I am sitting here in the heady atmosphere of Schloss Goseck in Saxony with an unexpected day off. Yesterday was busy, I was on the MDR Figaro radio in the afternoon for an interview and three live songs. I played two new ones, ‘Little Flame’ and ‘The Uknown Soldier Has A Name’, both on the mandolin.
Then back on the autobahn to Gera and to a very nice crowd of people as part of a singer/songwriter festival.
I had driven down last week through Denmark, leaving the last of the Swedish winter to find glorious spring weather the further south I drove. I took in a warm up house concert show on the way before embarking on a ferry at Gedser for a very relaxing two hour ferry to Rostock. It seemed such an easy journey for me, but this was the very stretch of water that so many tried to cross in tiny boats to escape from the former East Germany. I know someone who did that in 1949. In Denmark they told me that some people even tried to swim across.
Now here I am in Saxony, having made the reverse trip to the middle of east Germany, a place I am coming to know and love.
The old castle is a familiar place for me, having played here twice before. However, on this occasion I am the only one staying the night. I am told there are no ghosts.

Steaming into Rostock on April 1st 2016