Guitars and Life

Enthused with the kit and being on holiday (one advantage of my job is we get oodles of holiday) I've made a start on the guitar. I sanded both the body and the neck with 120 grit then further with 240 and finally with 320. Then to the finish. I don't have anywhere to spray and I like natural finish and feeling guitars. I found Wudtone finishes and I am going with an amber one. The neck I have decided to use Danish Oil on as I've seen others use this to good effect. Below is the body after sanding, then with the first base coat applied and then the neck with the first coat of Oil on it.

This will be short as I don't have a working computer at the moment so typing on a phone is such a pain! Overall a so so year, I've not enjoyed work but a review of my situation means I will have to grit my teeth and carry on with it for now. Musically I got the second album out but work time and pressure has meant  no time to gig and promote it sadly. Album of the year tough one so many good releases this year. In the end I will go with Rush and Clockwork Angels. Gig of the year again most gigs I went to were super but Andy McKee, Preston Reed and Jon Gomm win that one! Happy New Year to you all. And my advice to all is get a job you love not one you have to endure simply to earn the dosh!

Mrs F bought me a Telecaster kit as my Christmas gift. It has an ash body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. I have some stain from Wudtone that I will use on it. I will post the progress once I get going on it

Into the last leg now - only today and tomorrow at work, my son is back from Mordor - sorry Mid-Wales ;-) - for the festivities, all the presents are wrapped - cluttering up the music room sadly but it is ok, I just can't really play electric as they are all around, over, behind, on top off the amp and my pedal board.  That is ok as recently, no doubt partly influenced by seeing Juan Martin the other week, I've been pulling out the oldest guitar in my collection - my faithful old Fender FC40 classical, which my Mum bought me when I was 14 or 15.  I'm back into my limited repertoire of Sor, Tarrega, Bach etc.  I'm trying to learn Fauré's Pavane at the moment.  Anyway enough about guitars... let's talk about life... Christmas life... Our Christmas will follow the pattern of many years now, pretty much ever since we've had children so 22 years now.  It will just the four of us (Mrs F, Son-of-Furtheron, Daughter-of-Furtheron and yours truly) along with M...

Right into the fray. Hello USA. Here is my advice to you. Ban guns like we did after Dunblain. Screw the constitution this is 2012 not 1789. Guns are not a defensive weapon if I have a gun to defend me it only works if I shoot and the only purpose of a handgun is to kill people it is not a defence it cant stop bullets only spew out its own! So simply ban guns and enforce it! Please

I had a horrible dream last night, in fact I'd call it a nightmare and I don't really ever recall having one quiet so disturbing.  I'm sharing it here just to get it out of my head - I had to talk to my wife first thing this morning as well as I felt so disturbed by it. I dreamt I murdered my son.  Honestly - the actual killing was brief in the dream I know we had a disagreement and I hit him with something and then hid his body.  The setting was oddly bizarre as well.  It was in a back street garage type place, you know the kind where there are as many rusting hulks as cars being actually worked on.  I hid his body under one of those cars.  My wife was in the dream and knew about the killing and we were behaving in a manner to make it look like we knew nothing including going to the garage and talking to others expressing concern over our missing son.... just awful.  I still feel bereft as a result of this.  Several times I was trying to cry ov...

Last night the Furtheron clan, minus number 1 son who is still in Wales, trooped off to see Mumford & Sons at the O2 arena at North Greenwich. They stated that this was the largest gig they'd ever performed in doors and that the were "bricking it" playing such a large venue.  However you'd never have believed it.  We saw them last at Hammersmith Apollo back in Oct 2010 at the end of their whirlwind breakthrough year.  Now at that gig they looked genuinely overwhelmed and amazed at just being on a stage like that with a crowd that size - well the O2 is of course up a league or so from there but from the off they looked confident, in charge and frankly that they belonged!  They owned the stage last night.  Of course a second massive selling album under their belts with consequently much more known material and coming off the back of a long touring schedule including well received gigs in the USA no doubt have given them a more honed edge to live pe...

I was reading another recovery blog and was reminded of the last bit of the AA promises... "They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them."   The actual promises are irrelevant really but the point is that you will get improvement in your life, if you continue to work the AA programme.  This isn't a rant about step this and that, to me everyone works the programme in a way suitable for them and I firmly believe as stated in the last step you have to embed the new learnings and way of life into all my affairs - i.e. I have to live a new life in a different way in every aspect of my life.  That is what I've spent the last 8 and a half years trying to do, at times with more success than others. But reading Bye Bye Beer 's blog earlier suddenly made me think of a couple of recent incidents, just ordinary life stuff, nothing big etc. but in which I found myself reacting in a particular way ...

Last night Mrs F and I and four other friends went to see Juan Martin live at The Brook Theatre in Chatham.  Firstly again The Brook is a lovely little venue, the old Town Hall with a fantastic sound and feel. Juan Martin was just stunning.  Now I really only know him from his Picasso Portraits album from years ago where as a tribute to Picasso he wrote pieces inspired by the masters great works and fused it with a modern rhythm section.  A really really good album and was for a while a regular on my old turntable.  Juan knows flamenco inside out.  He talked of the history of different regions and influences, his influences in writing his pieces and what he tries to bring into them.  Many times I was just lost in the music and not sat in cold November Kent but in sunny warm Andalusia! He used a new guitar for all tracks bar one built for him by Stephen Eden for Lewes.  Frankly just stunning sounding guitar.  Fantastic night all over. (...

So the elections for the new Police and Crime Commissioners were a resounding success... errr clearly not.  Looks like most of the population didn't even know about them.  The predicted turn out is... *Dramatic pause, like they do on shows where someone is about to leave the competition....*  just a smidge over 18%!  Are you kidding me?  What an utter waste of time and money.  How now can any commissioner take up their new role with any sense of a "mandate from the local community".  About the only real publicity we had on it in our area was a slanging match between two of the candidates over whether one of them had been reprimanded over saying the new system was a waste of money on their blog.  Great bit of positive campaigning all round that was... So we are fighting wars to give people democracy - there are uprisings throughout the world against dictators so people can vote - we have that, we commemorated the dead last wee...

There has been more than one occasion when I have considered renaming this blog None The Bloody Wiser"!  The older I get the less I know I really know - both in terms of life the universe and everything and also in terms of my own ability to operate within said reality. The last few weeks have been a bit of a struggle - sorry folks this is all about work again, regular readers may detect more than one long-running theme here.  I've just felt overwhelmed by it, worried and stressed by it, lost about it etc. etc.  But of course this all comes down to a couple of major factors. Firstly impostor syndrome . This is something that I only recently became aware of in terms of it having a name and being well recognised.  I've suffered with this all my life.  The continual fear that today will be the the day that "they" realise that I am a fraud at this job, task, activity, whatever and that they will call time on me and expose me as the failure I undoubtedl...

Just cos this is simply just brilliant... The Temperance Movement (with the stellar Phil Campbell on guitar and vocals) with Lovers and Fighters.   Enjoy....

Any regular reader of this blog may well have spotted that my favourite kind of sport involves speed - motor-racing both cars and bikes with the series I most closely follow being F1 cars, MotoGP bikes, British Touring Car Championship, British Superbikes, British F3 cars, World Superbikes... etc but those are the main ones, British GT is in there as well esp this season which was good. So this is the time of year that championships wind up. F1 is still up for grabs but given the dominant performance in the last few races I get the feeling Vettel is going to reclaim the top crown for a third year running. It'll be a good fight back as they were not the all conquering team of the last two years and he has had to show his metal and come back into contention, but a shame as this starts to look like Schumacher at his dominant form in the 90s early 2000s. It'd be nice to get some other names up there I feel. Still some way to go and anything can happen, I wouldn't write A...

I was very lucky that a John a friend of mine had bought two tickets to see Newton Faulkner only to realise after he'd got them that this week is not in fact half term and therefore his intended partner for the night (his daughter) was not going to be able to come her being a busy newly qualified teacher who lives quiet a way away.  Since I'd offered John a spare ticket to see the Guitar Masters gig in Folkestone a few weeks back he kindly offered me the chance to see Newton live much to the chagrin of Daughter-of-Furtheron! So firstly the venue - like Folkestone Lees Cliff Hall this is an old sea-side posh dance hall venue built in the heyday of opulent summer seasons around the British coast I presume it is early 20th century, lovely mouldings around the walls and ceilings, over the top chandeliers etc.  Exactly the kind of over the top extravagance you'd never be able to get past a quantity survey and corporate accountant if yo...

I had a fantastic night out last night, Mrs F and I went to a packed Brook Theatre in Chatham to see Gordon Giltrap and Oliver Wakeman in concert.  Right - yes Oliver, not Rick who Gordon has collaborated in the past with but Oliver is now working with Gordon on a new album "Ravens and Lullabies" due out in a couple of months. Any regular readers of this blog will know that Mr Giltrap is one of my heroes having seen him in many concerts, bought a load of his albums, struggled over learning his pieces , bought one of his signature guitars and had the privilege of meeting him at a workshop some years back in Margate.  So this review will be biased! :-) Brilliant night - a couple of pieces off the new CD, one played in a "unique arrangement", i.e. I think Gordon went wrong somewhere but frankly I don't think anyone in the audience noticed at all - I certainly didn't.  Some of Gordon's famous pieces worked with brilliant accompaniment from Oliver - Isab...

via the blog world I came across  Saz  and through her to her Mum Moanie .  I was an irregular visitor/reader/commentor on both blogs.  A while back Moanie announced she wasn't well - "the Feckler" as she called it.  Last week sadly Moanie lost her battle with it. Everyday there are hassles, the everyday stuff of getting on with a job, doing the washing up, gardening etc. etc.  so many things that we "have" to do and how often do you get to the end of the day and reflect on where has any of that got you?  Life is short - I hope you make the most of yours today.  The AA programme has a lot about "living in the day", for me the endless negative projection I used to have was crippling and blinding, never seeing what was good around me there and then.  I have much to be thankful for and be happy about but my default position is to ignore all that and go into negativity.  Poor Saz and her family's loss reminds me that there was things I oug...

I've been remiss lately and not been keeping the lists on the right hand side of the blog alive with latest stuff, I believe this is no doubt due to me moving to an android mobile platform (I bought a new phone with a touchy screen thing in other words) and do a lot of my social networking and communications (reading blogs / facebook and tapping out incomprehensible emails/comments etc.) on this device whilst on the move - i.e. on the train.  It might be a good use of the commute but re-reading the spelling, grammatical etc. errors in some recent comments/emails I think it maybe not so and no doubt half of you think I've lost my marbles when you see my comments to you.  Anyway I've updated the lists. Music - there is a load of really good stuff around this year, with Rush Clockwork Angels, Marillion's Sounds that Can't be Made recently added to on the perpetual playlist with Muse's 2nd Law (different but growing), Linkin Park's Living Things (really ...

Newcomers - this is a term used in AA about people new to the fellowship, the programme, sobriety etc. Over the years I've seen Newcomers come and go, some come in and either don't want to really stop or expect someone to do it for them or whatever.  One saying I heard a long time ago was - It is no good coming to AA for back problems.  The Newcomer looks at you oddly.  You know to get your wife off your back, your boss off your back, your landlord off your back etc.  Many I think just make a show of it exactly to ease those back problems.  Some do connect and put in the effort and seem to be getting it then suddenly drop out.  I remember getting a call from one guy like that who decided to stop coming as he couldn't get the courage up to share (i.e. speak) at a meeting.  I tried to tell him it didn't matter - his choice etc.  In the end I realized he needed a justification for why AA couldn't work for him.  His choice. Anyway s...

That I popped into the world!  Happy birthday to me! The front room is full of cards - unusual I normally only get a few family ones - I should be 50 every year!  I've a finger drum kit from my brother!  Some CDs, loads of vouchers etc.  but one very special present.  Mrs and the kids have bought me a weekend pass to next years F1 GP at Silverstone!!!  How fantastic.  It has been years and years since I went to a GP so really overwhelmed with that actually and it is so good as it's ages away for the excitement to build. Finally the card from Mrs F was this box - hand made by a very clever friend of ours.  On the outside it is covered with music - took me a couple of minutes to figure out it was Voodoo Chile Slight Return by Mr Hendrix.  Open up to the inside and lyrics from Fantastic Place by the unsurpassable Marillion... How amazingly cool!

So I went along to the meeting on Friday that I'd mentioned - it is a little way from me but one I've been to over the years, it does have cross over of some membership with my Monday meeting but also new and different faces including some old ones not seen for a while. One of those is a guy who got sober same time as me, one of the class of 2004, who used to go to the same meetings as I for a while, but work, life etc. mean our paths rarely cross, probably a year since I last saw him.  He came up gave me a huge hug and big smile.  It was worth going for that alone - truly linked to these people through mutual pain and understanding and through a love and fellowship you can't describe (I've paraphrased the quote apologies). Then another old friend is now secretary there, bizarrely we drank in the same pub for years and were nodding acquaintances there.  As I got my coffee and biscuit he said "Would you mind doing the chair?".   I had to chuckle but agreed - ...

So Son-of-Furtheron is back in the land of male voice choirs etc. - i.e. back in Wales ready for new year at uni - his last!  Yes this time next year I've every confidence he will have a flying first in his undergraduate master in Physics and Space Science...  Yes he does make his old man look like a thick old numpty...  I'm so proud.   Daughter-of-Furtheron is settling into A level studies and is looking at universities that we'll be traipsing around this time next year in preparation for her to apply to.  One finishes and another joins the fray.  Mrs F is settling in with a new year group, new teacher she is working with and two guinea pigs her class has adopted! The trip back to Wales was, almost predictably, met with weather that even Noah would have said "You expect me to go out in that!".  When I fetched S-o-F back at the end of the year we just escaped as floods hit that area - this time it was worse in land and I had to slowly edge throu...

Saturday just gone the family held my 50th birthday bash... now it isn't my birthday yet, still a couple of weeks or so away but due to availability of sons etc. (he will be back to uni next week) it seemed sensible to hold it early.   Those who know me via this blog will no doubt not be surprised to hear me say I really am not a great party person at all. For that reason I'd wanted an "afternoon gathering" the original plan being a little do at our place through the afternoon.  However as the invitee list grew and the summer's weather wasn't great we decided to move to an alternative venue so we booked a room above a pub that my wife knew about and they provided the sarnies etc. meaning Mrs F enjoyed it far me being able to circulate around. In the end somewhere attendance was somewhere in the 30s.  Which was pleasing, all my close family was there, the extended bits to (i.e. partners and family of nephews etc.) some friends from AA and some old friends who...

People who know me, my family especially, and readers who've been around this blog for a while might well know that I am a bit of a Marillion fan. It may be somewhat unfashionable but what the hell do I care. Although recently Prog Rock does seem to be garnering more acceptability, there was even a short piece on the BBC news about the first ever prog rock awards event, and with bands like Rush and Asia etc. turning out great releases and touring you have to say it is still alive and well, the younger generation like Opeth and Steve Wilson also keeping the old beast alive. So Marillion then - if you have heard of them no doubt it is memories of the Fish era 25 years ago when they popped up every now and then on TOTP with a minor hit, often looking very oddly dressed and playing even odder keys and time signatures. After Fish departed they drifted away from the general consciousness, sadly in my view. Steve Hogarth (H) replaced Fish in 1989 and the band has continued to have a...

So Meesrs McKee and Gomm don't feel hard done by... and just cos simply this is music at it's very best...

Last night was an absolute privilege to attend the first date of the Guitar Masters UK tour at The Quarterhouse in Folkestone. To see three such incredible exponents of modern acoustic guitar playing on one bill was fantastic and in a terrific intimate venue made it superb. Jon Gomm kicked off the night taking to the stage with his trusty "Wilma" his beloved Lowden which sows the signs of his playing style due to his vigorous percussive techniques the table is heavily worn across most of itself. Jon ran through a selection of material from the recent Domestic Science singles series back to early material. All played in his own style as his fingers fly across the fret board and strings picking, tapping and slapping the body etc his case feet are dancing on his effects pedals keeping the sound in check. Many of Jon's tunes are songs and he hear I great vocal delivery to accompany his phenomenal playing. All too soon he departed the stage and Preston Reed came on. Now o...

Yesterday Son-of-Furtheron and I went to the filming of Antiques Roadshow at the Chatham Dockyard.  I took a watch my Dad was awarded when he started work there in 1940.  I'll have to explain it one day when I have a bit more time.  However I suspected (knew) the watch wasn't intrinsically worth much but with a cutting from the paper, the inscription, my Dad's original apprentice indentures etc. I thought it may have local interest.  As I talked to the expert we were 20 ft from the last RN vessel built in the yard, HMS Ocelot an O boat sub, which my Dad worked on.   But the harsh reality of commercialism showed through. Since the watch is "worthless" (well up to £100) the expert wasn't keen on it featuring on the programme.  The programme their choice but there you go.  The best thing was how British it was.  1 hour in the first queue to be told the second queue to join for another hour or so and then 10 mins with the expert!!!  Thousand...

Alex Zanardi has been a hero of mine for some time.  A great driver in his Champ car career, I'd followed him since watching him in the early 90s in F3000 battling with Damon Hill et al at the time.  He never seemed to get the right car at the right time in F1 and went back to the USA.  Sadly in one of the most horrific crashes ever in Germany in 2001 he lost both legs, instantly in a crash that frankly was a miracle he survived at all.  He showed incredible spirit returning to race again in a modified touring car even winning World Touring Car races.  That was pretty incredible. Today he one a paralympic gold medal - at ironically Brands Hatch!  He is simply an inspiration and a man for whom I do not have words to express my admiration - I wish I had just one once of his humility, tenacity and grace.  I don't like the word hero banded about as it often is these days but for Mr Zanardi I will happily use it... he is a true hero! http://www.bbc.co.u...

When does summer stop and autumn begin?  Whatever it is September and that means, shorter days, leaves falling, kids returning to school etc., no holiday to look forward to for ages!  We are done with the summer then, Mrs F is back to work at school, Daughter-of-Furtheron is starting the 6th form/A-level adventure and Son-of-Furtheron will be back at his esteemed educational establishment for the last year for his masters course before this month is out. I think this is a time to stop freewheeling and for me to start steering and pedalling a bit more.  I've been sort of just cruising along thinking things like "well I will sort x out once we've had our holiday" or "I can't plan for that until y happens", etc.  Procrastination!  I've blogged about this before on here, remember the book I bought and then took an age to get around to reading - exactly!   If I'm honest part of the issue is prioritisation, what should I be putting my energies into? ...

Or where the hell has the Furtheron clan been now!  Yes a short stay over in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland and a city I like a great deal, fantastic architecture, lots to see and do etc.  Mrs F, Daughter-of-Furtheron and I flew up there - why is it so much cheaper to fly than go by train?  We stayed in a little B&B run by some Eastern Europeans (confused!) on the Southside of the City.  One thing I have to say Edinburgh has a fantastic bus service!  I've no idea why they are digging up so much of the city to put in a tram system the buses are cheap and very frequent so I don't think they need anything else. Here are a few snaps from the trip. Yes we went to see the Pandas at the zoo - all they do is sleep, eat and poo and can only mate on two days in one year...  no wonder they are endangered!  The zoo are hopeful that they moment of love next year will be a bit more success apparently Yuang Guang (the male above) "got his geography a bit w...

...when I remember what is good in the world. My daughter, like thousands of other 16 year olds, got her GCSE exam results today.  2 A*s, 9As and 2Bs. :-) :-) :-) Happy and proud to be her parent day!

Some stuff in the news recently has had me thinking... where are things just difficult decisions that the people who have to make them have a very tricky course to steer and where there is no real "right" answer overall and where is there just plain hypocrisy. Today I read that Tony Nicklinson has died.  This poor man who was undoubtedly highly intelligent was left severely paralysed as the result of a stroke.  He had campaigned for the "right to die" - essentially the issue being he couldn't kill himself as physically he could not administer the lethal injection or take the pills.  Recently the High Court ruled that if he asked his family or a doctor to carry this out they could still be prosecuted for murder.  It seemed on face value an absurd ruling, this clearly intelligent man who had thought it all through and who was clearly suffering psychologically due to his physical condition simply wanted his wishes to be carried out.  If he could have killed himsel...

We've been on holiday... to the Cotswolds.  Finding little places like this. Big places like this And lots of things like this...  the girls weren't so keen on the trains for some reason! An old fashion family holiday for us, although with the additional of Girlfriend-of-son-of-Furtheron (GOSOF - that doesn't work!).   We stayed in a farm converted into holiday cottages which was lovely but in the middle of nowhere, seriously to get a phone signal required gymnastics in the rafters.  I didn't realise how quiet it was until lying in bed this morning in our little quiet suburban street I wanted to scream out the window at the cars and planes and people on the way to the shop to shut the hell up! I'd love to live in Bath I think, really lovely place.  Still back to the grindstone now...   Sorry I'll drop by blogs as I catch up with life!

Last night like many millions sat, then stood and shouted and cheered as "little Mo" ran to victory in the 5km to get the distant double gold.  A fantastic achievement by any standards.   However what makes me so proud was that Mo came to this country as a refugee and last night Britain showed our true side as a multi-cultural nation. As Mo knelt and prayed after his run and 80,000 cheered the roof off what more needed to be said.   An Islamic refugee national hero. Britain - I love you.

I turn 50 in just under 2 months.  But looking at the stats on the blog I have 50 followers, welcome to the 50th!  Also just gone through 50,000 page views. I read a couple of blog posts about loneliness today.  Interesting isn't it that we live in a world where we can all stay connect much better than we ever used to - we were trying to explain to the kids how my wife and I kept in touch when we were courting... er we met each other!  We did luckily have phones at home, we got one when I was about 16 I think - honestly up until then I'd have to use the pay phone over the road on the little green.  But it is interesting that I think loneliness is on the increase despite all this.  My daughter have 100s of "friends" on Facebook and Twitter - but truth is she doesn't know hardly any of them.  On here many people read and comment and I have a blog roll I visit, people I find interesting or we have a common bound, sometimes music, often recovery.  ...

Right - the promotional tour for The Man Inside is underway... ok ok that may be stretching a point a bit but I have got some gigs lined up! Several are open mic nights but I'm planning to get there early and get a slot and see how it goes.  Also I've been asked to play a Songwriters Showcase at Canterbury which I'm really looking forward to as it'll be my first gig as a 50 year old! All up at my music site for info.

Code to Zero by Ken Follett Super read this one. Great cold war thriller with some terrific twists in it and good characters as well. The novel starts with a man waking in a public toilet in a railway station in Washington in the late 1950's. He has lost his memory entirely. You follow him trying to figure out who he is. Once in learns that though soon he knows someone wiped his brain and is still chasing him. Soon figuring out friend from foe and why this is happening now is a complex picture.  It turns out he is a rocket scientist, one of the best and has been working on the USA programme to get its first satellite into space.  His amnesia must be something to do with this.  But what?  Is he the spy or it is the spy who has done this to him?  Throughout the plot in the present of him trying to find who he is and why this may have been done to him you are given various flash backs with the main characters allowing you to slowly piece his past together at the...

Another blogger sparked off something in me that has really got me thinking... So here I am in the "new" job...  I've put the quotes there as actually I've been here over 10 months now and rapidly it'll be a year so is it still "new"?  It feels it to me.  And there in lies a crux of issues that have been assailing me of late. Let me throw a bunch of things at you... culture, complexity, change, commitment, belonging... A little history lesson.  I worked at the same place from 1991 - 2010 until I was made redundant, something I was happy about at the time, that old place was on a downward spiral and my mojo had decidedly left me and I found myself regularly the harbinger of bad tidings "We tried that three times before and it failed due to a, b, c etc.".   I needed to get out and get a change.  After 7 months not working I got a job with a small consultancy firm - I didn't mind the work and the fact that as a consultant you go into somewh...

Ok London2012 fever is here!  My daily journey to work takes me on the train right through the park, underneath it in a tunnel apart from the station!  I sadly can't see anything but the traveling has been ok, I'm getting up earlier to get in by 8am so I can leave and get the train back before the crowds heading in for the evening events... the athletics start on Friday that may make life more difficult! Anyway the best bit for me so far was the Men's 200m  Butterfly final.  Phelps beaten at his last meeting in an event he has not been beaten in for 11 years - and in the last few cms as well.  Amazing.   Then the BBC interview live with his overcome Dad was just pure TV gold, hats off to the BBC for doing that - I doubt a non public funded broadcaster would have taken the risk. The BBC has a great story about it.  Watch the race then the interview which is on there as well...

As you'll know regular readers my album The Man Inside is now available.  (Note gratuitous plug there - seriously folks this is so cheap it's painful and I'm extremely grateful for any sales :-)).  I thought I'd probably sit back and think about some other musical directions etc. for a while - but surprisingly or maybe not I've found myself inspired to write a couple of new songs!  One is an old chord pattern that has been lying around for a long time - donkey's years actually - that I was playing through and suddenly a couple of lyrical lines hit me and fitted so well that I've sat down and written a complete lyric for it.  I get the feeling that it is one of those that'll need some additional work to get the lyrics really where I want them but it is at least 90% there after this weekends work.  The other number is a very typical one to my recent output on The Man Inside (second gratuitous plus :-)) and started as a little chord pattern that sounded ...

That Mrs F walked up the aisle and stood next to me.  She'd insisted I wasn't to look at her as she walked up, and I stuck to that promise.  When she drew level I looked at her and whispered "You look beautiful".  Today - day off!!!  We're off out somewhere to celebrate.  No doubt our thoughts will be distracted from that as Daughter-of-Furtheron has been on a swimming teachers course all week and has her exam today so part of us will be mentally with her hoping she does well.

I have been doing gratitude lists since my early days in sobriety. They were suggested to me at a meeting on bank holiday Today in August 2004 I just remember shit like that at times, shame I can't remember what Mrs F said a moment ago!  Anyway I did them daily for ages I had books of them. I do them less regularly now but they are a great leveler and reminder. Now some guru is letting the secret out of the bag :-)  good to see the rest of the world beginning to catch AA up. :-)

On Thursday last week we went to see the play Long Day's Journey Into Night.  My daughter mostly wanted to see it and given it's content (centred on an alcoholic family) and the setting (a house in a part of CT I know very well through my old job) we decided to go and see it. With David  Suchet in the lead role that was another incentive. I had actually taken the day off and Daughter-of-Furtheron, Son-of-Furtheron and I went to London for the day with the play as the climax. However after about 40 mins there was an odd noise and a light at the back of the set went off followed quickly by all stage lights and then we could hear a fire extinguisher going off! The play was stopped and after a few more mins we were asked to wait in the foyer. After about an hour it was clear they couldn't restart sadly. However some people were now quite angry and rude. Why? They were going to be at the play all evening so this wasn't upsetting their plans, the staff were clearly busy tr...