Something different.

I will come back to the rest of our travels, I promise. Right now, however, I'm feeling something a little more along the lines of my usual stuff. First, I have various issues musical to deal with:

The new Red Hot Chili Peppers album 'I'm With You', which, I must confess, I have been listening to pretty much ever since I got hold of it just over a week ago. While nothing ground-breaking or particularly astounding, if you are a fan of the Chilis and found yourself desperately hoping for better from the sprawling and rather misguided double album 'Stadium Arcadium', this is the album for you. It features the ever present wondrous bass noodlings and Flea and the improved vocal performance from Kiedis 'dirty laundry, what a quandry' is a lyric that sticks out. So, the single 'The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie' has a fantastic bassline and a great, simple video shot, in what appears to be a rooftop gig the Chilis did on Venice Beach, much to my chagrin, just a week or two after I was there, in the evening sun with the admiring and rapidly gathering crowds forming over the length of the video. It is also great to see, as ever, the Chilis enjoying doing what they do; entertaining. Even new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer seems content and at ease. So, as state, it's nothing new but it's vintage Chilis enjoying themselves and coming up trumps in my books.

Second, the new Radiohead album, which has been out for some time, but I missed due to the adventures I've had over the last six months, but have subsequently listened to several times via their performance of the album on 'From the Basement' and it does indeed seem to be a wonderful return to their older slightly wackier ways. I haven't as yet had a chance to listen to the album repeatedly as all Radiohead albums require. One gets different things out of each different listen and as for the naysayers who dismiss Radiohead as depressing, pretentious nonsense, I can only express my condolences for what you're missing out on. I'll give you a more in depth assessment once I've listened to it five or six times, at least. Oh and on a side note, re-listening to OK Computer, for the umpteenth time, I'm continually struck by how outstanding it is and how, yet again, one derives different things from with each repeat listen.

On the down side, just briefly, the new Foo Fighters album, as far as I'm concerned is a major blot on a, so far, untarnished record. It just seems to lack the fun, soul and enjoyable air their previous albums have had in favour of a rather boring production and a lack of stand-out tracks. Perhaps that's just me though.

Books-wise, I have just finish a great collection of Paul Theroux's journalistic travel pieces called 'Sunrise With Seamonsters', which follows chronologically the pieces he published over a period of about 20 years. The topics range from the various epic railway journeys he undertook on the Subcontinent to the happy, if arduous hours, he spent rowing around the coast of Cape Cod in his lovely Victorian, hand-built skiff, to his memories of happy family reunions and just about everything in between. It's a lovely collection with something for everyone I feel and definitely a good introduction to this author for me. I have just begun reading Eric Newby's 'A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush', which evokes strong sentiments for me, imagining a place I have lived and yet, sadly, have no memories of, not to mention the extra-ordinary undertaking that is the main theme of the book, begun with the simple telegram 'CAN YOU TRAVEL NURISTAN JUNE?' which leads to a fantastical adventure in one of wildest corners of the earth. Having only just picked it up I can't report fully, but I'm confident it will be a rip-roaring read.

I have had some adventures over the last year; a trip to Paris, a trip to Broadstairs, many trips to London, one six month adventure around the world and all that it brought, but perhaps the most unexpected came to pass just over a week ago. I was at a dinner party with some family friends one evening and it would seem, in my absence it should be stated, I was volunteered for a sailing trip from Corfu's Gouvia port to Sicily's Catania over a week. With less than 24 hour's notice, I packed my bag and leapt onto the flight to Corfu to begin a short and rather more comfortable adventure, but nonetheless, at times challenging one.

I am no expert mariner, being only vaguely familiar with terms such as gybing, tacking, beating, loughing and all the other nautical jargon that is both a charming and highly confusing part of any such endeavour, but regardless found myself thoroughly enjoying the time spent on board and on shore at the various ports we stopped at. Not only did I enjoy the chance to do something totally different at such short notice, but I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing a part of the world I had not visited before and in a manner I have rarely experienced. A highlight was definitely seeing Mount Etna from the sea, looming over the South East coast of Sicily. One really appreciated the ease with which the Sicilians seem to live their lives, despite having this 3000m monster looming over them, ready to wipe them out, as it has done at various points in their long and illustrious history.

Anyway, as a result of this weeks exertions I am rather tired and so am going to head to bed very shortly.

As ever, I wish you happy travels, wherever and however you may go.

Joe