Everyone Gets to Play
I wrote this piece after being privileged to attend a talk by Dr Gabor Maté on “The Myth of Normal.” He asked us to engage with his talk and weigh it up by listening with our heads, our hearts and our gut. He reminded us that there are neural connections between these areas and so… Continue reading I am one … or am I?
I wrote this piece of prose a little while back after a wonderful afternoon nap. For the last number of years we have enjoyed the afternoon “Nana Nap”. I struggled for many years to fall asleep. It may well have started back at boarding school. After it became a real issue to me, I decided… Continue reading Napping: Sleeping and Waking
This is the first creative piece I have written in a Creative Writing journal I was recently given. Perhaps it is an important reminder for this whole journal and time: While you have life, there are important things that need your attention. Creative writing is part of what I need to do. Music is another… Continue reading The Prime of Life…
I have been privileged to teach at He Puaawai Young Parents’ Centre for the last number of years. I teach Science and Maths to some of the bravest, most resilient humans I have ever met. Much could be said about so many of them, but as they know, if I say too much I may… Continue reading A young mother with her young child
I wrote this poem while feeling somewhat sad at giving away a beautiful gift that a dear friend, Wambali Mkandawire, gave me. He was a musician who I was privileged to play with in a touring band back in 1984-5. He sadly passed away from Covid-19 in 2021. I never really used the hardwood, hand… Continue reading Friends Passed
Here is another piece that I wrote in 2017, but have only published years later. It is another exploration in G, but this time it is expressed on my Yamaha nylon string Silent Guitar (SLG11N). We have created a new category called “Somewhat Undercooked” for pieces like this; they needed a little more work, but… Continue reading Resting
I wrote this piece one evening a couple of weeks ago. I was feeling somewhat distressed about certain things I was reading in the news as well watching friends and family struggling with a variety of issues and personal complex situations. I quite often find myself in this place where I think ‘…nothing makes sense…..!’… Continue reading When Nothing Makes Sense
I wrote these three pieces in February 2017. Since then they have sat on the desktop on my computer “awaiting further decision”. Six and a half years later, it’s time to put them out there. I had thought I might consider the ideas and then make one piece out of the three, but I would… Continue reading Heart – Acoustic explorations in G
I wrote this piece of music around May 2022. Similar to my “Hope in the Midst” piece, I composed the steel string acoustic part and played it in using my Guild. I then more or less improvised the nylon string part (Yamaha Silent guitar). Both parts are one take, so they are not perfect. The… Continue reading The Sun Will Rise
I started writing this song all the way back in September 2022. I can’t really remember how it happened. Usually I pick up my acoustic guitar and along comes a “rumour of worship”. In this case, I sensed it was a kind of “song” or perhaps a “piece” of music. I recorded my Guild acoustic… Continue reading Hope in the Midst