Neil Gits More Birds

Up until quite recently, I had a neighbour next door but one who had three cats plus a dog and as quite a few other near neighbours also had canine residents in their households, my garden became quite a sanctuary for our feline friends. They loved to sunbathe out there on a sunny day or alternatively snooze in the shade under my trees at the bottom, though funnily enough I rarely used to see more than one of the three at the same time ! The neighbours moved out a few weeks ago now and presumably took their pets with them, although I swear I saw one of the white cats back at mine about 48 hours after they left !

We have a lot of pigeons around our street and over the last year or so I have discovered at least half a dozen extremely dead ones on the grass. One day I saw one of the cats bring a big juicy bird over the fence in its mouth and use my garden as a dining area – that was quite an eye opener! I think it’s fair to say the bird population near my house don’t miss the cats, although I used to enjoy watching them chilling (not killing !) from the kitchen window. Now I seem to be getting into birdwatching instead…

A13 Annie has a thing on her flash phone that tells her which type of birds are tweeting nearby and I’ve seen it used regularly by a lady on a You Tube channel I watch, but I am not so bothered about doing that – my Nokia 105 doesn’t have a place to put an ‘app’ in it anyway ! I can tell the difference between a pigeon and a robin (I get a few of them from time to time – not just at Xmas either !) but it has been noticeable how may more birds of all shape and sizes (and noises!) visit me in the absence of cats !

Ask me about soul music from the 70s & 80s though and I can probably identify any of the popular songs quicker than faffing around on a phone ! I try to share some of my music knowledge and ‘fascinating facts’ in between paying the tunes on my show, so if you like discovering great old songs from the past for the first time & learning about the performers, I reckon you will enjoy Mondays on Gateway from 7-9pm 🙂 Below is the latest playlist for you to browse before you catch the next live show …

The Tunes – Monday 11th August 2025

Maxine Nightingale – Right Back Where We Started From
George Benson – Give Me The Night
Dira – Get Through To You
Eruption – Let Me Take You Back In Time
Precious Wilson – I’ll Be Your Friend
New York City band ft Luther vandross – Together
Smokey Robinson – One Heartbeat
Honore – Innocent & Real
Brainstorm – Wake Up & Be Somebody
Gibson Brothers – Cuba
Gap Band – Oops Upside Your Head (12″ Version)
Sophia George – Girlie Girlie
Staple Singers – Respect Yourself
Coke Escovedo – Wouldn’t Change A Thing
Cheryl Pepsii Riley – Guess I’m In Love
Cola Boy – 7 Ways To Love
Tracy Hamlin – Nothing Can Stop Me Now
Jo Harman – Don’t Give Up On Me
Shola Ama – You’re The One I Love
Ohio Players – Love Rollercoaster
Cool Notes – In Your Car
Real Thing – You To Me Are Everything
Patrice Rushen – Kickin’ Back

Feel free to get in touch with your soulful request or just for a mention on the show – put a post on “The Old Gits Soul Show” page on Facebook, text (01268)833978 or message me via e-mail : [email protected].

The Old Gits Soul Show is broadcast LIVE from 7pm–9pm every Monday, repeated on Saturday evening from 5pm–7pm, on Gateway 97.8FM in Basildon & East Thurrock, across South Essex on DAB and available nationally via the Radio Player on your TV as well as online via www.gateway978.com You can listen on your smart speaker or your phone too … plus you can hear it again anytime you like via the “Listen Again” button on the Gateway website – just search “Cool Soul” !