Gray Summers

And so the story goes.

To where?

No one knows.

Borne from?

Well!

Out of self promises.

Not worn out wishes.

I’m a Staff Nurse. Capitals on the S and N. I’m proud to be a nurse. It was hard won. And is still really hard to win on a daily basis. I have loved my life so far. Every 10 years I would subconsciously change direction career wise. These changes would just creep up on the Summers’ lifestyle. Unknown until they arrived. No planning involved. Left school in the early 1970s and picked up a guitar (musician) and it felt ‘right’.

10 years go by touring, playing, dreaming and writing my own songs singing to an initial audience of myself alone to audiences of thousands. Toured with my band supporting the Specials, Selector, Madness, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners. Lived above a Whole-food Shop, which had a Potter supply his hand thrown stoneware coffee/tea pots and domestic ware. He gave me a lump of clay, and ‘hey’ I started making Raku and St. Thomas White stoneware Mythological and Mystical travellers and warriors. I became a ‘ceramicist’ in earnest. Couldn’t call myself a Potter because I couldn’t throw anything on a wheel. Completely useless.

Craft fairest, exhibitions, shop supplying were my selling places for ceramics. Even opened up and ran a shop with another craft worker. It was located behind Coventry Cathedral. It was short lived. After 10 years go by working with clay? My nephew, born profoundly Deaf, meant we all, as a family, went to college to learn British Sign Language. I took this up as a career and supported Deaf students in higher and further education. I move to Wales in this role and…..

10 years go by again. Sitting having a coffee with a lecturer in Aberystwyth, I bemoan my age of 50 and say I’d love to do something different. “Become a nurse,” he says. He takes me onto his Access to Nursing course, which allows me into the General Adult Nurse degree course in Swansea (well the Carmarthen site of the three University’s sites), and there you go. After three years trying I become a Staff Nurse.

10 years have gone by. Now? I’m 61 and it seems my 10 year change has stopped. I have my Volkswagen T2 Crossover 1972 Bay Bus, “Wow, an old camper van!” as people call it, nearing renovation completion. I used it as my daily transportation (that’s ‘My Daily Ride Dude’ when I would have been in my younger days) and it will once again become my ‘daily ride dude’ when I get it back home very shortly. I’m thinking I may use it as a central life changer. It’s name is Billie Bud and it will carry my interests including guitar, djembe drum, Pentax cameras (LX, 645, MX), lots of black and white film, my aromatherapy essential oils (120 plus) to create new synergy concoctions, decent pencils and art paper and my small collection of beautiful fountain pens (1930s to 1990s) to write thoughts and songs.

So the story goes, to where? No one knows.

WELL…….AN UPDATE IS REQUIRED NOW I SUPPOSE.

Now soon April (tomorrow) of 2026, it has been four years and eight months since retiring at 65 years old. So now a soon to be 70 year old in September this year. I have been a gardener, decorator/DIY enthusiast on renovating the house for about two and a half years when retired and nearly two years as a musician again. I have been songwriting and recording the results on a MAC M2 home studio. It’s been fun.

So I suppose, change still is ongoing. The VeeDub Bus has had some new carburettor updates and now returned. Hopefully music can be recorded on the go. Ambitions are to get a ‘van studio’ set up and record amongst nature whilst chilling in the VW Bus. Blogs of course have been ongoing and will still be a future aim.

Cheers to everyone that has stuck through this WP adventure. So very much appreciated. Thank you all.

Ethereal Songs to be Given Freedom from Seemingly Nowhere.
Photograph from the WP Free library .

I grabbed this from Draft and rewrote it. I do have the Raw Warts and All songs, that this blog originally had, on another published blog. But I wanted these words, albeit refashioned, to apply to this YouTube video theme.

So apologies for recycling. Mind, I am an eco friendly type of guy. 🍁🍂

Over a few months now I’ve been picking up the guitars and deciding on which to use. Two of the Eko dreadnoughts (my very first decent acoustic guitar bought back in the very early 1970s), its charity shop Eko sister, the Hohner Les Paul electric and my ever so wonderful Fender Jazz bass guitar. It seems they all can actually start new songs to be realised. Every day recently it is a case of playing a game of strum, riff and a hope to capture something real.

The Den. Guitars currently at hand. When done? They go into a less conspicuous place.

I found this lovely piece of art above in the free photograph library that WordPress kindly offers us. I thought of that little phrase ‘Ethereal Songs to be Given Freedom from Seemingly Nowhere’ when looking at the imagery.

Included here in this blog are recent ideas for songs, which are now put onto YouTube. So, they are hopefully kind of finished. All my writing of songs begin with stuttering vocals, a basic strum on guitar and realising sleepy tunes at times trying to find their way out of my deep neural synapses. Then began to mix together and make sense. These below have hopefully now made sense.

Angel. Sitting on my shoulder.

Sleepy tunes? They are all pretty much low volume and have a peculiar raw and fuzzy feel about them. As if they are awaiting to be awakened.

Where in the World.

When I write songs, they just appear and say ‘Hello’. Where they come from? I don’t really know. But after there confusion in infancy they do develop. A bit like the imagery above. They know a little festive party is coming along, in a place called ‘The Den’. And so they dress themselves up. Far more tidier from the rags and ruins of stuttered beginnings, and feeling quite dapper, they arrive in ‘The Den’ ready to party down. Their little acoustic guitar presentations go on with far more confidence than previously, strut into the party room and joyfully join a much brighter space when other instruments begin joining the fray.

Stars above the Dunes

I tend to just play little single keyboard melodies and add overlay guitar. But, as I am no 6 string guitarist, electric or acoustic, I tend to know what sounds should be on the songs, but have no skills to achieve them. No idea on sound production either. 70 year old ears have been battered and bruised and frequency loss is a pain. But hey ho! It’s still fun to try.

There She Goes.

So when the ones in the videos here have arrived at the party, all sparkly smart and having sprayed a bit of faerie dust eau de cologne over themselves, they now get to gently sway dance with the rest of the crew.

Ultimately One by One.

So, here I am, showing you all once again, now as a collective, some of the recent songs developed from ‘The Warts and All’ of recent ideas for some new songs. I always wonder if some of you, on listening, add your own strange and wonderful additions of your own ‘mind melodies’ to some of the whimsy I am warbling. So please feel free to Hum a little harmony to bring synergy to a tune or two. It will hopefully arrive from seemingly nowhere.

And So the Story Goes.

And as my WordPress Mantra says.

‘And so the story goes. To where? No one knows. Borne out of self promises. Not worn out wishes’.

Give me something real. An example of a warts and all recording.

Hopefully you are all liking this song journey. The swirly guitar groove began with this one. Not as laid back. But gentler than previous sounds.

Faded Walls …….

Faded Walls.

And Finally ………

‘Groovin’ with Mr. Summers on Cloud 9’.

Groovin’ with mr. summers On Cloud NiNe {9}

The last blog of a long trial song was removed. The lyrics weren’t right. If you did listen to it, that’s why it isn’t there now. I’m working on these below for it. Also trying to get an appropriate vibe for the song too.

Verse 1:

You know how it feels

When a dark night sighs

While a billion stars still watch

Over you.

And you know how it is

When the moon’s full shine

Beams into each corner

Of your mind.

[Chasing out the blues].

Witness the truth in every one

Absorb their light and your life is won

In each and every way.

Chorus:

Coz today, could be the end of all today’s

But then again today

Could last for a hundred years or more

And I know

That times can change

Life in so many ways

And strangely rearrange

All those hazy, crazy ways.

Verse 2:

When you can’t really tell

What’s right from wrong

Confusion deep-seeps

But your soul remains.

It feels that you’ve lost

Your inner song

To chase those shadows out and

Become whole again.

Pick up a candle

Light the spark

Focus on truth

Not the dark

Don’t play its silly games

Of in between’s.

Middle 8: a little melody change detour.

So when the days are long

And life feels wrong

You’re angered by the hurtful kind

When your Dark is King

Let your inner light sing

Chase the shadows from your mind

When your mind’s a mess

Just confess

It’s all getting out of hand

It’s a mystery to me

It’s everything I don’t wanna be.

Chorus Repeated:

… and then to outro of possibly Middle 8 repeated but with instrumental tune instead of vocals. Or an E and A chords repetition as instrumental. Whatever works best …….

Cheers…….and all the best. Xx