been venturing into the world of podcasting too. In fact there is a strong possibility we are going to shift the focus of the Midnight Movie Club purely into podcasting (basically it takes a lot less time and is more fun to do).

You can listen to our Cannonball Run podcast here

And don’t forget that you can also subscribe to us on iTunes!!

And that’s about it.

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2. A-Z of Hadrian’s Bloggers: NYC Watchdog
3. It’s a wonderful internet

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