Christmas edition

Christmas for me includes things like teddy bears  and here's a picture of one

Happy Christmas people.

The Beatles CD EP collection

I remember buying this must of been 2007 but actually I had owed on vinyl a number of these titles such as Yesterday which I got in December 1979 and Extracts from the film "A Hard Day's Night" in March of 1980 as I loved the covers and the mono mixes.

This is collection is a little dear but is strongly recommended for it's sound quality.
Basically it comprises of 13 original EP's re-issued on CD and the 1981 bonus disc from that years vinyl EP collection.
Because nearly all the EP's were only issued in mono that's how most of the EP's are presented.
For a variety of reasons including tape head misalignment, use of stereo tape equipment to play mono tapes and primitive analogue to digital mastering equipment, the 1987 CD versions of Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard day's Night and Beatles for Sale had very poor sounding mono sound (and no stereo).
This set contains 12 of the 14 tracks from the UK Please Please Me album including Misery and There's A Place in high quality mono.
From With The Beatles only Money and All My Loving are featured.
8 out of the 13 songs from A Hard Day's Night are featured on two dedicated CD's as are 8 of the 14 from Beatles For Sale.
This set is currently only one of two only official sources of Yesterday, Act Naturally, It's Only Love, You Like Me Too Much, Nowhere Man, Michelle and two other tracks from the UK Rubber soul and Help albums in mono (the other being the 2009 limited edition "The Beatles in Mono" box set which is a lot more expensive).
This EP set contains Magical Mystery Tour, which originally was only issued as a double EP set on vinyl in mono and stereo.
The stereo version has different mixes compared to the 1971 mix done for the German market which was issued in 1987 on CD all around the world.
I would have to say it sounds very good with lots of presence and is to be preferred over the '87 CD.
It has the original mono versions which otherwise are not available and has the 24 page booklet which the CD issue dispensed with too. Grrr!
The bonus stereo CD: The stereo version of She's A Woman has the “one, two three four” count in missed out on the version on the Past Masters 1 CD, This Boy sounds a lot fuller and Baby You're A Rich Man from Magical Mystery Tour album sounds much better.
I'd recommend this set to anybody looking for good mono sound and the best Magical Mystery Tour you can get.

*Text updated Sept 2009 by Caro

Record buying and me

Today I've been looking though both my pocket notebooks and my published lists on a certain website of all my music purchases so far this year and it's really so amazingly addictive this really is.
There are a lot of reasons why compared to many people I buy so much one being the breadth of my music likes, I don't just care for say one artist or one style and often when I'm into a artist I am also in deep into whole catalogues.
So for instance I have complete 70's and 80's album catalogues by people like David Bowie, Paul McCartney and Abba where many might have perhaps the odd compilation and a favourite studio album.
Another reason I spent so much is because over the years some of the records and especially cd issues of albums were not the best sounding ones, just what either I could find or afford and since joining last year one music site, I have learned a lot about how recordings are put out on record and  cd and critically why it is sometimes I've felt disappointed with how they've sounded.
This had lead me to spend a lot of money on sourcing better replacements both new but increasingly used.
My original buying habits in my teens were more 45 orientated outside of 'evergreens' and albums bought by  family and friends so I've also been discovering the albums or artists where my collections have been historically 45's

The Beatles - Great sounding vinyl Pt.1: 1962-1964

The beatles and I go back a long time from childhood growing up listening to their songs on the radio, being gifted various 45's and as I got a little older, buying my own records because their music makes me happy.
To me this goes beyond regular adult collecting interests being very much a part of  my child-like side, enjoying reading the lp jackets as much as singing along to their songs that gives me a great feeling of inner well-being being in a safe, carefree environment which I feel is what they as song-writers, entertainers actually wanted more for us than the more obsessive side you see on some websites.




















Following on from the better sounding CD page, I thought I'd add my suggestions on the better sounding vinyl covering their work.
Currently, nearly all the in print vinyl is sourced from the digitally re-mastered catalogue of 1987 and the compilations added since. Because of the issues mentioned on the CD page much of this is of no use to you if you're wanting really good records. Simply issuing these versions on vinyl doesn't solve the basic mastering issues.

The 1962 - 1963 catalogue:
Three options:
UK catalogue: Stereo. Please Please Me Parlophone PCS 3042.
The track listing can be found from HMV as this album is available digitalized in poorly mastered mono if you need to.
This is quite easy to find in mid 70's to mid 80's re-issues from mainstream used dealers, record fairs and Ebay. I felt this sounded slightly thin in the mid band but is more complete than Early Years.

Canadian: Stereo. Twist and Shout Capitol ST 6054
Harder to find near relative of Please Please Me that trades 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Misery' for She Loves You' and 'From Me To You' originally issued February 1964.
Originally issued in mono only (T 6054) up to 1976, this one got a stereo make over in the late 70's when Capitol of Canada requested stereo tapes from EMI UK and with first rate cutting sounds superb as the weren't futzed with.
One thing you'll need to check is that some copies come with one side in mono - that incidentally feature the 'dry' singles version of 'Please Please Me'.
My current copy is like that but I have to say this is the best sounding one I heard.

North American: Stereo. The Early Beatles. Capitol ST 2309
Issued in both Canada and the States in March 1965, this has only 11 of the 14 tracks that made the UK Please Please Me album. Misery and There's a Place were not issued on US album until 1980's Rarities. Some tracks were re-mixed for US consumption.
This has been Stereo only since 1968 but most earlier copies sounded poor as Capitol in the US shaved the bass and upper treble off in an attempt to make it play on the cheapest phonographs!
The ones to look for should have a Purple coloured Capitol label with the dome on or the very last 'rainbow rims of 1983-88 by which time the stampers used to press them had been re-cut with much better sound.
I own a Canadian Purple copy which sounds very good.

1963-1964:
Canadian. Stereo . Beatlemania with the Beatles! Capitol ST 6051
First issued in November 1963 - the first Beatles album issued in North American - this is identical to the UK With The Beatles album right down to the sleeve notes.
As with most Capitol of Canada albums until December 1964, this was originally issued as mono only and it received a stereo make over in 1976 where stereo tapes were requested from EMI UK, one consequence of this has none of the additional processing prevalent on the US inspired albums.
It did have some growing pains in being issued in stereo as two versions were done one with a very wide stereo image and another some what narrowed but still recognizably stereo.
See this link to identify what copy you have:SH Forums - View Single Post - Beatlemania! With The Beatles Canadian stereo difference
The thing to note is even compared to the UK stereo this has no additional compression added to it and the actual mastering was done sympathetically.
I own both a Wide stereo and Narrowed stereo copy and even the narrowed copy has the best tonality I've heard on a re-issue and many swear by the Wide version.

UK With The Beatles! Stereo Parlophone PCS 3045
Widely available in mid 70's, mid 80's issues - this is good but I found it sounded thin.
For this track selection my preference is Beatlemania!

North America:Stereo. Meet The Beatles! Capitol ST 2047
Approved by Brian Epstein for release in the US in January 1964 and Stereo only from 1968, most copies were not good sounding.
This is an enjoyable album but would note two tracks - 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' and 'This Boy' appear in less than good fake stereo and all have some compression compared to the other two choices.
Again you need a Purple or late Rainbow Rimmed copy if this selection appeals.

1964 North American:

Canadian. Stereo. Long Tall Sally Capitol ST 6063. May 1964.
The last unique Canadian issue, this is a gem as Capitol of Canada realized when taking this mono album to stereo in the late 70's mono only tracks were best left that way and oddly enough used mono versions of the title track 'I Call Your Name', 'This Boy' and 'I Want To Hold Your Hand' that are otherwise are hard to find in album form. It complements Twist and Shout well adding the missing tracks and unlike Second Album (see below) this has 'You Can't Do That' in true stereo rather than very echo-laden duophonic.
Some copies oddly enough have the first side in original mono only - as does mine - but this sounds superb.
Strongly recommended.

North American: Stereo The Beatles' Second Album ST2080
Originally issued in April of 1964, this has the five outstanding tracks of Beatlemania/With The Beatles issued on Meet The Beatles plus Long Tall Sally*, I Call Your Name* and a few singles.
This album has the only true stereo Thank You Girl and different mixes of the *EP tracks and generally is well compiled. The problem is the stereo version has loads of added echo which obscures the fine details and is fatiguing to listen too.
The CD version has the mono with is free from much of this.
Useful for different mixes - look for a purple label copy but not otherwise recommended.
The 1964 recordings:
North America.Stereo. Something New. Capitol ST2108.
This was the album that had the tracks from the Movie A Hard Days Night that hadn't been issued as singles on it and because of licensing issues doesn't feature three tracks ('Can't Buy Me Love', 'I Should Of Known Better' and the movies title track).
In it's favour the Purple Capitol sounds surprisingly good and is all true stereo throughout. You can supplement this with either the US Reel Music compilation or UK 45's (the stereo 'I Should Have Known Better' is on the UK Yesterday single issued April 1976.

UK. Stereo. A Hard Day's Night Parlophone PCS 3058
Easy to find a later issue of this album.
All seven of the films plus six other but minus the other two tracks from the UK Long Tall Sally.
Take your pick - I normally go with Something New having the other tracks on 45 and various albums - but you may prefer this set with it's first rate liner notes
The sound is generally of a high standard.
I'd recommend both as the only CD to offer decent stereo sound is the CD of Something New (Capitol Albums Vol:1 box).

The internal and external images

 

Forty years ago we would not of been having this conversation as we were women and girls and pretty much whatever we did at home and increasingly at work, we just wore dresses and skirts. The end.

Thirty years ago, I noticed on the cusp of becoming a teenager things had started to change, we saw women at social events and even in school wearing trouser suits, and yes in some contexts they could be more modest such as say physiotherapists.

But otherwise as a T Gurl, it remained an enigma that what one desired so much was indeed not so desired by women and later on girls in schools too.

For me it was the variety by length, construction, material and prints compared with the usually drab monotones of trousers, the freedom of legs to move without constraints and the airiness.

I just felt better wearing skirts, that they represented being the real authentic me.

Rolled Gold and Styx Equinox & Crystal Ball

What comes around goes around, eh?
That was my first thought when I heard of the release of yet another Rolling Stones CD recently.
The original CD's were issued in Europe around 1984/7 and because of licensing issues were replaced by the US mastered (and somewhat inferior sounding) issues in 1995.
Then in 2002 it was announced that the were to re-mastered using new DSD techniques for the Super Audio CD (SACD).
In total 22 discs which included the US versions of the Big Hits and Thru' The Past, Darlkly compilations, Hot Rocks and Hot Rocks 2 Double compilations and the London Years ( All the singles and B sides on three discs).
And that's how everybody thought their Decca era output on CD was going to stay, so why issue this?
This album on LP and Tape was issued in 1975 and proved to be exceptionally popular because in one package it had the main singles and important album tracks, providing a good way into the bands 60's recordings.
In the CD age however this compilation is a surprisingly good choice.
First off, one problem with the US inspired Hot Rocks and Hot Rocks 2 sets is the material is scatted in no particular order across four CD's and in the case of Hot Rocks 2 not even in chronological order. Some of the tracks on Hot Rocks 2 are only really there because the original US LP's such as After-Math missed off tracks from the UK issues that never found their way onto other US 'albums'. That's why 'What To Do' ends up on disc two.
Equally if one was to consider the individual Big Hits and Thru' The Past Darkly discs these use US versions that miss off UK hit singles.
The re-introduction of Rolled Gold solves this problem at a stroke as it features all the UK singles issued from 1963 thru 1969 plus the US singles. It has notable tracks like 'Carol', 'Lady Jane', 'Yesterday's Papers' and 'Gimme Shelter'.
The tracks run in near chronological order so you can sense the musical development of the group from those early R&B sessions to what is the template for much of todays Indie rock.
It is little appreciated outside of Stones fanatics circles but there was a major problem in the last otherwise good re-mastered series.
On 'Ruby Tuesday' somehow they pulled the 'wrong' tapes and got a copy which misses off the multi-tracked vocals and some instrumentation and that is on all the compilations re-issued plus the Flowers album.
This issue puts it right not without some controversy as seemingly they 'cloned' the right version from the older CD! Never mind the sound is quite acceptable although had they used an actual tape it could have made to sound better.
'Time Is On My Side' is the UK version in stereo whilst 'Mothers Little Helper' uses the mono version issued on single in the US.
In a strange move they've added two recordings from 1971, 'Brown Sugar' and 'Wild Horses' to the compilation.
So at long last we have a decent Decca era CD compilation and a low price too. There also is a inexpensive 4 Lp version available from HMV and eil.com in the UK.
Strongly recommended

This came out a year back and I recently picked up a copy used.
It's the 1975 and 1976 Styx albums - the first two for A&M Records - after changing from Wooden Nickel. Featuring Lorelie, Suite Madam Blue and Crystal Ball this twofer remastered by Andrew Thompson at Sound Performance sounds great and can be recommended.
Catalogue number: BGOCD 724

Likes

I've been a bit busy this week not helped by a ropy session with my broadband provider so here comes this weeks entry.
Hey folks Did I ever mention to you all I really love porcelain?
Well the stunning figure above is the first annual Lady of the Year from The English Ladies Co. She is elegantly dressed in a summer gown and carries a delicate bone china parasol. The English Ladies Co. rose motif decorates her bodice and skirt. It's Beautifully modelled by Valerie Annand. Height 25 cm (10 ins).

I have and will be doing some further work on this blog over this month to tidy it up as well as generally improve it's appearance so you'll spot some diffferences of which there's a big one already.

Disciplinary meeting

Things are changing at work, have been the last few months really with different systems coming in  place and what not but anyway my performance was under question so I was called in to be quizzed  and more or less told to pull my socks up.

To be quite honest as go through all that stuff with reviews and so on, at the end of the day I'd much sooner get a smack like I did when I was a kid cos by the time folk have finished the brow beating stuff, I'm just looking up at the ceiling, not really being there and so it really doesn't help.

A dolls party time

That I always loved dolls has never been in question even if some may of questioned it but to be honest this is all I'm wanting to do: To wear pretty dresses and play with dolls for hours with both us looking amazingly cute.
With everything that has happened I find it so therapeutic to be in a spot where all triggering things are gone, where the innocence that a child-minded me is at because of my brain damage loving and being loved for the life that is natural for me, free to be myself.
Matching outfits for me to go with the dolls would be icing on the cake!

Summery but in the Fall?

 

Summer may have left for The Fall, but it's still warm enough to wear this lovely co-ordinated blouse and skirt rose print combo with perhaps a necklace and cute ankle socks.

It maybe from the Women's rather than the Teen Girl's racks but it kinda works for T girls who are more like that such as me.

It's less about the label and all about getting looks that work and reflect the real you.

My new avatar

This is my new Avatar.
I love anime so no surprises for the content.
Unfortunately due to size restrictions and other funny stuff at one site, the display there doesn't do it any real justice so I thought I'd post it here instead.

Making an impression

Now this is short and classy!

Much Music

 I got the classic Anime, Akira! cheaply on DVD having fond memories of seeing that on TV in the early 90's.It's a tour-de-force of action never letting up.

Musically, I've drifted back into the 80's – or did they ever go way? - with the first three Howard Jones titles two of which are on the original Teal coloured so-called Target CD's of the early 80's.

Plus I have coming soon the two Naked Eyes LP's a band more appreciated over in the states than here in England.

There are two CD's of hits out but unfortunately not the original albums Naked Eyes (The US 10 track version) or Burning Bridges (UK/JPN 12 track original) from '83 and Fuel For the Fire from '84 which has come over from B.C., Canada. 

Naked Eyes comprised of Pete Byrne on Vocals and the late Rob Fisher on Keyboards/fairlight. He also programmed the Linn drum machine. 

For more on Naked Eyes see this: Naked Eyes

For just about the most oddest item coming to me is the US XDR cassette tape of Kajagoogoo's White Feathers album that unlike it's low tech UK equivalent, has also the 12" Dance Version of Too Shy added to the release. 

I also got the One Way Records CD from 1993 which sounds much better compared to the 2004 UK EMI issue. 

Talking XDR cassettes I recently got the original issues of the first four Duran Duran albums in this form which provided me with my first introduction to the special mixes produced for the second and third US editions of Rio.

Some more Canadian content was gotten recently whilst on vacation in Wales, UK with recordings by Pat Travers, Max Webster and Alannah Myles plus more Edward Bear coming over the Atlantic (see last post for more Bear). I've now completed my bear LP collection. Special thanks to Records By Mail (RBM) in the States for their excellent service. 

For Pat Travers go here: http://www.pattravers.com

Prompted by Sean at SH.tv, I have a compilation by the Montreal based group The Bells who had a Canadian hit with Fly Little White Dove, Fly in the early 70's coming real soon to me. 

I went away at the start of the month which was surprisingly warm for the time of year and the trees were just about to start changing to that crisp golden colour. 

I was over at Betwys -y-Coed walking about having caught the train from Llandudno rail station for the day when I decided to get a Tracy Beaker Latte mug to replace a mug that had acquired a nasty chip in it. 

She's a heroine of mine - you really ought to read the books by the authoress, Jacqueline Wilson, if you never heard of her.

Brother Beyond

Rewind the trax! Back in 1988 i was infatuated if that's the right world with this boy band pop act.
Comprised of David Ben White, Carl Fysh, Steve Alexander and Nathan Moore their attempts at pop stardom took a significant leap following the involvement of the then in demand production team of Stock Aitken and Waterman who remixed several tracks recorded for this album which include 'The Harder I Try' 'He Ain't No Competition', 'Be My Twin' and 'Can You Keep a Secret'.

The band were also famous for their Buddhist religious beliefs.The second album 'Trust' and singles from it all bombed! I still own and enjoy playing this record my sister in law bought me.
Link:Brother Beyond - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doll collecting

One fascination I had in my junior years was collecting dolls in their individual national costumes partly as a gateway into finding out about different countries, customs and cultures and also because I just loved dolls with their pretty outfits.
The alpine regions of Italy, Switzerland and Austria also held a fascination for me too.

Frillied

There are times when I do love frilly underwear such as under this sort of outfit.

I think it's very much me.

Edward Bear

I recently feel in love with the sound of Canadian folk-rockers Edward Bear.
I remember growing up listening to their songs but it's been many years since I had last heard them. Recently I had the chance to re-visit them via Toronto's CHUM 1050 radio station which plays many 'oldies' especially by Canadian artists.
The band were formed originally in 1966 by Larry Evoy and Craig Hemming . Soon after a series of gigs they became the house band of Toronto's Yorkville scene and signed to Capitol Records in 1969. Evoy said of the signing "we were only discovered and got a music contract with Capitol, because (producer) Paul White accidentally saw us on a CBC television show... Right place, right time, I guess." Or, in music commentator Ritchie Yorke' s words "the band hit the magic circle of acceptance."
You might well ask what's the story behind the name but it is derived from A.A
Milne's Winnie The Pooh, whose "proper" name is Edward Bear.
Their top singles include "You, Me and Mexico", "Last Song", and "Close Your Eyes", all
of which were top five in Canada and charted well in the States.
The band's greatest chart success came in 1972 when "Last Song" charted at No. 1 in Canada and peaked at No. 3 in the States. In 1973 Edward Bear won a Juno Award in the outstanding group performance category.
Twelve years from formation, thousands of road trip miles, four albums and at least four hit singles later, Edward Bear packed it in and although Evoy rebuilt the band twice it was disbanded in 1974 following a disastrous tour of high school gigs and three club venues.
By the mid-70s, admits Paul Weldon - who played keyboards - "I was in my mid-30s. My wife and I were expecting our first child, and I had an architectural career to tend to."
Evoy went on to a semi-successful solo career but is currently retired. Former member Danny Marks has continued a very successful career as a blues guitar veteran. Paul Weldon, a six year veteran of the band, performs with a jazz combo and teaches at Seneca College in Toronto. Bill Loop, bassist in the early seventies, resides in south-western Ontario and plays locally with various session musicians. He also teaches guitar, Recommended compilation: The Edward Bear Collection Capitol-EMI of Canada 1991 CD available from Amazon UK.

Raised hemlines

This is more the kind of short skirt I like

Usually worn with over the knee socks or tights in a casual but stylish way.

Ringer Tights

As a fan of short skirts and mini dresses one wants appropriate hosery and in my opinon these are the one of the best options available for women:

With a variety of colours available,  ringer tights add detail to your outfit a well as making the most of your legs in addition to maintaining your dignity.

Tapes away!

In that period before I bought into compact disc, one medium I did use a lot was the compact cassette not just for recording from either records or broadcasts but also pre-recorded cassettes whose technical quality  was improving during the early nineteen-eighties.

That deck was the one I had from 1985 through 1991 which had the very handy auto reverse option which meant you didn't need to turn the tape over although you did lose around  six seconds or so as t went past any leader tape and the mechanism changed direction.
It also had the in vogue Dolby C in addition to B noise reduction to reduce tape hiss considerable.

This sort of cube for storing tapes was a hanger on from the nineteen-seventies where I had one with my portable recorder at the time and first stereo machine to keep my tapes safe.
I tended to have case of 32 tape capacity labelled for my home recordings with paper based catalogue to aid finding them.

Conway

Conway is one of my favourite places to spend time relaxing. It is situated on the North Wales coast, United Kingdom and has a a Castle which was built on the orders of King Edward I of England during one of his periodic attempts to take control of the entire British Isles.
The picture is taken from Conway harbour from which short coastal excursions are operated during the summer months and also you can observe locals repairing their own boats before sailing.
Nearby is the smallest house in Wales which a lady in traditional Welsh dress will explain the history of and maybe let you take a picture of her and the house to show your friends and family.
Also to be found in Conway town centre is Aberconway House which is owned by The National Trust.
One thing any intending visitor needs to be aware of is the presence of seagulls who are somewhat aggressive in their endeavours to obtain food. They have been known to sweep overhead, land on your head and take off with your sandwiches!

Dvorak's 9th

Normally I only tend to have just one recording of a classical composition but sometimes I find I need more.

Dvorak's New World Symphony is one example where I have it within a boxed set of his symphonies by Rafael  Kubelik, a seperate disc by Macal on Classics For Pleasure I originally owned on tape and recently acquired this classic 1964 recording by the late Herbert von Karajan which certainly has bags of character and was very well recorded.
It comes with a selection of his Slavonic Dances that originally were on a seperate cd.

Redressed edition

There's a big part of me who would love to wear or have someone put me in a dress like this as although it's a bit out of the comfort zone right now, I'd soon take to it right down to the accessories.  I think it's very much as I see me.

Panther Pink Panther

That's pretty much the size of it as I'm resting as my paws hurt (left is badly swollen) and I'm thinking about the stuff I liked as a kid to help deal with the pain.
He had a Saturday TV show "The Pink Panther Show" that featured animated shorts of his pinkness as well as another segment usually something like the Aardvark or the Inspector produced by the same studio,
It was so funny it it had me almost needing to go to the rest room!

Imaginary away days

I'd love someone to take away for a few days, all done up in frills festooned in pink and white so I just just enjoy the experience a world away from what I wear at work.

With lace trimmed underwear on.

Old really is better than New when it comes to CD's

A number of people noticed that the recent 2001/3 re-masters were noticeable poor sounding compared to their original issues which came out in the early years of the Compact Disc. 

For instance, throughout the first album there is considerable clipping evident on cymbals, compression and heavy handed noise reduction employed on the current re-master that has no parallel with the original 1985 issue. 

Similar issues affect Rio, Seven and The Ragged Tiger and Arena albums. 

Nor would it appear Duran Duran are the only artists whose current CD's are so afflicted.

I recently compared other albums tackled by the re-mastering team at EMI's prestigious Abbey Road studio team and found similar artifacts in the Pet Shop Boys 2 CD series, the Talk Talk re-masters and the Paul McCartney collection. 

On Band On The Run the combination of compression and bass 'bloat' takes away the impact of the song when you compare this to either the original 1986 UK release or the versions of this track on the All The Best! and the original Wings Greatest compilations. 

You really would be better off holding on to your earlier CD's or tracking them down on Ebay instead. 

Another group whose work has suffered is the heavy rock group Rainbow. On the album Rainbow Rising, famed for track Stargazer, the mastering engineer has added a false gloss to the high frequencies that makes listening to this album tiresome. 

Arguably the best way to hear most of the tracks from this album is from the 2 CD compilation Catch The Rainbow, whose mastering is first class. 

I find it ironic that many of us are buying up the older CD issues of these titles at the same time the record companies are reporting lower sales. Could it be we're fed up with the standard of recordings we are presented with?

Spring attire

Seeing it's spring, this is really what  a girl like me  really likes to be wearing.

EGL fashion

Just adorable, that's my thought on this example of Elegant Gothic Lolita as worn.

Out with the old!

I've always loved to watch movies ever since I was a little kid so when they started come out on video tape I jumped at the chance to watch them, surrounded by my teddies and dolls because it's a way of getting into that child-like frame of mind where I feel happy and  carefree, safe sipping a glass of milk. 
That's why as technology changes I just had to act starting first on my favourite cartoons such as the Pink Panther and various Disney titles since first starting to buy DVD's in 2002.
It was only those titles that went straight to first time DVD release, those cartoons plus a few classic TV and Music releases I bought leaving a legacy of titles I had to use my trusty S-VHS recorder for.
At long long last I have been replacing a good many of my VHS tapes of movies with DVD versions since updating my DVD player a short while back.

I replaced recently the following:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Wiz
Flash Gordon
ET
Staying Alive
Two Of A Kind
Streets Of Fire
Top Gun
Labyrinth
Cocktail
Days Of Thunder


The improvement over the tapes is hard to describe but they are sharper with better colour rendition and contrast.

Covered legs

I first got into tights in my teens as increasingly my Mom and Aunts bought me them to wear outside of school wear we just had to wear socks cos it was school rules and all that partly cos with growing up they felt I should look more like a young woman when I was out or at social occasions .
The other part was that they felt as I get cold  very quickly, putting me in tights was a very practical thing because enveloping your whole lower body, they keep you warm and snug.
I normally wear either tan or black at work as they pretty well go with anything aren't dear to replace if they snag and don't get a lot of unwanted attention.
I do like the patterned ones with my shorter skirts and dresses though.

Mozart Quintets

Recently I bought this two cd set that had the contents of a four lp set on that originally had come out on cd in 1991 in a three cd form in a FatBoy case but because it's now possible to put a it more onto a single disc in effect they were able to pack two more Quintets into the two so reducing the price and by using the slim double case, the storage capacity.
For me these recordings from the late nineteen-sixties to the mid seventies have never been surpassed.
It also fits in well with my six cd box set of Mozart's Quartets also by the Amadeus Quartet too I bought.

Aww II

More Sweet Lolita fashion

Also today's a important day here so I've been sing visitors for most of the day.

Homebase

For a variety of reasons life lived not 'at home' but rather in the Dorm of a boarding school was the one setting I felt safe, secure and cherished as a child providing me with what I actually needed.

Some people might think being away from home is odd but to me my school was a ready made family who did try to look after me, an authority whose rules I learned to conform to and in time see the wisdom of  and a place where fair play was expected and received.

It's hardly surprising then I am "That Boarding School Girl" and this is what my blog is called because in my regression, that school and this schoolgirl is where I am at.

Aww

I have an interest Loita fashion.

This is a very good example of "Sweet Lolita"

What a waist!

A certain person I know is always on to me about corsets and what they can do for your figure, making the most of your curves and maybe helping you back into the bargain (My back has issues!).
Here's a inexpensive example currently available from the Bandicoot Boutique available in size 8 thru' 14 with hook fastenings at the front -no bad thing for someone as unco-ordinated as I -with a width of 8 inches and the waist stretching from 26 through 32 inches.
It is available in Red, White and Black that will go with most outfits.

Driving in style

Car driver? Maybe have kids or perhaps for your inner child yourself, this is a real cute car accessory covering four seats complete with pull over bits for the head rests. Add your sunshades at the rear windows and your done.

My little support workers

One thing I have always like and still enjoy is rag dolls of which I have a good number that live on my shelves that I use whenever I am feeling very anxious or otherwise stressed, holding, stroking or 'playing' with them both at home and at work where they do understand needs like this that I have in One thing I have always like and still enjoy is rag dolls of which I have a good number that live on my shelves that I use whenever I am feeling very anxious or otherwise stressed, holding, stroking or 'playing' with them both at home and at work where they do understand needs like this that I have in things such as meetings. It's a part of who I am.

Angelic Layer & My Neighbour Totoro

I recently picked up this the discounted 7 DVD set by MVM of the CLAMP anime Angelic Layer

Angelic Layer is about a small town girl called Misaki Suzuhara that travels to Tokyo to live with her Aunt. However on arrival the 12 year old Misaki discovers a new game, which the player controls high tech dolls with their minds to battle each other. She quickly makes friends with other kids that are also enjoy playing Angelic Layer.

Angelic layer is based on the Manga series made by CLAMP (the all girl makers of Chobits) and the Animation is from BONES the same studio that animated Rah-Xephon.

The story is great, I was really excited about when it was first introduced in the Chobits. The DVDs contains 4 episodes each and as always ADV has shoved some extras in also.

This is Hikaru,Misaki's doll.

























I recently bought this DVD in the acclaimed Studio Ghilbi Collection.
This full length anime is conceived as a family film devoid of conflict and suffused with the carefree pleasures of the summertime, My Neighbour Totoro sees Hayao Miyazaki create a parable of friendship and imagination populated with unforgettable characters.
The storyline revolves around Satsuki and her little sister Mei (voiced in English by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning) get away from it all while their mother recovers from an illness in an idyllic rural retreat. Far from the bustle of the city, they discover a mysterious place of spirits and magic, and the friendship of the Totoro woodland creatures.