Looking Forward

Spring Bulbs RHS Rosemoor

One of the great things about gardeners is that we are always looking forward, much of our work is about making the gardens look good, or be productive, next season. Over the last few months I have been planting spring bulbs, pruning summer flowering shrubs, as well as clearing up leaves ~ not simply to make things look better now, but to allow the grass to "breath" so it gets off to a good start in the spring, and to make leaf mold for use next year. I suspect that works it's way into the rest of my life as well. At the moment I am planning my retirement, now I am in my mid-sixties I am finding work is becoming a little more arduous. Certainly, too much for me to manage every day and then expect to play music in the evening. So, my plan is to cut right down to just one day per week, I want to spend more time writing and arranging music, I want to go to exhibitions, I want to go to concerts I'm not playing in, I want to keep this blog up to date, maybe try some other writing as well.

Autumn Leaves is also one of my favorite songs 

This was all meant to be happening back in September, but as we now near the end of November I still haven't been able to put my plan fully into action. Certainly, I felt bad about leaving customers, but there have also been some added financial implications. I made all my plans on the basis of how much it cost me to live in 2021 ~ that budget is now well and truly blown out of the water! Just like everybody else my food, my electricity, my fuel, and everything else are costing more, it looks as though I may have to do a bit more than I had hoped ~ simply to keep the wolf from the door!

At the same time I am trying to do everything else as well. I am now regularly conducting three bands, while still playing with CSB and the LGSO, this Saturday afternoon I will be playing with Cross the Line blues band. Around the start of November I realised that I had at least one performance every weekend left this year, it's always busy in the lead up to Christmas but this year feels busier than ever ~ maybe it's just me getting older!

One of my bands has just introduced a new number into our repertoire, the Beatles song "When I'm Sixty Four" ~ for me it's too late I am 64! I won't ask if you still love me.