Eric Clapton | The Contented Crafter

Earlier this week my blogging pal Char over on Lesie’s World put up a post titled Friday’s Five Favourite … Albums, which I meant to go back to and comment on [as is my want!] But I never got round to it due to the fact that I had far too much to say about what I was listening to, and why ………. I am so thinking of re-titling my blog ‘The Opinionated Woman’!

Any way, in the end, I decided to write this post – and I do hope you will follow the link and see what Char is listening to as well [when you’ve finished reading this] 🙂

When I am at ‘work’ in my craft room there is always something playing either music or audio books or inspirational talks – but it’s mostly music.

The soundtrack of my life is a complex, wide ranging, genre hopping trip going far back in time and then racing up to today’s chart toppers – at a brief glance you will see my CD and itunes collection includes Robin Thicke, Pavarotti, Faith Hill, Boyzone, Emeli Sande, Nick Cave, Van Morrison, Adele, Leonard Cohen, Kiri Te Kanawa, kd Lang, Matchbox Twenty, Placido Domingo, Bob Marley, Sting, Johnny Cash, Dire Straits, Bee Gees [pre and post disco only], Rolling Stones, Bruce, Eric, Elvis, Kris, various opera collections, some jazz, some folk music, country rock, country blues, all kinds of blues, and a bit of Mozart, Bach and Brahms, songs from shows, Irish music, Celtic music, Reggae music, Gospel music …… I’ve got New Zealand musicians and Australian musicians, music from years ago and the latest releases from the latest new comers……….. and that is a brief scratch of the surface, it just goes on and on and on.

About the only genre that I cannot give ear time to is that thing called gangster rap –

In short there is music for every occasion and every mood and sometimes there is the random play option [especially on itunes] which delivers an astounding variation of musical sounds……. one minute I’m rocking out to the sound of the late, great Clarence’s sax on ‘Thunder Road’ and the next I’ve got tears in my eyes listening to Cecilia’s version of ‘Amazing Grace’

Orlando has a preferred play list too – certain singers come on and I get hassled to dance with him – well I dance and he is carried about in my arms, purring and looking particularly pleased with himself and harrumphing in a happy kind of manner from time to time. For some reason he really likes Faith Hill and if I’m super busy I try to get to the computer and skip over her before he clambers up my leg …..

A couple or so years back, to celebrate my mumbly-mumble birthday we all had to make a play list of our top ten songs of all time. Then we had to make a presentation of said play list complete with reasons why each song had been chosen.

I tell you, we all worked at this task for weeks if not months! Me especially – after all it was my birthday and I had all those mumbley-mumble years of magical musical moments to sift through! [ooooh, alliteration!] And of course, I was over thinking it!

But in order to stay with the theme and keep this post under some sort of time control I will only give you the top five from my latest amended list, so here we go:

No 1: Eric Clapton – Layla

The weeping guitar solo in the original version has to be among the greatest riffs ever! I was still very young and romantic when I first heard this and it absolutely broke my heart. In the right space it can still do so.

For a live, but different version this is a good watch :

No 2: Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah

I love this song and collect versions of it. In my humble opinion it’s pure poetry and one of the greatest songs ever written. My ED took us to see him live in 2011 [on the occasion of yet another birthday] and I cried all the way through…..

There are so many great versions of this song – but kd’s is one of the greatest greats – do yourself a favour and have a listen to this:

Leonard Cohen Returning To Australia & New Zealand This Summer (hangout.altsounds.com)

Last night, as you may have previously read, I went out for the evening to the historic Carey’s Bay Pub to watch YD eat an enormous Seafood Platter…..

Orlando doesn’t much like it when he is left home alone on a cold winter night.

He has no one to keep him warm.

Even though I leave on the lights, the heating and the music for his comfort and enjoyment.

I even make sure it is just the right music – he doesn’t much care for Bruce Springsteen for instance, that usually means the vacuum cleaner is coming out and he doesn’t much care for the vacuum cleaner either.

I have a play list on itunes which should be titled ‘Orlando’s Music’ it contains a variety of music from Faith Hill to Josh Groban; Bob Dylan to Ronan Keating and Delta Goodrem to Kris Kristofferson and even a bit of Adele, Alfie Boe and a few early Claptons. Nothing too loud and driving as it offends his sensitive hearing …….

Any way, all this is supplied for the comfort of the spoiled rotten little fella – but still when I came home I found him on my dining table, curled up to a dish of potpourri.

Orlando is not allowed to sit or lie on the table.

No one is.

Here is proof that Orlando takes no notice of me:

Look at the tilt of those ears – those are the ears of a Guilty Cat! That, ladies and gentlemen, is a Cat Who Knows He Is Doing Wrong – But Isn’t Going To Move!

The crystal dish does not usually sit on the table, it was left there when I was practising my photography yesterday. It is filled with potpourri and those balls and roses have sandalwood and other essential oils in them.

Orlando likes those smells and often buries his head into the bowl – when it is on the bookshelf which he is allowed on – which sends all the bits rolling about all over the place…..

These photos were taken this morning. I think he spent the night there.

He is still cross that I went out and left him home alone!

Geez!!