Cutting Onions

So I am no longer a member of Famous Belcrum Recording. It was a wrench to say the least but I can't commute from Chaing Mai every Thursday to rehearse.. It really has been wonderful to play with Ed all these years, and listen to Rose and then Karlien taking our twiddling to new levels. I feel we were a perfect band. Loved playing and fed off each others energy and joy, such happy memories will stay with me a long time..

Sigh....honestly it was horrible to play what was my last ever gig with them, I barely survived with my dignity... there were a lot of tears, even the audience, (no it wasn't my singing).... our last song together was Rollarcoaster by Danny Vera, a lovely song about overcoming the highs and lows of life by being together... It also has become a popular funeral song in NL.. and when we played it an audience member started crying remembering his mothers funeral.. 

Ah well... As I posted on Facebook, new chapters don't mean the end of the book, but that chapter is now done, and it was fucking wonderful

Ahthankyew

Tennis Elbow and last gigs.

I've had this a few times but its been confirmed by the Doc, I've got Tennis Elbow, and it is mega painful at times. Sadly, there's no real cure, just rest and avoid straining. I am taking some anti-inflamitory Naproxen to try to help but really it needs to be rested, which is not too easy while we are packing and shuffling boxes most days. 

And playing guitar, isn't helping, (especially hauling gear) But the last gig for FBR is coming up tomorrow, I'm very sad about this, its been lovely playing with Ed and Karlien, and Rose before... So this is a sad parting.. We did a gig last night which was a departure from our normal trio, we were joined by Jelmer 1 and 2 from my other band to be the music performance at a music quiz nght. It was a lot of fun. I debuted a Pub Singer character, Brian De-vine, a washed up club singer with  bad jokes and a Vic Reeves singing style... My 1st ever attempt at stand up....and my last, the term dying on stage is very accurate.. but its ok they enjoyed the pub singing (probably better than my usual singing)

But tomorrow is a straight trio gig, after which Ed and Karlien will nvestigate new options for the band. It will continue but probably not the 2 guitar 1 singer format we've promoted so far.

1 more Starrcase gig coming up too the day before we complete the house sale, my final public performance... that will be choker too...

Almost all my guitars are now gone, only a tricky to sell 12 fretter and a bango  guitar left... I will be keeping a couple here, which I hope I can get a friend to sell for me... But Margaret and my Breedlove acoustic will be packed up for shipping n a week or 2. That means I need to use Goldie, my Vintage brand Les Paul for the last gig. To be sold when I am gone.

So there will be tears in my eyes at these last gigs, partly from the pain of my arm, but also from the pain in my heart... these bands have been wonderful for me, good friends, fun times, even if the music wasn't always great (I will never havve to play Maria Carey all I want for Xmas again....thank fuck)
It was easily the highlight of my weekly routine. I hope I can find music friends inThailand but my gigging days are probely gone.

Ahthankyew

living like newlyweds

Though I thought the larger items would take a while we have amazingly sold the Big Fridge, the big table  and now theres someone coming to collect our beloved recliner sofa....  That was a little faster than I anticipated We've got offers on the big bed too, but a bit too low so we'll hang on a bit and if nothing in a week or so we may accept one

Lucky we still have one original, from my almost very first post, 2.5 seat Ikea leather sofa, which I find is fitting, one of the 1st things I ever bought  here will be one of the last things we hopefully sell or give away.

So we're going to be living in quite a sparce space for a few weeks before we move to the luxury of a hotel for a few nights before we fly out

Of course there's still a tonne of small silly things, tools in the shed, the dining chairs which no one wanted with the table, the chests of drawers and wardrobes and shelving,  whch probably won't stand a dismantle. But for the most part we're just clearing out the little things.. still some computer parts to go, and  I still have all my SBC's and Models to sell as a job lot...and the bicycles and of course the car.

I need to spend a bit of money on her 1st a full service already booked, and a deep clean to get her shiney and looking new for the best price. The deep clean is surpisingly expensive though, I never realised car detailing was so lucrative now. 

I remember when it became a thing in the 80's it was just an extra service you'd get at a car wash for an extra 50quid or so.. now they are charging up to 1K for a full clean, inside, outside, engine bay, sills, tyres and minor scratch removal...jeez.. but if it gets me full whack for the car I may have to just go for it.

Its been a mental few weeks, but its progressing, We won't exactly be sitting cross legged on the floor come Dec 19 but we sure will be a lot less asset rich. :D

Ahthankyew

Big step

Not really a major thing but a niggle we had to ensure, we got a non-o visa to travel, that is important, when we get to Thailand I won't be able to open a bank account with a trourist waiver, but I can with a Non-O, that then allows me to get a bank account, put the required funds in it for the marraige visa and sit on it for 2 months before we go for the full visa extension.

The visa application got returned (not refused) a few times due to issues with my photo, and not giving enough or correct details of my bank account to prove income, but it was eventually, on the 3rd or 4th attempt approved.

This makes a big difference now, I was able to book the flights, and we are now ready to make the jump, just as soon as the house sale completes (don't jinx it)..

We hope to spend our 1st Christmas in Chiang Mai, and then we get a visa agent to prepare the full 1 year marriage visa  after 90 days there, to let me stay permenantly. It does need a renewal each year, and a 90 day reporting process, but small price to  pay for retirement happiness.

More home comforts are going out the door, the big fridge leaves tomorrow, the big table on Thursday. I will put the beds online soon too, and maybe some of the things in the shed. 

We booked the shippers to pick up lots of boxes in Dec, and we are shedding things we don't need...

Its all go...

roll on Dec23

Ahthankyew

Bike and guitars...

The Shadow has gone, I must admit I got a bit emotional about that...Even though I only rode it occasionally it was a long standing dream of mine to own one... and I did.... and now I don't... sigh.

Also got a couple more mid priced guitars sold, one to a dealer who took it as it was, so he can do his own clean and set up, and another is going to a student after the luthier has serviced it. Though if the student backs out that dealer will be happy to take her.

Only the really cheap tatty ones left... not really confident I will get them sold, but we'll see if not I'll donate them to the school so they can use them for the jamclub I founded..

Oh I still have my mighty 12 string but that will have to be sold, At this rate, I've go 2 electric and 2 acoustics to pack, and there will be duty on this... 

We put the fridge and sofa on Marktplaats, and we "may" have a buyer for the fridge but.. they've not shown up today to look at it... not a good sign, but we'll see they may have just taken advantage of me saying there was no mad rush.

The Sofa has attracted some interest too, but one from a smartarse making jokes, and another with a lowball and not willing to go up... (very Dutch). But they will sell... That just leaves the beds and washing machine... not the easiest of things to sell.

I've got lightweight solid (foam) cases for my Breedlove Acoustic and Margret, my beloved Patrick Eggle Berlin, which means I can now pack them in the cases, put them in the big box and ship them, I'll use my Vintage Les Paul for the last few gigs, unless we can arrange for the shipping to collect the day before we vacate... Gotta keep at least one spare usable guitar.. and I can leave it with one of my friends while it sells on Marktplaats. Actually I have one more up at the rehearsal studio I need to get back and repaired... probably for sale.... we'll see, its another Eggle, not as nice as Margaret but stll a vintage Eggle... maybe I'll pack her too :D

Ahthankyew

Packing....so much stuff

Yup, we have begun the packing, books, kitchen stuff, dvd's and art...oh and guitars, I had to buy a couple of new cases to pack them into a nice big box. We can take 3cubic meters, so thats quite a lot of boxes, even though some are a bit odd shaped.

So so much stuff, and so so little time, only 6 weeks... But things are moving, sales are continuing for the guitars and other stuff.. The Bike will be gone at the weekend (sob!!). We need to put big items on Marktplaats or arrange for the town seconnd hand store, the kringloop to come and clear out the larger items to sell in the 2nd hand stores... by... the 19th of Dec... Thats our current target date.
Some things just have to go to the junk pile or on offer to students and neighbours for free.... but we still have a solid month of hard selling we can do.

Sale is still dependant on mortgage of course but its unlikely to be a problem, so the buyers hope to complete on the 19th... we have to vacate the house by then and will book a hotel for 4 nights somewhere till we can get our flight on the 23rd... Tuesday flights ar considerbly cheaper than other days.... I don't know why.

As soon as I have my visa (applied yesterday online) we will book the flights and start the count down.

Exciting and also quite terrifying... but needs to be done. Wanna buy a fridge?

Ahthankyew

New PC... kinda

My old PC, the Beast sadly is not longer up to the job, its BSoD'ing every hour or 2, and more worringly it can no longer support the main tools I use for updateing the website and preparing videos for the upcoming book release date.

So I had to fork out on a new PC, just weeks before we head to Thailand... Thats not great as we'll almost certainly have to ship it to ChiangMai and pay duty on it, if it ever actually gets there in my lifetime,

So as a compromise, I have bought a little cute 4inx4in mini PC. The Pigmy, Its no where near as powerful as the Beast, and lets be honest that was ancient and sluggish by modern standards. But it does run Windows 11 which the Beast could not, and all my apps now work again.

So for 200 quid or so, for 6 weeks I have working, though slow,  equipment again to finish things up here and it can go in my cabin bag when we fly to CM.  Where I will promptly buy myself anoother mega beast to last me 10 years...The Pigmy, can then be put to use as a media server or something similar.

Its taken the day to get things on it working, like the twin screens, sound, netword, basic software tools I use, transferring files and so on, but its here and working so... onward.

Ahthankyew

More heartbreak...

Yup another sale.... the mighty Shadow... didn't get close to what I was asking but the guy who is buying her was very clear and honest about all the faults it had, not just the choke cable. He pointed out clearly a long list of small but costly things that needed doing, and I had to accept that I wasn't going to get the top price.

But on the plus side, he's not buying her for parts.. He's going to strip her down, rebuild her, better, stronger and faster, as a present for his wife's upcoming 50th.. So she's going to go to a good home with someone who knows how to give her the mechanical love I simply don't possess.

It was a tricky sale given that its a cold wet day and I couldn't even get her to start, with no choke,  but he was ok with that. I'll put her under cover with a heater to dry her out and get her starting up so he can come and collect her and drive her to her new home in a week or so.

So, one more tick on the list of things to sell off.. Heartbreaking as it is to let her go, I was never going to be able to keep her.

A few more guitars need to get sold tool, hopefully someone is looking for christmas presents.

Anyone want to buy a low milage Kia?

Ahthankyew

We have a date

Sale is going ahead, so far so good.. of course some things can still go wrong, or get delayed, but its all pretty much moving forward. Got the draft contract and dates for different legal points.

If all goes to plan......................we will see..... if all goes to plan we transfer on the 19th Dec, so we can set flights for as soon after that as we can.

We're on our way.

Ahthankyew