The University 101 Guide To: Making Friends

So after a couple of weeks settling in to university I thought I might share my experiences with you bunch of cool people who have nothing better to do than to stalk me on the internet! I thought I would try and be as different as possible so I am going to do them in this jokey instructive way. Just for the record, please do not take any of this advice as it will inevitably lead up with you being like me. Which is definitely not a good thing!

I used to think an early start meant having to get up at 5.30am for work at 6... How uni has changed my life. An actual early start guys is having to get up for a 1pm lecture. So until you get to that stage I don't want to hear any more winging about having to get a bus to school at 8.30. Alight?

So I entitled this guide making friends. Now university is something of a friend making phenomenon. Naturally because it is university the best way to make friends is beer. Once there is a crate of beer in the kitchen, whoever is responsible for it will be forever known as the bringer of beer. 

What I also must add for the sake of boys making friends with girls is that there are lots of other things which do almost as well as beer. For example, girls like to use the whole can I borrow some sugar as an ice breaker apparently, or as has happened, "please can I have a can of that red bull so I don't have another sugar low... I'm diabetic." It wasn't even my Red Bull to give out. 

Oh and also I probably should put in this little article ways to not make friends... Don't swap people's Vodka for water, they tend to get quite angry. Although it is funny then to go up to people and get them to down the bottle of water vodka, to which they get half way down and then stop, going "What have you given me?" And also don't insult stranger's taste in music, as we found out when we crashed a kitchen party wearing Beatles t-shirts to which they replied some expletives against the Beatles. We left before plates started being smashed...

But as I sit here feeding the late risers cereal because they couldn't be bothered to get up for breakfast, I think so far I have done pretty well. I helped a girl do her washing (I mean that should surely not happen right?) and I have an empty biscuit tin, so I must have done reasonably well so far?

Thanks for reading, follow me on twitter: @peachy146

First things first: Beer or tea?

So for all who may or may not know, I am going to university. Or should I now rephrase that, I am at university! Surprisingly I managed to get here, get everything in and sorted and make a cup of tea without any hiccups. This in itself is a personal lifetime achievement!

However in making a cuppa and talking to new people, this has got me thinking about everything I might need in the short term, and then in the long term. Things I hadn't thought about  about like waste bins, and doorstops. (for the record I made do with a doorstop with a piece of rope cord tied to the tap of the sink behind my door. Very handy I thought!)

I then started talking to my Dad about the price of beer (not an unusual conversation I must add). And this ties in with my cup of tea because?

Well I was trying to work out what was more important. This maybe an easy answer for some, and some of you are probably shouting at your computer screens right now: Beer of course you fool! (Well actually if you are my mum and dad you probably won't because you have only just worked out how to read this... and are wondering why it wasn't tweeted directly to you)

But really though, I have had 4 cups of tea in the space of 3 hours, and spoken to about 20 people because of them! One of the great things about tea is that it brings people together, like no other drink. The same can be said for alcohol granted, but to be honest with you after 1 I can't remember the people who I speaking to, which never really goes down well!

So bare this in mind kids. Tea is better than beer. Untill about 4pm whereby beer becomes the only thing you can physically drink... especially at uni.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Off to Uni...

So as you may or may not have noticed/ been bothered about, I have not posted for a long time. I have been very very busy doing other things you see, things like going on holiday with my mates and driving Land Rovers round fields. I have also been busy sorting doctors appointments out, money out, all of that stuff, so that I am ready to go off to university on saturday. Yes I repeat, saturday.

Now while you may think that must mean I am very nearly ready, and while I keep telling myself I only have to pack my clothes now and I am ready to go, it far far away from the truth. One of the things I have found myself to be very good at over the past 18 years is hoarding things away in the deepest darkest depths of my room, thinking that one day they may come in handy or one day I may want to look at it or something like that. Well I have managed to sort out about 15 million drawers and a few feet of floor space of stuff into 1 box. For which I am very pleased about!

Next on the list is stuff that I want to take with me. And this is where it appears my mum and I differ. Bearing in mind the size of my room is really small, I am trying to be as frugal as I can be, knowing full well that I have to live in it and do all of that stuff in it too, I have to spend more time in it than I have to spend in my room at home.

So I am seeing all this stuff go into a "to go" box, and trying to put it somewhere (in my head) in the room at the other end, and so far I have about half of my floor space covered too. My Mum on the other hand thinks that there is loads of room and that it will all fit in with room to spare. So, we will soon find out who is right won't we?

Whilst I would like to tell you I am quite enjoying university preparations that is farm from the truth. Trying to decide if you will need something and if you won't and if it is worth taking is an incredibly different job for anyone. I will definitely be more happy when everything is in and in place, and I can go down the pub with my new flat-mates!

Anyway I will sign off now as I still have loads to do and not a lot of time to do it in!

Thanks for reading, tarara bit!

Alrewas Radio Rocks - This Bank Holiday Monday at Alrewas Village Hall!

As previous posts would suggest, tomorrow, Bank Holiday Monday 26th August 2013, Alrewas Radio will be live between the hours of 7.30am and 8pm, alongside an Alrewas Arts Fest Pop-Up Archives Arts Cafe Flea Pit thingy. Basically it will be a great day or afternoon or whatever to pop down to the village hall and have a chill, watch a film, listen to some live music and have a nice cuppa and a piece of cake.

Not that I am trying to get you all away from your computers though, quite the opposite. Because as I said, but just in case you missed it, Alrewas Radio - LIVE - 7.30AM - 8PM. We have so much going on tomorrow it is really exciting and there is going to be some golden radio!

To kickstart the day, I will be taking James' normal breakfast show with the return on Barge Or No Barge in a new interesting format... yeah that;s right you will have to tune in to find out what that is all about.

We have  got plenty of new DJs on this time and Caitlin is one of them. She will be doing a Charts Show, definitely one to listen to if you like the modern music scene, and also want to support new Alrewas Radio up and coming DJs.

Then we have the return on the nostalgic duo: Ellie and Alisha to bring us some more amazing tunes from years gone by. They have 2 hours of pure gold from genres including Motown, Soul, Rock and Roll in all it's formats and 60s pop.

Next 2 brand new DJs again, this pair play together in the County Jazz Band, and will be showing off some of the best Jazz tunes. This is something I am particularly looking forward to, something different to the usual Beatles and Queen format of Alrewas Radio, and also some fresh faces... or voices... or whatever.

Next we have 2 new shows, but with the same old lot. First is the premier of The Great Debate, a talk show where we discuss certain topics and different views and opinions surrounding them. The theme for tomorrow is the eduction system. Tune in for more: Radio 4 eat your heart out.

The second of the 2 new shows is On This Day, where we play music that was released or made famous or in the charts or whatever on 26th of August from decades gone by. Based on our normal decades show, a more condensed and fun version. Definitely some really good tunes to listen to.

Next we have the return of the Legend Mr James Richardson, with his Drive Time show, some classic features returning no doubt such as Cheesy Track of The Day, and Foreign Favourites.

Sam Wilkinson, a rookie radio DJ (did you see what I did there?) but he has some absolutely brilliant tunes to play (I know this because he is the only show who has produced a tracklist, including my own show!). Please support him whilst you eat your bank holiday tea, it will be great fun.

Lastly but not leastly, me and James will be rounding off the day in Jamie's absense with some really fresh and modern dance anthems, something which we thought we would keep seperate from the rest of the day of radio and give it it's own slot at the end of the day when you can sit back and relax, or get up and have it little dance in your living room, to some great new tunes.

I hope you do find time to tune in tomorrow, it will be great to have you. Here is how:

tinyurl.com/alrewasradio

or alternatively go to: http://www.alrewas-artsfest.co.uk/ARhome.html

And be sure to get in touch with us by either tweeting us: @AlrewasRadio
Or send us an email to alrewasradio@hotmail.co.uk
Or you can even make a request using the widget on our website listed above.

Thanks and we will be in your ears tomorrow!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Topic Focus...

One of the worst things a blogger can do is start with a title. It ties you in to you subject matter and it doesn't allow you to think more freely to create a better article, which the subject of may naturally change in the first few sentences, the first few words even. But that of course is exactly what I do. Would you expect anything different?

The last post I titled a "Inspiration", in a bid to try and get my mind to think of something to write about. It ended up being another blog about me leaving for university. I looked back at recent blogs have some sort of link with me going off to university. And feedback from you guys is very positive towards blogs about student life and the progression to Uni.  

So I am making a decision, that the most productive path for my blog to follow, as well as it being the best, is about my life as a student. Following examples such as www.thestudentblogger.com I am going to talk about things which are happening for people who are looking to go to university in the future and want to find out more from a first person perspective, as well as interesting stuff and quirky little things that I am in no doubt will happen.

I thin by doing this it gives my writings some direction and some purpose as apposed to me just telling you what level I am at on Candy Crush (Still level 28 by the way)

Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the slightly revised format of the blog and I look forward to writing many more happy posts in the future!

Thanks very much for reading! Got something to say? Write it in the comments below, or you can even email me at tomstalkblog@yahoo.co.uk

Why not check out thestudentblogger.com. If you are reading this you will probably also be interested in this!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Exciting News!

I have some great news for all those people who just can't get enough. I now have an email address and a weekly email newsletter! I understand that for some of you the best way to keep up to date with the blog is to recieve an email newsletter! So all you have to do is send me an email to this address: tomstalkblog@yahoo.co.uk and you will forever on recieve a weekly notification of what I am posting as well as a little bit more about what is going on in my life and the life of the local community.

Please send me an email at tomstalkblog@yahoo.co.uk if you would like to subscribe to this weekly newsletter! Thanks for your support!

Mobile Gaming - Is It The Future?

This post is an aside from a recent post I put out about the ever popular mobile game Candy Crush Saga. The thing about this is that it is something really well debated in the global gaming community, and was something that I wanted to get on a bit of a technical soap-box, but knowing there was people like my gran reading my blog, I thought I would do it on a separate occasion!

Candy Crush has been the fastest growing mobile game of 2013. It to date has around 44 million global downloads, with this growing by 110 downloads every minute, something in itself a magical figure. The thing that this really highlights to me is the rapid rate that mobile gaming is growing and changing and developing. I think the main thing with it is that it is all about games being more and more accessible  People can play it on the bus, while they are having their breakfasts, over a cup of coffee, rather than having to boot up PCs and spend hours getting incredibly involved and engaged in the game.

Not only that, but the short time that 1 game takes makes it a lot more available for people to play, they can have a round of candy crush before they get out of bed, while they are having a cup of coffee or in those ever shorter spaces that we have in our day-to-day lives. 

Just to have a game on something like COD or Halo takes 20 minutes at a minimum, and even then if you are sitting down to play a game on a console, then you end us spending a lot longer than 20 minutes. People just can't find the time in their lives to do this, whereas mobile gaming is much more fast paced and light-hearted.

I still think though, when you posit the idea that mobile gaming will eventually take over from PC gaming and console gaming, that this will never happen. The mobile gaming audience is a completely different one to that of more substantial video games, and is something that will stay that way for as long as they exist. All mobile gaming does is open up a new avenue, a new industry created by the ever increasing complexities and capabilities of our mobile phones.

And that is the magic of mobile gaming. People who play World of Warcraft for hours every night, will continue to do so, undisturbed by Candy Crush, Farmville and the likes, it is almost like the 2 move in parallel universes. The industries aren't competing, and in fact I think they can really work together well. There is already some evidence of this, the big game development organisations have made mobile versions of their games, like EAs Fifa and Rockstar's GTA III as some examples of games that I have found work really well on a mobile. 

The question however is does the future lie in mobile gaming. And I think for the industry, mobile gaming at the minute certainly looks to be more profitable, especially if you find the right game for your audience. And I think that can also be said for the devices themselves, in that mobiles and tablet PCs and Apple's equivalents are developing at a much quicker pace than the PCs and consoles. The best things we have seen in the past few years is motion controlled technology like X-Box Kinect and Playstation Move, whereas smatphones, tablets and the like have pretty much come from nothing in the past 2 years, and continue to develop at the same rate.

If you have any feelings either way on this topic, then please comment below. I would be really interested to read your opinions on what you think is the geography of gaming in the future.

If not, then thanks for reading, and you can follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Candy Crush House Rules

Some of you may have seen a tweet that I posted last night about my parents arguing over who had used up all the lives of Candy Crush, and as a result of that interest I have started playing it too. I have always steered clear of it due to it's "addictive capabilities" and "impulsive in-app purchases" however I could hold off the curiosity no longer.

There is one trait that we all have as children of our parents. We cannot let them know more about something that is cool and modern. That would be BAD. This in the past has led me to learn all about how a computer works just so I can baffle them with jargon and things, and so when I find my mum and dad hopelessly addicted to Candy Crush, to the point where the first thing they do when they get up in the morning is use their 5 lives, I have to make sure I am ahead of the game, literally speaking.

Unfortunately I think I may just have ruined my life... ever since I downloaded it at about 6pm yesterday I have been unable to get off my phone. I have successfully run down the battery twice in one day, which would normally take me 2 days, and I have had to schedule things that I do in order to fit around life regeneration. Not only that, but it is SO frustrating. I have heard my Dad say on numerous occasions: "This game is fixed, all it wants is your money, I am never playing it again." Half an hour later he is sat on his iPad looking intently a several coloured squares, hoping, praying, that this time he will get past level 30...

There is one thing to be said though, for my Mum and Dad's new addiction to the iDevices, is that they seem to have created a new house rule. It reads: "The one who is playing Candy Crush, plays Candy Crush and is therefore excused of any other jobs."

It does make me laugh really that parents lecture you for the whole of your lives that there is more important things in life than games and computers and phones and TVs, and you can't let them take over your life. The sad fact is though, is that when my Dad gets up early to sit downstairs with his cup of coffee and play candy crush, is enough ambition for me and my sister to rip them for be "addicted" which I am content with, for the time being anyway!

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

My Family's Obsession With Cream Tea

I must make it sound like my family are so posh. Really, its a Northener and a Brummy with 2 Derby speaking kids. Yet for some reason we all seem to have this "The Good Life" outlook on life. My Dad is the perfect farmer, to the point where he sometimes gets up at the same time as me on a saturday morning as I am off to work at 5.30, just to check the chickens. My Mum is just as a good a farmer's wife. We have had to build a special cupboard in a space where the computer was for all of the jams and chutneys that my Mum makes.

My sister is a typical 15 year old really. She is not quite sure who she is yet, trying to be cool with her side fringe, blackberry and annoying statuses on facebook, that are easy pickings for a bit of casual sibling bullying. However she is never happier than when she is sat on a ride-on mower. And the worrying thing is she is blooming good at driving it!

Anyway we are digressing from what I actually started out writing this blog about. Th essence of that long winded and pointless background was that we are country folk at heart, and because of this we spend our weekends chilling up the allotment. Today my Dad even bought some fuel specially for his petrol lawn mower so he could mow around the edges and when I got in from work I was greeted by my Nana and my sister and the smell of something baking in the oven.

After a whole morning of baking bread, this was to be honest the last thing I wanted, but there we go. I was informed to have a shower and then get the car ready (complete with camping stove and gas kettle) to take warm scones up to the allotment. Firstly, who on earth thinks of making scones? Secondly, who on earth knows how to make scones? When I asked my sister this she replied, in a teenagers grunt: "It came in a bag." Upon clarification from my Nana, apparently there a several shops around the country full of bins full of stuff like scone mix and bird seed. Apparently too, my family have nothing better to do than to identify where these shops are and tour the country buying scone mix.

So there we are sat next to a veggie patch full of funny looking plants, in the playing field of my old primary school no less, eating scones, jam and clotted cream and waiting for what seems like eternity for a kettle to boil on a gas camping stove. This part of the story links quite nicely with previous blogs: the tea was made in my new university mugs, which for some reason my Mum thinks I need 4 of... 1 for me and the rest for my imaginary friends I suppose...

That said, with the great British sunshine burning down onto us whilst we ate warm (either because they were fresh or because they had been sat in the sun, not too sure which way) scones and tea, like posh people. 

The fact that this appears to be the highlight of my weekend is probably making you think I need to get out more. And you would be right, had I not have this story to tell from the day before: http://tomstalkblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-inaugural-university-preparations.html Yes that's right: University shoppping!

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

My Sister's Crazy New Idea

So a few of you may have read the post a few days ago where I said about my Dad's new idea for a lawn mower - a small flock of sheep. I have recently learnt that really my entire family appears to want to naturally live in the country. 

My sister, pretty much like many girls when they grow up, has an obsession with ponies. My sister in particular is a one we can't understand. She has got involved with looking after a few really really small ponies, called miniature ponies. So called because they must only stand a bit higher than my knee, about the size of a dog really. We joke about horse-sized dogs, but these really are dog-sized horses.

My sister's mad idea is to do with the family farm in Yorkshire. She has spotted some potential grazing areas which are in competition with Dad's equally implausible and crazy sheepish idea, and has even started to think about a stable for her to keep a few pets. The trouble is that Mum appears to be fully behind this idea.

She even said to me today as we picked up my sister from the stables: "Tom, you need to take note of these as you are going to have to build some at the farm." Now I can tell you I am my father's son, and while I try and do a good job of building things, and have to say that the chicken run I built is still standing today, as I said, I am still my father's son. And that means that no matter how hard I try to saw a straight line or measure an accurate measurement, it always always always ends up wonky, uneven and useless.

So I would really be interested to see how these stables would turn out. I fear mainly for my sister, that she may have her dreams literally crushed within a few weeks of aquiring these horses. I also fear for the landscape of the Yorkshire Dales of what a mess a supposed stables might look like. 

Nevertheless, it might at least resemble a structure a little bit more than Dad's bird table.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

The Inaugural University Preparations Commence...

Seeing as I am now off to university in a matter of weeks, I really am afraid I don't anything else to talk to you about apart from it. However today I have some very exciting news to share with you. Not only have I started buying stuff to take with me, I am also fulfilling my dreams!

I don't know whether it is the "costing things out" or making things look better or "shiny" that makes me really enjoy this part of the preparations for university, but I have gotten really into kitting myself out ready to go with things like duvet covers and clothes horses and things like that.

After work today, we went on a shopping trip to 2 of my 4 favourite shops in the whole wide world: Wilkos and Dunelm Mill (these come second only to The Range and B&Q). For those of you who have not been outside in the bast 20 years, these are both shops where you can by a whole range of basic home furnishings for next to nothing.

Normally I would collapse in a heap after 8 hours baking bread from some ridiculous time in the morning, but today when I got in and Mum said: "Let's go to Wilkos" I was the first person in the car like a small child on a trip to a theme park. 4 hours and a packet of pear drops later we had a boot full of stuff and an A4 pad full of other stuff to buy but we didn't have room for in the car.

Some of my favourites amongst these are toothpaste, a 13.5 tog duvet, a tabletop ironing board and a set of 4 mugs the size of pint glasses. I have been spending my spare time looking at new clothes, shoes and stationery. In fact today I even spent a long period of time that I will not reveal looking through an online catalogue for Bic Biros. What has my life come to?

It is safe to say that I am well and truly sad. I know you lot have known it for ages, but I have finally realised I have no life. To the point where one of my friends tweets me with a cure for my Bic Biro addiction: to have a Jazz band rehearsal, something which is probably just as bad as the biro addiction itself, really sends it home.

Time for me to go and look at the Staples online store for some cardboard document wallets (check out the fancy terms by the way, a sign of a true stationery anorak), so thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Some very important news...

I suppose that events have unfolded in the past few days that will inevitably shape my life from here on in. So therefore it seems appropriate that I share these things with you.

Yesterday was the day that I received my a Level results, and I must admit, when I first opened that envelope I was panicking. The way the system works, for those who don't know, is that you make your choices for university, and if you get the grades then you are in. You can check this on the internet, and occasionally they let people in without them having the grades they need. 

So when I was 1 grade below my requirements, I was a little bit worried to say the least. Seeing as schools are schools and school computers are the world's slowest physical being, the wait for the computer to boot up was agonising. I though there was no hope and I was going to have to go home and cry. A lot.

I therefore had to get a friend to check that my eyes were not deceiving me when I read: "Congratulations, Your offer for the University of Liverpool has been accepted."

Basically, to cut a long story short, on the 13th of September I will be getting in my Dad's car (that's if I am nice to him so he gives me a lift) and driving, with a boot full to the brim of stuff, to Liverpool. 

This whole thing seems so unreal and alien. I thought, least I hoped, that once I had found out what was happening I would feel somehow different, or enlightened or something like that. But still I am putting off doing things like finding out what I need to take, and reading what I will be doing in the first week and all of that kind of stuff because the whole thing seems to overwhelming to begin. 

Nevertheless, I am still massively pleased that I am going to university, even more so that I will be going to study Accounting and Finance at Liverpool. Going to Liverpool has been a dream for a few years, before I even knew what I wanted to do, there is something about the city that upon visiting it makes you feel welcome. People ask me where I am going and go off on one about how they can't stand the accent and things like that, but having visited there on numerous occasions, you can barely even notice it. 

I don't want to make this blog a "look at me aren't I brilliant" blog either. It just feels like such a big leap in my life that it is appropriate for me to share it with you. And my family and friends have already started getting excited with me. Sometimes more than me I think, as I found out my mum had been talking to our family doctor today about whether I needed to take a clothes airer with me. 

So now, whilst enjoying and looking forward to moving to Liverpool, I also have to do a lot of things in the meantime. I have a whole list to write of things I need for University and things I very kindly have to ask the bank of Mum and Dad to set me up with, and I have to organise my accommodation, registration, when I am going, what I am doing, transport and all of that kind of thing. I have so much to do, but I have no doubt that it will be well worth it in the end and I am really looking forward to taking you with me on my blog!

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: peachy146

Why You Have To Take Your Grandad To MacDonalds

Recently I have been enjoying the delights of the Yorkshire Dales, as you should know by now. I have been staying in a cottage owned by my Great Uncle, who is 88 and owns a smallholding that is now no longer productive apart from a few apples in the the orchard and a few rusty tractors in various sheds, alongside many pieces of furniture.

So on this summer trip up to the cottages to build a kitchen and other traditionally relaxing things like that, I have spent a lot of time bobbing about with my Great Uncle and one of those trips was a morning in the local co-op, followed by a trip down to the local MacDonalds.

Now you need to know a few things about this chap before I tell you the rest of the story or else it is not really that funny. He has lived in the same village all of his life, and has been working since he was 11. Because he is 88 that means he lived through the war and also because he is from Yorkshire that means that he is even more traditional and set in his ways than anyone else in the country. This however has proved to be something that he doesn't mind breaking once in a while.

So off we went to MacDonalds, with an 88 year old man who could brick-lay, rewire a house, plumb in an immersion heater, build a tractor from scratch and pretty much tell you anything you would ever need to know and more about farming, but has never had a fast food meal in his life. Born and bred on meat and 2 veg, he is now sat opposite me in MacDonalds. Firstly there is what he should have. Basically the extent of this was: "I'll 'ave what you're 'aving lad." And then there was the lack of cutlery .. that really got him. But for the entire meal, he just sat there giggling about the whole experience.

I suppose it makes me think that us, as a generation of young people, have grown up with MacDonalds and technology and these type of things, but they really are weird. I mean what kind of an establishment is one that doesn't even provide you with a knife and fork? To eat a meal? Yet to us it is normal. And I am not criticising anybody, because I am just as accepting and take these things as much for granted as the next man, but for somebody who hasn't been brought up with it, it is really something alien.

We joke about our parents being useless with technology, they are so slow about it and don't understand error messages and think it breaks all the time when really it is them who can't use the things, but if you haven't know it your whole life, how are you supposed to understand it? And this works both ways. There are lots of things that we will never be able to do because we have never known it. I have a classic car, so I have had to learn about mechanics to a certain extent, but to most people, anything more than the pedals, gear stick and steering wheel is alien to them. They don't know how a car works and how to fix it if they go wrong. And how are we supposed to understand about rationing and "make do and mend" when we live in such a throw-away society.

The one thing I can say though, is that when your Great Uncle's parting comment, in a broad dales accent, is: "I might have to go again..." then you know you have achieved something!

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

My Dad's New Crazy Idea

My dad, as I am sure many of you out there can sympathise with, is one of those Dads who pretty much every week comes up with a new outlandish idea to solve an on going problem or tackle a big DIY project. The example my family always use to highlight this is the bird table he once built. It currently sits on a 45 degree angle and hangs off the garden fence by a few screws and a bit of rusty bracket but as my Dad says, at least it has a perch for the birds to sit on!

This always causes much amusement whenever it is brought up over meal times and things like that, but it really does typify our Dad's imagination. Another thing about my Dad is that he is a farmer. Well actually he just likes to pretend he is a farmer, really he sells fertilisers to farmers and stuff like that, and keeps a pair of wellies in his boot at all times. That kind of a farmer. However, a couple of years ago my sister suddenly decided that she wanted some chickens. So my family did the most rash thing they have ever done in their lives. We decided to get chickens.

We spent a few weekends building chicken runs (which I designed, just thought I should point that out. Why my parents trusted me to design and build a chicken run, heaven only knows) and getting everything ready for the arrival of 4 new members of the family. With me and my sister solemnly promising to look after them, and then of course not looking after them, my Dad has sort of started a farm in our garden. we now have 12 chickens, numerous vegetables growing in random corners of the garden and a greenhouse, as well as I believe 2 grape vines, with the intentions that one day they may grow enough grapes for us to actually make some wine from (it's never going to happen).

Now Farmer Dad is on the hunt for some more stuff to put in his farm... trouble is he has sort of ran out of space in the garden. Naturally he has turned to the family smallholding in the Yorkshire Dales, where we now spend our weekends and holidays... And any other free time we have...

One of the fields that belongs to my Great Uncle, sits behind 3 lovely holiday cottages which as you may or may not be aware we are currently in the stages of "doing up" slowly but surely, to the extent where we just spent our family summer holiday fitting a new kitchen. And painting windows. Standard.

Anyway this field has 3 problems: Long grass, nettles and rabbits. A lot of rabbits. Think Wallace and Gromit and then some. My Dad's solution to these problems... wait for it... Get some sheep. That is right. My Dad would like to get a to quote "small flock of sheep" (apparently they don't like being on their own, ya know, because they are highly sensitive creatures) to keep the grass down and expose the rabbits so that they all "bugger off." And these are to be kept in a field 130 miles away. Actually 131 to be exact. 

The thing is though, I may mock my Dads crazy ideas, but they are ingenious, I have to give him that. So you never know, in a year's time I could be writing a post to you from the lovely dales of Yorkshire surrounds by thousands of sheep.

The trouble with this whole thing is, is that all I will be able to sing on the journey up there is "It's Shaun the Sheep, It's Shaun the Sheep" And I don't think there is any more to that theme tune so I could be a long drive up the A1/M1/AM1/(A)(M)1/North Road Thingy...

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter for further updates on the sheep... and whether my Dad has been taken to the lunatic asylum yet @peachy146

My Summer Holiday

Apologies for no posties for a long time, but that is basically because I have been on my summer hols. Nowhere exciting and even more boring when I tell you what I spent my summer holidays doing!

I drove up the M1 for the third time this year in Lucy and arrived in lovely sunny (really it was rainy, I could barely see 20 yards in front of me...) Yorkshire. For 2 weeks we stayed in the cottages in a little village in Wensleydale: Home of Wensleydale cheese, funnily enough. 

For those 2 weeks, we spent our time being very productive. We fitted a new kitchen into one of the cottages, repainted all the window frames and sills, as well as chopping down half the foliage on the nearby railway embankment so to quote me dad: "We could see the steam trains properly."

Why, I hear you ask, did we spend our summer holiday doing DIY and gardening projects. Well that is a very good question. If you ask my mum and dad it is so that we can enjoy the cottages properly in the future, but if you ask me and my sister, considering the fact I am going to university next year and won't be about to enjoy the cottages, I say it was slave labour. I suppose we did get a MacDonalds and a curry out of it though!

Nevertheless, I did spend a lot of time at my 88 year old great uncle's farm, which is no longer actually working if you like, but there is still everything there. So our 2 projects were to start the 1972 Land Rover Series 3 and also to start the 1951 David Brown tractor. Now that was something special in itself. I has so much history on the farm. My uncle was saying that when the farm was operational and fully functioning, that tractor arrived new on the farm in 1951, an has been the workhorse on it ever since. It is one truly beautiful piece of machinery and not only that, but my uncle bought another tractor exactly the same which he used for parts, and another with a front loader on it so he could pick up the bales of hay.

So that was my summer "holiday." I put that in inverted commas, because that is what it was sold to me and my sister as by the rents. It was far from! 

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

The Yorkshire Rose

As some of you may know, I am from Yorkshire. Well actually when I say I am from Yorkshire  I am really lying a little bit. I don't really know where I am from, however I do know that my family are from Yorkshire. Is that enough to be a Yorkshireman? I am going to say yes.

And the reason for this is I find myself picking up all the little phrases and sayings and philosophies. Things like "that'll do" is something which I have now become more and more in touch with, pretty much applying it to anything and everything.

Alongside this the usual "You don't get nothing for nothing" has become a big part of my way of thinking, which is not all together a bad thing. Basically it has stopped me spending so much money on stuff that I don't really need!

Not only these things though, but having spent a large amount of time driving up and down the M1 in my Yorkshire born-and-bred morris minor, I have had a lot of time to reflect that I actually prefer the northern end of that road to the southern. Not only are the Yorkshire dales really quite a nice place to be, but also I really enjoy the way of life. Things sort of happen when they need to happen, and wandering around the farm up there is a really inspiring and relaxing thing to do, whether it be making tile cutters out of washing machine motors, getting tractors from 1951 to start again, or cutting down trees so we can actually get these tractors out of the barn that once covered them from the rain, is something I really enjoy.

And for that reason, Yorkshire feels like where I come from. And so I am going to say it is where I come from.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter: @peachy146

Life On The Canals

As part of the Alrewas Canal and Music Festival I have spent 5 whole days on a boat, and I think it is safe to say I can call myself a boater. Although we haven't actually moved anywhere yet, we have still been crashed into twice and developed a hatred for hire boaters.

Ok well let me explain. Me and Jamie have a feature on the radio whereby we play Barge Or No barge. If you have listened then you will know, but if you haven't, then basically it involves Jamie making up Barge names then I have to guess whether it is a really boat or not. so we were in the middle of playing this when a very nice boat sailed past, then reversed, then went forward again, then reversed at a 45 degree angle into the side of our boat, to which we were all thrown from one side to another. Live on air.

On the other hand though, I have really enjoyed my time on the barge, there is a completely different view of life of boaters and other canal users, one of a much more relaxed attitude and one where things just happen when they happen. I think it is a lovely way of looking at life and a brilliant way to organise things. the very nature of the speed boats travel at, and weather and locks and things like that mean that a boat can take as long as it takes to get to a certain destination.

Also people on boats are really friendly. It has taken me about 3 times as long to write this blog as it would do any other, as I have had to stop what I was doing to chat to 2 different people about the boat and the radio and things, but it is really nice for people to be so interested in that type of thing.

So yeah, I really think that boating is the way forward! Relaxed and friendly.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on twitter! @peachy146

Alrewas Radio Update 27/07/13

Well here we are on the barge on the 4th day of this stint of Alrewas Radio, and everything is going smoothly. At least it was until about 5 minutes ago, when Jamie decided it would be a good idea to remove the power from the internet router and see what that did. Turns out it turns the internet off, freezes the computer and stops the broadcast. Oh dear.

Despite the technical trouble, we are just reflecting on how good the actual quality of the radio, and the quality of the broadcasting is this time round. With the new set up, of micing up each presenter individually, and also using a mixer box with preamps and xlr signals means that we can actually be more focused and comfortable on what we are doing and therefore there is more room for banter in this situation.

The interactions between the presenters on their shows is also a lot better. Everyone is more confident at being on air and that means that they can be relaxed and have more fluent conversations. 

Also the allocation of shows means that there is a more regular and reliable, within reason of people being ill and people having to work of course, but we have done this for 3 runs, so we are starting to establish a balance of the presenters that work really well and flow nicely. 

In retrospect, the one show that has been a bit dodgy has been the decades hour at the end of the day. It hasn't at all been the decades it was supposed to be and has turned more into an "anybody and anything" show. Maybe we should just leave this open as one of those shows, or maybe find somebody else to do it, as opposed to people who have already done a show during the day.

We would really like to know what you think and any suggestions that you have so please let us know, you can email them to alrewasradio@hotmail.co.uk, or you can write on the page or in the group on facebook: www.facebook.com/alrewasradio or you can tweet us @AlrewasRadio

Thank you very much for your continued support and loyalty to your local internet radio station.

Alrewas Radio... Yesturday: 24/7/13

This post is basically to reflect on the events of yesterday and to fill you in on all the latest behind the scenes action. I mean, for a start everything went without a technical hitch, so that was the first thing that amazed us all and really started the day in the very best possible way. Not only that, but it was lovely to be able to be on the boat. I mean what a brilliant way of getting around. It is slow and effortless, and nothing happens at any pac on the canals, it is all so relaxed.

One of the things that was really nice about actually being on the boat is the fact that we had a space we could call ours. Not someone else's cupboard or garage, but a proper Alrewas Radio HQ.

What was also nice about yesterday was the way that people instantly fell back into being on the radio and were able to pick where they left off last time and move back into DJing with ease. 

The 3rd and final thing that I would like to comment on about yesterday was the participation from you guys, the listeners. There were so many tweets and requests and things coming in that we didn't have enough time to read them and play them all, but it was just so nice as the presenters to have that level of participation from our listenership. 

There was also things which we can improve on and will improve on today. For example, little teething troubles with the new mics, and also the operators who are using them as to where they speak from, whether it be too close or too far away, and also actually remembering to turn his co-presenters microphone actually on!

Thanks for listening yesterday if you did, and if you didn't then make sure you do today, by simply clicking on this link below: 

tinyurl.com/alrewasradio

Thanks for reading, 

Follow Alrewas Radio on twitter: @AlrewasRadio

Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/alrewasradio

Bye!

Alrewas Radio Update 24/7/13: From the Barge

I would just like to make one thing very clear actually before we start so as not to annoy our host, but we are not actually technically on a barge, we are on a narrowboat, as we are not carry goods on UK waterways...

However, we are so so pleased to be here, live from the boat 2013, to accompany the Alrewas Canal And Music Festival. Things did look a little bit dicey, but not to worry, the boat moored at it's designated spot at approximately 6.30 this morning, which is of much relief to the Alrewas Radio team! 

Nonetheless, after a brief dry run about 30 minutes ago, I can confirm, that everything works, for once in the history of Alrewas Radio. Still I better not get too ahead of myself as everything could still go wrong! We still a million miles ahead by normal standards, so everything could go well!

The newfound, borrowed, begged and stolen (only joking) gear that we have is doing to job absolutely marvellously and has really helped us out with logistics here in the studio. The only one thing left to do now, is to press PLAY and off we go!
We hope you will be tuning in from 10am-5pm for the next 5 days, including today, here is a brief reminder of the line-up

10-11: James Richardson
A radio veteran starting the day with some well loved and remembered features as well as some new stuff.

11-1. The terrible 2 return back to Alrewas Radio with Barge Or No Barge, as well as hoping to get a real insight into what is going on at the festival and talking to loads of people within the local community.

1-2: Rob Spalls Lunchtime
Rob will be taking a break from the usual news and weather for his very own show at Lunchtime, while the rest of us head of to the chip shop to keep him refuelled and rearing to go!

2-3: The Ruttleys Canal time Quiz and Music
The Ruttley Bros. inc. Were new at Christmas and are back again for another run on the radio with some topical music and talk about the canal, as well as some laughs along the way. Very much looking forward to hearing them again!

3-4: The Tom Leedham Show
Playing alternative music for an hour, with some great new music to introduce you to! 

4-5: The Decades Hour
The decades will take a bit of twist this time, with some topical music to the weather and the time of year, as well as the event, as we take a walk through musical history every day.

I hope you love Alrewas Radio this time as we have so much for you to listen to and enjoy!

Thanks for reading and I hope you all tune in: 10-5, 24th-28th July. For further updates:

Follow Alrewas Radio on twitter: @peachy146
Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/alrewasradio

LISTEN AT: tinyurl.com/alrewasradio