July 31st
Today, has been mostly concerned with the B Festival at Bamburgh Castle. This is Lionheart Harmony using microphones for the first time echoing around the courtyard outside in front of possibly our biggest audience, chatting away merrily, and also listening, I’m sure! with Sid, Mick, Cheryl, Michael, Jamie, Gary, Simon and Gwyn. Also Anne on photography and recording duties. Thanks!

July 30th
Today I’m working on my new song inspired by these and other Table Pieces in the Anthony Caro exhibition at The Hepworth Wakefield. I’m not quite ready to share that one with you yet, so instead here’s my most popular song of the week from my seapieparcel Youtube channel in what has been a bumper week of listeners: Dies Sanctificatus (ending).

July 29
Swallows (with distant truck on road). Starting a new song today has produced some steadily evolving progress, but it’s still early stages. I took some swallow pictures today but none are as good as this from last year.

July 28th
It’s been raining for a lot of the day, so I was thinking of rainy things I’ve composed and this song sprang to mind: The No-Umbrella Blues. It’s available in two versions: single line with optional harmony parts; and SATB choir. This picture sums up the day out there in Northumberland quite well too. You’re hearing the chorus: You know this feeling, I’m feeling right now: It’s flows like the rain through your hair down your back to your boots, Till the feeling is soaking you through. It’s the no-umbrella blues.

July 27th
Sometimes when it’s raining outside and you’re worn out from the thrills of the day before, all you need is a bit of Vivaldi (in this case an arrangement of his Concerto for diverse instruments in C I did for an oddly populated school band in 2004), an Australian with a kindly nature, and a happy picture of a sunshiney morning.

July 26th
Today I have driven for 2 1/2 hours to Wakefield, observing with great gladness the sun sporting on the North Sea, the mysterious beauty of the industrial chimneyscape of Teesside through the sunny haze, the sculpture they call “Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge”, Roseberry Topping, and the general all-round gorgeousness of Northumberland and Yorkshire. I have had oodles of exhilarating and creative fun with my wonderful assistant Leslie and record numbers of assorted enthusiastic families at The Hepworth Wakefield as we concocted our Musical Sculptures, then driven home through astonishing amounts of rain, fog and surface water amongst people who don’t think they need their headlights on, through pop-up road works and contra-flow systems at 20 miles an hour with not a workman in sight, stopped for a rest at Scotch Corner services taking my life in my hands twixt car and chocolate shop with people who try to run you over on zebra crossings and reverse into you when you’re walking along a pavement, and finally made it home to rum and coke, Jamie and hopefully a good sleep. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant day. What you’re hearing is one of today’s world premieres, “Genesis III – the splats and dots” and what you’re seeing is the best feedback form ever.

July 25th
That Lord Armstrong, eh! What a guy. Here’s his outrageously spectacular bridge and house at Cragside with Jamie casually leaning. What you’re hearing is another Armstrong delight – one of the water races bringing water down from the lakes to power his Victorian hydro-electric system. I love water races as much as viaducts. We were next to some clattery traffic calmers, and waited a goodly time for traffic to come along and make the noise, but no…so Jamie clomped about on them on foot. As soon as I turned the machine off, two vehicles came through. Pah! Now: preparing my balloons for emergency Musical Sculptures at the Hepworth Wakefield tomorrow. Someone’s pulled out from some arty thrill, so I’m on instead…11-4 if you fancy it.

July 24th
This morning I got to the beach just as the sun was rising behind the bracken. A bird was being noisy in a bush nearby. I didn’t see the bird, so I don’t really know what it was. On the music front, I’ve been answering queries from foreign lands about my music, and sorting out paper, ink cartridges, and festive scores for a big print-out coming up tomorrow. Tonight I’m off to hear Bailiffgate Singers in Alnmouth – be more relaxed listening than conducting, I suspect.

July 23rd
During the last couple of weeks I’ve been doing arrangements for SATB choir (for Peter and the Alnwick Playhouse​ Community Choir) and for TTBB choir (for Lionheart Harmony​ ) of Gary Steward​’s song “Northumberland”. I shall be giving the scores to Gary tonight, so have spent the day a-tweaking. Here’s some of the TTBB version, but with no Ts or Bs on account of the only person in the house capable of singing those parts being embroiled in his graphs. The picture is from sunrise July 17th 2014 and is of Dunstanburgh Castle and the Howick Bathhouse in Northumberland.

July 22nd
Today has been the last of my Beethoven meetings, this time in the café, not the pub. This series of Beethoven chats has reminded me of an essay I wrote for Fiona in Auckland in 1987 comparing three fugues, one of which was the 1st movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op.131. I hunted it out. Look at my lovely handwriting! We didn’t have computers then. That pen was my italic music-writing inkpen. I notice I got four ticks in the margin for the bits I’m reading out, and a squiggly line indicating something I should follow up!

July 21st
Today has been the second of our two taster sessions for the new Felton choir for which I have been waving my arms around and being jolly. Next week is the party and in September we will start for real. But, in my opinion, we have already started for real and after a mere three and a bit hours of singing together in parts and being exceedingly cheery and hard-working, we sound pretty good on Dowland’s “Come Again” (and also The Peanut Vendor, Felton Lonnen, Banana Fanfare, Inanay and We Were Gathering Up The Roses). It certainly has been a thrillingly exhilarating couple of sessions for me, with lots of wonderful new and old friends involved. Felton is looking bonny in July with its bunting and intricate roofline, including Gallery 45 in the bottom right hand corner, which is where we’ve been having our rehearsals, and my very favourite telegraph pole on the left.

July 20th
Today I’ve done a lot of driving and now am home, but the driving’s still not over. Jamie went off to work to London today from the rather decorative Platform 1 at Retford Station…in his suit. Photo-worthy in its rarity and loveliness, I thought. And as we know one Jamie is sometimes not enough, so here to accompany himself are many Jamies on “In The Bleak Midwinter”. I’ll be off to fetch him from the differently decorative Morpeth Station later.

July 19th
It’s a sunny day off in Worksop. Here we are enjoying the U3A steel band at the St. Mary’s Carnival. We were given the garlands to prove that we’d paid the entrance fee, instead of the usual ticket or stamp-on-the-hand. Dad and I look happy because we’d already had our jerk chicken kebabs with fruity rice and it was good. Dad and Jamie then went home for a natter and I went to help Mum with the washing up in the nuns’ kitchen.

July 18th
I’ve been putting together my Christmas Choral Catalogue this morning so I can try and persuade more choral directors to have a go at my festive songs later this year. Here’s one: Chantry Chapel Carol, which is a partner song for The Holly and The Ivy.

July 17th
Today I have been scrimmishing with my A3 printer, but as I write, I am winning. Having said this, the light is flashing on the black ink indicator so I suspect that the battle will soon be adjourned until Monday. Shortly we are off to Rock Festival Choir rehearsal – a rare treat. Here they are on my Lamb – it’s the splendid alto section on their verse (that is Anne​, Anne​, Janet, Siobhan​, Jane​ and me), accompanying a goldfinch on the coastal path near Howick.

July 16th
I went out into the garden to record the bees on the lavender, but there was someone with a hammer over the back fence and someone else with a rotary saw down in one of the back yards, so the bees couldn’t be heard. However, I was reminded of this arrangement I did for the excellent Taringa Areare teaching resource for Sounz – Centre for New Zealand Music way back in 2001.

June 15th
My brother Michael​ lives in France. Yesterday was a fireworky sort of day in France. My brother takes excellent photos. He took photos of fireworks. You can see them here on his Monkey’s Eye​ page. I have requisitioned one of them for today’s fade-in and have paired it with a French tune which I arranged rather jauntily for some very lovely flute players in Australia. This version has three flute parts, three vocal parts and a spot of drumming. If you’re interested in having a go yourself, drop me a line!

July 14th
What a brilliantly, thrillingly musical day! We had the first of our taster sessions for the new Felton part-singing choir this evening. It was completely exhilarating with over 30 people turning up, being enthusiastic and tuneful including lots of locals to make friends with and lots of old friends from other choirs. We went for it with a wide range of styles and made an in-tune and sweet sound. There’s another next week so if you fancy being part of the excitement come along, why don’t you!? Too hectic, agitated and having fun to make recordings or photos of that, which is a pity….so here’s a photo from July 14th last year and a snippet of Marimba Concerto which suits the mood of the photo but not the mood of the day which has been somewhat sprightly.

July 13th
The rose bush outside the kitchen window is the best it’s ever been. It rained a lot this morning. I love the droplets on the rose. It’s not really properly red, but this is my Red, Red Rose setting, nonetheless. Musically, I have mostly concerned today with choir arrangements and have successfully restricted myself to music in 4/4 with a Latin feel, oh and an Aboriginal lullaby, oh and some Josquin.

July 12th
If you thought that the final of the men’s singles at Wimbledon was the sporting highlight of the day, then you’re resting quite forlornly under a tragic misconception – it was the Felton and Thirston Boat and Duck Races today at exactly the same time. Quite a gathering on the bridge including the official duck mascot and men in squeaky rubber dungarees. I did overhear quite a few disgruntlings from parental duck watchers with regard to the tennis and Tour de France action. Meanwhile, I was arranging choir music for Tuesday, both before and after the excitement.

July 11th
Today I’m starting to get over-excited about the new choir starting on Tuesday with the first of a couple of starter sessions. I’m thinking that a little bit of Dowland might be a favourable selection. Mmm. Dowland. This morning we went for a walk along Ross Sands to the obelisks. We saw this oystercatcher, and also a plonker of a man who ignored all the signs and cordons telling us not to walk on some areas of beach because of nesting terns and other birds, when in fact there was plenty of room twixt sea and cordon. He ploughed on through, and this oystercatcher was properly squawkily annoyed with him.

July 10th
Here’s a little bit of last evening’s Lionheart Harmony gig at Nether Grange Hotel in Alnmouth. Only five of us on duty – being silly in the choreography section as ever. It’s Sid, Cheryl, Jamie, Simon and Gwyn, with Andrew on photographic and recording duties and lovely to see Michael again for the rehearsal afterwards.

July 9th
I went to the beach for the sunrise this morning, and what should I find there but my old friend the tall ship moored off Amble and also a gleaming smack of jellyfish stranded from one end to the other. It reminded me of my song about Joanna going to the beach, so I sang the relevant bit of it: Joanna went to the beach one windy day, to Warkworth Beach. What did she see? What did she find? Seven tartan limpets on the rocks, Eight shining, wobbling jellyfish blobs, And she felt the sand between her toes.

July 8th
People in 104 different countries have listened to my music on my seapieparcel Youtube channel. 104th on the list is Libya with one view – Four Pence A Day. Here’s the end of that song and a view from yesterday of the Alnmouth Viaduct. As you know I love a viaduct.

July 7th
Today so far I have been a trainspotter. Knowing that this engine was heading down the East Coast Mainline this morning, I went in search of the Alnmouth Viaduct and stood and waited for it to come along – one machine on the floor protected from the wind by my pink raincoat, the other ready in my hands to catch the glorious engine on the beautiful viaduct. Success on all fronts. It is the Sir Nigel Gresley, one of the six remaining A4 class engines in existence. I saw them all a few years ago at the National Railway Museum in York, but I’ve never seen any in steam. I was beside myself with excitement. No-one else was there. Such a thrill.

July 6th
Rummaging today, I found a cassette with this on it from 1986. It’s the Kyrie Eleison from a Requiem I composed then – you’re hearing a tiny bit of it from the middle section. It’s scored for bass, trombones, tuba and timpani, and the performers are Martin Robson, John Challis, Dave Chambers, Adrian Morris, Stuart Watson, Ian Forgrieve and Jonathan Herbert. The picture is a big clock in Manchester – Manchester’s where we all were at the time – the Royal Northern College of Music to be precise.

July 5th
After early morning skyping with Australians we went to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne for brilliant “Mr Holmes” at the Tyneside Cinema, plus a video installation in the art gallery there about boat-building in Northumberland, some brilliant photography and children’s illustrations in the new exhibitions at the Laing Gallery, then a stroll along Northumberland Street, which is what you can see and hear. There was an operatic busker in big frock and everything (slightly too much for my hand-held recording device), a couple of yappy dogs, a bubble-gun street seller, a running man with musical tinkling in his pockets, and chatting people, one of which thankfully had a north-east accent on “Mind where you’re going!”

July 4th
Today I should have gone to London, but I didn’t, so I’ve been doing arrangements and watching tennis and listening to BBC Radio 3 & 4 podcasts. I did go to London in March though, so here’s a photo of Baker Street Station, and a recording of Laetentur Caeli by Rock Festival Choir which I think would sound pretty good down there!

July 3rd
Today I’ve once again been working on Gary’s song, “Northumberland”. Here’s a rough draft of the opening section. The picture is from last year’s unused sunrises – Bamburgh Castle on Feb 8th.

July 2nd
Today I have been working on my arrangement of Gary Steward’s song and now I’m off to sing with him and the other Lionheart Harmony lovely fellows in Alnmouth. This morning I forged through the sea fret at sunrise on Warkworth Beach. There was a tall ship moored off Amble and the mist created some wonderful light. I’ve written a few ship/boat songs – here’s the final chorus of Push The Boats Out, arranged for 3-part choir.

July 1st
These afternoon tea takers weren’t dressed for the storm so they hot-footed it across the bridge to their car once the worst was over, clutching their boxes of goodies from The Running Fox. They were lucky – it started up again less than a minute after they were snapped.