A blog by Ross of Penge (formerly of Balham)

I blogged pretty extensively during 2014 and early 2015, but got out of the habit. In the time since there has been a huge amount I've sort of wanted to write about (politics, terror etc) but I haven't. I tried several times, but anger and frustration about what was happening prevented me from getting things down in a coherent form. Given I couldn't express what I felt, and it didn't seem like it would make a difference anyway, I let it lie fallow.

It's now early 2017, and I'm back, blogging about my attempt to do the first month of the year without social media. After that, who knows?

And why gateway2thesouth? Named after a famous sketch popularised by Peter Sellers:

"Broad-bosomed, bold, becalmed, benign,
Lies Balham, four-square on the Northern Line."

I lived in Balham for 23 years - longer than I have been anywhere else, and it still feels like one of the places in the world I most belong.

Friday, 2 January 2015

Who knows where the time goes?

Happy 2015 dear reader.

I've had a very busy three weeks since my last post. Concert after concert, as well as the usual Christmas festivities etc. It’s now the second of January and with the exception of going to see Sixfold performing at the Hob in Forest Hill tonight, it’s back to normal.

I will do a quick review of the past year and where the blog goes next over the weekend, and once I have had a chance to think about it. The whole blog idea came out of a New Year’s resolution; in the last few weeks I have been so busy that I haven’t managed to come up with plans for 2015 yet.
But after ten pre-Christmas gigs ranging from opening a school fete to the Albert Hall the last week has been a chance to relax a little bit, catch up with a few people and indulge too much. Christmas day itself involved a quiet dinner with the kids; the time since has included big band jazz at the Hideaway, playing the New Year in on the ukulele, and quite a lot of festive spirit.

I didn't dare stand on the scales this morning, but I know a few pounds have crept on over Christmas. They will be leaving during January, I can assure you.


So, once again, Happy New Year one and all. I hope it’s a good one for all of us.

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