Futtocks

Slightly more sedate chez Futtocks - Scallops and little cubes of Iberico ham, fried in olive oil and finished with lemon butter. The whole lot tipped over a potato & caramelised onion rosti. Bottle of Viognier. Life is good when you've just been paid.

World's hottest chilli contest leaves two in hospital From the article: "One participant, Curie Kim was so ill after sampling the "Kismot Killer" that she had to be taken by ambulance to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary TWICE in a matter of hours."

Andy Summers & Robert Fripp - Bewitched Gil Scott-Heron - Reflections Grace Jones - Living my Life Various Artists - Sound of St Louis (Soul compilation)

Rob Wasserman & Friends (Lou Reed, Victoria Williams, Bob Weir, etc.) - Live at the Beacon Theatre And 'Snag', some lo-fi oddness from R.Stevie Moore, downloaded via his website.

It's just you.

I've had an email from Osgrow, with their Hallowe'en Hamper. Contents: 4 Pairs of Frightening Frogs Legs 1 x Peppermint Ant Lolly 1 x Scary Scorpion Vodka Lolly (vodka flavoring) 1 x Tequila Worm Lolly(tequila flavoring) 5 x Slippery Snails with Garlic Butter 1 Pack of Thai Green Curry Crickets 5 x Loathsome Locusts

Bloke with too much time on his hands makes working trumpet - out of wood! Colour me impressed.

So far: The Grid - good, but not as special as the last time I had it (a couple of years ago). Castelfelder - deep and dark, very nice indeed. Gulfi - refreshing and citrus-y, with a slightly honeyed aftertaste. Zuccardi Caladoc - the pick of the bunch so far. Definitely buying more of this one. Grillo - interesting, different, delicious. The Long Lunch - a decent red, but nothing outstanding.

From the 2nd-hand shop on Saturday, all in remarkably good condition: Curtis Mayfield - Back to the World Gil Scott-Heron - Moving Target Mink DeVille - Return to Magenta Paul Simon - Still Crazy after all these Years

I own the DVD of the entire gig, 'Total Balalaika Show'. The above is probably the highlight, but there's plenty of other great songs on there too.

, incorporating the Russian national anthem, Handel's 'Hallelujah' chorus and Cossack dancers.Top that.

My commute, although long, is (apart from the first bit) against the the main flow, travelling out from London to work. Nice empty carriages, plenty of room to spread out with the newspaper or book - luxury!

It looks like walking. They make the same body movements as walking. They even call it walking. But it results in forward movement that is so slow, it is often counteracted by the effects of continental drift.

The KLF Manual - get your own #1 chart hit!

In the past South African winemakers were guilty of over-oaking their wines to the point of undrinkability. But some of the ones I've tried recently have been very good - the grape variety they tend to do especially well is Chenin Blanc.

That first one - The Grid - is one I've ordered before. If it's anything like the last lot I had, that is one MASSIVE red. Unbelievable body and aroma to it.

Right, I've just bunged off an order to Virgin Wines. This month, I will mostly be sampling unusual grape varieties, plus a couple of established favourites. 4 bottles of: The Grid Reserve 2009 (Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Mourvedre) One bottle each of: Castelfeder Klassische Linie DOC 2007 (Lagrein) Familia Zuccardi Textual 2007 (Tannat) Gulfi 2007 (Carjcanti) Familia Zuccardi Innovacion 2008 (Caladoc) Rocha Rosa Vinho Regional Alentejano 2007 (Trincadeira) Ca'di Ponti Sicilia 2010 (Grillo) The Long Lunch 2010 (6 Grape Blend) Araldica d'Aria 2010 (Muscat sec)

Beers from last night. Innis & Gunn 'Rum Cask' Oak Aged beer. Like the regular stuff, you wouldn't want too much of this at a time, but this new version is very fine indeed. Limited edition, apparently, so grab some while you can. Brewdog 5am Saint. Clean, very hoppy taste. Nice, and not as alarmingly strong as many Brewdog beers. Adnams Southwold Bitter. Ho hum. Okay, but nothing exceptional. Theakston's Old Peculier. Is there any truly civilised being that doesn't know the joys of this one? Not the mad, magic stuff of the pre-takeover days, but still marvellous.

Over the weekend: Allan Holdsworth - Secrets Alpha Blondy & the Wailers - Jerusalem Blondie - Autoamerican Bruno Walter-Columbia Symphony Orchestra - Mahler 9 (CBS) Dixie Dregs - Freefall John Lee Hooker - Healer Mary Black - Babes in the Wood The Band - Moondog Matinee

Unintentionally sexual church signs. On the same site, the signs supporting gay marriage are very funny too.

Have you experimented with the different digital filter options yet? I'd be tempted by a DACMagic, although I think it could do with remote source switching, for convenience. Maybe the Mk.II will have it. My current DAC is a StyleAudio Carat, which doubles as a headphone amp. Sound quality is good, but it won't accept the really hi-resolution bitrates used more and more these days.

IIRC, the DACMagic has 3 inputs, so check if any of your other stuff has a digital output - PVR/Sky Box, DVD player, Freeview box, DAB radio, whatever you have. It would probably improve sound from any of the aforementioned.

Back in 1972, Spike Milligan was a guest on ABC Radio and, during a news bulletin, they forgot to fade his microphone down. They've dug the tape out of the archives and made it available to download from here.

The Best of Arlo Guthrie Osibisa - Woyaya Phil Manzanera - Southern Cross Traffic - The low Spark of high heeled Boys

Computer audio can be very good indeed. I mainly listen to my music via a laptop/DAC these days. Mind you, I've had a go on Spotify, and I was surprised that there was quite a lot of stuff I searched for that they didn't have. Mind you, sometimes GrooveShark can fill the gaps.