19 November 2018

As I mentioned earlier, we have concentrated on helping Margaret back to full fitness but this doesnrt mean that we have been housebound. Far from it. We have discovered new restaurants in Javea and have visited our favorite stretch of beach just north of Denia.

The pic on the left is David and Eileen Stringer. They are good people and dear friends who understand the meaning of friendship and truth. I hope they have a wonderful Christmas in the sun.

Steve and Marsha have just returned to California after a two month stay in Denia. I know that they enjoyed themselves and hope to repeat the experience next year.

I recently underwent a cataract replacement and will probably have the left eye repaired in the New Year. The procedure nearly didn´t happen because I managed to poke myself in the eye with a piece
of wood whilst doing a bit of DIY for Margaret. Me and DIY are not a good mix!!!

So, our lives are now picking up a pace again and the diary is full of stuff to do before we arrive in Warrington on 30 December to see the New Year in with Margaret´s mum Helen.

​Since my last Blog on 23 April we have, once again, experienced how efficient and friendly the Spanish health system is. Margaret met with the Head of Oncology at Denia Hospital and this was followed by an appointment with the doctor in charge of radiotherapy at Alzira hospital. Margaret started her 25 treatments of radiotherapy on
​16 May.

I had my six-monthly PSA check and everything is good.

Once again, thanks to all our friends across the world for your love and support over the past few months.

More next time...

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Since my last Blog post our lives have been filled with hospital appointments and focussing on getting Margaret better. Having been told that her operation was a complete success, we are now waiting for her radiotherapy  appointments, which is a normal part of the post-op process. So, I´ve included pictures of other events which occurred during this period.

This beautiful Samoyed is Kota.

Kota was the beloved pet of  Marsha and Steve Glance, our dear friends who live in California.

Sadly, Kota passed away a few days ago.

Margaret and I are constantly amazed and delighted by the thoughtfulness and generosity of people we know in Spain.

​We were in Denia a few days ago when one of the girls who work in Pikolinos shoe shop, called me on my mobile. She asked if we could make our way to the shop as they had a present for Margaret.

When we arrived these beautiful flowers were waiting for Margaret. 

A big thank you to Elia and Ana.

No page would be complete without a picture of Marcus and Giorgio, our beautiful Siamese boys.

​We talk about them and miss them every day.

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Since my last update we have continued to experience the most incredible weather in Spain. This September will see us celebrating our 13th year here and I can´t remember when a January has been so mild. 

We have just returned from a short trip to the UK to spend time with Margaret´s mum in our house in Warrington. The cold weather was the first shock, maybe we are becoming acclimatized to conditions in Spain, so it was an opportunity to breakout the jumpers.

We spent a great morning with Avonia, Margaret´s friend from way back. I hope she is able to visit us here before too long. Also, Margaret has reconnected with Jane, a friend from those distant early nursing days in Warrington.

Just before we left Spain I started to experience the sensations which I knew meant that a cold was on its way. We were most concerned that we would fall prey to the flu virus which is still wreaking havoc across the UK and other parts of the world. Thankfully, just a cold. Margaret is now in the middle of it so I´m doing my best to play nursey nursey.

We drove around a fair bit during our stay and it was either raining or blowing a gale. What stayed with me, most of all, was how grey everything appeared to be. People in the shops and on the streets seemed to be browbeaten, rarely was there a smile to be seen. Such a shame.

Just read that Neil Diamond has retired from concert performances because he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. We saw him twice, a superb artist.

I was awake early this morning, sniffing etc,  listening to the BBC Radio 2 Chris Evans Breakfast Show. The main reason was that Squeeze were playing live. The other guests included Gary Oldman, up for an Oscar for his role as Churchill in the current blockbuster. Evans was asking Glen Tilbrook of Squeeze about their new album and how many of the old landmarks in London have vanished. Tilbrook mentioned that he´d seen the Beatles film A Hard Days Night at the Odeon cinema in Peckham, sadly no longer there. Oldman chipped in that he had also seen A Hard Days Night at the Peckham Odeon. I couldn´t chip in but I had also seen the same film at the Peckham Odeon, around the same time as they had. 

Small world, aint it.

More next time...

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8 January 2018

This blog is about my short career as a presenter on TotalFM 91.8 (formally 96.5) based in Javea on the Costa Blanca.

Back in 2014 my first novel, Lock-Down Blues, had just been published and I was doing book signings and radio interviews. A friend mentioned a newish radio station operating out of Javea so I contacted them and asked if they would be interested in an interview. They said yes.

The interview went well and, afterwards, Margaret and I went for coffee with Wendy Williams, who owned the station with husband Chris. We were discussing music and books and I offered the opinion that a radio show which played blues, R&B and rock would go down well with the listeners on the Costa Blanca. Wendy thought about it and asked if I would be interested in presenting such a show. I laughed and said that I had absolutely no experience as a radio presenter. She smiled and said that the technical aspects could be easily learned, was I up for it? I answered with a nervous laugh and said yes. I spent time with some of the presenters and they were great.

The first Lock Down Blues Show was on Sunday 8 February 2015. I arrived early and watched/listened to Chris Williams present his show. My three hour show was due to begin at 1pm. I sat in the chair and readied myself. As my signature tune, The Rides ´ Talk To Me Baby` started, Chris casually informed me that he was off to meet Wendy for lunch and was sure that everything would be OK.

OK!! I´d imagined that he would be babysitting me. Wrong...

Apart from losing the 3 o´clock news, which is still out there somewhere, all went well. Chris and Wendy came back as I was ending the show. Chris said that they had listened and it was a fair debut. High praise. 

Margaret said that, apart from too many ´ums` and ´sniffs`, it was a good start. I soon realized that I loved doing it and that there were no restrictions on the types of music I played. Over the years I described my music as an eclectic mix of blues, R&B, rock, jazz and folk. Of course, it gave me the opportunity to promote the music of my favorite American band, The Grateful Dead.

Apart from a break when we had to deal with my diagnosis of prostate cancer and the subsequent surgery, I presented a total of 40 shows. 

Four weeks into my first series of shows I arrived at the studio and listened to Chris present his show from a hotel room in South Africa. I was amazed at his ability to be able to make it happen. 
Some annoying windows started to appear on the screen where the music was listed to I diligently clicked on the x in the top right hand corner to make them disappear. After my second click, Wendy rang to tell me that my clicks were cutting Chris off, ruining his show. I immediately stopped and sheepishly waited for my show to start. The following week Chris was great but his mum, who was visiting from the UK, took great delight in reminding me of my mistakes. Chris has taken great delight in reminding me about it over the years.

I was lucky to be able to interview great guests, which included a rock band, a yoga teacher and a doctor. They were all so interesting, making the interviewers job easy.

My shows included regular features, the best being Steve´s Grateful Dead Storybook. Steve and Marsha Glance are great friends who live in California. Steve is a massive Grateful Dead fan and knows so much about them. We decided that it would be great if he could provide stories about the Dead tracks which I loved playing. He agreed and it was a highlight of each show when I got to read out a story before introducing the track. Superb.

My last show, number 40, was a five-hour extravaganza on Sunday 15 October. After a dodgy start, technical hiccups, everything went well. The highlight for me was when, thanks to Chris Williams expertise, Steve was able to present two Grateful Dead tracks live from California. 

The last track I played was the first track I´d played three years before, The Rides ´Talk To Me baby`.

​As I mentioned in the Home Page, the weather here and across Spain has been exceptionally hot. The forecast is for more to come. So, most of our days are spent resting and swimming during the hottest times.

Because of the heat we cancelled our plan to join Victor and Bettina, and their friends from the USA, Andrew and Evelyn, in Seville. But we did spend the time wisely and finally booked our long-awaited trip to Washington, in November. We hope that Steve and Marsha are able to join us for a few days as they did when we visited San Francisco. Next year we plan to return to Japan.

Margaret cooked an amazing clam chowder and served it in the sour dough bread we brought back from San Francisco. Victor and Bettina enjoyed it.

Many of you tune into my Lock Down Blues Show on TotalFM 91.8 on alternate Sunday afternoons from 4-8. We are going from strength to strength, with listeners in America, thanks to Steve. If you would like a request or a dedication let me know by using the Contacts page on this website or find me on Facebook. If you are outside the Costa Blanca area in Spain, you can find TotalFM by using the Tunein app. The next show is on 23 July. Happy to oblige. 

On 11 July we were invited to join David and Eileen Stringer and friends to celebrate David´s birthday. Great food and great company. 

Next week sees my birthday arrive.

More next time.

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Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was released 50 years ago. An incredible piece of music which is just as vibrant and relevant today.

Margaret was in the UK and I was fending for myself. Breakfast with Victor in Denia, coffee with David and Eileen. Nice. Margaret was due back late on the Sunday (14th) so I presented a five hour Lock Down Blues Show on TotalFM 91.8. before collecting her from Alicante Airport. It was great but tiring. We spent the next few days relaxing with early morning visits to the beach.  

Over the past few weeks we´ve enjoyed great meals out with Victor and Bettina,  David and Eileen, 
Kryshia and Brian and Mandy. We´ve also enjoyed great Skype chats with Steve and Marsha in California. 

Late on 22 June (Monday evening) we heard the breaking news of the terrorist attack at Manchester arena. The news was heartbreaking.

We had lovely afternoon visiting Pantha and Mario at their house near Jesus Pobre, enjoying the photo´s from Pantha´s visit to Japan. Seeing them has hardened our resolve to return to Japan before too long

On May 28 I presented my usual four hour Lock Down Blues Show. It was great playing requests for listeners in America and Israel. 

Saturday 3 June saw a terrorist attack on and around the London Bridge area. Once again, the news reports were heartbreaking,

On Sunday 4 June we joined Chris and Wendy and friends for a games evening. This was a first for us and we enjoyed it. Great food and company.

Thursday 8 June saw the UK General Election. There is no sublime just ridiculous. 

On Sunday 11 June I presented my usual four hour Lock Down Blues Show and enjoyed a lovely BBQ at our place with Victor and Bettina and their friends from America, Andrew and Evelyn. We are now dawg sitting Samuel whilst the four of them are enjoying Venice.

Last, but definitely not least, I would like to thank Steve Glance for his Steve´s Grateful Dead Storybook feature on my radio show and for spreading the word.

More next time......

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We spent the three days since my last website post preparing for our trip to San Francisco, leaving Spain early on 31 March en route to Manchester. Following an overnight stay at our usual Clayton Hotel, we flew on to Heathrow.  A short wait before we boarded the 747 to San Francisco. Seated upstairs in business class, the journey was a pleasant mix of good food, watching current movies and sleeping, making our arrival in San Francisco, refreshed. A ´limo´ took us to The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Union Square where we checked in to our suite on the 24th floor. The accommodation and views were superb. 

We spent the first couple of days walking and riding the famous cable car system. A visit to the Cable Car Museum is a must for anyone visiting San Francisco. Our first visit to Fishermans Wharf, Pier 39, introduced us to clam chowder served in sourdough bread. It was excellent.

There was, of course, time to visit the Cartier shop in Union Square.........it was Margaret´s birthday, after all....

On the Wednesday morning we travelled by boat to visit the famous Alcatraz prison.  The place was interesting although, I have to admit, that I´ve worked in prisons where the conditions were not as good. The hotel concierge arranged for us to visit Muir Woods and Sausalito. Stunning scenery and real laid-back California.

On Wednesday afternoon our friends Steve and Marsha Glance arrived from Orange County. They were staying in a hotel close by, for a long weekend.  We visited The Ferry Building where Steve and Marsha savored fresh oysters. As much as we were intrigued, we didn´t have the taste to try one!

Next, a visit to the  Haight Ashbury district home to the ´Summer Of Love´  origins in 1967.  Steve and I were really excited (old hippies indeed),  because it was the place which introduced The Grateful Dead to the world. Visits to City Hall, the De Young museum and  Golden Gate Park ensured that we had a wonderful time. On 7 April the four of us found a lovely Italian restaurant near Union Square to celebrate Margaret´s birthday. Great evening.

A visit, twice in fact, was to the world famous City Lights Bookstore, co-founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti ( pic below ), in North Beach. Controversial and famous for many poets and authors including Jack Kerouac, and home to where the Beat ´Beatnik´generation originated. We bought a couple of poetry books and a journal to record our time in San Francisco. 

Another great place to eat, was The Cats Head BBQ. They served great, unpretentious food, amazing brisket, ribs, biscuits with honey butter,  excellent.. 

We said an emotional goodbye to Steve and Marsha as they left for home on Sunday. 

The cherry Blossom Festival was in bloom in Japantown that weekend . Interesting  chatting with officers from the San Francisco Sheriffs Department, who have responsibility for the prisons in SF. The sheriff gave Margaret one of their shoulder badges. Nice guys. We went back to Fishermans Wharf and spent the next couple of days sightseeing and riding the cable cars. Amazing fun and great scenery, just like the movies.

On Tuesday 11 April we began our journey back to Spain. By this time I was nursing a cold so the comfortable flight was a bonus.  Full marks to British Airways.   Eventually arriving back in La Xara in the early hours of Thursday morning, tired but loaded with souvenirs, photo´s and great memories.

Since our return, two friends Lesley Sharrock and Bill Duff have passed away. Food for thought indeed.

It´s been 12 months since we arrived at our lovely house in La Xara. The village life, and people, suit us perfectly.

My fortnightly, Sunday afternoon Lock Down Blues Show on TotalFM 91.8 is going from strength to strength and it´s great fun selecting the music playing requests.

I´m working on putting together a selection of some of my 300 poems and Margaret is preparing her latest wall hanging, The Summer Of Love Guitar Trio. A work-in-progress pic is on the Artwork page.

This blog has been a joint effort by Margaret and me.

More next time.
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6 January 2017

​2016 started with me waiting to go back into hospital to have a hernia repaired. Fortunately, the operation would be carried out at the Institute of Valencian Oncology (IVO) where I´d had surgery the previous year. Towards the end of January I had the operation, the standard of care as excellent as I´d previously experienced.
We had long admired a small urbanization of white Spanish houses in La Xara, a small village near Denia. Margaret heard that one of the houses was available for rental so we went for a look. We quickly decided that, all circumstances considered, it would be a good time to move. The house has proved to be excellent, old Spanish style with all the mod cons.
After Margaret´s birthday, in April, we set off for New York for the most fantastic experience. The Big Apple was everything we had been told about and more. The New Yorkers we spoke to were incredibly helpful and polite. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria which was a real experience. The place radiated history and the service was incredible. We visited many of the famous places we had heard about, notably Ground Zero which was a humbling experience. The Dakota Building on the north side of Central Park, where John Lennon was killed, was a place for a few moments of quiet reflection. We walked and walked and used the great subway system. We will be returning their sometime soon.

​When we got back to Spain the summer was with us and, as usual, wall to wall sunshine. We are lucky to be able to live in such a beautiful and healthy environment. People who complain that it´s too hot should experience the usual UK weather.
The week leading up to my birthday in July saw me, once again, receiving treatment coutesy of the Spanish Health system after I fell and cracked my head. The treatment was, once again, exemplary. Friends wondered if the accident had nocked any sense into me. The answer is, probably, no.

​The summer also saw the ludicrous situation in the UK known as Brexit. People we know who voted to leave the EU are now not so sure. Still, democracy is still in place and long may it be so.

Victor and Bettina are great friends and we enjoy their company. Steve and Marsh came to Denia from America for their second holiday. Marsha knows the area well. They are now firm friends and great fun. Our friendship with David and Eileen from Pedreguer has gone from strength to strength and we enjoy hearing about their lives and travels.

As you will have read on the Home Page, I´m now back on the TotalFM presenting staff. Chris and Wendy Williams, Mr & Mrs TotaFM, have been incredibly supportive and I´ve now settled on two shows a month. The New Years Day one was an extra.

We had planned to visit America, again, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary but we changed our mind and headed to Japan instead! We based ourselves in Osaka and spent an incredible ten days soaking up the culture and enjoying the people. Visits to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and more, using the Japan Rail system. It is marvellous. The country is so clean and peaceful, the people are truly delightful. We definately plan to return for a longer time. So much more to experience.

Various trips back to the UK, mainly to London´s Hatton Gardens to choose Margarets anniversary gifts, throughout the year. It culminated in us visiting our pal Hilary and family in the North East of England in mid December. We had a great time, a trip down memory lane, some retail in Newcastle, and experiencing the traffic nightmares that are now in the UK. We hope she will be visiting us in the near future.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas and New Year with friends at home.

As I´m typing this we have just finalised bookings for a ten day stay in San Francisco in April.

More next time........