From Hank to Hendrix (6/1/14)

This is one of those days where life changes without you knowing. In a passing comment, I mention that there's a piece in the Echo about a writing competition.

This is the day I stayed writing theatre.

Obviously I always knew that I'd be back at some point, always intended to pop in every now and then when I had something to say, I just didn't anticipate that I'd feel the need to write after a break of three days.

I started getting antsy on the 4th of January in the car on the way home from work; realised that I was going home and not picking up the iPad, not writing, not opining in any way and started to worry that the writing muscle was already starting to atrophy, felt the need to start again immediately.

I resisted the urge. Decided on a Saturday night in instead. Sunday night was writing the match report  on Liverpool's not entirely glorious cup victory over Oldham so I fought it off again, decided that I'd write when I had something to say.

And what dragged me back from a self imposed exile that lasted a full 144 hours? The news that George Osborne was warning that hard decisions still need to be made while his boss talked of emerging tax cuts to anybody gullible enough to vote for his gobshite government in 2015 thereby suggesting that Tories are a bunch of lying bastards?

No.

The piece in the echo that announced a script writing competition based on a ten minute two hander piece for stage? Do I have a ten minute two hander? Too bloody right I do and it's a cracker.

But it wasn't that.

No.

This.

I turned the TV on. J is in Edinburgh, first day of meetings on a three month contract so I was in charge of feeding and watering the kids. Chicken Balti with red and green peppers. Quite pleasant if I do say so myself. And I do.

I sat down with my portion and the intention of flicking through the channels before turning to the contents of our Sky+. I saw Griff Rhys Jones covering the beauty of Snowdonia then moved upwards to Sky Arts. And there was Neil Young. Silver and Gold, his 1999 acoustic tour, halfway through 'Long May You Run' on a church organ.

He ended this, moved back to his guitars, picked up an acoustic, strapped on a harmonica and hit the beginning of 'Harvest Moon'.

Harvest Moon, the album that covered the end of mine and J's life in Hull and the start of our time in Leeds. The album is a gentle classic about aging, moving on in life and holding on to where you've been while you look for new places to go . The title track is about how much Neil loves his wife after all their time together.

"Because I'm still in love with you, I want to see you dance again, because I'm still in love with you, on this Harvest Moon"

It's beautiful, simple and honest. It may be the perfect love song and it's one of 'our' songs and it becomes more so with every year. It says pretty much everything that you would want to say about a life well spent.

J's away tonight but she's always with me.

New year. Same old me. Happy with that concept.

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