Vital signs

Look. There. Did you see it twitch? Give it a prod. Yes, I think it's still alive.

Just. But it's not very well, is it?

For the first time since this blog was born I have missed marking it's birthday. Now all I can do is to say that yesterday this blog was 14 years old. Perhaps it just wants to act like a surly teenager and not say very much!

In fact I had intended to post yesterday but jet lag took over. I realise now that this is the first post here this year. There are some mitigating circumstances. I can't explain its silence in January, but Mrs Darce and I have just returned from a near five week holiday in New Zealand, so that would account for the continued silence here since early February. It seems we can count ourselves lucky to have completed our holiday without disruption, and in managing to slip back into the country a couple of days ago with no travel hiccups. It looks like the whole world is shutting down now. I say we slipped back into the country, but it actually took just shy of 40 hours from the moment we left our last accommodation in NZ to head for the airport to the point we arrived home and collapsed on our own sofas. And, as I said, that was without hiccups or delays. Time in the air on two flights (we travelled via Singapore) was over 23 hours. Right now we are saying never again.

The holiday was basically a giant road trip from the top of NZ's North Island to its southernmost point on south Island. With six friends. In the end I think we did a bit too much moving around and driving. We saw some stunning scenery along the way, but I have to say I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. North Island and parts of South Island are suffering drought at the moment so many parts are looking brown rather than green which didn't help. But also I think we underestimated the amount of travelling that is necessary to actually take in all the best bits. We spent a lot of time driving from A to B and maybe not enough time actually in any one place and getting a sense of it. I know where I would like to spend more time now, but the expense and sheer length of air time to get there means I probably won't be going again.

This blog, of course, shares a birthday with Candi Staton. It is now generally documented that Candi was born in 1940, which means she became 80 years young yesterday. I can only wish belated birthday greetings to her this year. Candi has recently overcome breast cancer and is touring again. She will be appearing at Glastonbury again this year as it celebrates (all being well) its 50^th year. A real trooper.

This is from her second 45 which would have been knocking around the US Soul charts when the first festival at Worthy Farm happened in September 1970...