Autumn becomes spring!

Blogpost No4 April 2025

I hoped to post this before May popped her pretty head over the spring wall, but alas, I was unable to. We're only just into May, and she is so gorgeous here on the tiny isle! Blossoms still bloom, fresh green and pinky copper leaves are abundant, and bluebells too. What a riot of fabulous colour to come home to - and actual warm sunshine! Who knew?. Bob and I landed after a fairly smooth three-day journey on Thursday morning  (May 1st). We've been sorting ourselves out with lots of laundry and several saunas and (freezing!) cold dips - well those things I've beenn indulging in, Bob not-so-much :-) x catching up with lovely family and friends on the top of the world - which is every bit as delightful an experience as being on the bottom of the planet. Here's Blog Post No. 4 2025:

Catching up on gigs again this month. We’ll start with our gorgeous gig at Bloomfield Hall in the delightful town of Orange. We played at the fabulous Bloomfield Hall, the same gig as 2020. As before, the organisers and their merry band of volunteers, who make everything work so well, were very welcoming. There was a minor problem in that the dressing rooms had no electricity, so no light at all. It made for an interesting preparation. All was well - all is well - all shall be well. We were shown great affection and appreciation, which is always appreciated. Plus, several friends turned up out of the blue, Lauren and Gerry who came all the way from Bury, which was wonderful!

The following morning, we left relatively early to get Michael back to Sydney Airport for his flight home to Brisbane. The drive was easy, the autumnal colours were more prevalent here than elsewhere, and they were simply beautiful. I love being on the road.

After a few days of relaxing in Dee Why - brunch at the French Basket, crosswords by the beach - we prepared for the following few shows in Gloucester and Tallwoods, northern NSW. Our hosts for both shows were our dear friends Fran and Jim Kelly. Unbeknownst to us, both of them had been dealing with health issues since the beginning of the year, with Jim only a week out of the hospital when we turned up for the Gloucester show. It was so good to see them again; thankfully, they looked the picture of health. Fran and Jim had moved to Gloucester from Crowdy Head a couple of years ago. I think the good people of Gloucester are very glad to have them in their midst. The gig was fabulous. We’ll be back!

The after-show party, back at their temporary home (Fran and Jim are renovating a lovely place just up the street from the gig, where we stayed for both nights) was hilarious and filled with loud, familial reminiscences that we all love. There was much laughter and gratitude. These are the precious moments we cherish.

Tallwoods, just 50 minutes from Gloucester, is a newly developed area, complete with a golf course, beautiful homes, and a lovely chapel called the Chapel of Light. As you’ll see in the video, it’s gorgeous! We had no expectations for this show, as it came together very late in the tour's scheduling. Since Jim wasn't as available as he usually is, there wasn’t the same attention to detail as previously. However, Alana, the instigator of the music shows at this beautiful venue, does a great job of gathering an audience that we needn’t have worried. It was a wonderful turnout and a gorgeous afternoon show.

Michael, who brought his PA for both these shows, drove partway back to Brisbane after the gig, while Bob and I headed back to Gloucester. The following morning, we were able to call round and tell Jim and Fran about the show at the Chapel of Light. It was lovely to hang out with them again before we headed back to Dee Why.

More relaxation was in order, and we were happy to oblige. Although the weather wasn’t as bright and sunny as we’ve come to appreciate, it’s definitely Autumn now. You can feel the shift in temperature and sense the threat of dark clouds, but that glorious, soft, golden Autumnal light is glorious.

The next weekend, we had two beautiful shows. One was a house concert at our friends' gorgeous home in Yatte Yattah, near Milton. Bob and I have recently become part of the furniture (we wish!). We love staying with Ian and Fiona Stewart, who are so kind, generous and great fun! Being there for a gig is always a highlight. It’s the perfect place to perform, and the audience is highly trained - they could be professional! We loved it.

The following day was another afternoon show, this time in Michael’s old hunting ground in Wollongong. He and Rob, who runs Centro CBD, the venue, have known one another since they were 14 years old! It was another wonderful show with a fabulous audience who know how to show their appreciation! We were properly celebrated. We met up with several groups of friends, we were all excited to be together again.

Michael got the train back to Sydney Airport and even managed to get an earlier flight home - win-win. Bob and I drove back to Yatte Yattah to stay with Fiona and Ian for a few days of R&R, which is always a joy!

We drove up to Newcastle on Wednesday to see our dear friend Nikki Freeburn and her partner BJ, who have a beautiful holistic clinic, Natural Lore, in the heart of Newcastle. They’re looking into incorporating sound and frequency into their comprehensive list of modalities and invited me to collaborate with them as they develop these new tools. I’m thrilled to be asked and find the whole area of sound, frequency, and healing vibrations fascinating. We had a fabulous beginning. More to be revealed.

Bob and I were then, with Jo in Dee Why. She had a few days off (miracle!) so we brunched, beached and ate ourselves delightfully - we’re getting very good at these activities. It was our last week in Sydney. I’m sure Jo will be pleased to finally have her room back, but she’ll miss us too. We’ll miss her for sure! And our gorgeous girls of course. We had them to ourselves on Easter Sunday - our last hurrah before heading topside April 28th.

We drove down to Melbourne and met up with another dear friend, Terry, whom I met at Port Fairy Folk Festival in 1999! She moved to Frankston ten years ago, and this was our first chance to see her in this new (to us) environment. Apparently, Frankston doesn’t have the best reputation, but we found it delightful. We ate at an excellent restaurant on the beach called Waves, and had a wonderful catch-up. We met again the following morning for a short walk and a coffee before lunch with my sister’s sisters-in-law and brother-in-law - Susan, Nora and John. Waves was so good we ate there again, and the food was even better than the night before. Who knew? Another wonderful catch-up.

There are three shows I'll catch you up on next month: a private gig in Eaglemont, Melbourne; the Arcobar Heatherton Melbourne; and a house concert in Ballarat, Victoria. All of them were fabulous! It will take about a week to find our topside balance and return to spring!

As soon as we return, I'll prepare for eight shows with the "award-winning!" Dave Kelly - June 17th - 27th; plus a solo show in Holland at Roots Ann Dezaan - June 6th, presenting Children Of The Sea! Hurrah.

In case you missed the news, Children Of The Sea is now available for download on many streaming platforms, along with a PDF of the book from Fled'gling Records. I'm thrilled! There are still a few hard copies available from the same website, and if you live on the Isle of Man, or are visiting, Waterstones, the Manannan Centre, Peel, and the Manx Museum in Douglas also have a few (I mean it!) copies.

Thanks, as always, for dropping by to check up on me. I so appreciate it.

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

All my love

Christine x