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"From out of the dark"

From Out Of The Dark

From out of the dark is a collection of 6 songs finished during the infamous Covid lockdown of 2020, drawing musical influences from many different genres and based on different themes close to my heart.

Some with a narrative, others about how I felt a particular junction in life, playing music, writing and recording songs has been a great outlet for me and helped me deal with and express myself in a productive fashion.

With no single genre over the six songs I decided to put them out as From out of the dark, to show how something good can come from the darkness. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed making them.

I appreciate so much all the friends and family who have helped critique these tracks ready for public consumption. Thanks also to my younger sister, Hannah, for providing her vocal talents and lyric writing on two of the songs.

Please listen below and follow me on all of my social networks using the links above.

Matt x

My Break in #Wales

I'm writing this blog from my little room in a little b&b in the little Welsh coast side town of Barmouth, sat at a little writing desk whilst waiting for the folks to for a little bit of an explore.
En route we stopped off at a Steam Railway teashop meets station, and had a lovely time there having lunch and watching the departure and arrival of a steam locomotive. My Dad was very taken with it - I can see him becoming a train watcher of sorts in his grey(er) years.


Lunch was interesting - I had a carrot and coriander soup. It was very tasty, and I'd stocked up on fruit before leaving to help me along with meals. Those who know me know I've been very funny with food and eating stuff. I know I need to not worry - if anything I actually need to gain a little bit of weight (read: padding - sitting on even cushioned seats has become relatively arduous!) but I can't help it when anxiety kicks in.

After lunch and a mooch, we drove a little further, stopping only to take a couple of photos of the rolling hills and epic sight of the estuary - the weather is dry and whilst not particularly warm and sunny, does make from some very dramatic scenery.

Upon reaching the B&B I was impressed with our welcome, and more importantly, the coffee facilities here first of all. Those who know me also know how much love I have for a mug of the black stuff, and we were treated to a nice filter coffee in the lounge before heading up to our rooms where I found yet more filter coffee. Win!


I tried a little bit of a Welsh cake that resembled an Eccles cake upon arriving at the B&B, which tasted divine but the weight of guilt and the worry is hard to control. It's hard to break this habit that has become such an everyday albeit invasive part of my life. But hey ho. I thought I'd blog about not only the sights of Wales but also about how I do with my diet. During this short trip I will be endeavouring to enjoy myself properly - not being silly but occasionally having the odd treat and trying not to let my issues consume me, and hopefully my folks will enjoy themselves too. I'm on what feels like my bazillionth coffee of the day, but typing out my thoughts is already making me feel better.

Well, I'm off to beautify myself for the good of the locals. Talk to you later. MTFBWYA :-)

Okay, so last night after our coffee in the B&B we went for a perusal of Barmouth town and a nose of the sea front. The scenery is epic; sprawling hills creating a dark, contoured contrast to the water of the estuary and sea as the two meet in the harbour. The town is filled with nice looking little shops, coffee outlets and bars/pubs/restaurants.

We went to try and book a table at one pub that had been recommended to my Dad by a work colleague, but the only table they had was a cancellation at six. We decided to stay in town and use this booking for an early tea. I had a few whiskeys (yum!) and I managed to eat out not too unhealthy and without too much guilt. I had a tuna steak with sweet chilli prawns, salad and sweet potato fries. Not too shabby and right up my street really - lots of low fat protein and sweet potato. Win!


We stayed a bit later in to the evening to view the pubs open mic night. This was a very amateur affair but highly entertaining! It would have been nice to play had the line up not already been jam packed, but the locals did a good job of creating some atmosphere and putting on a nice show.
The only downside is that the pub got very full, which would've been fine, but trying to be a restaurant as well wasn't really working for it, and we felt a bit unwanted as we had to vacate our table for the stage and find somewhere else to wait it out until the music started. I ended up propping the bar whilst nursing a Jura and reading my book. Still, there are worse places to do a spot of reading, and I'm glad I've read so much. I'm hoping I can get on to my second holiday read whilst I'm here!

It's morning now, and the bit I'm most looking forward to and most nervous about - BREAKFAST!
I'm going to try and not worry too much - it's not like I'll be having the fry up - just cereal and fruit etc. I just enjoy it so much I sometimes find it difficult to stop in the mornings, which is why I think I like being precise with my measurments back home. Still, I'm doing my pushups and we're likely to do a lot of walking today, so things should be fine. Plus, I'm on holiday! Why shouldn't I relax a bit? Hopefully off to a National Trust property later, unless the sun decides to rear it's shy face and warm the beach up enough for a paddle. Ttyl. Xx

So! Once I'd been for a paper and back and we'd eaten breakfast, where I had muesli and fruit (YUM!) we decided to take a railway journey from Barmouth to Tywn and then on the steam train (with a face named Peter Sam) we travelled to the end of the line, and then back about half way to stop for a coffee and some lunch and a walk around some very picturesque waterfalls. By this point I was starting to get insanely worried about food again, but my dear mother managed to keep me on the straight and narrow. I had a lentil and bacon soup from the coffee shop, which, not only relatively healthy, was also bloody delicious! Win! 


Prior to that I'd gotten a little carried away with my exploring of the area in Bryncrug (according to my phone's geotagging) that surrounded the station. I discovered numerous caves, waterfalls and rocky climbs to ascend. The scenery here is not even tarnished by my feeling incredibly cold (and a little moist once the rain started) and looks like something that could've been lifted from Tolkien's Middle Earth. I'm sure I may even have glimpsed the odd Troll and Dragon. I've missed having a reliable internet signal though, mainly for photo sharing of these lovely scenes, but I'll instagram a few when back at the B&B. The route the first train (though unfortunately not a steam engine) takes, sees it crossing the sea via a very impressive bridge, providing more scenic eye candy. I'd love to live somewhere as dramatic looking as here.


Now i'm washed, typing this and enjoying a nice filter coffee before we make our way to the restaurant we've booked for tonight's meal; a seafood restaurant which looks like it'll suit me down to the ground. We may have viewed the menu yesterday and I'm pretty sure I already know what to have!

Good thing about train journeys as well, is that whilst the stunning scenery passes you by, you're left with a lot of time to do other things, and I've absolutely inhaled my book, A Natural History Of Dragons. It also fits right in with the epic and mountainous scenery, as the fictional Lady Trent's memoirs see her exploring geographically similar terrain in her quest to discover more about the Vystrani Rock-Wyrms. I'm really enjoying the retelling of her experiences which ranges from scientific insights, to tense encounters and social dramas. Riveting stuff.

Anyway, I'm going to answer a few work emails before a quiet whiskey in the bar and then tea! I'll probably write again in the morning. Not sure who will read this but, hey, it's making me feel better about stuff. Stay safe, y'all! Xx

Hello again! So last night we went to a restaurant called The Inglenook, a seafood restaurant in Barmouth. The place was a bit eccentric and felt like we were sitting in somebody's front room. The service, whilst not bad, was also not great, taking a while to ask us for our drinks order and then not asking again when we'd clearly finished our drinks some time ago.

That being said, the food there can not be faulted, and we all had 3 delicious meals, and I was even kept happy with my healthy eating obsession. My mother had a prawn cocktail followed by seafood casserole; my father hot and spicy prawns (though he said they weren't particularly spicy, but still tasty!) followed by plaice in a cheese sauce, and I myself had Rollmop to start which I already love, and I had trout in a herb butter for my main, and instead of potatos/chips I kindly asked for extra veg, to which the waitress was happy to oblige. My fish was absolutely stunning - the bone fell away from the flesh and it was so so tasty! Very impressed.


We had a slow meander back up the hill to the B&B afterward and I finally sampled the famous Pendryn welsh whiskey. It's extremely potent, and not as sweet as I normally like in a whiskey, but it was extremely tasty and I love the Pendryn whiskey glasses. If I can find a smallish gift set I'll definitely treat myself!

Had an excellent night's sleep again and just winding up for breakfast. The owner of our B&B has offered to make me porridge, so I'll be grinning like a loon come eating time. Will grab a couple of papers before hand, and then I think we'll head home stopping somewhere on the way. Then tomorrow it's off to Manchester for a friend's wedding. Busy, busy, busy!

Again, i'm not sure who, if anyone, will read this, but it's certainly doing wonders for my anxiety and worrying. Thanks blogger!

LLAP.

Okay, so the following morning we awoke and went for our breakfast again - this time I had requested porridge! Which suits me down to the ground. I do love my porridge. Had a little muesli and my rudimentary fruit, so I was happy. Then we wandered down into Barmouth and had a mooch through the market the shops in a little bit of rain. There's not a great deal there, but what is there is quaint and interesting - lots of tat shops customary of seaside places; a strange furniture shop which was interesting and I managed to find my good friend the MOST AMAZING second hand board game from a fund raiser. I'll blog about that when we've played it!

En route home we stopped again for some more amazing soup (nom!) at the steam railway station, then forward onto home. I enjoyed my break but was glad to back, if only for a night before heading to Manchester on Friday for my good friend and ex-colleague's wedding.

That's me done now! Thanks for paying a little attention to what I have to say! I believe I'm getting better with my eating and I'm trying not to worry about it so much, occasionally treating myself but making sensible, healthy decisions. And trying, thought not always succeeding, to not focus and worry so much about food and stay in the moment and enjoy my life experiences. 

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