Jamie Dowling [Limestone Cowboy Arc]
mastodon 4.7.3Personal account. Not employers views.
Critical illness survivor. Accessibility, mental health & patient rights advocate. He/Him/His.
Does things with telecoms, UC & tech.
Happy husband & cat daddy, takes a leg stump guard, doesn't put the milk in first.
Digs and nerds out over cats, county cricket (Surrey CCC), darts, retro tech, retro phones, retro telly, classic rock and coffee.
I'm pro-accessibility, pro-LGBTQ+ & anti ableism.
Anyone questioning peoples' use of mobility aids is an ableist piece of shit. In addition to the various other pejoratives that person is being labelled with.
I saw the new Iron Maiden feature Burning Ambition a few days ago and wrote a review - https://jamiedowling.uk/blog/burning_ambition_review.html
While I'm waiting for the new Deep Purple album, Splat, to come out, I'm revisiting the Maiden catalogue.
What do you mean it's Thursday???
Anyone getting out to Harry Brook's bowling should quit cricket totally. And I'm being polite.
Which triggered the fuse board in the closet.
Which was full of clothes and stuff that I had to move.
Which the cat was determined to get into cos it's a giant cupboard she rarely goes in.
Which resulted in some swearing when I dropped the torch while looking at the fuse board.
Which caused me to knock my head off something metal as I bent to look for the torch.
It's always fun at home. You name it, I've banged my head off it.
Found the switch, got the lights back on and contemplated the bathroom light.
"Can't remember changing a bulb in here before".
[narrator: I can't remember what I was doing last week until I've had caffeine of some sort, so this doesn't always mean much]
*Looks in the lightbulbs box. There isn't a replacement bulb of this size and fitting*
"Looks like I'm going out to get some replacement light bulbs tomorrow."
**INCOMING LONG SHOPPING LIST**
"I'm doing the pharmacy, a hardware store and that's it."
Back in my youth there were generally two fittings for domestic lightbulbs - Bayonet and screw. Simples, right?
I get to the hardware store and look at the wall full of shelves of myriad lightbulbs.
**INCOMING MALCOLM TUCKER MOMENT**
**OVERSTIMULATION**
I reach into my backpack to get the dead bulb out.
**DIDN'T BRING THE LIGHTBULB**
**EVACUATE EVACUATE**
When I finish my cup of tea I'm heading back and taking the bulb with me.
Although it's gone very dark and my shoulders tell me it's going to rain. Heavily.
There might be another cup of tea.
"If you have a tool, it's stupid not to use it" said the Third Doctor.
Sometimes I cosplay the Third Doctor. Cos Jon Pertwee rocks. And I'd have him say
"Use the tool for the job it's intended for. Use it for anything else and it becomes a crutch. Use it for everything and that's a huge comment on you. Stinks like this Gorgonzola cheese."
Reality Television sucks, I deeply dislike it.
The latest allegations are deeply unpleasant and should be the end for the whole genre.
Bill Winters, you've just stained your reputation for all time. A man in your position should know the meaning and power of words.
And should also know the phrase "Ratner moment". Because you've just had a doozie of one.
Black Sabbath (1997 x2, 2017)
Slayer
Deep Purple (several times)
Judas Priest (several times)
Whitesnake (several times)
Thunder (several times)
Iron Maiden (several times, first show I bought a ticket for)
Gary Moore (several times)
Europe
Gillan
Saw this on the BBC News website and thought "Arrgh! That looks like something from John Carpenter's The Thing!"
Glenn Hughes has announced his retirement from touring and that he will undergo heart surgery.
This is why I go and see my favourite bands and artists whenever I can. You never know when life changes and you won't see them perform again.
I've been blessed to see Glenn several times since "From Now On" in 1994.
Usually in Wolverhampton or Birmingham cos Glenn is from the Black Country and his shows always seem to have that little bit extra because it's his home town.
The last time I saw Glenn perform was October 2025 at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. Cracking show in front of an adoring crowd. And what an incredible voice. Burn still kicks ass 52 years after it was written.
Health must come first, Glenn goes with the love and heartfelt wishes of many many people.
https://ultimateclassicrock.com/glenn-hughes-retirement-heart-surgery/
Sad to learn of the passing of Tom Chadbon. A fine actor with a lovely voice and definitely part of cult television history,
Appearances included Out Of The Unknown's "The Man In My Head", Blake's 7's "Countdown" as Del Grant, a role he reprised for Big Finish audio stories, and most memorably as Duggan in the Doctor Who story "City Of Death".
Tom's contribution to the extras on the City Of Death DVD are lovely.
The news that Jodrell Bank is losing its funding is shocking and upsetting to me.
We have slid down the drainpipe and head first into a sewer of foul smelling, knowledge hating popularist philistinism.
Utterly nauseating.
It must be the End Times. I'm agreeing with Michael Vaughan.
It might be acceptable for a Sunday social player to be last one out of the rockers' and goths' bar at 3am Sunday morning with a giant kebab and a tattooed, pierced goth cutie, but top level sport just doesn't tolerate that sort of thing.
The funny thing in this case was that I'm the non-drinker, the goth cutie was a physio who worked on my shoulder that night and the rest of the XI I played with that Sunday afternoon had stinking hangovers powered by Newcastle Brown Ale judging by the smell in the changing room. Yuck.
Oh yes, I took 5/27 with my offspin. Right armed Phil Edmonds bowling action.
Amusing story aside, Joe Root's response to the Brydon Carse incident is every bit as classy as I'd expect. We don't know the full story but being led away in handcuffs by the local Police isn't a good look.
It's not the first boozer related incident lately but it should be the last. Occurrences like this are becoming a major distraction and if the powers that be have had enough, they will act.
Unless there are some seriously extenuating circumstances, I get the feeling Carse is going to cop for a severe punishment, following which a line will be drawn. Breach that line, ECB central contract goes kind of thing.
England have just hammered a weak Pakistan side. That should be the cricketing headlines, not Coppers Cuff Carse.
It's amazing how quickly you can get a full response instead of boilerplate "you'll have to request that and it could be chargeable" when you start your reply with "Let me get this straight, just for my report to the Risk Register..."
Today is Rob Halford's birthday. The legendary singer from Judas Priest turned 75 today. And I'm going to see Judas Priest again on September 21st.
Think I must have seen them around ten times on different tours. I'm sure I've got a Painkiller tour t-shirt here somewhere. I've definitely got a Jugulator tour t-shirt. And I have one from the UK tour they did with Saxon and Uriah Heep.
Happy Birthday Rob!

