Category Archives: history

Offensive Flowers and Plants Police

Well now. A tale of woe.

Bad neighbours. We had grown from seed and allowed some wild flowers on the small space next to the entrance to our flat. It’s the first time anything has managed to grow there in the 6 years due to the hardness/dryness of the ground. A small miracle almost. the new neighbours who moved in a few months ago and who have not even said a word to us in that time, waited until we were out and then cut everything that was growing down. The land is not theirs. Some of the seeds were ones that my sister whos partner died had sent us from her old garden.

When confronted the “person” next door said he had cut them down because he did not like them though he no right to do so anyway. Some would actually have been protected species. They were their to encourage insects and to help allow the soil to build up on the patch of ground so that it could look more attractive. He has covered his back garden in astroturf so its totally dead. Ironically he will now likely have caused the plants to regrow and spread further. What stuns me though is it obvious that the land is not in anyway part of their property and they did not approach us to discuss what might potentially might be done, even though it has nothing to do with them. We encouraged taller plants to stop people coming there to pee as has been the case.

A quick drink before the performance of Jon Bickley’s Robin Hood recently.

I am seriously think of selling up and moving elsewhere. We moved from central London after retiring and never had anything like this happen before. I am both angry and sad. I felt physical sick after seeing what this person had done. I used to work for the prison service/Home Office and have had bad stuff happen so I am not naive, (knife held to my throat by a drug addict on my way to work because he thought I had caused his temporary release licence to be revoked and a few other things over the years).This has just really upset me a lot.

Anyway here is some music…

  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A short Piano piece.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Blueball by Diana Stones Glasscage
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    A Song about loss and anger and lonelyness
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Dreamy Easy Listening music
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Mid tempo song about worrying.
  • by Diana Stones Glasscage
    Horn Again Music by Diana Stones Glasscage

You Can Never Go Back

Orchard took a trip out to Pete Suttons open mike at The Farmer’s Boy, St Albans and we played a few songs and jolly good fun it was so thanks for having us. I remember the Farmers Boy well as it was one of the regular places for Elephant Shelf and The DELTA LADIES a while back. I think I last played there about 2013 so a very long time ago. A very hot day and I was in a real brain fog when I got there but I woke up when we actually started to play. Odd to be back and find nothing changed in 10 years or so. However it was a pleasant diversion for a summer evening and we got some decent applause. I don’t feel as though much will come of it through. “Do or do not, there is no try” though I guess.

It's not where you start its where you finish. Ford Popular.

It’s not where you start it’s where you finish.

The very hot weather of the last couple of days has abated which is a relief. But now there is a very high pollen level. Sniff, sniff, drip, drip…
I am working on a new track in between the above. Slow trancy synth stuff with a vocal. Not sure if I like it yet, but it’s growing on me. Maybe with a bit of fettling it might work out. Anyway back to the future is just a movie sadly. We can’t really go back and fix what’s F******d. Can we make it? I am not sure.

“Divine Ruler, to whom peace belongs. Master of Peace, Creator of all things. May it be thy will to put an end to war and bloodshed on earth, and to spread a great and wonderful peace over the whole world, so that nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore”.

Right Leg, Left Leg and Robin Hood

I played at the first performance of a friends pantomime. Robin Hood created by Jon Bickley who wrote the play and the songs. I am one of the musicians in the loose collective that is the Invisible Folk Club band that performed them for the show. I had said that getting opportunity’s to play gigs generally were getting very much rarer whenJon asked me how I was doing and suggested diversification generally. I said my problem was not lack of creative outlets but simply missing live performance.I mentioned the fact that so many of the gigs at pubs and so forth were just not there to be had anymore. It makes one feel a bit irrelevant.I enjoyed the show yesterday. Playing for a pantomime that was actually pretty funny was a good new experience.

It does seem that there are really only two sorts of retirees. I will use that term loosely but it sort of fits. There are the pipe and slippers people who seem perfectly happy and then the what now tribe. I am a what now, but of stock with a small trace of pipe and slippers in the DNA. Not wanting a Bilbo Baggins grand adventure but needing a bit more. Yes I am adapting but my metamorphosis is not yet complete. But even yesterday’s event is a step towards something different. My journey is slightly more problematic due to the depressive element as always there is a voice saying why bother. Sometimes it’s a loud voice and sometimes a whisper.
Knowing who I am is useful but not the superpower that I had hoped it would be.

So as I write this it’s a quiet day sorting stuff out. Plus a brief walk and a bit of musical maneuvering too.