Back from the dead

It has been a while since I was here, a mixed fortuitous year, on the plus side I am still alive thanks to the speedy surgery at London’s UCH Heart Hospital three months ago, although my recovery has been slow, mainly due to a collapsed lung that occurred during surgery. I am now much better and am producing new HoM radio shows again and recording radio sessions in our newly built studio…The Snake Pit.
Some investment in the studio has given us a fantastic recording, mixing radio studio that more than accommodates any roots band for a radio session. We have been getting amazing snake skin donations from our audience and musicians that are all slowly being attached to the ceiling of the studio.
I have now, due to my heart failure, had to retire from any stressful work, so my tour managers boots are now hung up for good. I will miss the road, it has been a friend of mine for 30 years and I have made lifelong friends out there, experiences of unique events, battles with victories and defeats but most of all made wonderful music happen to audiences world wide as best as can be achieved with what we had to offer. Nothing more satisfying than arriving in an empty venue and filling it with sound, staging the show and entertaining the audience with the greatest thing known to man….the live music experience.
At the beginning of the year my sole remaining family member of the generation above me was taken by the flu and I dashed to her bed side to care for her. Auntie Honor ( aged 88 ) has now become a HoM family member and has her own room here and will remain with us for the rest of her life, her walking is not at all good but her mind and humor is as good as ever and she is a joy to be with, musicians here to record pop in for a chat, she sits on the patio listening to the the music and at 3pm takes tea and cake with who’s ever around. Bless her and long may this continue.
Bex is currently mixing down here new record and although due to events of the year, we are a little behind schedule we are not in any hurry, letting the creative process take its own speed and conclusion.
So there we have it, 2011 in a short blog, House of mercy radio continues to evolve, we do have HoM radio planes and as they become close to conception you will know them….till then stay happy, enjoy every breath of life and may your god be with you……Barry