2013

It’s been a year of gigs and butterflies. 2013 started very cold, and it was freezing in February when we started our year of concerts with The Be Good Tanyas at the Barbican.  In April (still cold) Mike, David and mum Joan went to Cardiff to see a plaque about Joan’s sister Mair being unveiled at their chapel.  

Later that month we saw David again when we all (Mike, Kate and Chris - Chris is living at Netherhall Way while he saves up for a house) went over to France to stay with him and Shirley.  A very relaxing visit, and some culture - with a trip to Monet’s garden in Giverny.  Lovely! Then the end of April came, and it started warming up, and another gig - Chris Wood - with an electric guitar!

In June Mike and Kate went to the Brecon Beacons area of Wales for a holiday.  Hay on Wye was visited and more books acquired...   The gigs also started hotting up: Bruce Springsteen at Wembley Stadium (with Peter) and Neil Young at the O2 (great sound - to be recommended). Then Mike Heron! With Trembling Bells.  He’s a national treasure.

By July it was risking getting too hot - could we stay cool enough at the Cambridge Folk Festival? The music was great though, three-quarters of Planxty, Bella Hardy, Jim Moray, Martin Simpson and more.  

Later in the month we went to Chris’s MSc graduation in Norwich.  We met Chris’s friend Tuğba there, and Chris visited her in Turkey later in the year.  And as we mentioned at the end of last year, the MSc proved useful too as Chris got the first job he applied for, in Plant Sciences in Cambridge. 

August was even warmer - we stayed at home.

In September Mike went to a Dog Genomics conference in Boston.  Apart from the talks (of course) - this featured a whale watching trip with no whales (I’m definitely jinxed!) and a trip to the Boston art galleries.  It was also Kate’s dad’s 90th birthday!

In October, after two great gigs: Al Stewart at the Corn Exchange and Bright Phoebus Revisited at the Barbican, Mike and Kate headed for their (almost traditional) week in Tuscany.

The temperature is dropping now, but the pace of gigs isn’t. The Rite Of Spring ballet at the Royal Opera House (very posh), Sigur Rós at Wembley Arena (amazing lasers) and almost finally Bob Dylan at the Albert Hall. Who could resist?  Good old Bob - he was having a great time. And he did “She Belongs To Me”. 

At the very end of November we went to a secret party in Edale for our friend David Mount, including a surprise gig by John Renbourn - as wonderful as ever at the age of 70.  Finally a celebration of the music of Bert Jansch at the Festival Hall.

December already. Phew!  Happy Christmas everyone.