No journal entry for a few days as I have been busy enjoying Emiko's company, now that she's home from Tokyo. Her jet-lag is wearing off and she's finding it easier to stay awake throughout the day.
We went to Castle Howard for lunch earlier in the week on a warm and sunny afternoon. Then on Friday went to Leeds to collect the two guitars I'd taken in to Gordon White of 'Single Coil Guitar Repairs'. He'd fixed the buzzing on the Fret-King guitar's neck and fitted the Duesenberg 'Les Trem' vibrato unit to my Tokai Firebird and cleaned the fretboard of the latter instrument. Both guitars were given an expert set-up and new strings and now play and sound very good indeed. I can't praise Gordon enough...the quality of his workmanship is outstanding.
Today, Emi and I went to the 'Festival Of Vintage', an annual retro fair that is great fun. Rock-a-billy bands playing, Western Swing bands and lots of '40s big band records played by DJs dressed in appropriate period style.
90% of the people wandering around the various stalls or dancing to the music were beautifully turned out in clothes that ranged from the 1930s to the 1960s.
I bought five vintage childrens annuals for eight pounds and a very nice 1940 style 'baker's boy' hat in a maroon herringbone pattern.
An area outside the main halls hosted a stunning display of vintage cars, many of them huge American ones from the '50s and '60s. Pink and powder blue and chrome, heavily finned like rockets from the past.
Back here at the ranch, work continues on my 'These Stars Are Fire' album, aided by my latest guitars. 'These Stars Are Fire' is definitely in double-album territory...I might even make it a triple disc set...But so many albums still to release. I wonder how many of them will surface before December 1st's birthday event?
