Song of the Month June 2016

Well, it's the end of June already and that's me officially on Summer break, I don't think I've ever been so relieved-it's been a long term! Around November last year I decided to pick out a song at the end of every month to share with you that I think is significant in some shape or form or that I've enjoyed listening to a lot of late. There's a lot of songs that come to mind at this time of year and I could easily pick any one of them however, I've decided to pick a new song from a new album by someone who as you all know by now, I am a really big fan of.

So I'm delighted to say that June's Song of the Month is..............

Summer Rain by Graeme Clark

During my radio interview with Graeme a few weeks ago we spoke about his new music and Graeme even let me hear a song called 'Summer Rain' from his new album which just so happened to be the one I've chosen to share with you all. I seriously love this song so much! It is honestly one of the best pieces of music I have heard in a long time hence why I'm sharing it with you guys! So go check it out and give it a wee listen (don't just listen to it on Spotify go purchase the album and support the music industry!) and no doubt you'll see why I'm absolutely raving about it!

Day 32: School's Out For Summer!

At long last I'm officially on my Summer holiday from school! Words cannot describe just how great it feels to actually say that! The schools here don't close until tomorrow (Wednesday) however, I had my last tutoring sessions this afternoon so it doesn't affect me which means I gain an extra day off! It's been a very long term; in fact it's been a long year in many respects so to have actually made it to the finishing line feels amazing! Seven whole weeks of peace and quite, long lies and generally having more time to myself is complete and utter bliss!

And when the schools return in August I'll be on a countdown to June next year when I officially leave school forever and my goodness am I ready for it! It's been along few years since I started in primary one, so much has happened since then it's actually quite frightening when you think about it! But leaving school next year will be the start of a new chapter for me which I'm really excited to explore!

But in the meantime I have seven weeks to enjoy and set out on a few adventures (I hope!). I'm on the final countdown until I head off on holiday. It'll be great to head off somewhere pretty cool and no doubt there will be lots to write about as a result, I was even planning on filming a little of what I get up to when I'm out and about!

You may remember me writing about Mum and I's "Magical Mystery Tour" a few weeks ago as we set out to Haye's Garden Centre for breakfast after we dropped Laurel off at school one morning. The road was closed and there was diversion which by the way was badly signed post. As a result I encouraged Mum to follow the few diversion signs supposedly heading on an alternative route taking us where we wanted to go. However, we soon discovered NEVER to trust me with directions as you'll end up on a road in the middle of the nowhere driving round the countryside for an hour-what an adventure!

Well, today we decided to attempt it once again, this time Mum warned me that if we came across any road closures and diversion signs, we'll turn back immediately an alternative route that we already know Somehow I don't think I'll be trusted ever again haha!

You'll be pleased to know that we made it to Hayes in one piece without any disturbances-phew! The bacon roll and empire biscuit was totally worth the wait, it was absolutely delicious! We had a wander round the shop itself which is filled to the brim with fabulous gifts, home accessories etc. And of course there's garden furniture and plants seeing as it's a garden centre after all!

Our garden is currently playing host to what feels like every bird in the local area. Whenever we put bird food out you're lucky if there's a crumb or two left over the following day. So we made it a priority to stock up on bird food to keep our little feathered friends happy.

I spent the entire morning counting the hours until my tutor arrived at two o'clock for my final music session of the term. When he arrived we spent the lesson flicking through the new books that I'd picked out at the music shop yesterday.  We made a start on sheet music from one of the books and began practicing  'More Than A Feeling' by Boston which I plan on consolidating over the duration of the Summer holidays. A typical bass practice for me could last anywhere up to four hours (sometimes more) if you let me away with it particularly during the Summer when I have more time on my hands. I get caught up in the music and easily loose track of time.

Eventually, the moment I'd been patiently waiting on for weeks (months even) finally arrived and I was officially on holiday! What a relief! There was just a short time between tutoring and picking up Laurel so we thought we'd order pizza for a treat so I quickly re-downloaded the Domino's app; I don't know why I bother deleting it as I always end up downloading it again! We sent in and scheduled our order so we could collect it on route home from picking Laurel up. Back home we tucked in to our pizzas hoping that all evidence would have disappeared before Dad got home. Dad initially was going to attempt making pizza from scratch but decided to try it out for himself first as we'd all moan if it didn't turn out properly so we said we'd get something else for tea. However the temptation of a Domino's pizza became too much especially when they had such great deals on. Unfortunately, Dad arrived home from work before we'd finished and managed to scadge a slice from my box.

So that brings us to the end of the day, for once it was nice to stay up late without worrying about having to get up early in the morning! What a relief! Anyway, pop back soon to hear all about what I get up to during the first day of the Summer holidays!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 31: Music Shopping

Hello Guys!

Gosh it's been rather quiet around here hasn't it, I'm rather frustrated with myself for not daily blogging of late but to be quite frank I haven't been feeling so well with pain. And you know how that goes. The change in weather of late certainly hasn't helped matters for sure. The spell of sunshine and warm weather is long gone-come back soon, I'm begging you!

So I've just had to do what my body's told me and rest as much as I hate to use that word. I can't stand not doing anything however sometimes I've just got to go with it. I keep logging into my blog and find myself staring a blank screen looking for inspiration to write but gave up eventually as nothing I wrote was worth reading. That's what happens sometimes and I know there's no point if I'm not totally "feeling it" hence why I've been so quiet.

Early last week, on Monday, I attended my first wheelchair skills training appointment at hospital in Glasgow and surprisingly we found where we were going with little difficulty. I didn't do too much physically as they had to do some adaptions to my wheelchair which basically made it lighter than it already is. This, in turn makes the chair a lot easier to tip (yes tip!) which will enable me to be able to bump it up onto pavements with as little trouble as possible.

I attempted to learning some basic skills which will result in me being able to bump onto pavements however it'll definitely take a lot of practice and persistence. As a result I've had sore arm muscles but I suppose I've had to carry my own body weight which I'm not used to but again I'll get there eventually. I'm determined that's for sure!

It's Monday again, my second last day of tutoring before I finish up for the Summer holidays tomorrow and my goodness am I relieved about that! I am absolutely shattered and very much in need of a break. I had my last art session on Friday there and I believe my tutor handed in my art coursework so fingers crossed it'll be worth all the hard work and effort and it'll get a pass!

My music session this morning was a little different to what I'd normally do and instead we met my tutor at the local guitar shop so we could pick out some new music books for next term. I had a little longer to get ready this morning as the shop doesn't open until 10am which was rather handy as I was absolutely exhausted and on a go slow mode. Apparently my Mum woke me up at the normal time this morning however I must have nodded off as she had to wake me up once again at around 8am. I decided to stay at home whilst Mum dropped Laurel off and give myself a chance to wake up a little.

Just a short while after Mum returned home, my Grandparents arrived as Grandad was going to stay in the house whilst we popped out to the music shop as we were having repairs done to our tumble dryer . At this point I was still sitting on the sofa in my PJs half asleep with no intentions of moving. Eventually, I did get myself going; got dressed, made my bed and put on some makeup before heading into town with Mum and Gran.

My tutor was already there by the time we arrived so we had a browse through the shop's book selection and decided upon a three different bass books. My tutor had been looking at some of the amps and trying out some of the basses so called me over to have a wee shot. There's nothing quite like plugging a bass into an amp, turning it up loud and hearing the pungent sound fill the air. It gives me such a buzz!

Heading back home we picked Grandad up and went out for a spot of lunch and a nosy in TK Maxx although I didn't spend any money for once. I've been saving my it for going away during the Summer holidays. It's always nice to have a bit of spending money in order to splurge a little!

And that really brings me to the present moment. I thought I'd do a bit of blogging in my free time this afternoon in hope of successfully managing to finish writing a post and update you all on why it's been so quiet.

Speak Soon!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Hamden Park, Glasgow, June 2016

I kept you all up to date with everything that happened on the day of the gig itself during one of my daily blogs where I wrote about meeting Jake Clemons, hanging in The E Street Lounge before and after the gig and being upgraded to the royal box so if you want to read more about the excitement of the day be sure to click here. I did however promise that I'd eventually get round to writing an actual review of the show so at last, here it is!

On Wednesday the 1st of June 2016, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band rolled into town as part of 'The River' Tour. Unusual for most concerts, the tickets stated that the show was due to begin around half six which is remarkably early. My only guess would be that this was due to the fact that Hamden is built in the midst of a housing estate so the curfew will be earlier and as we all know Bruce likes to play for as long as he possibly can so I can understand why this was the case. Sure enough around half past six (or thereabouts) Bruce hit the stage, kick
ing off the evening with 'Waitin' On A Sunny Day', although unusual for Scotland we weren't waiting on a sunny day; it was probably one of the warmest days of the year so far! This was bizarre in comparison to both occasions that I previously attended Bruce gigs at Etihad Stadium in Manchester and Wembley Stadium in London; the rain was torrential and we were absolutely soaked! I love 'Waitin' On A Sunny Day', it's such an upbeat and cheerful song that one can't help but sing along to-who in their right mind wouldn't?! Like always Bruce invited a little girl from the crowd sporting a 'Born In The USA' t-shirt to join him on stage and sing for the audience. What an amazing young lady! She completely belted out the lyrics which in turned received a eruption of applause from the eager audience. A moment I'm sure she'll remember for the rest of her life!

I could easily go through the entire set list but if I wrote every single detail it would take you the entire three and a half hours of the show to read it. So for your sake I'll summarise it as much as I possibly can. Second in the set was 'Spirit In The Night' a song I recently challenged myself and my tutor to learn to play on bass. It certainly kept me on my toes working out where all the changes were. Needless to say, I found myself sitting there mentally playing the bass  parts alongside the band.

Making his way into the audience, Bruce handpicked a selection of signs with song requests on them from fans to before returning to stage clutching them in his hands nodding to The E Street Band as they begin to play their first request 'Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)' much to my delight. I loved that song when I was younger and was fascinated with the music video where random girls run up onto stage which I found rather amusing as a little girl. This was then followed by a second sign request '4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)'.

Next, was 'Hungry Heart' a classic song from The River album which I absolutely love! I remember hearing it at Wembley a few years ago and it standing out to me for whatever reason so was delighted to hear it live again! During the song Bruce makes his way down the stairs, off of the stage and strolls through the crowd as he sings shaking hands with his fans as he passes through. Not many artists would do that nowadays and in such a relaxed manner might I add. The security followed Bruce as he paraded his through the crowd but not once did they have to step in and get involved; there's a mutual respect between Bruce and the audience. And that for me is extremely special!

This was followed by the likes of 'Out In The Street' which is a song that particularly sticks out to me from my first ever Bruce concert, 'Lonesome Day', another sign request from the audience, 'You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)' and the amazing 'Death To My Hometown' from the 'Wrecking Ball' album. I remember hearing that live for the first time during the 'Wrecking Ball' tour and having shivers. I love the Celtic feel to the song and how it sounds in a stadium filled with thousands of people. The atmosphere was buzzing and the crowd were totally into it; you really had to be there experiencing it to completely understand just how incredible it is live. According to something I read online the next song 'American Skin (41 Shots)' which featured on Bruce's most recent album 'High Hopes' was a tour debut. Again, don't hold me on that one but it certainly went down well with crowd!

The set continued with a number of back to back hits that had the audience in sheer delight. I for one was having an absolute ball! The band played a selection of songs including 'I'm Going Down', 'The River', 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' and 'Because The Night' which is a real crowd pleaser. 'Because The Night' is what I'd describe as stadium song because it completely brings the audience to life; it's a song that depicts a true rock concert and get's everyone rocking out!

Just a few songs later Bruce went straight into another of my favourites 'Badlands'. He opened with this number in Wembley a few years ago so it was funny to hear it further along in the set. I love the sax solo during this song which of course Jake pays great tribute to his Uncle Clarence when playing, it's just so awesome! Any of the sax solos during Bruce's songs give me shivers, they instantly make you stop and listen. You just know it's a Springsteen song when you hear it! My very favourite part of the song however, is when the audience take over with their 'woah, oh oh oh oooooh oh!' part. It's quite tricky to write that out in comparison to chanting it at the gig! When you hear that live it shows the true power of music and how it brings people together! It must be incredible to be on stage and look out into the crowd filled with thousands of people and hear them singing your song as if their lives depended on it! As Badlands finished the stadium erupted into loud cheers across every inch of the stadium morphing into thousands of voice shouting 'BRUUUCCEEE' and loudly signing the Badlands chant once again. It's magical to experience; it makes you feel alive!

The encore was filled with some of Bruce's biggest songs to date. Now, I know there's a lot of people who moan about the fact that they've heard particular songs a million times (you know the ones) but guys, Bruce has played some of the rarities, he's taken requests from the audience and now he's playing the songs that gave him the status that he's got; he wouldn't be able to sell out the world's biggest stadiums if it wasn't for albums like 'Born In The USA' or 'Born To Run'. There's also people like myself who've only recently start attending his gigs and yes, as much as I love hearing the rarities, I also go wanting to hear some of the classics too! You guys have been lucky enough to have seen Bruce back in the day when these songs first came out, sadly, the next generation of fans haven't. I wish I could have though!

Anyway, next Bruce and the very awesome E Street Band performed 'Born In The USA' and 'Born To Run' which are downright awesome in my opinion! And then the moment I'd been waiting in great anticipation for since I was little girl rocking out in the backseat of the car finally happened! Four years ago I attended my very first concert which I'm delighted to say was in fact Bruce Springsteen at Etihad Stadium in Manchester; I remember my Dad's friend asking me what songs I wanted to hear and I replied with quite a list. One of the songs happened to be 'The E Street Shuffle' which is probably up there in my top 5 favourite Springsteen songs, it's rarely played live but believe it or not during my first Bruce gig I actually got to hear it! However, I never got to hear my childhood favourites 'Rosalita' or 'Glory Day's the songs that I as a five or six year old girl would belt out the lyrics to when my Dad played them. I attended the Wembley gig a year later and screamed at the top of my voice when he played 'Rosalita'. But guess what!? He never performed 'Glory Days' much to my dismay. So I spent the past few years hoping that my dream would come true and I'm delighted to say at long last I finally got to hear it! My parents and sister turned to look at me from the other side of the box as they too, had been waiting in anticipation all night in hope that my dream would come true. It was totally worth the wait and it made me appreciate the moment all the more! Bruce, thank-you so much for finally playing it! Even if some of the fans were groaning please know that you made one young fan the happiest girl on the planet that night! My friend Heather and I spent the entire song bopping in our seats, singing along at the top of voices probably driving the people sitting beside us absolutely nuts. Both parties seated beside us eventually got up and left before the end of the show, I'm not sure whether that was because of us or they had transport to catch but I for one was get my money's worth! Apparently we kept the stewards in The E Street Lounge entertained throughout the show with our antics! I'm there for a good time that's for sure and I ain't gonna let anyone stop me!

Continuing with the classic hits the audience were treated to a firm favourite from the 'Born In The USA' album, 'Dancing In The Dark'! You spend the entire song waiting for the part when Bruce pulls a lady from the audience to dance with him-I mean how cool would that be!? And in more recent years he's started pulling a couple of fans up on stage each night and hands them a guitar to perform with the band. A dream come true I'm sure! I'd give an arm and a leg for that opportunity-maybe one day!
This was immediately preceded with another much loved 'stadium song' (as I would describe it) 'Tenth Avenue Freeze Out' of course! Again, this number has the audience chanting and singing along in unison as Bruce once again wanders down into the audience. He spends more time down amongst the crowd than on stage which is downright awesome-certainly worth the hours on end that some of the dedicated fans spent camping out to get to the barrier! Hats off to you-I don't think I could do it!

My parents had raved about Bruce performing this next song at previous Glasgow shows and I finally got to witness it before my very eyes. This was of course a rendition of 'Shout' which was originally by The Isley Brothers however, the Scottish singer Lulu recorded an extremely popular cover of the same song back in the 60s. So really, Bruce couldn't have picked a better number to perform for his Scottish fans! Without a doubt that was going to get the Glasgow audience onside although I don't think he had to worry too much about that! Let's face it, he already had us all eating out the palm of his hand from the word go! Everywhere you looked people were singing, dancing and waving their hands in the air-it was like attending a large party!

It was then when The E Street Band took a final bow, waving goodbye to the Glasgow audience after another incredible evening leaving Bruce standing alone with his guitar and harmonica in hand to perform one final song. This final number just so happened to be 'This Hard Land' which was a powerful, passionate and calming acoustic wind-down.

What a concert! But I really wouldn't expect anything less from Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. They certainly know how to put on a show! It's incredible for someone of Bruce's age to play non-stop without a support act for around three and half hours. Simply outstanding! Honestly, if you've got tickets to catch Bruce in the next couple of weeks, you are in for a real treat! Each night is different so expect the unexpected; who knows what Bruce will pull out the hat next!

Day 30: Father's Day 2016

Yesterday (Sunday 20th June) was Father's Day here in the UK and I believe it was also Father's Day in the US although I'm not 100% sure on that one. As I said in my previous blog from Saturday I was up late wrapping up my gift for Dad with Laurel. Well, seeing as Father's Day is over now it doesn't really matter if I tell you what I got him now. My Dad's got a bit of thing about HD television and Blu-Ray these days, I on the other hand really don't get all the fuss, I watch TV once every blue moon! He's been collecting Blu-Ray DVDs for his new Blu-Ray player and there was one in particular he wanted, the name however currently escapes my mind. I think it was to do with martial but I really don't have a clue so I decided to get him that which went down pretty well.

We headed out of the house in the early afternoon to visit our Grandparents to deliver my Mum and Dad's Father's Day gifts and cards. We visited my Grandparents on my Dad's side first and I had a mini feast munching on the sausage rolls my Gran made for us all to munch on. I don't know why but I've been so hungry during the past couple of days much to everyone's amusement because it's so unlike me as my pain levels always affect my appetite. I'm guessing it's probably to do with it being a little warmer which always has a positive affect of my condition. Anyway, I'll enjoy it whilst it lasts!

Next, we headed off to my other Grandparent's on my Mum's side taking another route as one of the roads were closed. Is it just me or are there roads closed everywhere these days!? On our detour of the countryside we passed my old nursery school which I really don't remember much of and coming into the area where my other Grandparent's live we also passed my first primary school which I left around nine years ago when we moved house-it's scary how time flies by!

My Gran had recorded a bunch of music documentaries on Sky Arts for me over the past few days including the Isle of Wight Festival highlights which featured The Who although I'm more excited to see the following day's highlights as Queen are performing and I'm a huge fan! There was also a documentary about Top Of The Pops which got me thinking again about how much the industry has changed nowadays and sadly, we don't have shows like TOTP to enjoy anymore. I could rant about the music industry for hours on end, it's been something that I've been thinking about rather a lot and have written a post on it which I intend on uploading at some point in the not so distant future.

There was also an hour long interview with Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac which I absolutely engrossed in. He performed a couple of their acoustic songs which immediately gave me shivers just like they do when I heard Fleetwood Mac perform them live. I'm seriously having major withdrawals; it's been over a year since I met Mick and Stevie and it's almost been a year since I last attended one of their gigs so I'm ever so hopeful that the increasing rumours of them heading out on tour next year are true as I'm seriously desperate!

We placed an order for delivery with one of the local Chinese takeaways for dinner although they initially estimated it would take an hour before they could deliver it as it's such a busy shop. At that point I was glad that I'd munched on those sausage rolls earlier as it kept me going when everyone else was pretty ravenous! However, the delivery arrived a little earlier than expected much to everyone's delight.

As always I ordered my favourite dish Singapore chow mien however this one was significantly spicier than the one I order from the Chinese takeout at home. Gosh, my mouth, throat and lips were on fire! It was so hot! Although, I still managed to work my way through it as it was extremely delicious!

Back home I spent time creating a whole host of new content for my blog. For whatever reason I had a sudden surge of inspiration and within the space of a few hours managed to write four blog posts and could easily have written a few more. Though deep down I knew I had an early rise the next morning and a trip to Glasgow for a medical appointment so really, a late night wouldn't be the most sensible of ideas. That's the most I've written in a long time so I'm really chuffed with myself and I hope you enjoy reading what I've written when it finally goes live! Hopefully the creative surge will hang 'round for a while so I can get at least a few more post written whilst I'm 'in the zone'. 

Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Sunday celebrating Father's Day's! My Dad completely milked the fact that it was Father's Day and completely took advantage of winding me up in everyway possible but I can give as good as I get I must admit. I'm well able for myself-you know how it is! But I love him really (mutters quietly!).

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 29: Domino's For Dinner!

It's Saturday my favourite day of the week! Who doesn't love a Saturday? I'm sitting here in the dark (as always haha!) listening to a playlist of all my favourite Beatles tracks celebrating Paul McCartney's birthday. Happy Birthday to Paul one of the greatest musicians, singers and songwriters ever in my opinion!

We had a pretty quiet day, although after the week we've had I think it was much needed! The races and The Holy Fair I believe were on today so it was hardly worth the hassle of fighting the traffic in town. Instead, I had a long lie in my cosy bed this morning although that came to a sudden halt when I realised the time. As much as I enjoy a lie in, I don't like wasting the day lying in my bed even though I might not be doing anything special. It reminds me too much of being hospital for my liking. Even when I was in hospital I'd be begging the nurses to give me permission to get up (less than twenty hours following major surgery might I add) as I hated being confined to my bed.I was a determined young girl!

Mum made us a delicious fry-up as a weekend treat for brunch. After washing my hair I popped on my CD player in my room and enjoyed listening to some great tunes whilst I applied makeup to hide my pale face (I look like a ghost!) and attempted to create beach waves using sea salt spray I purchased a while ago. I used to have an ash blonde bob of bouncy curls when I was little which turned a mousey blonde colour and sadly the curls grew out as I grew older. In more recent years my hair began to develop a red tinge so I decided to just go red entirely. Nowadays I curl my hair using the BaByliss Curl Secret or pleat it using a sea salt sprat to create beach waves to get create a little bounce. I do love my red hair but I sometimes wish I could have blonde curls again. Oh we're just never happy are we!?

Eventually, I decided to join my Mum who was in process of cutting the grass in the garden as the sun had actually returned. Despite the sunshine, I didn't last outside for long as there was a cool breeze and I can't stand the cold air touching my skin. I'm a bit of a wimp to be honest!

I think I was sitting doing what I'm doing right this very second; blogging of course, when Mum finished up in the garden. Somehow the time had flown in and four o'clock was approaching. Dad was working a little later than usual due to the races being on so we decided to order takeout for Dinner. We hadn't had pizza for ages so a good old Domino's was in order. I downloaded the app which I'd previously deleted as the storage on my iPod was almost full so we could put in our order for collection. The app allows you to create a custom pizza which means we can have whatever toppings we fancy. I  know it sounds strange but I absolutely hate cheese so this makes life so much easier as I can specifically order pizza without it.

Anyway, we went out to collect our order and returned home a short while later with the pizza boxes in hand. How come whenever you don't have something for a while it tastes all the more amazing!? It was seriously so good!

Does anyone else think that Saturday night TV is absolutely rubbish nowadays!? It's currently in the midst of that gap between Britain's Got Talent and X Factor where there's nothing decent to watch or at least that's what I think. I'm afraid I'm one of those people who enjoys those sort of TV shows; my Dad on the other hand hates them. He's in his element that we're not subjecting him to such torture as he sees it.

So until Dad finished work I think Mum and Laurel watched one of the Twilight films if I remember right. I on the other hand attempted to catch up on writing one of the various blog posts I have in mind for the coming weeks.

Before heading off to bed Laurel and I wrapped up our Father's Day gifts and wrote our card. Okay, Laurel did. I took the paper, scissors and tape through to my room with the plans of wrapping up after I finished blogging. Eventually, I got round to wrapping and fell asleep on top of my duvet a short while later with my makeup still on-oops! I woke up a few hours later at 4am, it was light outside, the birds were beginning to sing and there I was half asleep with my teeth to brush and makeup to remove. I really need to do all of the above a little earlier so that doesn't happen again.

So what will tomorrow bring my friends? Pop back soon to find out! In the meantime, I hope you had a great Saturday no matter what you did!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 28: Recording My Radio Promo

Preparing for my show

What a crazy couple of days it has been! Yesterday, (Wednesday) was not a good day at all. I had a meeting regarding my health which I won't go into too much details about at this second however I will probably write about it in more detail in a few days as it's quite complex to briefly explain. All I want to say is that the system is extremely mucked up and that the things people with disabilities/health conditions are put through are absolutely appalling and I for one will NOT stand for it! It wasn't an easy day and according to my Mum I looked ill after it; I certainly didn't feel so well that's for sure hence why I decided to leave blogging and get some much needed rest. 

Nevertheless, today was a new day-thank goodness for that! After filling my tutor in, I think he realised I probably wasn't physically feeling 100% with my pain levels in both my hand and leg so he decided we'd work on something a little less taxing on bass. So using a specific app on his iPad, we found the basic chord structure of 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder which we've looked at in past but not in as much detail as we did today. I've noticed a lot of improvement in the past few months with my bass playing and I feel excited by the prospect of being able to play along to so many amazing pieces of music by the people that I admire. Before, I could play the basic chord structure; now I can play exactly the basslines they are playing!

After tutoring I think I was visibly tired however I assured Mum that I wanted to go out for a little while so we paid a visit to TK Maxx; one of our favourite shops in town. We had a bite of lunch there and a browse in the actual shop itself. I find it extremely depressing however, to go into a shop and find all the clothing rails filled with dark and dull clothing for Winter. Honestly, just a few weeks ago I was raving about the fact that all the summer clothes were in the shops and that everything was so bright and colourful. What a difference and so quickly as well! As you all know I am not a fan of Winter (whatsoever!) so this was not a pleasant sight! It's only June after all! Surely there's still some sunshine ahead of us yet!

Following our spree in TK Maxx we still had some time on our hands before Laurel finished school for the day so next on the agenda was ASDA for a few odds and ends. ASDA funnily enough is one of our favourite places to buy cards as they always have such a lovely selection so considering it's a certain occasion this weekend my Mum did her daughterly duties and picked out a Father's Day card for my Grandad. I've been organised for a couple of weeks in advance due to the fact we initially got the dates wrong thinking it was last weekend. So for once, I'm actually prepared-go Rob!

We're not ones for hanging around in a shop for too long so we were in and out pretty quickly and still had time to spare so we headed back to the house to drop everything off. Feeling a little tired I decided to stay at home whilst Mum collected Laurel and ended up nodding off for half an hour or so-oops!

Radio Selfie

After dinner I got organised to head out the house for radio. During my show I aired part two of my debut interview with Graeme Clark from Wet Wet Wet which seemed to go down pretty well. I was certainly felt a lot calmer airing it this week. Last Thursday I was a nervous wreck! But everyone was so sweet and supportive about it which gave me a boost! A wee shout out to my good friend Jim who's on before me on a Thursday night for playing Wet Wet Wet's 'Sweet Little Mystery' to get me geared up for the interview! Brilliant song by the way! And again, a huge thank-you to everyone for tuning and joining me- it's always a pleasure!

Following my show, I recorded my promo for show through in the office. I don't know how it happened but we somehow managed to recorded in just one take! Even the backing music (which by the way is a very special song to me) was the perfect amount of time required to play in background! We had to turn out the lights to avoid a horrible buzzing noise in the recording so it quite funny speaking into a mic like you're recording an album in a professional studio whilst trying to read from a piece of paper in the process. Fortunately, it's the Summer months so it was light enough to actually see the piece of paper. I quite enjoyed recording it though; it's interesting to see how it's all put together.

Then it was straight up the road where I spent the remainder of the evening chilling out before heading off to bed. So that's what happened during my day; how was yours?

Until next time,

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 27: Don't Take Directions From Me!

Hello There!

It's Tuesday! One more day into the week, one day closer to the weekend and one day even closer to the summer holidays! Words can't describe just how excited I am for Summer; the sooner it comes the better!

I'm currently waiting on my video blog from Bruce Springsteen's Hamden Park concert to upload to YouTube. I've edited the thumbnail to add in once it's uploaded so that's one more thing ticked off the to do list. Whilst I'm waiting I thought I would nip onto my blog and actually write for once. I've been slacking this past week or so although it has been pretty busy and I can only do so much before I nod off with my head in my laptop-no I'm not joking! That seriously has happened before!

Well today was rather interesting to say the least. When we dropped Laurel off at school Mum and I decided we'd pay a visit to Hayes Garden Centre mainly for a visit to the café there as they make the most amazing bacon rolls (and empire biscuits!). So we took the usual trek through the country roads (we much prefer the countryside in comparison to the motorway). I think we fell in love with the countryside when we lived in Dunure and Laurel and I also went to school there for a period of time. I also really love wildlife so any excuse for a drive through the country we'll happily take!

Anyway, just a short distance from the turnoff for Hayes we saw the dreaded red sign reading 'Road Closed'-not what you want to see when you're so close to your desired destination. We decided to take the diverted route and it seemed to be taking us in the wrong direction to where we wanted to go. But of course the bold Robyn encourages Mum to keep going because 'it's a diversion, it'll eventually take us where we need to be'. Haha! Yeah right Rob! We approached a sign for 'Trains Nursery' which is another garden centre and somehow the name clicked with me and seemed familiar. I pointed this out to Mum and said 'let's go there instead then'. Before long we soon discovered it only sold plants (fair enough) and there was no café! Turns out I recognised the name from when my Grandad went there to buy some new trees.

So back on the road again for us! We followed a sign directing us back to the town we live in however as we soon discovered it leads to the busiest roundabout in the area from the worst direction to access it might I add! Mum saw another turnoff which would also take us to where we need to go but again, I encouraged her to go in the other direction. Me and my big mouth! A word of advice; never listen to my directions-you'll get nowhere! My Mum can testify to that! An hour later we reached our town and just decided to call it a day and head to Debenhams instead and grab some breakfast there. Laurel put it in a nutshell when Mum told her about our antics later in the day 'Mum there's a reason why she's wearing that tacky tourist hat and not a pilot's hat'-very true however, I don't appreciate you mocking my hats Laurel!

Turns out Debenhams café didn't open until 10am today which probably wasn't the best of news as we both were more than ready for a bit to eat after our magical mystery tour. But what could we do!? So we had to drag ourselves around the beauty department for a browse (such a shame!) and had a chat with one of the ladies who works at Urban Decay, one of my very favourite makeup brands! By the time we'd work our way round the beauty department, café was open for business and we finally could get something to eat! At last!

My tutor arrived this afternoon at 2pm for my music sessions and within no time he had me jamming along to 'Come Together' by The Beatles. That was one of the first Beatles songs I ever heard. As a little girl I knew songs like 'Twist n' Shout', 'Drive My Car', 'Here Comes The Sun' and 'Hey Jude' but at the time it never really clicked in my head who was actually singing them. Anyway, it's a pretty amazing song and to actually be able to play it is quite something!

We picked Laurel up from school a little while later and popped into Sainsbury's for a few bits and bobs for our dinner because due to our little detour we didn't get a chance to visit the supermarket any earlier. But apart from that, that's as exciting as my day really got. I've really just spent the evening chilling out for once watching a few YouTube videos with Laurel, adding the finishing touches to my Bruce Springsteen vlog and finally getting round to writing this post.

But until tomorrow,

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 26: Artwork & Airing My 1st Ever Radio Interview!

A photocopied segment of the collage I've been working on

So I haven't got round to updating my blog for a few days much to my annoyance but I have literally working non stop on various other things and before I know it, I'm quite literally nodding off with my laptop sitting in front me. That's usually a sign that I need to pack everything away, head to bed and get some sleep or I wouldn't be worth a button the following day. But it's Friday night (well, the early hours of Saturday morning to be honest!) and I don't have to get up early so hopefully, I can get a few things ticked off the list tonight that I've been meaning to do.

Well, yesterday (Thursday) I aired the first part of my first ever radio interview with Graeme Clark from Wet Wet Wet on 3TFM which I was extremely nervous about. I don't know why I was so nervous but I was! I mean the radio side of things feels like second nature now to be honest but I suppose considering it was my first ever interview, it was only natural haha!

It was also my first ever evening slot on radio as I've now moved from Thursday afternoons to Thursday evenings and it actually was almost a year to date since I aired my first ever radio show (well technically as it's now Saturday it IS a year to date!). It's quite frightening to think it was a whole year ago;  in many respects it feels like a lifetime ago and in other ways it feels like it was just yesterday. My friend Jim who started at 3TFM at the same time as me and aired his first show at the station before me swapped over to evening slots back in January but my new slot is now straight after his again so I'm absolutely delighted about that! It was so lovely to catch up with him at long last!

So how did the interview go? Better than I thought to be honest! So far I've received good reviews so that's the main thing-phew! I made my poor Mum sit outside in the car to listen to it as it made me all the more nervous to have someone in the studio watching me-sorry Mum! Although my Sister decided to come up with us and leave my Dad at home to listen to it by himself, I think it was more the fact that Mum had bought a big bag of Malteasers to munch on in the a car that enticed her to come (there was none left by the time I got off air either so I made Mum stop into the petrol station at Sainsbury's to buy a big bag to stash in my room). I believe that Mum was sitting having a wee tear to herself whilst listening (proud mother moment haha!).

Oh I'm going off track a little! Before I go any further, I just wanted to thank you all for sending me such lovely messages about the interview! It really meant a lot to me reading them all! Also, a huge thanks again to Graeme for everything! From actually agreeing to it in the first place, to being so easy to talk to during the interview, being interested in how I got on with the editing side of things when I spoke to him at his gig last week and helping me promote it; I really do appreciate his support!

Besides the big day at radio, I've been run off my feet writing various articles. It doesn't help that I'm an absolute perfectionist and probably over critical but I'm not happy unless I know it's 100% to my satisfaction hence why it sometimes take a little longer than I'd like to get things done. I must read everything I write at least a hundred times before I'm entirely satisfied with the outcome.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I've been working on achieving my National 4 in Art & Design and well, my art tutor is hoping to have it handed in next week so getting the final touches these past few weeks have bene priority. Although there's never a serious moment in the process of it, my tutor and I always end up in fits of laughter over one thing or another and that's how I like it. It's not really like school it's more relaxed and fun so I count myself really lucky!

My final piece for the course is pretty much complete, I probably mentioned a couple of weeks ago feeling completely out of my depth creating collage and struggling to see where to take it. However, I am delighted to report that you'd never even know that it was ever the same piece of work. I really love the end result! My tutor took it away with her the other day and photocopied various sections of it and enlarged it so we could show various examples in my sketchbook we've been putting together and the photocopies look equally as amazing if I do say so myself! I'll insert a pic of one in particular to let you see a quick glimpse of what I've been working on.

Back in September/October last year we spent a period of a few weeks focusing on designing masked inspired by the stunning venetian masks and the different seasons throughout the year. We'll also be using the masks as part of my coursework so my tutor asked me to model it so we could take a photo to put into the sketch book too so I snapped a quick selfie to let you guys see one of them.

Modelling the mask I designed

And it was also really lovely to catch up with my lovely best friend/adopted big sister Heather this morning for a coffee in Costa and a wee browse in some of the shops. Heather's just back from Soccer Aid and a few stories to tell one of which was particularly exciting; she quite literally bumped into Robbie Williams in the hotel elevator! How cool is that!? So it was really cool to hear all about everything happened! And of course we needed a HMV fix although we're a terrible influence on each! We could easily buy half of the shop between the pair of us! We also have certain mischievous routines that I can't really tell you about but put it this way; there's never a dull moment! We also paid a visit to Primark and three t-shirts with moons and dreamcatchers on them (surprise! surprise!) and a pair of boho inspired brown ankle boots later we left the store. And unfortunately, by that point it was time to head home to get a quick bite to eat before my tutor was due to arrive.

Anyway, I better go get ready for bed and attempt to get some sleep, I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with a proper daily blog for you. Today, I just wanted to briefly update you about my crazy week and why I haven't really been able to catch up on blogging. Anyway, I wish you all a good evening although it'll probably be at least midday before you actually read this!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 25: Two Gigs in One Day

Selfies with Graeme

Two gigs in one day; not bad going eh!? One in many respects was a work related gig (if that's what you want to call it) and the other was for my own enjoyment but nevertheless two gigs is pretty good! For once I willingly got up at a fairly decent time for a weekend, I think the milder weather has certainly had a positive impact on me and pain wise things have been a little easier hence why it's easier to get up in the morning at the moment. Mum made us buttermilk pancakes for breakfast which is always a good thing if you ask me. Afterwards, I had a mad scramble round the house as I had to be at the local record store for 1pm and well there's only so much you can fit into a short space of time. But I did learn that I'm a pretty decent multitasker and can almost apply makeup and curl my hair at the same time. Close enough anyway!

I was going to be doing an interview for the local record store's website with a musician who was performing in store yesterday (Sunday). Unfortunately, I the timings didn't quite work out as he got held up in traffic as some of the roads were closed but I'm still going to do a wee concert review. Potentially, I could have grabbed a few minutes at the end however, I had tickets for Graeme Clark's gig in Glasgow later in the evening and due to the roads being closed we'd have to leave early in order to get there on time. The gig itself was a fun experience and of course, it's great to support the local music scene and see others doing the same. I must admit that I had a good old time to myself browsing the shelves before the gig even started although for once I left emptied handed which is a surprise!

The local record store

We headed back home for dinner and before long we all set off to good old Glasgow taking an alternative route to avoid disruptions thanks to the road closures. Fortunately, we encountered little traffic and arrived in Glasgow with plenty of time to spare. We even managed to find a parking space in a side street just along from the venue-how often does that happen!?

With it being the West End Festival, the area was absolutely buzzing. All of the surrounding restaurants and cafes within the area were filled to the brim with people, it reminded me a lot of London where I spent a lot of time as a child due to hospital. In fact, that's one thing I really miss about my visits to London; the city buzz and quirky vibe. There's something really special about it!

Siempre Bicycle Café was just a short walk away from where we had parked so we took a leisurely stroll admiring this cute little plant shop on route. The entrance to the café was up this little side lane where a small queue for the gig had already began to form. My Dad ran ahead to check it was the right place before heading off to meet up with a friend who lives in the area. As we waited in the queue we could hear the sound check taking place which sounded amazing! It was  also lovely to chat with everyone in the queue as we waited, everyone was so sweet! That's one of the reasons I love going to gigs, you meet so many lovely people!

A wee glimpse inside the café

Following sound check Graeme popped out to say hello and chat with everyone before heading off to get ready for the gig. Just a short while later, the doors were opened allowing everyone to make their way inside and find a seat. It was such a cute, quirky, little café where you instantly felt at home.

Again, I'll refrain from saying too much about the gig itself as I intend on writing an actual review at some point in future-I have a list of things to do! However, what I will say is that it was an amazing gig! I loved hearing Graeme's new material from his new album 'The Thought Collector'. Honestly, you guys need to go check it out-you'll absolutely love it! The two highlights of the gig for me personally, was Graeme playing a bit of 'A Hard Day's Night' by The Beatles during one of his amazing songs named 'Heart of Stone' and hearing his new song 'Do Those Things To Me'; that song in particular really caught my attention. As soon as I heard it, I instantly loved it! 

Following the gig I waited a little while before going up to briefly speak with Graeme. Graeme has been a really great support to me with my blogging, media & journalism aspirations and is always so encouraging towards everything that I've been doing. Like I said before, it meant a lot that he agreed to let me to interview him for my radio show on 3TFM (which by the way I'm airing the first part of this Thursday evening between 7-8pm). It was a big deal for me as it was my first ever interview. I was pretty nervous but I couldn't have asked for anyone better to chat to! I'm going off track a little but it was really lovely to chat to him after the gig and of course take another selfie!

A wee pic of the gig itself

After speaking with Graeme, I went and found Mum and Laurel who were patiently waiting on me (nothing ever changes haha!). Once organised we called Dad to let him know that we were ready to head home. Walking back to the car we couldn't help but stop in our tracks noticing someone's gorgeous house which was filled with twinkling fairy lights and this amazing dreamcatcher hanging on the wall. As you can probably imagine my eyes were absolutely glistening at the sight of it-it was my dream house!

Once we found Dad, Laurel begged him to find a chip shop as she was feeling a little peckish. We've become a bit accustomed to having chips and curry sauce as an after concert snack. We stopped in at a local chip shop and Laurel popped in to pick up the order, I really didn't want anything although I managed to sneak a few chips from Laurel's box as it did look rather delicious!

Well, that brings us to the end of yet another blog I'm afraid. A busy day indeed! But totally worth it! I'll be back very soon with another post so pop back soon to check it out!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

Day 24: Meeting Jake Clemons in The E Street Lounge

Jake Clemons & I

What a day! I've mentioned it on at least a few occasions but yesterday, I went to see Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band at Hamden Park in Glasgow. Hopefully, I'll get round to writing an actual review of the show itself but I'm absolutely run off my feet these days so might take a few days. In the meantime I thought I'd tell you about the day itself, I have vlogged my day as well but again, it'll take some time to edit and upload it so please bear with me!

Firstly, Mum and I headed into the town after dropping Laurel off to pick up something and decided to get some breakfast as due to the time we needed to leave for the gig there wouldn't be a lot of spare time to grab a bite to eat. We headed back home a little while later where I spent quite a bit of time getting ready for the gig. I mean I had my hair to curl, makeup to put on, my bag to organise with everything I needed to take with me and of course a video blog to start-you know how it is!

I waited at home whilst Mum went to pick Laurel up early from school. There was so much to do I thought I better take full advantage of my time before Dad got home. Just after two o'clock, we set off on route stopping at my lovely friend Heather's to pick her up as she was coming to see Bruce with us. It was Heather's first ever Bruce gig and my third time seeing him (my first Bruce gig in Scotland though) so it was pretty exciting! I don't know who was more hyper to be honest.

We arrived at Hamden and Bruce was in the midst of sound check by the sounds of it. It sounded like he was playing 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes' which is one of my Mum's favourites, I don't think she's ever heard him play it live before so that was cool.
I'm not gonna lie though, it was a bit of a nightmare at Hamden to be honest. Firstly, trying to find the disabled paring at Hamden was fun and games and no one really seemed to know exactly where it was. Surprise! Surprise! And when we did find it, the steward didn't really listening to us and was about to send us away saying we couldn't park there until he saw the disabled badge and changed his tune.

Our E Street Lounge passes

We'd all been given passes from Bruce's management for The E Street Lounge; a backstage area for guests of the band to hang before the show so the first mission was to find the box office to pick them up. Whilst my parents and sister picked them up, Heather and I paid a quick visit to the merch stall and just a short while later left with a bag of merch consisting of a T-shirt each, a programme and audio download card for the Glasgow gig. Heather put me to shame only buying a t-shirt hehe! I can't go to a gig and not buy a programme and I love the fact that you can actually buy a live recording of the specific show you attend so it had to be done!

When we met up with my parents again we were given our passes for the E Street Lounger which I stuck on me jeans. It's pretty cool having a pass and they look rather cool on my jeans too-oh I'm so sad aren't I!? The next question was 'how did we access the lounge?' We asked numerous stewards who passed us from pillar to post, none of whom were particularly helpful and never listened to a word we said. One in particular was particularly rude and unhelpful and only showed interest in the situation when he later discovered that Heather had the personal number of the head of security. Funny how that changes things. I'll not go into full details as we could be here all the day but yet again, more wheelchair access issues! Thankfully, one decent steward eventually came to the rescue and got one of the supervisors to come help us and eventually he got us inside the building and to where we needed to be. So a huge thank-you to both gentleman!

The E Street Lounge

Once inside the building things were a lot better and the staff in the lounge couldn't have been nicer. The E Street Lounge was empty when we arrived so we had first digs of the tables to sit at. We had an amazing view of the stadium from the lounge and watched as it began to fill up when the doors were opened. It was absolutely scorching outside so it was so nice to sit inside in the cool and have easy access to bar for cans of ice cold cola!

As we were chilling out, taking photos and charging our phones using the sockets in the lounge, Dad noticed a familiar face enter the lounge. It was Jake Clemons, who plays saxophone in The E Street Band for Bruce. We're all big fans of his Uncle Clarence who played sax in The E Street Band up until a few years ago when he sadly passed away. But I love the fact that Bruce asked Clarence's nephew Jake to join the band.

Anyway, I had a quiet moment of excitement as Jake was up there alongside Bruce as members of the band that I'd like to meet one day. Dad went over and did the fatherly duties to ask Jake if he'd come over and say 'hello' to which Jake replied 'yeah, of course'. He shook hands with us all and happily posed for a pic. Somehow, I even managed to ask him if I could take a selfie on my iPod which turned out even better than the photo on the camera so I'm extremely chuffed! Let's face it, I was buzzing! We said goodbye to Jake who had to go as I think they were getting ready to hit stage just a short while later. But seriously, that was so cool! My day was made!

We initially thought once the show started we'd have to leave the lounge and go find our seats/an space in standing area. However, on the staff members who'd been taking care of us appeared just before show time with two tickets for the royal box for Heather and I so she escorted us to our seats just as Bruce was about to take to stage. My parents and Laurel were able to stand at the other side of the box and could have access to any spare seats if they wanted them after half an hour into the show. However, they decided they were quite happy standing at the barrier and dancing-haha!

My amazing friend Heather & I sitting in the royal box

Seriously though, it was so cool to be seated in the royal box! We had a pretty decent view of the stage; no one was in the seats in front of us and the sound was pretty good! Although, we got when we saw how much the seats were worth! Ricky Ross and Lorraine from Deacon Blue passed us in the lounge and were seated in the row in front of the box I believe (so my parents told me anyway). Normally, I'd have wanted to go say 'hello' but they're just normal people there to enjoy a gig so there's no point in pestering them!

The concert itself was absolutely amazing but then again would you really expect anything less from Bruce!? A man of 66 years of age performing for around 3 and a half hours nonstop with no support act is absolutely incredible! His energy is absolutely amazing! We had a great time singing, dancing in our seats and clapping along-didn't we Heather!? One of the stewards we'd spoken to earlier in the evening stopped us both after the gig to say we'd kept the stewards entertained during the show with our antics-hehe!

Jake, Bruce & Steve

After the gig we spent a hour hanging in the lounge to avoid the rush of people leaving the venue and the build up in traffic. So instead we just enjoyed some refreshments from the bar area and watched the stage being dismantled. There was at least four large trucks driven into the stadium after it had been cleared and within the hour so much of the stage had already been dismantled-it's unbelievable to watch!

Once we left the venue we made our way back to the car by which time we all were pretty hungry and the temptation of all the food vans were getting a little too much. So in the end we all ended up munching on a few boxes of chips before heading back home. A great gig and a great night!