We are having another heat wave so everything is going to have to stop for a day or so. I have decided to write a new self help book, the working title will be ‘No, just FO’. I think it’s quite catchy. I thought FOAD was a little too extreme 😂

This last weekend has been fun. Two very different gigs. One with the Invisible Folk Club Band at Thame Pride and One with the Sonic Boomers. Yesterday’s at the Hen and Chickens included a mighty compliment from a guy and an offer to form a band. Doubtful anything will come of it. Also Phil from the Invisibles and his Mrs came to watch our gig which was nice and he took a little video clip. The heat was just about bearable on both gigs.

I just fitted a solar powered security light over our street door as kids hang about there in the shadows doing stuff they shouldn’t: they can hang out somewhere else hopefully as there are plenty other more pleasant places to go here and abouts. Hopefully they will get the hint, but being kids I expect not. I don’t think much is going to be achieved this week as I am fairly dysfunctional in this heat. I have a new song idea to work on but I am too knackered to do it at present frankly. And I think a bitey thing just bit me too. Ouch.

Here’s a thought. If an act is done out of love is it still a sin if there is a book that says it is within? I am wondering. All you theologians, what say you… The hot weather makes my mind wander to all sorts of places. Oh my. Calm down, calm down. Our place is getting silly hot now so I can’t see much being done for the next 3 to 4 days or so really. So I shall just do stuff in the morning or very late evening. Creative stuff that is, not the sinning as there is not so much opportunity for that currently in my life, darlings’ 😂 It’s a weird enforced slowdown really which I just have to accept annoying as that is. The heat does make me very irritable though. Still a few days to go. A bit scary though. And I survived another night. It is so tiring though. A friend is just hunkered down with a book or too and watching television as a survival strategy which makes sense.


Diana Stone Totally Wrecked By Desire

A little light verse for your amusement.

Friends with benefits

We are friends with benefits, you and I
In passing we can give each other a knowing smile,
Nobody else in the room has the faintest idea
But we are friends with benefits. you and I

Sometimes you laugh a little too loud, and brush past a little closer
Oh my, my. I giggle and make a silly joke. No one knows about
you, you funny old bloke.

You are not so fit as you used to be, the horizontal mambos
a little more effort you see, but take a little slower and
we will arrive on schedule and feel mighty fine

These days a bit wrinkly I have but I still feel the passion
Warm and hot no one knows our little secret.
Oh what we have got.I wont tell Jim, he mostly lives in his shed.
You won’t tell Ida she would get quite cross
From the impression I get she is the boss.

A quick drink before I go home,
O lord I forgot to put my knickers back on.
Jim wouldn’t notice he is too far gone.
Tuesday week then and I will say its rock choir practice
You will tell Ida its a five a side kick about
With a bit of luck you will get over the line and the net.
You aren’t out of practice yet.

We are friends with benefits, you and I
In passing we can give each other a knowing smile,
Nobody else in the room has the faintest idea
But we are friends with benefits. you and I

DS 2026

I have decided that subtle is not working generally for me so I am going for the full on in your face approach a for a brief spell 😂 I fell miss the element of living in the moment and being a bit more spontaneous. I have got staid and hide bound like an old weathered encyclopaedia perchance…

Here is a re-released old song of mine from about 20 years back or so. Originally recorded in analogue! I used to use a Teac 144 plus a reel to reel recorder then mix to a cassette and then to CD.

Lonely Fish

We had a good gig today at place called Ziba in Hitchin but not very busy as its just a small cafe. People were also seated outside and listening as its on the market Sq there. Nice to be out playing again which I do really enjoy. I am a bit knackered now having come home. So I am not as match fit as I would like to be, but I just don’t play enough really at present so it’s not that surprising. I do need to try and build my stamina up again.

My desperate attempt to tidy up the music room continues apace with small victory’s. I found a few hidden treasures 2 books of Irish, Scottish and English folk songs and much more.

The weather is turning warm again now as we come up to the weekend again. 3 gigs which I haven’t had for years. I hope I survive it 😂
If you don’t hear from me again know I went down fighting with the ship.


Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.

Each day at noon people of all faiths and none use this ‘Universal Prayer for Peace’. This forms a wave of prayer and hope rippling each day around the globe.

There is a world peace prayer society encouraging its use, alongside the simple prayer, ‘May peace prevail on earth.’

We need it now….

Here’s is an oldie but I think a goodie from me: it needs a bit more love.
High Summer

I am finding things a little difficult personally at present. I guess its just the way of the world. One of the hardest things I have found in life is that for me my word is pretty much my bond unless there is a major problem like an earthquake or similar if I say I will be there I will be there. I have always placed loyalty over everything but also not giving my word to commit to something I cant fulfill. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt but I am really beginning to lose faith latterly in much of what I am doing and wondering if it’s just me getting it wrong or taking it too much to heart. So much of life seems to be people saying one thing and doing the polar opposite. Maybe it was ever thus?

I have this contradiction going on. Half of me wants to give up and half of me needs there to be more… I don’t feel too positive today at all. I need a tribe/gang to be part of again… Socially and music speaking of course.
There are an awful lot of very lonely people around my age, mostly blokes (Facebook proves that in many ways evidentaily). Divorced and so forth. The women do better generally in terms of social support from their peers if they are widowed or divorced or singletons for any other reason. I do need to put myself back into circulation socially but I just don’t seem to get out of the door at present. Is it depression of a sort perhaps?

Car service and MOT for the UP was only £135 each going halves with my SO Alison so that’s a result. Hurrah 🙂 No advisory’s again either. Looking at the millage last year was a bit higher with me using it but just on 6000 which is fine. its was doing about 5000 a year before. My Picasso is still chugging on as well. A dose of injector cleaner seems to have cleared its arteries a bit. I do need to sort the headlamps out though as the lenses are a bit dim.

Amazed that my somewhat hesitant piano and vocal performance the other morning of ‘its been a long, long time’ has clocked up 850 views on Facebook. Maybe I should think about a solo act of some sort after all?
I am still having a fight with very low moods though, a sort of depression ‘lite’ I guess would describe it. Its nearly midsummer but we are having what might almost be April showers. Its been very not but also very cool for this time of year too. Everything is out totally out of wac as the saying goes.

Here’s is an oldie but I think a goodie from me: it needs a bit more love.

High Summer