hi jeff,

sorry i haven't been around much lately, but i should have a little more time now...so here goes.

christmas was so much simpler 50 years ago, a sock filled with a few nuts an orange an apple and if you were very lucky...a banana!

i hate christmas shopping, especially with my good lady, every shop at least twice! and shopping for the grandkids is the pits!

but regardless of all that, i like the song, even the memories it evokes. so merry christmas

phill

hi stransongs,

how deep is this?

every time i thought i got the gist of what you were writing about, there came another twist in the tale! i read it though several times and found something new each time.

i dont want to speculate on what you are speaking about, just that i think i detected two [at least] different plots?

this is a well written and engaging poem, and i think you're right about it being a poem not a song.
some songs/poems can cross the divide, but i think this would be nice as just a poem.

you could record a piece of music and speak the words over the top, we've done that before with a poem by lena [broken bones bootlegger] and music by kenny .

thanks for sharing,

phill

hi daddy, lucky? i wouldnt go that far.
i was at the dentist today and there was this guy there...obviously high, and he was arguing with the receptionist about getting in to see the jaw-breaker. she wouldnt let him in as he kept missing his appointments! your barred...you know? so eventually he went, stumbling and bumping into doors walls etc. and i thought, it's about time the scum of society were given the bums rush, as it's usually the decent guys that get pushed to one side so that the dregs can get one more fix on my tax dollars [pounds actually]

ONE FOR US.

phill

what a beautiful tale written in verse, i just love it when a song or indeed a poem has a story and a moral.

excellent work stransongs.

just thought i'd add 5 pennorth, in wales your currah is called a corracle, and i used to live in a house that had silver fish. they are similar to centipedes and they live in old chimney's apparently!

phill

hi coffeefairy,

i think it's ok to put it up as long as you credit the writer or the person you think is the writer, so maybe you should put her name under the poem just to be safe, use the edit button.

it's a lovely story and a fine poem, it sounds like something lena [AKA old doll ] might have written. how are things up the big smoke? it's raining here for a change...

phill

hi megs,

as your a self taught guitarist, i would expect you to do the same on bass, that's not a criticism! as a guitarist you've most likely got a good sense of rhythm and a melodic bass line as your playing anyway, so i would suggest that you teach yourself and be original, anyone can copy

failing that try guitaretabs

phill

Hi Mark,

nice recordings, your voice and guitar come through very well, were the vocals double tracked?

anyway very good, you should now start touting the CD around the agents to get yourself a contract and some gigs...your future awaits.

Phill

"it's yesterday once more" by the carpenters, just for the way they sing it.

and Bette Midler again, in one of her films she sings "in my life" to an audience of soldiers in Vietnam, it's a very touching scene and she sings one of Lennon's best songs brilliantly.

phill

if you get any more strings for your bow, your gonna need more bows. your a cleverer person than i thought, and i thought you were very clever!

steve howe of yes has been using guitar stands for several years, but they're not as inventive as yours!

you say your going to put a clamp on the bottom for more support, this sounds like a good idea as things can get rather hectic during a gig and a little knock might tip the balance.

good idea

phill

i find the main problem with speed bumps is that they are most effective with people that are more considerate of their speed anyway. the boy-racers, and the plebs who drive around in mammy or daddy's car, just ignore them and fly over them as if they were ski jumps.

there is an estate nearby with a school in the middle of it. there is a 20 mph limit there, yet i've still witnessed drivers doing 40 +!
and the worst offenders?   THE MOTHERS DROPPING THEIR KIDS OFF or picking them up...how sad is that? and they park on the zig-zags, and how outraged they'd be if a child got run over?

they may well be trying to improve things, still the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

phill