Wild flowers and set lists

Meadow Cranesbill - Geranium pratense

Aint it funny we went to Orton Staunch and turned left and. Searched high and low and found one single Meadow Cranesbill, and that had been squashed by a fishermans equipment but we stood it up and photographed it. The next week we turned right and walked straight into acres of the things. They were everywhere.

Similarly we found one single Lords and Ladies at one site. Spent an hour searching for it to photograph it. Then the next week somewhere else we couldn't move for the blighters.

Tonight my boy Jamie and I found a new site called Castor Hanglands. It's a English Nature site of special interest. It's hard to find. I had to use my ordnance survey map to find it. As a result it's almost untouched. It was obvious walking down the paths that not many people go there. Unfortunately it's late in the season. So most of the wild flowers have died back. We found a few but it was pissing down with rain and too dark to focus my camera. But we carried on just looking about at the remnants of the flowers. Next year we'll know.

On Sunday Del and I have a gig at the Whistle stop, Tallington. It's usually heaving in there. Del told me we're expected to play for 2 hours. It's usually two 45 minute sets. So last night we were dredging up a load of songs that we know but had forgotten about to fill in time. It could be three sets. Tuesday night we were rehearsing at the pub. Or rather I was rehearsing. Del was doing paper work for his job. So I just went through a load of songs while he scratched his pad. He called it learning by Osmosis. I was on a roll and played song after song. Del stopped me and said "We've got to have a bit of chat between songs or we'll run out of material too quickly."

I don't know but I'm not too worried. I just start playing and carry on. That's me. We should have a set list but in the past whenever we've had a set list we've stuck to it for the first three songs and then winged it. No two gigs are the same. This is Dels fault of course. He is the one who has taught me this bad habit of winging it.

Actually all I need is a list of songs I know. I get on stage and forget what songs I know. I dry up because I can't think of what to play next. Even though I know a shit load of songs. This happens especially when I do the short charity gigs. I go on stage and I haven't a clue what to play. So I play the first four or five songs I think of then come off stage and immediately think I could have played this I could have played that.

So Sundays gig is going to be mental. I'm not worried. I know I can do it. It's a piece of piss. But the problem is remembering al the songs we know. Because we never stick to a set list. But then that's our problem not yours.

Rock on dudes