May beauty, love and peace abound!

Blogpost No 12 December 2024

Before I attempt to do some sort of round-up for 2024, I’d like to share the love we encountered on the rest of the tour in November, which right now feels like a lifetime ago! Blogpost No 11 ended with driving from Osmington to somewhere near Avebury and the -3C open sunroof incident. (A full account is in the previous blogpost.)

The following day was spent in the gorgeous company of our dear friends Rob and Jo Selbourne. As forecast, the heavens opened, and it rained, and rained, and then rained some more. We got to Corsham Pound Arts Centre in plenty of time and set up super quickly. The Screen was massive! It’s such a thrill to see my little videos in such fabulous, sharp, crisp focus. When I started editing and trying to make some visual sense of the songs, I had no idea how LARGE (on occasion) they would loom behind me.

So many friends came to Corsham, and it was a joy to finally hug everyone. One of our special guests was Paul Dodgson and his lovely wife Sarah. His request for the second half, of course,  was for the song we wrote together back in the early noughties, Ashlands,the only time I performed it on this tour. Another request at Corsham, was from my gorgeous pal Phil Chappell (aka Squidney:), his request was for The Whole Night Sky from The Dark Gift Of Time. I think I managed to do them both justice.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful night. I’m always grateful to people who brave the vagaries of English autumnal weather! Thank you, Corsham - I’ll be back!

After a much-needed day off with Rob and Jo, Bob and I headed to Birmingham and the wonderful Kitchen Garden Cafe. Another new-to-me venue. I loved it here! Everyone was so helpful and kind, and they really packed people in, which made for a fab-u-lous night. Again, I was delighted to hug people I had not seen in a long time. Another late-night drive after the show, this time to Newark, to stay with our lovely friend Diane Ansell for the last time this trip. Always our home-from-home. Thanks Diane!

The last four gigs came up fast. Sheffield was amazing with some friends turning up from the distant past, Gary and Debbie Bridge; it was so good to see them. Gary was instrumental in my coming to the UK in 1983 - he was an engineer at Piccadilly Radio, and persuaded the powers-that-were at the time, to give me a shot at being a “Night-Beat-Muso”. You have my thanks always Gary. Plus, David Suff, Mr Fled’gling Records himself, made a rare and welcome appearance. Without David, there would be no book of Children Of The Sea! It was a joy to be back at The Greystones.

The Black Swan Folk Club in York is an old favourite, and it didn’t disappoint! Another sold-out sign on the door made me very happy. More lovely pals to hug too. What’s not to love.

Kirkby Stephen has long been a favourite of ours, not least because Penny and Paul Milligan know how to run a great show and look after their artists (like no others!)! I was thrilled to find out that Penny had come out of “retirement” and was once again doing what she does best. Another fabulous night with gorgeous people who showed their appreciation with abandon! Thank you Kirk Stephen … we’ll be back.

And so we arrived at Otley Courthouse for the final show of the tour. Another new venue to me and one I hope we’ll be invited back to. We ended on a high for sure. Another MASSIVE screen to show off the delights of the Isle of Man … and not forgetting Mum’s smiley appearance. I have to say that wearing Mum’s “Liberace” jacket was a wonderful twist of fortune. It made her feel closer than expected, and I just know she’d be delighted to be on stage and celebrated like she should be. There was another group of lovely souls to hug after a long absence and they couldn’t have been more positive about the show. Thanks, Andrew, Victoria and family. I was deeply touched by your amazing reaction.

And that was it! After months of preparation and years of creative furore, the gigs were over. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel after five years of not touring. I mean, so much has happened between then and now. I was prepared to find that I wasn’t at all bothered about performing again. I might, understandably, decide that this was no longer what I wanted to do. But I couldn’t have been more delighted, fired up, passionate and in love with the whole process. From travelling with Bob, who is my absolute ROCK, to setting up the PA and technical necessities for the audio/visual feast each night, to getting ready for each performance, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

And here's Mum wearing the Liberace jacket, to show you how it should be worn, She taught me everything I know about sparkly things! Thanks Mum!

Thank you to everyone who came to a show or who, unable to get to a gig, engaged with the online content necessary to touring these days, I so appreciate you all. I’ve waited with uncertainty all these years and been absolutely blown away by the love and support you’ve showered upon me. I am, and will always be, deeply grateful. Thank you.

Looking back over this year is a tumultuous experience. So much has happened. As many of you know, my Mum, Maggie, passed away in May after a very long and hard-fought battle with Dementia. Bob and I supported her much of the way and will be forever grateful for the opportunity to love her through it all. When I say love her through it all, I don’t mean it was all hearts and flowers. Far from it! But, we were able to move through most of the difficulties and challenges with relative ease and grace. We were reliably informed that the rule is a ratio of 80 (good/fair) to 20 (bad/horrid) … and we managed that admirably.

Talking of Admirably … I’d like to take this opportunity to praise the Admiral Nurse Society, a charity-funded service that helps those with Dementia and their carers. Our nurse was Jeanette Hogg, who walked us through the last three years of Mum’s journey, and was a key component to our being able to trust the process and be there for Mum when she most needed support. Even if/when she thought she didn’t. We were able to hold a safety net of love and compassion for her and to hold each other in the process, too. My heart goes out to those of you who have suffered or who are still in the throes of that experience. Many of you have reached out to say how much you appreciate my sharing our journey through the blog post, and, more recently, through the song Dear Sister on Children Of The Sea. I had no idea when I wrote the lyrics how profoundly it would match our shared experiences.

There is so much more that 2024 showed me, much of it expressed through this format. The loss of Sweep, Mum’s (and before that Dad’s) rescue border collie, who Bob and I came to love. He, too, was a ballast for our emotional rollercoaster ride. And more recently the clearing of Mum and Dad’s home since 1997. It’s been a full-on year! And now, ensconced with my younger brother Paul in Perth Australia, it all seems dream-like and very far away. And yet, my heart knows. My soul knows. I know. It’s all good. It’s all part of life’s “rich pageant”! And I’m grateful for it all.

2025 looks positively bursting to the seams with all manner of musical madness. Between March 20th and April 27th, I will, once again, be performing with thye marvellous Michael Fix here in Australia! All dates and venue info will be posted in the Live Events page once we have everything confirmed - fingers crossed, in the next few weeks. Then towards the end of June, I have a handful of dates with Dave Kelly in the UK. In September, I'll be doing more solo shows in the UK. Because it worked so well recently, I'll keep the format of visual/audio goodness and stripped back to acoustic basics but probably mixed in each half. Exciting times! And who knows what else will come my way? Whatever happens, I'll let you know within the monthly blog posts..

There are still a few physical copies of Children Of The Sea available via Fledgling Records or, if you're on the Isle of Man, Waterstones, The Museum, The Manannan Centre and via Nicola Dixon at Pinewood Studios near Bishopscourt Glen, most Saturdays. This was a limited print run, so once they're gone, they're gone! However, there will be the opportunity for digital downloads, including a PDF of the book, in the next few weeks - I'll let you know once it's ready.

I wish you and your loved ones endless waves of love, light, peace and joy for the coming year. I will keep in mind, and heart, that it’s not what happens to us, but how we choose to respond that matters most. Not always an easy task, but it helps me keep a balance of sorts. And not forgetting the 80/20 rule :-) x

Till next year my dearest readers, stay well and keep rising above the turbulence.

Know you are loved beyond measure!

Endless blessings.

Christine x

A-touring we will go!

Blogpost No 11 November 2024

I’m still on the road as I type and have 4 more shows to do before the tour finishes. Before going any further, just let me state that I have absolutely LOVED touring again! Seeing so many wonderful people, many of whom braved multitudes of weather shenanigans and sinkholes to get to a gig! To be fair, Bury Met’s sinkhole baffled us all, and the show was cancelled. A bona fide sell-out show - cancelled! We were all gutted!

There are many things we have little or no influence over, sinkholes are now firmly added to that group.

Apart from that! The Erin Arts Centre on Nov 8th, in the Isle Of Man, was a great start to the tour. The Artful Dodgers brought their original artwork which was displayed in the Gallery and looked amazing . Bob and I travelled to the UK a few days prior to Wavendon Stables II, which was as close to a sell-out as you can get. The reaction of the audience that night, allowed me to believe the rest of the tour would go well. All is well; all shall be well.

Cambridge Folk Club did not disappoint … a sell-out show that was so much fun and filled with friends i'd not seen in far too long! I felt properly loved that evening. Thank you Cambridge :-) x

As mentioned above The Met at Bury was unexpectedly cancelled due to a major water mains burst that was a suspected sinkhole! Talk about drama! We carried on driving up the M6 and had 2 nights near our next port of call, Wetheral Hall near Carlisle. It was the right decision. A lovely long lie-in followed by Sunday lunch and on the way back to the hotel, we called in at the gig and were able to set up super early. Win-win. This was a new venue to me and it was fabulous. As were all the gorgeous people who made everything work so smoothly. Special shout out to Lynsey who couldn’t have done more to make us feel totally at home. A wonderful show. Added to this, we got to hug friends we had not seen in over five years!

The temperature plummeted overnight so we left early and took our time getting to Fleecey Folk near Evesham. What an amazing gig that is! Another new place for me and another wonderful experience. The Fleece Inn is over 600 years old, and the barn where gigs are held is even older! A venue with oodles of charm and atmosphere. Loved it.

We went to bed happy. It was raining quite hard. In the morning everywhere was white! Snow had followed us down from Carlisle and stayed with us till we reached the A30 en route to Penzance. We had a gorgeous night off with some of our favourite people who just happen to live in St Ives, followed by a leisurely day before a sweet gig at the lovely Acorn Theatre. I’ve played here in many guises over a 40 year stretch! It’s lovely. A good time was had by all.

The weather continued to drill down hard. As we made our way from Cornwall up to The Beehive in Honiton (another new venue for me) , we battled snow and ice. However, we got a better deal than those poor souls driving west. We passed a three-mile long queue and read later that some people were delayed by 7 hours! Ouch. Lucky for us we made our way to the gig with no problem. But the temperature plummeted again, and the roads were treacherous. It was inevitable that some people did the sensible and right thing by staying out of the icy chaos. Those people that made it through were incredibly generous with their appreciation.  Thank you, Beehive!

Driving to Osmington the next day was a relatively easy run. The sun shone and the ice melted. I’d not played at the Osmington Village Hall before. Again, we were greeted by delightful people who know what they’re doing and made everything super easy. Another warm and generous reception from a delightful audience, that fills me with joy. Hurrah!

We drove overnight; I say “we”, I mean Bob, (bless him!!) drove us to stay with friends who live near Avebury. It was minus three at times! There was a minor catastrophe when Bob accidentally opened the sunroof!! I’ll just mention again … it was minus 3! No matter what we did we could not get the bloody thing closed. The air was blue with more than the cold! When we reached our destination, we tried again. Numerous times. Our stage whispers were hilarious! Push! I am pushing! Stop pushing! I’ve stopped! Anyway …, the upshot was that with some brute force and ignorance, we got it closed. Which was amazing as it was due to rain heavily the next day. How we laughed! Eventually ;-) x

Unfortunately, I've run out of time to do videos for Corsham and Birmingham so they'll be in December's round-up. Your patience, as always, is appreciated!

Thank you for taking the time to drop by and see how things are in my strange little world. And if you came to a gig in the last few weeks - THANK YOU again! I'm thrilled to be back out on the road. Your love and support mean the world!

Till next time, stay well and keep rising above the turbulence!!

Much love

Christine x

Getting there!

Blogpost No 10 October 2024

Each month seems to be getting speedier! Do you feel it, too? I will be a tad late with this particular Blogpost but I’ll get it done soon enough. It should be up and ready for your perusal in an hour (written at 3 pm Sunday, Oct 27th!:) - well that ain’t happening! However … I am here now, tap, tap, tapping away on my laptop, trying to dredge up memorable events from the past month.

I have my first reviews of Children Of The Sea … and they are both favourable! Hurrah! I am very grateful to Mike Davies at KLOF Mag and Ian Burgess of Friends Of Fairport. Thank you so much. It means a lot! It is wonderful to get positive feedback from the world at large.

The clearing of Mum and Dad’s home of twenty-eight years is concluding, though it will be a week or more before the last shred of evidence they were ever there is removed. It’s a strangely cathartic experience. At once sad and rejuvenating. Not to mention exhausting. At the same time, I’m prepping for the tour, which is now rapidly approaching. There is excitement in the air. Plus, I set up the PA etc in the empty lounge this week, so I can run through both halves of the show with ease. I still need to practise the guitar chords for the second half … most of the requested songs are getting into shape. A reminder here to get your requests in now, or it will be too late.

Songs so far requested and being honed are: Who Knows Where The Time Goes; It’s All Just Talk, Black-Eyed Dog, We Spoke Today, The Whole Night Sky and Last Chance Texaco. There is also a song from Love Is A Strange Hotel that Mike Andrews asked for, but I couldn’t remember ever doing it. I have since tracked down the original Paul Carrack version on YT to remind myself. I never played it, so there’s a chance I won’t be able to get it up to speed for the Bury Met show he’ll be attending - Mike, not Paul Carrack! But I’m giving it my best shot.

As mentioned before, I’ll be doing different sets of songs in the second half of each show as I’m trying to cover a forty-year span. All-be-it briefly. I’ll just about manage eight or nine songs per night. I’m not saying every night will be completely different songs, but there will be variations for sure. Wish me luck! Shows are selling well, in fact, Bury Met has only 13 tickets left as I type and Birmingham Kitchen Garden has a similar amount and I think Wavendon Stables II was getting close to a sell-out. Wouldn’t that be amazing?! What I’m trying to say is … please, do get tickets to a show sooner than later. I’ll be absolutely thrilled to see you in person - very soon! Thank you.

Here's a request and evidence of me practising! I posted this on Instagram and FaceBook last week, but here is the full-fat greedy ba****d 2-minute version! You're welcome!;-)

Here are the dates!

One of the more poignant phases of dismantling our home is the old, dishevelled Green House. I have LOVED being able to play within its cracked and broken walls. I’ve had many successes. Cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, French beans, chillies and peppers have all been amazing. The few duds were still fun to try: spring onions, Lemon , olive and date trees from pips. There were several apple trees (slight exaggeration on that front, though they’re still alive!) and a pear all sprouted into more than twigs. In the ground, around and about, I had various successes and failures. The first couple of years, courgettes were fantastic, not so much this year. And then, in my first year, I managed to grow not one but three purple sprouting broccoli plants, which were incredibly generous. Onions were very hit-and-miss, though potatoes were always fabulous. And garlic never quite hit the mark, though I loved to see them grow.

It’s been a privilege, to say the least. It won’t hit me till the place belongs to someone else and I will no longer be able to be there any more. That will be sooner than later. I will let you know when it's safe to do so. I'm sure you understand.

I’ve enjoyed early Sunday morning walks with my dear friend Izzy this month. We’ve walked around Druidale several times and more recently explored the gentle slopes of Snaefell, starting from the Sulby Reservoir car park. We’ve been gifted wonderful light and fantastic fungi. We visited and blessed a holy well, which was amazing. Life is filled with wonder. Numerous Green Hut Sauna dips have been experienced, one on the full moon Thursday, Oct 17th (the moon!! OMG!:) and last Thursday, Oct 24th when the sea was blazing orange as we dipped. I just LOVE these experiences. I had morning sessions again both Fridays following the evening saunas - I can’t recommend them enough. I feel AMAZING afterwards. You really should give it a go.

The Retreat Day with the amazing Rosemary O’Donohue last Saturday was simply Divine. The energy in the hall by the end of the day was incredible. We all left floating on air. More of this please.

OK, I think I managed to remember all the goodness that occurred during October. It’s good to be reminded that life is full and delightful much of the time. Thanks for that.

Next month, of course, I’ll be gigging! The Blogpost might be a little later, even than this one, but it will be packed with all sorts of joys to share. I’ll be uploading videos throughout the tour, so please do drop by FaceBook or Instagram if you’d like to see those as they appear.

Apart from that, till next time, stay well and keep rising above the turmoil.

Much love

Christine x