What have you been putting off doing? Why? Not quite as much as in the picture, but it’s 5000 steps to mow my lawns. It’s a good hours worth if not more of plodding along, longer if I use a grass box. So I need to be prepared both mentally and physically. The big problem at the end of the season is finding a day when the grass isn’t wet. Wet grass is difficult to mow as it clogs the mower up and rips it out of the ground instead of cutting it.

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)? That’s me in the school cap! That’s my nan and little brother, both no longer with us, bless them. I’ve always had a child-like curiosity for things and still enjoy a good cartoon, Tom & Jerry being favourite. Many of the fairer sex often say that men are just like little boys just grown bigger, I tend to agree. We do stupid things, get angry, drive too fast, don’t think things through. We fight, get drunk and generally make nuisances of ourselves.

I look at my stats from time to time—I try to see some hidden patterns, the mysterious algorithm that changes an average post to a viral one. I originally started this blog as a vehicle for promoting my books, but it now has a life of its own. It’s a means of venting my spleen and saying things that would otherwise be unsaid. It would be nice to have a little recognition or even feedback on my writing, but now I realise this is not an overnight success story. I fight to the surface of a vast ocean paddling frantically to get my voice heard over the screams and cries of other writers.

Louth Search Dogs, Lincolnshire UK. An entirely voluntary organisation of which I am proud to be a member. We provide the Lincolnshire Police with our services of Search and Rescue dogs, trained to find missing persons. Once a year the dogs are tested in their role by the police. The test is to ensure the search techniques and protocols are upheld to the highest professional levels and only half a dozen dogs can achieve the level set. We are called out to search for high risk missing persons, often elderly or with mental issues, where speed in finding them is vital.

What's something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail. God loves a trier, is an English proverb. It means God (or simply life) favours those who persist in trying something that may not necessarily result in immediate success. I must admit that I will try anything once. The picture shows Lily my furry friend, a prime example of trying something and succeeding, which someone else had given up on before even attempting. Rejected as a puppy by someone who looked at her as an impossible task, I took her on with the view that “what could go wrong?” Not much really, she’s become a delightful companion and helped me through some difficult personal times by just being there.

What was the hardest personal goal you've set for yourself? I’m not sure what motivated me, perhaps watching others in the Royal Air Force. I was qualified to run jet engines, test systems and so on. I enjoyed my career, as a bandsman and then an aircraft technician. But fly one? Never thought about it till I’d left the RAF. I had a successful business, so a rich man’s hobby was something I could indulge in. I wasn’t particularly interested in fancy cars or racehorses, I had a trophy wife (expensive) too.

We don’t get Super Harvest Moons, we get Super Duper Moons here in Darkest Lincolnshire….no street lights or neighbours so we get the full effect! I took the pics through the bedroom window pane, hence the slight double effect. Even so I think they’re Awesome!

Who are your favorite artists? The Persistence of Memory must be one of my favourite pieces by the late, great Salvador Dali. Artist and showman, eccentric and extrovert, his antics rarely kept him out of the limelight for long. His work influenced my own attempts as I studied art, and even now I find myself gravitating back to his paintings for inspiration. The colours and draughtsmanship are captivating, my spirit connects with his work. He has managed to capture the abstract nature of our lives. It is only later in life that I’ve had more opportunity to look at his work and appreciate his brilliance.

What is your favorite hobby or pastime? After all this time, my favourite pastime is playing my saxophone! I’ve managed to make a living doing it too, so I’ve been paid for doing what I love! Jazz sax is my number one favourite genre, but soul, funk, blues are also great fun to play. I wouldn’t say I’m the best player by far, but my enthusiasm makes up for my technical shortcomings and a good ear and improvisational skills helps. I do dep work, that is, stand-in jobs for regular players in established bands when they’re on holiday or poorly.

What would you do if you lost all your possessions? Losing everything is not pleasant. Some put more value on possessions than others. Myself? Things have no hold on me thankfully. I lost everything the first time in an acrimonious divorce. I came home from work one evening and my house was still there, but completely empty—totally gutted, including the carpets and light fixtures. In the middle of the lounge floor in splendid isolation was our wedding photo album. I got the message, never saw even a deck of dust again from that marriage.

What's a topic or issue about which you’ve changed your mind? We’re constantly bombarded with information in our modern world. The smartphone has seen to that. No subject is taboo and few secrets are hidden now. With a few swipes we have almost any information we need. We also have a lot of misinformation too. So why is there misinformation? What is it? It ranges from the omission of facts to downright lies. What does it achieve? This is where I’ve changed my mind on the topic of information. From a benign and impartial reporting of events that have taken place, a 15 minute TV slot early evening, we now have 24 hour news.

Thank you for subscribing to my blog page! 50 subscribers is a big thing for me, at least! I try to write from the heart and be honest, sometimes what I write is painful both to me and you, but it’s truth. I feel that’s important since there is so much deception on the internet. So, thank you again for subscribing and your support too! X

Tell us about a time when you felt out of place. I have always felt out of place. I always feel that I’m not really part of anything. I may be present at an event but not included. Everybody else looks to be engaging and linked in, but I feel like I’m on the outside. I often feel like I’m the only one in a room of people who hasn’t got the joke. Like I’ve missed the punchline. I laugh to try and give the impression of being one with the crowd, but I know I’m an imposter.

Your life without a computer: what does it look like? Fifty years ago the office had a fax and a telephone with a dial. Forty years ago the office had a fax, a telephone with a dial and a small television screen that spewed unintelligible green digits out. Nobody really knew what it was meant to do, and it was another inconvenience to an already busy working day. Thirty years ago the office had the same box but with some interesting pretty colours flashing in it and it made intriguing burbling and squeaking noises if an initiate pressed certain buttons on its typewriter keyboard.

What skill would you like to learn? As a student I studied music, and one of the things that was essential at higher level was a basic knowledge of the piano. Why was this? Well, the structure of chords and what makes them up, and how classical music is, quite literally, built. The piano is the perfect instrument to be able to build these complex structures step by step. So I could use the piano to examine all this, and how music is constructed, but I was by no means a piano player.

What details of your life could you pay more attention to? If there’s one thing guaranteed to bring me out in a cold sweat, it’s socialising. Mixing with people is the toughest thing for me to do. An event, such as a fundraiser is nigh on impossible for me. To mingle, make small talk, exchange pleasantries and chat would require sedation. The strange thing is I can get up and actually enjoy entertaining people musically. I love to play in front of crowds of folk, but hold a conversation in a group?

What's your #1 priority tomorrow? When you get to a certain age, waking up is not always a certainty. Waking up dead is a distinct possibility as one gets older. We all talk glibly about how we want to die when we’re younger. Go out in a blaze of glory, or skidding sideways into the grave are two which get bandied about in conversation. I tried once, accidentally that is, to die. I fell off a mountain, thirty metres down a near vertical shale slope, hit a granite boulder and came to an abrupt stop.

In what ways does hard work make you feel fulfilled? The only hard work I ever do is gardening. Physically it’s the only work I do. I haven’t worked hard ever, if the truth be known. Playing music and entertaining certainly isn’t hard work I’ve said it before, if you’ve got to work, make it something you really enjoy doing. After yesterday’s marathon attempt, today’s blog will be a bit skinnier, I’m already dozing off as I write. So going back to the original prompt may see me falling asleep and accidentally kicking the chamber pot into the bargain. Yes, time for sleep…..

What’s the trait you value most about yourself? I’m perfectly happy on my own, I don’t crave company. I certainly value that trait. For as long as I can remember I’ve been like that, right back into childhood. I never had friends for very long as we were always moving around the country with my father’s job. I gave up making friends because no sooner than I’d got a friend we were moving again. I had 8 changes of school, and countless new homes. So I became very reliant on myself because I lived in a constantly changing environment.

List three jobs you'd consider pursuing if money didn't matter. I don’t think I’ve ever done a job I’ve not enjoyed doing. Well, except the night shift security guard at a long term airport car park. That sucked, I lasted a week. It was the snakes, the place was crawling with them, and they all wanted to check me out. I didn’t even wait for the pay check—money certainly didn’t matter with that one. Three jobs I’d love would all probably be well paid anyway: Astronaut, Wildlife photographer and Motorcycle Stunt Rider.

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in? A mere 300 years ago Britain was Great. We had a Royal Navy that commanded every sea around the world. It seems astonishing that our tiny island held the rest of the world in its sway. I’m certainly not in agreement with a lot of the practices that went on at that time, and we have hopefully moved on from press gangs, slavery and flogging. The fact that a man could be enjoying a beer in a pub, get bashed on the head, and wake up aboard a Royal Navy ship bound for God knows where seems unbelievable.

What brands do you associate with? If you use social media or are involved in any sort of business venture then this is something you will be acutely aware of. Branding is big money. One that always springs to mind is the humble vacuum cleaner. In the UK we don’t vacuum the carpet, well not in my time—we hoover it! Hoover is a brand. It started up just after WW1 in Ohio in the US. A floor cleaner that established itself in the UK as the leading brand just after WW2, so successful the brand name Hoover entered the English language as a verb.

I’m always looking for more opportunities to play paid gigs, especially this time of year when things slacken off. As a professional musician it’s a fight against open mic nights and venues closing daily in the UK. I decided during Covid that it was time to stop playing professionally and just do what I fancied, but demand has pulled me back into the spotlight again. It would seem that there’s a shortage of players now, and this year has seen an upturn in trade. It’s just as well, as I love entertaining and missed it terribly during lockdown in the UK.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received? Probably the only advice I ever took on board. As a jazz player, listening is as important as playing. It’s interactive music and the gaps between notes are as important as the notes themselves. Listening to the other players, who’s soloing, what feel are they trying to share with the audience and their fellow musicians. “Having a good ear.” Listening to others before playing a single note. It was sound advice given to me many years ago. Less is more sometimes. Although I admire the technical skill of some players rattling off a million notes a minute, for me it’s often the more languid solo well phrased that hits home.

Without a doubt, a good night’s sleep is the thing which recharges my battery. I adopted the medieval practise of a first and second sleep many years ago, waking in the small hours for around an hour before sleeping until sunrise. In the summer I also have a siesta, since the night is so short. If my sleep is interrupted by barking dogs or an unusual noise, I can usually get right back to sleep. I’m certainly not an insomniac. Eight hours sleep split in half is enough to fully recharge my battery.