The Long Way Round

Blog Post No. 7 – July 2026

The end of July is fast approaching, and I’m trying to recall all this month has brought. The highs and lows? I’m back working at the funky “workspace” cafés I frequented last summer. I don’t have the same urgency as then, when I needed to create and complete many videos for my solo tour last September. This time, I’m pondering possibilities. Searching, digging, opening myself up to receive a coherent theme to work some magic around. So far… it’s a bit sludgy. It’s not that I’m not doing anything, but the results are patchy, to say the least.

Creating anything is a fine line between endeavouring to connect with the flow of things and not controlling the outcome. It’s a conundrum, for sure. I have written several pieces that might be labelled poems, but they don’t really lead anywhere. I still have to remind myself that this is all part of the journey and that, regardless of perceived outcomes, it’s necessary in order to find something authentic and inspiring – to me, first and foremost. If, or when, I find that connection, then there’s more chance of anyone listening, reading or looking at my creative efforts once they come to fruition. (I’m talking to myself here, obviously! 😊) Then there’s more likelihood that they, too, will find something to feel good about. It’s a maze, a winding labyrinth – an adventure! Your continued support is always appreciated – thank you! And on I go.

Apart from the creative coalface, I’ve enjoyed many sauna/dips, both at Laxey and Fenella Beach. I can report that the sea temperature this month has been fab-u-lous – averaging around 15°C! Although it has to be said, the temperature at Fenella remains much colder than on the east coast. Our lovely sauna-man from Green Creek Hut Saunas, Nick, recently informed me that the difference is because the water off the west coast is deeper and faster-flowing than on the east coast. I also learned that the tides can differ by a metre on either side of the Island. Who knew?! Our tiny rock affects the Irish Sea in ways I was completely unaware of. Whatever the sea is doing, I love it completely!

Perhaps the highlight for me this month was a wonderful hike from Black Hut, near Snaefell, to North Barrule with our friends Claire and Steve. We’ve been threatening to do this amazing walk for more than twenty years! I am not the fittest person. I’ve lost the habit of daily physical effort for better health. I know I should, and I know it takes very little effort to feel the rewards, but I simply haven’t found the wherewithal required to commit. Making the decision is always the hardest part.

As we got ready on Sunday morning, my mental approach was, “Well, I’ll just go back to the car and wait for everyone if I can’t make it. I don’t have to do the whole trek.” To put my bad attitude into perspective, we met a couple of walkers – two women, one in her seventies – running back from the heady heights of our goal. They were running! And chatting as they ran. And smiling! It certainly gave me food for thought and kicked my bad attitude to the kerb.

It was the perfect day for a hike. The sun was out but not scorching. Cloud cover drifted across at just the right moments after particularly effortful hill climbs, cooling us down brilliantly; then the sun reappeared each time before cool became cold. And the views! Oh, my Goddess! They are spectacular – absolutely breathtaking. My mental battle rumbled on all the way to the final hilltop. The sense of satisfaction was the best reward.

• 

• 

• 

Once at North Barrule, we plonked down on the side of the hill overlooking Maughold and Glen Mona on the east coast, and tucked into a delicious picnic. My hard-boiled egg with sea salt never tasted so good! The walk back was a doddle. And to top it all off, I had the most fantastic sauna/dip at Laxey a few hours later. I’m certain it helped ease my aches and pains from all that hill climbing earlier in the day. I still felt the effects for several days afterwards – just not as badly as I’d anticipated. Oh, my creaking bones!

Apart from that, as I mentioned, it’s been mostly tentative steps towards something new, as yet undefined. Bob and I have rekindled our love of Scrabble, and my sister Diane has joined us several times. Yesterday she thrashed the pair of us in no uncertain terms – two (two!) seven-letter words, and the “Q” placed on a triple-letter score, forming two words! I mean, that’s amazing.

I have plenty of songs to practise for the tour with Dave Kelly in October… all in good time. And there’s the possibility of a trip to Portugal before then – fingers crossed! I can dream. :-)

This month’s song/video is a montage of a walk to Port Jack and our mahoosive hike to North Barrule, accompanied by a demo of a song called Nurtured By Nature. I co-wrote it with Steve Lima many moons ago. Steve now lives in Portugal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjsob4SU110

I trust you are all thriving in your own inimitable way. Thanks, as ever, for dropping by to see how life is for me on the tiny isle. I do appreciate you – very much.

Till next time, stay well, be curious and keep rising above the turbulence.

Endless blessings and much love,

Christine x

Windmills, Warm Hearts & Wonderful Company.

Blog Post No. 6 – June 2026

Greetings from a very windy, but warm, tiny isle. Bob and I returned home on Monday evening (June 22nd) and have been enjoying the delights of gorgeous summer days. Obviously, temperatures have been rather on the high side, especially in the UK—we had five sweltering days in Hampton Wick last week, so we know what that feels like. However, surrounded by the cool Irish Sea here on the Isle of Man, it stays well below those heady (sweaty!) temperatures.

This morning (Saturday, June 27th) I had my first sauna/dip since coming home. OMGoddess—what an absolutely magical experience it was, despite the 23mph winds gusting to 39mph! I simply LOVE it!

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself, as usual. Here’s how June played out in my travelling wee life.

Let’s go back to May 25th, when everywhere was super hot—34°C when we landed in Liverpool—only to realise that the AC in our new-to-us car was kaput! We had a two-and-a-half-hour drive with the windows down, much of it on the motorway, which only just kept us from frying—but our poor little ears! Not recommended!

Once we arrived at our dear friend Diane’s beautiful black windmill home in Lincolnshire, we totally relaxed. There’s nothing quite like the bosom of an unconditionally welcoming home to put one at one’s deepest ease. We are so grateful.

We had a trip or two into the outskirts of Nottingham and, although Bob tried very hard to find someone to fix our dilapidated AC, we remained without its cooling influence. Apparently, the UK doesn’t recognise Manx-registered cars, so we were unable to use its diagnostic system to clarify what was wrong. Without that… nothing could be done, so we got used to the steamy conditions. C’est la vie.

Our next port of call was to visit part of the Miller clan in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Anthony and Karen moved there a few years ago and love it—and now, so do we! We had a wonderful Sunday gathering with one of their sons, Joey, his wife, Lanting, and their two absolutely gorgeous children, Eleanor and Henry. There were giggles galore. Bob bought a copy of Corinne Bailey Rae’s gorgeous children’s book Put Your Records On for Eleanor, which everyone admired. We gave little Henry a small cuddly toy animal, but as soon as he’s interested in books (he’s only fourteen months old), I’m sure he’ll enjoy it too.

The following day, Anthony and Karen walked us all over the place, enjoying everything Tunbridge Wells has to offer—which is a lot! Here’s a REEL to prove it.

Our next stop was near Avebury Stone Circle in Wiltshire, where our lovely friends Rob and Jo Selbourne now reside. We love them so much (the stones and our friends!). Another wonderful time, with delicious food, wonderful company and raucous laughter all the way.

`

We then headed over to Sandhurst, where our long-time fabulous friends Martin and Pam live. They are among the most generous, kind and supportive people we know. We went with Martin and Pam to see our mutual friend Wendy, who lives in Whitchurch. What a beautiful place it is! I’d not been there before. Wendy lives in an idyllic spot close to the River Test. At this time of year, the place looks absolutely resplendent with fresh green everywhere, beautiful flowers and baby ducks! We had a ball.

While Pam and Martin attended a funeral the next day, we visited Bob’s eldest surviving sister, Sue, in Southampton, calling in to see her lovely daughter Lora and her family, who live just ten minutes from the lovely home Sue now lives in. It’s always an emotional visit, but one filled with laughter and lots of hugs.

The following day, along with Pam and Martin, we hooked up with Pat and Phill (aka the Squidneys—don’t ask!) and had a fun day wandering along the Thames and through the ancient streets of Henley (yes, of Regatta fame!). Altogether, it was a wonderful time, and it makes us ever more grateful for the connections we nurture and cherish.

Bob and I then had a couple of days to ourselves and ended up at a delightful B&B in Selsey. En route, we stopped to say hi to Bob’s sister-in-law, Jean, who’s in the middle of moving from Scarborough, "down" south to be closer to her granddaughters. It was great to catch up.

Once in the Selsey area, we enjoyed the wonderful sights of Chichester and even managed to squeeze in an afternoon cuppa with Dean and Delilah Dyson. We certainly know how to pack it all in!

A couple of days later, we headed over to Sompting, near Worthing, where Bob’s Mum and Dad spent their last few years. It’s an area Bob knows really well. We were invited to stay with the inimitable Barb Jungr, whom I’ve known and loved for over thirty years. When we did our calculations, it turned out we’d not been in the same space together for over eleven years! When you live on an island and travel far and wide, and then have five years where nowhere but the tiny isle was possible, the years stack up.

We both cared for our Mums, who developed dementia around the same time. Barb and I have a shared experience that gives us an even deeper understanding of one another now. We were over the moon to be reunited. It’s not that we haven’t been in touch, but that simple tactile proximity is such a joy.

Barb had another long-time friend, Shusha, staying with her, who has worked with Barb for many years. It was a delight to meet her and spend a couple of days being shown around Barb’s new “hood”. She drove us to Steyning, where we wandered through lovely old streets, meandered through delightful shops and ate a scrumptious lunch.

And we laughed! And laughed. It’s medicine, you know.

Eventually, the time rolled around for “the award-winning” Dave Kelly and me to spend a few days rehearsing at his lovely home on the outskirts of Kingston. The plan was to maybe record some of the new songs we’d been working diligently on, as well as some of the older ones, but it turns out we need a little more time to feel really confident. So, we each have summertime homework!

The revised plan, such as it is, is to get together a week before the tour and, after a day or two of showing off our fabulous homework to one another, record live at a friend’s studio around the corner. We’ll then offer the recordings as digital downloads on a thumb drive at the shows. We can but dream (and do our homework!). Wish us luck.

The idea is to have the new recordings alongside the older “live” CD from all those years ago as an added bonus.

We left a day earlier than anticipated and headed, in the sweltering heat, back to Diane and her Black Windmill—and to meet her newest granddaughter, just two days old when we arrived! I have to say, being in the presence of a freshly arrived human is the BEST. It’s a privilege.

Before we left for home, we had the opportunity to see our dear friends Mike and Judy, who now live in Beverly, Yorkshire. It was so good to see them. We are so grateful to be able to have such longterm friendships - they matter a great deal.

We took the boat back to the island from Liverpool on Monday and have been steadily acclimatising to the drop in temperature. 😉 I’ve had four dips without a sauna—amazing—and one with, equally fab. I’ll be sauna-dipping again in the morning.

I’ll start to collate ideas for new material in the not-too-distant future. I know you wish me well in my endeavours. It’s going to rain quite a lot this coming week, apparently. It’ll make the island look even more lush!

Our video/song this month attempts to show all the places we visited over these past four weeks, set to “Skin And Bones”, which I co-wrote with Mike Slamer many years ago. How we miss seeing him and his wonderful wife, Sue. One day…

https://youtu.be/tKq-73AZ4Xo

Until next time, sweet reader, stay well, be curious and keep rising above the turbulence. Know that you are very much appreciated and loved.

Christine x

PS: Hi Nic! You know who you are - I think?! What's another word for swivel? :-) x

Bluebells, Bonfires & Breathing Again

Blog Post No.5, May 2026

Olá, sweet reader! I trust this blog post finds you cool, calm and collected in this late-spring heat (it’s properly hot here in Lincolnshire during this last week of May!).

Bob and I are in the UK for the next few weeks, catching up with family and friends and preparing with Dave Kelly for our tour in October. Our hope is not only to be fired up and ready to perform for you then, but also to offer a simply recorded sample of our new — and well-loved older — song selection when the time comes. Fingers crossed.

TOUR DATES HERE.

Apart from that, we’ve mostly been resting, recuperating and recharging our well-travelled body batteries. As mentioned in the last post, the trip back from Australia was relatively easy.

However, once back on our glorious tiny isle — resplendent as ever in fresh unfolding verdant foliage and delightful spring flowers, especially bluebells — our poor bodies decided enough was enough and promptly went into full detox mode after six months of constant movement around the planet.

• 

• 

• 

Mostly, we endured sinusitis, which made breathing at night a wee bit tedious, but overall it’s not a bad price to pay for all the wonderful sights, sensations and fabulous memories collected along the way.

We definitely felt the cold, though. A hot water bottle has been our nightly companion :-) and while staying at my sister and brother-in-law’s house during their Australian adventure, we thoroughly enjoyed lighting their wood-fuelled fire most evenings. Cosy!

I’ve also loved reacquainting myself with sauna and sea dips at Green Creek Sauna, both at Fenella Beach and Laxey Beach. In fact, I haven’t yet dipped without the pleasure of searing dry heat beforehand. I will!

That first plunge into cold water was quite a shock — it literally took my breath away. I had to acclimatise little by little. During my first session back, I could only manage knee-deep immersion on the first dip (there are three dipping opportunities with each sauna session). Gradually, though, I managed full submersion — albeit briefly. Now, I’m embracing the cold once again with alacrity.

• 

• 

• 

I’ve spent precious time with wonderful friends I missed during the last six months: walking through glens and along coastlines, drinking cups of tea, attending ecstatic dancing sessions (it’s a thing!) complete with cocoa ceremonies, and rediscovering the joy of cooking again — especially hearty dhal to help dry up our sinuses!

Once the sinus situation finally settled, I was able to turn my attention to a recording project I’d been invited to sing on several months ago.

The project is This Is The Fire by Pete Lawrence, whom I first met back in the eighties when he and Martin Goldschmidt founded Cooking Vinyl. Our paths have rarely crossed since, but the connection remains. I’m always delighted to be invited into a musical enterprise, and this felt like a particularly lovely opportunity.

Pete’s idea is that the world needs uplifting — and he’s not wrong. His way of doing that is through songs people can sing together around a campfire: beautiful communal singing that’s been lost over the years. He’s bringing it back with a vengeance!

I can’t share the music yet, but once everything is mixed and ready to meet the world, I’ll let you know.

Bob and I are looking forward to more time back on the island over the summer, though perhaps we’ll venture a little further afield and spend some time in Europe. We have strategically placed friends in Spain and Portugal, so, you know… it might be rude not to.

All of that will be decided over the next few weeks. For now, it’s simply lovely to spend time with our UK mainland friends, meet some of their new family members, and also get to know new additions to the Miller clan this trip too — how delightful!

The tour with Dave Kelly remains a priority, and we’ve just added a couple of extra dates: one in Dartford and another in the Peak District, which is all very exciting. We're still waiting for final details on the concert in Dartford but it's looking fab.

At some point over the next few months, I’ll also be knuckling down and beginning work on a new creative project. The theme remains undecided for now, but there are lots of ideas floating around and signs of inspiration everywhere.

Wish me luck!

And here for your delight is this month's song/video - celebrating spring on the tiny isle. You're welcome!

https://youtu.be/clgPjpfT22w

OK then, that’s it for this month. Thanks, as always, for taking the time to see how life unfolds for this tiny isle woman. I hope you’re able to find light amongst the clouds that hamper us all. I try to focus on the joys and beauty that continue to reveal themselves everywhere — and some of that joy comes from you.

Till next time: stay well, be curious, and keep rising above the turbulence.

Much love,

Christine x