Music, talent, and friendship
Music, friends, beer, barn… I spent an evening last week with friends at a private gig by Assembly Lane, an acoustic quartet positioned roughly where British folk music meets bluegrass. So we had renditions of Sir Patrick Spens and the Fair Flower of Northumberland among Appalachian fiddle tunes and more, all delivered with consummate musicianship […]
Learning and networking
It’s not just about writing It seems obvious now but one of the things I wasn’t expecting when I took to writing as my main focus was the need to learn about social media. When I started I was an innocent in this area, my only touch point being a little used Linked In account. […]
Blank screens and random images
Inspiration? I’m not sure whether it’s a good idea to write this. The idea of a weekly blog giving you the discipline to write something when there’s nothing obvious to write. I don’t mean it’s a bad idea in itself, just that there’s only one time I can get away with doing it. Maybe. Maybe not. […]
The USA and the special relationship
New York I’ve spent a lot of time in the States. New York, Chicago and Stamford, Connecticut were all regular stop overs for a number of years and I spent a great three weeks ‘off Broadway’ with one of my plays. I’ve friends, ex colleagues, family in the States. A personal special relationship. And this […]
Asking for feedback
We all do it, all the time, ask for feedback. What we don’t necessarily do is mean what we say. I suspect what we really want is for everyone to say we’re brilliant, gifted, producers of fine work and an example to the rest of humankind. The sort of feedback that makes us feel good […]
Joy amid pain – the ‘Arts’ in a troubled world
Music – aspirin for the soul? They say people of a certain age should take an aspirin a day to keep illness at bay. Not advice I follow. My own remedy is a bit of singing or playing the sax, preferably both. In the world at large, joy seems in short supply at present. The […]
The importance of language
Kind words and positive feedback There’s a special feeling when you get positive feedback and know it’s genuine. We had some of that yesterday when we played a lunchtime gig at Leatherhead Theatre. An experiment. Did people want Greensand’s jazz with their coffee and BLT? It seems they did. We were told it was a ‘divine […]
A day to focus on the positive
Positive? Okay, it’s a tricky day. The day the US abandons decency, respectability and leadership, for now at least, by appointing a saloon bar blowhard to the presidency. But let’s not dwell on that. There are positives out there. For instance, the President elect may be a flat earther in the context of climate change, […]
Hospitality – a conundrum
A first world problem? I’ve been worrying about the offering of hospitality lately. I’ve always liked to have friends and family round for meals, parties, discussions, music, coffee, you name it. So I think of myself as hospitable. But when the question of hosting a family of asylum seekers arose I couldn’t do it. Happy […]
Epiphany – and the Magi
If you’ve taken down your decorations, you’re early! Traditionally it should be Twelfth Night – the 5th January, or Epiphany, when the ‘wise men’ arrived. Ready for tomorrow, here’s my ‘Magi’ offering… Magi Summoning his courage, the man dismounted and, hand on back, prepared to enquire Had King or court seen the sight […]