I know!!! He's very very very happy (and quite tired and smelly )

Well done you! All the best.

Just had a nice 'play':

Fugues by W F Bach and Pachelbel, followed by a Ragtime medley.

Doing my first ever solo singing performance, and it went really well

Well done, Fran*Piano, big achievement and glad it went well


Lots of happy things today, including playing on a nice Bluthner, and also getting news about a family friend and looking up their new home in New Zealand on Google streeview - amazing! Oh and taking some things to a charity shop and unexpectedly buying several pieces of sheet music, including an ancient handbook for pianoforte students called "How to Practise"

Getting through my clarinet exam with no disasters

Excellent jazzycat! Hope you get the result you want

Thanks barry. I lost the plot a bit in the Finzi, but was happy with everything else.
And I enjoyed it!

Receiving the certificate from the said exam, and finding the result to be much better than expected. Thanks C, you're a fantastic teacher.

Finally being able to get out of bed for an hour or so.

Had a wonderful day teaching..... post exams... starting clarion notes with one, trying out Bb's with 2 of my growing Eb clari students who were very excited!... learning some altissimo notes with post Gr 2's and introducing them to chromatics- lots of excited pupils who were keen to learn....

Making it just in time to 'Boneson's rousing regional concert at the opposite end of a big, rural county, despite a heavy (in a good way!) teaching schedule ... and even having managed a sandwich on the way!

Just pleased that you're happy with the result! You worked so hard and deserve every mark!

Well done Jazzycat, hope that you get your results soon.

On a bit of a high today - the "impossible" seems to have become merely "very difficult"

I love the moments like this

Thanks ET. I feel very strange now. Once I know the result I will feel I can move on to some new stuff. Just coasting at present.




Excellent Sol! One day you will look back at the same bit and think 'What was so difficult about that?'

Oh, I think the next page will still be "impossible" in a year or two's time! But I'll just keep picking at the parts I can do until it becomes more feasible! Tackling the tricky stuff I've looked at lately and making tiny breakthroughs gives quite a confidence boost, really. It's way above me but I can't resist at least trying!

Tiny breakthroughs are what it's all about. That feeling!

Teaching a gorgeous student this morning and then finding out that someone who has been a bit of a thorn in my side is not going to be a thorn for much longer!

MWAHAHAHA, C!!

B x

finding heart healthy ingredients to cook a three course meal tonight . . . . And all for a fiver :-)

Well having posted a few aaghs this week I wanted to post some positive things too.

Can I start from the weekend?? Had a Wonderful Barbeque on Sunday evening with family (on my husband's side) I've only met once - a couple of weeks back. They are over from South Africa for a month.


Then fast forward to today:

My husband's foot is a lot better (bad reaction to sting/bite)

My son seemed to have a good day at school (For a change lately)

AND the word "Excellent" was used a cpouple of times in my lesson tonight

my hot tub!

Had a grotty week so far. Monday to Wednesday I was off sick from work, I think it was a migraine, although an atypical one. Thursday I went back to work but was still feeling rubbish. On top of the headache, I was in constant low-level panic but couldn't work out why, not really (few things it could be, but nothing big, nothing new - basically, nothing that should have me on the edge of a panic attack for a whole day).

Went on to have a good music lesson after work (that's why I had to be well enough to be back at work on Thursday Too ill to work, can't really be well enough for music lesson!)

Woke up this morning, no headache, feeling calm and relaxed and happy, and it's just wonderful. I hadn't realised quite how bad this week had been until now. I had a really good night's sleep, which always helps everything.

Bright and sunny, would have been lovely to cycle in - but the 'rule' is that if I've been off sick, I don't cycle that week. So I drove in, which was OK.
Slightly annoying as my iPod transmitter has broken so I can't listen to podcasts in the car at the mo, instead relegated to the radio or a CD. Found some CDs in the car I'd forgotten were there. So I got to have a lovely loud singalong with that nice Mr Freddie Mercury this morning.

Which all in all has just made me very happy indeed!

"Now I got mortgages on homes, I got stiffness in my bones, ain't no beauty queens in this locality..."

Truly much laughing about myself.

This morning I was absolutley confused. To the house we live in belongs a garage reserved for bicyles. This garage has an automatic door to be opend by key.
Where I work we have to check in with a chip card I always store in my purse.
When I wanted to open the garage to get my bicyle out to go to work I took out my purse. By that I realised, that this wouldn't help to open the door, so I took the key out.
Somehow funny to think about it.

Going swimming with my lady wife for the first time in over two years.

Last day of school, my son (aged 6) brought home his dragon scarf I knitted him last christmas - he had lost it in January after having it for a week.

Oh and finding out that using my dictaphone in my singing lesson is the best thing ever, I listened to it back and I could actually hear how I sounded and go through all the comments again!

Attending this morning's concert at the Pump Room in Cheltenham.

Clarinettist Michael Collins was joined by Huw Watkins at the piano and Brett Dean on the viola.


Schumann Marchenbilder Op.113 - for all three instruments - first time I've ever heard this (wonderful!)

Schumann Fantasiestucke op.73 - clari and joanna

Schumann Marchenerzahlungen Op.132 - viola and joanna

Brahms Clarinet Sonata No.1 in F minor - they didn't half take the last movement at a lick! Fair play to Huw!

Kurtag Hommage a Robert Schumann & Jelek - what ensemble playing! And the big bass drum at the end ... really! Honest!


The whole programme was a delight!

Sounds great : Michael Collins always puts on a good show

What's made me happy today : I can perform my song for Stalybridge reasonably proficiently

Mmmm ... the smell of pine trees in the hot sun, and the spicy scent of Linden blossom. The sight of fields full of sunflowers just ripening.

Lunch with my daughter, tea with my husband with NO children- peace!

Indeed!

I've just had a play through Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata.

I want to learn it!


I also looked at Liszt's Au bord d'une source*. I have a sneaky feeling that my teacher will have some Liszt lined up for me, once the Dip's done - this could be the piece.



*Courtesy of Oldnotes' distribution of music a few months back.

Simple things today.

Strawberries and cream

The builders having finished working on my bedroom so I can finally move in instead of having been crammed in a single room with the piano.

Having the house to myself (much as I love them ... ). I've made a cake for younger son's school trip next week. That's cooling and I think the piano is calling me

Just finished fitting a new soundpost, tailpin and bridge to a beginner student's violin. First time ever and the sound is pretty good! Not perfect, but quite bassy and mellow and pretty easy to play too.
I'm teaching myself as there are no luthiers here that I know about!

The lovely weather; yesterday, the outdoor concert at school; less than 2 weeks left of school; and this evening I have a job, playing the piano!

Having got through a big funeral and a school concert yesterday - and having a whole Saturday with no teaching - hooray!

Anticipation for a guitar concert in an hour.

A day out at the Big Meeting. Lots of bands, speaches and then the bands again. The Felling Band were a little bit disappointing this year (although they were still one of the better bands) and seemed a bit smaller than normal. They're normally one of my favourites. The Assistant General Secretary of the PCS union did a really good speach, and Ken Livingston and Jeremy Corbyn were good too.

Preparing two platefuls of non-gloopy firm to the bite white rice of balti house quality right here in my kitchen.

Delia Smith should be canonised!!!

No more Saturdays to work this month

Finishing my last exam of the season, and feeling pleased with my performance.

I now have a hectic eight weeks saying goodbye to friends and selling my life's belongings before moving to Hungary in September.

So glad the exam went well!

And OOOOOO this is getting exciting now - eight weeks to go...

I fixed my internet!

Teaching one of the kids at dancing this morning-when her lesson was finished, she was collecting her things when she tripped over the little chair she had her bag on and bashed her elbow. She was a bit upset, so I went over to give her a cuddle and she goes "You're my favourite teacher at dancing!" and gave me a big beaming smile I swear, I nearly cried, it was so cute!

A comment from a sax player who I admire immensely about how much my sound has come in. It's more "developed" these days apparently.

Fabulous, fabulous Courtney Pine in concert last night, followed by extraordinary and amazing Toots and the Maytals

Sounds good!