Monday 17 September 2012

A NOTE FROM ZEB


I have seen
The darkest place
And I have been
To the wrong side -of this- town
And I have seen
The future cry
And I have been
To the edge and looked right down
Don’t you ever change
Don’t you ever change
Cause my one last drop of faith
Is in your eyes
My one last ray of hope is in your eyes
So don’t you ever change


I have seen
The sun go down
And steal the light
That shone upon my dream
And I have screamed
The silent scream
And felt your hand
Slip away from mine
Don’t you ever change
Don’t you ever change
Cause my one last drop of faith
Is in your eyes
My one last ray of hope is in your eyes
So don’t you ever change

Someone whispered in my ear
They shot the last bird from the sky
A white feather floated down
And I asked my angel why
And for the first time in my life
My angel gave me no reply
I caught the feather in my hand
They shot the last bird from the sky
They shot the last bird from the sky

I have seen
And I have lived
And I have loved
And lost ……………
Don’t you ever change
Don’t you ever change
Cause my one last drop of faith
Is in your eyes
My one last ray of hope is in your eyes
So don’t you ever change
Don’t you ever change
From ZEB........

Saturday 8 September 2012

Turkish Storm

The clear blue sky suddenly turned black. I was floating on my back in the swimming pool and warm rain began to fall. The sound of thunder over the mountain and the shutters blowing open and shut and ozone in the electric air. Surreal and beautiful.
In the valley i could hear the stray dogs barking and out to sea the colour changed from turquoise to charcoal. I went to my bedroom and opened all the sliding doors to my veranda which looks out to sea on one side and to the imposing mountains on the other. I sat there on the bed and watched and listened to the storm unfold.
Earlier i had walked down the steep hills into town to have a Turkish shave and massage. He was an artist with the razor, gentle, proud and precise. It was a fantastic experience and ended with a vigorous shoulder, neck, head and arms massage. When finished he said "Now you have face like baby!"
Downstairs in this wonderful 3 storey villa, my sister Moira is marinating the lamb with lemon juice, honey, garlic and rosemary and as the storm leaves us as quickly as it came, Tom brushes away all the water from the patio area and opens the bag of coals for the barbecue. Amazingly, the sky is blue again and the dogs fall silent.
My phone is switched off and Lewis is updating me with any news (i told him i only want to hear good news) from back home where everything is crazy. Our song THIS CITY has been added to the playlist in 9 UK stations and 9 Canadian stations in the last week and the official release isn't until October 22nd so that constitutes good news to me. Downstairs i can hear them all singing Those were the days by Mary Hopkin. I think the 1st of many IGLOOS must have been already poured. Lots of ice, gin vodka, tonic and fresh limes. I was very uptight when i arrived. It has been a tense and tough few months but great gigs at The Cavern Club in Liverpool and the thrilling concert in the stunning setting of PEAK CAVERN, known as THE DEVILS ARSE in Castelton helped morale.
My grumpy mood was not helped when we got a flat tyre on the M1 on the way to the airport. Changing a tyre when there is no hard shoulder with lorries whizzing past your ears is less than calming but being with family and friends in a beautiful place has chilled me no end and the sound of laughing voices from downstairs gives me a warm feeling.
Pretty soon i'm going have to tackle writing my best man's speech for Lewis and Suzanne's wedding. There is certainly plenty of ammunition as me and Lewis have been through some adventures and experienced some momentous ups and downs over the years. I shall not spare him any embarrassment i can tell you that!
And so, a quick cool shower and change for dinner and drinks with lovely people, especially Tom Giblin. He is the reason we are here. It is his birthday and we have joined him in this beautiful place, 11 strong, to celebrate with him. He truly is the kindest soul you could ever meet and i feel lucky that i was blessed enough to meet him and call him my friend.