My life is quiet at the moment and I’m struggling with that I guess because I’d rather have a project to work on and so I’m trying hard to enjoy this time. A few weeks ago I got my Yamaha amp and 5 disc CD player fixed and it’s been great to go through my vast collection of CD’s.

I can of course play the media on my phone, however there is quite a bit of music on CD that I don’t have on the phone and the quality of the CD is so much better because the bit rate of some of the mp3’s are relatively low. The Yamaha system sounds pretty darn good especially when the speakers are sat on the concrete floor.

I was playing Roxy Music, Supertramp, ABC, Bowie and Dire Straits while I was in the garden and then I decided just to lie down and immerse myself in the sounds and vibes blasting from the Yamaha and as I lay on the day bed feeling the waves wash over me my guilt also disappeared and I began to enjoy the moment.

I’m thinking that I need to be doing more, but listening to music and giving 100% attention to it is really great and I’d forgotten just how much I enjoy this. Listening to music has been a big part of to life since I was a kid. I have many strong memories of my first listen to an album.

On a Saturday morning I would get the bus to the west end of Paisley near the museum where I’d visit the independent Listen Record Store and pick up something new and I’ve still got all my records that I bought 40 years ago.

I remember the time I bought Meddle by Pink Floyd and when I got it home side two would not play properly because it kept skipping, upon inspection it seemed to have something stuck to the surface. I took it back to the shop and the guy took one look at it and said”I think it’s strawberry jam” He gave me a new copy and I went home to conclude the experience.

Music is a big part of my life and it will often transport me to another time and place and mostly I’m transported to home to a time before I arrived in Australia which the older I get become more powerful.

I’m thinking I might have to dig out the turntable and play a few records and reminisce to the sounds of old.