Petersfield to Putney with a few either side.

Before I tell the tales of this portion of the tour I wanted to share a rather lovely video of Rob and I performing our version of the classic song “Summertime”, filmed at the Peel Centenary Hall on the Isle of Man by Dave (why I) Armstrong and Christy (stunningly gorgeous!) DeHaven from Running Media. Thanks to Christy for the edit... if only she could make me look 20 years younger:

Summertime? But it's winter! from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

It’s been a particularly adventuresome couple of weeks with many highlights and a few testing low points ... especially for Rob. We began on a low point which actually had some highlights within it ... not least the resilience Rob managed to muster during a very trying journey. But first ...

I left the Isle of Man on Wednesday morning on the 8.45 Heysham boat. I had a fairly long drive ahead of me once we’d reached the adjacent Isle - as we Islanders like to call the UK - and at one point I felt I might actually fall asleep! So I pulled off at a service station on the M6 and had a sweet fruity drink and my first coffee in over 4 months. I only drank half of it but the combination seemed to do the trick and I made it safely to Pam and Martin Dury’s lovely home in Sandhurst by 6pm.

We had a particularly lovely evening with Phil and Pat Chappell and included a fabulous form of dining that neither Phil, Pat nor myself had experienced before. It’s a Swiss style of cuisine called Racklet ... named after the type of cheese involved - it’s Swiss ... cheese is obligatory. Whatever it was it was delicious and great fun too.

Anyone for Racklet? from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

And so to the beginning of our next run of shows and Rob’s first vehicular challenge. After his dice with Friday traffic-jam hell en route to Bury during our first flurry of shows, he was becoming adept at timing his travels to and from Cardiff but there are some things you just can’t control.

He called on Thursday morning to let me know he was leaving Cardiff and would be able to pick me up to take us both to Petersfield and the rather late addition to the tour at the Square Brewery Pub.

An hour later he called again. “this is my calm voice ...” he calmly told me. Mm ... never a good sign. First of all he explained that he’d had to come off the M4 at Bristol due to a car on fire and then his own car promptly broke down! “Just call the AA” I said in a mild aunty-ish manner. “I’m not in the AA ...” he sheepishly replied ... doh!

Anyway, to cut a very long and anxious making story short ... he joined the AA; the AA man turned up and the car started first time! He said it was an electrical fault and he couldn’t fix it on the roadside but it might not happen again so Rob soldiered on. The car broke down 4 more times. He eventually left his car at a service station near Warminster and got on a train. His train was due to arrive in Fareham - 30 mins drive from the gig - at 8pm which meant I’d have to start without him - eek! His train was 40 minutes late.

He finally arrived as I was finishing the first half - I cheered! Pam and Martin Dury were absolute Angels driving to Fareham, waiting for Rob to arrive and ferrying him to the venue - bless you both. Turned out to be an exciting night. All’s well that ends well. Not a show I’ll forget in a hurry. Poor Rob ... bless him too. Petersfield were very understanding and enthusiastic ... a delightful and much appreciated combination. Thanks.

Patient Petersfield from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

The saga continued the following day. We had to leave earlier than either of us would have liked - a long-lie in would have been lovely, however we had to go back to Warminster and get Rob’s poor old car to a garage in Mere - the closest Kia dealership - drop it off, which we managed to do easily enough and then drive on to Brighton for that night’s show ... just a minor detour.

We accomplished it all but not without a little more stress. It was Bonfire night ... Lewes, very close to Brighton don’t-you-know, has the UK’s largest Fireworks display and the entire world descended on the Brighton/Hove/Lewes environs and so our 2 hour journey turned into a 4 and a half hour drive from Hell! Argh!

Luckily we both have a fair amount of patience and arrived only slightly ruffled but ready for one of the quickest sound checks yet. The Brighton Folk and Blues club were very accommodating. We did our best, tired though we were and managed a reasonable level of energy and focus, all-things-considered. Phew.

Brilliant Brighton from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Lucky for us we were staying with Martin and Pam after each of these shows and it made everything much more palatable. They always waited up for us and had food and drink at the ready whatever time of the night/early morning we arrived on their doorstep. They are without fail, always delightful and generous ... Rob and I felt very blessed in deed.

Our next port of call was the fabulous Acoustic Routes club in Cambridge run by lovely Bernard ... scene of our final show last tour - ah. Chris Howarth and his lovely lady friend Vanessa, graced us with their presence - Chris’s 5th gig of the tour! And Rob did a wonderful set before our first half - all was right in the world.

There were many friendly faces in the audience, in fact it was a sell out crowd -
hurrah! Everyone was fantastically enthusiastic and loved the show and weren’t afraid to let us know. One minor occurrence means I won’t be able to use the audience flip footage I took that night, as someone objected to the experience very much ... I promised I wouldn’t use it ... it’s really just a bit of fun but if anyone feels that badly about anything then I have to respect those feelings. My apologies to anyone who would have liked to have seen the fun and frolics. Rob and I both loved the experience.

Acoustic Routes Cambridge from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Back to Martin and Pam’s once more ... our home from home on the road. Sweet dreams all round.

Our next show was in London, the last of 4 in a row. I’ve not played the Half Moon Putney for 4 or 5 years and it’s been a favourite venue since 1985! Gulp. There were a fair few Facebook friends who turned up to this gig ... lovely to see them all ... and one in particular took some very lovely photos. Thanks to Pete for these great shots.

Half Moon Putney from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Pam and Martin came along - their 4th gig - and very kindly drove Rob back to their place afterwards and took him to a train station the following morning very early ... still in limbo with his car saga ... in order for him to get back to Cardiff in time to start rehearsals with Jonathan Powell. Rob’s now in this very talented Welsh singer songwriter’s band. We’re all very excited for him and this great opportunity. I’m fair bristling with pride for my favourite surrogate nephew. You’ll all definitely hear a great deal more about Jonathan’s new cd: The Flight and Other Stories, due for release in the new year.

I drove to Heathrow after the Half Moon and checked in to a rather lovely hotel to sleep and await Bob’s return from South America (!) very early the following morning. Bless. He crept into the room around 7am and promptly fell asleep - ah. We woke several hours later and drove off to Cardigan Bay to meet with Rob and Jo Selbourne, our lovely friends from Prebendal Farm, who were enjoying a well earned rest in the Welsh countryside.

We got lost several times but finally found their wonderful hide away retreat, literally built into the cliffside over-looking Cardigan Bay and the Irish Sea! We arrived as it was getting dark and didn’t really appreciate the location at that time but were, of course delighted to see our friends. A delicious meal and great company lulled us into a wonderful sense of peace and relaxation. We slept soundly.





The following morning when I walked into the kitchen my breath was taken away by the amazing panoramic view that met me! The front half of the house is basically open-plan with 4 huge picture windows giving the most stunning views. I’ll let the little video and a spattering of photos tell the tale:

Wild Welsh wanderings and a mad yet perfectly formed dwelling from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

The tour is now over and it’s time to write the rest of our adventures for you. I’ll end this piece here and catch up with you all again in a couple of weeks with the final part. It’s been absolutely amazing and I’ve just loved being back on the road again. Thanks to all who came to a show and for you dear Blogger reader for stopping by.

See you in a few weeks.

Much love

Christine XX

The tour continues ... with a little R’n’R in between xx

We last left you as our 6th gig of the tour finished and I drove off into the night with the delightful Ms Watson. I spent a wonderful few days in her and Clea’s company in their tiny wee cottage in Burnham-on-Crouch. There was sunshine, showers, blustery winds and so much more ... with oodles of scrumptious food, wine, deep restorative sleep and a great deal of laughter ... the perfect combination in fact. One day, Helen and I went off to Maldon in search of garlic bulbs for planting - though we came back empty handed, a jolly good time was had none the less.

A Jolly Day out with Helen Watson from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

On my way back up the country I stopped off at East Stoke to stay with the Ansell family and met up with Bob along the way! Yay. After a wonderful evening in Diane and Bryan’s beautiful home, Bob and I drove further up the country to my next gig at the Bury Met, a fabulous venue I’ve played in many and various guises, including: Gregson/Collister, Daphne’s Flight, Hell Bent Heaven Bound, solo and with Howard Lees and Rory McFarlane as well as Dave Kelly and the Travelling Gentlemen ... so I knew what I was coming to. However ... I’ve never quite experienced the place with the same level of excitement (anxiety!) as this night.

For starters we ‘d been bumped up to the big room from the cozier basement space - in and of itself something to celebrate - plus there would be a number of lovely friends and family attending ... some from as far off as Los Angeles and some long lost family from my dad’s side as well as my dear and very wonderful friend Lynda Turner ... so I was PRIMED! Bob and I arrived at the venue at 5pm as arranged. As we turned into the parking space Rob called to say he was stuck in traffic and would be with us around 6.15pm ... no problem at all ... doors were at 7.40, plenty of time.

I got set up and sound checked and sorted Mr Ben’s patch for the evening and greeted several of my guests as the clock ticked merrily away. At 7.15pm ... Rob called to say ... you might have to start without me!! Eek! Bless him ... he was trying not to panic ... as was I! We had several contingency plans up our sleeves and I was about to hit the stage on my own at 8.10pm when he called to say he’d be there in 5 minutes! So we held off until he arrived ... looking pale and wan ... we plied him with hot tea and the promise of food at half time. He basically plugged in and we played! He’d left Cardiff at 12.30!! Oh bless his large cotton socks!

We had to shuffle a few songs around so that we ended up not using the loop station at all in the first half ... Mary was without the layered vocals at the end but was just fine for all that. It turned out to be a great gig ... the audience had been kept up to date with what was going on and were patience personified. My friends from LA were mightily impressed and my cousins, uncle and their partners were lovely and delighted to be reunited. All is well all shall be well.

Bury well Met from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Bob and I had the luxury of staying in a Spa Hotel for the next 2 nights ... close to my lovely friend Lynda, who came by on Saturday to have dinner with us. The food was excellent and the company even more so. It’s one of the delightful off shoots of being on the road ... catching up with the ones we love. xx

Sunday was Hitchin Folk club ... another favourite venue full of favourite people too. The club’s been going for 40 plus years and run for the most part by Maureen Jones and her lovely husband Keiron. Maureen has been under some serious health issues over the past year and is now on a waiting list for a liver transplant ... I know she would have loved to be there for our show but was in hospital having some essential tlc ... we send her much love on a regular basis! You could add yours too ... it all helps!

Keiron, bless him had been into London to see Maureen and was a tad later than normal setting up the PA but very happy that Maureen was perkier than she had been for some weeks, if not months - brilliant! We shared in his positivity!

More dear old friends turned up to this gig: Paul Leitch came all the way down from Scotland, Julie, Chris Howarth - who notched up his 3rd show this tour - and Steve Lima - hurrah! A fun filled and smooth running show with ecstatic responses was just what the doctor ordered!

Happily in Hitchn from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

I dropped Bob off at Luton airport on Monday morning - he caught a bus to Heathrow and flew off to LA on Tuesday ... ah bless. And I headed back to Burnham-on-Crouch and the delectable company of Helen and Clea once more. Helen and I had threatened to write together but found the allotment much more enticing! We did actually finish a song we started way back in February - when I was still a single girl ;-) ... there’s hope for us yet.

Helen's alottment heaven I from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Helen's heavenly alottment II from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Several days, a chicken and leek pie and hot chili later ... and it was time for gig number 9 at Great Bardfield and the fabulous High Barn. Though the audience were small in number they more than made up for it in enthusiasm and banter. The space itself is so wonderful it wouldn’t matter if it were empty ... I’d still have enjoyed it. Chris Howarth ... bless his great big generous heart ... made it gig number 4 in one tour! I really must have a T shirt made for him.

High Barn Great Bradfield from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Rob and I drove off into the night and 2 hours later walked back into the Ansell household ... it was very late and we were very grateful that Bryan stayed up to let us in ... we slept soundly! Diane and Bryan are so easy to be around and offer such warmth and sustenance that it was hard to get back in our cars and drive off the following day!

We made our separate ways to Liverpool docks and to us, the familiar sight, sound and motion of an Isle of Man Seacat Ferry, which eventually took us to Douglas. There had been serious storms all day and though the wind had died down considerably by the time we got onboard ... the captain decided to leave an hour later than scheduled ... just in case!

The first hour or so were easy peasy lemon squeasy but once out in the open Irish sea, we really started to rock! So I put my coat over my head and my ipod on loud to drown out any ho heaving ... if you know what I mean? It did the trick. We were an hour and 20 minutes late arriving but still intact ... always a good thing I find. Phew.

I actually had a lie-in the following day and woke almost refreshed and ready for our big gig at the Centenary Centre in Peel - yippee! We found out only a couple of days before that we’d be able to attempt a livestream broadcast of the entire show!

The Centenary Centreis a very special place run with volunteer help and generous donations to improve it constantly. This time round there was a theatre style bar and raked seating plus a roomier dressing room ... all brilliant!

After sound check Rob and I treated ourselves to a truly scrumptious dinner at Tyni ... a wonderful new bistro down by the marina - DELICIOUS!

The show got off to a shaky start as our special guests “Strengyn” were unable to perform due to the fact that Paul - one half of the genius duo - met with a very strange accident between a motorbike and a football! Luckily all were relatively well but not well enough to play that night. Get well soon and definitely see you both next time! We did however have the delightful presence of 19 year old Alanna Mclean, daughter of Dave and Lizzie - 2 gorgeous people I adore - who sang 3 blues songs brilliantly! Thanks Alanna ... and Dave for stonking piano accompaniment!

Rob and I were both a bit nervous knowing there would be cameras on us - Dave and Christy filmed the whole event as well as having a static camera broadcasting our every move out onto the ethereal airwaves of the interweb! Eek!

Peel Centenary Centre Isle of Man from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Regardless of our anxieties we threw ourselves into the night and basked in the warmth of the tumultuous applause of a standing ovation at the end of the performance ... wow ... thanks Peel! And the world ... there were only a few technical difficulties during the first half which were all sorted by the second set and we had people watching in Los Angeles, the UK and other parts of the Island -amazing!

I love a rainy day ;-) from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

With only a few days of leisure before the next run of dates I somehow managed to fit in a 7 year old’s birthday party, lunch with mum and dad, an osteopath session and a hairdresser’s appointment for a hair colour top-up plus a vibrant girlie dinner with chili, wine and a weepy film! Phew ... I’ll be glad to get out on the road again for a bit of a rest!

Jamie's birthday fireworks! from Christine Collister on Vimeo.

Hope to see you at a gig or 3 in the next few weeks and I’ll try to keep you up to date with all that’s going on!

Thanks as ever for dropping by ... see you again soon.

Much love

Christine XX ;-)