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Forgot to vote yesterday Tue 14 Nov 61 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 51 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 40 Underworld — Born Slippy 39 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 37 Blur — Song 2 37 The Cardigans — Lovefool - 6 20 Gala — Freed From Desire 14 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life +4

If only the entire Tory party was all a dream.

I meant to make some sloe gin this year. Must go out and see if there are any sloes left. In other news, I bought a bottle of Benedictine yesterday. I was hoping that Sainsburys would have it in time for Christmas so I could buy it with my Nectar points, but there's no sign of it, nor Calvados which is the other thing I am hankering after. I blame all the endless flavoured gins and vodkas which have monopolised the shelf space. Have just had a B&B, gorgeous. Brandy and Benedictine. Not had that for a long time. While in the off licence I spotted a bottle of Crème de Pêches, reduced from £15.99 to a tenner. Snapped it up. Turned out that the screw top was faulty, luckily they are mostly standard and a rummage in the recycling produced a suitable replacement.

That’s the norm in the UK. It is if there's going to be a cremation as the crems are usually booked up a few weeks in advance, at least for the more popular times. It's often possible to jump the queue by settling for an early or late slot. If there's going to be a service elsewhere, it makes sense to hold it before or after the cremation and not have people go to the crem at all.

Sun 12 Nov 52 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 49 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 44 Underworld — Born Slippy 43 Blur — Song 2 28 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life +4 28 Chumbawamba— Tubthumping 27 Gala — Freed From Desire  27 The Cardigans — Lovefool -6 25 Kula Shaker — Hush 25 Supergrass — Richard III 19 The Bluetones — Slight Return 05 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador

Selfishness and denial.

Huge mistake to finish it like this, IMO. Tried to cover far too much in less than two hours. Everything went at breakneck speed, new characters brought in that we didn't have time to get to know, and some quite inexplicable developments. What a shame they didn't make a sixth series, and give the story the time it needed and deserved.

Sat 11 Nov 51 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 47 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 46 Blur — Song 2 42 Underworld — Born Slippy 28 The Cardigans — Lovefool -6 28 Supergrass — Richard III 27 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life +4 26 Gala — Freed From Desire  25 Kula Shaker — Hush 24 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 16 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 16 The Bluetones — Slight Return 14 Robert Miles — Children 12 Dario G — Sunchyme

"Colleagues" - makes them sound as though they work in Sainsburys.

Fri 10 Nov 51 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn +4 46 Underworld — Born Slippy 45 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 43 Blur — Song 2 32 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 32 Supergrass — Richard III 28 The Bluetones — Slight Return 28 Gala — Freed From Desire 28 The Cardigans — Lovefool -6 24 Robert Miles — Children +2 22 Kula Shaker — Hush 22 Manic Street Preachers— A Design For Life +2 20 Dario G — Sunchyme 17 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping

Yes, that's what I thought. Protest march is on Saturday, main remembrance event on Sunday. More fear and antagonism being deliberately stirred up.

I'm a bit confused. What happens in London on Armistice Day? The main ceremony and parade takes place on Remembrance Sunday, not Armistice Day.

Thu 9 Nov 47 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 45 Underworld — Born Slippy 42 Blur — Song 2 41 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 33 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life 32 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 30 The Bluetones — Slight Return 30 Supergrass — Richard III 30 The Cardigans — Lovefool 30 Robert Miles — Children +4 28 Gala — Freed From Desire 28 Kula Shaker — Hush -6 24 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 23 Dario G — Sunchyme 13 Sash! — Encore Une Fois

So she was basically a cancer mum.

When I was a kid I used to see mentions of court proceedings in the newspapers, and the judges were always called Mr Justice This or Mrs Justice That. I marvelled at how their parents had had the foresight to give them such appropriate names.

“I’d been very ill, but I am now much better,” she said. “I got Covid very badly, at the same time my best friend, Hal Willner died. When I came around, I had to learn to walk again, and I have done that. I am very lucky; I’m in a good place, I’m happy to be at peace, to not be dying (yet!) and I’ve got very good friends. Part of getting older is being lonely, losing friends, and you kind of have to accept that, but I don’t like it! As you can imagine, my life has changed completely; it’s hard, but it’s beautiful." The photo in the RS article - I was at that gig. So glad I went as it was the last chance to see her perform in the UK, although we didn't know that at the time.

Wed 8 Nov 44 Underworld— Born Slippy 43 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 39 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 39 Blur — Song 2 34 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador -3 34 The Cardigans — Lovefool -3 33 Robert Miles — Children +3 32 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life +1 30 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 28 Kula Shaker — Hush 27 The Bluetones — Slight Return 26 Supergrass — Richard III 25 Gala — Freed From Desire 24 Dario G — Sunchyme 23 Mark Snow — The X-Files 20 Toni Braxton — Un-Break My Heart 19 Sash! — Encore Une Fois

Yes, it is! Fun fact: I had my first Covid jabs there.

Tue 7 Nov 51 Underworld — Born Slippy 45 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 37 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 35 Robert Miles — Children +4 33 Mark Snow — The X-Files 33 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 33 Blur — Song 2 30 The Cardigans — Lovefool -3 30 Dario G — Sunchyme 30 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 29 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life 26 Supergrass — Richard III 26 The Bluetones — Slight Return 25 Gala — Freed From Desire 24 Kula Shaker — Hush 17 Toni Braxton — Un-Break My Heart 17 Sash! — Encore Une Fois 17 George Michael — Spinning The Wheel 09 George Michael — Star People '97 06 Warren G ft. Adina Howard — What's Love Got To Do With It -3

I'm convinced people only like that song because of John Prescott.

I don't like the shouty man. I prefer this one.

Mon 6 Nov 52 Natalie Imbruglia — Torn 42 Underworld — Born Slippy 38 Blur — Song 2 33 Robert Miles — Children +4 31 Chumbawamba — Tubthumping 31 The Verve — Bitter Sweet Symphony 31 The Cardigans — Lovefool 30 Sash! ft. Rodriguez — Ecuador 30 Mark Snow — The X-Files 26 Manic Street Preachers — A Design For Life 25 Sash! — Encore Une Fois 25 The Bluetones — Slight Return 25 Gala — Freed From Desire 23 George Michael — Spinning The Wheel 23 Toni Braxton — Un-Break My Heart 23 Kula Shaker — Hush -5 22 Dario G — Sunchyme 22 Supergrass — Richard III 17 Warren G ft. Adina Howard — What's Love Got To Do With It 15 George Michael — Star People '97 14 No Mercy — Where Do You Go 14 Kula Shaker — Hey Dude  12 Los Del Río — Macarena 00 Sash! ft. La Trec — Stay -1