My daughter.

2nd lesson with my new teacher... I can't believe how much there is I've been completely ignorant to! I'm discovering so many different dimensions to learning and playing now Making good progress too, despite the steep learning curve!

Great to hear that, Sol!



My twin sister met a friend of mine for the first time today when she went to collect something from my friend's house. My friend just knew that she was my sister and not my twin.

My friend asked me later if she were my eldest sister! DaisySenior is almost ten years older than us at 56!


I haven't told my twin yet as I value my health and safety, but I can't help feeling a tad that my twin looks ten years older than me!

Music keeps you young! (or did you secretly have Botox treatment? )

Indeed!



'Tis good old fashioned Imperial Leather soap and water, I have you know!

Must be true, I'd never guess that Gerald was three score and ten! I'd have taken at least 15 off that!

Exam result! (yes, singular!! )

Exam results and getting into uni

A day of rest, following a pretty gruelling Kodály Summer School (good as ever but tuff in some ways...) and then two days in Cheltenham running sessions for the ESTA SS.

I have a huge pile of stuff to get to - but for now, I'm having a LAZY DAY!!!

Harp teacher just called and we now fix a lesson for September -- first lesson this year!

Also, I'm off to Chets tomorrow for 10 days

a better than expected practice

Reading a quote.

"We may think that it's holding on that makes us strong. But sometimes, it is letting go."

Much clarinet playing

I forgot to say...this didn't make me happy TODAY...but, when I went to the Kodály Summer School last week, a chap came up and introduced himself to me as if he knew me..I was a bit puzzled until he said, 'Well, I knew you in cyberspace'.

I said, 'Ah - forums???' and he nodded.

Any other old timers remember him??? It was ZODA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He was in my methodology and solfège groups so he got a double dose of me (poor chap). He was really lovely - keen, enthusiastic, VERY good sense of humour . We did a LOT of laughing.

And I tried to persuade him back on to the forums...

Indoor skydiving was great! (although it's technically yesterday)

Last day of work for two weeks. And now eleven days of long daily swims, lessons and lectures from top concert pianists, two or three good recitals a day to listen to, the company of other fanatical pianists, some master classes, and almost unlimited practice time.

I am half expecting to be met by St Peter at Chethams' gates, and to find harp playing angels floating about on clouds beyond them.

BT reducing my phone bill

Ah yes, Zoda! Organised the first Chester forum concert with another departed forumite, petrat...

Would be good to see Zoda back...

Sadly, he said he had to leave because the forums were taking over his life!

Funny, that's never stopped others of us...

The forums have done a very good job of taking over large swathes of my life...

Postal delivery (by a past pupil) of CDs of organ music performed by a erstwhile local organist of stunning ability (now based in Hull). If there was one thing that was to keep me from a piano practice this morning, this was it!

That sounds great :D

write a chapter about professional identities and community work.
yup, the thrills don't even stop on the weekends at my house....

edited cause I posted on the wrong thread!

a new duet to practice for skylarks next Leeds event

Cardiff pieces almost there...

Almost?

Sounds like my Chopin Etude! - but that's not for Cardiff.

A Saturday with no work lots of music practice followed by a visit to see my nieces and nephew

Oh, excellent! Have fun!

Will try

Finally finding a nice smart skirt for sixth form

just life

I'll report back on my 'what's made me happy' a bit later....

A good practice session : and the weather wasn't as bad as the weather people predicted, so I was able to go outside and enjoy some sunshine

You can't beat Yorkshire sunshine Barry

thanks for sending it south!

No probs

Looking at some stuff for A-Level maths...I'm excited!

Quite understandable!

Reading a bed time story to my absolutely gorgeous God daughter-to-be.

(For those who follow, turns out she has fractured her arm, but only needs to have it in a cast for a week, and it isn't fazing her at all! )

Hope she's fully recovered quite soon - little ones do seem to "mend" quicker than we older people!

Hope it is OK, but I have to tell it, because it is just great. I will join a masterclass for five days in the end of september (if enough people will announce to it) held by Carin Levine.
There is a syllabus for that and I have to admit, that nearly all of the pieces are above my standard (mostly DipABRSM and higher), but I am allowed to work my exam pieces and the Sonata for Flute and Cembalo in E flat major BWV 1031 by Bach is part of the syllabus, that I once worked through. So now I take this out and start practicing it again.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to her, Celeste

Squeeee!!! Someone who knows the word 'faze' and doesn't use 'phase'. That's made my day

(The BBC got it wrong on one of their stories recently. The email I sent them was along the lines of "FAZE! Faze, faze, faze, faze, faze. Thank you")

I am happy because I am still off work sick but feeling much much better. I think I would be better enough to go to work tomorrow, except I have the day off I have to go to Cambridge to get my new bike serviced, was going to ride up there but it is due to be rainy and I doubt my lungs are in the mood for a two hour bike ride. So going on the train instead (have to get up a bit early, in order to beat the train restrictions). But then I get to pootle myself around Cambridge while they service the bike and then get the train home.

glad you're felling better, Maizie!

I got through the whole of the Dvorak (New World symphony, mvt 4) in orchestra today - there are now no parts that I can't play! I can even do the fast bits, and the tenor clef

The piano arrangement I have, of the complete symphony, totally avoids the tenor clef!

I was about to ask which instrument : then I saw the tenor clef bit. I do hope there are no clarinet works that require me to read tenor clef...

Hmm... surprising, that...