Category Archives: Musings

Diana Stone Sunny uplands

Maybe It’s Just Me

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, history, music, Musings, other, Piano, piano works

Wow, Ukraine. I didn’t see that one coming. Just at the point where you think maybe it’s finally  getting better again. Strange days indeed. History repeats itself over and over again. On the home I am  a busy bee now and its all new beginnings and crossing fingers that that the fresh shoots will break through the soil with the various new musical ventures. I am a little nervous still and it will take me a while to get back in the saddle again.   The UK has just dropped its covid restrictions this week and what was mandatory is now advisory. How comfortable people are is a another matter of course, and if behaviour will change much initially. I suspect people will be slow at first and very cautiously lift the veil? Maybe, but we are only just out of February and what with storms and much else, “Easy does it” may still be the preferred approach.  I am slowly working through my legacy  projects and now I am about to tackle the “Delta Ladies” French Album finally as I have been   putting it off for the last 2 years or so for personal reasons. But I think the time has come. There is not a huge amount to be done on it actually, maybe an overdub or two on one track, and the rest will be mixing and editing mostly and the decks are clear to do it finally. I got totally confused about which recording interface to use as well but I have figured it all out now just about. 

Here is a recent Piano tune which I would like to dedicate to those in Ukraine struggling at this terrible time.

 

Away from music time ticks by a little faster perhaps than it did as we go into the third month of this year. This is a very uncertain time for the whole western world, lets hope we are all stil here in a couple of weeks time? I feel a bit “Cuban Missile Crisis, 9/11, we are all doomed” at the moment. Lets hope I am proved wrong. I wish I had more to say.

A Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses – the children, the aged, the unprotected – be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood. 

Hopefully I will see you out there somewhere. 
  

   

Rain And More Rain Mostly

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, music, Musings, other
Diana Stone and Jan Jackson
Diana Stone and Jan Jackson @ Broadstairs Blues Bash

It’s a bit damp again and my bones ache. February is going pretty quickly so far. I stil feel a bit out of sorts generally and very tired.  Its good though to be up and doing stuff again with other people on a regular basis musically.  It looks pretty certain that we are in the last phase of Covid-19 now and maybe life really will be almost back to normal by spring.  Many of my friends and acquaintances  are now back in to the old routine already.  Fingers crossed. My first pub gig for two years went OK apart from the travelling in a massive storm and through floods which was not so enjoyable. We got rebooked too. Financial concerns are still a bit of an issue at present though. I just have to hope that some of the new ventures will work out. I don’t need much, just enough. We will see. 

 

 

I have started getting a little more active again and it feels a bit strange to be honest. is this the new post-covid world?  Its amazing what a little bit of activity and social contact does, my mind is reawakening to what’s possible again rather that just thinking about managing everything in a very constrained manner. I am also not feeling so lethargic all the time. That’s a big difference. I should do a test later to see if hanging around with a lot of people has given me the plague again. If I am active again regularly I would expect my weight to go down to about 9st 8 or thereabouts again.

You can go by the pretty route and perhaps arriving is not always the most important reason for taking the journey.      

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” (Chinese: 千里之行，始於足下; pinyin: Qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐyú zú xià; lit. ‘A journey of a thousand Chinese miles (li) starts beneath one’s feet’) is a common saying that originated from a Chinese proverb. The quotation is from Chapter 64 of the Dao De Jing ascribed to Lao

 

 

 

 

 

Remember When There Was No Undo Button

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, Musings

Yes, once upon a time you could not simply roll things back, just like it is in  real life. I remember those times well enough, but I think many have forgotten.  The world outside is harsh and still often very unfair. There is no undo button for that either.  So we continue with doing the day by day, because what else is there?  Anything more tends to make me anxious.  Time to travel hopefully and try and enjoy the journey even though you may get moved out of first class, or even  thrown off the train before the intended destination.  In the UK it looks like there is some good news re the pandemic but its not over till its over.  Maybe it will still be good news in spring? 

I am aching a lot again and its not doing my mood much good. I went for a walk  in the sunshine and it helped. Plenty of music related stuff in the works so one thing  I wont be is bored I hope. I am getting out and having a bit more company again which is nice but seems very strange after so long.  My driving stamina is a little less to so I need to get used to it again gradually. I am a bit nervous traveling alone. I always had company to and from gigs for many years of course. So its all a bit different now and taking some getting used to. It seems weird being allowed out as covid hopefully retreats. 

Some noise from me below.

Yep, indeed I dont think you can.