30th November 2017: Offline / 5am Correspondence / The People Of Yemen

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for all that is offline.

for a 5am correspondence after a joyous night.

for those that are helping the people of Yemen, and anyone who opposes the facilitation of arms sales, today, particularly those who oppose British arms sales to Saudi Arabia. for all civilians who want to live in peace.

29th November 2017: Surprise Parcel / Word Magnets / Phenoxymethylpenicillin

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the feeling of returning home to a parcel.

for word magnets, the sensation of their pulling to the fridge.

for the restorative properties of Phenoxymethylpenicillin.

28th November 2017: Square Hole Comedy / Interesting Conversation / Delightful Train Attendant

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the Red Deer, Square Hole Comedy, and the minds of Jack Evans & Jayne Edwards

for plentiful, wide-ranging and interesting conversation with wonderful people over the last few days.

for the delightful train attendant from Sheffield to Bury St. Edmunds, joking about ‘Burying’ and Richard III.

27th November 2017: Recollection / Herostratus / Shaft

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for recalling the face of a kind person in the street.

for the film, Herostratus. Such beautiful lighting.

for a man that delivers tens times out of ten.

26th November 2017: Toon Bridges / Visible Workspace At Kiln / Quilliam's Christmas Mix Tea

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the feelings associated with this view -

for process as performance, the visible workspace through the window from the Kiln restaurant.

for the Christmas Mix tea at Quilliam’s.

25th November 2017: Origami / Happy Tears / Cycle Lanes

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for origami birds hanging from the ceiling of the Sky Apple Café.

for happy tears.

for an increased amount of cycle lanes in Heaton & Newcastle.

24th November 2017: House Noises / Bohemian Rhapsody Video Deceit / Wolf Or Dog Ear

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for house noises.

for the Bohemian Rhapsody video deceiving the viewer into thinking that the opening harmonies are being performed by anyone other than Freddie Mercury.

for an enlarged ear on a human head, with the proportions of a dog or wolf's ear, through the window of a train. Elegant and wild.

23rd November 2017: Travelling North / Guest In A Friends House / Guardian Angel

Yesterday I was thankful / grateful,

To breathe these, headed North,

To be a guest at the home of good friends.

To sleep under the watch of this guardian angel.

 

22nd November 2017: Excellent Educators / Stuffed Tomatoes / Anticipation

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for being fortunate to know many excellent educators, supporting many levels of study. Also for sharing life with many who educate in more lateral ways too.

for stuffed tomatoes.

for the excitement to catch up with wonderful people over the next few days.

21st November 2017: NHS / Michelle Pfeiffer movies / Sharing Brushing Teeth

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the excellent NHS GP who helped me this morning, along with the fantastic nurse who gave me the smoothest injection I've ever had. Barely felt a thing.

for Michelle Pfeiffer movies.

for the warm feeling of sharing the ritual of brushing teeth with another.

20th November 2017: El Presidente / In Love With Meditation / Photographs

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for a good friend's birthday.

for feeling in love with today's meditation. I entered a feeling similar to that of running to a positive sound around a corner on a summer's day, for then to find myself needing to repeat that motion, again and again and again.

for completing a set of photographs.

19th November 2017: Roadside Eggs / Nightmare / Mother Whale Holding Onto Dead Child

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for roadside eggs.

for an intense nightmare, where upon trading my camera, the assistant alerted me to the fact it was stolen property. It turned out I was pawning the camera for a giant snake. In a living room, with a couple of coupled friends lounging casually on comfy chairs, I’m on the ground fearfully watching this massive snake move around. I am bit at some point which caused a great amount of pain but then after a while I feel relief that no poison seems to be affecting me. I wake up.

for the feeling that keeps a mother whale holding onto her deceased child for days.

18th November 2017: Shine on You crazy Diamond / Woodstock / Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for thinking of Shine on You crazy Diamond as spelling out SYD.

for the place that was Woodstock, that I only know in film, sounds and my imagination.

We are Stardust / We are golden
We are billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden

in this reflective season, and atmosphere, for the therapy of Múm’s Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK

17th November 2017: Looking Forward / Winter Light / HOPELineUK

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the feeling of looking forward to catching up with good friends.

for seemingly horizontal winter light cutting across the ground.

for HOPELineUK.
https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-3168

16th November 2017: Counselling / Lumiere In Durham / Charlie's Production Of The Tempest

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the wonderful person that gives me counselling.

for the Lumiere celebration in Durham.

for the success of my friend's production of The Tempest down in Deptford.

15th November 2017: White Dead Leaves / Handwritten Addresses / LIT / Redemption Song / Shyla Stylez

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the chalk white of dead maple tree leaves on the ground

for post with the name and address handwritten - and these goodies within

for LIT, in particular the album A Place In The Sun. On paper a group I would not normally be attracted to, but I really love the melodies and songs on that record. Really satisfying and energised pop.

for Redemption Song. I was listening to the Johnny Cash version walking around earlier, which is not an exemplar version, however, testament to the songwriting, it had me welling up unexpectedly. It’s one of those songs I learned when I was a young teen and I had no real idea about the content of the words. Its wide-reaching context has brought it into an overwhelming statement. 

for Shyla Stylez / Amanda Friedland. RIP.

14th November 2017: Living In Various Places / Hell / Support For Songs

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the luxury of having lived in different places.

for hell being above the surface, for hell being brought above the surface, for the power to bring hell into clarity above the surface.

for the support and encouragement of my friends regarding my latest recorded music.

13th November 2017: NHS nurse / Helping Injured / Lynne Ramsay

Thenk ye uncoly

for the kind and skilled NHS nurse at Siam Surgery who helped me with my gummy ears this morning.

for those that are helping the injured and in need in Iran & Iraq following that violent earthquake.

for Lynne Ramsay, her film Ratcatcher and the Glaswegian accent.

12th November 2017: Jonathan Richman / Polstead / My Dinner With Andre

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for Jonathan Richman

for the feeling of peace surveying the scenery from the top of a hill.






for my grandparents on my father's side, together in the grounds over there, at Polstead Church.

for My Dinner With Andre

11th November 2017: Travis Alabanza / The light that mends / Love, the sweetest love.

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for Travis Alabanza

for knowing the light that mends those who have been injured, mends those that have caused injury too.

for love, the sweetest love.

10th November 2017: OYH Profumo / Anita Hill / Friendship / Music

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for lots of friends sharing new music today.

for Anita Hill’s bravery

for a good conversation with a close friend, and for their involvement in some new music.

9th November 2017: Old Friend / No Heros / Obssession & Addication Links

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for bumping into an old friend

for the help I’ve had re-evaluating the idea of heroes, heroines and being ‘in love.’

for understanding more clearly the link between my obsessions and addiction.

8th November 2017: Voting In America / Recording Progress / Thank U

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for many of the results of the voting yesterday in America. For the success of the 'firsts' too, may they serve and reach people who have previously been neglected and unsupported.

for some unexpected moments turning up in the recording for my new collection of songs.

for Thank You spelt Thank U.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOgpT5rEKIU

7th November 2017: The Boss / Castello Blue Cheese / The Pipette

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for The Boss.

for Castello Blue Cheese.

for the pipette, and the ease it gives to redistributing small amounts of liquid.

6th November 2017: NHS GP / Song - Alabama / Breakthrough

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for an NHS GP's knowledge and direction

for this song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD3bGEFxGC0

for a breakthrough that brings hope

5th November 2017: Baobab / Dying Bonfire / Popcorn / Those supporting Sutherland Springs

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for the Baobab, the Adansonia, the Tree Of Life

for the sensation of warmth on my hand as it hovered over the white ash of a dying bonfire this afternoon.

for Popcorn. Sweet. Salty. Toffee. Delicious popcorn.

for those who responded to the violence in Sutherland Springs, and those that are offering support to survivors, family and friends.

4th November 2017: Gunpowder Plot / All Of The Lights / Denouncing Birtherism / High Hopes

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

full of thanks,

fool of thanks

for the reminder that Power is only ever a few barrels of gunpowder away from being Powerless.

for ALL OF THE LIGHTS.

for those that held up ‘Welcome To Kenya’ signs in Hawaii.

for Ken Loach’s film ‘High Hopes’

3rd November 2017: Cheerful Interaction / Winter Sun / Vince Staples' Summertime '06

Today, I am thankful / grateful,

for a cheerful interaction with a friendly person at my local GP Surgery's desk.

for the first walk in what felt like the winter sun warming through the crisp cold air.

for Vince Staples' Summertime '06 record.

2nd November 2017: Dia De Los Muertos / Primavera / Friend's Employment

Today, thankfulness / gratefulness,

for Día De Los Muertos. Our dead are still with us. 

for some memories unexpectedly returning today, for some reason, of Primavera Festival 2015. Some really good music, relaxed atmosphere and fun times with friends.

for a friend having an opportunity open up for their talent to bloom.

1st November 2017: Bar Ring / Openness / Collaboration / Getting Away From Screens

Today,  thankfulness / gratefulness

for this bar ring






for the magic of openness and the possibility of collaboration

for the difference getting away from screens made on my writing today. I'm not a purest of pen and paper, though I love them as tools and materials, but removing other distractions made a huge difference to my productivity.