FEBRUARY 2003
Friday 28 February 2003 ** Mistress Hellen's Birthday **
Today is Mistress Hellen's birthday but I'm not allowed to tell anyone.  She said this was MY diary, not hers.

Thursday 27 February 2003  (back to top)
<dance dance dance> ON SATURDAY.....We're going to NEWCASTLE TO SEE WARD "C" PERFORM.  This is very very exciting. 

We are also going to Newcastle to attend Linda's 'Significant Birthday' Party.  This is also exciting because we have not seen Linda since she moved to the Northern City.

Astonishing that we would need to be in Newcastle for two events on the same day and even MORE astonishing is the time of each event on the day. . . allowing for easy travel from one to the other.

Wednesday 25 February 2003
Present my WARD "C" Special on the show.  Pawl EJ records it for posterity.  He had the band Parker live on his show (before my show) - he's good at that sort of thing.

Monday 23 February 2003
Mistress Hellen off to the First Tap Dancing Lesson of 2003.  We'll have to start practicing regularly again after our lazy time since December.

Sunday 22 February 2003  (back to top)
Spent time at Pawl EJ's mixing studio, working with the material from the Me-Lee's Mosaic EP launch and also some other behind the scenes editing.  Very exciting because he shows me how to use the editing software. 

Saturday 22 February 2003
Woke feeling very off colour, as did Mistress Hellen.  No reason for this, no, not hungover.  Ooo!  The very thought of a drunken beagle....
We visit 2RRR to collect the new CDs that have arrived.  HUGE amounts compared to recent weeks.  Next show will have no lack of material but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the choices.

Mistress H off to work for the afternoon.  Severely miffed to find she's taken the Me-Lee's Mosaic CD with her.  *I* wanted to listen to it.  Listen to The Carpenters' Greatest Hits instead.

I print more business cards and flyers for my show.  Was unpleasantly surprised last night to find I had none left, only some OLD cards to give out - with no web site address.

We were supposed to be attending James' 18th Birthday Party tonight.  I was looking forward to catching up with Shadow and Ruby, but we didn't go because we're both still not feeling too good and Mistress Hellen is suffering sleep deprivation from being too busy during the week.  She always says it's OK for ME because I can spend all day snoozing when she's at work.  I don't think she realises how busy I am when she's out.

Friday 21 February 2003  (back to top)
Mistress Hellen, PawL EJ and myself venture forth to participate in Me-Lee's Mosaic's EP Launch.  PawL EJ has brought the mini-disk so we can do a little interview with Me-Lee at some stage of the night.

It was FABULOUS - very very hypnotic and entrancing.  The music had a very, well, . . . MOSAIC quality.  Except I kept visualising a wall hanging with patches of amazing fabric, all different textures, effects and colours - shimmering, glittering, smooth.  Oh, am I raving again?

The setting was very casual and relaxed and we sat on the floor next to a very enthusiastic fan.  I was so impressed by his cheering and declarations of appreciation that I spoke with him after the show. His name is Mirek and I'm sending him big cheery wave and tail wag.  I really enjoyed our brief rave about Me-Lee's music.

Another big cheery wave and tail wag going out to Paul the Security Guard who was wandering around keeping an eye on everything. 

Wednesday 19 February 2003
On Friday we're going to see Me-Lee's Mosaic on Friday.  She's launching her EP at Excelsior Hotel.

Feel the need to point out to anyone who listened to last night's show that I now know what Kerrang! magazine is and how widespread it is, and um, well....let's just leave it there, shall we?

PawL EJ stayed back after his show (he's filling in for the show before mine - 11pm-1am - while Richard is away) and helped the show along.

Tuesday 18 February 2003  (back to top)
Couldn't help but notice the Guest Book Entry for today from Brigid - a "frisky Gordon Setter".  Sounds good to me!  Romping with a dog who is gorgeous and who would be a boy doggie magnet beyond belief. 

Sunday 16 February 2003
Watched the world from Command and Observation Post 2.  De-junked the Beagle Basket and the Beagle Backpack. 

Moved to Command and Observation Post 1 and watched the backyard.  Hmm, hardly worth a diary entry really.

Friday 14 February 2003  (back to top)
Can you believe this??  Mistress Hellen took Roxy . . . TO WORK!  She said it was mostly because one of her colleagues seems very interested in Guinea Pigs and needed a bit of diversion.  The colleague was instantly entranced and Roxy was settled rather comfortably on this person's desk.

Diversion?  Apparently Roxy's presence became the hot topic on the grapevine and the day was spent with a stream of people visiting for a bit of a look.  (If you are wondering what possessed someone who is allergic to Roxy to choose to spend the day in a closed environment with said creature - she took an anti-allergy tablet!)

Later: Michael here and we're off to see Mean Spiral perform. 

More Later: EEEEEEE!!!!  Much excitement!  Mean Spiral were GREAT despite problems with the sound mixing.  We met the band and SaraP (see Diary Entries for February 4 and 5).  If you have time, take a look at Mean Spiral's web site.

One of the Simons asks Mistress Hellen if her last name is Back.  Without missing a beat she replies "no, it's Highwater".  While that sounds like she's very quick thinking and witty, what Simon wasn't to know is that when Mistress H was a child, the lady up the road called her Hell'n'high water.

Thursday 13 February 2003  (back to top)
Mistress Hellen is doing a washing.  She appears holding two socks that are uncomfortably familiar.  Holding them up she says "you wouldn't happen to know why these two socks look like they've spent time in a beagle kennel - would you?". 

I use my best BLANK LOOK and pretend to be innocent.  This tactic doesn't work, of course - she sees right through me.  Endure a lecture about not pinching her clothing and using it for play.

Later: At the washing line, Mistress Hellen suddenly bends down and puts a peg on each of my ears - then runs off laughing.  Oh ... ho ho ho - she knows I hate that.  So I run after her and bark and MisterJohn from next door puts his head over the fence.  "Hello Streamer, they're very attractive earrings you're wearing".  Now I ask - "what can you do when surrounded by humans like this?"

Wednesday 12 February 2003
Great Excitement!!!   The new release from WARD "C" - 'Fourth Cumming' - arrived for me.  Played two of the tracks - 'The Metro Gnome' and 'If I had a sackful of cats I'd see you in San Francisco'.

Also played a song 'Fly' from a duo called Caera and Carly.  Local bods and I hope we hear more from them soon.  To encourage that I rang Carly the other day and asked for more - no good being backward in coming forward.

Later: Ooo!  HOT DAY!!!  When it had cooled down Dilys came over with Chelsea and we went to the local park and ran around like possessed beings with a heap of our friends.

A big "HELLO" to Terry Terrier who tapes my show and listens to it during more civilised hours.

Monday 10 February 2003
It's been raining!  It's been raining! 

Planning on seeing Mean Spiral on Friday night - yippee!!!  Will be giving away some copies of their CD on my next show . . . I hope.  Listeners seem very shy about ringing!

Sunday 9 February 2003  (back to top)
The rainbow lorikeets are back.  Heard Mistress Hellen telling them off.  "Can't go away for 9 months and then return expecting me to still have food for you".  Somehow I don't think they understood.  The funny thing is it was only 3 weeks ago that she ditched all the birdseed from last year around the garden.  Guess if they looked hard enough they'd find some leftovers.

WAH!!!  The huntsman spider has vanished.  Hopefully to OUTSIDE.

Roxy bit Mistress Hellen!!!  He was doing this nuzzle nuzzle lick lick thing yesterday along her finger and then went CRUNCH at the fingertip.  Oooo!  Blood!!!  Commented that it wasn't the sort of thing I'd get away with and was told that indeed I DID do that once - "when you were a puppy".  Oh.

David from Blue Pop visits again.  We continue working on the Blue Pop site.  It's coming along just swimmingly and should be suitable for public consumption very soon.

On this website - the tables for the playlists continue to drive me bananas.  Editorial comment from the other side of the room "you're bananas without any assistance from HTML tables".  No prizes for guessing the speaker.

Saturday 8 February 2003  (back to top)
A rather large huntsman spider has decided to join the household.  Currently lazing above the front door.  I check on its whereabouts at regular intervals during the day.

Clean out my indoor kennel.  Find 2 non-matching Mistress Hellen socks.  Woops!  Bury them in a pile of clothes waiting to be washed - maybe she won't notice they've suddenly turned up.

Friday 7 February 2003
Visited Neeve and welcomed her new sofa into the household.

Wednesday 5 February 2003  (back to 14 February)
Ooo!  Packages especially for ME at 2RRR!!!  Something from the Troll Cookies and from Harry Wears Trousers. 

I play the 'hidden' track from Mean Spiral's 'Chi' album - it IS worth the wait (or the fast forward in this case).

Tuesday 4 February 2003  (back to top)  (back to 14 February)
Been in contact with Mean Spiral bods.  Sara (who describes herself as a fan - but who has much more involvement!) has sent a message in response to my comment in the playlist regarding the 12 minute track on the Mean Spiral album.  So you don't have to look it up - I commented that the track says it's 12 minutes, but after 3 and a something minutes, there's silence and more silence.  That's a big nuisance to radio bods who don't pre-listen to entire tracks!

Sara informs me that after 4 minutes, there's another track, 'Diceman' (live).  "Worth the wait" she says.  We shall see!!!

Sunday 2 February 2003
Very quiet day here.  Roxy has now been re-confined to his house on top of the freezer.  He doesn't seem to mind although it's difficult to tell. 

He now knows the sound vegetables being chopped and I love hearing him "wheeeeeep wrip wrip wrip wheeeeeeeeep' when he realises FOOD is coming his way.
 
Saturday 1 February 2003
Last night it was great seeing the Divas perform - especially PawlJ. 
Highlight of the night (apart from seeing PawlJ in action) was spending time with an interesting and entertaining bod called MountJoy who was DJing between the support band and the Divas.

Speaking of PawlJ, I was rather expecting to see more arms and legs flinging around during the performance - realised that it wasn't going to happen when I saw the size of the 'stage' area.  Oh Well.

Dilys came around to join in our walk - no Chelsea today.  Walk was cut short by mosquitoes terrorising Mistress H and Dilys.

EEEK!! realised I haven't done the playlist for last week's show.

The Beagle Diary
A fascinating (perhaps) insight into Streamer's life with and without Mistress Hellen.  The diary is updated frequently.