So far this month, I have...

Seen a heron right up close.

Been to Tintern Abbey for the first time in many years.  

Considered legal action.

Considered whether to continue making music, given that I would definitely rather not be a social media content provider, marketing agent, publicist, booker, ticket agent, plugger, writer, runner, chauffeur, caterer, engineer or any of the other things deemed essential for musicians to do before spending any time making music, in this place/time where music and musicians are abundant and easily accessible, and yet respected so little.

Unwittingly attended a regular live music night I had meant to try for ages (and found it terribly disappointing.  (Which is why I resisted calls to get involved.)).

Seen possibly my favourite new Bristol graffiti: “DO NOT PARK HERE I WILL NOT PUT UP WITH CHEEK OR FREE LOADING”

Taken a picture of a dead bird, upside down in water (the bird, not me).

Wondered why characters in animated sitcoms wear the same clothes in every scene and episode, whereas human sitcom screen actors wear different clothes in every scene and episode.  Both seem oddly unreal.  Subsequently wondered if anyone else has ever had this thought, and thought some probably have but they would then most likely have dismissed it as too banal an observation to ever make it into the public domain.  TV producers will know the answers to these questions, but they aren’t telling.

Been run over by a car (to be fair, I wasn’t really run over, in the strictest sense.  But my back wheel was, in the literal sense.  While I was on the bike.  So, if I had been a few inches to the right of where I was at the time, it would’ve been my right leg looking like this, instead of my back wheel:

 

 

Luckily, the driver who caused this through negligence (and not having a wing mirror – which is also negligence, I suppose) zipped off immediately, which saved us a frank exchange of views.  (During which, I might have questioned why anyone would reverse quickly, without having checked who/what is behind, and without an off-side wing mirror (it was all wing and no mirror) to facilitate this; why, having done so, and hearing a cyclist bang a panicked hand on the back window in terror of being crushed, acknowledge this, only to reverse again, faster; Presumably, there was something important to which to rush.  To a garage, to replace a missing wing mirror, perhaps.)) 

Seen Mavis Staples (at the O2, which was a shame.  It was supposed to be at the slave-trade-sponsored concert hall nearby, but the ghost of a slave trader has haunted the place and it is unsuitable for music now…so, the gig was shifted to the mobile-network-sponsored Worst Venue In Town™.  To be fair, the sound was much better for this gig than most previous ones I have seen there.  (Some of the older audience members had their night spoiled by people talking loudly behind them.  Some of the younger audience members had their night spoiled by being told to shut up in the most passive-aggressive way.  Two of the younger audience members affected reached out to make friends, later in the set, while Mavis sang “reach out…make a friend”.  One was successful in this, enhancing the experience for all concerned.  The other was unsuccessful, having been rebuffed, spoiling the experience for all concerned)) without even writing a review of it.  (The support band were impressive.  (And Mavis was excellent.))

Interviewed a friend (who wrote the title track of the new Jay Z album….uh huh.  (The interview was for the PFR podcast.  (And our interview is an exclusive.  (The PFR is The People’s Front Room, a festival venue and arts collective that put on parties and use art to open your brainhearts and stuff them full of creative goodness – and the podcast is a growing part of that.  We play music you might not have heard and we talk about the role of art, among other things.  I’ve enjoyed doing it, have you been listening….?))))
You can listen here:  https://www.mixcloud.com/pfrcollective/podcast-8-late-nights-and-heartbreak-special-10th-july-2017/

Been delighted for friends who have great things and exciting opportunities now and/or coming up.  Thought about how fortunate I am to know so many talented people doing great work and living well.

Wondered why the Orange Order still exists, where the political impasse in Northern Ireland will lead, and why picking up a bottle that has been thrown at you is a bookable offence.  Subsequently wrote a draft blog about the intersectionality of football, politics and sectarianism.  It’s the third or fourth attempt at writing about the July marching parades season.  None have been published anywhere.  (Or even finished).  (Subsequently remembered why the Order still exists.  None of the reasons are good, or even interesting.)

Written my one annual pithy facebook status/tweet which gets a respectable amount of likes.  (In case you’re interested, it was this: “Breaking news: children's TV show has new actor. In other news, women exist.”)

Written a blog with 23 sets of parentheses. (And wondered, subsequently, about my odd fetish for parentheses.  (What is it about?)) (And then wondered if anyone will read it.  And then wondered if any of that small number will like it.  (Estimated: No.  Published it anyway.))