Abagail Grey

Stevia, Lupins, Beetroot

I carried several small bags of dry food, things like pearl barley and bruised oats. I planned to plant some seeds so I bought a mini bag of compost and four propagator trays – I strapped the trays to the flat bit directly behind the seat of my bicycle and put the compost in my back pack, it was heavy. Yesterday May felt like March, and the damp wind, still tinged by winter, stung my face and hands. I filled the basket at the front of my bicycle with groceries. The weight on my back made me wobble…I saw myself in the future, riding along on a rickety old bike, towing a trailer of garden tools and seedlings, annoying the traffic, struggling up a hill, making the most of everyday.

By lunchtime we had planted Stevia, Lupins and Beetroot.

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Distant Memory of Dornoch Beach

Seaweed scented salty wind, summer sun and wildness. Small limbs gather shells and tempt the shallows with laughter and running. Faces red and mottled, the sky ever changing, clouds roll and colours merge. The ocean a blue and volatile expanse, grey, green and foamy white, the wave’s lash the shoreline then recede with forceful suction.  A sandy beach that curves forever in perfection, which, on a calm summer day can be inviting, but in winter a storm on that Northern shore would thrash our fragile sensibilities with unforgiving fury.

A childhood memory is a distant echo. There is laughter in the haze, almost mocking, close to a cackle but still compelling, rooted in excitement rather than happiness. I see a girl with short dark hair, a blue T-shirt and red shorts; she’s gangly and young - faceless in my mind’s eye. I chase her mischief in the way a child chases a butterfly around a garden. Hoping to trap and control for just a moment, to inspect the beauty up close, to learn from, and then to let go. 

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

Get lovely products here: Abagail Grey Shop

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16 years old

I remember thinking ‘this is the best summer I’ve ever had’. The sun shone and people wanted to know me. We went to the Isle of Skye; I became an unreasonable nightmare to my parents. In August I met my first boyfriend...sometimes I slept in the living room in his family home, everything smelled strange to me. On one particular night I dreamed that I was awake - I was in the same room but everything was made of confectionary…boiled sweets, liquorice, red and white striped candy sticks, cake and chocolates in shiny wrappers… You’d think a 16 year old in that situation would get up and start eating, but I didn’t, I was petrified. Gradually reality infiltrated the dream until the candy was gone and the living room returned to normal, my heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and my skin was covered in a layer of sweat like early morning dew.  

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

Get lovely products here: Abagail Grey Shop

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Friday Last

Another drizzle soaked day, the greyness remains insistent…I can’t fight the sky but I try to fight my mood – although Friday last my mood and the sky were in cahoots.  The winter is a time of trudging. I walked, I saw an old man - his face stuck to my mind, the way he threw a feigned smile in my direction, his eyes awash with sadness and his posture slightly stooped. Down by the river, the water flows like a large black serpent, a great twisting artery dividing the city. Its power...a reminder...no matter how much we build and try to dominate, water will always win. A seal appears on the surface, just a little face, so close I can make out its delicate whiskers…then gone.  I start to feel lifted. In the Victorian Market I buy some vindaloo curry paste, a tin of coconut milk and some tomatoes. Preparing the curry is a pleasure indeed. Friends arrive and we take to laughing and for a time I forget all the struggles of the day. It's not so bad. 

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

Get lovely products here: Abagail Grey Shop

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Robert Burns, Tam O Shanter and Granny Campbell

It’s Burns night, and, throughout the far reaching diaspora, Scots and non-scots will join in a ritualistic celebration dedicated to the great bard. Haggis, neeps and tatties will be consumed in vast quantities and Auld Lang Syne will enjoy its biannual outing. My 11 year old self would recite Tam O Shanter from beginning to end, it took about 30 minutes, now even the initial words evade me and I would have to be reminded of the story: something about a witch and a horses tail…’Weel done cutty-sark!’ is imprinted on my memory and I see a man on a horse shouting with conviction and desperation, it’s a dark night, leafless skeletal branches probe the grey blue stoney sky beside a ruin, maybe a church or a castle or a graveyard. There is wildness in the scene and wildness in the young man’s face. It’s close to my heart…..My Granny Campbell would prepare fresh pancakes for my brother and I, which she served still warm with jam and cream, she measured the quantity of flour using a cup and was careful to emphasise the importance of beating air into the mixture, just enough…not too much. She had a picture of Robert Burns on the wall of her cottage; I can remember the smell of baking and warmth, a kilt and an apron, and a dulcet midrange accent from the far north quietly reciting Tam O Shanter. 

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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Something more cheerful

A story with a happy ending

Important Message

Such a confusing emotion, it takes over completely. All rational judgment goes out the window, and, even though you’ve been honing it since birth, the inbuilt radar which you use to judge character becomes jammed. Emotions dart around like a solar storm in your mind and suddenly you’re crying for no reason , shaking inside and blushing at the mere mention of his name…and it’s not love, it’s lust, but it feels like love. And, for the lucky few, things work out and the one they’ve pinned all their affection on is a good person and they live happily ever after. Others are not so fortunate.  Well-meaning friends say ‘What are you doing with him? Don’t you value yourself? He’s horrible to you…Why don’t you leave? Why did you get yourself into this situation in the first place??…you’re worth more…How could you be so stupid?’ …And their blame only makes it worse. Self-confidence plummets until you wake up in the morning look in the mirror and feel like you have no soul, that it’s been smashed to pieces, that the fragments are scattered to the wild wind, that the situation is completely beyond comprehension and control, beyond hope.

So please….if you’re in an abusive relationship, whether it’s verbal, physical or silent…ALWAYS REMEMBER:  IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT, really truly, it’s not your fault….your crazy limbic system put you there, an ancient and fundamental instinct to keep the human race going no matter the consequences…and if you are the friend of a person who is in an abusive relationship then please be kind, we all make mistakes…and love…it’s a lottery…some are blessed and some are not. 

Please reshare.....it feels important....

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

Get lovely products here: Abagail Grey Shop

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New Addiction

Dishes are left undone, beds are crumpled and the washing basket overflows. It’s getting bigger by day, longer, more colourful. I find myself sneaking around, stealing time, and closing doors for privacy. Just one more row….the phone is left to ring. I wake up in the morning and reach for my needles, it’s the last thing I do before I go to sleep. I’m getting faster….soon it will be done, complete, finished and I’ll have to start fresh.

I heard a story last year about a guy who went into rehab for cheese and port addiction….but knitting, that’s a new one, maybe I’ll be the first!!

 

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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How to wake up feeling fantastic.....

Despite dreaming that Orio our pet hamster had escaped, and that my attic was full of rats and inhabited by a young couple who were strangers to me, I awoke feeling massively happy with myself and my surroundings. I felt like I’d cracked it, that through persistent and constant direction, self-discipline, morality and kindness, I had somehow managed to reach the realms of true emotional freedom, a place where trivial and burdensome everyday constraints had disappeared. As if guilt, doubt and discontentedness were locked in a box far from my conscience mind. It was transcendental. What had brought this incredible feeling to me? I pondered for a moment, then realised…

IT’S CAKE FRIDAY…!!!!!!

Tonight we shall have warm chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream...YUM!

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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The speed of a second

The little boy sat on the couch completely immersed in a computer game which sounded like death by relentless machine gun fire. His mother walked into the room and said “hey I want to tell you what I’ve been thinking about today”…no response…more death by machine gun…  “but it’s exciting”… “Ok mum, tell me”... “Ok great, but pause the game”…the machine gun fire stopped and the boy looked in her direction: “I’ve been wondering about 60 and 120 beats per minute, the tempo of most popular music is twice the speed of a second and I wonder if it’s a coincidence or if we were somehow brainwashed by the sound of a ticking clock or if there is something inherently human about that measure of time…I mean…what’s so special about 60 and who decided on the speed of a second???”  the boy thought for a moment, sighed and said “can I resume my game now mum” she said “ok” 

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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Walking thoughts and batman

It’s morning and I’m walking along thinking of things we might talk about later, ideas that may be of interest to you. Strolling from the highest point of the city the view is open and substantial; in the middle distance wispy cloud rests wearily on roof tops, church spires poke through and bare branches of big old trees curl and reach for the sky cloaked in calm. The awakening bustle rustles gently, still sleepy and half dreaming. A lady in a fine tweed cape walks in my direction, she is old ‘Good morning’ I say ‘Good morning, lovely day’ she replies. I don’t normally say hello to strangers….but the cape…such a fine cape – like an aged superhero from the Western Isles, who, similar to batman, keeps her identity hidden whilst fighting crime and making the city a safer place to bring up children.  An unsung Highland hero…

Download songs by Abagail Grey: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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Aqua Aerobics and Old Lady Strength

On arrival the receptionist always says ‘good luck swimming with that lot!’ and this morning was no different. The tiny changing room which services the pool was rammed as approximately twenty septuagenarian and octogenarian ladies changed into their swimming costumes. The pool is small and it would make sense to create a separate lane so that people like me could swim up and down without disturbing the bi-weekly Aqua Aerobics class, but no such lane exists.  Several weeks ago, when I first attempted to swim, I scanned the path ahead and assumed that the chattering clusters would disperse politely allowing me to carve a lane.  Wrong - nobody budged, and in an almost artful way they stood their ground, caught up in worlds of gardening, grandchildren and Strictly Come Dancing. It was as if I had breached some unspoken protocol, invaded territory, and when limbs accidently clashed underwater a sweet faced old lady with an innocent voice would say ‘Oh, sorry dear, I didn’t see you there’ ….yeah right!!  Such skill…stubborn, cunning, manipulative….

Today was different. Maybe I have earned their respect through weeks of persistence, for the first time they made room and I swam without interruption. When I was leaving the changing room, after the swim, a white haired woman with strong features and a tall confident posture said ‘See you next week!’...and for a moment I felt the warm glow of inclusion and acceptance…indeed, see you next week…

Download music: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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Family, Date, Nerves, Knitting, Friends

With scissors in hand mum grabbed a tuft of hair and pulled me towards the bathroom -‘I’ll take a morsel off your fringe’ two minutes later I was walking through the kitchen, my fringe improved, when she said ‘There’s a hole in your skirt’ she asked my Auntie, whose house we were in, if she had a needle and thread. Next she was darning my skirt as my Uncle, Auntie and Sister in Law buzzed around the small kitchen readying the food. I left to catch the train just as the family sat down to supper - the youngest at the table was 5 and the oldest was my super fantastic Granny who is 90. My sister in law drove me to the train station and we discussed what I might talk about later with the man I was meeting, I was worried the conversation would run dry, her advice was good. Janet called whilst I was in transit, I asked her to send some wool, any old wool as I was knitting a haphazard scarf. I arrived at the restaurant early and gulped some wine to quiet my nerves, Pinot Grigio - it made my mouth feel fresh and softened my focus. We had a nice time and none of my fears came to fruition; afterward I cycled to the pub and met some fun French people who were on holiday. This morning a large package arrived by post…a great collision of colour greeted my eyes like a rainbow and waterfall merging…the wool…how pleasant life is!

Happy New Year!!

Download music: Snowflake Remember     Dark Wood     Winter & Icicles     Apple Cherub Dove     Long Case Clock Suspension

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The Drunk

Frozen earth, the cold gets in, fingers and toes are quick to pain, and money is short, alone in the world, judging eyes, greedy hearts. The desolate individual, deserted by kindness, deceived by love, walks straight to the pub and buries dread in nicotine, booze and any other mind numbing self-destructive substance available. Distant, anesthetised, the forgotten place, the nowhere land, perpetually ready for nothing, consistently unreliable… and it’s easy for us, from our fortunate positions of love, trust and kindness, to make harsh snap judgments….none of us are immune…have a heart this winter…for some folk it’s not so easy....

Watch This and then this - it will make you smile!! (music video Beauty followed by The Making of Beauty)

Snowflake Remember is now available to buy.

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Wishing you all a very good day. 

 

 

 

Stay Happy

Porridge, small packet of brazil nuts, swim…….

‘Winter’s come early this year’ (older lady in changing room at pool)

‘It sure has’ (me)

‘Do you think the winters are getting longer?’ (Lady)

‘Not sure…it feels that way’ (me)

‘Summer feels shorter’ (Lady)

‘I suppose...’ (Me)

Dark days, long nights….winter is harsh especially for the elderly. The lady I met this morning was cheerful and despite her bleak observations her eyes shone with precocious wisdom and warmth.  And it made me think….no-one should have to go through this alone...

Punnet of blueberries, heating on, slippers on, grey skies, stay warm… 

This and then this will help you smile today.

Snowflake Remember is now available to buy.

Thank you for reading, watching, listening and sharing...

Wishing you all a very good day. 

 

Video Shoot Plockton

The sun rose peacefully purpling the Plockton sky giving light to a vista of water, hills and distant mountains, paradoxical palm trees line the coastal road – the day began elegantly and I wished my son had been there to share the 7am moment.  He came later with his grandparents, a fine surprise….

We started filming early. Jan and her husband live in Plockton and made sure cast and crew were well fed and rested. My jobs included driving, making tea and sticking sparkly letters on the bum of Mo’s pink velour tracksuit to spell the word BEAUTY

Tristan stuck to the plan, it was manic, and there was much to be done.

This Saturday evening will see the release Beauty the music video.

I will post a link directly after the first screening at the Snowflake Remember launch which you are welcome to attend.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Velocity Music and Film

We’ve decided to move the huge wooden table to increase the distance between the projector and the white wall thus making the picture larger…the stage will go in the far right hand corner, the room is rectangular in shape with a curved coffee bar to the right which welcomes customers on arrival… It’s a lovely space, open and friendly…

Please join us this Saturday at 7pm in velocity café - we will do our best to fill the room with music, film and good feeling….see you there I hope.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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The Three Little Pigs

 

The accent I chose for the big bad wolf was reminiscent of an Anglo – American insurance salesman who lacks scruples but always manages to reel you in with his dulcet and trust worthy tones….or a smooth talking pimp who is actually Loyd Grossman in disguise…..and the little pig was a housewife from inner city Belfast with a hard tone to her voice.  My son now demands the same performance on a nightly basis…what have I started…’I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in’

And, in keeping with other traditional children’s stories, deception, cruelty and horror bubble ominously beneath its innocent tones.  Yup, the Three Little Pigs contains a few valuable life lessons, which unfortunately only make sense to me now, when I was a child I thought it simply about a wolf who ate pigs….

Please pre-order Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Blitzen and Rudolph

On Christmas morning, many years ago when we were children, my dad said ‘Santa left you some reindeer’ so we hurried to the field at the end of the drive and sure enough, Santa had left some reindeer (except they were a herd of Jacob sheep). The air was cold and the day was dark, a foreboding thick cloak of stony grey cloud hung in the northern sky, blocking the sun. The stinging wind made our cheeks red; there was snow on the mountains, oil rigs stood lifeless in the water far from us. The sheep huddled together stealing warmth from each other with dense black and mucky white coats and a head full of horns. 

Please pre-order Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Louie Schwartzberg Ted Talk

Today I saw a film....utterly beautiful, thought provoking and life affirming. 

Everyone should know.

Please watch and share: Louie Schwartzberg: Nature. Beauty. Gratitude

Please pre-order Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Meanderings

In the big dark I see the shadows come to life. The wind is howling, picking up branches and leaves and making the windows of the house shudder. It’s 5am and we’re awake, wandering around like sleepy ghosts in the half light.

Last night I caught my knee on the sharp corner of a wooden bed frame: very painful, I immediately fell to the floor and made some agony noises ‘Owie owie owie’. This morning I have an outrageously large yet glorious bruise, the kind you show people whilst beaming with pride: blue, purple, red and green and oddly beautiful..

It’s been the strangest night….sleepwalking children and vivid dreams...unsettled… And here we are at 5am, chatting about the weather and eating cereal.    

Feels a lot like midnight…..

Please pre-order Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Mum....why???

We wandered up the hill with autumn all around. He turned to me and said ‘why are the leaves brown in winter and green in summer?’ and I said ‘It’s to do with less light because of shorter days so the trees can’t make chlorophyll, the chlorophyll makes the leaves green so without it they turn brown and fall to the ground and melt away helping nourish the soil. The trees have a rest through the winter.’…..We wandered along in silence for a couple of minutes then he said ‘If eyes are so small how are they able to see things so big?’ and I said ‘I don’t know the answer to that but we should find out’ and we continued our walk to school. 

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Winter in the Sun

Moving clouds like shifting thoughts, staring at the sky, spellbound, hypnotised by calm and smooth transitions. In this part of the world the weather changes fast and frequently and a sunny morning will often be followed by a stormy afternoon.

The song below came from a time when I spent Christmas in a sunny warm place - I'd much rather spend it here, in Scotland, because that's what I know....

 Winter, an old song made new...

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December inVelocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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Tis the Time - pre-order now!

 

All too often baffled shoppers move around malls in a frenzy of consumerism....“What will I buy? …it's the same every year…a cook book….long johns…..a vase….a scarf…..a teapot.....”

Well here’s a fresh idea….

Pre-order your copy of Snowflake Remember today.

This festive themed Limited Edition EP will brighten your Christmas morning and add delight to your day…with beautiful artwork by Emma Cocker (and more great gift ideas on her site)

Produced by Chris Geddes and Tony Doogan.

Mastered at Abbey Road by Frank Arkwright. 

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December in Velocity Cafe and Bicycle Workshop.

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EP Launch - Snowflake Remember

We have chosen Velocity café as a venue for a number of reasons: They have great cakes, a friendly atmosphere, good crockery, an agreeable ethos and a massive white wall onto which we can project our new music video.

And it’s a beautiful little film with a heart-warming story.

Please join us. Arrive at 7pm- we'll start at 7.30pm on Saturday 1st December.

Abagail Grey will be performing as Claire Campbell – piano and vocals and Michelle Newall – more vocals. The songs will be stripped back, almost as they were when they first arrived…..we will sing six songs….no more, no less.

Tristan, the cleverness behind the music videos will be present and up for a chat - we will show both his videos - Dark Wood and Beauty.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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Velocity Bike Cafe Inverness

Big chunk of cake – yum!….and a café latte made with care. I’ve been in three times and I’m not sure if it’s the way the tables are laid out or the welcoming and warm atmosphere, but every time I meet someone new,  another friendly face. And I like that. Too much time spent alone….I have a bike, it's nothing special but I love it nonetheless, it’s designed for the road and a lady like me who likes to travel slowly….. in Velocity they have a workshop  - anyone can take in a bike and have it looked at and made better by the expert people who give maintenance lessons and ask for nothing in return…..

So if you’re in town give it a go: Velocity

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

Please visit Abagail Grey

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Thank you!

 

Velocity Bike Cafe Inverness

Big chunk of cake – yum!….and a café latte made with care. I’ve been in three times and I’m not sure if it’s the way the tables are laid out or the welcoming and warm atmosphere, but every time I meet someone new,  another friendly face. And I like that. Too much time spent alone….I have a bike, it's nothing special but I love it nonetheless, it’s designed for the road and a lady like me who likes to travel slowly….. in Velocity they have a workshop  - anyone can take in a bike and have it looked at and made better by the expert people who give maintenance lessons and ask for nothing in return…..

So if you’re in town give it a go: Velocity

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

Please visit Abagail Grey

Please share with your friends.........

Thank you!

 

D.I.Y

There is chaos in the kitchen. Droplets of paint are stuck to the floor, the crockery and my laptop – some paint has even ended up on the walls (where it’s meant to be)! Blisters have began to appear on the parts of my hand where the paint brush continually rubs.   The cupboards have gone from being Champagne to being Old White. I prefer Old White. What started life as a carefully planned neatly laid out procedure has slowly turned into an ever evolving ramshackle mess.  And all the while, in the spirit of eternal optimism I say to myself ‘This will work out in the end – it’s going to be fine, it has to be fine’…and it usually is…..make the plan, take action (often the difficult part!), and see how things go, forget the plan and do what feels right…take the plunge and hope for the best.

No plunge no swim!!

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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Kitchen Overhaul

Champagne and Wild Water: the words conjure an image - a colonial sea faring vessel on a turbulent stretch of the Zambezi River, the passengers wear khaki trousers and panama hats. The ladies yelp politely when gripped by terror whilst delicately balancing the stem of tall and slender glass, half full, a perfectly coloured bubbly delight. The men take charge, posh accents, suntanned skin and wavy blond hair……

Champagne - cupboards.

Wild Water - walls.

Dressed in overalls with paintbrush in hand I stop to imagine the person who spends their days in a faraway office creating the names of Dulux paint – Indian Ivy, Japanese Maze, Hawaiian Blue….I’d love that job….every colour tells a story.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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My Little Murderer

I was in a Jacuzzi thinking ‘this can’t be good for me, bathing in an extremely hot bubbling pool of diluted toxic chemicals with a bunch of strangers’ when the woman next to me said ‘I’m heading to the park after this to see if I can find my little murderer’ …'Oh’ I said, not really knowing what to say to such a far out statement, then she said ‘it’s a Peregrine Falcon and does a much better job on a pigeon than a Sparrow Hawk, it attacks from behind breaking its neck or ripping its heart out. This one’s got bells on which means it’s escaped from somewhere and belongs to someone, I’ve called the RSPB…the bells make it difficult for it to hunt…birds are amazing…just like people…some are like Robins and want to spend time alone, some are like blackbirds and always need to be in a pair and some are like cuckoos – laying their eggs in the nest of other birds…’ Then she left and that was that.

Here’s an old song  - The Soup Carrier – it seems to be in context…..

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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Time on an Island

I spent two of my winters in sunnier climes on a barren volcanic Island entirely embroiled with the workings of another, wasting my affections on a loveable cretin, a soft hearted rogue, a gambling fun loving Irish bard. Mornings were spent under water with the sting rays and the angel sharks and at that time of day I was always alone.  But I missed the cold and the dark and the time spent by the fire, I missed my family and the cinnamon scented warmth of the world we always constructed in reaction to the creeping frosty cold.

Winter

It’s been through so many phases and has gained fineness, improving with age just like some people I know. 

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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Risk

You park on a double yellow line in the centre of town and tell yourself that the parking attendant is more than two blocks away giving you just enough time to dash to the shop and get back to your car before he gives you a ticket.

The seas are rough but you want to swim, so you do...and it feels good.

You borrow a large amount of money from a multi-millionaire and plunge headfirst into a snake infested pit of ruthless business types, clinging desperately onto hope as that’s the only tangible and unchanging thing you have, knowing fine well that everything could fall apart and all could be lost….

You put the eggs at the bottom of your bag, you fill the bag with shopping…..you know the eggs may break under the weight, but you also know that they will probably be fine….

Take the risk...clean up the mess...don't take the risk and stay still...

Some of us can't stay still.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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Multitasking and reverse parking....

I placed two tortilla wraps under the grill. We were both tired, the skies were grey and sitting on the couch under a duvet watching Netflix and eating comfort food seemed like the only reasonable option. But, as always, housework beckoned so I decided to go upstairs and put some washing away whilst waiting for the tortilla wraps to toast.

Bad move.

 'Women are brilliant at multitasking – it comes naturally’ - I've often heard it said. Well I am living proof that this is simply not true. In the midst of folding cloths and opening and closing drawers I became embroiled in a full on debate with myself about the current energy crisis and how blasting sulphur into the stratosphere to cool down the earth was maybe not the best option (I don’t know this for sure hence the debate). Next the fire alarm was blasting - I ran to the kitchen to find flames pouring from the grill. I lifted out the grill pan by its plastic handle and managed to open the door to the garden and avert total catastrophe.

Phew.

I am a woman, I can’t multitask but I can reverse park…….

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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BEE

This is a new version of an older song, it's slightly faster with different instrumentation. Propolis became interesting to me a while ago - Wikipedia:

"Propolis is a resinous mixture that honey bees collect from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps (approximately 6 millimeters (0.24 in) or less), while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. Its color varies depending on its botanical source, the most common being dark brown. Propolis is sticky at and above room temperature (20 °C). At lower temperatures, it becomes hard and very brittle.

Propolis is now believed to:^[2]

1. reinforce the structural stability of the hive
2. reduce vibration
3. make the hive more defensible by sealing alternate entrances
4. prevent diseases and parasites from entering the hive, and to inhibit bacterial growth^[3]
5. prevent putrefaction within the hive. Bees usually carry waste out of and away from the hive. However if a small lizard or mouse, for example, finds its way into the hive and dies there, bees may be unable to carry it out through the hive entrance. In that case, they would attempt instead to seal the carcass in propolis, essentially mummifying it and making it odorless and harmless."

Clever little bees.

Here's the song, the hive being a round about metaphor for the home.

Bee from Snowflake Remember

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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How to have a disastrous date......

Arrive early and during your wait allow mild panic and paranoia to infiltrate the positive affirmations you’ve been repeating in your mind. Have some wine and play with the cutlery. Eventually he arrives and panic turns into a wild animal inside your throat and belly and breathing becomes difficult. Palms are sweaty and even if you wanted to throw your arms around him you can’t because you’re paralysed by fear, and even though this person is the absolute object of your affections who you think about night and day there is absolutely no way you can act normally. And a voice in your head is saying ‘why didn’t you wear a different dress??’ Then you try to make conversation and sound interesting but the heady mix of anxiety and wine has you saying random stuff like ‘I went to the Maldives and saw a shark’ and all the while your facial expression is akin to that of a person who’s just been hit by a car. And he knows…he can tell…he can smell your fear and he has no sympathy.

Robin

A song about that from Snowflake Remember

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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More Stars

Warm fresh cinnamon scented apple crumble floating like a small Island in a lake of thick yellow custard – best enjoyed beside a crackling open fire whilst listening to the icy wind losing its battle with the confines of the house.  Hot water bottles and hearty soups bring comfort. Spiced wine in a time of darkness and endless constellations in the clear frosty North.  Far from light pollution somehow the sky seems deeper, with more stars, into infinity, acting like an affirmation that there is more beyond our limited vision.

Winter.

I’m still in love with you.

And the midway moment of total elation......

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

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New York

I woke up this morning thinking about King Sisyphus. Greek mythology paints a picture of an evil man who, in the afterlife, was condemned by Zeus to push a large boulder up a steep hill, just before reaching the summit the boulder would roll back to the bottom and King Sisyphus would start over, and so it would go, endlessly, for all time thus consigning Sisyphus to an eternity of unending efforts and constant frustration.

By 6am I was listening to radio 4 and eating my usual bowl of porridge. News of Hurricane Sandy dominated the headlines and my thoughts turned to the people of New York and New Jersey, many of their homes, lives and work destroyed in an instant by an uncontrollable and ferocious act of nature, and, like the boulder rolling down the hill, many people will be forced to start over and build everything from scratch and it seems unfair, because, unlike King Sisyphus, their punishment is undeserved. 

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember LTD edition EP on 1st December.

On this day I dedicate this song to the people of NY and NJ 

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NEW EP

Sue Wilson's press release for Snowflake Remember - 

ABAGAIL GREY

 

NEW EP SNOWFLAKE REMEMBER OUT DECEMBER 1^ST

 

PRODUCED BY CHRIS GEDDES & TONY DOOGAN

MASTERED BY FRANK ARKWRIGHT AT ABBEY ROAD

 

Maybe it’s a Highland thing, but for Abagail Grey – the creative alias of Inverness-based singer-songwriter Claire Campbell – winter is a season of fruitful inspiration. Following last December’s download single ‘Winter & Icicles’, and this summer’s highly-praised EP Dark Wood, Campbell returns to this bracing thematic territory with her gorgeously soulful new five-track release Snowflake Remember, aligning double-edged moods, metaphors and images of cold and cosiness, brightness and dark, decline and renewal.

 

“I always find winter a very poetic time,” Campbell says. “It’s something to do with the contrast between the darkness closing in, the trees losing their leaves and so on, and the intensity of sensations that come with the cold and the snow. It also makes me think about the parallels with the seasons in human life, or in relationships.”

 

These latter reflections inform several of the songs on Snowflake Remember. Intimations of mortality underlie opening track ‘Beauty’, whose warmly wistful melody conveys both longing and comfort, with Campbell’s vivid vocals and vibrant piano work artfully accented by subtle drum-machine backing and Belle & Sebastian’s Mick Cook on trumpet. The extended metaphor of ‘Bee’ recalls the summer of a romance that’s now reached “deep December”, its elegantly spacious arrangement sounding at once cautionary and serene, while the deliciously quirky, catchy ‘Robin’, arrayed in swirls of retro synth, delivers its kiss-off with delicate asperity.

 

‘Starling’, by contrast, is a stunning allegorical lament for our despoilation of the planet – complete with its disruption of the seasons - conjuring the magical spectacle of starlings in mass flight as a plea for human solidarity. On a brighter note, the freshly reworked ‘Winter’ celebrates the bustle and excitement of a snowy pre-Christmas street scene with sparkling, childlike delight, headily buoyed by sweetly surging strings – albeit tempered with Campbell’s characteristically bittersweet countercurrents.

 

Campbell has once again enlisted the sure-handed and imaginative talents of Chris Geddes (Belle & Sebastian) and Tony Doogan (Snow Patrol, Teenage Fanclub) to share production duties, this time with Frank Arkwright – recently described by Hi-Fi Choice as “England’s greatest mastering engineer” – adding the finishing touches at Abbey Road studios. Alongside other regular collaborators, including bassist Ali Brown and drummer Derek Urquhart, Snowflake Remember also features guest contributions from Dave McGowan (Teenage Fanclub, Vaselines) and Stuart Kidd (Snowgoose).

 

After the poignant, intensely personal focus of Dark Wood, the new EP once again showcases Campbell’s expansive scope and assurance as a songwriter and musician, anchoring wide-ranging themes in finely-wrought detail; hooking you in with irresistible tunes then catching you unawares with piercing insight. As she prepares to release a third Abagail Grey album next year, the glowing artistry of Snowflake Remember stands out radiantly against the winter’s chill.

 Cover for Snowflake Remember - 'Listen to the Birds' by Emma Cocker.

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Starling

Standing on the precipice, looking at the great expanse where mountains and rivers sit wild and unachievable, saying – keep your distance, I may be beautiful but I can be hostile. Weather fronts move across land and suddenly engulf with winds that can knock you to the ground and ice that feels like little daggers piercing delicate skin. And, when looking at the enormity, people seem very small, like little speckles, fragile and momentary …yet inside our minds endless thoughts make us feel significant - our personal worlds are huge.

Here is a song called Starling from the soon to be released Snowflake Remember.

Here is a quote from  Tam O’shanter by Robert Burns, a line I used to hear my mother utter from time to time  “like the snowfalls on the river, a moment white then gone forever”

Autumn

There are many trees by the river, Oak, Ash, Scots Pine, Holly and Birch. Evergreen and deciduous with thick old trunks they tower and shelter and sway in the wind. The changing grey of the sky sits as background to burnt orange, winter green and more, all the colours of Scottish autumn.  And, as clothing suggests, the temperature has dropped and people seem quieter, more timid, the acoustic has changed, children kick their way through piles of leaves, evenings are dark, winter is close. 

Dark Wood limited edition EP CD is now on sale!

Snowflake Remember will be out 1st December....pre-order available soon!

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Passing Beauty

A solitary young stag, startled on a clear day, breath condenses from a small head with small antlers. It turns and runs across the field, heading toward a clump of trees. The sky is grey and the grass is extra green freshly nourished by the recent rain, the young stag is bright orangey brown and perfectly formed.  Soon it’s out of sight and soon after that, out of mind.

Like so many other things…..

Dark Wood limited edition EP CD is now on sale!

Snowflake Remember will be out 1st December....pre-order available soon!

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Secret little gems.

I’ve heard the same piece wisdom again and again from many different music industry professionals: “if your songs are good enough then they will bubble to the surface” ….. I wonder….is that really true?

When I listen to radio one I rarely hear a ‘great song’…maybe they are buried or maybe I’m not listening for long enough, or maybe the purpose of radio one isn’t to showcase great art but rather to keep people working throughout the day, people who are half listening. It’s like magnolia paint or a tabloid newspaper – it’s a place for things which don’t challenge, a place for semi tantalising generic stuff, a place of non-specific noise – but it serves a purpose and has its place and if it helps get people through the day then that’s a good thing.

But it’s slightly disappointing that the main radio station in the UK is more focused on celebrity than great art but I suppose that’s just the way of things and it’s not going to change anytime soon.

‘All the stars that never were are pumping gas and parking cars’ – from Do you know the way to San Jose by Hal David and Burt Bacharach .  Many great songs must go the same way...hidden in bedrooms quietly sang in private moments - secret little gems.

Abagail Grey will release Snowflake Remember on 1st December 2012.

Please order Dark Wood while stocks last!!

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Lover Let Me Go

Sometimes things work so well as if they were made for each other, as if before they came to fruition they were already floating around in the atmostphere waiting to be united. Like this video with this song and these two voices.

I watched it last night - beating hearts kept popping into my dream, it’s still on my mind today…so tragic in its truth. I feel most sorry for the man and his sowing machine, and he has such a lovely face.

Please watch Lover Let Me Go - a song by Isobel Campbell and a video by Elisa Kragerup

Window

I see trees and rooftops and a blue autumn sky with pockets of tender grey clouds outlined in white orange and illuminated at the edge hinting toward coldness. The sun is low in the sky, it is morning and the birds are singing the last song of summer.

So much of my time is spent starring in silence at the fluid sky. At night the moon presents itself and brightens my room and the stars parade and I am lucky. During the summer months the sounds of summer socialising float through my open window with sing songs and laughter. In winter my window protects.

And I never think of it and its important role in my life, except for today, the last day of summer and the first day of autumn. If I was at a wedding I would raise a toast and thank my window for soothing my mind and helping me think.

Dark Wood limited edition EP CD is now on sale!

Snowflake Remember will be out 1st December....pre-order available soon!

Thank you for reading, listening, watching and sharing!

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Snowflake Remember

Today I watched this video. It all came flooding back. As familiar as I am with the amateur camera work, the speed at which it came to fruition and the haphazard nature of the story, I still found myself giggling with affection as once again I lived the memory of the day and all the happiness and warmth we felt.

Winter & Icicles was released as a digital single last year in December. This year we will release some new songs inspired by the cold months. Although I will be leaving the camera work to the professionals and Tristan M G Aitchison will be producing and directing a video to a song called Beauty.

Snowflake Remember will be out in December.

Meanwhile please order Dark Wood limited edition EP.

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Starling in a fez

Really – I’ve been losing sleep.

What to put on the CD cover?

I’ve written the songs. Things are in good shape. I know where it’s going and I’ve settled on a title, but still, the pictures in my mind are ever changing.  It’s not easy, coming up with a cover which catches the eye and gives a hint of what’s inside. So I went to see Gordon for some advice and to see what he thought of my only idea: A Starling wearing a Fez (see pictures below), and thankfully he seemed to like it. Then he said “don’t over think it…have a look at some old pictures and photos…look through books….” That’s when I realised - a Starling in a Fez is an over-thought.

It’s time to ponder and browse and sleep the whole night through.

 A Starling

A Fez

Now put the two together and you have my convoluted vision...

Dark Wood EP – out 30^th August – please visit our fanRx page via facebook to downloadWater  as a pre-release gift…..

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Criticism

“That’s the worst song I’ve ever heard, I don’t like it at all, it’s terrible, if you keep playing it I’ll have to go to bed early.”

That’s what my eight year old son had to say about a song I’m working on for The Winter Release – normally I’d be hurt to the core and the song would be scrapped, however, he’s going through a techno phase, he’s even dreaming about it, as in sleep dreaming rather than day dreaming, and, due to his current musical fixation, I’m not going to take his absolute loathing too personally.

This morning, just after he woke up, I heard him singing “and the snowflake remembers, falling from the sky…” a line from the song he hates. Then he said “Mum” elongating the middle of the word and dropping slightly in pitch, rising again at the end, alerting me to the fact that he was about to ask a question I would struggle to answer “how can a snowflake remember?”

The lad has a point.

I think this is maybe draft number 10 at least......it's getting there!!

Dark Wood EP – out 30^th August – please visit our fanRx page via facebook to download Water  as a pre-release gift…..

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Water

We put our feet up. The wind was soft and the river soothing. I told him about the three states of water, solid ice, the liquid we drink and the gas or steam which they used to power trains in the olden days. Then we bought ice cream and sauntered along the bank. It’s the end of the summer but it feels like the beginning - the weather has recently warmed after months of cold. Lazy summer Sunday strolling, chatting and loving the water. Maybe later the rain will come and we will listen from the shelter of our home and the time will pass gently.

Here is Water from the Dark Wood EP – out 30^th August – please visit our fanRx page via facebook to download this track as a pre-release gift…..

Here is the river by my house.

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Circa 2002

I’m on a bus with a group of musicians mostly Irish and we’re driving very fast along a busy dual carriageway. I’m feeling slightly apprehensive. Old rusty pick-ups, faded in colour, whizz past with entire families, chickens and goats packed into the back, Lada’s similar to the picture below seem to be the popular choice. No wasted journeys in this place – seeing a car with just one person is a rare site indeed. The landscape is grey and vapid, we pass small hamlets, a cows head outside a dwelling means meat for sale inside. At one point I turn to look at the view on the other side and just as my eyes reach the new area a man pulls a knife down the belly of a goat that’s hanging by its hind legs. A tumbling of fresh red entrails spew from the slit, a splurge of deep crimson set against the bleak vista. 

We were heading to a camp for internally displaced persons.

The first person to guess which country I was in gets a free copy of the Dark Wood EP - due for release 30th August. Post answers on my facebook page here or email me here

Abagail Grey will release Limited edition Dark Wood EP CD on 30^th August 2012

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Memories Made

I was reluctant, the boy kept pulling at my sleeve saying ‘please mum….come on…please’. Eventually I agreed and I haven’t laughed so hard for a long while. The sumo wrestling suit swamped Oscar, his head looked small and his teeth looked massive in comparison and when he fell over he couldn’t get back up, a bit like a beetle stranded on its back with legs moving frantically. We laughed and laughed, he got me down on the ground and body slammed me repeatedly, I was powerless and couldn’t move, all my muscles were being used for laughing, Oscar took full advantage!!

Here is a picture

That was Friday. On Saturday I had the pleasure of spending some time with truly lovely people and hearing Sally’s version of Wild Thing.

Now I’m in bed with a throat infection on a song writing mission…I wonder how that will work?!

Abagail Grey will release Limited edition Dark Wood EP CD on 30^th August 2012

Please pre-order here

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