I have been writing stuff in other places, but I think its about time i got back into keeping up to date.
OK, its not a wildly exciting life that I live I admit but it amuses me to keep a bit of a diary here.
I am thinking a bit about getting older or (not getting older) which is of course the other possibility. I am starting to nudge towards 60 now and its a strange experience as its something I would never have imagined. Particularly as I spend a lot of time making music now. I also spend a lot of time staring in to space, but enough about that. In fact as I write I am cooking some nosh to eat before tonight’s Delta Ladies gig at the Ranelagh in exotic Bounds Green. OK its not that exotic but if you come from South London it sort of is.

This is Feb 11 2016, so if your reading this after that its history 🙂

Tonight’s gig is a slightly different line-up which should be fun and might have the odd surprise here and their too.

These folk will not be there, though they did click like on facebook 🙂

I found a couple of demo songs on a CD dating from about 1995 I think.  They don’t sound too bad so I am adding a few bits as I think they don’t sound too bad. I am also trying to keep it fairly simple at the same time. Difficult.  The vocals sound very different to the way my voice is now which is a little unnerving.  I think its worth doing though. I have just added violin to one of them. It’s quite folky sounding, (as in what used to be called contemporary folk)  and possibly will seem dated, but I might be inspired to do something more post -millenium sounding later on.  My heads still in a slightly strange place to be honest as it often is at this time of year.

What’s occurring then. A sad start to the month with David Bowie shuffling of this mortal coil. A huge catalogue of music that he leaves us with. I had imagined he would be around forever or at least until I got really ancient. He has been a huge influence on so many people and was born of course in the best part of London

On the home front things are hanging together, starting to kick things off for the new year now. Spent a couple of days in a studio in winchester working on some stuff with mostly good results.

And yet more January

it’s been lovely to see some sunshine which I have been enjoying, though today we are back to wet and warm again which is not so much fun. Jan & feb are always as bit of a slog for me. When I used to cycle to work the rain in the face was somewhat stimulating LOL
Cold and dry I can deal with but damp gives me gyp as they used to say. As its dull I using my SAD lamp, which does seem to give a bit of a boost.

Still working on various recordings including two very different Delta Ladies Albums. Watch this space as they say. We are just getting back into gigging again, our first one was at a social club on Sunday. It was a bit subdued, but a handy warm up really.

I have finally cleared all my debts, I had one remaining loan that I have now cleared so I am still fairly skint but on an even keel for the first time in about 25 years. Its quite a weird feeling to be honest but I expect to be deluged with loan offers from the bank by the end of the month

Like many others I wish I had had the presence of mind to sort my finances out much sooner, but circumstances never quite seemed right. My lifestyle is fairly frugal these days, but I can’t say that I am missing much as I am blessed to be able to do the things I enjoy most of which don’t require spending much money.

I am not sleeping too well though which is a bit of a pain.

Even more January

Two gigs at the weekend one good and the other not so great as it was not quite the right audience, and they were mostly very pissed and leary though they did like some of it. Still the person who booked us liked it and apparently the punters did too though as is often the case we had the drunk learly people in front. Quite why they positioned themselves there I don’t know. This week we have a guest appearance at the Bull’s Head Barnes today (Monday) then some more recording and two more gigs (both regular venues) this coming weekend. Fortunately they were smokers and so regularly disappeared outside.

We have just replaced the PA system which was about 11 years old in parts, for something slightly lighter as some of the old stuff was getting a bit much at times and we couldn’t get the speakers up on stands without assistance because we are getting a bit old LOL. It sounds pretty good which is the main thing. A few minor hiccups with getting used to it though.

I am still feeling somewhat anxious though the gloom is lifting a bit. I have what is now called social anxiety, but is perhaps just being a little shy and nervous. With that comes a certain lack of confidence in situations where I don’t have a particular thing to do. So playing and singing is fine, but once I stop performing I am sort of back in my shell. I do know a lot of people like that though so its not just me I have never really been any different fundamentally. I like people but it takes me a while to relax if I don’t know them. I am not being aloof it’s just that small talk does not come easily to me.