Another Day

Musings

Its just that time of year again I guess really and nothing more. Everything stops but mostly it starts again. I never really stop doing stuff. If something fails completely then a sideways move or possibility can sometimes appear out of the blue, often at a point where one feels everything is rusted and seized up beyond redemption. I looked at a few old diary entries for this time of year and stuff happened but little was achieved it seemed to be honest. I have a stronger sense of things ending generally this year than I usually do at this time of year, a physical and metaphorical feeling in my bones one might say… But is it simply that usual winter feeling? Probably. I realised that it’s time to stretch my comfort zone again and expand it a bit to try and feel a bit less stuck again. I have been playing it very safe recently i think and I do need to really try and mix a bit more socially again but I have been literally shying away.

Its that thinking time of year again, not so much for grand plans but more just reviewing the old years events at its end and wondering a little bit about the coming one. My personal worlds boundary has shrunk a bit. Not a sudden thing but events nibble away sometimes at ones confidence and reversing that trend is not always so easy. The risk is doing something really risky or silly in a mad moment for me right now.

You will be expecting a new tune no doubt so as not to disappoint here it is:


Today did not go to plan but Ho hum… Plans indeed. So one foot in front of the other and try to keep sane I guess. These inbetween days are difficult as whilst I am occupied its fine but thoughts wander to the sad and also rather odd places between dreams and desires that cannot be satisfied without the risk of raining down destruction in a careless moment.

The inbetweeny bit

Musings

The familiar cry that it’s not fair echoes through the land as the Tommy/Farage/Brexiteer fanboys and girls (mustn’t be sexist 🙂 ) shout about the destruction of an English society that never really existed. Certainly not one I have seen in my 68 years on this planet to date, fuelled and sponsored by proxies of the wealthy who fund division for their own ends. Make the little people fight and keep them divided has always been the game. England was built on this premise and convincing the cannon fodder to go along with it has now never been easier. The politics of the school bully in the playground reign supreme at present. Literally and figuratively so it seems in the case of Nigel Farage’s school days. Private schools in England are still a gateway to much denied to others of ability. Look at many elected politicians who seem to provide reasonable evidence to support this hypothesis. Punching down at minority’s or ridiculing them is as much a part of class privilege as hunting, shooting and fishing still it seems. Once again art/music and much the cannon fodder are encouraged not to pursue buy any means possible. Music education cut to the bare minimum in schools and so forth.
What will happen when there are very few jobs left in say 20 years as most can and will be automated.
Who will be able to buy the stuff produced…
In another life many years ago I happened to meet the head of a very large utility company who’s arrogance was mind bending which was only matched by their total inability to understand a concept that a 5 year would be able to grasp. I used to naively think that people got to positions of power because they had some special quality or ability. Sadly this is not so much the case. For many its luck and being the person that shouts loudest in the room.
A car brought new costs more that half the cost of a house in some poorer parts of the UK. Some people are doing very well indeed and of course there is nothing wrong with that but even the average comfortably off family are bombarded with xenophobic propaganda daily. In the last few years Trans people have also been targeted too. To what end. To keep control, to keep society divided, to keep the little people fearful and frightened. We see the perfect example of this in the USA where a man who has criminal convictions is elected president by those that are now disadvantaged because if it. He told them that the ‘Elite’ was the enemy and he is of course part of that elite. We see the same sort of thing happening in the UK now too of course.
In truth the division in English society has always been there except that now everybody with a smartphone can join in the hue and cry broadcasting hate far and wide. Are people worse than they used to be?
I doubt it somehow, it is just that now they chose to share hate freely with a few jabs of a finger and thumb.
What I do suggest is that if you happen upon some outlandish claim or great threat is that you research it a little rather than take your lead from some provocateur news pundit who makes a living from stoking the fires.
I wish you all a peaceful and perhaps prosperous new year for 2026…

Christmas Thoughts 2025

Musings

Well it’s been quite a year with a few ups and downs as usual. My partners been ill but is now on the mend though still feeling some discomfort from a surgical procedure.

At present it’s one of those days, Bathroom sink got suddenly blocked and I had to take the trap off and stuff but now its got a leak underneath so will have to get plumber. Also my cold is now having a reprise, Bollocks. Just remembered I have Homeserve cover so I booked a person for Tuesday pm. Fingers crossed that they can fix it… Or at least turn up 🙂

I have been looking at what I have done over this year musically: I have recorded 79 of my own tunes (songs instrumentals) and released 3 albums on streaming services Played on 3 of the Invisibles releases Played on 3 other peoples releases on streaming services. in 2025 my recorded works have been played around 45,000 times and 10,000 plays of tracks recorded with Jon Bickley and also with the Invisibles’ too. It’s a fair amount. That’s globally, most in the USA followed by Far east, Indian subcontinent then Eastern Europe and Russia. Remainder western Europe (including the UK) and Gulf States. It has been an increasing as a trend at present. It will be interesting to see if it stalls next year as I don’t think it can just keep increasing really. I expect its a blip to be honest. It is surprising when you do break it down and look at in writing. I am doing an end of year album release of 6 tracks and calling it “Cool Woke Virus“

The many, many faces of me.

Hello Boys

And why not I hear you say.

I have played around 25 gigs with various people and at open mike’s a couple of times. A quiet year compared with the glory days though. It’s nice to still be gigging though at 68 years old.
Its my plan for the NY is to try and transcribe some of my songs so I have workable versions I could play live at OMs and stuff. Reality can get a bit boring this time of year I find though. I am not a big fan of Christmas to be honest. Also I don’t think I will be doing any singing this week until my throat clears a bit. I am having a lot of garlic with everything at present to try and shift the end of the cold and congestion.

My anxiety/depression and related problems have had the usual ups and downs through the year and as ever the arthritis has made itself known on and off in varying degrees. So here we are another year on and feeling my age a bit. And also the eternal question which is what’s next, if anything of course?

My days apart from music related activities’ are pretty random unless I am going out. Maybe it’s the winter effect but I really am just plodding on a semi-comatose state. Not depressed or anxious, but more like a feeling of being absent…

A few tunes from this year