Sitting here in the office in Sydney, listening to Sharon Shannon’s new album (which contains some surprises) and waiting for her to call from her house in Clare, and the time difference allows me blog for the first time in weeks. At least the work has been interesting. The last few weeks have seen me interview Pete Postlethwaite, Glen Hansard (who I saw play here in Sydney – epic), Brian Kennedy, prominent Irish-Aboriginals including Pat Dodson and Michael Long, Australian Idol winner Damien Leith, Aussie rules player Tadhg Kennelly and all sorts of others. I’ve had a conference call with a pair of long-haired Melbourne rockers, Lemmy’s tour-mates, listening to them argue about whether or not their family owned a castle in Kerry (They agreed on the fact their family was ejected from Ireland over a murder, and that they’d only sell out if the ad was for condoms and Jack Daniels).

This job offers a good line in the Oirish and quasi-Oirish, to be sure to be sure. But it keeps me busy.

I have to admire the bloggers like Damien and Lili and anyone in general who works a full-time job, maintains a blog (steps out to have a baby) and still finds time to have a life, go to the Electric Picnic, etc.

At this side of the world I’m burning a four-ended candle from every end and finding it hard to hold things together. Training for a marathon is falling by the wayside, and how and where I’m going to find time for a new business is beyond me. But I’d rather be busy than idle.

It’s often hard to find the inspiration to write a blog when you’ve spent all day writing, so I’m turning to a new outlet to inspire me. Pictures paint a thousand words, so behold the new photoblog in all its shiny newness in any case. It’s one of three new sites in the pipeline, two of which are work-related and should be unveiled within the next month.

Natural Light is a side-project which won’t really begin to pay its way until November when I get back from Ireland and can knuckle down on the weekends, get used to the new Canon 30D, and do some decent photography.