IANSON
hen Hugh Carswell felt the tug of an honest and freespirited record, he knew the perfect place to go to make it. Well, almost perfect. An ancient cottage on Jura, the remote Scottish island where George Orwell famously wrote his masterpiece 1984, had been in his family for generations. It was romantic, but completely dilapidated three damp rooms, candlelight, a hearth for cooking and one cold water tap. So, for two years, he singlehandedly restored and extended the old house. Working with his ha
Aunt Cissie Family group outside the cottage Summer 1959 An early colour photograph hence the coloured props
Granny Carswell My mother, Lalage My father, Robert My grandfather, Bobby
A freckled face is standing at the door What brings you here Ive seen your face before Did you wash up on a winter tide Do you wonder what your heart beats for from Summer Of My Soul
On arrival in Jura, I mysteriously started to receive perfectly packaged parcels of luxury supplies not available in the islands only shop although Steves Jura Stores is excellent. Great coffee, Swiss chocolate, assorted treats and even appliances such as a Fluffer for a cappuccino. Each parcel arrived with a personal letter from Peregrine, or, to give him his full title The Hon. Peregrine G. Fester D.S.O., apparently bashed out by his secretary on an old typewriter from his office at the Unite
Sleeping by your side for the first time As we reach the borderline The need for words left far behind Did you feel the cold from Fruit Tree
The house that Hugh built June 2010
Scottish Ensemble string sessions Caird Hall, October 2010
Jura wild flowers Old painting by my sister, Fiona
Contrary to forecasts and popular predictions A strong sun greets this gentle morn Having signalled intent with seaweed, and satellites The storm didnt come My heart begins to settle Slowly taking in new breath Deep, sweet, unknowingly needed And, now, needed evermore from Evermore
Minnows Passing My lovely dog Minnow died in the summer. She was getting old and had been bravely coping with a serious illness for a few months. Id never imagined that Id know for myself the truth of the expression a mans best friend, but the two of us arriving here in Jura and roughing it together for a year or two certainly proved it to be the very best of friendships. When Minn first came to Jura it was spring. The fresh scent of new growth was abundant and her nose was raised enthusiasti
Although I thoroughly enjoyed it most of the time, by most peoples standards the first winter living in Jura was pretty bleak. I had stripped out the old cottage which was virtually a ruin anyway. It was damp and cold with a leaking roof and draughts coming in all the old broken windows and under the outside doors. The new extension was a building site and certainly not remotely wind and watertight. It had been my intention to be living in this new building by the winter, but the inevitable
Recording piano parts Crear, November 2009
Radio reception in Jura is terrible. When we came up to Jura as a family, we would always want to listen to the news and took a keen interest in the BBC shipping forecast. The weather takes on far more importance here as its more directly connected with everything that goes on. The shipping forecast is sometimes the most accurate way of predicting what is about to hit you But my memory is more of not listening to the BBC than of listening to it. Programmes on our little radio would always be
Sorry for my quick tongue and blind eyes Now I see why I didnt know how strongly I felt from How Strongly I Felt
The Cottage Spring 2011
2011 Maker Ltd.
www.iansonmusic.com more info
Convert PDF to Flash Digital FlipBooks