A little about me . . .
In Beforetimes, before my writing and musicmaking, I dealt in what we called the 'fine and rare' . . . antiques and sculpture and art and
weird and wonderful objects. I had shops in the South of England and the South of France and exhibited at many of the London shows. I would set off to France with my old Volvo Estate crammed with Victoriana and return crammed with Art Deco. Buying in Paris was a thrill and I invariably ended up in the cafe at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen where an Edith Piaf singalike trilled to us through lunch. (I visited the market a couple of years ago with my daughter and Louisette was still there - trilling and thrilling. There were cuddles. There were tears.) Most of my time was spent in the Bordeaux region when I then drove around in an old Citroen van doing my best to sell sell sell . . . and the stuff I found to bring home was amazing. (Of course there was the famous 'escaping écrevisse' night, but that is another story. In fact that's a jolly good story . . .)
The years after the French experience were spent in London, working with a dealer from whom I learned so much . . . but all things change and I started gardening, one of my great passions. Coming from a long line of gardeners, when my baby arrived I took on my 'cleaning jobs' - tidying up other people's gardens. Over the years this passion grew into a successful garden design business in London which culminated in my pitching, and gaining, an eight part gardening show with BBC2 - Digging Deep - in which I was the designer and co-presenter.
Strangely, and for lots of different reasons, more change cameth . . . I was asked to re-design and open two shops for a charity in Clapham . . . which I loved and around which is based my first book - Of Humans and Other Creatures - Book 1 - My Desperate Year. More change, more change . . . Book 2 is on the way . . .
I find myself unable to stop my brain from working and thinking (listen to our first My Head track) and writing writing writing and have now committed myself full time to making a success of my ramblings . . . . . . .
With Wende I am collaborating to produce a collection of surreal images and musings - 'Curious Tales from The Rag Bag' - and late last year I started a collaboration with Jan to make music. Making sense? You can see both these projects on this website. (I have yet to meet these two brilliant people in true life. Strange but true.)
So now - when most normal humans would possibly give up - I am determined to spend the rest of my life doing what I adore most. Writing. Writing stories and tales and lyrics and poems and all sorts of words joined together with a bit of string which I hope you will enjoy.
It's tough at the top and breaking into the literary and musical world is bloody hard work but I am on a mission. Gonna 'ave it.
Enjoy my friends. Life is for the living and if my work makes you smile, or cry or wonder why? why? why? then I have achieved.
