a heads start

 good morning. good morning. horsemouth is  up.

outside there has been a frost. 

RIP stella chiweshe

one of the first women to play the mbira (if not the first. certainly there was a cultural prohibition on women playing it which stella chiweshe overcame leading other women to follow (chiwonisu would be a notable example)

saw her live one time solo at the africa centre covent garden. amazing music amazing presence.

here she is with a song about the njuzu, a water spirit that drags men down to their death, backed by the rhythm section of the 3 mustaphas 3 who do an amazing job of getting the zimbabwean rhythms just right (but in a tuff rockers style - this was a very influential album in horsemouth's thoughts).

this evening  horsemouth goes to persuade people to take on debt at possibly the least opportune time ever. there is only ever now. and if you want to do something you must (perforce) do it now.  it is the year of the rabbit (a favourable auspicious year) but the surplus has taken a battering at the hands of inflation, the government have limited the rent rise possible (in any event horsemouth is doubtful the members can afford to pay it). 

furthermore the communal endeavour has two big ticket items to deal with this year - the social housing decarbonisation fund (insulating the cold old housing up to modern standards) and purchasing more social housing. 

the communal endeavour got a heads start when it was sold the houses in hackney at a reduced rate (with a government grant to do them up) way back in the 80ies/ 90ies (this was when hackney was considered a dangerous and run-down inner city slum rather than a vibrant youth culture capital with wonderful victorian housing) - it then proceeded to squander this advantage (in horsemouth's opinion) by relying on the income from the short-life properties to keep rents low.  

it is a year when the communal endeavour has lots of stuff it needs to do but will not be able to afford everything it wants to do.  the problem for horsemouth is how to present it in such a way that the necessity for he decisions that need to be taken are obvious.