How are you today?

[d.a.walker]

Hello

Always seem to be saying sorry whenever I call in because it's always so long between posts!!

Hope everyone is doing well, I've been battling various respiratory illnesses and just been diagnosed with asthma, which all in all sounds a lot worse than it actually is provided I avoid air conditioners!

Just had my mother out to visit me, unfortunately during a continuous 15 day period of 35 degree + weather, which she found quite relentless and ended going home a couple of days early. The downside of Australia, it's gets bloody hot here She went back last Monday, and may or may not have throat cancer, she has to have more test and I'm hoping very much that it's something else.

Been doing consulting and writing in the interim, my new album sessions have kicked off and have proved very productive. Aiming to have it finished by mid 2013, stripped down minimal and very much gothic folk in sound, I'm much more relaxed this time around and had some fantastic vocal coaching that has really let my voice flourish. Record the below song just the other day and I'm really quite proud of it:

https://soundcloud.com/d-a-walker/hazelwood

Otherwise I've been immersing myself in the sounds of The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Del Amitri, Lisa Mitchell and Sarah Blasko (last two are Australian singers and mighty mighty fine!) as well as constantly rewatching and trying to decipher Berberian Sound Studio, amazing film...

Might be playing some gig pretty soon too, so if you find yourselves in Adelaide...

[RobB]

Hope it turns out to be a false alarm for your mother,Daniel.

Very much enjoyed your song,particularly with that kind of harp / sitar/ harpsichord / guitar sound.

[blue]

Best of luck to your mum, Daniel.

Sorry to hear you've developed asthma now, unfortunately when you have a genetic predisposition to one auto-immune illness like arthritis, as we both do, it can leave you vulnerable to developing others. I wasn't diagnosed with asthma until I was nearly 40 and it was such a shock. Still, it is at least a manageable condition, and the good thing for you is being in the Australian climate - apparently the heat out there helps asthma.

Your song is beautiful! That harpsichord-like sound is gorgeous, made me think of DDI-era Tori. *sob* That's a very exposed vocal for you as well, clearly the coaching has boosted your confidence.

[RobB]

Last Saturday afternoon the Arthritis Research UK charity shop in Colchester (where I volunteer as a sales assistant) was visited by MP Sir Bob Russell as part of a planned promotional visit. I got to serve Sir Bob,selling him a few bit and pieces.....he even bought a raffle ticket.

[sound world]

For a visit from a Tory MP, I would wear a 'Ding Dong! the witch is dead!' T-shirt.
May she rot... etc....

And see if said MP could live out of a charity shop for a few months.

[RobB]

Hey,leave off poor old Maggie....she was our finest prime minister.

Btw, Sir Bob is a liberal democrat......erm,politics is not your specialist subject, is it Dave?

[sound world]

It was the blue tie confused me

[pgss]

The last post was on the 10th of april.... You're probably all too busy listening to Stina's new album?

[sound world]

I wish...
It's hard to post here when hardly anyone else posts and there's no news...but then forums seem to be unfashionable now. Another forum I have used for years has suddenly and inexplicably gone very quiet, hardly ever a post.
Anyway, nice to see you here, Paul!

[pgss]

Hi Dave, good to see you here too. But it's true. I hardly ever post on forums, while a couple of years back I was very active on that. But this is the only forum I pop by nowadays. Just hoping there's news.

[blue]

I did post in the movies topic the other day but nobody replied / saw it.

Well I actually have some news so I shall post it. A couple of weeks ago I had decided to look for another job, as my current workplace turned out to not be the most pleasant place to work - the company has a very poor attitude to its staff, the manager who initially seemed very nice has turned out to be a bit of an arsehole with a liking for sacking people over the stupidest things, he's got rid of several colleagues I liked for no reason at all really (one because she took a few days off work with a chest infection!)

Anyway, I came into work two weeks ago on the Sunday to find myself given a bollocking because on the previous Sunday, I had arrived in work according to the manager at 9.59am (my shift started at 10am so I was there for store opening), but on my sign in sheet I had written 9.57am (obviously the time it said on my phone). I kid you not. I was accused of 'lying'. Needless to say, I was bloody furious. I told my till team manager the same day that I would be looking for another job, but of course with the employment situation being what it is, I was prepared for it to take quite some time. The past two weeks have been very difficult and I've felt very low. There is nothing worse than working in a place you no longer want to be. And facing the prospect of trying to find another job, going for interviews and inductions etc again .... ugh.

But the strangest and most wonderful thing has happened. On Thursday last week I got a call from a former colleague at my old employer, Julian Graves, to say that the chap who originally started the company and ran it for 20 years before selling to Holland and Barrett has started up again with just ten shops - including the one in my town! The call was to offer me my old job back.

I think I'm still in shock. Of course I jumped at it - going back to my little shop is amazing after the experience I've had in the big department store these past seven months, and the best thing is that it's the proper Julian Graves, the family run, lovely, respectful company that I orginally joined, not the awful Holland and Barrett version. The very fact that they have gone to the effort of tracking down their former staff and asking them to come back speaks volumes about how they value their workers.

I am so, so happy. I can't believe this has happened just at the exact time I needed another job! Amazing.

[sound world]

Sometimes things turn out for the best!
Great news, Beth.
I've hardly ever worked for 'the man' but I know I would hate all that power stuff.
By the way I did see your post in the movie thread and was going to reply...but didn't.

Who's that in your avatar? I suppose I should know but I'm rubbish on celebs.

[blue]

Ah thanks Dave, gosh it really couldn't have come at a better time. I'm so happy and excited to get back in there and get the store up and running again. I was telling everyone I served at B+M over the weekend and they were all delighted to hear we're reopening.

That is Mr. Spacey in my avatar, I rather love the moody feeling of the pic.

I'm looking after Rocco today and I've just noticed he is wearing pink nailpolish on his toes. I'm pretty sure he didn't do that himself. My daughter must have been very bored on her day off yesterday.

[RobB]

I was telling everyone I served at B+M over the weekend and they were all delighted to hear we're reopening.

Is that B&M Bargains? They've opened up an out-of-town store about five minutes walk from here. Quite handy for car drivers. They seem a bit like QD or Wilkinsons,but a little more downmarket..... I got some really cheap tinned soup from there the other day.

In a way your unpleasant boss has done you a big favour in treating you so appallingly .....had you really enjoyed your work at B+M, then you would have been in a quandary as to whether to stay where you are or to go back to with Julian Graves. I'm so pleased for you that its all worked out so well for you.

[sound world]

..... I got some really cheap tinned soup from there the other day.

Horsemeat perhaps??