an short article in this months national geographic:

"This year, news reports buzzed that true redheads will be extinct by 2100, since carriers of the carrot-top gene are less and less likely to pair up in an age of global intermingling (a child usually needs a copy from each parent to get the red result). But while redheads may decline, the potential for red isnt going away. when a gene mutation created a special gene in northern europe millennia ago, its effect on hair and skin pigments-causing red to build up instead of brown-was beneficial, upping the body's ability to make vitiminD from sunligght. Today, the gene's carriers are often prone to skin cancer and, oddly, some are more sensitive to heat- and cold-related pain. Only about 4 percent of people possess the gene, so fewer show the red trait. Still, it's hiding in the genome, rearing up far from its frigid origins, in far-flung places like jamaica, a tip of the hat from a fiery Scottish forebear."

Funnily enough, I had this very conversation at the fabulous Green Man Festival this weekend with Helen, our new best friend. I was saying how you never see redhead couples. I mean really, it's so rare. And this is a crying shame for me really cause I always really fancy redheads - they are very rarely interested in me though. I did go out with a redhead called Caroline once, years ago (she looked like Dana Scully...nuff said!) but it didn't last. Anyway given that generally there is a natural instinct to continue ones genetic lineage i'd have thought that ginger couples would be more common...or is the fear of birthing a redhead too great??

Actually, whilst Helen and I were having this very conversation, an absolutely beautiful example of my kind of redhead came sat next to us...I probably should have taken the opportunity to test my theory but I suddenly came over all shy ;op

Green Man was amazing though. Very wet and muddy, I had no wellies and we only had about 10 mins of sun over the entire weekend, but I wouldn't have missed it in the world and so much fun was had. Thanks to Geoff, Ted, Nadia, lovely Helen and my other two car-sharing randoms, Elizabeth and Jeanette and the organisers, bands and people of the mud that made it a really memorable festival.

Oh, and Rachel Unthank and the Winterset - if googling ever brings you to this page, I want you to know that every time I have seen you now I've been in or close to tears and that you are utterly amazing in every way. Looking forward to the new album, I see it's got the whalers wife song that you sang at the Spitz which did actually have me weeping like a child on it.

Got my results from the hospital yesterday. It's not, as feared, lymphoma at all but sarcoid and even that is in remission at the moment so basically, i'm ok. needs an eye keeping on it but it's a relief to know what it was that caused all my illness at Christmas. So yes, onwards and upwards. I made significant progress on the album this week and just took delivery of my copy of Native Instruments Komplete and Kore which finally finishes up studio setup. The Kore box is a weird one - it has a fully fledged USB2.0 audio interface in it but no sign of whether it enables any additional DSP for the plugins to work free of additional processor load. I'm not completely sure exactly what it's for to be honest, but it's going to be fun finding out and I'm hugely looking foward to the new sound design options it's going to give. That said, I started reading the Reaktor 5 manual tonight and felt parts of my brain start to cry. I'm not cut out for technical production. I just want to make pretty tunes I think...

Expect me to not see much daylight for the next couple of months...

:o)

As suspected, in body but not necessarily in mind. The Big Chill is not normally a messy festival for me since over the last few years I've either been playing a set or trying to impress a new girlfriend and given that I had neither this year, it was the first time that I really let go a bit. They should really rename it Rumfest! Those Wray and Nephew cocktails are so delicious that you actually forget that it's *overproof* rum they are putting in them!

Anyway, a bittersweet year for me this year after everything that has transpired since I last stood in that Herefordshire field. It's a testament in a way to how impermenant life can be - so much has changed since last year it actually frightens me a little and makes me wonder what else matters to me that might be lost. I spent much of the festival on my own and very sad at the loss of things that I once loved, and people that I once shared laughter with at that very special place. At the same time, I had new friends there, and the music was exceptional.

Highlights in short - John Metcalfe (who, even though I have seen him play countless times this year, played a set of such awesome beauty that I was in tears), Red Snapper (oh my goodness it's good to have them back - boy did I dance!), Bonobo, Bobby Corridor, Alucidnation (another contender for the make Andy cry prize), Jon Hopkins plus Myogenic, Biosphere and my good mate LJ Kruzer who finally got the kind of stage he has long deserved. Further props for the general behaviour of the sky.

Massive waves to Ted, Squirrel, Bowdie, Ginny, Gnome and camp Uncharted for being great campmates, to Mark for being ace and to everybody I bumped into, drunkenly ranted at and shared the time honoured tradition of being off one's face in a field, listening to music in the sunshine with. Special waves to Jim and Lucy for basically being the loveliest people in England as well.

In other news, tomorrow I finally get the results of my hospital investigation. Personally, little ray of sunshine that I am at the moment, I'm holding out for Lymphoma, but it's almost certainly Sarcoidosis. More on that when I know. I've also finally gotten around to having my eyes tested and it turns out that I am short sighted after all...I thought that those road signs were looking fuzzy. Picked my rather swish Gant prescription glasses up today. I think I actually look quite nice - moody intellectual look anyone? That's right ladies...i'm single...date offers to the usual address.

;op

If you have any urgent queries, please email him at the usual address. He will return next Tuesday to resume regular service, however, please be aware that his mind may take a few days longer to get back from Eastnor...Any urgent enquiries to his mind should be written on the back of an LJ Kruzer tshirt and flown above Buckingham Palace until arrested.

:o)

I love it when you get some proper poetry in lyrics. I wish I could write like this. I've been writing some folksong type things and working on a new choral piece as well but my lyrics are just appauling. Any poets out there fancy a collaboration? This kind of thing is just so bang up my street:

Dead Queen by Espers (Espers II)

Oh, what lies as this fire silently rises
Sparks piercing the sun
Darkness where there was none
The Dead Queen and one who has yet to die
Crimson tides flowing fluid and wild
Draw those tears and kneel to the way
Mud will flow, greener grass to grow
Worry not, your time here was well

I may have got it slightly wrong cause they're kind of hard to make out. Beautiful song though. Seriously, if this kind of poetry is what you do then get in touch. *floats off into the mist*