First Guitar

The first guitar I owned was an electric when I was 15. I wanted to become Jim Hendrix immediately. I saw no point in learning on an acoustic and playing 'Streets of London', I wanted to cut to the chase and play lead guitar straight away. I had my eye on this Avon SG copy in the record shop in Ulverston, it looked fantastic and, at £34 was in the dream realm of affordability. After endless visits to look at it and wonder I finally bought it one day. Getting it home, plugging it in to the stereo, and ... I didn't sound like Carlos Santana at all. I just sounded louder than someone on an acoustic. But I got over the disappointment and set out to learn to play blues lead guitar from a book. And it worked. I never bothered to learn chords but just to play lead guitar. To this day I find chords a bit of a pain. That's two things I have in common with BB King, he can't play rhythm and he can't sing and play at the same time [something else I struggle to do].

Anyway I grew to love the Avon SG and showed my love by butchering it. I took out one of the humbucker pick-ups and replaced it with a strat type pick-up [trying to have the best of both worlds] then I ended up taping a cut-down fuzz box onto the back of the guitar.

I have no photos of the guitar but found a few photos on line of the same guitar, usually accompanied by words like "My old uncle has this guitar. Anyone know anything about them?"

Sniper

When we were at Ro and Pete's for Christmas I saw a Snipe http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/snipe/index.aspx . On return to York I was surprised to see a Snipe here too, in the beck. This is a first. I think it must be the frozen landscape forcing birds to seek other sources of food and water.

We went to drinks at David and Anita's yesterday evening which was good. The photo is another shot from the party

Snicket

This photo of one of the snickets that we use all the time to get about York. It links the old railway coach works with the station and the old railway sheds. Back in the day it would have seen a stream of workers on their way to and from the works. Not any more.

Drinks

We had our Xmas drinks open-house today. It was a lovely day, apart from the ice and the perma-frost, so Rowan could keep all the children happy in the garden with the snow, the trampoline and the dog. It was great to catch up with people, a good relaxed party.

Guitar

My Xmas present from my Mother was this Epiphone Les Paul. I have never played a Les Paul, always being a Strat man. So it is a bit of a journey into the unknown. It is strange how you have to adapt your playing to a different guitar.

The quiet before...

We spent Xmas in Suffolk with my sister's family and my mother. Great success, the ice held off the roads allowing us to get there, and it all went well.

This is a shot of their new garden room just before the onslaught that is Xmas dinner. Ages ranged from 84 to 0.25 and it all went off very smoothly.

Happy Christmas 2009

Snow

Another shot of the snow-covered moor. The snow is hanging around and is still soft and powdery in a very un-British way. It almost seems like being in Pennsylvania again

Do the Math

Rowan enjoys an on-line maths website where she competes with children from around the world. This is her doodle sheet.

Cookies

One of our traditions at Christmas is Danielle, with Rowan [and Rhianna] helping, making cookies. Hanging them on the tree this year has been curtailed thanks to the presence of a certain Milo.

Civic

One of the things I like about Quaker Meeting in York is that it is well integrated into civic society, and not a sad small enclave cut off from everyone else. So a friend who came to visit once met the cab-driver who had ferried him from the station to our house, the next day at Meeting. And our plumber is now a regular attender - useful.

The photo is from the whisky museum.

Snowfall

It is a cliche to go on about how freaked out by a drop of snow we are in the UK. But it is true. We are blocked in by fully 7cm of snow. This is the moor yesterday.

Orchestrate

This is a shot of Rowan in the orchestra. I am really pleased that she enjoys it so much.

Typing is difficult today as I attempted to slice my finger together with th cabbage when I was cooking yesterday.

Ex Libris

The photo is of Rowan in the Whisky Museum.

Last night we had the annual Book Group party with a quiz on all the books we have read during the year. The quiz has had to get progressively easier as standards fall [and our memories fail]. Just to give you an idea, this year one of the questions was "Who wrote Love's Executioner?" one of the books we had read. And 3 people got it wrong.

We also had each chosen a piece of music for us all to listen to - these ranged from Northern Soul [me] to choral singing [John's own choir] via Kate Rusby and Purcell.

Plus, we had a game of Ex Libris http://www.spiritgames.co.uk/gamesin.php?UniqueNo=620 which was as much fun as usual. Judy won.

Scotland

Holidays have started. Rowan and I used our free train tickets to go to Edinburgh for the day. We had a great time. Visiting the Whisky Museum and going to the David Bann vegetarian restaurant.

Los Desterrados

Sunday we went to see Los Desterrados http://www.losdesterrados.com/ at the Early Music Centre. Edward and Sharon were there as well as Adrian and quite a few other people we knew. The gig was great, a really good band.

The photo is of the cross country last week on the Knavesmire.

Orchestra

It was Christmas Meeting at school on Saturday morning. "Rowan was playing in the orchestra" which is a pretty amazing statement to those of us who heard her on the horn one year ago - amazing.

Friday evening was a leaving do for some friends in a York pub.

The photo is of warm and sunny Hartlepool from last year.

Running

Rowan ran in the York Schools Cross Country championship on Friday - it meant I had to whisk her away from the frightening music teacher, Miss Hammerton, but we got away with it. Rowan ran really well, fell flat on her back in the mud, but still got back up to finish second. Really proud of her.

The photo is of Danielle at Durham

Family

Cousin Sarah stayed with us for a couple of nights as she had some work to do in Leeds. Great to see her.

The photo is another of Durham, one of the bridges over the Wear in the city.

Durham

Danielle took me to Durham on my birthday as a surprise. It was a lovely day, a walk by the river and up to an iron age hill fort, then pizza express and the free first class train home. It really is a beautiful city. The Wear was in full flow with cormorants giving it a Chinese feel.

Avalanche

One of my favourite lyrics has always been

"There's gonna be an avalanche

When I tell my cousin blanche"

but I have long since lost the deep soul track from whence it came.

Google had been no help, too obscure even for the algorhythm-kings. Until now.

The track is Family Tree by Patti Austin.

The photo is another from sodden Beverley

Dim Swim

Milo charged across the green grass of Beverley and into what he thought was the grey grass next to it. Only it was water. Much confusion and splashing in the river. He really is not that keen on cold swimming. He did deign to retrieve this stick for me but that was the end of it.

Beverley

Rowan was swimming in a gala at Beverley in the East Riding. Danielle braved the screaming parents, bad pa system, heat and general helldom while I escaped with Milo to walk on the sodden flatlands around the river. That's Beverley Minster in the distance on the photo.

Rowan set new PBs for two of her three races, and came back with two trophies and a "speeding ticket" so she was happy.

NRM

Whilst Danielle was at Betty's with Julie, Rowan and I went back to our favourite place - the National Railway Museum. It was here that we spent many hours of Rowan's formative years, and it is always a pleasure to go back.

Rory Gallagher

Danielle was off to a Betty's cooking course in Harrogate today and Rowan had a lie in. This gave me a rare opportunity to put on a music DVD of the late Rory Gallagher. I saw him twice in 1979 and they were two of the best gigs I've been too. The warmth of the man comes through the frenzy of the music - just great blues-rock and one of the very best guitarists. Rowan got up eventually and her comments "What's this? It's awful? Why are you watching this?" reminded me why I so rarely get to watch ...

This photo was a big success yesterday, generating a lot of interest.

Fayre Play

I had a stand at the school Xmas Fayre today. A lot of standing around, chatting to other stallholders, then a deluge of people all at once. It went well in the end, with a good number of people booking future portraits. Friend Emma was there selling her Shea Alchemy skin products, and plenty of interesting stalls. Glad its over now though.

The photo was one of the portraits I use in my publicity.

Photo Doubt

This photo is of an old pill box on the beach at Aberdvy. Not sure if it is good enough to make the cut - still thinking about it.

Advent

9 years ago Mother bought Rowan this Advent Calendar. It is made of cloth with little figures to velcro on each day of Advent. Rowan loves it and it has become a family institution; a good purchase.