Niamh Parsons and Graham Dunne

Sunday night, after my busy weekend away with Carol in the Midlands, Shani and I were the support to Niamh and Graham at Hitchin Folk Club.

Our set was quite laid back, but very appropriate for the mood and audience. Getting them to sing along with 'Sunset' (audience participation is a must) was a challenge, but they didn't let us down!

But back to Niamh and Graham. Let's start with Graham, a quiet, reserved seeming fellow from County Clare - but his guitar speaks volumes! He describes himself as playing 'folk, jazz, flamenco' and certainly all those styles are in his playing. His ability as a guitarist is amazing - because he doesn't just have the technical ability to play something as complex as, say Rodriguez' Recuerdos de la Alhambra (with that neat triple note playing), but because he could accompany and adapt his style to suit that of the singer - Niamh.

His guitar playing suited every song - the majority of which were traditional but not all. He also played some solo pieces, all of which were like little 'musical journeys' rather than set pieces. They took you down lanes, byways and some highways in their pace and structure.

Niamh sings - though she says she plays guitar (like she did when she was 15) - she only sung this night. Her voice is in a low register, and her Irish accent adds an additional dimension that is pleasing to the ear. Her choice of songs, though sometimes morbid (I was impressed - she had a body count at the end of the set which even I could not match!), were moving and thought-provoking.

Her delivery on stage is relaxed and informal, yet she stands out as a consummate professional. She engaged the audience with talk as well as her singing, anecdotes relevant to the songs and to the performance. Her voice has a tone and timbre that are easy to listen to. She does not sing with a power borne of volume, but - and the only word I can find to explain it - presence. A rich tone, without feeling cloying. I guess the best thing is if you listen yourself: http://www.myspace.com/niamhparsonsofficial. Visit her site, buy her CDs, see her live!

If you like good traditional folk music and excellent guitar playing without the 'diddly diddly', then Niamh and Graham deliver the goods!

Kenilworth and Sundials

On Friday night I picked up my friend Carol and we drove across to Kenilworth to Woodside, part of the Sundial Group. I had been invited on a 'Taste of Sundial'- a promotional event which included around 70 guests.

When we arrived we were greeted with tea and chocolate eclairs, and every staff member we met was very welcoming and friendly. We then convened at 7pm for an official welcome and a 'mysterious' tour. Taken in groups of 20, we walked round the beautiful grounds and met historical characters along the way. Each encounter entertained us with a story of events from the darker side of history. The tableux were presented by a group called 'Walk on the Dark Side'. We learned the story of Jebediah Stone and his misdeeds, his encounter with the Devil and a dishonest innkeeper, plus the strange story of Moll Bloxham of Warwick, who misused the generosity of the court and ended up cursing the city. I can definitely see a couple of songs in there! Especially as Moll undergoes a transformation into a demon dog - oh yes, songworthy!

This was followed by a marvellous dinner which was, I have to say, extremely appetising, if a little prolonged. Amongst the guests at our table were of the actors, plus Jo (part of the family who own the Sundial Group). We mixed well, had extremely interesting and stimulating conversations (from Spinoli dogs to haunted houses, from Egypt to existentialism), and I was impressed with the service of the staff.I had been to a Sundial Hotel before, Highgate House, and had been extremely impressed last time. There is something about a business run by a family - rarer and rarer in these times in this industry - that is very encouraging. Without exception, at both hotels, the staff were friendly and welcoming. From the cleaners who I passed on my way to the swimming pool, the Czeck barman, to the General Manager - everyone had a ready smile and - something we appreciated - a ready glass of wine too!

After breakfast on Saturday morning we were given a 15 minute tour of the training facilities - including (and I really liked this) the training rooms with magnetic walls. Well, the walls must have been metal but the little magnets stuck to them (and they looked just like normal walls) so you could put up flipchart paper or promotional materials without damaging the walls.

Sundial also run their own team building events with 'Teamscape' and have facilities within the grounds at all of their venues.We were then taken by coach to Warwick Castle where we were briefed on a Treasure Hunt exercise which took us round the castle on an information trail - finding the answers to questions and find certain items. This was arranged by Adventure Sports. One of the objects we were asked to acquire was a peacock feather. They have many peacocks in the Castle Grounds who are no doubt used to gawking tourists and being chased by children, but they must have been particularly irritated that day as so many adults were following them round in the hopes of a dropped feather! Warwick Castle is a great venue for corporate events, and they have a superb range of team building and facilities that the 'tourist' visitor doesn't see. However, trying to rush round the castle in two hours was a little bit of a tall order - so much to see! We were also 'caught' by a 'stalker'. She followed the teams and got each to perform a silly task which was videoed.

These included: Looking up into the sky and yelling 'aliens!'; Using a bad foreign accent to ask another visitor where the Monkey House was; Marching to a sargeant major yelling; Telling a rude joke and... A hopping race. Our team got the hopping race which we did in one of the rooms in the great hall, we were lucky not to get thrown out!

We then returned to Woodside for a lovely barbecue and those who were not staying over left. That was the end of the official part of the weekend, so my friend and I headed into Stratford to visit Anne Hathaway's Cottage, took a trip round the town and then in the evening extended our 'dark side' experiences by going on the Warwick Walk with the Darkside folks. We learned even more about the history of the city and also some speculative intrigue on Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

Elizabeth visited Robert several times at his wonderful home in Kenilworth (he extended the castle specifically to build her amazing apartments) and on the 'famous' stay of 19 days, it has been speculated that she did actually marry Dudley, even if it was just a Pagan hand-fasting. What gives rise to this theory? According to Andy of Darkside, it's all in the Langham Diaries. There were a number of events with a strongly Pagan feel and - well - she was there 19 days, they were friends from childhood and she never married anyone else. All we need to prove this theory is... a Tardis!

The rumours that Dudley murdered his first wife Amy were another black mark in Dudley's book, making him an unsuitable suitor for Elizabeth - but according to historical record, he was at Hampton Court at the time of her death. And no one saw anything - in a time in history where a new rabbit on the field might well have been noticeable! All stories from Andy and his crew, but they have been thorough enough to research their subjects from historical sources rather than just reading stuff on the web and putting it in their own words.

Sunday morning Carol and I took a walk and accidentally ended up at Stoneleigh Abbey, which is nearby. One part of our walk was over the motorway - that felt really weird! We were too early for it to be open to the public, but it looked impressive. And in walking distance from Woodside too! Before heading home we went to Kenilworth Castle which the Sundial team had kindly arranged free entry to. This was another amazing experience steeped in history and further intrigue with Dudley and Elizabeth. My overall impressions of the weekend are that Sundial Group care about their delegates and that their staff are fantastic. The Midlands is a superb area for activities and sites of historical interest and if you are arranging retreats, soft skills training or team building events, then this is a superb location. Click here for photographs I took including some of the actors and of Warwick.

Heacham Beach

This Sunday I went to visit a friend who I haven't seen in 5 years. It's not that we haven't meant to catch up.. it's just...

I drove up to Norfolk after my Sunday morning swim and the sun was shining. The drive was lovely, along the river, up the (slow but pretty) A10. We had tea, biscuits and a good natter. We sat in the sun lounge, looking out over the Wash.

We had a short walk along the beach too - I saw sanderlings, plovers and turnstones. The sanderlings (pretty little grey shore birds) hopped in and out of the shallows - and for some reason they did hop! If they wanted to move down the beach it was obviously too much effort to put the other foot down again so they hopped along in a very comical manner.
(This photo courtesy of www.watchingbirds.co.uk)

There was sunshine, but a cool wind. The atmosphere was relaxing and I just love the sound of the ocean. My friend has had to go back to her family in Spain, she has a difficult time ahead with a sick relative, but it was good to catch up, even though it was just a few short hours.

It was good to be by the sea again too. I really must go more often.

Rearranging the blog layout

I watched a video on the net about how to add PayPal buttons to the blog and how to keep posts with saleable items on them easy to access. You see the 'labels' section? One of my labels is 'store' - and if you click on that, you can find the things (both of them!) that I can sell via this blog! Whoo hoo! I'm learning more and more. Oh, I mean 'I'm monetising my blog' (pah, jargon!)

Now all I have to do is see if anyone ever buys anything off me!

The clever thing about the labels though is that you can find stuff more easily - now I know how to use it properly, I'll be more careful how I label up my posts. And I want to do more book reviews, maybe some music ones too - all keeps me occupied and off the streets, eh?

The Ghost by Robert Harris

As well as being a writer and musician, I am also a prolific reader - so I thought I'd offer a couple of my own thoughts on 'good reads' I have had recently.

So - I'm starting with a book that I picked up without any recommendation, called The Ghost. It's not what you think - it isn't horror or even supernatural, it's about an individual engaged in the fascinating occupation of ghost writing.

The novel was about a ghost writer called in at the last minute to write the autobiography of a former UK Prime Minister. His predecessor came to a sticky end and this is just the start of a far more complicated story that slowly unfolds. I won't give away the plot, but I will tell you how much I enjoyed the book!

It was racy, politically smart, well written, engaging and the main character was very easy to identify with (because I like writing? Maybe!). The PM was excellent too - shades of Blair, but it could have been any contemporary British PM (I had a very pleasant mental image of Hugh Grant as he played the PM in the film 'Love Actually').

The story carries you on at a good pace, has a great ending and is written in a style that I personally found easy to read. It was a book I wanted to read all at once but my reading habits don't usually allow that. I won't trot out 'couldn't put it down' or the other usual corny comments that tend to grace the world of book reviewing, but I will say it was an excellent book, a terrific story and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it.

Genre? Well, it's a cracking good adventure story - but not in the traditional sense (no racing through deserts, but plenty of other action).

Here's the Amazon link to the book: The Ghost, Robert Harris

Enjoy!

If you like my book reviews - this is the first I've done (be gentle!), please pass this blog link on to others.

You cain't go back...

Yes, you can! The other day Bryan and I went to meet a pal from about 25 years ago - a musician. A while back we met Fang again, after about 20 years. And yesterday, I went right back - to my childhood.

No, I didn't start sucking my thumb again (I know where it's been!) but I did drive to the Norfolk town of Diss and surprise my ex-neighbour on his 87th birthday! Thankfully the shock wasn't too much. That had worried me - his son (Paul) and I arranged that we would meet up after finding each otheron Facebook just a few months ago.

Funny really - you think of someone from the past, stick the name in Facebook and up come all these entries and you wonder ... but I saw Paul's photo and knew it was him. He still has the same cheeky look from 30 years back!

So for Maurice's birthday we arranged a meal in Diss which was also attended - as a surprise - by my mum, myself and another neighbour from those days, Daphne.

Backstory: from aged 3-16 I lived in Athenaeum Road, Whetstone, London N20. We lived in a nice house, but by the time we left it was in sore need of serious (and expensive) repair. Opposite us lived Maurice, Beryl, Paul and Anne. Beryl (Paul's mum) died in 1971, my dad died in 1973. So our parents were, respectively, Widow and Widower. Friends, but never anything more. Paul and I - though I am four years his senior - were best buddies for most of those years. We would play in his huge garden or in our houses; we set fire to his shed once (only a little bit) and would play with our Action Men and invented many imaginative games. I was - ahem - probably a bit bossy. No, actually, I was VERY bossy! Poor lad already had an older sister too!

It was a friendship that lasted right up until we lost touch some time after Bryan and I got married and we moved away from Barnet (both families had moved away from Athenaeum Road by then).

Daphne lived further up the Road with her family and she and my mother Sally remained friends through all the intervening years. She now lives in Ely - so Sally and Daphne drove across from Ely and I drove from home to meet Paul and Maurice in their home town of Diss.

Seeing them both last night was a pleasure - they say you can't go back, but sometimes you don't need to go back, you can just look back and laugh together.

Of Poets and Possibilities

Ted Mikalski has been a friend of ours for a very long time... over 30 years in fact. We lost touch with him for many years, but a few years ago we got back together and Bryan recorded him singing his own songs, and eventually produced a CD.

He did a CD launch last night, at a club in South London (Tulse Hill). The gig was organised by Ingrid (Heartsong on myspace) and the evening was a mixture of poetry and song. Ted Met a few people he'd 'known' on Myspace for some time - but this time 'in the flesh'. Bryan and I accompanied him - I played my stand up bass and Bryan played mandolin - but the star of the show was Ted. He has an easy way with him on stage that engates and relaxes audiences. One of the other performers Was Jude Cowan - another myspace friend. She has an amazing wit and intellect that she transfers amazingly in song.

I hope this PayPal button thing works - it would be good to sell a few CDs for Ted at last.

PRS

I signed on to PRS as they told me disbursements would be made at the end of the month. And... yes! I have income from my publishing!

Why is this worthy of blogging? Because I thought the 'button' on the PRS screen was fabulous - it simply says:

"Show me the money"

My - they have us pegged, don't they?

Now all I need to do is work out who I owe what of the percentages. I wonder which writer and which songs have earned the money? It's not a lot, but it's a start!

Spring? Spring!

Though it keeps trying to fool us, Spring definitely made an appearance today! The daffodils are nodding their lazy heads in the warm sun, the tulips are straining, hoping to open their red hearts to the gentle rays soon. The primlas are rioting... taking over the borders and rampaging whilst they can before the nigella take command!

It's been an interesting day. We got up early for a Sunday because Jack the Plumber and Mark the roofer were coming round to fix a leak. Yes, the least rain in ages and that's when we end up with a huge damp patch in the kitchen ceiling! But Jack sussed out it was external, and he and Mark spent Sunday morning in the sunshine spreading thick black goo on the roof. "This'll work fine, it's the same as the stuff they use for the Channel Tunnel". Goodness! I hope we never have to face that kind of water threat!

I did lots of gardening - mowed the back and front lawns, planted a rose, dug up some weeds, mended a step (started to, anyway) walked on the heath, and - delight of all delights - did tons of washing and ironing.

So the washing dried in the brisk spring sunshine - the chill wind helping of course. The blossom is out and the hyacinths are spicing the air with their sweetness. My cheeks are now red with air and my fingernails blunted by earth and stone.

It's such a shame it's going to rain again tomorrow

Against the odds

Having sworn never to blog - my friend Nadine has now started a blog! She's gone back on years of saying she'd never blog.

Here it is!

http://nadinelaman.blogspot.com/

She's a writer in North America (Arizona) and has written a series of three books about a lady called Kathryn. I've read the first two - waiting eagerly for the third due out later this year.