hordes of hoodies..........

no post yetserday as I was up in Edmonton and while i was there i popped into the West Edmonton Mall

this place claims to be the world's largest indoor shopping centre but i was less than impressed - i suppose we are a bit spoilt having had Bluewater on our doorsteps in recent years but this mall was a little bit tired & shabby - fine if you want to choose from endless shops selling tacky shell suits, hideous porcelain dolls & "mystical" dragon ornaments but sadly lacking in any real class

it kind of reminded me of a small town English shopping centre (let's say in Doncaster for example) circa 1991

the best shops are in my humble opinion always to be found in the downtown shopping areas, for example 17th Avenue SW in Calgary or Whyte Street/Old Strathcona in Edmonton - although I haven't had a chance to visit this area yet

one positive thingabout the place though was a near absence of chavs, of course there was a smattering of sad, shell suited, rope chain, baseball behatted plebs but not the hordes of hoodies up to no good that you find in every British precinct

driving back yesterday into Canmore, down Hwy 1, we were treated to the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen, the sky above the mountains was literally crimson & the clouds streaked across the sky captured the different shades of the setting sun's rays - it was awe inspiring, even though it was -10C I stopped near a First Nation's Indian Reserve & took a couple of pictures I'll post them up later

briefly I'll waffle about Nos. 12 & 11 in my festive countdown

at No.12 we have the good, old Teenage Fanclub - probably my favourite band ever, if i was marooned on a desert island & could only take one record with me "Songs From Northern Britain" would probably be that choice - they released another stand out LP this summer, Man Made & the great & good from the Greenwich scene were there to see them - It's All In My Mind kicked off that show & kick's off the LP & is my choice for No.12

Neil Young has been around for ever, he's a Canadian as well which right now is cool in my book - he survived a near fatal brain condition in April & after recovering released Prairie Wind his umpteenth album - all in all it's a pleasing set of songs, very inward looking & you get the feeling he is winding down, accepting old age & looking back at a chequered past - I love Neil, he's undoubtedly put out some crap in the past but he's also penned & sung some amazing songs

far from home is my pick for No. 11 & indeed it finds Neil in wistful mood, thinking about that final trip back home to the prairie's

No 11. Neil Young - Far From Home

No. 12 Teenage Fanclub - It's All In my Mind