To Blog or not to Blog...?

New to blogs….

Prefix:..   Apart from the occasional long text message when I need to get something off my chest without getting emotional, I’ve never been much of a writer. I’ve never kept a diary or journal, and I found writing fiction very difficult. (due to a complete lack of imagination).

THE STORY.

One of the greatest joys of having my own bar is the incredible mix of people I get to meet. I imagine many of the posts and blogs I write will be inspired by these encounters - little tributes to the characters who’ve crossed my path and left a mark. So, in this short passage, let me tell you about one such unexpected meeting that genuinely pushed me to improve my written word.

Early in 2025, the door to Lofty’s opened, and in walked a family of ladies from the U.S., (names withheld to protect the innocent), a mother, two daughters, and one of the daughter’s partners. It was obvious from the first minute that they were my kind of people, (while daughter No. 2 was teaching me how to properly chug a beer can),as the day went on, our connection only grew stronger.

Later that evening, “mum” noticed the guitar on stage and casually mentioned that daughter No. 1 “had a bit of experience with music.” Little did I know what an understatement THAT was. Long story short, daughter No. 2 and I spent hours playing guitars, singing, laughing and just loving every moment. (with the occasional backing singers)

Like all great nights, it eventually came to an end, and my new extended family headed off for some well-earned sleep. Once they returned to the U.S., the messages started rolling in, “mum’s” beautifully written, poetic pieces were a pleasure to read… while my replies, read more like something written by an enthusiastic but illiterate child in comparison.  These interactions have most definitely inspired me to see the beauty in words and how, like music, words should be comfortable and have a flow.

                                   “Poetry is essentially a song with no music”.

I suppose in more recent times, i am only part of brief conversations “what can I get you?”, “Where are you from?”, “How was your day?” (every bar man is a therapist). Just listening to other people’s stories without much need to vocalise in any particularly expressive way (I have music for that). I never imagined I’d be waking up excited to write something down. And yet, here I am - buzzing to put words on a page, even if no one ever reads them.

Yes…. I am inspired……