I am off work today, and supposed to be cutting the grass, but this has been rather defeated by the fact that the mower is broken, and there is a storm raging outside.

But today a new album arrived through the post- this one

First listening- love it. Sumptuous folk vocals relax into one another, whilst the backing (Dad Martin Simpson, Danny Thompson on double bass, Oliver Knight on cello- what could go wrong there?) is lovely.

It is English folk at it’s best- traditional, unpretentious, emotional and beautiful.

This kind of music is sometimes difficult to hear for those of us who have been schooled on soft pop and American ubiquitous R and B. It certainly divides my friends.

But it plugs me into something deep and important.

Here is a flavour (not of the album but of some of the family)-