Squeak and Grunt

I love to hear my girls sing, whether it be at a music festival, busking, a pub gig, studio recordings or just at home.

When Charis and Taylor disappear to Taylor's room to 'do homework', it is never long before you hear the muffled sound of them singing behind the closed door. They have a special playlist on their i-tunes that they sing along to. Charis sings high and Taylor sings quite low so they have called it their "Squeak and Grunt" Playlist. Far from squeaking and grunting, what I hear are perfect vocal harmonies. They are always happy to perform for me if I have any requests.

For my birthday this year, Charis had the idea to put together a list of some of my favourite songs and let me pick which ones I would like to listen to in my own private little concert. A lack of rehearsal time and the unexpected arrival of Ivy who wanted to join in, meant that the concert was not as polished as it could have been - but it was the best birthday present I could have wished for.

The video is Charis and Taylor's brave attempt to sing I Dreamed a Dream.... with plenty of mistakes!

Lidl's Boys

We call them the Lidl's boys. They congregate in their cars in the Lild's car park that my house happens to back on to. They favour the summer evenings.

They can be annoying at times with their car stereos blasting out monotonous, bass heavy music and their tyres screeching as they wheel spin on the tarmac - but mostly I feel a gentle affection towards them and smile as their particular blend of sounds adds to the rich tapestry of life in a small market town.

Sometimes the police are called and they are asked to disperse. I have never known them to cause any real trouble.

Two of the Lidl's boys are dead.

Their tragically short lives ended in a horrific car crash on a long stretch of road on the edge of town. There has been the inevitable speculation that they were driving too fast - that maybe their driving skills did not quite match their ambition. Whatever the reason, it does not deflect from how desperately sad it is that these two boys are gone, leaving a huge, heart wrenching hole in the lives of their families.

Last night, despite the miserable weather, people gathered in the Lidl's car park to show their respects and express their grief. The police were present but the crowd of upward of 250 was mostly subdued in a moving demonstration of genuine sorrow and disbelief.

Photograph from the Drayton Crier Facebook Page

I don't imagine that this tragedy will dampen the spirits of the young lads who live for their cars for long. No doubt the sound of screeching tyres and car stereos will be the soundtrack to accompany my summer evenings soon enough. It will be hard to listen to those sounds without thinking of this day and remembering the loss and sadness.

Cherish Every Breath

Yesterday was my birthday and the sun shone all day. I felt glad to be alive.

Today, the rain is back and I have just found out that someone close to our family has lost her brother in a car accident. I did not know the young man personally but I am deeply shocked by the news and can only begin to imagine how the bereaved family are feeling.

So much of life can be mundane and routine. It is easy to feel miserable, dissatisfied, frustrated, depressed - to overlook the everyday miracles. It is a cliche but what if today were your last?

Yesterday, I felt glad to be alive. Today, even more so.

Cherish every breath.