Everything!

A good, confidence-giving, clarinet lesson

Excellent.

This
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsyMtYoSkC0

Cake!
and talking to a friend who I've not really seen for two weeks.

not having to go back to hospital for 2 weeks and not having to use my walking stick anymore!!! and being able to play piano again for very short periods of time!!! and its only a week till my birthday!!!!!

Lovely to hear you sounding a bit more cheerful, muzicalbadger! You've had a rough time recently, and I'm so pleased that you won't be anywhere near a hospital on your birthday.

I love it when this happens



so pleased to hear that you're back on the mend a little bit, muzikalbadger and you won't have to be near the hospital on your birthday!

Accompanying successfully in this evenings Y10 Concert (apart from the C instead of Cb in Somewhere ... Grrrr!!)

Having one of the most productive days so far in my revision:
a whole chemistry module (which is 1/3 of the stuff I should know for the exam), 3 Biology modules (roughly 1/2 of unit 5 - not bad!), a biology essay(which turned out better than my usual half hearted waffle), and a C4 paper with 89.3%. Ooooh, and an hour of violin - which has gone from being my most hated instrument, to my most loved one. I think actually making progress has made me want to practise more, and then when I can feel that things are coming more naturally (vibrato for one thing) I just want to play and play and play!

Knowing that when my current flat rental expires on Friday, I have somewhere to stay for a week. I feel really blessed to have good friends.

Hearing More Than A Feeling by Boston for the first time since I was really little-my dad always used to play it to me when I was tiny, it's fabulous!

Talking to my husband about us going shopping in Cambridge on Saturday...asking if while we were there it would be OK to go to the bike shop...to most likely go bicycle shopping.

Very excited at maybe getting a new bike! It's as exciting as getting a new recorder!

Are you sure he's not just buying you a new bell or something ?

Aaah, badly worded. We are going to Cambridge shopping, he has a specific purchase in mind for himself.
So I asked if while we were there we could go to the bike shop, with the view that I am going to buy myself a new bike...probably.

But I might have to make him buy me a bell for it now

Going to the library

Thanks so much BerkshireMum and Fran*Piano!!!

I am SOOOOO happy I wont be at a hospital on my birthday!!! (will still have to teach though!! lol)
feeling a lot better now im not in so much pain which is really helping!! Got exceedingly lovely compression stockings today, which i am supposed to wear every day for 2 YEARS!!!! lol... I struggle to put them on once!!

I have my last two AS level exams tomorrow! (History and Psychology)

Good luck! I'm sure you'll be fine - believe in yourself! How were the others?

We should so have an A level thread!
For results and post-exam discussions and the like...

Good luck, pianist_flautist!

Glad it went well, clavicembalo. At least you can sit back in the knowledge that not a parent in the hall would have been listening to you at all - attention fixed solely on the children!


Best of luck! I hope you get a few days off before the A2 courses start - our year 12s are back next Thursday.

Actually, all the pupils whom I accompanied thanked me, as did a couple of their parents and one other performer asked, "Sir, do you do your own concerts? .... You should!"

Furthermore, the Headmaster was happy to give me a lift home - I'd already walked 6 miles to and from school that day, what with invigilating in the morning too.

I was back in today though, at 8.00am, setting out the Hall for exams - ended up doing 6 hours' invigilation altogether, including this afternooon's A'level Maths papers!

got my exam date its 20 days away, at least i know when it is now but i still feel ill about it

The 2009 ABRSM Annual Review - with 4 names I recognise in it! (one is me)

A vase of my own roses from my garden. They smell so lovely

My brother-in-law is responding well to his chemotherapy!

That's wonderful, DC.

Really pleased to hear that

Took my A clarinet to the repairers for a service and returned with a much less clattery Bb than I entered with

Exams are finally finished!

They've all gone reasonably well, French and Music in particular. I struggled with Psychology, and History is fun but hard. I'm in two minds about results now: I want them if they're good, but if they're not, the school can keep them and I'll just forget about them!

I start back at school with A2 on Monday, and can't wait! Study leave is dull without friends!

They turned your A clarinet into a Bb clarinet?! I'd be asking for a full refund....

Trust them to lower the tone!

That would be raising the tone, shurely [sic]?!

Foreshore!!

No wonder my attempts to transpose at sight go so awry!

So that's why my case was lighter when I left. I'm really looking forward to getting my A back tomorrow - it was becoming hard work to play.

I am so thankful for the friends who are putting me up in the week between my rental lease expiring and my new flat being ready to live in (all I need is one room and some elctricity.. the building will still be going on around it...). I have just been able to take a cab to their place where it is blessedly quiet and it's a home, and I know that I will be safe here.

I am really thankful for my friends. I owe them a large dinner.

My A and Eb clarinets have been returned to full health

A really really enjoyable playday with Oldnotes - trying out a LOT of new music.

Hey that's brilliant- I know I don't know you at all, Dawn, but when I went to pick up music from oldnotes he mentioned how he had played a lot with you and that it was a lot of fun. He said that you were both going to try reading the Poulenc Sonata and I told him I thought it was a lovely piece.

Anyway... err... hi!

I can play the bassoon again! (after missing my lesson on Wednesday due to orthodontic pain)

hi Not quite got onto the Poulenc yet but I think we will

Two things have made me happy today-the first was singing (for the last time before our choir director leaves! ) with the sixth-form choir for the Mayor, and the second was attending a lecture from Professor George Alberti about diabetes! Really fascinating

Just bought a ticket to hear Michael Collins, Brett Dean and Huw Watkins in a concert on July 9th - part of the Cheltenham International Music Festival:

Schumann: Marchenbilder Op.113
Schumann: Fantasiestucke Op.73
Schumann: Marchenerzahlungen Op.132
Kurtag: Homage a Robert Schumann Op.15d
Kurtag: Jelek Op.5
Brahms: Clarinet Sonata No.1 Op.120

Having a 'taster session' on two instruments, trumpet and violin. Both hard to play, but I definitely want to learn one or the other come September. Now I just have to choose....

My new saxophone mouthpiece!

Cycling around the village with my family looking at all the scarecrows in our scarecrow fest

Violin.

It's also great for developing a good ear, which would enhance your clari and bassoon.

Five out of five pupils playing very well indeed this morning.

oboe d'amore's concert