This too shall pass

Blogpost 3 July 8th 2020

Welcome to this particular musing. Still in Lockdown where you are? The Isle of Man has un done almost all the restrictions that have been in place for 3 months. We’ve been 45 plus days without a new infection with all cases closed as I type. Our borders remain closed to all but essential workers and the transportation of freight. We are not self sufficient. Food is brought in daily.

The height of these freedoms for me came on Sunday evening when my wonderfully talented friends who form the inspired party band “Lava” invited me to sing a few songs at their reestablished monthly Sunday gig at The British in Douglas. What would it be like to be in a group of people again? And to receive their warm enthusiasm?! It was AWESOME! I can tell you (not that you need me to say it:) that it was enlivening, exciting and totally what the doctor ordered! People danced their sweaty socks off and sang along with rare abandon!

The Island is 32 miles by 11 with a population of around 80,000 … an easier place and portion of humanity to isolate and keep safe … once the Virus was rooted out. There are of course still precautions ahead and borders to be wary of but we are reaping the benefits of a natural border and a cautious approach.

I have done more in these quiet months than I think I’ve ever done in a career sense. I’ve reached out to the ethereal world of social media, the little I feel comfortable engaging with. I’ve dolled-up the website (as you’re no doubt aware:) have installed a shop! The time spent in conversation with platforms and technical bods around the planet in order to achieve that were ridiculous! But I forged through and somehow broke enough tangled red-tape to get the job done.

I did my accounts! Seriously! I’m up to date with all that … stuff! I made more videos than I’ve ever done in my life! I am in fact still making them … watch this space for the next Blogpost and news of my alter ego: Christine-the-granny-Diva!

I have enjoyed the weird and wonderful experience that is FaceBook Live. I’ve managed 4 so far … approximately one a month with a whole slew of songs, until this forced situation, I could not play for love nor money! Now I’m doing it for love and the gratitude gifts some very kind souls are happy to give! I think I’ve successfully recalled 24 songs so far with another batch of 5 or 6 to work on for my next … which I’ve decided to do on a Saturday morning so that my gorgeous grand daughters Bella and Chiara can watch live from Sydney Australia! It’s worth a try. Please note the date in your busy schedules ;-) Saturday July 25th at 10am (BST) 5pm Perth WA and 7pm in QLD, NSW and Victoria; 9pm in New Zealand. I’m hoping to reach a bunch of lovely beings in the Southern Hemisphere! I can dream! Of course anyone is most welcome! I couldn't do it without you! . :-) x

I love people! And I love the Earth. I love the images beamed back to us from space. Our world is herself! No borders cut into the land; no ownership; no demarkation of power. And right now she is reclaiming herself in remarkable ways. While I love the saying: This too shall pass … I truly hope she’s given enough time to heal the wounds we by-and-large inflict on her.

Stay well and keep rising above the turbulence!

Till next time x Love is all there is x Christine x

Still Locked Down ... and being creative!

After the last Blogpost where I confessed my inadvertent revamping of the website … I just couldn’t keep myself from meddling and so after changing everything for about the fifth time I asked one of my Daphne’s Flight Goddess friends, Chris While, for some much needed advice and decision making.

Chris is our go-to-tech goddess for all things remotely arty and … well technical. She cast her artistic gaze over the mess I’d made and in no time at all, seamlessly found cleaner, clearer, classier colours, images and fonts to play with, et voila, as if by magic a much better and more user-friendly site appeared. We both hope you like it!

We’re still awaiting an onsite platform to accept payment for CDs/DVD/Downloads but for some reason to do with my living in the Isle of Man … we’re still waiting. We have it all in hand (fingers firmly crossed!) And will by hook or by crook, have a functioning Web-Shop very soon!

The other functionality I have yet to secure is creating and successfully delivering an E NewsLetter … after enticing many of you to “subscribe” to the website … I have yet to connect and give you a reason to keep coming back! That too is an inevitable future-feature I will soon have under control - watch this space!

In other news … I’ve done my third FB Live (replay HERE) from the sun room in my mum’s house on the clifftops of Kirk Michael on the west coast of the Isle of Man and am now in earnest rehearsals for another - garden or sun room TBD weather dependent - Friday June 26th. I have a whole new string of songs I’ve remembered and re-learned that I hope will keep you generally entertained.

Plus - I’ve been invited to take part in an online Festival over the summer Solstice … Campfire’s World Harmony Weekend! I have a 25 minute slot set to air at 7.30pm Friday June 19th! Check it out HERE: It’s always delightful to be invited to take part in these global events and it’s a real honour to be involved with something so up lifting and community conscious. Hope to see you there!

Please do have a look around and let me know what you think? On the listening page for example there is a track that no one has ever heard before … Isolation is a marvellous heart wrenching song from The Soldier Of Orange - written by good friends Tom Harriman and Pamela Phillips-Oland - Tom invited me to do the English version demos for the part of the Queen, when looking to get the whole production on in London. Which was on the cards till Covid hit … c’est la vie! Anyway I’d be delighted if you gave it a listen.

The world keeps moving even though we’ve come to a stuttering halt and I keep my mind on a positive vision of connection and general good will, and trust we will all meet again with lighter hearts and warmer smiles - very soon. Know you are loved beyond measure … and missed beyond words. Till we meet again … this will be a place to catch up and shoot the breeze.

Stay well and keep rising above the turbulence!

Much love

Christine x

Recreating in Lockdown

I didn't mean to start revamping my website but here I am doing just that. Or at least trying! It is most definitely not my forte ... tweaking anything in a technical sense. But times they are strange so equally strange actions are called up to meet and mulch over this mess.

I have already played two (solo!) FaceBook Lives ... in a week! My very first livestream was played outside in the garden (I had no idea the router was close enough until we gave it a go!). And my second came about because of the first. Christy DeHaven, a lovely friend who hosts several shows on Manx Radio here on the Isle of Man, suggested it would be a grand idea if I "took over" their FaceBook page and streamed to their (massive!) listening and watching audience, direct from my living room on Tuesday night. Well ... it would be rude not to!

I opted for a 20 minute slot which consisted of 3 songs not played on the Friday performance, with plenty of banter between myself, my husband Bob (who attempted to inform me who was posting comments as they came in!) and my 82 year old mother, Maggie, who came in to see what all the fuss was about halfway through. She did no more than plonk herself down in an armchair in her fluffy red dressing gown, and proceeded to clap and chat with me completely unaware she was being heard by an untold multitude of people around the planet!

Should you wish to experience these two quite different events they are now embedded on the "Live/Events" page.

I now need to figure out how to post this Blogpost and maybe prettify it with a photo or 2? Watch this space ... I could make this a new habit! Thanks for mooching around the site and please do subscribe both here and on my YouTube channel (it makes a huge difference to what I'm able to do using that particular platform).

Much love and stay well

Christine x