FEB 13 2017 – TAMWORTH AND OTHER THINGS
Dear Friends,
I hope this New Year finds you well and happy. There has been lots happening even though we are only in the second month of the year.
On the personal front, my father was diagnosed with cancer late last year and had a major operation which he is still recovering from. He now faces 2017 with more news regarding the appearance of other cancers. I also lost a good friend to cancer last year too - Hugh McDonald, who produced my first 3 cds. His family are promoting a cause dear to his heart and are asking friends to support some research for The Peter MacCallum Hospital.
More information can be found at:https://foundation.petermac.org/your-dollars-in-action/hugh-mcdonald
On the Music front, I initially thought that this year was going to be quiet, so that I could spend some time catching up in the garden, pruning, weeding, feeding and planting... but the break was short lived. I started off the year performing at the wonderful Cygnet Folk Festival, in Tasmania. The weather was hot but the music and the people were wonderful. I had a great time, which included 'christening' my new guitar by spilling some champagne over it, sweating over it and giving it some heavy duty strumming over several sessions that I did, including one that went for 3 hours with the wonderful Pete Fidler. It was the first time that I felt my new 'rose' guitar had become an extension of me, so I was so sad that the airline lost my guitar on the way home. It took itself on a journey from Hobart to Melbourne to Perth and back. But now it is safe with me and has also travelled to Tamworth and back in near 40 degree heat everyday.
I have posted the details of my trip to Tamworth on Facebook, but for those not on FB, you can see a video of me on Peel Street (with my beautiful red 'rose' guitar) and some of my thoughts about Tamworth on the following video link on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7Qr-Fs8v1A
This is another silly video from the trip. We would stop along the way, and I would have to make up a song about the place where we stopped.