I want one...

They are very beautiful, bobziekins.

My new photo is pretty cute too.....
Take a look and see what was going on up here the weekend Barry was last up north.

They are beautiful!! And the terrible thing is the one in the middle looks just like a kitten a pupil brought to her piano lesson last week, hoping I would give it a home. I refused as we have just lost a much loved cat and I just didn't feel able to cope. Now I am feeling guilty. Just don't know what to do.

Ouch - that's a tricky one! The gesture was no doubt kindly meant, but personally I would never turn up with a potential pet without discussing it with the intended recipient first..

No need for you to feel guilty, Aquarelle - if you're not ready, you're not ready - end of story. It is for you alone to decide if and when you want to get another kitten.

I have to say that Millie does resemble my Slinky-monster. She is allegedly six years old this year (we got her from a rescue so all we know is she was supposedly born in 2003). My husband is convinced she is much younger, we've had her 18months and he thought she was barely out of kittenhood when we got her, because she is such a minx who won't sit still and is a big trouble-monster. In those 18 months, htough, all that seems to have happened is that she's become sturdier built, discovered she likes fighting with the local cats, and she hasn't calmed down one little bit!!

I was going to get my niece one of these for Christmas last time around, but after doing quite a lot of research into it, I found that the battery life is not all that great, and also, the build quality isn't quite as good as you'd expect considering the huge price tag.

Awwww!!!!!

Awwww, cuteeeee



Eek, that sounds awkward. And the kitten was there too! Wow. Poor you
When my dad was younger, his aunt's cat just had kittens, and offered his mum (my grandma) one. She said no, but the next time the aunt visited, they brought one over anyway. There were 4 kids under the age of 10, who had just been practically handed a kitten, and grandma couldn't say no. So they were stuck with a kitten

Thrice in the night i was woken by a labrador seeking refuge at the end of my bed.
Once i fell asleep, but the other two times, he woke me up by stretching, or at one point when laying along the bed, by polluting the air

Alas, i kicked him off every time, and although i told him to go on to someone else's bed, he didn't. Eventually though when i kicked him off for the third time he didnt come back.
Hmm, now theres black hairs all over the end of my bed...

How lovely! (Grandchildren? Or are they yours?) I still come over all broody at the sight of a baby.

Music is such an annoying size - I can't find a folder which is wide enough to accommodate my music for tomorrow's concert. I don't want to take any chance of my music getting wet going to/from the station.

I agree, why cant it just be A4 as a standard, or atleast fold up to A4.

The weather forecast throughout the UK for tomorrow is for sunshine and warm temperatures, so no chance of your music getting wet

It's my wedding anniversary tomorrow

Flossie: Foolscap size is what you need if your music is A4. I got some zip folders locally for a few quid. They work for lesson trips.

Happy anniversary for tomorrow Dawn!

thankyou... You in Leeds? Enjoy... maybe I might get there next year?

Put it inside a good old bog standard plastic bag and if that isn't waterproof enough, but said bag and music into another plastic bag, but the other way up.

Grandchildren... my daughters' daughters.
The little one will be 3 weeks old on Monday

I am playing two short but very exposed solos (one on the oboe and one on the cor anglais) in a wind-band concert on Sunday.

I hate driving (and so hardly ever drive) but will have to drive some 30km to a town I don't know to play in the concert.

I can't decide which is stressing me more

It's not A4. That's what the problem is - it won't fit in folders because it's too big width-wise.

I'm going to put it in an open folder inside a plastic bag. I can't put it in a plastic bag without a folder because it would get bent...

Kerioboe - I think the driving would stress me more than playing solos, but it's a close call.

Do you think the stress about driving can cancel out the stress about playing? Is it possible I'll be so relieved at having got the driving (and parking ) out of the way that I'll be relaxed about the actual playing? Or will I just be mega-stressed even more than usual?

I'd say that's a possibilty.
I've experienced similar.

I don't know why I'm revising for Maths when I'm going to fail it anyway. and it's meant to be between GCSE and AS so I'm glad I didn't choose maths for AS...
I wish I could do GCSE maths again.

cycle 2 miles to the church, go up 50 steps, ring for 30minutes, go down the 50 steps, cycle 2 miles home, up hill all the way, sit down.

There are just too many nice exam pieces....

Which ones are you looking at?

The G5 ones at the moment. I did look at at the G6 ones, but had a few wibbles over the scales and high notes

There's some very nice stuff on the grade 5 lists

There is. In fact there is so much stuff that I've chosen completely different pieces compared to what I chose last time I looked at them

I went Sainsbury's shopping yesterday in not the best of moods. This usually results in me having a fridge/cupboard full of bits to nibble on but nothing to make a meal out of, and a disticnct lack of whatever household cleaning items I need to stock up on.

I didn't do too badly yesterday though, but I was seduced by the special offer on boxes of Magnum ice creams in the freezer department. I had one after dinner tonight. They come in a very nice individually packaged gold box, almost like a piece of jewellery. It was good, superfluous packaging aside I do like the concept, it made me feel as though I was eating a very special ice-cream and so much better because of it.

It's a Good Thing (as sarah-flute always used to say! ) that you've got lots to choose from for grade 5!

I just like everything (nearly). I'm now thinking about the Loeillet, Whistling Song and the Hindemith (seriously!).

someone has to...

It would be very very different to anything I've attempted before....

... Just wondering how babybird got on with the clari in Leeds...???

It was so hard

Does anyone still hear from Sarah? Give her my best wishes if you do, I miss her input, it was invariably positive.

Off the grade 6 list I think you'd be fine on:

List A - Handel. (don't know the other options but I'm sure there'd be things you could manage)
List B - Busser les ecureuils or Debussy (you'd struggle with the Busser les Cygnes as it needs a very good top register tone and vibrato) don't know the other pieces.
List C - Taggart and Drouet (don't know the other options).


There's loads of stuff on the grade 5 list which you could do easily, but I do wonder if you'd start to get bored...

Thanks Flossie I had a look and a play at the grade 6 stuff.... I really love the Hasse and the Handel is quite nice. I haven't heard those list B pieces, but the McLeod Berceuse and the Gaubert Sicilienne are beautiful

So you still thinking about learning then?

It will become easier. Let me see what I can do at Stalybridge.



She occasionally crops up on facebook TSax.

I do miss sarah-flute's posts on here

I'm still thinking about clari, yes It was hard and heavy and awkward but I like a challenge

But you were playing on a hard clari, and you did manage to play it (which I wasn't sure you'd do)

My clari is old and heavy - and you played for at least as long as I could when I first got it. I think you'd shape up fairly well on a lighter and less resistant instrument.

I'm bringing my clari to Stalybridge (although I be doing flute in the concert itself) so you can have another go then under Barry's expert guidance.

I don't know if the instrument you tried was wooden, but you'd find a plastic clari would be lighter

I'll ensure you've got a good, workable embouchure/breathing etc. if you want to have a try at clarinetting again at Stalybridge.

Good on you. Cool instrument!!!

I still need to properly learn my flute.... It's in my wardrobe right now and has been for a while. I just don't have the time to dedicate to it right now.

Never mind, lizbun! They'll soon be over and then you can think about your new music school (was it Chetham's in the end?).

Edit: Just realised the answer to that question is in your signature - sorry!

Yes it was wooden, and it is very heavy.

I'm hoping that you'll be able to do some clarinet with me as well at Stalybridge, Barry. I can get a reasonable sound out of it (I was pleased with the positive comments I received yesterday about my tone ) but I've never actually learnt properly - I just kind of do what seems to work and I've no idea what is/isn't right...

No problem Flossie : I'll have a good look at your clarinetting. We'll also have rachi at Stalybridge, and she's a very, very fine clarinet player

Thank you.

This thread isn't so random anymore