Three years back I lost my old collection of Shirley Bassey’s records; my brother found out that the attic at our parents’ house was completely infested with termites, which caused a great deal of damage to the house which cost a pretty penny to repair. The boxes of records I kept there were covered in termites, so my brother decided to incinerate everything. This was terrible news, though I’m not sure if I could have salvaged any of those records anyway. I would have probably just gotten a Pest Control Company Gulfport to handle the termites and tried to salvage what was left. I can’t really blame my brother though, as he was just handling the situation as best as he could.

This was an opportunity for me to start from scratch though, which also allowed me to get to know the fan community and slowly become a more active member. Had that event never happened I would have never become who I am right now, with a good following, and friends with common interests. Losing those records hurt, there are some I am yet to replace, but they were necessary sacrifices to reach a new point in my life.

A few years back, with the help of a few famous composers and music executives, the return of Shirley Bassey became a reality. While she never really thought of coming back, saying she was contented of being able to live a life in the industry as she did, out of respect for such famous people inviting her to return to stage, she agreed. This brings me great joy and excitement, although I have not been able to see her on stage in person, the videos I have seen gave me chills, her abilities did not age, but matured and bloomed for the second time.

When I first heard of the proposal and plans, I thought that it was a very good idea and it would be lovely if it could happen but it is unlikely to push through. But after hearing that Shirley Bassey herself said yes, and not some old agent saying “I’ll talk to her” or “it’s on the table”, I was deliriously happy. I never thought that the chance of going to a live performance of Shirley Bassey would ever be possible again, and as both she and I aged, the possibility slowly dwindled.

Today I am doing something I thought I would never again do in my life a few years ago, awaiting for the next album of Shirley Bassey, this years’ “Peasant Tasting Christmas Dinner” will probably be released before the holidays. I am excited to play it during this year’s Christmas party, another thing that I had thought I would never do again, playing her new album during Christmas this is.

Last week I watched the documentary regarding Dame Shirley Bassey’s return to the industry. The show was called “Imagine” if I am not mistaken, and showed every step of the way of her return into the limelight. It was clear to me that she was contented with her life, living in her home in Monte Carlo, but as she was being interviewed I saw the excitement in her eyes, not because of opportunity to make money as she has enough of that, but because of the love she has for singing.

Singing used to be her way of relaxing herself when she was a child, they had little back then and when things became too uncomfortable she sang to calm herself and relax. And as she grew and it became a career, it brought her to places she never thought she could go just by singing. While she would have been contented with her life, the memories of the joy she experienced and the people she met probably floods back as she sings, and being on stage again makes that experience even sweeter.

I am indeed happy about her return, she has a few live performances planned soon and I am eager to get tickets. I hope that I would be able to go to these performances, as it too would allow me to feel the good old days gone by.

My mom is a solid Dame Shirley Bassey’s fan and she passed on the love for Shirley’s music to me. Thanks to my mom, I have memorized her album and I can even lip sync to “Diamonds are forever” flawlessly.  There is really nothing to not like about her. Her voice is sultry and she is very classy. There is definitely none like her! These new singers should learn from her grace and class.

Anyway, it is the milestone 80th birthday of our dear Dame Shirley. My mom wanted to have a throwback and dig into her treasure trove of Shirley Bassey’s memorabilia such as, magazine cutouts, button pins and what-nots. You name it, my mom probably has it in her collection.

Now, imagine her horror when she opened her treasure chest where she kept her precious Shirley Bassey stuff only to find out that her priceless knick-knacks were riddled with termites!

We kept the chest in the basement with some of our old furniture that could not fit in our attic. A little inspection on the wall showed termite marks. Now, the horror is real! Our house is being attacked by termites! I have no idea whether our house was recently checked for pests but seeing the pesky termites call for immediate action.

My mom knows a guy who works for a pest control company here in Fresco CA but he was out of town that day. My mom is already freaking out so I had to google pest control Fresno CA fast. It was not hard to find the closest to our place because there are plenty to choose from.

My mom was happy that our pest problem has been solved. Or, so I thought. I found her sulking in her bedroom trying to salvage what’s left of her Shirley Bassey collectibles. Sadly, the damage was irreversible. Magazine clippings, gone. Souvenir items, gone.  I wish I could restore them but I have realized that even if I found copies of it on the internet, I could never replace the feeling of joy from collecting them through the years. It is indeed priceless.

The only thing I could do is to buy my mom this home décor item I saw on eBay with Shirley Bassey’s picture on it. I could only hope it makes her smile. It’s the thought that counts, right?

This is truly a lesson learned the hard way. Never ever neglect the upkeep of your house. There are a lot of pest control services here in Fresno CA so there is no reason to hoard termites in the basement. We are lucky that the termites did not cause a significant damage to our house. We also added pest control for roaches, ants and rodents to ensure that those pesky little critters won’t bother us again.

And as for Dame Shirley Bassey, Happy 80th! My mom and I will rebuild our memorabilia of you. We love you dearly and your music will forever bring a smile in our hearts. Cheers!

When Shirley Bassey recorded the music for Goldfinger, the writer of the song himself said that Shirley was the one who made the somewhat ridiculous lyrics work. The performance Dame Bassey gave for the opening sequence’s music, for me, prompted the bond movies to step up on the next opening sequence’s music. There was even one fellow who said that, maybe all bond songs were made for Shirley Bassey to sing, as she made Goldfinger so iconic of a song. I have seen the bond movies throughout the years, and every time I see the movie’s opening sequence, I thought of Shirley Bassey and how she influenced the bond movie music after her performance.

The way she sang the song made you feel the character of Goldfinger, the song was as much a part of the story as the whole movie was. As much as I love how the seriousness and sleek feeling of the new bond songs are, for me Goldfinger will always be number one, with “Live and Let Die” a close number two.

Shirley Bassey has made it as a legend in the music industry but has also made it in the world of 007, with an unforgettable, talented performance of Goldfinger. Her contribution in the entertainment industry is so appreciated that the industry took her out of retirement and back onto the stage. I hope that one day we might be able to hear another bond music performance from Dame Shirley Bassey, with her now back from retirement.

I have to say that, whoever the suit is that pushed for her to come back, which I am sure I can figure out with a Google search later, I thank you for convincing the great Shirley Bassey too come back and preform on stage once again.