Proper fish and chips

Indeed We have five tiny spiders on our sitting room ceiling. We're too lazy to put them outside, but my sister spends her days casting wary glances in their general direction.




Always a heartwarmer! Proper deep fried onion rings too...

Yes. Not those tiny thin ones you get in some steak houses in particular...

Hmmm! You can always feel your arteries clog up just by looking at 'em, but it's hard to resist, eh? How are you then, Barry? I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the Chester day I've been extremely busy with uni apps and everything lately, because I have to reapply!

I'm OK, thanks Stephie. No worries, re Chester. Can you make the woodwind playday at the Royal Northern on 30th Jan next year? Oboists get in half price! There's a thread in Viva Woodwind about it (East London Clarinet Choir Woodwind Playdays).

Good luck with the uni applications!

Oh I hope so! I hope to have an oboe by then. I'm going to the RNCM Woodwind Weekend on Sunday to speak with some of the people at the stalls about schemes to get an oboe, so it should be good.

And thanks I've got an unconditional offer from MMU, and I'm waiting on replies from University of Manchester, and an interview date for Cambridge. All very nerve-wracking!

Fingers crossed for you Stephie!

Have pulled the woodwind playday thread to the top of Viva Woodwind for you!

There'll be a few forum people at the Woodwind weekend on Saturday, notmusimum and daughter for one

Thank you!

I won't be there on Saturday because my mum'll be in Edinburgh and I haven't been in Manchester long enough to trust myself to get to the RNCM without getting lost

That was a typo from me, apologies. Substitute Sunday for Saturday!

Aaah okay then I'll keep a lookout! I think I'm allowed to peek around even if I'm not participating. I hope so anyway!

Just seen a massive meteor- was pretty cool and beautiful.....

The fact that I have thurs and fri off becuase my college have an entire company meeting that takes 2 days.

This means the trainers can't teach so we 2 days free. Extra long weekend!

I won the local Rotary Young Musician of the year competition last night, coming first in the senior section after about 50 people auditioned to get through. I played Clair de Lune by Debussy, and it was the first performance I've been happy about in ages! I got some really great comments from the adjudicator, and really enjoyed the whole thing!

Wow, congrats! I took part in a Rotary competition in NI when I was a kid, and even though I didn't win it was a fabulous experience

Evita!

Well done! It's lovely to have such a success to look back on - obviously you pulled a good performance out of the bag at just the right time. It'll do wonders for your confidence.


Was tonight the first rehearsal? Glad you enjoyed it.

Congratulations!



Of course! How did it go?

Nothing yet If the Royal Mail have managed to draft in some temps for during the strike, then hopefully I'll get some mail to make me happy today...

Ostensibly, delivery staff are working today (it's drivers and sorting office staff on strike today), but whether many/any postmen cross the picket lines is a different matter...

Indeed I do hope I get my mail though. It's a CD!

Fingers crossed. Backlogs permitting, it may well be sorted by now, and it'll depend on how many postmen have crossed the lines...

In this area, even before this national strike, 1st class post was routinely taking 4 days to arrive ...

I'm expecting several items from Amazon and they hadn't shipped yesterday so I guess I'll be waiting until after the strike...

I might just cancel them and go buy the items from Schott's or somewhere else on Saturday. Stuff the Royal Mail...

Amazon use a different company to the Royal Mail for sorting purposes though. There's a small chance it'll arrive with you today...

That's no good I have a cover sheet arriving from my old French teacher to and I have to receive it and send it off to Cambridge



Stuff them indeed Striking just ruins things for everyone else... and people have important letters and things to get...

Back to food!
Yesterday, Ma diapason had a visit from an old friend whom she hadn't seen for 20 years - a lady I have called Auntie since I was a tiny child.
Ma suggested we all went to lunch at a nearby pub restaurant which we had visited only 6 months ago and had a SUPERB! lunch.
On arriving yesterday we found that since our last visit it had gone "carvery" but Ma, J, "Auntie" and I said that was ok.

Well............we have never had a carvery like it. It was amazing. The meat was all local and tender as could be, the vegetables were fresh from the farm shop down the road - the baby carrots still had their little stalks on - REAL roast potates, crisp outside, fluffy inside (none of ya "aunt bessies" frozen lumps) and a scrummy spring onion and cheddar mash. I even asked tentatively if I could have a second helping of that and the chef was more than happy that I had asked as it was new on the menu that day.
And all for £4.25 per person.............beat that!

If ever you are in the area, it is at Marsh Mill, Thornton Cleveleys. Ma, J and I are already planning to go at the weekend.

£3.99 per person in the carvery we go to! Ha!

Cambridge will be aware of the strike, and will I'm sure have contingency plans Stephie . If it gets a bit close to the deadline for it to arrive, give them a quick call



I'm sure I had a £3.99 carvery meal in your patch once...

Hare and Hounds?! Stockport Road in Altrincham? Love it!

I can understand them wanting the right to strike, but the timing is awful and it seems like neither side is willing to budge. It will hurt a lot of businesses that are suffering already, and also, at a time when people start falling ill and the vulnerable are being put forward for flu jabs, it'll cause a massive amount of disruption. The union might not have judged the public's mood and support quite correctly this time around...

The Royal Mail is an integral part of our communications infrastructure and it baffles me how it can be held to ransom.. TNT must be itching to get their own last mile delivery service in place, could there be a tiny chance that this could be the final nail in the coffin of the RM's monopoly, I wonder?

The downpour stopping

It is ridiculous. I know that I would probably be saying something very different if I were working for the RM, but I just can't see how striking would solve anything.

Can do - carvery at De Rodes, Barlborough is £3.50

Wouldn't be there Stephie. My knowledge of Manchester is mainly around the centre/Salford and east Manchester...

Awww, shame It really is a great carvery.

I'm happy because I now have two unconditional offers from university under my belt! Roll on number three!... hopefully

Payday!

I envy you Any sort of pay would be welcome right now!

Finding some music I didn't realise I had!!!

Having taught some really lovely pupils!

Where from, if you don't mind me asking? What have you applied to do at uni?

The two offers I have so far are from MMU I was supposed to be going to uni this year but I had to take a year out because I moved to Manchester from Northern Ireland in the summer!

I've applied to French and English Lit. in MMU (separately), a joint honours course in French and English at Uni of Manchester and a Modern and Medieval Languages course in Cambridge. I really wanted to apply for music, but I don't have an oboe and therefore wouldn't be able to audition

What are you hoping to do once you've done your A levels?

What's happening re: getting hold of one by the way? Did you look into renting/take it away? Would you be able to rent or borrow one for an audition and then look for some sort of grant/sponsorship once accepted?

We're having a look at some instruments this weekend but as I haven't played since April, I wouldn't feel comfortable doing auditions so soon. I've been subconsciously doing the fingering in my head every day, but I still don't feel I'd be ready!

I doubt that I'd qualify for a grant because our household income is too high. The reason we can't afford to buy instruments now, though, is because although we have a high income, my mum and stepdad are paying off a lot of debts, leaving us with not much at all! I'm afraid that they wouldn't accept this in terms of a grant

Seeing Baz for a lesson - and knowing that I don't have to get up in the morning but have A SATURDAY OFF!!!!!!!!!

Half term... no school for ten days!!!

Wahey! I got an e-mail from Uni of Manchester to tell me that I've received an offer from them and to invite me to the English and Languages open days! Yayay!

Wonderful Stephie! That's great news!

Thanks! That's three out of four now!

Any idea when you'll know the outcome of the fourth place?