An early birthday gift has arrived

Some of you will know that, last year, my birthday was spent behind bars. This year, thanks to one immensely kind and generous friend, a far nicer birthday present arrived early – a digital piano.

It’s a Yamaha Piaggero 32 and has six and half octaves of semi-weighted keys, great speakers and a very decent range of sounds. I am over the moon.

If I could get my hands on the large repertoire of professional backing tracks still in police possession, I would be able to entertain until next year’s birthday.

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A farewell song for Henry Hafenmayer

Left, German dissident Henry Hafenmayer; right, a traditional German song taken from the collection preserved by Max Friedlaender in his major 474-page opus (Cotta, Stuttgart 1902).

Translation of song lyrics:

Brethren, let us exalt wisdom!
Sing songs, fiery and beautiful.

News of Henry Hafenmayer’s early departure came as a shock. He died two days before I was sent back to jail after losing on appeal (my sentence thus extended.) I had no idea, until last week when I was able to access my mail again.

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Un chant d’adieu pour Henry Hafenmayer

À gauche, dissident Allemand Henry Hafenmayer; à droite, une chanson traditionnelle allemande, tirée de la collection rassemblée et conservée par Max Friedlaender dans son opus majeur de 474 pages (Cotta, Stuttgart 1902).

La traduction des paroles:

Frères, exaltons la sagesse !
Chantez des chansons, ardentes et belles.

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Weighing my thoughts on imperial measurement

British imperial measurement contains within itself the beauty and mysticism of the natural world.

Seven weights, each the double of the one before. Seven tones for each of the major and minor scales: respectively, do re mi fa so la ti and la ti do re mi fa so – and indeed any of the other heptatonic scales (dorian, mixolydian, ect.). And let’s not forget the seven days of the week.

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On the importance of birthdays and why social club nationalism is a blot on our lands

During the past twelve months and more of effectively being barred from publishing content on my own web page, some might be wondering, asides the obvious, how I managed to fill my time. It takes a while to get back to normal (or rather the new normal) after being incarcerated.

Above: tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions can all be grown in containers.

Since my arrest in April 2020 (for which I am due to stand trial for causing gross offence with another parody song); since that arrest two years ago just as the first Lockdown began, I have learned how to grow vegetables and flowers in containers. A real Christmas tree is flourishing, as well as salads, root veg, onions and herbs. My most successful crop so far is Swiss chard, variety Bright Lights. Spring onions and carrots also did well.


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Accused without being served

Court double-faults with poor service

Despite various excuses made over the past four months by the Courts and Tribunals Service as to why I had not received any official notification for the new trial against me, supposed to begin Friday, February 18th, the fact remains that the document delivered electronically, last Thursday 17th, with less than a day’s notice, was the first time I had set eyes on any official summons to attend trial.

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My humble apologies for not being Jimmy Carr

I humbly apologise to everyone for being me.

Perhaps, if I had told a joke about the Roma Holocaust — or sanctioned a millennia-old goblin-banker stereotype for Hollywood movies based on a children’s book series — things might be different: I would not again be facing jail time for causing ‘gross offence’ with another parody song.

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Offensive speech: viral Netflix sales or jail?

Readers will have no doubt seen the latest Cancel Culture Controversy concerning British comic, Jimmy Carr. I won’t go into details here, only to point out that Carr has been criticised and condemned, whilst no doubt laughing all the way to the bank.

Coming shortly after wokedom’s outrage over Whoopi Goldberg’s comments on race, it seems that cancel culture is truly out of hand.

For something different and distant from all the noise, here is a song I wrote in 2009. Let Love In is a Latin number; the lyrics speak for themselves and have, at least from my own perspective, stood the test of time quite well.

Let Love In – Music and lyrics ©2009 Alison Chabloz
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Belated Happy New Year To All

I’m back. For how long is uncertain but, for now, I am once again at liberty to express myself in my own home country. This new-found liberty is necessarily tempered by way of another upcoming trial for another satirical song, rendering the art of expression somewhat limited. I’m sure you get my drift.

Above: keeping busy with sourdough, making preserves and tending to my little garden.

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