thank you Curious, and perhaps I am but it's a daily job and with work to do as well it can be really tiring

My ten pence worth, I was 40 before I even considered having kids but then met the woman of my dreams and love paved the way forward. She had 2 boys, 8 and 10 (both with mental health issues) but I took them on as my own (the power of love) as their father was long gone and still to this day doesn't keep in touch. Within 2 years my partner became pregnant and we had a wee boy. He is 19 now and we all get along fine, he was home educated by my wife as she's an ex teacher and has strong views about the education system, especially how messed up it is in Scotland where we now live. Three years ago her eldest son who was in his late 20's had a daughter and due to his ongoing issues was unable to care for her, so we took her on from birth full time as legal guardians/foster parents. I have to say having a 3 year old girl buzzing around the house in my 60's is certainly not what I was expecting to do after our youngest grew up, but it is THE BEST thing in the world and we wouldn't have it any other way. To paraphrase Billy Connolly, "we're here to look after the place and care for the children, I mean what else is life for?" I couldn't agree more!

Subexotic Records – a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Conflux Coldwell : Views From Sunk Island Felix Machtelinckx : Insomnia Letters From Mouse : Cosm Rekombinant : A Vivid Recollection of Past Emotions Transient Visitor : Ha Atom Brigade : We Never Made It To Forever boycalledcrow : When It Rains Giants Of Discovery : First Night Under a New Moon Onepointwo : Club Uranium Camp Of Wolves : Adrift Swansither : Slow Fish Ethan James Startzman : Echoes Rupert Lally : Exit Ramp Transient Visitor : The Stringer https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-sub-exotic-records-mix/

Settle Down Now – a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Andrew Tasselmyer : Flowers in a Storm Four Tet : Daydream Repeat Patrick Holland : Photon (ft. Unknown Mobile) Helado Negro : Out There Suko Pyramid : Revenge Daisy Rickman : Winter Solstice Howlround : Splattering Penge Keith Seatman : Finding Our Way Around Memotone : Rain Bells Jörgen Gustafsson : Disperse Tradecraft : Just To Feel Something Helena Deland : Strawberry Moon Payta : Lucid Dreamer https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-settle-down-now/

Steely Dan : mix East St. Louis Street Toodle-Oo Peg Bodhisattva Black Friday FM Hey Nineteen Chain Lightning Time Out Of Mind Josie Fire In The Hole Showbiz Kids Only a Fool Would Say That Green Earrings Rikki Don’t Lose That Number King of The World https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/steely-dan-mix/

R.I.P. one of the greatest

yes it is odd but not too unexpected, attention is scattered more these days, some forums like Steve Hoffman, Cookd & Bombd and one for The Fall are very busy but on long standing ones like VG+ (a record collecting forum) I've noticed have threads watched but with little viewer participation. I come here on a regular basis, OK often to post my latest mix in the World & His Wife thread but I always look around others an contribute now and then. Social media has a LOT to answer for!

Cododd Ni Eto – a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Genod A5 : Hiya Hiyas Arianwen : Beats O Hyd Colin Caergybi : Shambala San tro PEZ : 17 Caeth Cariad Beth : Yn Y Byd (Edit Llawn) Emily K : K Tad Los Anglesey : Boring Middle Aged Men Who Hang Around Welsh Record Shops All Day Moaning About Music No One's Ever Heard Of Store Day 2024 Y Pregethwraig : Bwlio Mar : Marwisgo Genod A5 : Y Shinachwraig Ethania : Ethaniatropolis NYE '23 Waw Ffactor AI : Y Gamfa Byd (Pianola Gay edit) Genod A5/R-Bennig : Duncan Black Tribute Cyrliog Hughes : Cyrliog Hughes R-Bennig : A5 - Parti Butane (Original Mix) Genod A5 : Holly Vaughan Owen Is A Big Fat Cow (REN Re-Mix) Hen Gasets Dad #1 Johnny R : Bym Fiver https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-co/

Out of Light Into Night mix Minimal Drone : Echoes Of Axes Nova Threads : Illusion Strikes Again Hologramme : Unfold Wil Bolton : Patina Tommy Perman : Six Million Rivets Memnon Sa : Boreal Immunity Response Nondi_ : Harmoyear Floating Door : Let That Pain Run Deep Bryozone : Subnautica Arovane + Porya Hatami : C.H.R.O.N.O.S. Ian Wellman : The Night The Stars Fell https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/out-of-light-into-night/

WRWTFWW Records 2 : a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Mo Kolours : Life Skit - Push Comes To Shove Cristobal Tapia De Veer : Aloha! John Scott : Virus Danny Scott Lane : Baby's First Balcony Jammin' Sam Miller : Maridia Rocky Underwater Area Bruno Spoerri : Prince Karl Midori Takada : Modoki 2 ( Futa-Aya-Asobi) Taro Nohara : Freakout Ondo Takashi Kokubo & Andrea Esperti : Whales of Sirius Roland Bocquet : Paradia Towa Tei : Nomadology Pierre Barouh : L'Autre Rive Hako Yamasaki : Help Me Gareth Quinn Redmond : Comhchumtha Masahiko Satoh : Misako, Ai to Kibo (Tobosha) https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-wtrfrrrrsrsrsrs/

strom|morts : Discovering Site Raul Lovisoni : Atlantide I & II Gandalf : Hang on to a Dream Oh Imanuela : Naked & Confused OTOOTO & Lucky Lo : Take a Little Time Johnny Hammond : Call on Me Fink : Pretty Little Thing The Colours : Cocaine C. Duncan : For Leo Takami : Next Door Mary Lattimore : Yesterday’s Parties Woo : C.H. Revisited Sufjan Stevens : Goodbye Evergreen Brona McVittie : The Vast & Vague Extravagance AN_NA : Radioactivity Ralph Lundsen : Amen Meat Beat Manifesto : T.M.I. Song Sung : I’m Not In Love Sandra Julian : Je t’aime is The Beginning of Goodbye https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/mellow-gold/

10x10=2 a Skylarking mix of Karlrecords for Tak Tent Radio Kali : Yr Lovely Dead Moon Schneider TM : Austritt hÄK / Danzeisen : Kurve parts I+II 75 Dollar Bill : Power Failure 2 Zeitkratzer : Aster Audrey Chen : In The Oren Ambarchi / Stefano Pilia / Massimo Pupillo : Burn Iannis Xenakis : Taurhiphanie Pita / Friedl : Chiasso Aiden Baker : When Things Stop In A Frozen Look https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/vjhv/

Always Changing Always The Same : mix Kim Oxlund : Older Than The Sea Fragile X : Mvto More mu tate : They’re With You Always (ft. Igor Dyachenko & Mathilde) Luminist : Morning Whispers Stone Anthem : Becoming Nobody biblically accurate salon window : Lucid Interval (ft. HFM) Jambal and Tristan de Liège : The Great Wave Flaer : Forever Never Sulci : Yugen Speaker Music : Our Starship To Ociya Syndor Monde UFO : Rainbow Tape Loop (Demo) Pietro Zollo : Second Rod Modell : Taka Noda 5 https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/always-changing-always-the-same/

Super Furry Animals : mix Out Of Control Do Or Die Gathering Moss Sidewalk Serfer Girl Rings Around The World The Man Don't Give A Fuck Some Things Come From Nothing The Door To This House Remains Open Demons Ice Hockey Hair Golden Retriever Drygioni Bad Behaviour Mario Man This That And The Other Run Christian, Run! https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/super-furry-animals-mix/

Feelin' 1976 : mix Electric Light Orchestra : Do Ya Tom Petty & The Hearthbreakers : Luna Be Bop Deluxe : Crying To The Sky Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band : Night Moves Dr. Feelgood : Roxette (live) Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel : Here Comes The Sun Max Romeo : Chase The Devil Steve Miller Band : The Window Brian Eno : Quartz David Bowie : Stay Wings : Beware My Love Roy Ayres : Everybody Loves The Sunshine Steely Dan : Haitian Divorce Boz Scaggs : Lido Shuffle Rush : Overture : The Temples Of Syrinx Joan Armatrading : Down To Zero Tom Waits : Small Change (Got Rained On With His Own .38) Hall & Oates : Rich Girl Ry Cooder : Smack Dab In The Middle J.J. Cale : Travelling Light Frank Zappa : Wind Up Workin’ In A Gas Station Stevie Wonder : Another Star Diana Ross : Love Hangover Elton John : Theme From A Non-existent TV Series The Modern Lovers : I’m Straight Thin Lizzy : Cowboy Song Lynyrd Skynyrd : Saturday Night Special (live) John Miles : Tear The Damn Thing Down – Music reprise https://www.mixcloud.com/Gardener/feelin-1976-mix/

Castles In Space #2 : a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Pocket Pavilions : Origami Forest Keith Seatman : A Swish of the Curtain The British Stereo Collective : Theme from ‘The Yesterday Children’ The Sound of Science : Gravity Band of Cloud : This is Tomorrow Field Lines Cartographer : Golden Hour Polypores : Growing Crystals Wealdham : The Invisible Pull Black Channels : Space Dome Ritual 2 Twilight Sequence : In The Rural Pattern James Adrian Brown : Blade Running 2 Kayla Painter : Broadcast From The Collapse Anonymous : Untitled https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-castles/

Castles In Space #1 : a Skylarking mix for Tak Tent Radio Paul Cousins : Depth Illusion Jilk : Flags Lo Five : Complex Entanglements MYRRHMAN : Please Suppress All Conscious Thought Polypores : Kaleidoscope The British Stereo Collective : Theme From Space Guardians Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan : A Fresh Dawn For North Cheshire Pulselovers : Night Drive Twilight Sequence : Outline of Nature Stone Anthem : The Grass Metropolis James Adrian Brown : Dreaming Deep Diver The Mistys : Markers (Warrington-Runcorn New Town.. remix) https://www.mixcloud.com/Tak_Tent_Radio/skylarking-castles-in-space-mix-1/