Postcards From The Coast - Volume 3

Happy Spring finally! Or is it?

For those of you who believe in hibernating and cosying up through those dark winter hours the clocks have turned forward so you better start limbering up.

Yes, I know you want more time to finish off the latest tv series you’ve been binge watching but barring those horrid rainy days that we get through the UK summer, it is time to start looking more towards outdoor activities. I’m talking more of those evening strolls, a dip or two in the sea if you’re able and of course some acoustic sunset sessions.

This however is a recap of March, and as is common in the UK, March tricked us at least a couple of times, teasing us with a few days of sunshine where the dial reached the barmy mid-teens before shunting us back to reality with an arctic wind so cold I had to retrieve my winter jacket back from storage.

Winter jackets were the order for the start of my month as well. As alluded to in last month’s postcard, I spent some time in the mountains. It was a wonderful break which treated me to some sunshine, skiing (a new skill I managed to learn, thankfully without injuring myself) and a view of the mountains from the window.

It was peaceful and exciting even if on arrival to Krakow a very real three-hour delay to make it through customs awaited. Some people complained, some people were angry, some were upset, others laughed, whilst a lot of people were caught between boredom and tiredness.

Nevertheless, it took us all the same amount of time to make it through, I guess there is a lesson in there somewhere.    

Back home with memories of mountains and friendly faces at the forefront of my mind, work on creative projects has been positive. My new EP has seen the most progress with the production on one new track finished and a few more well on the way.

I’ve also dusted off the electric guitar for these songs which has been a lot of fun after overlooking it entirely for the last project. With everything you don’t do in a while I was a little rusty at first, but I managed to pull myself towards myself and use it to create something I’m really excited to share this summer.

I must also admit it was a wrestle to get back into the flow of work after taking a break away. The joy and excitement of doing something new or exploring a new place can make the return to the day-to-day life seem mundane as well as make it difficult to rejoin the road on the way to the goals that you’ve previously set.

Now I know breaks are necessary, we can’t keep our nose to the grindstone constantly, but I found a couple of things that were useful to keep in mind whilst trying to get back into the groove of things.

1.        Make sure to do something towards the goal no matter how small

2.        Don’t put pressure on yourself to be on top form straight away

It sounds so simple, but I’ve found number one can often prove the biggest stumbling block. Instead of moping about or thinking of all the reasons it might not work it’s far easier to throw yourself back into it and get started again. One way for it definitely not to work is not to try!

Mini motivational segment over, I’m also proud to announce that I’ve been selected on a 30-artist shortlist to play at Lakefest 2026. The current round on the Road to Lakefest is a public vote where the top 18 artists with the most votes progress to the live semi-finals. It would be a privilege to make the next round as playing live is always where I have the most fun. If you, plus your nearest and dearest, have a spare minute to vote just below and help me make it to the live showcase to represent this little corner of Devon, I’d be extremely grateful.

https://www.lakefest.co.uk/rtl-vote/

To wrap things up, besides aiming to get the opportunity to play at Lakefest, I’m looking to play a little further afield this year, I’ve been doing my own research and contacting venues but if there is a venue or café, library or location you would like to see me play this year, drop me a message or a comment and I’ll see what I can do!

Until then, happy Spring!

Upcoming Gigs : 26th April - The Collective at Woolsery

Postcard No. 3 - Up on the mountains of Bialka Tatrzańska enjoying all the views!