tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52805462012-02-08T16:57:00.922ZFollow one man's attempt to not be remembered for being good at paperwork.Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.comBlogger10281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-18862679672252711162012-02-08T16:57:00.001Z2012-02-08T16:57:01.020Z

My RPM Challenge music is coming on a pace. I now have the first four tracks and only need to complete two or three more before I realise I've produced the aural equivilent of dog poop and start all over again. Or maybe not. February seems to be getting me down a little this year. This might have something to do with the otherwise wonderful Ableton Live music software behaving like a narcoleptic

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-66435183181317900082012-02-07T08:29:00.001Z2012-02-07T08:29:00.173Z

I am experienceing comedy heating at the dayjob. When the weather was mild the radiators belched out heat at full blast. When the temperature dropped dramatically the radiators switced off. By the time they came back on again the weather was warming up once more. Today, as if to truly mess with my mind, the weather is cold and the radiators are on. You might think that's a perfect match, but no.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-5304683606163588542012-02-06T15:51:00.002Z2012-02-06T15:51:20.506Z

It’s as if January never happened. Suddenly it’s February and my list of projects and challenges is as long as ever. The attempt to make myself a better chess player has collapsed though. It seems what I really need is a human being to play with, across a board, not on the internet. To this end I am reminded, yet again, of how much I miss Borders. The Oxford branch of this wonderful shop would

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-77690492967380498172012-01-30T22:50:00.001Z2012-01-30T23:14:06.425Z

I've recently taken charge of a 50mm prime lens for my camera. If that makes no sense, imagine a camera lens that can't be used to zoom in and out with (unless you physically move backwards or forwards) and that sees roughly what the human eye sees. It's limiting, it freaks out almost everyone who has had a go on it ("it doesn't zoom!") and I love it. Some call it the nifty fifty and I intend to

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-72762167565070763222012-01-26T20:34:00.001Z2012-01-26T20:34:11.124Z

Crossroads, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.Yesterday I traveled to Nuneaton for dayjob purposes. I got to stay in a hotel that was really a motel that was actually the original Crossroads Motel (this won't sense if you live outside the UK or are less than thirty years old).When I arrived the receptionist chose to take two calls before she acknowledged my existence, the breakfast room staff

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-69137293465625455622012-01-12T20:54:00.000Z2012-01-12T20:54:22.011Z

I tried a dry run for the RPM Challenge last night. Solo Warr Guitar with no effects. I was pleasantly surprised it didn't dissolve into a depressing mess. At least it didn't until I got it into my head to try and play King Crimson's 'ProzaKc Blues'. Might have to rethink that.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-9009301132439618512012-01-09T22:52:00.000Z2012-01-09T22:52:40.609Z

It seems 2012 is turning into Return of The Year of The Challenge. The first evidence of this is to be found here. I'm attempting to take a photograph a day for a year. This time with just the one camera, at 50mm and without taking hundreds of last minute pictures in my living room.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-15033646463062412032012-01-02T23:10:00.002Z2012-01-02T23:11:10.555Z

My First Chess Set, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.I found this, my first ever chess set, at my parent's house recently. It's a cheap, cardboard travel set, missing a red rook and more valuable to me than I can explain. But now, how do I get a new rook to replace the missing one?

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-83980491477138382422012-01-02T23:08:00.000Z2012-01-02T23:08:01.871Z

It's the night before I go back to the dayjob and I'm sitting here surrounded by some rather meaningful objects. Camera, iPod, books and (less we get to philosophical) a big glass of wine. I'm also reminded of the one thing that seems to define my experience of being an older dad of young children - indigestion.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-84179265471304381052011-12-31T23:40:00.000Z2011-12-31T23:40:52.589Z

It's nearly the New Year and just before the internet crashes I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year. According to the stats page on Blogger people are reading this in America, Japan, Germany England and Scotland. I hope all of you have a positive and rewarding 2012. I have some goals for the year ahead. I want to improve my chess, read and write more poetry, take better photographs and,

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-45205930210088015862011-12-26T19:18:00.000Z2011-12-26T19:18:00.684Z

In the increasingly fun battle to find fun and inappropriate things to read to Jude in the evenings there is a new revelation. Yes, it's Dante's Divine Comedy, part two - Purgatory. Reading it quietly to myself never got me more than a third of the way up the mountain, but reading it aloud has helped bring the language (superb translation by Mark Musa) alive, reinvigorated my interest in the

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-54615061364436939982011-12-25T11:33:00.000Z2011-12-25T11:33:00.063Z

After attending the panto yesterday we walked back to the car, carrying bags of extra goodies from the local supermarket. We also stopped to talk to a Big Issue guy, who told us he was lucky enough to have somewhere warm to stay for the next few nights. Some years ago I was teaching a GCSE English class and, during a discussion on charities, I discovered many of the teenage students believed

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-44460226966300501402011-12-24T20:16:00.000Z2011-12-24T20:16:19.042Z

It's Chiristmas Eve. We've been to the panto and now, while the adults are watching the singing from Kings College, Cambridge, child 1 is running from kitchen to front room wearing a pink dress with a string of bells around her neck, singing Santa Claus is coming to Town. Child 2 is toddling from front room to kitchen, carrying the remote control and randomly changing channels. I love Christmas.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-46869211769817084982011-12-23T19:45:00.000Z2011-12-23T19:45:00.855Z

It's the 22nd of December and, finally, I have all the presents bought, cards sent and possibly a few minutes spare tomorrow to get some wrapping done. Three whole days before Christmas! Wow! Meanwhile the family seems to be playing tag-team illness. One of us has a cold, the next person picks it up, then adds an infection or head injury and passes it on. There is, frankly, a lot of sneezing and

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-65753769246935792632011-12-22T18:12:00.001Z2011-12-22T18:12:01.337Z

After much plenty of years searching for my own sound on bass, I finally found it with a signature bass from Ibanez and Gary Willis. Thankfully, the excellent Mr Willis understands the irony of this and, on the latest version of this fabulous instrument his name doesn't appear on the headstock. So, now I have my bass and don't feel the need to buy any other basses. I know! It sounds crazy,

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-40152537036944729912011-12-21T22:04:00.000Z2011-12-21T22:04:34.761Z

Many years ago I used to regularly visit my uncle in Kent. I come from a Kentish family and, although my uncle was a Londoner he was extremely proud of his routes, which is why he chose to work and settle there. After he retired he moved to Tenterden and The Vine pub became his regular. The main appeal of this place was the friendly atmosphere created by the couple who ran the place. David and

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-19608705611005373002011-12-20T21:49:00.000Z2011-12-20T21:49:42.028Z

So much going on at the moment. Christmas shopping, fighting off illness, stopping tired children from crashing into furniture, that sort of thing. I've had a small musical project on the go, with the intention of making an EP to come out before the holiday. But while I'm happy with the ideas and work so far, it's obvious that to get it out in the next few days would be to rush something that

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-77743181447463657702011-12-12T21:53:00.001Z2011-12-12T21:53:43.350Z

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Parrot Fish, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.The weekend before last Freya, Jude and I had a great time at the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford. This is the parrot fish lamp Freya made. Downstairs form the room we worked in was a lamp made form a real parrot fish. It's that sort of place.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-57265800611642534552011-12-06T21:53:00.000Z2011-12-06T21:53:15.225Z

Yesterday I was in a terrible mood. I hid it quite well through the day but it leaked out after I got home. Today it was as if the world decided to cheer me up. A fabulously untypical morning was followed by a pleasant surprise at work. My colleague had made me some pumpkin soup, which I then had for lunch. In between my normal dayjob work I finished a poem and started another. On the way home

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-54167113665504179682011-11-29T21:28:00.000Z2011-11-29T21:28:30.271Z

This weekend I got a chance to catch up with old friends, watch my daughter have fun with her oldest pal and take the train to Exeter to enjoy the delights of Manson's Guitar Shop. It was a fabulous weekend. Last night I went to Oxford with my great pal, Russ. We had a bite to eat and then enjoyed the wonderful madness that is Zappa Plays Zappa. Frank's son has taken his dad's music out to an

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-11275998297045226482011-11-20T21:51:00.001Z2011-11-20T21:51:27.390Z

Children in Need, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.Walking my daughter back from school on Friday we thought it would be sensible to stop at our local shop to buy a 'treat'. But outside the shop we found a cake stall. This plate of cakes was £1 (we overpaid) and by this point we'd already eaten one. Delicious! Once more, on the night of Children in Need, I was reminded of the great work that

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-10317367408844312052011-11-15T22:55:00.000Z2011-11-15T22:55:34.304Z

Over the years I've amassed quiet a few book of poetry and amongst them is the Norton Anthology. It's a glorious tome with examples of poetry from the earliest known examples to modern works. I love poetry and if I had the time and money would take a course to improve my knoweldge and appreciation of it. But, times are hard and there's precious little time to do anything, so I began to design my

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-82838749870291619712011-11-14T22:27:00.000Z2011-11-14T22:27:25.910Z

It's fascinating to me how the language in our house has changed in the last few years. My daughter is now four and she has been a fellow conversationalist for the last two years. More recently her language has become more sophisticated but it's the basic utterances that have affected us the most. When things are not going as she's hoped she has a tendency to say, "That's just rubbish!" This has

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-77737811287080603412011-11-10T22:46:00.000Z2011-11-10T22:46:31.213Z

An upcoming gig is getting me all excited. The gig itself should be a a lot of fun. It's the trio again (guitar, piano, bass) with a shaken up set list and almost no time to rehearse. But more than this is the chance to play something of my own as an opening act. I was going to bring the Warr Guitar but some experimenting with the bass has given me an altogether riskier but potentially more

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-12334856928784813022011-11-10T22:29:00.000Z2011-11-10T22:29:18.018Z

Am I getting old? Well, my eyesight is getting worse, I'm a bit run down and I've torn the cartilage in my knee and get regular physiotherapy (with an operation in the offing). But, my eyesight has been far from 20/20 since I was seven. I'm a bit run down because I'm an older father of young children. And my knee? That didn't wear out because I spent too  much time bending down to pick up the

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-17317080796315198462011-11-01T22:35:00.001Z2011-11-01T22:35:23.742Z

IMG_2232, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.More biscuits being made. This one (made by Freya, decorated by me) didn't quite fit the Halloween season and will definitely be gone before the Christmas season. It's safe to say biscuit making is back!

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-90339636229223903582011-10-27T21:55:00.000+01:002011-10-27T21:55:47.360+01:00

For anyone interested in my Spingere music project, there is a new (and mostly empty) Facebook page. This will for updates and information on all things connected with Spingere, including news on what's coming next.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-53168872953497311712011-10-23T22:02:00.000+01:002011-10-23T22:02:52.821+01:00

 So, after months of ripping things out, cleaning things up and generally making a huge mess we've almost got the kitchen finished. Today we returned to a previous tradition of Sunday biscuit making.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-72960115742771280272011-10-22T22:13:00.000+01:002011-10-22T22:13:03.626+01:00

Amid a mass of oud references this week I was asked to recommend a good oud album. My current favourite is 'The Astounding Eyes of Rita' by Anouar Brahem. It's not traditional by any means, but it's a corker of an album.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-60039388073921284062011-10-20T23:06:00.000+01:002011-10-20T23:06:07.109+01:00

Last night I dreamed that someone placed an oud, face down on the floor in front of me. I picked it up, strummed it once then played a tune. It was one of those dreams where every tiny detail survived waking, even the motes of dust in the air as I picked the instrument up.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-45463781624401531042011-10-16T22:10:00.000+01:002011-10-16T22:10:19.094+01:00

This has been one of those wonderful weekends. I have witnessed the boy Jude shuffling into the kitchen and going worryingly quiet only to find him doused in soy sauce. I have seen my other half carrying a flaming wok into the garden. I've seen a good friend help us make our disaster of a garden (with or without flaming woks) start to look really presentable. I've sung twinkle twinkle little star

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-3571316546517860922011-10-06T21:13:00.000+01:002011-10-06T21:13:39.406+01:00

Many good people have died this week. Bert Jansch, David Bedford and Steve Jobs to name just three. Sad though it may sound, the one I felt the most emotional reaction to was Steve Jobs. I've been an Apple fan since I saw the PowerBook 180. When I bought it (100mb hard drive, floppy drive and greyscale display) I was so excited I sat up all night, finding more and more things I could do with it.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-31463291754397909142011-10-02T22:23:00.000+01:002011-10-02T22:23:17.998+01:00

I've walked through Christchurch Meadows in Oxford countless times. Some times I've walked past a lady who was sketching trees, surrounded by reams of paper and collections of, presumably, more sketches of trees. Only once did I talk to her. She was a very private person but gave some of her time to explain to my family and I what she was doing and why. Everything she didn't say made her

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-59417218443317060342011-09-29T21:53:00.000+01:002011-09-29T21:53:22.461+01:00

Today was a beautiful summer's day (in autumn). My daughter gave me a rubber spider to take to the dayjob to "... scare my students." People seem to be enjoying the new Spingere album. There. Blog post 1000. Glad I didn't waste it.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-50339698773979450052011-09-25T00:01:00.000+01:002011-09-25T00:01:51.849+01:00

Cover for the new collaborative Spingere album, featuring the voices of: Lee Fletcher, Tobias Reber, Elizabeth Bonar, Loren Claypool, Nasim Marie Jafry, Mark Colman, John Marcell, Jonathan Gilder, Mark Eaton, AP Cruttenden, Peggy Cruttenden, Sid Smith, Gordon Ryan, Russell Kilmister and Sandrine Decembre. Out at Bandcamp on the 29th September.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-38745150988532403682011-09-24T23:28:00.000+01:002011-09-24T23:28:09.775+01:00

A few last minute changes to the album. One of the tracks isn't strong enough and has to be cut. It feels like the rest of the album jumps up a level once this is done. Another section, which is far too long, has been cut in half and, again, works much better now. The brave people who recorded their voices for this project have no idea what I've done to them. Well, if you're reading this, relax

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-46487765550117273132011-09-16T13:52:00.000+01:002011-09-16T13:52:03.807+01:00

At last, some more movement on the voice/music project. I’ve chosen a (ridiculously simple) name for it and recorded all the music. There’s one contribution that might still come in and I’ve prepared a piece for that. The various parts of the album are now in sequence and just need to see some mixing and mastering before I release it later this month. Edits have been minimal, which has kept the

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-87463727571645165762011-09-11T21:44:00.000+01:002011-09-11T21:44:24.677+01:00

We all know today is the ten year anniversary of 9/11. Regular readers of this blog will know how I spent that day and my feeling on all the after effects (although I'll save my annoyance with the conspiracy therorists for another day). But, twenty years and a few months before the planes destroyed the towers I was there, munching a packet of crisps, being staggered by the view and having huge

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-56072914066111451322011-09-09T14:58:00.003+01:002011-09-09T15:01:13.063+01:00

Inspiration comes form odd places. Recently I was able to get my hands on a small, sparkly, purple bass guitar effect pedal. It is an envelope filter, which means it turns my bass’s sound into something far more squelchy and funky. Funky is the key word. I can’t play with the popping and slapping technique that most funk players use (I don’t have the co-ordination) but I do like the timings and

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-41146124756107973612011-09-06T16:30:00.002+01:002011-09-06T16:30:29.979+01:00

This morning I took my daughter to her first day of school. She was excited and I don’t think she was even aware of the lashing rain and howling wind we had to journey through. My first day of school was not a great or exciting day for me. I loved being at home or playing close to it. I did not want to be forcibly taken away to spend most of the day surrounded by people I didn’t chose to be with

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-32577391768929575922011-08-31T09:46:00.002+01:002011-08-31T09:46:44.834+01:00

Recent events have left me more tired than usual. This week I’ve gone back to work and I’m feeling the combination of missing my family (who I’ve been with all day, every day for the last two weeks) and a general sense of being knackered. Yesterday morning I stood in line to pay at the petrol station and slowly zoned out while listening to the music being played. It was a French pop tune, which

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-3222556096264937992011-08-28T21:02:00.001+01:002011-08-31T09:47:24.071+01:00

Because our family routines are a little topsy-turvy at the moment I've been in charge of Jude's bed time stories. He's too young to understand what I'm reading but since most of my parenting knowledge comes from watching 'Three Men and a baby' many years ago, I know this is unimportant. So, I've been reading some of the slimmer books on the shelves. We started last week with 'Exercises in Style

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-15396003305474212632011-08-27T21:05:00.001+01:002011-08-27T21:05:27.049+01:00

IMG_2089, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.Hurray. baking has returned to our house.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-11862288985018892692011-08-20T21:49:00.001+01:002011-08-20T21:49:29.201+01:00

Tom's Midnight Garden, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.I was talking about this book to my daughter the other day and decided it would be a good idea to get a copy. Then, on a visit to my folks, I found I had bought one, quite a number of years ago if the price is a good indicator.There's something wonderfully spooky about this story. I'm looking forward to going back into its world.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-42670329394446815692011-08-15T22:00:00.000+01:002011-08-15T22:00:42.863+01:00

A good test of being a rationalist, rather than someone who believes in superstition, is when a loved one goes into hospital for a few days to have an important and dangerous operation. I'm not praying for them to be better, I'm trusting in the doctors and nurses and in the person themselves, to do the right thing and pull through. This doesn't mean I'm not affected by what's about to happen.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-63935823542505944462011-08-03T10:04:00.000+01:002011-08-03T10:04:10.731+01:00

It's always nice to get a mention from someone you respect. There's a piece from the talented Loren Claypool here about his contribution to my voice/music/still haven't quite agreed the name of it project. Loren's site has a link where you can buy his album 'One Feather Shy', which is one of the most beautiful and inventive guitar (only) albums I've ever heard.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-43531634918407348682011-08-02T15:38:00.000+01:002011-08-02T15:38:36.975+01:00

I’m writing a poetry course. It’s fascinating work and I’m learning a lot of ideas and techniques that are being fed back into my poems. I did publish my poems in a separate, anonymous blog for a while but took them down before anyone I knew found them. I have two very harsh critics of my own work, one of them is writing this. If I can get something past both of them it’s a good day. BBC Radio 4

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-60816156923678375982011-08-01T10:10:00.002+01:002011-08-02T15:41:33.726+01:00

The Organic Cat, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.A few weeks ago I had to do something grown up and responsible. I had to take our beloved house cat, Tinker, to the vet’s one last time. Tinker was originally my wife’s cat. Rescued from a horrible death and given a caring home. Unfortunately, she discovered quite soon after giving Tinker a caring home that she was allergic to cats and that

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-34175582996796706272011-07-31T21:43:00.000+01:002011-07-31T21:43:34.762+01:00

And back from the world of musical adventures... The voice/music project has reached its second stage. This involved staying up stupidly late with all my notes and ideas and trying to make them real with a keyboard, a Warr Guitar and, incredibly, no coffee. Now I have one large piece of music with a variety of voices weaving around in it, several short pieces with just one voice each and... a

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-29913660459498933932011-07-18T22:39:00.001+01:002011-07-18T22:39:25.077+01:00

Untitled, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.Playing in front of the specials board had hilarious consequences (deep sigh) all night.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-34477811361738748192011-07-18T21:14:00.002+01:002011-07-18T21:14:51.198+01:00

Last night I played a gig in a pub. That’s not unusual for me but this one had been originally planned for a manor house, then a back garden. The manor house had been double booked and the back garden, whilst being big enough, was too wet thanks to the pounding rain that had been coming down since Saturday. The gig was a book launch, the book being a collection of lyrics. The songs were all

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-18326901477505725812011-07-12T21:54:00.000+01:002011-07-12T21:54:07.880+01:00

For anyone interested my current recording projects are: The Eclipse trio album (piano, bass, guitar – original songs) The Voice/Music project (still need a better name, half finished, getting there) The new Spingere album (all tracks written, trying to find time to record) There should be live music from Bridge Street (blues/rock trio, huge fun) and the Eclipse trio this year. If my post below

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-91814469413378147962011-07-12T21:50:00.000+01:002011-07-12T21:50:04.210+01:00

As regular readers might have noticed I’ve been having a good time recently, making the most of being a bass player. I’ve stuck with one instrument (well, one model of instrument) religiously since my main band went on hiatus at the beginning of last year. Five string, fretless and proud. But, sitting in the corner of my room is a slightly larger instrument. The eight string Warr Guitar, tuned (

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-76531656238750735402011-07-11T23:25:00.000+01:002011-07-11T23:25:15.580+01:00

I'm back from a break at the seaside and have less than a week to make sure I've learned a fresh batch of songs to play with the trio at a book launch on Sunday.   I've also been asked to play a soundscape on the Warr Guitar although, based on my experiments tonight with the Eventide Pitchfactor and a looper pedal, it's going to sound radically different from the big, whooshy noises of the last '

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-53371455025075237022011-07-01T23:09:00.000+01:002011-07-01T23:09:17.027+01:00

Bad news: router problems have kept me off the internet for most of this week. Good news: Router problems are now all fixed, I've been playing lots of bass recently, have a gig and a good reason to play the Warr Guitar (other than it just being immense fun).

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-1648204977548883882011-06-22T23:27:00.000+01:002011-06-22T23:27:19.318+01:00

I've been beguiled by two album covers and the music they represent. Firstly the piano trio music of  Tchaikovsky and Kissine. http://player.ecmrecords.com/kremer Then the Tarkovsky Quartet's own original music. http://player.ecmrecords.com/tarkovsky Both of these album are on the ECM label so it's no surprise they work so well. The music is pretty special too. A review will follow shortly

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-12780739758547873832011-06-14T15:37:00.002+01:002011-06-14T15:37:42.443+01:00

I started playing the bass quite late. At 18 I went into the Rock Shop on Chalk Farm Road in Camden and bought a Westone Thunder 1a bass (four strings, with frets and made of solid oak). Aside from the weight it was a good instrument, never letting me down once – a sort of poor man’s Fender Precision. But, a few months later I went into Russell Accott’s music shop in Oxford and ordered a fretless

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-72246721896012215842011-06-13T23:20:00.000+01:002011-06-13T23:20:17.728+01:00

Coming soon: Some nerdy rabblings about playing fretless bass News about the new album(s)

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-11806048690539262172011-06-13T21:40:00.001+01:002011-06-13T21:40:52.527+01:00

Scarf, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr."Who knitted that scarf, Daddy?" Asked Freya in the local museum the other week. I checked the note and found this nice green item was knited by Queen Victoria.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-56537548630057280722011-06-12T21:59:00.000+01:002011-06-12T21:59:17.401+01:00

I was woken up at half past six this Sunday morning by a daughter wanting to play animal dominoes. Bad news, good news.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-54489294634313635222011-06-06T22:23:00.001+01:002011-06-06T22:23:53.548+01:00

Surprise Cake, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr."There's no pudding but there is a sandwich," said my daughter before unveiling this delicious Victoria Sandwich cake. That was a good day.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-79911758649753288892011-05-31T22:17:00.000+01:002011-05-31T22:17:30.226+01:00

I always thought the idea of reverse psychology was something of a myth. Tonight I found that it really isn't. A quick scene between my daughter and myself. Me: Time for your bath. Daughter: I'm not going to have a bath. Me: Yes you are. Daughter: No! I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A BATH! Five minutes later... Me: You're not having a bath tonight. Daughter: What? Me: In fact I'm not going to let you

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-52324016923955234932011-05-21T22:55:00.000+01:002011-05-21T22:55:31.551+01:00

I read this today. It made me think, yet again, about the differences between fretted and fretless basses (goodbye all those of you who don't care). I know what the advantages and disadvantages are to each instrument but I'm convinced it's not a simple as 'fretted basses are easier to play' and 'fretlesses are great to play sliding notes on.' Hmmm. I'll get back to you on this.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-68055329233252723212011-05-16T14:25:00.001+01:002011-05-16T14:25:25.383+01:00

Yesterday at the day job things happened that left me drained. After work I drove off to record another track with the trio but spent the first few hours trying to rescue some files of music from a previous week’s session. The system used didn’t want to give up the tracks without a fight, but we got them in the end. These piano, guitar and bass parts will form part of a song for the new Spingere

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-65684317209266930112011-05-10T13:55:00.002+01:002011-05-10T13:55:36.982+01:00

For many years I did yoga. A practice I greatly enjoyed and got many benefits from (improved health, better concentration, a memory of someone farting loudly in a room full of lycra-clad ladies). Then, a few years ago I decided to take up running. Within a month I had injured my knee, making running and yoga impossible. Recently, the knee seemed to have healed and I’ve been planning a return to

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-45761115316264870932011-05-06T09:25:00.000+01:002011-05-06T09:25:07.270+01:00

After some pizza, coffee and doughnuts the guitarist, piano player and I looked over the music and agreed this was a tune that shouldn’t hold too many surprises. I even heard myself saying, “Oh, this looks nice and straightforward.” Before recording a note we agreed to play through the sections, make notes on dynamics, strange chord inversions and places most likely to cause a disaster. That

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-60934875531491944682011-04-30T21:01:00.000+01:002011-04-30T21:01:14.555+01:00

Here's something that caught my eye. I'm a big fan of Willis, his playing and approach to music. This interview does feature a truly awfully worded first question though.Gary Willis Video Interview

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-87567199770263622032011-04-28T09:56:00.002+01:002011-04-28T09:56:53.765+01:00

Last night, for the first time in years, I got to hear other people playing music I had written. This was at the end of a tricky, but rewarding recording session where restraint was key. The spirit of the first tune was still in the air when I asked the others to play my piece and, with very little fuss, it all fell into place. My next job is to complete the arrangement without stuffing it all up

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-68117039355968176342011-04-20T16:19:00.001+01:002011-04-20T16:23:25.508+01:00

I was reminded recently of how much I love this piece of music. Then I was reminded how much some people can't stand it.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-13317500904634662292011-04-20T14:13:00.000+01:002011-04-20T14:13:16.789+01:00

Look at this. Two interesting musical projects are finally off the ground. The new Spingere album is in ‘go’ mode although I’m making it harder for myself this time by writing everything in advance and having more people play on it. When I was planning ‘Perfetc’ I’d wanted it to be more upbeat but didn’t quite get there. This time there are many more positive sounding chords and harmonies at work

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-84660738360334982712011-04-13T16:14:00.000+01:002011-04-13T16:14:29.599+01:00

I’m working on a new album, which very few people will listen to. I’m not being intentionally obscure with my music, I’m just doing what feels right and hoping that someone, other than me will like it. So far, the number of people who like what I’m doing is small but steadily growing. That’s fine with me. Creativity is a funny thing though. When I was very young, at school I was given a maths

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-36439081895569014362011-04-08T12:19:00.000+01:002011-04-08T12:19:24.336+01:00

This week I spent some time playing music in a trio, as their bassist. We were working on one song and intended to record it, without vocals. ver the past few years I've done more recordings than gigs and thought I'd share a few thoughts on this: Pressing the red record button changes the atmosphere of the room. This has to be acknowledged so you can move on. Thinking, “oh, this is going well,”

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-52974413106174172092011-04-03T21:07:00.001+01:002011-04-03T21:07:19.898+01:00

Chocolate cookies, a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.After a long period away from baking (everyone has been sick), Freya and I went back to basics and made shortbread cookies with cocoa powder. Amazingly, there a still a few left.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-49684294066292596902011-03-24T16:14:00.001Z2011-03-24T16:15:29.446Z

[This is a rant, written in a hurry and not proofread. If you're offended by the contents... meh] I’ve been reading comments on articles about the ‘religion’ box on the UK census. Time and time again I see the following arguments: Humanists/atheists have no morals Humanists/atheists are more fundamentalist in nature than any far out Christians/muslims/whatever. Richard Dawkins is smug.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-4144581640964562172011-03-15T12:06:00.003Z2011-03-15T23:43:49.498Z

On my way to the bass guitar show in London I felt a sense that this might be the place where I find my tribe. I am, to all intents, a tribeless person. I’m a middle class white man, which doesn’t help. My mum and dad’s families come from two very different places, neither of which are the places where I was brought up, or where I live now. I’m happiest in a multi-cultural environment but live in

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-12615223737006195702011-03-12T21:22:00.001Z2011-03-12T21:22:17.460Z

ary Willis a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.I had a chance to go to the London Bass Guitar show today and see my favourite bassist, gary Willis. This was the highlight of the show for me, especially as I got to meet others who not only knew who Mr Willis was, but liked his work too.Gary Willis's signature bass is my all time favourite bass guitar and so, even if he hadn't recorded a host of

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-89963624776418009732011-03-07T21:54:00.000Z2011-03-07T21:54:13.433Z

I'm going to use this post to share a few pictures with you. The first picture is of my mum's mum, who we all knew as Nan. She is sitting with her younger sister, Florence. I knew Flo as an older lady and my Nan as a cheeky and forthright presence in our house. One of Nan's other sisters was a nanny to a maharajah and was friends with the opera singer, Kathleen Ferrier and several other well

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-35739353041246672672011-03-04T13:36:00.001Z2011-03-04T13:36:23.703Z

In Old Sarum a photo by WJCruttenden on Flickr.While we were away last week we got to visit Old Sarum, the site of a settlement that predated Salisbury. All the time we were there I could here a deep booming sound. I thought I might have been demolition or building work going on down the hill but, as I reached the high point of the old castle and my ears popped, I identified it as the sound of

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-37508467304003993692011-02-28T16:04:00.000Z2011-02-28T16:04:04.837Z

I’m back from a week’s holiday near Salisbury. In order to let the boy child (seven months old) get his night time crying out of his system we stayed in a long house where the two main bedrooms were separated by, essentially, another house. This place had started life as three cottages but had been knocked together. What this meant to us was that one parent and child could sleep without hearing

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-82284716924798481582011-02-17T14:35:00.002Z2011-02-17T14:35:52.713Z

One of the things I do in my strange little world of creative crop rotation is to write poems. Unlike music and photography I don’t have any wish to let what I write out to a bigger audience. In fact, most of the appeal of writing poetry, for me, is the challenge of working within certain poetic structures. Currently I’ve been working on the sestina. A sestina features six, six line stanzas and a

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-636872972218254592011-02-15T12:15:00.001Z2011-02-15T12:15:07.746Z

JudeOriginally uploaded by WJCruttendenJude is now six months old. He has just started crawling and gets extremely excited when I put a guitar or piano in front of him. What's most interesting to me is how different he is to his sister. There's a lot of interesting times ahead.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-15048572480678646802011-02-13T21:23:00.001Z2011-02-13T21:23:45.970Z

The King's PencilOriginally uploaded by WJCruttendenI have a box of old pencils, inherited from my late uncle. This one cropped up the other day. It was made to celebrate King George VI's coronation but it features the dates for all the previous kings and queens. I like to image my uncle using this in school, especially in history lessons.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-76497715561131818232011-02-13T21:19:00.001Z2011-02-13T21:19:49.762Z

Cookie Diary Part TwoOriginally uploaded by WJCruttendenAfter a break because of illness and just being busy, here we are with the latest batch of biscuits. These are from the lemon biscuit recipe by Rachel Allen. You're only seeing the one biscuit because they were delicious and the bulk of them formed part of my mum's 85th birthday present.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-38245914238326967882011-02-08T21:24:00.000Z2011-02-08T21:24:54.056Z

The trees outside my classroom window tell me it's winter still. They wag their thousand knobbly fingers and remind me that it was -5 degrees this morning. The light and rare patches of blue sky say that spring is coming soon. It feels about time.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-2835700965633664362011-01-27T22:00:00.000Z2011-01-27T22:00:39.312Z

My daughter Freya asked if we could make some cookies some weeks ago. I agreed and we dished up a batch of shortbread cookies with hundreds and thousands in them. Two weeks ago we made up some similar shortbread cookies but this time adding cocoa powder instead of the hundreds and thousands. We got the recipe (basically flour, sugar and butter) from a DK baking book someone bought for her last

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-90543302333416366332011-01-17T14:53:00.000Z2011-01-17T14:53:44.633Z

In a move that will surprise no one I'm going to say goodbye to my MySpace account. I've tried updating it but despite this the 'bio' remains stuck with out of date information. I'm not going to delete it though. It might still serve a purpose. For anyone interested in my musical activity please check here for information (or follow me on Twitter) and go to Bandcamp for the actual music. All the

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-12653464786609864662011-01-14T11:55:00.001Z2011-01-17T15:01:28.972Z

I do read quite a lot of books but I’m a slow reader and there just isn’t enough time in the day to read as much as I like. Once in a while a book comes along that makes me make time. A book that, to use the cliché, I can’t put down. Books like this always connect at some deep emotional level that makes them more than a good read. There are books that are so affecting the resonance they create

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-77219796562588300102011-01-10T15:18:00.000Z2011-01-10T15:18:09.386Z

Health update: cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough … sigh. Other news: I have two ongoing musical projects for this year. I expect both of them to be realised slowly and simultaneously. The first is the voice/music project which is now just a few anecdotes short. I have to ask one person to re-record their contribution

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-9395720201684131732011-01-04T09:36:00.000Z2011-01-04T09:36:15.839Z

Happy New Year. I’m at home, sick, surrounded by sick family members and I sound like Robin William’s gay brother in Mrs Doubtfire, but enough of that. I don’t usually do best of lists at the end of a year but 2010 has been so rich and diverse I wanted to share a few things with those of you who may not be aware of them. Firstly, my favourite novel of the year was ‘Zero History’ by William

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-43357037267127415312010-12-20T22:54:00.002Z2010-12-20T23:03:01.685Z

Tomorrow would have been Frank Zappa's 70th birthday. To celebrate his I've put together a playlist of 70 songs which I'm listening to as I write this. The first FZ album I heard was 'Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch' and I didn't fully get it at the time. Some years passed and then I heard the Yellow Shark album. This was orchestral music recorded when Frank was sick and near

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-20091476942775371362010-12-19T09:28:00.001Z2010-12-19T20:58:51.753Z

Are you with me on this people? The man with the woman head Polynesian wallpaper made the face stand out, A mixture of oriental and early vaudeville jazz poofter, Forming a hard, beetle-like triangular chin much like a praying mantis. Smoky razor-cut, low on the ear neck profile. The face the color of a nicotine-stained hand. Dark circles collected under the wrinkled, folded eyes, Map-like from

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-20870295131503250842010-12-10T21:06:00.000Z2010-12-10T21:06:07.994Z

And here's the album. There was a little drama with one day to go to release when I noticed a problem on one of the tracks. Some late night editing and a glass of wine later and it's all complete. This was one of the more satisfying recordings I've worked on. It's almost always a better experience to work with someone else, even if that person is in San Antonio while you're in deepest

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-6186931718589920352010-12-05T22:31:00.000Z2010-12-05T22:31:01.428Z

So, after a long time writing, recording, editing, mixing and mastering - the album I've been working on with John Marcell will finally arrive on 9th December. It will be available as a 'pay what you want' download (with extra track art and pdf booklet) until the new year, when we'll put a fair price on it. I'll put a link here on the 9th. John has provided standard and new standard guitar

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-86871720441333161142010-11-30T14:45:00.001Z2010-11-30T14:46:07.197Z

I'm an aetheist and I'm getting fed up with theists (of whatever version) telling each other that there is a war on Christmas. There really isn't. If local councils are celebrating 'Winterval' or something similar, they aren't doing it to appease aetheists or humanists. I doubt very much that they're doing it because of pressure from non-christian groups either. So, can we just clear this up

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-45153384218388850762010-11-29T22:25:00.000Z2010-11-29T22:25:03.465Z

And with a great flourish* I have finished my second novel. It's significantly better than the first one although that doesn't mean it has any literary merit whatsoever. If it sounds like I'm being modest that's really not the case. I understood, week or so into this one, that what I was actually doing was limbering up for the first 'real' novel. If I can write a book in a month that isn't

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-55445813589682862622010-11-22T09:36:00.000Z2010-11-22T09:36:12.847Z

Just back from an excellent weekend with pals in Salisbury. My two friends, who I met at university, are now married with two children, making us a table of eight at the very nice Italian restaurant. La Strada. Just after my risotto arrived with bacon and ham (not good for a vegetarian) and had to be returned, I offered to hold the baby. My wife passed him across the table for me to pick up. I

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-17041526410667986702010-11-16T21:25:00.001Z2010-11-16T21:25:35.380Z

Misty roadOriginally uploaded by WJCruttendenIt's been a little misty lately.

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-38962384428130308392010-11-08T09:21:00.000Z2010-11-08T09:21:04.226Z

This November it's NaNoWriMo time again and I'm attempting to write a better novel than last year's. The ultimate goal is that, one day, I'll be able to write a proper novel which other people might enjoy. I've always wanted to write a book and have certainly put in plenty of time and energy over the years. Too many false starts can damage your confidence and leave you believing that this is a

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-89364213813007675112010-11-07T23:40:00.000Z2010-11-07T23:40:31.694Z

It's going to be a bit quiet this month as I'm writing a novel that has to be finished by the 30th. So far though I've been enjoying such traditional treats as Bonfire Night and the views afforded to someone living in the countryside, when the countryside is turning golden and red with an exquisite slowness. Lots to talk about, but I do have chapter to finish...

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5280546.post-64930368546437342222010-10-26T20:58:00.001+01:002010-10-26T20:58:09.062+01:00

24th October 2010Originally uploaded by WJCruttendenA stunningly good gig on Sunday night. The Adrian Belew Power Trio in Islington were a joy from the first note to the last, literally. Adrian Belew played notes on his guitar as if they were being ripped form him. Tobias Ralph on drums made me wonder why he isn't better know (and this was only his second gig with the band). Julie Slick (pictured

Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15894498770468403209noreply@blogger.com0