Today the plans to have a family afternoon walking in York were scuppered by Fo feeling grotty with flu like symptoms this morning . The lads didn't want to go without Mum so I went on my own. Miles was still a bit wasted from skateboarding and walking yesterday and he felt grotty last night . Family is a bit of a worry sometimes . So, I went out on my own and had a nice 8 mile walk around York. When I got into the City Centre I'd just finished munching a sausage roll when I saw my friend Sybil Wood. She looked not very well and said she had come back from work because early because she was feeling grotty. I only spoke with her for a few minutes ! I got chatting to the young Irish lady who served me coffee later and she said that nearly every customer who'd been in the cafe over the last week had been ill , recovering or just going down with the lurgey . I haven't had anything at all. I'm beginning to feel left out !

York City was lovely in the low afternoon winter light and when I walked around the Foss River area there were what looked like long brush marks in the middle of the frozen river which were the landing marks from the feet of ducks and geese gliding down to feed . The university lake was all frozen and I noticed university groundsmen feeding the ducks. I suppose if they didn't do that a lot of them could die . Isn't that what is supposed to happen? Good for the fox population! What next feeding fish in the river! Coming out of the Uni grounds I ran into my friend Harry who I have known for over 25 years and I played music with him in the Irish sessions and I lived just 'round the corner from him for 2 years . He is a very nice man straight , constant and very intelligent . He has been doing research and lectures in the Environmental Unit in York Uni. I last ran into him about two years ago and I'm going to the Sunday night session soon so I can see him again and have a good night out . I managed to get to the City walls between 3 and 3.45 because I wanted to see the sun going down and that was really nice . Got home in time for Star Trek and tea with the family . It was a great afternoon out particularly running into Sybil and Harry but it would have been nicer with the rest of the family gang!

Fiona and I had an excellent night at the Butterknowle Acoustic Club Xmas do. The roads on the way up there were more slippery than a bankers tongue and it was even worse on the way back because it was -7C and I just knew going slowly and carefully was the only way to go . And home of course! Anyway , Butterknowle Village hall is a welcoming place mostly because of the very nice people who go there but I noticed that it was slightly cooler than expected . When I saw Brian Whiley one of the organizers he told Fo and I that the heating had gone off because the fuel had run out quite likely because the thermostat kicks the heating in when it is really cold to protect the pipes! Well, no problem in a very capable village community and I saw a lot of this in Reeth and Muker communities in the 70s when I played in the brass bands in the Dales. Because Butterknowle has many adjoining farms someone knew one of the farmers and many gallons of heating oil were whipped over to the village hall. Bet that could be trickier to do in an urban community .

The music got going and there was much laughter as well particularly when one of the folk singers got going on a John Denver song " Today when the blossoms still spring from the vine , "cough, cough" " and so on . He eventually stopped, blaming the peanuts he had munched beforehand , something I of course as a harmonica player would never do! , but everyone including the singer thought it was hilarious . Got the night off to a good start . Julie McGrath the folk/country singer was excellent taking me to inner places I didn't expect to go on a cold night in County Durham. The Exiles from Eden folk Band were also great. I had a good play with the Button Hole Jam and they are a really good band and I had to make sure that I didn't over play and kept my self out of the way when it was right to that . It is important in a band that all voices are heard and everyone gets to musically say their bit . Button Hole Jam pull that one off really well.

Which brings me into a point to be considered by musicians : anyone out there : get music clubs going like Butterknowle Acoustic Club or if you are a band trying to get ahead , good thing to do , play small venues and give the audience a really good time not by just playing well for a short period with music superbly produced for your demo but takes so long to write and rehearse that you can't put together enough music to be able to entertain everyone for at least two hours , you know you are , my favorite band at the moment, but play well for a long period : at least 2 hours . Win the audience in other words. Then, musicians will be supported as they are every month in Butterknowle. Point Proved ? Butterknowle Acoustic Club produced over two and a half hours of music last night all of good quality and yes one will wince occasionally at the gaffs as much as I groan at my own talent level and many gaffs I made last night such as doing a very nice little musical run in one of the songs but " Hey folks it was in the wrong key and at the wrong time " . Groan. I don't know how I get away with it sometimes but maybe I do : everyone in Butterknowle Village Hall wants to have a good time so they hear the general impression which was pretty good from all of the musicians . What face doesn't have some spots on it? I like my own, spots and all , but not as much as I like my wife's!

A really cracking night out and I would like to thank the Butterknowle Acoustic Club organizers and particularly Brian and Klara Whiley : excellent musicians and comperes who got everyone going and made us all feel really welcome comfortable . Thank you.