Dig the music Mr DJ

It's been a quiet week in the World of Captain Value but after a bit of an hiatus I have been stocking up on some new tunes.

It's relatively easy to go down the rapidshare route but there are some good sites which allow for legitimate downloads.

My two favourites at the moment offer differing experiences. Daytrotter.com gives you access to four song sessions by emerging and established bands. Recently they have posted sessions by such diverse folk at Kris Kristofferson and Lambchop. Great chance to get a taster of new things and hear live versions of favourite tracks. I'd highly recommend The Antlers session from October 2009 and The Acorn from February 2009.

I am also a fan of Zunior.com - which is a Canadian site which every two weeks has a free download of an eight track sampler. There is always something of interest and for the ears to prick up.

Another site but for podcasts is the music section of NPR.org - the US public radio service. There are a couple of podcasts available - All Songs Considered - provides an update on new music and most recently had John Lydon as a guest DJ. There are the tiny Desk Concerts and also First Listen when a new album is available to stream. the presenters really sound like they love their music and have a jocular interplay that reminds of the best of BBC Radio Five Live's Fighting Talk. You know - no holds barred - but go for a pint together afterwards.

And the flames rose to her roman nose

There seems to be something about three for a quid offers. i have already mentioned the card shop in Leith - but another recommended one is at the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf charity shop in Musselburgh. It starts with a strange tunnel - like entrance which opens out into a chasmesque shop that seems to go on and on. There is a small book room, furniture and a wide selection of pots and glassware. Strangely when i was last there I would swear i could hear pigeons in the roof.

i have to admit that I'm sometimes disappointed by charity shops which price material at almost a commercial rate. However, at the Hearing Dogs you can get any three videos, CDs and books for a pound - excellent value.

There is a down side to this though - I am sometimes loathed to donate these items where I think they have a higher intrinsic value and therefore pass them on somewhere else.

As you can see from the picture above - it's a great place to buy a copy of The Full Monty

I'm Till Ill

Simple scenario this week - just done the shopping and heading for the exit. But something is nagging that Value conscious part of the brain - sure I have spent more than expected.

So checked the till receipt and the smoked salmon (yes I am a great fan of the better things in life) - has been scanned through twice.

So went to Customer Service where the policy is to give you back twice the overcharging. So the outcome for me - some very pleasant Shetland smoked salmon for free.

But how many people check the till receipts - with everything automated there should be less chance for human error - but there still is.

Leaning over the bathtub, immersed in Persil

The doctor posted on her facebook page that she had convinced me that we needed to get a new washing machine - and that's right. Bought a new one online from Boots - but it felt a very functional - impersonal way of shopping. Not like how we got the old beige two tone washing machine which seems to have been with us since we moved in together around 15 years ago.

We bought it second hand from one of my colleagues. We lived in Leeds then and a friend gave us a lift over to Mirfield in his estate car and we manhandled this metallic brick in and out of the back of his car. I was really worried we would scratch his car as the washing machine was so heavy. It was only when I took the top off did I realise the drum was encased in concrete to stop it dancing across the floor on its spin cycle. Our kitchen at the time was the size of a postage stamp - we had to connect the washing machine to the ordinary sink taps making it really difficult to move around when the washing was on.

We moved up to Scotland and it stayed in the storage cupboard for a year while we rented. We lived in one of the Edinburgh colonies and it took three of us ages after a long trip up the A1 to get it up those darnn stairs. Collapsing with exhaustion after midnight and Chris heading back at 4 in the morning to get the van back on time. Still getting a ticket because one of the neighbours moaned about the van to the police - welcome to Edinburgh!!

When we moved out a year later we had removal men take our stuff. The guy was like Curly in the Harlem Globetrotters in the way he could almost spin the thing on one finger as he sauntered down the steps. So it came to East Lothian with us almost 10 years ago - and gave sterling service till last week. You know when you have a song running through your mind - well mine is Mrs Bartolozzi by Kate Bush. You can hear it here on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZnA4jHuyzs

Ahh - on the VFM side - it was £50 well spent.

The captain to the wafer shaped rescue

It has been suggested that Captain Value should have a superpower. Hmm - not really a leaping tall buildings, traveling faster than a speeding bullet type of guy - but this week I was thinking about the topic. One of my colleagues has already drawn me a Captain Value suit and passed over for consideration. Not enough sequins.

I was passing through Portobello (Edinburgh's beach) with a chum of mine and we passed by Hamilton's on Bath Street. it's a small shop situated next to the public lavvie - delightful. But it's what's inside that is the delight - as well as the toys and usual cans of juice, are bottles and bottles of boilings - and the piece of resistance at the moment - 10 Tunnock's Caramel Wafers (though seconds and not in wrappers) - for one of your Scottish pounds. Result!! There are other delights as well - I got four Toblerones for the same price.

But going back to the original point of the post - my chum asked how did I find these places? Well it's not much of a superpower - in fact it's not much of a power at all - but keeping an eye out for places like Hamilton's is the best I can do. To the sweet shop, and beyond!!