Aerial

Just received the new Kate Bush album Aerial the other day. Die-hard fans have had to wait twelve years for this double album but I can honestly say that some of the songs are stunning. Uplifting and stimulating, this album has a sparse, clean feel to it. Tracks like Pi and Sunset are lyrically amazing and leave the listener in awe of such musical mastery. The record also feels a lot more personal with a song dedicated to Kate's son Bertie and another dealing with the passing of her mother. As always it will take many more plays to fully grasp all the nuances and shades on this wonderful disc but so far this fan is delighted.

Rain

This autumn seems to bring an abundance of rain. My better half and I were at a friend's bonfire party for Guy Fawkes last Saturday (and me a Papist as well!) and in-between the rain drops falling we managed to send quite a few rockets and screaming banshee fireworks into the dark Bristolian sky. As our friends' house is located on the ridge of a high hill we had a fine view over the whole of the south of the city and were able to take in the many colourful puffs of fireworks exploding in a silent flurry in the distance.
On the writing front I can say that I for one like the new look of the magazine. AHM has come home and in its new location I have more control over the lay-out and content. Which is nice. I am working on a number of articles, some of which will end up in the magazine and some others will be submitted to other publications. Also, work on the print anthology (the collection of poems published in AHM in 2005) is progressing nicely. It will appear in due time on the Lionpress site on Lulu.com.
On a personal note I am eagerly awaiting the arrival in the post of Kate Bush's latest and well-anticipated album Aerial. Kate being my erstwhile muse, I can hardly wait..