It's X-mas, ho fecking ho!

 I do like humbugs though. Just sent the various recent projects to Tim via wetransfer and am listening to yesterday's thing Mochdre. Today is Saturday and nothing symbolises the baby jesus to me more than my weekly drain check. 

The lava lamp looks so nice I think I'll get another for downstairs. This one is to light up the dark Synthi corner. 

Course it does some of its best work before getting fully warmed up. Dunno if we're walking this week as it's pretty pissy. Had a jolly beer in a noisy pub yesterday, which made a nice change. Think it's a studio day today - need to replace Cirklon's battery and a few other small chores, some tidying.  

Took me longer than it should to replace that battery, mostly because I looked at the wrong video, idiot! Anyway, all done and working again so might have a Cirklon afternoon. Hurt back somehow, just bending over, so will need some form of pain relief. Might have to check out more of those whiskies, which I'm struggling to write meaningful thoughts about. 

Played Accidental Hermit this morning for the first time in a while. I know it ain't one of my more popular albums but I like it a lot, definitely up there with Scottish Suite in quality. I don't listen to my own stuff too often cos I don't think it's healthy - better to listen and be influenced by a more diverse selection, n'est ce pas?

Today, Wednesday, my back ache wasn't as bad. Met my cousin Gary on the way back from Sainsbury's. 

Trying updates for BB and Cirklon - the BB now deletes unused wavs without fucking your project (not tried that for ages though so may have been fixed before)

One of my favourite things: using MS20's button to clock its S&H. Tuning wildness but at any time you can stick on a note that excites you.

I might kill this tomorrow, depends, you know. Not totally sure which tracks went on it, heh

https://wilyepeyote.bandcamp.com/album/2021-bin-gon

HNY!!!

Another dear friend...

 The incomparably wonderful Tony Sawford has left us, still too shocked to write anything more. Without him a lot of great live albums would not exist; his support and hard work always there, dependable to the last. Will write more when I know it. 

Last night I think I worked out the final strands of my plot, which I hadn't been trying for but it just slotted into place. A new track from Don to try and work on today. 

Bugger, I took Pat's phone charger to the yard and when leaving, reversed into someone driving in at the same time. I looked behind me - nothing there, then there was. She hadn't seen that I was reversing and I hadn't seen her either. So I said to let me know and I'd pay towards the repair. Arse! Wish I'd used my car - it beeps if things are behind me. Update: a neighbour informed us this woman regularly swoops into her driveway at high speed and has collided with gateposts on at least two occasions. Now I understand a bit better how it happened - she basically ran into me. Will see if she calls.

Yesterday's walk was good, although not great for photos. My knee held up well with the support borrowed from Anneke, mine arrived so will see how that compares. Today I have a Synthi solo to add to a new tune  the one I did the other day was strangely cheery and twee but done on the Mac. Might see if Tim wants to come tomorrow as Pat's invited Margaret Saturday which might cramp our style somewhat. Would love a few days to dig into novel now I've had a blinding flash of inspiration on how it all hangs together and will end. Not that it matters, I at least have it in my head now, which is good.

Some pix, even though they aren't brill

Monday, some work

 Yeah, I knuckled down a bit today to do some writing I'd promised to do. Made a good impression too, hope to get it mostly done tomorrow bar a bit of spit and polish. Got some US royalties (not a lot), plus it's PRS time again - lower than of late but still higher than I'd expect. Reminds me it's bloody tax time again in January. Anyway, will probably treat myself to an RC-505 mk2, just because. I wonder if I'll hear anything about the Osmose this month?

Got bored with the TD book - it put the TD in tedious actually, which is a surprise. I just don't see the point of so many pages that simply take a walk-through tour of albums and gigs. Rather than read any of them I'm just listening to the recordings.

Finished my writing - will go through it again fresh Friday morning then send off. Walkies today.

Sylvain did one of his wacky reviews of the CD. He seems to hear chords in the first track and accuses me of 'funk' twice, which is a first, but I think his heart is in the right place (Canada?). I suppose this is how a lot of people approach my novels - a lot of words that may, or may not, mean something. See what you think... https://www.synthsequences.com/post/nagle-howard-the-species-gap-2021 Seems like Matt's name confuses people, which is weird as it's more normal than mine. 

Saturday, had to chase postman down the street. He claimed to have pounded on the door but I pointed out that I'd managed to hear the sound of the letterbox but not his mighty first. Demanded he try that knocker thing we'd so naively thought to install. 

Yesterday's track seems ok, although I think I posted the worse of two mixes. Tim coming today so hopefully will be on better form. 

Was misty for this week's walk

 Must see someone about my dicky knee. Was even sore just walking and not even down a steep hill...

CDs arrived

 And they look nice (OK, I didn't get prior approval of the on-CD text but hey, could be worse). Also they sound fine, which you always want to know for sure. All good fun! 

Anyway, Ron kindly sent me a few so there's one for Dave Hill, Tim, John, Tony...

Now then, it's a cold Saturday morning and I'm going to do a bit of writing, send Dave's CD and see what the postman wanted to leave yesterday - although not enough to try the large silver knocker in the middle of the door. I now have all 7 Thursday Next novel, so good to get through those. 

Oh yes, I knew I forgot something, Thursday's walk pix:

Think we've given up on Zhen Zhen. Last night we went for two house 'specials'. Pat got this bland gunk and I got charcoal in batter. Whoever took over should probably employ a cook and soon. 

The new TD book arrived. Seems pretty lightweight though - basically walking you through albums and gigs, pasting in a few interviews, doing a couple of original interview - but not with Franke and Baumann, just a couple of Steves. Still, I'll get through it in between my writing work and whatever chance I get to jot down novel notes. I did just have that sudden tangent which is a fun thing to follow, but it'll have to keep. 

A mild week coming up so here's to walkies, writies and drinkies. Must get more single malt ;)

Cold so doing more novel than studio pottering

 Title says it all really. Pat away on Thursday for a few days grandkidding, so I'll stock up on RK and curry favour with myself for a while. Now I've started writing more about the lizard end of things I'm having more fun, so I suppose that's healthy. The whole thing seems to be working well, to me anyway, although I'll still have to go over it all again at the end adding a bit of description and padding and whatnot. I think it's been helpful to read so much Jasper Fforde - a proper writer showing how it's done. Not that I'm claiming any great strides forwards, sure it'll be as shit as all the rest! ;)

Pablo 'definitely' going home tomorrow. 

I guess I should do more Super 6 testing but seems like the beta testing was a brief thing that's dried up already. And I was away for most of it, getting just a couple of days before the firmware was released. Still feel the mod matrix is wonky in several ways but, also, not a huge thing to me since I don't use it extensively. More pressing is still lack of DDS2 fine tune and that annoying LFO2 behaviour. Suppose I should feed in an external LFO and use the CV input. 

A thought struck me this morning: I've spent decades listening to Roedelius that would have been better spent listening to Moebius. Heresy? 

Well, Pablo went home and was very excited to do so, which is a relief all round. In the evening I put out the collaboration with Paul Ellis, timing unfortunate though as Pat had been counting on my help to wrap presents and picked almost the exact moment I was in deep chat with Paul sorting out the final details. Hadn't realised that I was involved so I was in trouble for not picking up on the signs - led to a gloomy evening with lots of threatened martyrdom and brooding silences. She's off down south tomorrow so hopefully will be in better mood when she comes back. 

Anyway, I'm quite pleased by this and it's nice to work with a fellow stoner, even if so far away. Today (Wednesday) I can't seem to make any headway with anything at all. 

Saturday, excellent track (Dizzard) with Tim. At least it seems that way to my stoned mind right now.

Half ten, finished Tales from the Loop on Netflix, gonna order the score. Now a last G&T and some novel stuff while the 3 hour reindeer thing rungs in the background. Bliss. 

Yep that's about it.

Friday again

 Although I'm sure it won't be when I hit the 'publish' button. A nice bright day and I hope to get some studio time - back to the old 4-sided as I think I've done enough for now on the Soup testing. Only slight issue is the dog still being here but hopefully that will be sorted this weekend. It isn't that I don't like the pooch - I do - but I'm not ready for another, and if I was it wouldn't be a daschund. 

Tim and I jammed a few things yesterday that are sounding rather cool today. Two different mixes and they could almost be entirely different tracks, but listening unstoned there's much to enjoy in both. Makes me think we should get some of the newer things together for a release, even if nobody in the world is terribly interested.

I have the album with Paul Ellis ready to go, just as soon as he's out of Facebook jail. Should also chase Matt / Ron and see about the Groove release, could get that uploaded too then I needn't worry about misplacing the audio. I have more material too but no rush to put anything else out - one track went onto the latest Sequences, which is four hours long so dunno if I'll ever get through it all. 

Which reminds me - I must check my recordings from the trip away and get something into the GR-1. 

Ooh, just checked Groove's site and the CD is available. Good job I looked!

http://www.groove.nl/cd/g/gr-320.html

Surprisingly they offer it as a download - not something I'd expected, although I guess I should have. All I said up front was I'd hold off my bandcamp for a while to allow CD sales a head start. Hey ho, all good. Dog still here, meant to be another 10 days...

Occurred to me today that the four BlackBox pads I filled today could be supplemented by three more lots of four, one for each of my setups. The 4x4 division almost makes it an essential thing. Will be interesting to see if any variations in the BB's perceived tempo from three diff sources. Anyway, if I move to setup 1 tomorrow and the top row of four, that sounds like a plan. 

---tickety tock---

It's Saturday but a week later. Groove CDs are on the way, apparently well-received so far, so that's good. What else to tell  you? Well, we went to Grasmere again, this time trogging up to Easedale Tarn, then continuing (much) higher. Good walk though if slightly longer than anticipated, what with the sun setting so early. Friday was a splendid afternoon Headshocking - just playing the result, 'A nice day in Tonedale', as I type - mellow and fab it is. Was somewhat stoned so made mixing error and got some samples mixed in with our playing but hey, effectus super absolutionem, right? Pablo 'definitely' going back on Tuesday. Admit I'll miss him but will be happy to be dog-free again. Pat will pine though, I can tell. Anyway, some pix from the week and the walk...

Oh that last one was from our late but fruitful outing, Tuesday IIRC. A reminder that late can be good on them thar hills. 

Back after a week in Borrowdale

 Got back but to a quickly frosty reception due to dog-minding escapade but hopefully smoothed now. Hard to get across the point about the importance of using your creatives juices right when they've just been boosted by a period of beauty and calm. Anyway, Saturday today and I did get some testing of new firmware, maybe sent more beta reports than system enjoys but hopefully did useful work. Then I started a very quick thing on the sequencer and recorded it and a basic drum loop into the BB. Would have loved to spend hours more on this kinda shit but hey, hopefully those batteries won't go flat too quick.

Sunday tomorrow, hope I can get to mum's wot with processions. Yeah, got there and spent a while longer on the new piece and beta testing. Amazingly they are going to release the firmware today, just a week after testing began. Seems rushed but what do I know?

Will try and do more this afternoon, depending on dog and vibe. 

Hmm, Thursday again. Went to Helm Crag (Grasmere) yesterday. Today I might get something done but dog still here and Pat battling a cold so who knows. Anyway here are three shots from the phone. 

This one either has Zaphod Beeblebrox in it or Tony moved as I did my panorama sweep: