Normally I would try to take a balanced reflection on how a year has been, taking in the whole experience. This time the reflection is simple: 2023 was a shit year. I lost my Dad and my dog Jaffa in the last few weeks, and other family members in the […]
Yearly archives: 2023
25 posts
Amidst the terrible Christmas that we are having at home, I have managed to maintain some sketchy momentum on The Hobbyist project. Today I managed to finish the ‘blowers’. Essentially each song has got some kind of woodwind instrument accompanying it in some form. I cannot predict what percentage will […]
I can’t believe I am typing this. Today we had to put Jaffa to sleep. He had struggled breathing lately, and we were expecting the ‘pug breathing difficulties’ sermon, surgery and vet bill. However, during a CT scan it emerged that it was a tumour, blocking the left airway and […]
It’s difficult to know when to draw a line and stop fiddling with vocals. I had my lyrics prepared this time and have recorded all the parts that I think I need. I know that there are some that I will be unhappy with later, or others that may need […]
Dad died on the 13th November. He’d been unwell for a while and it was not unexpected. I’m not going to write a gushing tribute to him here as he hated blogs and social media. So I’ll leave out the bit about him and mention a little bit about my […]
I’ve mentioned in earlier posts about the need for momentum with my latest project, for I fear that enforced breaks from the music will leave me underwhelmed and unenthusiastic on returning to it. I seem to develop a ridiculous sense of criticality, even when things are in a draft phase. […]
In previous few years, October has been a ridiculously busy month. Sometimes uncomfortably so. Thankfully this year, my life seems a little more balanced. While there have been some busier moments, overall it has been manageable. This is most evident in my health, which hasn’t (yet) deteriorated into a series […]
One month since the last post about this project and there has been some momentum. I have managed to get bass parts and most guitar parts recorded. I’m trying to work out a plan for what to tackle next to prevent getting stuck in a rut. My worst fear is […]
An up and down month. I had lots of family visits, which were nice, but would ideally be under better circumstances. In happier news, Bee and I celebrated ten years of marriage. Interestingly, despite lots of blogging ten years ago, getting married never got a mention! In my defence, the […]