Tree

I really love trees - however over the last few weeks we have been faced with a dilemma, whether or not to take down a fir tree in the front of our garden. Although it was a lovely tree it did block out an enormous amount of light from the house and it required a lot of work maintaining it's shape and size.

When my kids were small they used to like me to hang Christmas lights around the tree and although it was a family ritual for several years, I finally gave up to risking my life and limb to climb to the top and hang the lights around it.

After much debate, the final decision was made. It had to go. I'm sure many tree-lovers will be sad about the choice that we made and I have to admit that the family were quite sad as well.

The good news is that we are hoping to replace it with something a little more appropriate from a size perspective.

GIg-In-The-Park

Once again this weekend was the annual 'Gig-In-The-Park'.

Held at our local town park in the centre of Halesworth Suffolfk, musicians from all over country attended this years event.

The special thing about this particular event is the wealth of abilities that it attracts for such a small town and the abundance of local talent on offer too, including everything from the stage and light-shows, to the huge inflatables that surround the area, which gives it that festival feel.

There are three stages, the Main stage where most of the professional bands play, the Intermediate stage and of course the famous Jungle tent, which attracts a multitude of performers and bands.

For me personally it's also a great chance to meet up with my old buddies, many who are actually playing in bands themselves. So as well as having a beer or two it's a great chance to catch up and unwind.

Someone said to me yesterday that's the venue is like a mini version of the Latitude festival, however I personally believe because of it's shape size and the amount of local people it attracts, the 'Gig' has a totally unique feel and an occasion that is hard to repeat anywhere else.

Finally, to add the icing on the cake to a brilliant weekend, my son Jason performed his first major gig as a solo artist. In my opinion he gave it 'his all' and as a parent watching from the sidelines - you can't ask for more than that can you.