it starts with the flight

that interminable darkness with all the movies on the back of the seats

the smell of the aircraft food and walking around in the darkness

im already tired after we’ve flown the first inch but I cling on

crying my eyes out at stupid films I wouldn’t normally give the time of day

my back in shoulders ache wanting to stretch out my legs

blah blah we arrive in Hong Kong and negotiating all that

how do I know which frickin train to get on n off on

then the flight from Hong Kong to london

it lasts forever and another few minutes more than that

but the month the year the years are flying by fast as fast can be

one moment I was a kid waiting outside the school for my mother to get me

next minute im on a fucking plane

its god knows what time

I guess im over Mongolia or something

im so old im so tired im so weary

im crammed into my seat in the middle row

no aisle no nothing

the food is ok but I gotta sit there looking at all the other food thats coming too

finally I arrive in England

and a guy picks me up at airport

and drives me out to Amandas in the south west of England

it takes a couple of hours

im ecstatic to be off the plane

and we talk about Boris and Brexit and ww2

as we zoom thru the soft grey drizzle of 2nd of September

when I get to Amandas I seem to get jet lag for about a week

and I just sleep on and on and on

I wake up occasionally to stumble round the village and in the woods

its early autumn

we stop and eat blackberries but not all of em are that sweet

sometimes we rehearse the songs and run thru our paces

but mostly I seem to sleep

I miss my sea pool in Sydney and its rejuvenating qualities

after about 2 weeks Trevor turns up in the van

one sunny morning and we are off n running

down the M( insert number here )

the blur begins

the British motor services with all the cafes and little casinos

and every moto-place in Britain has a special on kids wetsuits

the endless coffees and almond chai lattes

the endless veggie burgers

the endless GPS telling ya where to go

Trevor has to miss a few gigs and I have to drive myself

if theres a way of making a wrong turn then I will do that

I get real unlucky in Edinburgh where the traffic is a bitch

round n round n round

till Ali jumps in the van and shows me where to make the illegal u-turn to get to gig

its murder out there folks

we already did this in the western states of the US but the cities there are easier to navigate

Edinburghs traffic is like a buddhist koan to be penetrated

I try not to lose the plot

its a herculean task all of it

carrying in the stuff

setting it all up

the long soundchecks trying to figure out how to make it sound ok

everyplace different every crew is different

every hotel is different

where do you park?

wheres the key?

wheres my reservation?

the music goes by in a dream

the time on stage which is time in a dream

the strumming guitar

the rippling and pounding piano

the old voice still sometimes surprisingly strong

I mean where is it all coming from?

some nights we hit some lovely things

the audiences were warm and kind

afterwards ya sign stuff then trudge all the gear out and drive away

more GPS malarky maybe or smooth sailing

we talk about the gig

yeah it was good

one morning you wake up n its today

Amanda flew off to Washington DC to play with the P Furs

im here at Heathrow in a day room or something

my flight is still a long ways off

being slightly on the spectrum I guess as you’d say

I suddenly miss being part of something and having a mission

and I feel becalmed in a room at the airport Ibis hotel

all that sound and fury of the tour

did it signify anything ..?

the people and the places and the wild blackberries

now I sit type type type

a truly gloomy room I will leave soon and go to the airport

my flight aint for hours but what can ya do?

adios amigos

see you soon hah!!