Where Was I?

Ah yes....

Dickens Unplugged is very very funny indeed. And the music and songs are brilliant. 'The Old Curiosity Shop' in four lines is just one of many wonderful things.

Adam Long who wrote and directed it is lovely as well. What a talented man!

As we had a bit of time to spare before seeing the show, friend Angie and I had a mooch around Fortnum and Mason. Beautiful things that I don't want but I am glad that someone has made them. I quite liked the £60 egg cup......

Now then. Colin Harper, he of the witty pen, biographer of Bert Jansch, writer of other books and compiler of many a good compilation and Librarian in Belfast, has put together a 2 CD set of songs that he has written, played and sung by himself and his many highly talented friends and errr, me. It's called The Fieldmouse Conspiracy and you can read about it and listen to bits of it here

I am singing on the track 'Looking Glass Hall'

Colin reviewed the 30th anniversary of Fairport at Cropredy in 1997 for Mojo magazine. He said that I had 'gracefully aged'. He is now my friend forever... :-)

I'm off to do some recording of guide vocal tracks tomorrow for three more songs. Alistair and Tim are working hard on the tracks I have done. Alistair won't let me hear them yet. Grumble mutter grumble

More soon....

Halfway through....

....another week.

I have just watched the last few minutes of the Cup Final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
My post modernist deconstruction of the whole game is that all the players should have little umbrellas tied to their necks. They looked very soggy. And their mums will be very cross that they got so muddy.

And that Kimmo Pohjonen was absolutely stunning. What a superb musician he is. And to incorporate, tractors, hay balers, chainsaws, pigs, into the performance was just extraordinary. And all in a farm barn with hay bales to sit on and a corrugated iron roof.
Go see him if you can...

Right where was I? The little skin thing that might have been nasty and cancerous is benign. So that is really good news. Hooray!

Lunch at the fab restaurant was just that. Fab. M. Blanc's Manoir is just wonderful and it was great to meet up with the old school friend and try to remember names of people. Not very successfully, but thank you James anyway!

What's next? I am going to see Dickens Unplugged on Friday. I am looking forward to that!

I'll tell you what it is like later

It's Saturday

It was warm last week, and then it went cold. Now it's a bit warmer. So was that Summer? And are we now in Autumn? And will it be Winter again soon? Whatever- I have put my socks back on..

I am writing a list of the songs that I want to record for my next album.
Four songs already have vocals recorded and the beginnings of the beginnings.
Another two are written and are waiting for the recording of the guitar parts, so that I can sing the words.
One more is on it's way to me from the writers.
And I have a CD of 12 more songs to choose from.
Oh and there are at least four more of my own songs waiting patiently in the wings including an autobiographical song that might end up as a concept album all on it's own if I don't keep my eyes on it. I can feel it wanting to spread out and escape.

But actually, what a lovely thing to be doing...

I have been listening to No-Man's 'Schoolyard Ghosts' this week. If I am not careful I can just drown in this kind of music and there is one song on it that I would quite like to sing. So that gives me good reason to listen to the whole thing repeatedly. As if I need an excuse............

Tonight I am going to see that Kimmo Pohjonen, the Finnish Accordion player on a farm.
I may wear my wellies and take a scarf

And I shall go to the opening night of Dickens Unplugged next weekend because I have been invited by the man who wrote it. How fine is that?

All this and lunch at a fabulous restaurant with someone I was at school with. It's going to be an interesting week.

Just a shame that the scar on my face is a bit swollen and unhappy. It's a good job I am not vain...

Daft bats

It's 10.pm on Tuesday evening and I am listening to the Pete & Dan show on Phoenixfm radio.
I still don't know why I think this funny, but I do. They are the Belisha Band boys and they are both quite bonkers. They do write splendid songs though. listen to Calamity Lane...

My face is a wonderful mixture of different non-matching colours now. The stitches come out on Thursday and I think that after that I might begin to look reasonably human again. Well there's always hope!

The lawn needs mowing. Again. But I shan't do it right now because it's nearly midnight and it's a bit dark.

Real World had their servers stolen so they are off line. How can someone steal a server? I thought they were bits of ether. Could they be sold on to someone? My mind is having a little boggle here

Right that's enough wittering...

ooooh Ouch ouch

This evening I am currently looking like a half-hearted attempt to imitate the Invisible Man. I had a small skin thing removed from my face this morning. It's not definitely a skin cancer but to be on the safe side it was removed and will be checked.

I therefore have a wodge of steristrips protecting some stitches and the beginnings of a beautiful black eye. And the anaesthetic has worn off now, so I feel as though I have walked into a wall..

And the moral of the story is.....if you think you may have a weird lump or mole, anywhere, get it checked out.

Right. That's enough of the serious stuff. What made me amazed today?

That Finnish accordian player Kimmo Pohjonen

I shall go and listen to him play next month. Earth music. On a farm. Where else?