Monthly Archives: June 2023

Here We All Are Sitting On A what ?

Do you remember the rest of that line. if you do congratulations you are vintage.
Don’t deny it.

The Invisible Folk Club Band - Jon Bickley, Milo Downs, Diana Stone and Bill Nimmo - playing at the Cowper and Newton Museum yesterday as part of Invisible Folk's Grace will lead me home project. Thanks to the Museum and thanks to the Arts Council. Photos by Jean Yarwood.

The Invisible Folk Club Band – Jon Bickley, Milo Downs, Diana Stone and Bill Nimmo – playing at the Cowper and Newton Museum yesterday as part of Invisible Folk’s Grace will lead me home project. Thanks to the Museum and thanks to the Arts Council. Photos by Jean Yarwood.

So I am still keeping sort of busy at the time of writing. We have had a few very hot days which have knocked me out pretty much. I don’t have the resilience I used to sadly. Bouncing back is now more of a leisurely stroll or occasionally a crawl.

I watched Elton John’s farewell show at Glastonbury on the Tv and realised that I had first seen him perform live 50 years ago. Wow, times flies. It was a pretty good effort and 2 hours worth. His voice still distinctive though avoiding some of the high notes and playing up a storm on the Piano. So many good songs too. Echos for me now of a very different part of my life and I guess the same for many others.

Here is a tune from about a year back. it’s got some violin on it. That’s a surprise.

Stuckness, what’s to be done about it?
That feeling that you could fix it if only and you will get right on it tomorrow. Or rather you would but, you know? Stuff. I am not bored at present so I can’t complain too much I guess. My main concern next will be if I can keep my car on the road another year. Mot is at the end of Sept but that could be a problem. But I can only cross that bridge when I come to it. having working out an Elton John style basis for a tune using some of his harmonic tricks. It wont sound like him when its grown up but its a useful trick to plagiarise a bit when not inspired. I am still very tired. I suppose it’s better than being anxious though.
it strikes me that most of my music mates (good bad or genius) play because it still brings them joy and others too at times. The great secret (the holy grail) really is not to overthink it but it takes a long time to learn that if one can at all. Many never do. It’s the doing that’s the important bit I guess.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.
Dalai Lama

Don’t forget to love yourself.
Soren Kierkegaard

Sleepy time again

Solstice and more thoughts.

So its business as usual here. Writing music or attempting to and practicing and eating and sleeping. That seems to fill the days up pretty much. I recently also submitted to get my amazon artist profile for promotion and stuff. Not sure how long that will take though? Wait and see I suppose. As I write it’s likely to thunder or at least threatening so to do. But a its a bit brooding now. we are having a lot of fairly hot weather again, the kind that slows you down to a crawl.

Here’s is a new one for you all.

What Else Is There.

My latest opus.

I have some rehearsals and a few gigs coming up which will keep me occupied for a while (fingers crossed). Apart from that its mostly business as usual in the main. That’s Ok as I am not a big fan of surprises 🙂 The world continues to turn, at least at the time of writing. A few things do cause me concern but most of them are entirely outside any possible filmiest sphere of influence. So I am left to grumble and mumble into my tea.

There is a small plot between our property and the next one which seems not to belong to anyone, and each year it makes vain attempts to burst forth into bloom but it is far too dry and has not any proper soil. It’s a little dessert, and also rather like a bald head with just a few random tuff’s of hair. In the 5 years we have been here its just never quite made the grade. It pluckily trys though. Is there a point where perseverance is pointless? I believe that there is, though I am not sure the little barren patch has reached it. Hope springs infernal as they say.

I have uploaded a couple of things recently to BBC introducing. Well they have been listened too, but I doubt if it will get any further than that. But I might as well keep trying as not. I don’t think I stand much of a chance and my stuff is different from a lot of what I am hearing. Some folks seem to like it, but I fear it’s not going to get past the local radio gatekeepers. A couple of months ago I entered a songwriting competition. Didn’t get anywhere with that either. I listened to some of the runners up. An interesting spread of stuff, but I didn’t even get listed. However I am still going to keep on as what else is there? I would be good to get a sniff once in a blue moon though. At this point I do begin to feel a bit gloomy about it to be honest. Any normal person would have packed it in by now I guess. Maybe keeping trying is just a form of mental illness at my time of life?

Diana Stone on tour. 
The  Ramparts Angouleme

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” ~ Maya Angelou

It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ~ Nelson Mandela

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” ~Buddha

I do find doing rather than thinking tends to help with mood, otherwise if you are anything like me you just tend to go and make a list of everything you are disappointed with or dissatisfied or feel inadequate about and come to the conclusion that you are a massive waste of space. That tends to happen about every 4 days on average with me….
More driving, more playing, more standing up and so forth over a few days does make a difference. I am sure. Certain muscles are getting a lot more use again consistently.

That’s all folks….

Uphill again

So the sun’s out and it’s very warm and all that. Hooray mostly I guess. But, not much face to face contact this week and I feel a bit weird all of a sudden. I have 3 full days at the weekend but typing this I feel odd. A wave of gloom manifests’ out of nowhere.

Not Every thing You See Is Real
If only I could do my make up as well as A.I does.

D Stone

I made this. it was a very quick, off the cuff recording.  Nice comment on the track too
“Your voice and lyrics are so beautiful, it’s like the leaves falling gently on my soul.”  Oh my.
“Is it Falling On You”

It got a few plays which is nice. Its slightly folkier than most of my stuff as a contrast.
Cool. This time of year I tend to be up and about earlier in the day when its cooler.

Local news from this septic isle.
Are kids getting worse, or was it always like this? I suspect actually it always was.

This from a facebook friend who is F/M and disabled and about 68 and lives in Bournemouth:

“So I took a little ride to the shop and parked my mobile scooter outside. When I came back several teenage boys were messing around with it. They actually tore the wire out that goes to the motor and so I had to push the thing almost a mile up hill to get it home. When it first happened the wire was sparking and it started to smoke. I yanked the battery out quick and it stopped smoking. I could smell burnt wires tho. So that’s out of commission. Time to take the wheel off my other scooter and reinflate it. No sense in wanting to kill those boys or give them a good slap. Just keep calm and carry-on.”

That would have totally done my head in to be honest I think. Hopeful all will be well though.

I had a bit of a funny turn and anxiety/panic attack yesterday. Totally out of the blue. I haven’t had one of those for quite a while.

I am having a very slow day today. Deliberately so as I found a specific trigger for my anxiety the other day. A sudden nasty rib pain hit (not had that particular one for months, possibly due to all the special exercise routines actually working ) and because I was already a bit on edge it set the whole show off. I realised that when talking to many people I know they somehow seem to filter out a lot of the news. I seem to get obsessed with stuff. It makes one feel at times that everything is hopeless. I do too much thinking. In my head I have trying to resolve or quantify everything thing. It’s not that my thoughts are irrational, but rather that I do get obsessed by things I cannot control. Maybe the internet makes one mad! I need to talk to people, its in my nature although I am shy/introvert to an extent, that seems to have changed somewhat since VIcky and Ralphs passing. I have had a lot more company and social interaction in the last year or so which is good, but I am not so great with just my own company.

Its is dawning on me I could do solo gigs with a bit of forethought and a loop pedal. I just need a bit more confidence really. maybe that’s the next step if there is one?