What I’d Do

1 Saturday mornings used to mean sleepins after getting home after a late Fridaynight gig, but I have two noisy alarm clocks in the form of my 6- and 4-year-old boys, who normally bounce in shortly after 6am. They didn’t come with snooze buttons installed — a big manufacturer’s flaw. Mornings are still chilly so it’s a cup of tea in front of the fire while we look out over the valley and the Riverhead Forest to see whether our cows have managed to get through the temporary fencing protecting the new native seedlings my husband has painstakingly planted every weekend this past month. I try to delay getting out of my housecoat for a couple of hours if I can.

2 Weekends tend to be the busiest times for musicians as most shows are on Friday and Saturday night. I usually head out the door for soundcheck around 3pm, then grab a quick bite to eat before hair and makeup in the dressing room, getting dressed and hitting the stage at 8pm for a couple hours, then meeting fans, taking selfies, signing albums, pack down and load out and hopefully in bed by midnight.

3 Sundays are a family day with an outing to a local cafe for brunch. Hallertau, The Parkhouse or Boric Markets are favourites, as they all have playgrounds. Then we might hit the bike park or spend the afternoon sliding down the sand dunes at Muriwai Beach, just down the road from our place. Okay, so, the boys slide while I read a book on a blanket.

4 On Sunday night we’ll be watching our favourite local murder mystery, The Brokenwood Mysteries. Much of it is filmed rurally, out where we live and the soundtrack is all Kiwi music. I always get a kick out of seeing one of my songs come to life in the storyline. The show also holds a special place in my heart, as when I tour in Europe and across Canada, I get people coming up to me after a concert, saying, “We discovered your music watching The Brokenwood Mysteries, we’re big fans.” It’s like a little piece of home on the road.