Furtheron review of the year

In the past years I've done reviews of the year so here to keep with tradition in 2011 Furtheron's reflections.

Jan - I got interviewed for a job having spent 7 months in the back end of 2010 out of work.  I was listening to Heaven & Hell a lot, recording rockier stuff and putting up pictures of guitars...

Feb - Started my new job, where I used to work it was announced that a full UK pull out of R&D was happening and all my old colleagues were losing their jobs.  Gary Moore sadly passed away. I played a gig at the Lamb and Flag in London.

Mar - I was working away from home and my post count dramatically dropped off.  I was really struggling with the job - not the work (although it was a stupendously big workload) but more the living away from home all week or a really bonkers commute - up at 5am back at about 8pm.

Apr - One lousy post!  I was really lost in the madness at that time.  I ended up leaving the assignment away from home, the company luckily offered me one back at my old place helping with the close down which was good as I knew the place, it was a much better commute but was very sad being there as hundreds of people left.


May - Went to see Rush at the O2 with my brother.  Posting picked up :-)  Bin Laden gone etc.  I went through my 7th AA birthday.

June - Tescobank - don't go there!  Useless just useless...   I hurt my Squier Strat in a stupid accident - I knocked it off the wall getting out a case when I should have taken it down first.  My mother-in-law had an unnecessary accident and we had a lot of disruption in family life as a result of that.

July - I was heavily affected by a great BBC play called Stolen about child trafficking. Daughter-of-Furtheron was away in Spain on a school trip... sounded more like a great holiday to me :-) Poor Amy Winehouse surcomed to her addiction sadly.

Aug - I was offered two jobs!  In one month!  I had got a job lined up in Kent with a similar commute to my old one but it was good not great money and whilst some said the company was good I heard other poor reports.  But then I got an interview and an offer of the job in London which I then accepted.  We had a terrific holiday in the Lake District even if Son-of-Furtheron did try to kill us with his mountain hike!  Mrs F and I went to a lovely wedding in the West Country too... busy times!

Sep - Still amazed with stories of slavery in modern England.  The 10th anniversary of 9-11 brought back a host of memories and I left my job and the placed I'd worked in for most of the last 20 years for the last time (most likely) as it is all being closed down and I wouldn't be surprised if by this time next year it'll just be a large pile of rubble.  Started my new job.

Oct - I entered my last year of my 40s... this time next year I'll be 50... 50!  How the hell did that happen.  Books - I was reading like mad now I was commuting to London.  One of the major advantages of working in London frankly :-)  I had a stunning PRS payment for royalties on my material - well it was several 10s of pounds :-)  Sadly Dan Wheldon died which was a huge tragedy, his career looked like getting back on track for 2012 with a good drive and the new car he'd already been helping develop.

Nov - I started to use Soundcloud which is a great vehicle.  I started on a series of chairs at meetings that has continued through December and into January I have one already in the coming week.  Funny you do no chairs for months then get a stream like that.  We had the bus ticket scandal to deal with - actually still dealing with they have so far still not reimbursed us for the extra costs as they promised - frankly Arriva your customer service stinks!  Lot of proud parent posts as my daughter became 16 and we had a parents evening and my son had some stunning photos on Flikr.

Dec -  Some acoustic solo pieces recorded following a request from someone for something they could use.  My use of Soundcloud led to one of the most amazing things of the year - I was covered!  Having someone else consider something that I'd penned worthy of them putting effort into learning it and frankly massively improving it then recording it was hugely humbling.


Gig of the year - few to choose from but I'll give it to Rush - they were brilliant as ever.

CD of the year - Blimey that is hard... I'll give it to John Martyn - Heaven and Hell since it was his last probably more due to sentimentality than anything else. Worthy of mention Elbow's Build a Rocket Boys, City and Colour Little Hell and Black Country Communion 2, Yes - Fly From Here (great return with a new singer) were big contenders as were late entries Steve Earle I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive and The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow.

Book of the year - another hard one... The Millennium series I'd not read until this year so they possibly get that as they were fantastically good.  Also I read Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks that was another brilliant book

Anyway - Happy New Year to you all I hope 2012 is a good year for you all.

Comments

  1. Gosh, it's not been dull, has it? Lots of important anniversaries, too ... a special congrats on your seven years. Brilliant stuff.

    Wishing you everything you'd like for 2012.

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  2. Great summation Graham. I was watching that race in Las Vegas when Wheldon was killed, so sad.

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  3. Happy New Year!! I hope 2012 is awesome for everyone!

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  4. Great round up! Strange to look back at how the year has unfolded isn't it, one of the great things about blogging and diary keeping.

    Didn't realise you were covered by another artist, wow that's fab.

    Hope you have an even better 2012! Happy new year,

    ( ps still miss John Martin )

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  5. A good Furtheron year, and here's to another and then another after that, so on, so forth. Thank you so much for all your kind words and support this year. They have meant so much to me.

    Happy new year, sweet.

    x P :-)

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  6. 2011? I spoke at Earl's Court about Medd's Bread, started bell-ringing, formed both the Sun Readers (book club) and its offshoot The Whisky Focus Group, wrote my first songs (an EP's worth so far), The Number One Son and his Fair Maiden moved to Manchester and the GLW found her half sister. Album of the year? Hurry Home by Jinski probably shaded Nick Lowe's The Old Magic. Gig? Neil Innes @ Fibbers. Or maybe C W Stoneking on the Thames.

    Happy New Year F-Ron. J x

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  7. A very happy New Year to you my friend. Cheers :)

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  8. I'm in the last quarter of the final Millennium book - very exciting! Bought the dvds too so will have to see how we cope with the subtitles.

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