'If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.' John F Kennedy

Thursday 1st July 2011

 Hey there!  I can't believe how quickly this year's going!  'Tis almost my 45th birthday and I'll be celebrating it with my son in one of my favourite cities, Amsterdam.  Tadhg passed his degree in Filmmaking and gained a 2.1 so I'm very proud.  He specialised in script writing so 'tis great to have a fellow scribe in the clan!  My book's coming along well although family illness and bereavement took me away for a while.  My precious Grandmother (Mick Brown) died on 11th July last year, the day before my birthday.  My family and I were devastated.  Nan was such a wonderful woman and we miss her so much.  I hope that her precious soul rests in peace now.

Me and Blackbeard at The Gasparilla Parade 2011                               Before the parade in front of 'The Black Pearl'

2011 began with a mighty blast when I was invited over to Florida by a friend and fellow artist.  He'd kindly arranged for me to join him in 'The Gasparilla Parade', a spectacular procession of pyrates from all over Florida!  There I met Captain Blackbeard who's since invited me to join him and his crew on his party ship for the next Gasparilla extravaganza in January 2012... Please check out his site and any sponsorship or support would be greatly appreciated.  The organisers and participants of The Gasparilla parade do invaluable work for charity so I'm honoured to have been invited to board the Black Pearl.  I'll be partying with the most notorious pyrate captain who ever lived! :) http://kreweofblackbeardsrevenge.com/

My adventures didn't stop there as I returned to Florida in May and met another fascinating character on a visit to America's oldest city.  Dressed in authentic pyrate garb, Captain William Mayhem can be seen walking the picturesque streets of St. Augustine.  If you're lucky enough, he'll perform a magic trick or two, so please remember to cross his palm with a piece of eight; street entertaining is an exhausting business... Take it from one who knows! You can find out more about Mayhem here: http://josephlosteen.com/mayhem.html Captain Mayhem was a magician in Las Vegas and returned to his hometown to take on the role of notorious trixter Mayhem. He also works at Pat Croce's 'St Augustine pirates and treasure museum where he'll tell you a dead man's tale or two. The musuem is small but full of amazing artifacts including the world's only treasure chest. For me it was the best tourist attraction in the city and I'd definately like to go back and spend more time there. Check it out here: http://thepiratemuseum.com/

Me and Captain William Mayhem in St. Augustine                                Holding a rare baby albino aligator

Florida is a beautiful state and I miss the sunshine and my American friends, new and old. 'Tis good to be back in middle England, but I hope to return next year. Now I'm off to pack my bags for Amsterdam... watch out for my next news update and be safe and happy out there!