So Long Between Posts - A New Guitar in the Family!

So Long Between Posts!

I can't believe it was September since I last posted anything here!

So much has happened since then it's difficult to know where to start.....
but first up, thanks to those of you who've been hassling me in recent weeks to get my act together and start writing again!

I had a fantastic finish to the year with another trip back to King Island (and some of the most talented kids on the planet!) and some time in Melbourne after.


A New Guitar In The Family

I think this is my biggest news of late 2006 and isn't it pretty?

It's a brand new Canadian Seagull S6 Cedar and I've slowly got used to it and had a pretty fun summer of lazing around with it. The interesting thing is it's the total opposite of the Fender F25 that was stolen last August. (No word still from the police on that by the way, but thank you to all of you who've been asking - I really appreciate it!)

It's a dreadnought shape - not a small body; has a fairly low action but a wider neck than the Fender; big sound and loads of bottom end but the thing I like best about it is the extraordinary seperation of sound on each string. It has a gutsy but really warm sound and sounds absolutely the bees knees miked up through a well-run pa! Alistair the Almighty (sound engineer extraordinaire) was all but drooling over it after my most recent gig and commented on how lovely it was to hear a new acoustic that didn't have the lack-lustre 'un-natural gloss' in sound that seems to dog Maton and Cole Clark guitars.

Last weekend I played my first serious gig with it since I've become used to it. That isn't to say that the other gigs I've played haven't been important - more it's the first longish set I've done since I've really started to feel at ease with the instrument! It was a support spot and CD/DVD launch for The Bat Band at the Peacock Theatre and in absolutely sweltering heat - a great workout for the guitar and for me!

I've also been writing some new material, learning the rudiments of slide guitar from my mate Peter Thompson (one of the sweetest and most talented people on the planet), playing way too much xbox with Fidel (those of you who know him understand it's the perfect nick for him!) and watching some good, interesting and sometimes indifferent movies.


Cricket

I can leave this world a happy woman - I have bowed before the urn, read the poem with my own eyes and seen a good deal of the paraphenallia that goes with The Ashes when it toured Australia in January. My dear friend Flip was at the MCG when Warnie took his 600th wicket - lucky man, and I watched the Australian test team take England to the cleaners for the test series.

As for the One Day Tri-Nation Series here and the Chappell/Hadley Cup in New Zealand.................. I really don't want to talk about it.

For the unitiated, I recommend a trip to Cricket Australia's official site http://www.cricket.com.au/

Meanwhile, I've got to go and make home-made hotdogs for dinner. It's a tough life and someone's gotta do it!!

More news in coming days about King Island and the Tas Writers In Schools Project.