I love being upside-down!

Blog Post No 1 January 2025

Here, at the bottom of the world, there is warmth and sunshine galore. We’ve had plenty of rain and thunderstorms, too, but nothing like the winter storms that have ravaged the Isle of Man and the rest of the British Isles of late. The sale of Mum and Dad’s much-loved home finally (after a six-month waiting game) went through on Wednesday, January 22nd, on what would have been Dad’s birthday. Synchronicity is a wonderful thing. And the palpable relief of no longer waiting with bated breath to find out if any damage has been caused during a named storm is huge. I empathise with anyone who has had to deal with the aftermath of such powerful and damaging weather. It’s a very distressing experience. If you’re having to deal with storm damage, I hope you find support, help and swift repairs to any physical disruption to your house and home.

Looking back over this first month of the year has proved rather lovely. New Year’s Eve itself was great fun. We spent it with family on Dee Why Beach where we watched their fantastic fireworks at 9 pm. We then went back to Jo’s auntie Sue’s holiday rental where we munched our way into the New Year with delicious cheeses, dips and assorted snacks, and watched more fireworks on TV. I’m normally in bed by 10 pm and this is the first time in a long time I’ve stayed up to see the New Year in. I’m glad I did. It was proper fun!

Since then, in between hanging out with beautiful Jo and our gorgeous granddaughters, we’ve visited some lovely friends up and down the East Coast of Australia. We saw our fabulous friends Fiona and Ian, who live in Yatte Yattah, near Milton, 90 minutes south of Wollongong. We dipped in the Ocean each morning, even when it poured with rain (it wasn’t cold in the slightest:), we walked in the rain too, but we didn’t get very far. We got drenched. We ate sumptuous food, relaxed and had wonderful, far-reaching conversations. Always a joy. We’ll be back with Michael Fix on April 12th for a fabulous House Concert. We may even go back before then to revisit all those beautiful beaches and share in all the delights Fiona and Ian share so generously. Thank you!

We spent a few days on the Central Coast, just the two of us for a long weekend. We watched the Robbie Williams Biopic Better Man and loved it. Who knew? We also watched Paddington III and weren’t nearly as impressed as we expected. There’s no accounting for taste n’est pas? Despite lots of rain we had one wonderful day in our favourite place: Pearl Beach where I managed, despite the judicious use of an umbrella, to get burnt!

There have been developments in live shows both here and the UK which I’m very happy about. Michael Fix and I are set to do a run of shows in Australia in March and April - the first time in five years. You can learn about them here.

I have a one-off solo show featuring Children Of The Sea, in Holland at the beginning of June, and a handful of shows with Dave Kelly at the end of June which should be great fun. Details will be added to the Live Events page as soon as I have them.

And there are a growing number of solo shows in the UK confirmed for September, which I’m also excited about. All is well all shall be well.

Bob and I have just returned from a week up on the Central Coast staying first in Lemon Tree Passage which is 45 minutes north of Newcastle NSW. Our dear friend, Nikki, moved up there from Terrigal about three years ago, and this was the first chance we’ve had to visit. What a gorgeous place. The view from her first-floor balcony is beautiful. We walked along the shoreline following the sparkle on the water, watching pelicans and black Swans glide along the estuary. She has a family of Tawny Frog Mouths nesting in trees in the back garden. They are adorable. So is she! We’ll definitely be back.

We then spent a couple of nights with Ina and Michael Fine in their gorgeous home by the water in Woy Woy. Ina and Michael run the successful Troubadour Folk Club where Michael Fix and I are playing a house concert on March 28th. We were treated to a delicious home-cooked meal on our first night, and a full-on tourist day out to Wiseman’s Ferry and St Albans the next day, which included two short ferry crossings, followed by a Thai takeaway with more delightful friends joining us. We are feeling particularly blessed right now.

I’m excited to share that I’ve bought myself a lovely new guitar. This is only the third guitar I’ve ever bought. It will remain in Australia when we return topside and will accompany me and Michael Fix on our shows through March and April. It’s nothing fancy but it’s rather lovely and feels great to play. What more do I need?

Bob and I are very excited to have booked a two-week holiday in Bali! We’ve never been, though many people we know love the place. We also know some people are less than impressed, so we’re going to see for ourselves. We’re opting for serene and peaceful in a lovely-looking retreat centre 15 minutes outside of Ubud. We have to be outside of Australia while a specific visa is processed in order for me to perform when we return. We have, in the past, travelled to New Zealand and stayed with family, but we thought we’d try something different this time around. It feels as if life is full of promise again after a number of years where restrictions, for various reasons, dictated our journey through life. We totally appreciate our circumstances. Gratitude abounds.

Children Of The Sea is still in process for digital release through all the usual platforms but not quite ready, yet. When it is, I shall let you know. It will also be possible to purchase a PDF version of the book! Until then, if you haven’t got your copy there are still a few available at various shops on the Isle Of Man (Waterstones, The Manx Museum, The Manannan Centre Peel or at Pinewood Studios at Nicola Dixon’s shop near Bishopscourt outside Kirk Michael on Saturdays) or through Fledgling Record’s website.

There will be more travel adventures to share next month, and no doubt a few more rehearsal snippets, too. I send you all love, peace and warmth from the bottom of the world.

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

Endless blessings

Christine x

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