Bluebells, Bonfires & Breathing Again
- Christine Collister
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
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.
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!
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
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