Category Archives: history

April Round Up….

Delta Ladies, Delta Ladies, glass cage, music, Musings, whatever

Interesting, I was never a hippy or whatever I just briefly had the look and liked the far out music.

This from ye olde internet:

“Conflict took place in every year of the 20th Century; the world was free from the violence caused by war for only very short periods of time. It has been estimated that 187 million people died as a result of war from 1900 to the present.”

Thoughts about my relationship with music: It’s still great fun to do a good live performance or record a new song or musical work that I am pleased with. I don’t have the drive to create in the same way I used to though so more discipline is required to keep going. I suppose that’s just ageing. So now I have more time but I do spend a lot of time not doing much by my standards. But without the thinking time I guess there would be less creativity when it does start to flow. It’s in the quiet moments the mental health pixies start to agitate so that’s the difficult bit in the equation. Speaking to friends they are generally surprised at my overall level of activity.

I am enjoying opportunities to play live again and the social aspects. I do have more confidence these days though as every I go now I go on my own of course. That’s still a bit challenging.
But recording and creating music is very different of course. Both are very satisfying but very different creative processes. So internet websites and and internet radio and social media are my “gallery or concert Hall”. You can experience my art for free but you can buy it if you want to as well. Does this make sense?

The new rule is that if you make less that an £1000 turnover from self employed work you no longer need to declare it. Since lockdown I have only made about £800 from music or less PA.

A curious note: I can sing better with a corset on than off. Perhaps having the posture partially corrected makes breathing easier?

I have been rehearsing Jon Bickley as a tertiary adjunct of his Invisible Folk Club. I have not seen him for a while and also with Bob and Annette. It was a good session. I think Jon was surprised that we all remembered our parts well enough. An enjoyable and mellow couple of hours. plus quite a nice ride there and back too. Didn’t get the emergency alert on my phone though. I wonder how many people didn’t receive it?

The DeltaGypsies

I am practicing a few music bits for the Delta Gypsy mob too.

Plus started of a recording of a new tune. Did other stuff that I cant remember and feel knackered and aching again. If I go out I am OK but on my days at home I just seem to collapse in a heap. I think it is in part because I always feel a little anxious if I am going out anywhere different. Yesterday we used a rehearsal room we had not used before. It turned out OK though. Today I am tired and achy again. Weird or what. It has been raining a bit though which might explain the pains?

Its weird, I m OK say for a couple of days whilst I am doing stuff then wallop I am knocked out. maybe I am not sleeping well enough. I do dream a lot at present. Maybe I just need the spring to kick in properly. I still feel less well since Covid, but maybe its not that at. When I played with the Irish lot it was fun and I felt fine. There is a partly psychological trigger to all this I think, or feel.

So here is a spacey tune for you all and why not.
Fast Foreboding

Some random person from the internet….

A shout out to all of you folks struggling with arthritis and similar ailments. I have had a couple of really bad days, waking up at night with it and so forth. I have Ankylosing spondylitis, but also in addition my spine is twisted in 3 different directions(scoliosis, plus Kyphosis) which does not help much. As time goes on its harder to manage as I have gotten older. It also has left me with a not terribly attractive hump on one side of my back. One of the problems that occurs is that particular on waking I find it difficult to move around. That means that often my mornings are wasted. I do various exercises which help but this week has been a real struggle. So if you are having similar problems you have my sympathies’ as it’s the kind of problem that is not visible to others but can cause huge problems at times. Fortunately its only in recent years that it has started to cause real problems but at 66 I guess that is to be expected. I don’t think I will be running any marathons in the near future though.

Someday Maybe

music, Musings, other, Piano, piano works, whatever

The sun is out. I hope wherever you are you are having a good day. I read a couple things in the news today that made me feel very sad. I will not bother to quote them here as tomorrow no doubt they will replaced with other similar stuff that is just as destressing to see. There is a lot of hate out there in the world generally and a lot of it is based on lies promulgated by what used to called the popular press and self serving politicians from all parties many of whom actually seem to have zero idea of how many people live and often struggle to live. They pick random groups to target and make the other. The constant cry’s that “Those people are the cause of all your troubles” and another group of victims is created and made the other When I read it just makes me feel tired, and that there is nothing much left to believe in at times.

1 Corinthians 16:14
Let all that you do be done in love.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

3 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. –

Prelude To Winter

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, music, Musings, Piano, piano works, whatever

It’s starting to get cold now. Ouch. Life goes on with a few hiccups along the path.

There is plenty going on on various musical fronts, so that’s all good. I am in 4 different acts, all very different, which hopefully get busier next year. A slight hiatus though, due to the guitar player in one band fracturing a finger and the drummer twisting their wrist and no they were not having a fight.  In my folk act the guitar player has got a kidney infection. But overall I have a lot more going on now than I did a few months back creatively so that’s good. Other than that its business as usual over all. Finances are a bit iffy till next year so I am mostly doing stuff that does not cost too much to do socially. That’s OK though.

So here is a tune.

It’s a Piano and Keys thing, that sort of wrote it self the other week as they often do, whilst I was thinking about something completely different.

A memory from a few years back. No special reason for putting it here except it’s a fun picture with happy smiling people in it. We all need to do more smiling don’t you think.