But anyway.. here I am and here we all are in the middle of the strangest time of locked down, shielded and slightly anxious about the future and how it will be...
I left you all hanging about in 2018 so I'd best go back a bit to...
2019
My 70th year of being on this earth and it was celebrated in style at the wonderful and Iconic Troubadour Club in London. Jackie and Brendan McAuley joined me and the Band of Perfect Strangers, and we sang a whole variety of Jackie's songs, Trader Horne songs and my own songs. It was a wonderful evening '
During the year David Longdon and I continued to work on the songs for our album which we had been creating over the previous year and in April I was recording all the vocals for the album at Real World Studios.. David continued to work very hard on the recordings and mixing at Playpen Studios in Bristol..
That year I also performed live at Ardley in Oxfordshire and I returned to the Troubadour in September to present what was to be my last live gig. With the lovely Adam Long as my guest for the evening it was again a splendid time.
In October I found that it was becoming increasingly difficult to breath and I was diagnosed with lung cancer .. So the next six months was filled with chemotherapy and Ct scans and hospital appointments.
2020
Then in January 2020 the CoVID-19 pandemic descended on the world and as a vulnerable person, I had to virtually be isolated from everyone and everywhere.
But Alistair Murphy worked hard during 2019 to create a 'Live' album from recordings made at St Barnabus Church in Cambridge in 2016. This was released in April 2020 as 'Weavings Of A Silver Magic' and is now available via Burning Shed and Amazon.
Now in May 2020 I am considered stable as the tumour has shrunk and hasn't grown, Which is good, but I will still be monitored to make sure it doesn't return. I am glad the vocals were recorded while I could still sing. Now I have to hope my hair will re-grow. I look like a fluffy chicken at the moment.
I still have the wonderful Jessie as my companion though my lovely neighbour has taken over walking duties. As you can see Jessie adopts a casual attitude to life