Carry Forth Tradition

Sunday, 7th September 2025

We had really surreal clouds today around very heavy rainfall. It inspired me to compose a new tune which I decided to call 'Gathering clouds'.

It was improvised on my Camac ‘Melusine’ 34 string lever harp - I put all my levers down so that the harp was in the key of Eb as I wanted to play around and see what it sounded like - and this is what magically came out of me. It was quite surreal.

The video was taken after the rain and so, I decided to use it and add my music to make this video and share something with you!

monday, 8th September 2025

'Gathering Clouds' by Becky James - rough edit version 2. This is a tune I composed yesterday. It's disjointed because I was making it up as I played it.

My talented musical friend Pavel added a reverb to it so we could hear what it sounds like. As a result, the sounds of mum in the kitchen moving crockery around has magically being transformed into some mysterious accompanying percussion!

I wanted to share this creative process with you all!

My next job is to learn my own tune so that I can play it again!

Sunday 5th october 2025

I’m in filey and I have now learned my own music so that I can play it back. It took me 3 weeks! I'm sharing my harp practice here of my new tune. I'll post the finished version soon.... The audio is below - there are 2 versions - I think I prefer version 2!

On Wednesday 9th April 2025, I interviewed my lovely friend, author Patrica Coomb about her children's books 'Bertie and Friends'.

Storybooks for Children 3 – 7 years

Bertie is a Golden Retriever puppy who lives with his owners, Susan and Jim in a house with a stream running along the bottom of the garden.

Over the course of 20 books, Bertie has many adventures with his friends – Daisy Cow who lives on Farmer Will’s farm; Vole, a Water Vole who lives in the banks of the stream; George, the naughty Border Collie puppy who lives with Farmer Will and Peter Pony, a neglected Shetland pony who has come to live on Farmer Will’s farm too.

Susan, Jim and Farmer Will have a hard job keeping Bertie and his friends out of trouble and often wonder what lies in store – next time …

Really pleased to announce that the new book by Dr Margaret Trey is now available on Amazon - ‘A New Beginning with Falun Gong: Discover Hope, Healing, and Inner Peace Through a Spiritual Meditation Practice’

I'm one of the contributing author's in Dr Margaret Trey's new book - ‘‘Chapter 6 – Butterfly Snippets: A Journey of Healing and Transformation.’’'

The ebook is available for a limited time to download the free from Sun 15th Feb to Thursday 19th Feb. Here's the link - https://amzn.eu/d/044jwpSR

Paperback and hardback coming soon!

About the author

Dr. Margaret Trey is a counselor, researcher, and author exploring the intersection of wellness and traditional wisdom. She was raised within a family deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture. Her maternal grandfather was a 19th-century Taoist physician, and her mother lived to be 103 years old.

Holding four tertiary qualifications, including a Doctorate in Counseling from the University of South Australia and an English degree from the University of Toronto, Dr. Trey has lived and worked across five countries. Since 2000, she has dedicated her research to the effects of Falun Gong, presenting her findings at international conferences. Dr. Trey is the author of The Mindful Practice of Falun Gong and The Effect of Falun Gong on Health and Wellness.

In this episode, Uncle Mick shows us how he designed and constructed the lake with moving boats, using magnets and I think a touch of his genius! It is so uplifting and such fun to see it working. Completed model in 2024. The attention to detail blows my mind.

Links to other short films in this series -

Uncle Mick’s Model World Trailer - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/wr60wv77nw

Fairground - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/eR4Qq0pNQz

Controls and Mine Shaft - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/oBEewNzweM

Trip Around Town - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/og862EEaVy

Train, Track and Crash! - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/NXvwz27jxq

Sea and Harbour - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/BGY3bgxEz2

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 1 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/WM6pjnzDV4

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 2 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/Ve4yAkKvj1

Constructing the gates for the roads and rail, 2023 - 'Tobsam Parkway' Boat Lake Town - Part 2

In this video, Uncle Mick shows us how he made his gates on the track for his new design project. This one is a small town with road and railway tracks and a moving boating lake! The mechanisms for the gates are genius - he designed it himself using motors and demonstrates how it works. He also explains how he made the mechanisms to stop the bus as it travels around the road.

Although, as you will hear, there is so much more that goes into designing a new layout than I could possibly imagine. To be able to think and plan in multi dimensional layers and have it all in your head takes some level of genius that I am not on!

Uncle Mick is very skilled in many areas, and was actually a cartographer until he retired. Here he shares some tips that are well worth knowing!

Links to other short films in this series -

Uncle Mick’s Model World Trailer - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/wr60wv77nw

Fairground - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/eR4Qq0pNQz

Controls and Mine Shaft - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/oBEewNzweM

Trip Around Town - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/og862EEaVy

Train, Track and Crash! - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/NXvwz27jxq

Sea and Harbour - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/BGY3bgxEz2

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 1 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/WM6pjnzDV4

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 2 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/Ve4yAkKvj1

In this video, Uncle Mick has a clean slate. Literally! Here you can see the beginning of a new design project for a small village with road and railway tracks.

Although, as you will hear, there is so much more that goes into designing a new layout than I could possibly imagine. To be able to think and plan in

multi dimensional layers and have it all in your head takes some level of genius that I am not on!

Uncle Mick is very skilled in many areas, and was actually a cartographer until he retired. Here he shares some tips that are well worth knowing!

This is the playlist to more videos of Uncle Mick's Model World - https://www.ganjingworld.com/playlist/1gga8nlr8663qBfjE4FM7YR1ed0p

Links to other short films in this series -

Uncle Mick’s Model World Trailer - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/wr60wv77nw

Fairground - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/eR4Qq0pNQz

Controls and Mine Shaft - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/oBEewNzweM

Trip Around Town - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/og862EEaVy

Train, Track and Crash! - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/NXvwz27jxq

Sea and Harbour - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/BGY3bgxEz2

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 1 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/WM6pjnzDV4

‘Tobsam Parkway’ Boat Lake Town Part 2 - https://www.ganjingworld.com/s/Ve4yAkKvj1

In 1998 I visited China with my friend, whilst I was living in Singapore.

I brought this beautiful series of charcoal drawings back to Singapore and had them made into a traditional Chinese scroll for safekeeping.

Me and mum took Edie for a walk along the River Avon. I live right next to this river on the edge of Bristol, South West England.

We were really lucky because, just as we arrived, the air was electric and the sky full of thunder. We decided to 'brave it' and go ahead on our walk. We made it back as the sky opened and the heavy rain came beating down on the car!

A little tune I composed and played at mums in February, 2024. I decided to call it 'Life's Ups and Downs'!

Here are more videos of me playing the harp -

Becky and Paula talk with Kay Rubacek about her new channel '1 Minute Wonder' on YouTube.

Kay is an author, researcher, film producer and muscian amongst other amazing things! Her recent addition is her new interesting and insightful YouTube channel called '1 Minute Wonder'.

In her own words -

"I’m Kay Rubacek, a Calm Coach and Communication Strategist.

I help people clear their heads, steady their emotions, and think with more strength in a world built to distract them.

If you want a calmer mind, sharper awareness, and a stronger sense of who you are, these daily 1-minute videos are for you."

"Every episode is built on science, human behavior, and real-life resilience — short enough to fit your day, strong enough to shift your mind."

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kayrubacek

Want the deeper science behind each video?

Website: https://1minutewonder.com/

Want personal support or coaching?

Recently, I was very fortunate to be introduced to, and have become friends with, the wonderful and very talented former opera singer and singer, Diane Marshall. She lives not far from mum’s in Filey on the North Yorkshire coast.

Diane studied singing and piano at the Northern School of music.  She has performed in opera such as Vaughan Williams ‘Hugh the Drover’, ‘Fenena’ in Verdi’s opera, ‘Queen of the Night’ from Mozart’s opera ‘The Magic Flute’ and also Purcell opera and more. She now spends her time passing on her training to others who want to learn.

A couple of weeks ago, we listened to one of Diane’s performances and I asked if we could record it and therefore be able have a digital copy that Diane can now keep and share as her only other recording is on the original cassette tape.

Let the bright seraphim

The recording is from an evening concert held at the Holy Innocents Parish Church, Thornhill, West Yorkshire approximately 40 years ago. The church was known for giving to charitable causes, it closed in 2011.

Diane tells me “The concert was a mixture of Baroque music for Orchestra instrumentalists, Choir and Vocalist.

Aria "Let the Bright Seraphim" is taken from Handel's Oratorio Samson. It is a triumphant joyous aria and an expression, at the end of the Oratorio, of Samson's life and ultimate death. In a baroque style with a da-capo repeat; accompanied with Trumpets and Strings.”

A very close up tour around Uncle Mick’s model and a showcase of trains!

With a tiny camera attached to his trains (Auntie Joan had bought him from ‘Avon’) you can watch a trip around the lines at eye-level. It takes us into the station, along the track into the countryside and along the coast. Sometimes it’s easy to forget we are looking at a model.

It is built in ‘00 Gauge’ which means the people in the station on the platform are only 2cm tall!

Links to other films in this series -

Train, Track and Crash!

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1gg3g5rnfks1GGwLP59tdE6mk1se1c

Controls and Mine Shaft

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1geqvp2c1hm1lFkodrLudOp9y1i51c

Fairground

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1fo3on57uqn5h3SCU2cEt9oir1ce1c

Uncle Mick’s Model World Trailer

A close up in Uncle Mick’s ‘Birsley’ town, along the track that leads out to a small hamlet and around the coast.

It’s a rare opportunity to see it in fine, minute detail, the depictions of daily life as envisaged by Uncle Mick, the hustle and bustle in the town centre, road works, evening scenes, glimpses into buildings to see folk inside and the buses and trains travelling through the town.

People bought him these tiny people, trains, buses and some buildings too. But Uncle Mick sometimes re-purposed the buildings with new looks - the brickwork, roofs and shop fronts, and some of the urban landscapes in the background - he designed and printed at home. In other places, he constructed and hand painted scenery and realistic textures such as rocks, railway embankments, seashores, and even scrap piles - a few minute examples of a much larger undertaking.

Surprisingly, Uncle Mick actually designed and built moving machinery such as the mine shaft, cable car and Fairground rides ‘from bits of cardboard and a few plastic tubes’ - I can vouch for this as witness. The scale is 00 Gauge, which means the little people are about 2cm tall.

He’s truly a remarkable gentleman. I’m forever grateful for him allowing me to make these little films - he’s a very humble and quiet gentleman and is happy and content left to his own devices. So Thank You Uncle Mick!

Links to other films in this series -

Train, Track and Crash!

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1gg3g5rnfks1GGwLP59tdE6mk1se1c

Controls and Mine Shaft

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1geqvp2c1hm1lFkodrLudOp9y1i51c

Fairground

https://www.ganjingworld.com/video/1fo3on57uqn5h3SCU2cEt9oir1ce1c

Uncle Mick’s Model World Trailer

Uncle Mick's Controls are very impressive and I imagine it took a mind that works in 3D to map all these connections out to operate the train lines and all the other exciting moving parts such as his Mine Shaft which you can see in this video.

You can see another episode here -

My Uncle Mick has the patience of a Saint and the creative genius I long for.

He builds miniature railways in his garage and puts his many skills into action re-building each time from scratch.

He has a fine eye for minute detail and has no problem dismantling his work to start a new landscape.

A closer look at Uncle Mick's Model World, this time at the sea and harbour. Uncle Mick shares tips on how to create water and waves using toilet paper, paint and PVA glue. He makes it sound easy! The result is very realistic!

Uncle Mick builds his models in his garage and he works out there for 6 months whilst the weather is warm enough, and inside over the colder months.

This was the last large-scale model Uncle Mick built in his garage. His next models are built in modules - so he can easily move them to store.