A close friend has died - unexpectedly - and it is at times like these that you realise just how many things you did together, how you will miss them at other times and the person shaped hole they leave in your life.
Sir Terry Pratchett was quite right - Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken (from Going Postal) and No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away…(from Reaper Man). Rest in peace my friend.
With this friend we had a shared interest in music and the fact we have been to lots of things he would have enjoyed this last week means he has stayed front and centre in my thoughts.
Lindisfarne at the Stables last week was amazing - a good solid set and completely sold out - we thoroughly enjoyed the evening, singing along to their hits. The weekend we spent at the Malcolm Arnold Music Festival - a very underrated British composer. The definite highlight of the festival was a brass band concert to kick off. Arnold was a trumpeter so knew very well how to write amazing pieces for a band. The piece entitled Peterloo Overture with sounding brass and a myriad of percussion kept you front and centre of that violent overreaction by troops all those years ago. The Enderby Brass Band were fantastic and very talented.
Now I'm looking forward to being transported to Northumberland tomorrow - Kathryn Tickell and The Darkening are at The Stables - always worth listening too.
