It's about time

You often hear the definitions of people's lifestyles as 'money rich; time poor' and I have been reminded of this, on taking two days out of a busy week to drive my elderly parents around.
    I took them to places they've loved and we met up with special people they haven't seen for years. We even managed to track down my son for supper, and I included an old friend as a surprise, who none of us has seen for a decade.
    Although my two days away from my desk have left me with lots of work to catch up on, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
    We found (by accident) a motorcycle museum that took my Dad back to his youth and drove companionably around the New Forest. Although I'm desperate to reduce my impact on the environment, there is nothing quite like a drive in the country to restore your soul.
    Probably two of the best days my parents have spent for a long time. Family gold!

Master or mistress?

If you have ever doubted how words can change the perception of gender, simply search 'master' and then 'mistress. See the difference?
    'Master' comes up with positive, strong images, whereas the female version either involves curves and blonde hair or pets.
    This is just one example of how the words we use matter. When talking to our children, especially, we should be careful of the implications of gender stereotyping: praise your little girl for 'mastering' the art of writing, or riding her bike.
    Don't even get me started on the use of 'Mr'. A man will be called mister all his life, but a woman must juggle with the change from 'Miss' to 'Mrs' and, in my case and many others, across to 'Ms'.
    The words we use matter and they can have a detrimental effect so easily. Let's try to stop it.

On steering away from the standards

A fabulous gig from pianist Marco Marconi with bassist Mark Wade brought two jazz giants together at Hitchin's Benslow Music.
    The Italian Marconi melded beautifully with New Yorker Wade, who had only flown across the pond a few hours earlier.
    It would have been easy for them to launch into a set of standards, but instead they peppered the evening with their own stunning compositions: a mixture of jazz and classical influences, performed perfectly.
    This was a gig to remember and we're fortunate to have musicians of this calibre so close to home - during the week, the pair travelled across the country, including Chelsea's iconic 606 Club.

Herts Jazz - another musical blast from the past

Alongside the irrepressible Bill Ashton and his wife, Kay, I enjoyed a couple of hours of straight-forwardly enjoyable jazz at Herts Jazz in St Albans.

    Dick Pearce and the Clark Tracey trio played a selection of standards but did it with class.

    Outstanding performances from all four musicians punctuated a chilled out evening. The piano of Elliott Sansom was at times filled with genius, and he weaved carefully behind Pearce's trumpet and alongside Tracey's drums, together with bassist Arnie Somogyi.

    A delightful evening at Herts Jazz, which continues to provide some of the finest UK jazz musicians in a pleasant venue.