Favourite Songwriters No. 7

I was driving home from work yesterday when a familiar tune came on the Radio - an old tune but a cover done by Watershed ( a South African Band) and I thought it was a really decent cover too. Though they were working with a really good origianl , though I guess that makes it harder to do a cover when you’re being compared to the original. Anyway I haven’t posted a favourite songwriter in a while and knew that these guys would definitely have to make my list.
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, brought home thier messages using melodic tunes and beautiful Harmonies, I love playing thier songs with all thier interwoven harmonies - If I can find someone to sing them with. So which of thier songs do I choose? There are many, one of my favourite from childhood was always "Teach your children", though I’ve decided to go for the one I heard on the Radio, mostly because it feels a lot more personal to me " when you see the Southern crosss for the first time" though I grew up under the Southern Cross, I remember the way I felt when I returned home after my first soujourn in England - looking up at those 4 bright Stars I knew I was home. So below are the lyrics.

Southern Cross

Got out of town on a boat goin' to southern islands,

Sailing a reach before a followin' sea.

She was makin' for the trades on the outside,

And the downhill run to Papeete Bay.

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas.

We got eighty feet of the waterlineNicely making way.

In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you,

But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away.

Think about how many times I have fallen.

Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'.

What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world,Lookin' for that woman, girl,

Who knows love can endure,And you know it will (and you know it will).

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,

You understand now why you came this way,

'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small,

But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a coming day.

So I'm sailing for tomorrow, my dreams are a-dyin',

And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain.

I have my ship and all her flags are a-flyin'.

She is all that I have left and music is her name.

Think about how many times I have fallen.

Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'.

What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.

I have been around the world,

Lookin' for that woman, girl,

Who knows love can endure,And you know it will (and you know it will).

So we cheated and we lied and we tested,

And we never failed to fail, it was the easiest thing to do.

You will survive being bested,

But somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you

At the Southern Cross.

Some Recent Illustrations

We'r kinda going for a bit of a futuristic theme for our guide this year, so I've been having some fun doing a range of Space Camper Illustrations. Here are a couple...

The weekend

I may be getting old, but it doesn’t mean I can stay out dancing Until 5 in the morning – it just means I‘ll only be surfacing from bed at about 5 in the afternoon.
I went out to Red Door with Caroline on Friday evening and we met up with a couple of here friends there, it was a good evening, and as Always Jamie was playing good alternative music and fortunately a fair amount of stuff from my generation that I could rock out to and know the words when I was lip sinking along (as you do – while playing the air guitar – and just totally making a fool of yourself). During the ‘course of the evening Jamie’s voice came across the speakers to announce that Sean from Seether was in the house and had requested to play a set the following night – so it seemed our Saturday night plans were set.
We continued to dance and grab our breaths and some liquid refreshment from time to time, until about close to three in the Morning, then Joe climbed in my Car with Caroline and myself and we proceeded to Joe’s to drop him at home – shortly after this I got a call on my phone from Kyle to announce that he was at the Red Door and where were we. We managed to convince ourselves to go and join him for a short while, seeing as it was on the way home.
It was during this period that I decided to approach Jamie and offer my services to open for Sean the following evening (which was in fact that evening) not really giving much thought to the fact that it was already after 4am and I might have a little trouble getting myself up and prepared for such a task that night.
In the end I didn’t go, though it was a last minute decision and one (seeing how tired I was) I don’t regret – so I didn’t open for Sean (was hoping for my big break – he he he)
, or watch him (if he played) there are rumors he didn’t pitch (much like me) – but I definitely can’t confirm them, I can confirm he was there the night before, when I made plans I had to break.
The reason I did – well Mom’s friend from Kenya is out with her family including two boys – one of whose birthday was being celebrated, and so instead of pushing aside my weariness and going out to play like a rock Star would, I decided I’d far rather spend my evening comfortable at home eating Ice cream cake and chips.
Sunday was much as you'd imagine, ntothing to energetic being done. We had a sit down Brunch with our Kenyan friends and the Family - then the folks and Jeremy whicked them down to Durban for the evening to put them on an early plane - and while Caroline fished off an assignment, I spent most the rest of the day sprawled outy on the couch with my face buried in a Novel... there still are advantages of not being a student anymore.

Caught Up in the Traffic of Life…

Caught Up in the Traffic of Life… ...I think that pretty much sums me up lately, in fact I think it would relate to a lot of us – we get so caught up in work, and doing our daily living routines – that we don’t realize that at times the road we’ve been diverted onto, that is building up more traffic, is actually a very scenic one, one we’ve not been on before and so should be enjoying a lot more. Instead we are focused on the road and getting to the end of it.
Why when we’re living our lives is our focus to get to the end of the week – to get to the end of an assignment or project, to get to the end of the journey that’s leading us somewhere, but when we talk about living life and it’s ideals, we complain that we never have enough time – when we’ve wished it away.
In case you didn’t pick it up I’ve been trying to use a bit of an analogy here – and using it as a main reason why I haven’t posted anything – I’ve been caught up, and truthfully, a little uninspired by my life – that’s not to say that I don’t have a great life and I am surrounded by amazing people who I love to share it with, I guess sometimes you just don’t feel you have anything exceptional worth sharing. The thing is sometimes you don’t know what you have to share until you open you’re mouth – and then you catch yourself thinking “where did I get that from?” Everyone has a part so play in one another’s life no matter how small and sometimes it’s not the part you’d have liked to have played. At the end of the day you realize that you can be no-one but yourself, and some will love you for it, and others… well they won’t.
Don’t get too caught up with the task of life, rather get lost in the small detours.

Fire, Fire, Burning bright!

Wow sometimes you realize just how fragile you are and utterly insignificantly impotent against the natural forces of this world.
Last night as we stepped out of my room for a break from band practice, Colin noticed above the roof of the house (we were stood in the courtyard) an orange glow in the sky - we climbed onto the roof to survey the damage that was being dealt by the fearsome runaway fire.
Looking at the width and size of the fire and seeing that our little town was in it’s intended path, just left us a little muted and beyond fear, it makes you realize all you can do is pray sometimes, and if that fails come to terms with the fact that everyone’s time must come.

I know it sounds fatalistic but that’s basically what I did last night as I got into bed, said my prayers and consigned myself to the fact that staying up the whole evening wasn’t going to turn aside that fire - the brave people who are trained and have the equipment to deal with it were just managing to minimize the damage that inferno was wreaking. As the one official was quoted this morning - there’s no way to fight a fire like that, you do your best just to bring it under some kind of control.

We did manage to get some pictures on Jeremy’s camera, but I failed to put them on disk to bring in, probably because due to the fires our electricity was playing up, the lights dimmed and we’re still dimmed when I left for work this morning.
As we drove out of town the destruction the fire had and almost had wreaked was evident, ashes and charred remains of trees and whatever else that managed to have the misfortune of being in the Fire’s Path, not more than 300-400 meters from our home.

Thank God for the brave Souls that fought off the worst of the blaze through the dark and smoke and heat of the hell that last night would have been for them, may he bless and keep them, and those whose lives were lost in the ‘cause, may he take and keep them always.

A dream with wings

I’ve just now remembered part of a dream I had last night, its strange how you can have a memory of it later, and I takes you a while to remember it was a dream. Well in this case not so long, ‘cause flying is just impossible – pity that.

It’s been a long while since I’ve flown or floated in my dreams and I really love it, I wish I could take a dream flight every night – I tried googling the meaning of flying in dreams and got a whole lot of stuff, a lot of which is contradictory, but they say it’s a from of lucid dreaming, when you’re aware and awake in you’re dream and can control it.

All the times I’ve had flying dreams, I’ve started flying in different ways – in the one I start by taking bigger and bigger jumps, and end up taking massive high strides 10’s of meters into the air, in the one I was falling and ended up swooping before I hit the ground, and there have been various other ones. In this one I started kind of jumping not even a meter up and flapping my hands at my side, and rotating slowly, before I put my feet back down. It was almost like I was weightless in space, then realizing this (and obviously realizing I was in a dream I started floating around… then soon I was swooping and soaring… I can’t wait to dream again tonight.

What the Numbers Reveal...

As A distraction from work today, I was looking up chinese year signs and so on, and then found a link to this Numerology site, wherer they offered to do a "short" free reading - so I thought why not and while later I got a reply, they did a reading on three numbers they work out for you, - your life path - your expression and your soul urge or hearts desire. They let you know how they work it all out, but I haven't put that here as it's a bit long winded with the bulk of my reading which I've already included. This entry links through, so if you want you can link through and try it for yourself.

I'm not the type of person who holds a lot of stock with Star signs and all the rest, though I do enjoy reading them - saying that though, I was pretty amazed at how accurate some of this report was, most of what's written below applies to me.



"Your life path says a lot about you, so please read the following very carefully ...

Liam, your Life Path of 2 ...

As a '2', you are all about peace, harmony and finding balance in everything. You are happiest when you are with a soul mate or at the very least, a really good business partner or friend. Your concern for others and diplomatic ways assure you of popularity and plenty of friends and supporters throughout your entire life.If you are a number 2 you have an uncanny ability to understand others. Many of you are blessed with enhanced intuition and you make great doctors, psychiatrists and healers. As so many are willing to support your biggest belief, which is that "justice should prevail" many of you also end up becoming beloved politicians or columnists. You are at your best when working in a team rather than a leader. Your perfect position is the leader's right hand man or woman. You make a great husband or wife! The reason you often fail at being a leader is because you want to please everyone and don't have the heart to say no! Your ability to cooperate with others often pays off handsomely for you. Your prime concern is not being rich, but "doing what you love so the money will come." You have a humane and humorous approach to life that others find very attractive. However, you are often self-sacrificing (sometimes to a fault) because you also need the approval of others. Being a two, this is because you see others reactions to you as being a mirror of who you really are. If others are unhappy with you, you risk experiencing an unhealthy dissatisfaction that can lead to a lack of confidence or low self-esteem. The number 2 life path usually includes one other person that is with you or is a heavy influence on you for your entire life. You might have a tendency to see your lover and yourself as one soul or one person. Depending on how healthy this connection is you might be with this person your entire life or waste a lot of your life yearning to be with this person. Unrequited love is more painful for you than other numbers. Love, beauty and art are also very important to you. You love the idea of symmetry and this leads to a love of classic art, poetry and of course music. Your surroundings are also very important to you, as they are a reflection of who you are. You love old things, sentimental things and collect objects that touch your heart. If you are not an artist yourself, then you will at least have an interest in the subject. Many 2's often find a soul mate in another artist and become the patron. This is because you love it when others hold up beautiful mirrors of society. Sometimes 2's are vulnerable to obsessive compulsive behaviors because they are so addicted to perfection. In fact the karmic path of many number twos is to learn not to become depressed or disappointed when people or situations turn out less than perfect. You are sensitive to other's feelings but are also easily hurt when others are incapable of returning the consideration. Many 2's spend their early years learning how to not take the actions of others personally. You are the best friend that any other number in numerology could possibly have are often self-less to a fault. Others sense your deep faith in human nature and are so touched by it that they often fulfill your desires just to see you smile.


Your Expression - which describes your potential natural talents and abilities - works out to be a 5.

What a '5' Expression Means About You
Now that we've done the calculations, what does this actually mean?
Liam, your Expression of 5 ... Your Potential Natural Talents and Abilities
You are optimistic, inquisitive and embrace change. You are a freedom-loving individual who expresses their love of independence often through a bohemian or unusual life style. You are blessed with a brilliant creative mind that is never at a loss for a solution to a problem. As your independence is so important to you, you thrive best in creative occupations that allow you a great deal of travel. You have an eye for design and appreciate the good things in life. In fact, you may spend a lot of your time trying to figure out how to get these things without having to work too hard. If you are a typical five then you will meet with the most success by selling some aspect of yourself or your talent. The height of your personal expression is in your talent for persuasion. This is why you are best suited for jobs in media, marketing and design. You very much believe that a person is defined by what he does and not what he wants to do so any business or project that you start will be very much branded with your personal flair. It is a number 5 that tends to name a business after himself or send out a resume with a photo. When it comes to business you also tend to have a "hands on" approach as you rely a lot on your wit, charm and good looks to get what you want. Once the deal is sealed, however, you sometimes have difficulty seeing it through to completion. This is because your brilliant mind is captured by so many other interests that it is difficult for you to focus sometimes. Sometimes your need to express your independence brings you to a critical point in both your professional and personal relationships. You are terrified of being stuck in one place or having your free spirit suffocated by labels and possessiveness. For this reason many of you feel quite suffocated in relationships or are unable to hold down a day job for any length of time. You are very popular socially because you are the life of every party. You have light nimble mind and have excellent verbal skills. You also have enormous powers of analysis that gives you an edge when it comes to investing money, judging others and avoiding harmful situations. You are also very accepting of new people and new ideas. The last thing that could ever be said of you is that you are closed minded. You will try anything once and you often respond willingly to a dare. However, sometimes your permissiveness leads to relationships with odd or unstable individuals. Romantically others may find you hard to get close to as you would rather sit and chat than get intimate. Others fail to understand that the most valued expression of your love is the expression of your hopes and dreams to another. You are also very pragmatic when it comes to all of your relationships and believe in treating everyone equally. Deep down you are very philosophical about relationships and believe that no person should be so important that he or she should have the power to make you happy or sad. This can often distress your soul mate who doesn't feel that special in your presence. Part of your challenge might be showing through your actions, how loving all without sacrificing one can be achieved.


Now, Let's Examine Your Soul Urge(also known as your "Heart's Desire")
In your case Liam, this totals 9.

Liam, your Soul Urge of 9 ...What You Desire To Be, To Have, and To Do In Your Life
The highest expression of your soul's urge is to connect in a mystical way with others. Although your aspirations are lofty, you are also a humanitarian who is often gifted with a sharp intuition and keen analytical skills. Often you give up opportunities that should be yours, simply to help another. This is because your faith in yourself, god and the future is so strong that you live by your conviction that the universe is always unfolding as it should. Others simply do not possess your spiritual sophistication and may be amused or repelled by what they see as your irrational talk or beliefs. You may be accused of being stupid or foolish simply because you won't take the bait (of a job or money) at the expense of your ethics. Compared to the other numbers, you excel at letting go of lovers or opportunities simply because you know you can't take emotions and material goods with you when you die. As you are driven more by compassion than common sense, you are the first to fall on your sword for a worthy cause. You may often be broke because you see money only as a tool of change. You would much rather spend money on art, charity or a trip. In fact, ostentatious displays of wealth anger and disgust you because your ideal is a world where all humans are equal. You might appear very eccentric to others who don't quite understand your fascination with the spiritual world or your insistence on being a seeker of truth. Furthermore nines tend to get carried away when it comes to trying to heal or connect to others. The biggest mistake you could make is to try and be an "agent of karma" by meddling or interfering in other people's affairs. As you are so talented psychically, you often become a liability in business simply because people in authority resent your ability to perceive their secrets. You rarely rise very high on the corporate ladder simply because others see you as a threat to their cloak of political intrigue. You have a soul that must be continually assured and fed with new sources of spiritual information. To stay healthy, your psyche may require that you make special trips to holy or mystical places. You may have to seek out special teaching to help you understand and cultivate your talents so that you are in control, as opposed to terrorized by them. Being able to foresee the future or see through other people is often painful, so some therapy might be required in your life to help you detach from your own sensitivity. One of the sins you are most vulnerable to is spiritual pride. This can bring you situations that cause your faith to be seriously tested or where your pride can take a big fall. Many nines often find themselves subject to a lesson in becoming humble by the cosmos simply because they were too boastful of their talents. Making money off of your psychic talents may also cause you some problems, as part of your path is to heal without the expectation of reward. If you are working professionally as a psychic and are a nine, then remember to tithe at least one tenth of your earnings towards a worthy cause. However the highest calling of your soul urge is to share your intuitive talents for free."