I have a clean bathroom

More smilies will be due later when the house stops smelling of limescale remover and my arms stop itching where the rubber gloves failed to protect them.

I had a wonderful morning teaching this morning. The hard work pupils were on a trip or injured and doing theory with me.....The rest of the pupils in this school all have suddenly 'got it' and are making wonderful progress! One of them is this gorgeous Year 3 who just is amazing- she works really hard and is making great progress- a real star! She is the only Year 3 in the Training Band thing- and in my theory group- the others are all older one in particular takes her under her wing! It's lovely to watch!

It just makes the day so much nicer!

Also the 'Note perfect' app I'm downloaded on my ipad is going down a treat! The pupils love it and their note reading is improving!

Got new Yaris now. Need to work out what all the controls and buttons do ! Have to bury myself in the handbook for a bit !

Exciting..... what colour?

With our little Citroen C1, I had my 13 year old reading the hand book whilst I was driving telling me where everything is... and she worked out how to set the radio etc!

My wife dingfarts around with the heaters demister and soundsystems whilst I drive. I'd like a Yaris too....have the newer ones got parking sensors and DAB radios then???

I have some time away from work so I can actually do some things I need to do, and also do - lots - of practice!

Band practice and knowing that I'm not going to work tomorrow

great band practice too, (mancini magic is lovely!) and the offer of some paid daytime work with the band too
I'm now officially in charge of selling CDs!!

Did the UK work?




I strongly suspect the latter Back in the late 70s/80s I used to get lifts in a red B from a friend. Even when the general standard of car comfort was poor (Mark 1 Escort anyone?) the MGs were a toughish sell....

Modern cars, even small ones are just so much bigger than cars of 25 plus years ago. Look how small a Ford Anglia or Mark 1 Escort is compared to a small modern car.

Interestingly when I had French visitors a few years ago (choir exchange) they regarded the car I had then (a Focus) as large . They're going to be shocked when they come over next summer!

Cars of any one model line seem to grow year by year until they are dropped, at which point the manufacturer launches a new 'small' car which then starts growing. Much of the space and weight seems to be taken up by safety features, whilst the shape of new cars is dictated by the wind tunnel, which can be wasteful of space.

My wife drives a Mk 5 Astra. We also have a Mk 3 Astra which belonged to my mother. The Mk 5 is a noticably bigger and heavier car, but the Mk 3 has more boot and passenger space. Incredibly, the Mk 3 is much quieter to drive, (and is better in the snow) because the low profile tyres on the Mk 5 create and transmit more road noise, and are too wide to grip well on ice.

And despite all the advances in technology and wind tunnel testing between the Mk 3 and Mk 5, fuel consumption is about the same, (and in both cases is worse than my two-tonne, twin turbocharged Jag)!

SB

Guiviers suggested Lark, who were wonderful!! I am so relieved!!

That's not the military band, is it? I couldnt imagine easy listening stuff being played by a military band.....or even Mancini's most famous work.........enter Peter Sellers and fake French accent!

A good military band is very versatile - and full of good musicians. I have been entertained after dinner in the Mess by our regimental band (and others) with a very wide selection of music. They could play stirring martial music, marching tunes, swing, jazz, pop etc etc. Individual players had party pieces which they loved to demonstrate. Brass players seemed to have a penchant for coaxing a tune out of a mouthpiece and any suitable tubing!

The few military bandsmen I have encountered have been exemplary musicians

stetenorve said it...our military band is....
a marching band with corps of drums and bugles/pipers/fifes included
then we swap some instruments and drop the corps of drums and it becomes a fully fledged concert band with double bass, timps, drum kit etc,
there is also the big band (dixie)
and the jazz quartet, sax quartet, brass quintet, celidh band.
And of course the numerous soloists...I have played violin and sung with the band, we have posthorns and all sorts. Classical guitarrists, tuba solos, you name it...

Oh and we often only have one rehearsal before a concert/parade!

if you want to train up for a musical career, you could do a lot worse than sign up for one of the service bands/orchestras.

One of our most enthusiastic exponents of the Kodaly approach is a former bandmaster (the only person, I believe, ever to have scored 100% at Kneller Hall - playing all scales and arpeggios on all band instruments... ). He is an absolutely amazing musician.



For me - having a day off teaching (although loads of planning and other admin to do at home) and the thought of going to The Bootleg Beatles' gig tonight with three rather nice people...

Silly things! Daisies out in the garden and celandines too. The pussy-willow promising to flower very soon. A visit to the hairdresser this morning - I came out looking like a sutable match for my newly acquired poodle - and the poodle herself who is beginning to realise that she lives here and won't be dumped again
Oh - and the man who is tiling the bathroom has turned out to be the father of a former pupil and he is making a really super job of it of the tiling.

Brilliant lunchtime concert at the RNCM. Paul Goodey (head honcho of Wind, Brass & Percussion at the RNCM) played Edwin Roxburgh's "At the Still Point of the Turning World..." for oboe and electronics, followed by Helen Clinton and fellow students playing Colin Matthew's Oboe Quartet No. 2. Great stuff but not one to come out of whistling the tunes.

I took my oboe so it could hear what it's supposed to sound like, but I suspect it slept through the whole thing.

Having a happy daughter at home........

Just made me laugh .... our local paper online ...

'the cause of the breakdown is unknwon.'

Well for yesterday, getting praise from my riding instructor after 3 weeks of feeling like I can't ride! (had more to with a change of horse as the one i usually ride was tired, but still )

For today, the promise that halls management are going to talk to the person in my flat who has a thing against me about bullying and harrassment and even though I've said they can name me, I don't care! 2 months left here and if he trys anything else, he'll get in even more trouble

Oh! and my viola mute arriving so for the first time since September I can play my lovely viola again!!!

Having the most SPLENDIFEROUSLY fabby evening at The Bootleg Beatles' gig with Bagpuss, Baz and Louise. The boys absolutely ROCKED - their best gig yet.

Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!!

(And, of course, the fact the tickets were freebies was rather nice - as was the dedication Louise and Baz got from The Lovely Andre on stage!)

Sounds absolutely brilliant!

Today - I'm looking forward to my parade this morning - just hoping it doesn't rain....

This makes me happy




(I'm just back from Crufts )

Playing all three of my Grade 3 exam pieces PERFECTLY...and my scales/arpeggysues as well.

Now, Taylors of Harrogate invites me to try their wares again.

...and the night has given me a consolidation period for the Gymnopedie. The patterns are making sense now and even though the careless c*ck ups are still happening I'm more or less able to work on them with a view to ironing them out. Would be good to play this at a concert or an adult learners event, oh hang on I'm in that part of the UK that everyone else outside of it despises as a working class hellhole. So none of those of course.

Still, this one WILL most definately be going on my Youtube. I think Satie would probably have been the first 'emo' kid....

Where on this forum has anybody even remotely hinted at that?

Watching a film with my kidlets (well.... they are now teenagers).....

That was brilliant! Loved it all Thanks gang!


...and from happy to distinctly not happy in one post As someone who's been heavily involved in these events over the years, I find that comment rather off-putting : you clearly don't have the slightest clue how much effort I and many other forum members spend putting on these gatherings across as much of the UK as we can manage.

Not much more I can add to that, it was a great night

Thanks Cyrilla, Bagpuss and Barry

I caught you singing Louise

Quite. No reason you should be expected to supply Polyfilla as well.

guilty as charged

Ooh! Just received e-mail confirming place on string chamber music day organised by Chester Music Society

And someone else is organising chamber music groups in Chester and they were in touch yesterday too.

I'm getting quite excited about this (that'll shock people who known me!).

Excellent!

(those smileys, by the way, would look great with yays next to them )

SO glad you both enjoyed the gig .

I think 'George Harrison's surprise dedication for Baz and Louise came as a bit of a shock (but hopefully a nice one) for them both!

It was lovely!

Adult learner events are organised whereever there is the demand for them. And quite rightly so. It would be totally pointless to organise them in areas such as this as only one person (myself) would turn up. My comment Barry was NOT intended as a criticism for the wonderful events yourself and katyjay and sbhoa organise in your respective parts of old Albion.

OK, apology accepted. There are more people than you in Birmingham/the West Midlands who'd be interested, by the way. But please be careful how you word things like that in the future : it was not your most shining moment on the forum!

Well, what has made me happy today is hearing my wonderful piano teacher play in church today! She rocks the partee!!

Indeed it was

hmmmmmm, I'm not the one that has shining moments....I stink, I never shine!!!

I can manage exploding ones:



Totting their horns ones



An assortment of banners:



One or two I've not had the nerve to use !

Well, Lee King has a couple of choices here. Actually three choices.

1. Make an effort and go to one of the events that are available.

2. Make an effort to organise an event himself.

3. Make no effort whatsoever and sit on his backside and grizzle about the lack of an event in his area...

Oh, happy thing to return this thread to topic....

Two excellent, if very different, concerts in two days.

First, Igudesman and Joo at Cadogan Hall on Friday night, laughing until my sides hurt but still blown away at their musicality

Second, Fairport Convention at Union Chapel on Saturday night. Jokes considerably worse, decibel count considerably higher. And two violins instead of one

How come you can say those things far better than I can?...



Must see them one day...

Yes, definitely. Shame they don't come to the UK more often.

Yeah. I was being too busy that night dancing to the Bootleg Beatles

1. Its not possible for some of us to travel over half of Britain and back in a day

2. Totally pointless when either I have not been to any of these events (highly enjoyable as they sound) and I'm not going to do so because of point 1, so organising an event when I'm not properly 'qualified' to do so is as I see it just a couple of steps down hypocricy avenue.

3. No grizzling. But plenty of backside sittery though. Just purely saying (maybe with a hint of sarcasm) that it would be nice (and helpful) to play my Gymnopedie at a concert, especially as I've only ever played at one such event in 09 (which is on my YT)

4. Play on my Youtube channel.

Would love to see them live too, very jealous - and wish they would come back here more often!! I love their DVD!!



Agree with point 1, it isn't possible for all of us to travel huge distances, but I am indebted to those who do

Point 2 is totally false! I had never been to an event when I organised the first Scottish one (which I did because like you there wasn't anything like it round about!) You don't need to be "qualified"!! Just have enthusiasm and organisational skills! There are plenty of people on the forum who would go out their way to help make it happen if you did decide to do one