Well, yes, I'm mortified. Totally embarrassed that my big brother (whom I am sure I liked more while we were in Cuba) called me to say that, whilst he did enjoy reading my diary - my spelling was totally appalling! I can only apologise, but I do spell check, honest! And, I'm sure that if he was to write a diary about his trip to Cuba, I would find one or two wee errors - right! PLUS, I was spelling champion in primary school - I could spell rhinoceros nae bother...but alas, that was then.

I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
I must try harder. I must try harder. I must try harder.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................And, rest assured that I was not in fact a gluten but a glutton!

So...March. And don't worry, even though it was a long month, this will be a short entry - or do I just say that every time?


March 1st - 13th

So, the same day of the show in the Tron, Caitlin went away on an adventure weekend. It sounds great, but Caitlin is no more an adventure gal than I am a dancer. However, I am assured that she did well and got into it - it was Judy, her mum, who was most upset. So much so that she spent most of the weekend at my house - greetin'! (oh aye, and drinking wine!!)

Alby, who was set to play the show with me at the Tron had to cry off, since his wee boy and his wife were both ill. Aw naw, what were we to do? Especially since it was going to be all new material - Alby was to be the backbone of it.

Well, David and I did the show on our own and I have to say, it was a cracker. You know, I've worked with David for while, but wasn't fully aware of his musical talents. God, could he play.

It must be difficult to hear a whole set of new material for an audience, however, it was something I really wanted to do. Of course we chucked in a couple of oldies, but I wanted to concentrate on the new stuff. It went down really well. As ever, the CL crowd were attentive and polite and supportive.

The opener that night was a Scottish guy called Adam Beatty. Kinda Tom Waits style and really really good - worth a listen if you get a chance.

And, as ever the Acoustic Affair promoter, PM Promotions, was just magic. Getting everything sorted out and really feeling what the audience want. He's been doing this for some years now and it really seems to be paying off for him. His shows seem to get busier and busier and he seems to be getting bigger venues and working with some great acts - namely James Grant for one.

There's one wee quick thing I must tell you about the show though - well about a fan who was at the show...

This girl had on a t-shirt with a picture of a babushka on it (you know, one of those Russian dolls that when opened, has another doll inside, then another inside of that, and so on). Anyway, she couldn't wait to tell me the story of her t-shirt when I met her afterwards. Well, it turns out that the picture on her t-shirt was not infact a babushka (although it really looked like it), but was in fact, a picture of the child of the first ever Russian female astronaut in space. Well, how amazing was that? Well, how amazing was it! Not really amazing at all. Except when you wonder, why on earth did she have a picture of the child of the first ever Russian female astronaut on her shirt anyway and, was that the most bizarre thing? Or was it more bizarre that she knew this was the child of the first ever Russian female astronaut...oh my god, it just wasn't going to end - that was until she offered to get me my own shirt with a picture of the child of the first ever Russian female astronaut...Thanks, I said...and I am waiting...still waiting...with bated breath!

Caitlin returned from her adventure trip with stories of adventures and high bridges and raft building and abseiling and all sorts of other things - including a cold and very baggy eyes. However, along with most of these stories was the accompanying story from Caitlin about why she couldn't do this or that thing because she fell in the water, or because she got scared or because of something or other. Wee soul, her intentions were good, but she just isn't an outdoors type - God Knows, she tried!

I also did a wee guest vocal on Yvonne Lyon's new album. I don't know when its out but she was recording it with Graeme Duffin and Sandy Jones. Graeme is the fifth member and session guitarist with the wets and Sandy was the guy who did the live recording for my Naked CD. It is, as ever, great to work with such great people. Graeme was just off the back of his recent Wets tour and consequently totally high from it - mind you, I think he just spends his life on a high - just an up-type guy. Sandy was great too. More than anything, Yvonne's songs sounded great. Not that total acoustic thing, the guys have put a band round her...I don't know release dates, but watch this space.


March 14th - 31st

So, my wee mum was away in Jersey to see family over there. And, as is often the case, while she is away, I keep an eye on her car. So, off to meet my wee pal for lunch in the car, only, to find that when I went to get into the car, I couldn't get the door open. The side of it had been all bashed in and it had been shunted onto the kerb.

From what I can piece together, someone had smashed into my mum's car through the night on the Saturday - about 4pm - hit the car in front also and then drove off. Probably too drunk to write their name & details on a note and leave it on the windscreen - What a sh*tty thing to do.

I don't know how it will all turn out, but I do know that the guy from the insurance company who came to assess the damage turned out to be a big CL fan - so, although my mum's car is battered and bruised, my ego is large and intact!

I had a nice wee show this week. A private gig in someone's house, to raise funds for Cancer UK. It was a nice wee night. Of course, I was supposed to be on for about 50 minutes and ended up playing for about an hour and a half - oh boy, it could have been longer, did they ever land lucky. They must all have been starving! Anyway, it turned out that there was a load of money raised for the cause...raffle prizes included slave for a day and other such things...! I don't know what that slave was supposed to do, but I guess ignorance is sometimes bliss!

I also went to see Yvonne Lyon playing an acoustic set in the Beanscene in Glasgow. Its a great wee place for music, although too many people were talking, it was really driving me crazy. Plus, I am now totally anti-beanscene, particularly in light of the magic Montgomery's round the corner from my house and even more particularly since a new beanscene opened up about 500 yards from Monty's - unhealthy competition I reckon. Mind you, the folk who own Montgomery's think its a healthy thing! Eh, I don't think so...plus, the coffee in our place is a gazillion times better - right!?

Okay, off that high-horse now. Suffice to say that the music that night was great. Yvonne was joined by an accordion player/guitarist. It was a great wee night and the venue really lends itself to that type of music. She also played a couple of the tunes that she and I had written. Its funny to hear someone else sing your stuff...I imagine its kinda like watching a wet nurse breast-feed your child...Well, what can I say, I have a vivid imagination!!!

Anyway, now, onto another high-horse...Twice in the same day I saw two different drivers chuck rubbish out of their car windows - you know, coffee cups and McDonald's bags and stuff - twice in the same day, two different drivers and both driving the biggest, flashiest, newest Mercedes you ever saw! It did my box in, so much so that I was out of my car, running up to the window to tell the driver just what I thought, when I caught myself just in time and decided that it really wasn't the smartest idea...Still, I'll bet you that these folk are the same as those who complain about gypsies and travellers setting up site wherever it suits and then just moving on, leaving mess everywhere. So, yes, I think I will become a politician - not one of the Howard variety mind you! Although, maybe I could just reverse it and persecute merc drivers as opposed to gypsies? Nah, didn't think so...but we all have to dream right?

Lastly, this month, I had a treat. I know I shouldn't be delighted, but I was. My wee Caitlin was off sick from school - sore throat and head and stuff and I HAD to spend A WHOLE DAY AND NIGHT with her at my house...of course, it was hell - chocolate and Harry Potter and her wee face all bunched up on a bed on the couch. Wee soul. She said she was fit for school the next day (although I had my sneaking suspicions that it was because it was the last day of term and she wanted to see everyone). And what do you know...she was sent home after lunch cos she was still feeling ill - and to think I could have spent another day with her - ah well, my loss.

And so, I did tell you that it would be a shortie this month - THE END!

Have a great month and I'll write some more of the same rubbish at the end of the month, only difference is that I will write it on my new computer - YEEHAR.

Happy Spring

Carol

PS - I did do a spell check, but please feel free to highlight any mistakes...!