Well....here again. Back at the net cafe´ The place full today with touristicos. Student´s eeking out their grants, smoking maroccan dope, sporty wind-surfers from Northern Europe with flash motor-homes and blond-haired children, older, more middle-class (and rich) people in search of a chilled holiday.

For indeed, Tarifa is much like Glastonbury on Sea. That is, a bit past its sell-by date for the true hedonist but still offering enough Rock and Roll to make it viable if you can stand the hype.

Anyway, last night found me at a place about 4 miles along the coast at the end of a track only negotiable by a proper Land Rover.

Si and Caz have made a homested on a hillside down the road a bit from civilisation Their house is a three-story sprawling property with a baronial hall and enormous kitchen. It is furnished with artifacts from India and North Africa. Si made a little money way back when in England and, because he is a talented carpenter, musician and couragous bloke, he and Caz decided to make a pioneering move to Southern Spain.

To get the feel you need to distance yourself from anything you´ve ever seen on television in England. "A home in the sun" it ain´t. Their spread has been hewn out of a rough and unforgiving hillside. They keep animals and have a retinue of young students(living in tents and carvans) helping out and being fed for their trouble.

Caz is a cook. She helps her daughter run a vegitarian outlet in town where, I might say, the Samosas are of the finest kind. Caz is a big, shy woman. She talks....goodness....just like Julie Birchill.

It is apparent Cas has had times when she´s felt broken by the hard nature of life in Andulcia when you´re an illegal. The very building of their property alone is an amazing feat of endurance. To have it so finshed (over 8 years) is impressive. The rest of the land aquired is showing signs of real management too. Its a wonderful legacy fo their grand-children if they can keep a hold on it.

Caz has been on a downer 0ver the last couple of years and has had to return to England in the winter because of the damp and strong winds. She works there as a cleaner ! Last night was an attempt by herself and her frineds to help further lift her out of the thing she´s been in for the past few months.

We had a delicious Salad and then a tajine with fish. All the vegitables grown by hand. To finish, an Apple Crumble done in a Spanish style called "Rustico"

Then, it turns out, Si could have been this bloke at one time and knows this bloke really well. So, when asked to play, you´ll understand I felt a tad threatened.

It went pretty well on the whole. I did about 35 tunes in the end. Si joined in on a wonderful Spainish Rock and Roll Guitar. He was particularly authentic on this tune. My fingers are just numb subsequently. At the end, after everyone had sung a song, I did a tune called "Rock and Roll Renegades" penned by Pip. I rocked it up a bit from the original and people thought they´d heard it before but, of course, they hadn´t. I felt like it was right to just say nothing.

I reflected, lying in bed this morning, that if I hadn´t had this outlet on here this week, to talk about whats happening in my life right now, I´d go barmy. Over days and weeks of thought I´ve accepted in my head that no matter what happens, no matter what pain I cause to people, I have to follow my heart. Its my life.

Being here has been really good. I´ve had some of the best experiences life can throw at you. Wonderful food, lovely company, excellent music, fun fun fun in fact. And people are interesting, lively and adventurous.

Underneath all this lies the idea that in order to make sense and value these experiences I need a passionate companion with which to share such treasures.

Amongst some of the songs I did are these. 1 2 3 4 5

And then... Si did this.

What a cool evening

JVIP