Ghana 64 Lock Down Over

Just when I thought things were beginning to get back to normal we started hitting 200+ persons a day.  now hitting 6486.  Its been steady going up a hundred or two every day for last week. No real discussions about it. Well what is there to discuss. I when in the car saw from BBC to local radio.  Difficult to tell which is which!!!!.  All they talk about is the "the Virus".

No worries I think we are all getting a bit how do you say ? Not fed up but yes I suppose that's right. Seems to drag on and on. Well I am getting there as well.  Walk around forgetting my mask etc. Then realize no mask and feel naked. 

A say back to normal... We were on site out in the sticks the other day looking at part of our pipeline route. Nothing but trees and crap and stuff around.

Couldn't believe it.  Standing with his back to us was a guy playing the Trumbone.....  Worth the 29 seconds to watch....Maybe this is the new normal...

Really bazaar..

Enjoy your weekend....

Ghana 7 Evening time in Accra

Accra is basically a flat city. By that I mean no mountains or large hills. And since I've been here all I seem to do is work and then have a few hours in the evening having dinner with Wanna followed by a big deep sleep !!!!!  I normally leave the house around 5.30am to miss the traffic and I like to have an early start. In fact I have always thought early morning to be the best part of the day.




So you can image a late night plays havoc with my system.  I'm often cranky enough without adding in the effects of late nights and hangovers.... Enough said. Last night I got home about 5.30 pm and off we went out for a sundowner. I find it difficult to accept that Wanna will spend most of the day without much to do and my days just fly by. Seems very unfair so we went out.  Decided to go to the roof top bar in what is probably the tallest building in Accra.

Locally know as the lego building. We went up the one on the right.  Its 26 floors crammed full of expensive apartments and restaurants, gyms etc. And the view from the roof top bar is fantastic.  Had a small beer, watched the sun going down and just relaxed.  The place even had an infinity pool on the roof. Very cool !!!

Then decided it was time to go get a Thai dinner.  So off round to Khun Gai's restaurant. Few more beers with her, her Husband and son.  Ended up playing a few songs. Good evening.  Followed by a very deep sleep...

Guitar Jam

Was in Khon Kaen with my friends Dante and Alain.  We had a few strums. Really learning some good stuff.  Dante  is a great teacher.  He needs to be with my slow learning  process. The more I learn the more I realize how little I know. I don't think anyone ever fully learns music as there is just so much of it. And importantly we listened to a local guy who had been learning the "pin" a three stringed instrument which they use for all Issan music.  Khon Kaen University has a music department a section of which specializes in Issan music. He has attended this course.  Now he travels world wide playing Issan and rock and  blues. Very impressive.

Mody is a small studio in the Khon Kaen University area.  Fairly basic but a lot of fun and a good central location for meeting up.  And the compound hosts a "Koi" fish farm, some small crays and hydroponics.  A really fun place with a great atmosphere. You can spend a few hours there just relaxing.

They also make some very good quality guitars. I think I might treat myself next year.....  Don't tell Wanna......

Music Or Whatever

I've been taking some guitar lessons as I mentioned earlier. (Christmas Gladstone Guitar School Music extravaganza). One of the web sites I subscribe to just included the following :-

"The impulse to do something else instead of guitar is the signal to start playing NOW. You've got the rest of your life to tend to everything else -- and let's be honest, everything else is just details."

And sitting here at work, it made me think of a lot of my friends and guys I know who have other interests. So substitute the work Guitar for your 'thing', be it Golf, Camping, Fishing, playing pool or whatever and the above makes for a good statement.

Have a good day wherever you are, and whatever you are doing.

Big event for me last night. First public guitar performance. One song. I had chosen "Sunshine of your love' by the Cream. A 1968 track, and still one of my favourites. Went down well. The slide show attached to this post shows about you that 50 people turned up for the annual Gladstone Guitar School event. Its a showcase from the school to the students and an opportunity where we all get to play a song. Some students were very good. I was surprised some were still students...

Acoustic and electric guitars and some were singing. The Teacher is part of a Rock Band so we were lucky to have the bank along as our very own 'backing group'. And they were very patient! All in all a good night. Yes, I was nervous. You play every day at home and have no real idea if you are improving or not. Me, I now think another 12 months and I'll fell confident to stand up and play a few numbers. Trick now is to learn the songs properly and remember them... Not easy as you get older....

Slide show. Thats me in an orange 'T" shirt all hunched up over a guitar.

Music

Went to watch my guitar teacher in her 'Rock On' band last Sudnday. Lots of people sitting around enjoying 70's type stuff. By the way she is the little one on the left side!!!!