26/08/2007 by Andrew Smith.

As the weather was nice yesterday, we decided to have our “summer holiday” while we had the chance (we skipped a proper holiday this summer because George is still only 3 months old). Rather than go down to Littlehampton, as we have for previous day-trips, we went a little furthe afield in search of a sandy, rather than pebbly, beach. We settled on West Wittering, which I’m sure I’d heard of for some other reason. Its name makes it sound very genteel, so maybe it was the location for a gory murder mystery or somesuch.
Anyway, after a (longer than necessary, thanks to satnav?) drive, we passed through some picturesque little villages and arrived at a an absolutely packed car park next to a lovely, huge, sandy, well-populated but certainly not crowded beach. We arrived quite late, by which time some people were already on their way home. The tide was way out, so Thomas and I set off to the sea with our buckets, playing in the tide pools and rivulets on the way. Jess looked after George, and we were pleasantly relieved that he didn’t “go ballistic” on his first experience of sand and sea. Maybe earlier is better, rather than waiting until the following summer as we did with Thomas…

On the way back, we stopped for supper at a family pub called The Black Horse in Apuldram. Jess had cottage pie, while I had cajun tuna… I won! Thomas ordered pasta, but didn’t really eat it; by this stage he was absolutely wiped out! George had his final bottle of the day, and slept from just before we set out at 8.30pm right through until 8am today! (Although Jess tells me his eyes were wide open when I carried him in from the car)

So, the verdict is that West Wittering is lovely, and we’ll certainly go back there again… maybe even later this summer, if the weather holds.

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26/08/2007 by Andrew Smith.

… intended more as a short-term means-to-an-end than a replacement for my Takamine EG 523 SC “super-jumbo” acoustic guitar… but now I’m not sure.

Basically, on Friday night Jess and I went to the cinema in Maidenhead. In the window of Sheargolds we saw a lovely bright yellow half-size strat that would make an excellent Christmas present for Thomas. The deal in the shop was that if you bought any guitar in two mid-price Tanglewood model ranges, you could buy the strat for £10 rather than £100. So, yesterday morning I went back and spent half an hour playing a few, and walked out with the strat and a TW-145SC for £260. So, about £100 less than the Taka’s list price, but £50 more than I paid for it.

My intention was to sell the Tanglewood “as new” but having played it a little, I’m wondering if it’s better suited to my style of playing than the Takamine (at least, until I get an evening to put some lighter strings on the Taka…). It has less of a Wow-factor but sounds good without having to dig in so much (or maybe that’s just the strings…) I’ve left the tags on, and kept the box (no case) so I can decide which one to sell over the next week or two.

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04/08/2007 by Andrew Smith.

I’ve been reflecting this morning on how lucky I am. Not just the usual time/place relative to the rest of humanity or gratitude not to have been caught up in recent more local tribulations (flooding, and yesterday’s announced outbreak of foot and mouth).
On a more personal level, I’m surrounded by family and friends (physically, but also metaphorically, however far away they might be) . I’m working in a job I enjoy and do well, and in being a musician I have a hobby that I love but that can also earn me money (over the past couple of years, I’ve paid for all my new instruments etc from gig money - and I have got some lovely new toys recently!).

In an even shorter term, I’m feeling particularly lucky today because, at just over 10 weeks, our second son, George, has just started sleeping through the night (today was the first morning in a long time that I’ve been woken by Thomas, who always comes in to visit at 6.30am). So, I’m more rested than I’ve been for months. And what’s more, Jessica and I are going into London today, to spend the night at a very posh hotel in Mayfair, to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary and her birthday a few weeks late.

So, as I pour my second cup of yummy coffee, I’m feeling lucky right now

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