Tumbling Dice

Or 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want

but Sometimes You Get What You Need!'

Stepson Two
We finally track down Stepson Two and he’s tired. Bone weary in fact, and with another three weeks of recording ahead there are many hours of hard work to put in before the album is complete. Glastonbury was great, he said, Clocks were well received but they’re not in the luxury trailer league yet. It was a tent after the gig and the train back to London the next day. As the songwriter it’s Stepson Two who particularly feels the pressure to deliver but there’s a lot at stake for all of them. With a full release single due out in September, timed to fit in with the album demo, a tie-in with Orange (see http://www1.orange.co.uk/entertainment/music/featuredArtistDownloads.php for more details) there are exciting plans for the band but it also goes to show how much effort lies behind an ‘overnight’ success.

Rose
A very excited Rose is on the phone. She has a job interview! Hurray! Rose is determined to break into publishing and knows that first she’s got to prove her worth. The media sales department of a large magazine company have got in touch so Rose and I discuss tactics. Have you ever tried to choose a suit for someone over the phone? ‘What do you think? Plain black or textured pin-stripe?’ She asks. Wish I was closer. I tell her to go for the one with the best fit and get as much bang as possible for her few bucks. Next step is to run through possible questions before the interview… and I thought my nerves were going to get a rest!

Lily
In contrast Lily is utterly dispirited. Trying to get the contents of a house into one room has exhausted her. There are boxes everywhere and only one socket for all her electrical gear. She gives up and goes to her boyfriend’s to recuperate. The next day she’s much happier, the boys who are to be her new housemates have tidied up in her honour although the bathroom leaves something to be desired. Lily decides to tackle it but is mystified by rows and rows of bathroom products with a dribble of unidentified substance at the bottom. ‘Do these belong to anyone?’ She asks. No, is the answer. Not anymore, their previous owners simply can’t be bothered to throw them away. Feel that the next few weeks could be a steep learning curve on both sides.

Um, Me
Well, who would have thought that events would change so quickly? From deep disappointment on Thursday to yesterday’s unexpected boost it’s been quite a journey. The agent, it seemed, had given both me and my book a second thought and concluded she was reluctant to let me go. When I screwed up my courage and phoned her I was greeted with warmth, praise and generous advice. The result is that I actually feel much happier about the direction I’ve been advised to go in, to aim, as she so succinctly put it, for a ‘substantial meal’ instead of a ‘tasty light lunch’. There are no guarantees of course, but all I can do is try.

To those of you who have so very kindly found the time to both sympathise and cheer, your support has been appreciated more than you could imagine. Thank you.

Hwyl fawr!