please empty your brain below
Aye it's hard but spring is coming

Simon Guy | 17.02.21 - 7:34 a.m. | #

Reminds me of the occasional column the humorist Alan Coren would write about how hard it was to find a subject for that week’s column. Entirely understandable in current circumstances...

Baldassaro | 17.02.21 - 7:42 a.m. | #

Not for the first time, the blog has me shaking my head in an effort to clear my utter astonishment. Not because I can't believe that anyone could miss Sutton, not at your aversion to the humble but hugely adaptable egg, nor that most of those turkey records peaked at 40 in the charts.. except In the City by The Jam, which is an absolute classic of the oeuvre!

Frank F | 17.02.21 - 7:54 a.m. | #

I'm glad you could be bothered to assemble the fragments for today. Like having an assemblage of odd cups can be more interesting to look at than an matching set, there is a curious satisfaction in how these fit together.

I remember one year long ago when my social success was at a low ebb that I resolved to give up abstinence for Lent...

Brightside | 17.02.21 - 7:59 a.m. | #

North Street Passage is affectionally called dog s^^t alley by West Ham supporters.

Fred | 17.02.21 - 8:00 a.m. | #

'Do You Believe In The West World'! I wish I could dust-off my copy of the 7" single but alas my turntable is not working ... Just a small query, are you sure about The Jam's release of 'In The City' being in the 80s?

dg writes: Yes.

PJS | 17.02.21 - 8:01 a.m. | #

I'm giving up hope.

Steve | 17.02.21 - 8:07 a.m. | #

Also Dexy's Dance Stance is an absolute banger and it's a crime it only peaked at 40 (although it was their first single). 'In the City' by the Jam was in 1977...

Steve | 17.02.21 - 8:11 a.m. | #

Ah. 'In the City' was re-released in 1980 to cash in on 'Going Underground' making No. 1 - it got to 40 a second time.

Steve | 17.02.21 - 8:15 a.m. | #

I actually wandered up North St Passage about two years ago on a bleak winter Sunday afternoon while waiting for my son's orchestra rehearsal to finish at the Lister School. I found it equally inspiring. But yes, I miss even that sort of experience now.

John Abbott | Homepage | 17.02.21 - 8:24 a.m. | #

I think you should give up Sutton for Lent

TomH | 17.02.21 - 8:25 a.m. | #

I was going to provide a comment but I can’t be bother to finish it...

Brian | 17.02.21 - 8:28 a.m. | #

I was one of the people who bought Dexy's Midnight Runners Dance Stance. It now lives in a box in the loft with all my other singles.

TimB | 17.02.21 - 8:30 a.m. | #

On Ash Wednesday I am always reminded of a Muslim friend at Univeristy who would give up alcohol for Lent every year.

tops | 17.02.21 - 8:36 a.m. | #

So you are giving up finishing articles for Lent.

David | 17.02.21 - 8:37 a.m. | #

I'm not at all religious, but I always thought Lent was 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, to correspond with Jesus's 40 days in the wilderness.

Michael Churchill | 17.02.21 - 8:50 a.m. | #

The John O'Gaunt pub and, uh, I cannot be bothered.....

Nigel | 17.02.21 - 9:14 a.m. | #

My favourite recipe for pancakes includes discarded sourdough starter so I won't link to that despite them being very good (I sent it to a friend who was just, er, discarding the discard and he said his daughter said 'you must promise to never make any other sort of pancakes ever again'), but you can make them without eggs fairly easily. I too never have eggs as my girlfriend is vegan, and they would just sit around for ages

John Styles | 17.02.21 - 9:16 a.m. | #

There is a path in Oxford affectionately also known as dog shit alley, perhaps that could be a post when things open up a bit '20 paths known locally as dog shit alley'.
I do like a good footpath like that though, my godmother's brother who was / is an artist used to do lots of paintings of them.

John Styles | 17.02.21 - 9:18 a.m. | #

I can relate to 3 items in that list having been born In Hornchurch moving to Sutton for a while and been a frequenter of DS Alley on many match days.

Dave B | 17.02.21 - 9:23 a.m. | #

A reflection to take up, not give up, for Lent at lumin.org.uk/lent/flyer.pdf

Geoff at Lumin | Homepage | 17.02.21 - 9:39 a.m. | #

Also here for In the City (there's a thousand things I want to say to you).

IIUC

1977 #40
1980 #40 (Going Underground cash in).
1983 #47 (Jam split cash in)
2002 #36 (75 pence reissue)

Lorenzo | 17.02.21 - 9:45 a.m. | #

I have solved the egg-hating but pancake-loving conundrum by having pancakes for brunch *every Sunday*. I highly recommend it as a strategy.

Sarah | Homepage | 17.02.21 - 9:53 a.m. | #

Shame, as the alleyway and the pancake / Lent posts had piqued my interest, if not yours.

Can totally understand though. This lockdown has been by far the hardest, and we're all so fed up with our locality that I fear when restrictions are finally eased the population will release itself like a coiled spring and we'll be back where we started again!

I look at the empty buses passing my window and think now would be the perfect time to go places - because when I can, they'll all be full again!

Cornish Cockney | 17.02.21 - 9:57 a.m. | #

Had to look up 'a padel court' to find out what it is. I am now better-informed (as indeed I am on yesterday being Shrove Tuesday, which I managed to miss somehow).

Man of Kent | 17.02.21 - 10:12 a.m. | #

So glad it's not just me with an aversion to eggs.

Brad | 17.02.21 - 11:46 a.m. | #

Celery grown on a rubbish tip - sounds delicious!

Greg S | 17.02.21 - 12:05 p.m. | #

Given the post's title, I was half expecting just five entries.

JonathanC | 17.02.21 - 12:26 p.m. | #

I think this February is shaping up to feel like the longest month ever. Next we will be sending DG details of dog shit alleys all over Britain. That’s what this month is doing to us all.

Vee Jay Em | 17.02.21 - 1:18 p.m. | #

I've lived in Plaistow for four years without stumbling across North Street Passage. I won't be rushing there for the scenery, but looking it up on Open Street Map I see it runs from Eastern Road in the west to Western Road in the east. That's a bit odd. There's a Northern Road and a Southern Road too, but they are on the north side and south side respectively.

James | 17.02.21 - 1:40 p.m. | #

Number of hits peaking at number 40

1980: 10
1981: 6
1982: 5
1983: 1
1984: 2
1985: 5
(which is where my list stops)
1986: 2
1987: 1
1988: 3
1989: 0

diamond geezer | Homepage | 17.02.21 - 1:58 p.m. | #

Eggs are only brought into my kitchen when I need to have a big cook in to fill the cake tins. I try not to let 'im indoors find the eggs,in case he thinks I'm going to boil a couple for him. But the smell alone...........sorry,think I'm gonna lose my lunch..........eeuukk

Jo W | 17.02.21 - 2:42 p.m. | #

As a result of todays post I made the (very small) effort to check where the 'champagne' part of Evelyn King's name came from - and found that due to current events and a comment about football supporters, it was doubly topical, leaving me both enlightened and slightly amused.

Still Anon | 17.02.21 - 2:42 p.m. | #

I have similar feelings and wrote a similar-minded post yesterday (published soon!).

Gordon | Homepage | 17.02.21 - 2:52 p.m. | #

Was it the thought of Keith Harris and Orville that put you off finishing the post?

greatkingrat | 17.02.21 - 7:21 p.m. | #

Snap! I had the 'pleasure' of walking the whole of Sutton High Street today (the food stores are top and bottom). And, we bought a Venetian blind in the middle.

For Lent, I am also giving up finishing my ...

Ken | 17.02.21 - 7:24 p.m. | #

We had a Doggie Dirt Way in Halifax c1970

Jeremy D | 17.02.21 - 11:24 p.m. | #

Can't beat home made pancakes (beat up eggs flour and milk). Cook one side, flip over and cook the other. Sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice, then roll and eat hot while cooking the next one. I forgot about pancake day. Must make some tonight.

rogmi | 19.02.21 - 1:25 p.m. | #











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