The new list

I mentioned a while back that a number of the things originally on the list involved expensive travel and had become unfeasible in the relatively short time left.  I've kept a few destinations on there as I feel I can get those done, and I already have flights and hotel booked for Hong Kong, so that's a definite.  I've fleshed out the list with a few other things which I've either got planned, or wanted to do anyway and that will hopefully provide interesting blog material when they're done.  So, here's the new list (items in bold are already completed/blogged about) :

1. Learn a foreign language (probably French or maybe Italian) well enough to write a meaningful song in it.
2. Train for and run a Half Marathon for Charity (ask Jon Collins for advice and help)
3. Get body painted at a public event
4. Get an E-bow and use it on a variety of instruments including Lap-Steel
5. Record at least one track at Real World Studios (near Bath – vaguely realistic)
6. Train for and run a second Half Marathon for a different charity (training in progress!)
7. Create a website for my photography split into Nature and People sections (with help from web-minded friends).
8. Organise and go on a song-writers & lyricists retreat somewhere beautiful in the UK with writers and musicians from different genres and with myriad influences.
9. Climb Sleive Donard (Highest Peak in Northern Ireland) again as a nice easy warm up for 10 and 11 (combine with trip for 7).
10. Train for and climb the 3 Peaks – Snowdon (both directions this time – no Trains allowed even on the way down!), Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis – not in 24 hour challenge, a more relaxed pace is required when approaching 40!!
11. Swim in the sea somewhere in the UK
12. Abseil down something cool for Charity (cliff face, building, whatever)
13. Swim in the sea somewhere abroad
14. Tour “The Light Broke In” and additional new material in as many UK venues as possible during 2015 as a solo artist and with the full band where appropriate/possible.
15. Collaborate and jam with as many musicians from different genre’s as possible and record the results where possible
16. Go to the Netherlands
17. Go to Italy
18. Go to Hong Kong (again)
19. Get another Travelling hat from the “Big Head” stall in Stanley Market – Hong Kong
20. Visit my Niece at Uni in Cardiff and have a night out on the town with her and hopefully jam together at an open mic.
21. Visit my Nephew at Uni in Exeter and drink Real Ale, catch some live music and probably talk drunken philosophy/physics/metaphysics and  rock music!
22. Get more support slots with bands doing national/international tours
23. Get John Hackett to play flute on my next album
24. See at least one band from a genre I wouldn’t normally go for every month in 2016 (suggestions welcome, especially if you’re in a band)
25. Ride a Horse on a sandy beach somewhere
26. Go to the Orkney Islands and find lots of Sinclairs including the guy who runs the Orkney Brewery :)
27. Join the National Trust and visit more awesome places reflecting our heritage.
28. Get at least one track played on BBC Radio (Local or national)
29. Get back to the weight I was in my mid-twenties (with a small degree of tolerance for the fact I now have more hair!)
30. Get Steve Rothery to play a solo (or three!) on my next album
31. Improve my Cello playing and write and arrange for it more
32. Visit more Arboretums/ Remarkable Trees
33. Make some creative and artistic things out of old used/broken guitar strings using various mediums (paint, photography, sculpture etc.)
34. Go on more random photo-walks
35. Make a mosaic picture from bits of broken china found in people's gardens.
36. Have a day of just properly messing about, playing, climbing trees and generally being a big kid with a bunch of mates who are young at heart
37. Find volunteering opportunities that would get me in touch with nature or dogs or both
38. Talk to my Mum about her memories of childhood and life before we came along and record her thoughts and reminiscences so I can write them down. So many fascinating stories that need to be preserved for my generation and the ones to come.
39. Research my Mum's side of the family and get a bit more of a family tree from the Dollin side as I'm fully appraised of the Sinclair Tree stretching back to Robert The Bruce but am far less familiar with the Dollin line.
40. Take more photographs of people! I spend a lot of time photographing easy things to photograph like Trees and Flowers as unless there's a high wind, they tend to stay still, look beautiful and not shy away. That does mean though, that special moments with friends stay in my memory, but not in photographic form, and that needs to change.

Item 40 - started and will definitely continue!

So, I wanted to start taking more photos of people.  This kick started with taking photos of bands and musicians in live gig situations, partly because it combined two of my passions - Live Music and Photography, but also because it was a good test for both my camera and my eye.  As luck would have it, a few of the bands liked the results, and one so much so that they invited me to come and shoot another gig and do some "casual" shots with them too.  Kikamora are a fabulous blues influenced hard rock/metal band based in the wilds of Clevedon and are a great bunch of lads to hang out with, as well as being easy to direct and photograph.  That connection lead me to be taking photos at The Fleece, Bristol when Mordrake were playing - a few shots later and Mordrake have now asked me to do a shoot for them in January and to be on the guest list for their next gig at The Fleece.

Along with those pics, I had an awesomely fun sunny day with Wednesday taking turns to shoot each other in various locations around Cheltenham, happy memories captured.  I also had the opportunity to create those dark, moody shots that so suit Scott Midlane's personas as both Midlane and 3rd Man Phenomenon which again was huge fun, especially watching him try to descend from a tree that hangs out over the lake without falling into the lake!

So, I will continue to take more photos of people in lots of contexts, and build up a more person centred selection.  There'll still be the weird abstracts, close ups of plants, landscapes and many others, but there will definitely be more photos of people doing cool stuff in the mix.  Here is a selection of the people shots taken this year.

Item 14 - 2015 is nearly over and I've done it :)

Item 14 was always a bit of a tricky one, getting to play my material in lots of locations across the UK was always going to have a huge element of luck attached to it.  Happily though, luck was on my side, not least with the November Tour as support act for The Room covering such far flung places as Darlington and Ascot.  Alongside those I played a few acoustic afternoons, an appearance at the Worcester Music Festival and the most memorable gig of the lot - getting to play my favourite venue, Robin 2 with my full band supporting the amazing Cloud Atlas.

Playing with a full band is such a totally different experience from just rocking up with two guitars and singing my heart out.  It requires a different mind set, and it is so much fun!  Having a last minute dep bass player in the shape of my good mate Scott Midlane, who manfully borrowed my 6-String bass and played an absolute blinder was fantastic.

It was so much fun we're doing it all again in April 2016 - Sunday 3rd, get it in your diaries now.

Here are just a few pics from the various gigs through this year:

Here's to a whole lot more music in 2016 - see you on the Road :)

Item 2 Half Marathon trained for and completed!!

After 12 weeks of intensive training, exercising 4 times a week and running further and further each week up until race day I completed the Cheltenham Half Marathon.  It was a wonderful experience to see the whole town out in force cheering the runners on and keeping spirits high despite the ever decreasing energy levels.  I have to give credit to Jonathan Harris who helped me through the early days of my training and gave sound advice.  Credit also needs to go to Helen Hyland of ME Association for providing the T-Shirt and fundraising help and support throughout my training.  I also have to give huge credit to Wednesday who, despite having been away on a body painting adventure drove the long journey home in time to meet me at the finish line and take this picture:

 

Having said to myself, and a few others "I enjoyed it but I probably won't do it again" 24 hours later I found myself registering for 2016's Cheltenham Half and I've also signed up for a 10K in February, so you can expect to see me in shorts and t-shirt for a good while longer. 

Item number 9 - Climb Slieve Donard - Completed!

Well, I've ticked an item off the list and climbed the highest peak in Northern Ireland for the first time since I was 21!  It was a wonderful, if tricky at times, climb from Donard Park at sea level in the centre of Newcastle County Down along the Glen River to the 850 metre Peak.

The day started off quite cloudy, but the sun did show itself a few times as I walked along the Glen River, and I was taking photos most of the way up.

The Glen River is fast flowing and crossed by a couple of bridges early on in the walk.  This is the appropriately named "Donard Bridge" which was built in the 1800s.







It was the view back down though that kept catching my eye - being able to see the curve of the bay stretching round from Newcastle to Dundrum and Murlough in the distance was breathtaking and beautiful.










Climbing through Cloud is always a strange experience - and watching the Clouds race along the valley chased by the strong wind was fascinating.  The wind at the top of Donard was relentless and I was glad to have the shelter of the Mourne Wall.

However, having reached the peak and as I was descending I saw Commedagh rising up out of the cloud opposite and decided that I wasn't quite done yet.  So, after a quick rest on the ridge between, known as "The Saddle" I ascended following the Mourne Wall and arrived at the Cairn (pile of stones) on the highest point there.



Looking at maps afterwards I discovered that Commedagh is the second highest point in Northern Ireland.

Doing all this on my 38th Birthday was a great fun achievement and something I will treasure for a long time to come.



Taking the opportunity to place a stone on each Cairn in memory of my Dad felt like a fitting tribute to the man who inspired my love of the Mournes and of nature, mountains, trees, rivers and the sea, all of which I saw that day.

The other wonderful thing about both these mountains is that the only marker that you have reached the summit is these Cairns.  There are no big pillars with labels all over them telling you how far you've come or how far away from luxemburg you are at that point.  Just a simple pile of stones which has been added to over the years by people climbing the mountain.

It is a beautiful place with so much to offer and I'd urge anyone who's not been to Northern Ireland to go - you will have your soul ignited by the beauty of it all.

Number 31 - Started and will continue!

So, number 31 on the list was for me to improve my Cello playing and write and arrange for it more.  Well, with me having recently undertaken recording 10 original tracks by Britt Harris I've found the perfect opportunity to improve and experiment with my Cello playing.  One track of hers called "Mocking Bird" was crying out for some almost double-bass style playing to add a cheeky, jazzy vibe to the song and it's worked well.  I've been chatting to another producer about the track and he reckons some low, bowed Cello would work under the second verse, so I might just add that in too.

Another track "Glass Houses" called for much more subtle bowed Cello work, adding some lovely sonorous and sustained notes underpinning the beautiful delicate guitar that Britt had laid down.

Collaborating in this way, and allowing other people's writing to inspire me is really helping release some of that creative tension that sometimes builds up after you've just released an album and you're promoting it and playing songs from it and pushing it when sometimes all you want to do is play or write something new.  

It's really great to have so many musical friends to bounce ideas off, and playing the Cello has literally added another string to my bow, well 4 strings actually :)

Here's a little picture of me when I first bought the cello nervously holding onto it for dear life in Wednesday's garden.  I hope next time you see me with it, it might be at an open mic or gig playing alongside one of my friends - more practice needed though, so I'm counting this one as a half-ticked box to be updated :)

The Story so Far - Steps made towards some of the items on the list.

Well, I originally intended to blog each time I completed an item, but then I realised many of the items on my list require quite lengthy preparation and planning, so I thought I'd blog when I'd made significant steps towards achieving some of them.

So, towards items 7:Watch the sun rise on the east coast of Northern Ireland (Newcastle, County Down), drive around the coast road of Antrim (stopping for lunch somewhere picturesque) then watch it set on the West Coast of Ireland (Donegal)

9: Climb Sleive Donard (Highest Peak in Northern Ireland) again.

25: Ride a Horse on a sandy beach somewhere

and possibly 27: Learn a few steps of Irish Dance and jig about a bit

I have today booked a Ferry "out of the port of Liverpool, bound for the North of Ireland".  I'll be heading out on Saturday the 11th of April and back on Saturday the 18th.  Heading to Northern Ireland around my Birthday has great significance for me as my Dad took me there as my 21st Birthday present, showed me his old School, took me walking in the Mourne Mountains, and directed me to the top of Slieve Donard as he walked around the base to meet me on the other side - a wonderful day and one which will live on in my heart and mind for many years to come.

Another step in the right direction towards item 2 Train for and run a Half Marathon for Charity and 29 Get back to the weight I was in my mid-twenties was taken today.  I have (for the first time in my life) joined a Gym.  I will be training there on a regular basis to get my fitness and stamina levels up in preparation to sign up for and run a half marathon some time later in the year (probably Cheltenham Half).

A few other steps are being made in the back ground to make item 14 a more realistic possibility, nothing ready to announce just yet, but some exciting prospects being lined up :)

So, today has been a good day, laying the foundations for many achievements and adventures for the months to come.

Cheers all! :)

The List

Ok, so here's the thing.  This year on April the 14th I shall turn 38.  No big deal, you might say.  Well it is if I want to get 40 things done before I'm 40, ranging from the simple to the pretty outrageous and probably impossible.  So I've decided that from today I will start planning and doing the things on my list.  I will write a blog about each thing, with photographs as evidence if appropriate.  I'm also keen for others to be involved and will be asking for advice, hints and tips on a number of the things as I go through the list.  Particular friends who have experience in some of the things will be called upon, and many other will be asked to just come and join the fun.

So, my first blog is simply "The List".  The 40 things I plan to do before I turn 40 on the 14th of April 2017.  They are not in any order of preference or chronology, they are just exactly as they popped into my head, or were suggested to me.  I will also publish a "Reserves" list at a later date in case some are more impossible than I'd hoped when writing the list, so that there are fall back plans.

Here goes:

40 things before I'm 40

1. Learn a foreign language (probably French or maybe Italian) well enough to write a meaningful song in it.
2. Train for and run a Half Marathon for Charity (ask Jon Collins for advice and help)
3. Take a group of friends to “Go Ape” for a day swinging about in Trees.
4. Take a course in Arboriculture to learn more about trees.
5. Record at least one track at Real World Studios (near Bath – vaguely realistic)
6. Record at least one track at Rancho De La Luna (in Joshua Tree, California – shooting for the moon stuff so may be replaced by a reserve if necessary!)
7. Watch the sun rise on the east coast of Northern Ireland (Newcastle, County Down), drive around the coast road of Antrim (stopping for lunch somewhere picturesque) then watch it set on the West Coast of Ireland (Donegal).
8. Organise and go on a song-writers & lyricists retreat somewhere beautiful in the UK with writers and musicians from different genres and with myriad influences.
9. Climb Sleive Donard (Highest Peak in Northern Ireland) again as a nice easy warm up for 10 and 11 (combine with trip for 7).
10. Train for and climb the 3 Peaks – Snowdon (both directions this time – no Trains allowed even on the way down!), Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis – not in 24 hour challenge, a more relaxed pace is required when approaching 40!!
11. Climb Carrauntoohil – Kerry, Ireland – Joint 3^rd Highest Peak in the British Isles :)
12. Abseil down something cool for Charity (cliff face, building, whatever)
13. Perform at the Leamington Assembly (Either as part of an event like Trinity, or as a support artist for a band playing there).
14. Tour “The Light Broke In” and additional new material in as many UK venues as possible during 2015 as a solo artist and with the full band where appropriate/possible.
15. Release a Charity Single with a “B-Side” by another artist (No...not for Bi-Polar Polar Bears)
16. Go to the Netherlands
17. Go to Italy
18. Go to Hong Kong (again)
19. Go to Australia
20. Play somewhere in Nashville and spend more time mixing with the song-writers and musicians there.
21. Buy a Dobro and learn to play it like the guy from Union Station (possibly in Nashville too, well, it's what they play there isn't it and there were some lovely ones in that guitar shop as I remember)
22. Have a bottle of Red and a bottle of White in a New York Italian Restaurant (Billy Joel Lyric Reference)
23. Go back to New Orleans and explore some of the natural habitats surrounding it – those swamp-trees looked intruiging!
24. Go to Iceland (The Place, not the shop!)
25. Ride a Horse on a sandy beach somewhere
26. Go to the Orkney Islands and find lots of Sinclairs including the guy who runs the Orkney Brewery :)
27. Learn a few steps of Irish Dance and jig about a bit
28. Get at least one track played on BBC Radio 2 (I'll settle for 6 Music if I can't get the 2, but I want the 2!)
29. Get back to the weight I was in my mid-twenties (with a small degree of tolerance for the fact I now have more hair!)
30. Get Steve Rothery to play a solo (or three!) on my next album
31. Improve my Cello playing and write and arrange for it more
32. Write 40 new pieces of music (this can be songs, instrumentals whatever takes my fancy really! Thanks to Barbara Ann May for the suggestion).
33. Make some creative and artistic things out of old used/broken guitar strings using various mediums (paint, photography, sculpture etc.)
34. Take the last train to Clarksville (Tenessee – so will fit in nicely with Nashville etc.) (Monkees Song Reference).
35. Make a mosaic picture from bits of broken china found in people's gardens.
36. Have a day of just properly messing about, playing, climbing trees and generally being a big kid with a bunch of mates who are young at heart.
37. Dance on a Volcano (Genesis Song Reference)
38. Talk to my Mum about her memories of childhood and life before we came along and record her thoughts and reminiscences so I can write them down. So many fascinating stories that need to be preserved for my generation and the ones to come.
39. Research my Mum's side of the family and get a bit more of a family tree from the Dollin side as I'm fully appraised of the Sinclair Tree stretching back to Robert The Bruce but am far less familiar with the Dollin line.
40. Take more photographs of people! I spend a lot of time photographing easy things to photograph like Trees and Flowers as unless there's a high wind, they tend to stay still, look beautiful and not shy away. That does mean though, that special moments with friends stay in my memory, but not in photographic form, and that needs to change.

As you see, it covers quite a lot of travel, quite a lot of climbing, quite a lot of running about and as was to be expected, a huge amount of music!