Category Archives: other

What’s Going On?

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history, music, Musings, other, Piano, whatever,

Christmas is lurking, Santa’s getting fat
Please leave the lights on whilst we sort out this crap

Yep. This weeks been a very mixed bag. I had a visit from my sister to help her sort out a few things with regard to her recent move to London. Also get her phone back to normal after her cat managed to turn on the Android disability suite and screen reader by walking over the phone. We could not get it to switch off though despite following the instructions. We persisted though and victory was attained eventually. Paradoxically this was achieved by performing the same commands many times over and over again until finally the phone admitted defeat and allowed us to get to the appropriate menu in the settings. I helped sort out a few other things which needed doing too.

What do I miss. What do I really miss? On a Saturday or Friday night. Proper gigs, a drive and a chat about putting the world to rights. Setting up the gear. Doing a stonking set and getting booked back again. Getting home at 03.00. I really do miss all that. Its seems like a remote and far distant dream now. But it was my life for many years. Not much but enough to give me a sense of achievement. That’s all gone now….

I have made progress socially in lots of areas really, but this time of year is hard going for me and I doubt that will change. I was sociable with the folks I worked with at the Civil Service to an extent. So although I was never deeply into pub culture I did have drinks with workmates. Then after I left I spent a lot of time playing music in pubs. But I was never good at going it alone. In those days though I was never on my own though of course.

What did the spider do when Robert the Bruce saw it?

One day, when he was hiding in a cave, Robert the Bruce saw a spider trying to spin her web. The spider tried six times to make her thread stick to the wall of the cave. It would not stick. On the seventh time, the thread stuck to the wall.

I think my spiders tried at least 10 times already…. Possibly more

Meanwhile back in the haunted toy shop, the fiddling and twanging and piano bashing continues unabated of course. What else is there. A new instrumental tune below.


Its time for indulgence and cracking up I guess. Sometimes I want to try and walk in to the picture on the wall. Looking for something mythical just over the next hill towards the setting sun. That hidden land where everything is fine. Somewhere over the rainbow perhaps? I am still trying to get there, but will I know when I have arrived. I feel like I am vicariously living other lives via YouTube video’s at present.

In the 70s apart from my mates, nobody would have heard my music or songs except perhaps one or two in the local pub at best on on cassettes or late CDs passed around. Now in the last since about 2010 somewhere north of 150,000 plays have taken place on various websites and streaming services, so for me personally its better now as I have an audience and some of them are the mystery Facebook friends in far flung places so I get actual feed back about what I do.
In other music matters, I note that my most played tracks predominately are:

#1 Rock style songs (which tend to sound a bit late 60s/70s unsurprisingly considering my age and formative influences)
#2 Singer Songwriter/ Folk
#3Trance (EDM) with violin.

Other stuff gets played less, so strangely whilst I am not a fan of the sound of my own voice others apparently are. Occasionally I will do a world Jazz thing that people like a bit. But it seems the human voice (even mine is still popular).

I was always about recording stuff, making up tunes and creating arrangements, playing at making records if you like. So I sort of started from a different place. I was asked to join bands in my 20s (by student types that lived at home or often full time squatters on the dole), but I had just got a mortgage so there was no way I could go and rehearse with no gigs or money.

Sometimes though when I get to thinking too much I have hit the off switch for a while. I don’t have any musical outings till after Christmas. A mental reset is useful, semi-recluse mode can be a help in some respects.

I just found an old bit of studio kit I had forgotten about (vocal processor) that I had which may be useful. It still works after the dust was cleaned up so that might be fun.

On This Day or any other….

Mend a quarrel
Search out a forgotten friend
Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust
Write a love letter
Share some treasures
Give a soft answer
Encourage youth 

Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed
Keep a promise
Find the time
Forego a grudge
Forgive an enemy
Listen
Apologize if you were wrong

Try to understand
Flout envy
Examine your demands on others
Think first of someone else
Appreciate, be kind, be gentle
Laugh a little more.
Deserve confidence

Take up arms against malice
Decry complacency
Express your gratitude
Worship your God
Gladden the heart of a child
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth

Speak your love
Speak it again
Speak it still again
Speak it still once again….

~ Author Unknown

Be seeing you I hope…

Captains Log Star Date Whatever

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

Speaking of news, it’s mostly tragic at the time of writing, the headlines reflect unsettling events and conflicts. Ukraine, Palestine, Israel and all the rest. The suffering endured by innocent people is deeply saddening, regardless of the terminology used to describe it. The gravity of the situation becomes even more apparent when we’re confronted with such realities through our screens.

Ideally I would like to go out and socialise say 3 or 4 times a week and the rest of the time with my recording and writing music, writing my blog and stuff. I don’t do too badly really. Some days are hard. Obviously if I had an extended family that would take up some time too, but I don’t. Pub friends are usually acquaintances really in most cases, unless your are in a real village in which case they might be proper mates as well. My friendships usually are formed from a mutual interest and some become more than that. All my women friends know enough about me to get me hung drawn and quartered

As you contemplate the idea of writing a piece of music, it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the subject matter. How can words alone capture the complexity of the world’s sorrows, well of course its not words alone. Sometimes, music has a way of transcending the limitations of language, allowing melodies and rhythms to convey emotions that words alone cannot express. Perhaps, through music, you can find a way to lend a voice to the unspoken and offer solace to those who suffer. Of course you may just sound trite, maybe you offer solace only to yourself.

Engaging in music-related activities can be a great way to counterbalance the winter blues or simply express them, but it can’t eradicate them. Music has a unique ability to transport us to different emotional landscapes, offering solace and comfort during challenging times. It’s a way to connect with our emotions and find a release, especially when the world around us seems to be filled with distressing news.

I completely understand the struggle of navigating through the gloomy winter days and the impact it can have on our moods. It seems like a recurring theme for many of us as we transition from the vibrant outdoors to the confinement of our offices, just to find ourselves arriving and leaving in darkness. However, it’s uplifting to hear that you were able to soak in the crisp and clear autumnal sunshine during your morning outing.

In the comfort of your surroundings, you have the opportunity to explore the intangible connections between your emotions and the melodies that dance through your mind. Your creativity has the potential to touch hearts and serve as a reminder that even in the face of turmoil, there is still beauty to be found.

So, as you sit there, gazing at your screen, know that your desire to express, create, and uplift through music is a remarkable endeavour. Keep embracing the sunlight, both literal and metaphorical, and let it inspire the notes that flow from your soul.

Diana Stone and Vicky Martin. January 2019

Diana Stone and Vicky Martin. January 2019

When To Run Away And When To Stand Your Ground

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

Tricky one that. Run away is looking a pretty solid option at present. But where to? There is no further shore where the land is calm and bountiful and the weather temperate. Or if there is I haven’t seen it yet.

Winter is not fully hear yet, we are in that strange nether world, between and betwixt at present. Interesting light and colours abounding until the dark comes down suddenly and very early or so it feels to me at least. the abrupt change to the dark evenings is always hard going for me personally. Though its a good time for working on music and recordings and related stuff with less distraction. on my of my website music outlets I have on their stats listings:

3 top 1
109 top 50
648 songs
91.2K plays

If I total up all my music plays over all of the places its available I have I guess around.
250,000 plays. Not bad as it means I do get people listening to what I do. So that’s fun.
Of course it doesn’t make me much money at all maybe about £400 a year from everything I do including recordings made with other people as well as my own. I don’t make a living from being a live performer these days like I did when I was in the Delta Ladies though. But nothing stays the same for ever But considering where I started in life it could be a lot worse. Would I have liked to be a Super Star? 😂 Might have been fun I guess though it sounds like a lot of hard work really.

Below is me singing an old song, solo with piano. I may do a few versions of my songs this way to Facebook and TikTok, Instagram and so forth in future.

I asked a machine to tell me about forgiveness and the concept of “turning the other cheek”.
This is what it said. These embody a profound resilience and compassion in the face of conflict. Turning the other cheek is a metaphorical expression often associated with responding to aggression or offense with non-retaliation. It emphasizes the transformative power of forgiveness, encouraging individuals to break the cycle of negativity and choose understanding over revenge. Perhaps we need to be ruled by the machines after all. Perhaps our new cyber overlords would be kind and indulgent with us even though they might see us as merely pets?
We seem to be in need of forgiveness now.

The machine spoke to me again today. What is love?

“Love” is a complex and multifaceted concept that has been explored and defined in various ways throughout history, literature, philosophy, and psychology. It encompasses a range of emotions, attitudes, and behaviors, and its meaning can vary depending on the context and the individuals involved. Generally, love is often described as a deep affection, attachment, or strong positive feeling towards someone or something.

But of course humans programmed it, though sometimes you wouldn’t think so.

Mind how you go.