Above? Maybe my silent internal Mantra too. ‘Off Road to Everywhere’ sounds a fine lifestyle choice to adopt as a mindset.

The VeeDub Bus is, once again, the intentional central part to the new future project ‘Music on the Road’. Needs a better title though. Especially with a vibe for YouTube intentions. Gray Summers on Cloud 9 is in my first thoughts. Before this latest? My 1970s vision was for a cosmic universal concept called ‘Sister Sun and the Tin Moon’. That was for a mystical craft and coffee shop. Angie, my wife has won the shop battle with her Wholefood Shop. Dyfi Wholefoods. Later, in the 1980s, the new idea was ‘Where the Dragons Sleep’. That became my ceramic/pottery making days. Ongoing? The 1990s and ‘The Gift of Latent Imagery Un-Imagined’. It became my venture into black and white film photography. Then of course the training for professions of both Staff Nurse and an interpreter for Deaf people took hold and simply put a stop on any foray into another artistic chase.

Year 2009, I bought the VeeDub Bus Billie. Now called Billie Cloud 9.

I started the idea of the iconic vintage VeeDub Bus as central to a project of YouTube vlogposts eight years ago. Around my 60th birthday. That specific time was the start of feeling the need for a total change and giving up my Staff Nurse role. Possibly long before that date, I yearned for a better stress free lifestyle. I never felt comfortable in the health care professional choice I made. My only comfort and blessing is to hold on to the feedback from my colleagues that I was actually a very fine Nurse. Knowledgeable and a great communicator. Strange how one has reflections on one’s own capabilities and determines self weakness. I struggled day to day enormously to be honest. Maybe that is why I was so extra careful and sought deeper knowledge to attach to my role and my practice.

Back to the Cloud 9 project. I bought the Bus back in 2009 as a celebration gift to myself for achieving Staff Nurse qualification. I believe little rumbling thoughts of such artistic dreams were twinkling back then too. Why? My student days of three years training from 2006 to 2009 and the inherent continual stomach ‘butterflies’ gave a valuable insight as to what lay ahead in my soon to be professional reality.

Why initial thoughts of producing Vlogs? Choice of subject material was to be simply ‘Well Being’ lifestyle. Conversational considerations with others of how Covid had impacted on an individual’s lifestyle and what positive results came out of it. Life changing enforced choices. Mine developed over transitional interests prodding at me in presenting themselves. Also from conversations with others. Covid’s impacts and subsequent need to escape the enormity as to what it did to us all. Probably still doing chronically to many of us in its aftermath. The result for myself became evident in my blog theme write ups. Complementary holistic ideals and interests that presented themselves as their need arose.

Vlog’s ideas. Below is a possible Muzak song idea as an introduction ‘Theme Tune’ piece to the ‘Gray Summers on Cloud 9’ YouTube site.

A while back I began thinking of different musical Musak songs to fill empty spaces within the visual video presentations of recordings for a Summers’ YouTube site. Songs that small sections can be edited out of the fuller versions. To attach to and accompany specific storytelling imagery in short ten to thirty seconds or more visual inclusions.

I’ll intersperse some amongst this blog here.

My favourite YouTube watches are those who tend to move freely in subject choices. Use of the interesting subjects, hobbies, happenings and moments in life as they present themselves. Back in 2024 I began the songwriting journey again, but instead of joining or creating a band, I decided to try home recording. A Mac Studio system developed.

And so the interest now for a visual Vlog is for an audio and visual storyboard of myself playing my self written songs and alongside, hopefully, a collective of drop in musicians too. The aim is ‘Fun Times playing instruments, Singing with Spirit, Conversation, Well being, and getting (my life at least) back on the road again’. Excuse the pun. Capturing moments of strangeness and beauty. Capturing us musicians, not only playing, but chatting in conversations regarding both our past experiences and current and future plans. A YouTube vibe intentional.

This project has been a long self promise to myself. Frustrations have existed in getting it from dream status and into reality. Borne years upon years ago life gives you other impacts. Now? The past year and a half has been one of unlooked for traumas. I don’t love my life as much as in the past days where ‘eyes wide open in awe of possibilities’ was a grand Mantra to adopt. So. What has changed in order to give this new hope. Simply the new outdoor project. Music, fresh air, Mother Nature, a project of intent and new aims.

The technology of Bluetti rechargeable battery power source, iPad or Laptop and analogue mixing desk alongside various musical instruments is now in place for using out on the VeeDub journeys. The Mac home recording set up in The Den ‘studio’ as the ‘polish it all up back home’ support. And of course the VeeDub Bus too. All these collectives.

All instruments (apart from GarageBand drum library choice) and vocal in all these above songs by Gray Summers.

AND A LITTLE VIDEO OF ONE TOO.

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