Last Sunday I took a day off from working on my 70th birthday album to drive over the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors to Whitby, where Emi and I enjoyed a grand day out in the warm sunshine and a nice evening meal at the 'Marine' restaurant. We had the top down on the car to take advantage of the good weather and it was nice to feel connected with the passing landscape on our journey. Bought a couple of fresh lobsters from a little shop in the old part of town which we took home and had for dinner the following day.
Whitby was busy. Holiday makers and tourists filled the little coastal town's streets but it was a welcome break nevertheless. Bought myself a nice hat from a stall in the market square and a pair of sunglasses from a relatively new gents outfitter's shop that specialises in slightly 'left of centre' clothes and accessories in the 'retro' style as covered in magazines such as 'The Chap.' (A magazine which I occasionally buy.)
Emi drove us home as I'd had a couple of glasses of wine at the restaurant. She's not used to driving my car as her own is much smaller, but she handled it fine and the journey back to York was pleasant and uneventful.
Yesterday, whilst working on another new track for 'These Stars Are Fire', my Fret-King Country Squire Deluxe guitar that I was using suddenly went silent. No output whatsoever. The jack socket seems to be making a connection with the jack plug firmly enough but I can't get a sound out of it. A wire adrift somewhere inside perhaps? Anyway, I've telephoned Gordon White at Single Coil Guitar Repairs and made an appointment to take the guitar in to his workshop tomorrow for him to check it out and hopefully repair. Annoying though as it's a brand new guitar and shouldn't have this problem.
Another of my regular visits to the Podiatrist yesterday. Need to keep a check on my diabetically afflicted feet. Not too bad at the moment despite having lost a certain amount of feeling in them due to the deterioration of the nerves.
Tonight I'll continue to work on the 'These Stars Are Fire' project. I'm enjoying this so far, despite the hoops and hurdles I have to deal with due to the random technical faults of my recording equipment. Still, it makes the end result more satisfying, knowing that you've battled and hopefully triumphed over the gremlins...
The harbourside fortune teller's hut in Whitby photographed on Sunday 20th May 2018.
A small yacht sails down Whitby harbour.
Lobster pots on Whitby harbourside.