A lovely lesson with my flute teacher today. She listened to four pieces that I am going to play during our church flower festival this Saturday (Rutter Chanson from Suite Antique, Mozart Andante in C, Bennet Siesta from Summer Music, and Mozart Concerto in D slow movement) and each one produced one of her broad smiles telling me that she liked what she heard .

She was also thrilled for me when I told her that I will be playing first flute for our next orchestral concert in December.

Hearing my mum talk about a tour of North Essex Churches she went on last week with other former members of Girton College. She sounded like she really enjoyed herself.

We played a selection from The Gondoliers in orchestra yesterday. I am still humming the tunes

My blood tests results showing that I'm *not* carrying the Epstein-Barr virus

Excellent How are you feeling now?

Thanks, jazzycat. I'm not feeling too bad thanks, just very tired. Hope you're ok.

Wonderful music isn't it? Can't understand why it's not performed more orphan.
(Orphan-frequently that it is!)

Good to hear you're feeling a little bit better, Celeste

A good shift at work

Then we went to see my Dad's Uncle who is seriously ill in hospital

My Grandad came out of hospital

Then we took my Dad's Auntie and cousin in to the pub i work at to say hello to my parents and Uncle... and My Dad's Auntie and cousin ended up staying and we had a lovely meal

A good day today... despite whats going on in the hospital... was good to get away .

my little niece is 2 years old today Happy Birthday Chloe, after the two years you've had, hope you have a great day

Aw Happy birthday, Chloe!

4 day weekend!! (Day off school for teacher training - and another one tomorrow!)

My gas supply is back!

It's my birthday tomorrow and I'll be able to have a hot shower - which is really the only thing I want! Oh, and make a cake or two!

That sounds well worthy.

Had some lovely pupils at the new school I'm going into ..... and a lesson with a lovely new pupil at an old school too.....


and I wished I had a 4 day weekend madbassoonist!

Watching someone gaze ...

ooooooooo????


I have had a great evening. Did my 4 hours solid teaching and didn't lose concentration... had some people round and did silly homemade science experiments- involving lemonade/ raisins, water/ candle/ vacuum....., tea bag and hot air rising etc...
Then went a hot tubbing...... Feeling nicely relaxed now....

Bedtime

it's almost the weekend

The cows were crazy on the way to school..... The drive to my daughter's school is nearly a mile long.....and there are cows in the fields surrounding, with free range of the estate. Sometimes they occupy the drive. Today there was a dead rabbit on the road and this seemed to confuse the cows who were walking up the middle of the road- totally unaware of the cars.... At one stage a boy jump out of a car- he scared the cows whereas the cars didn't!!!!
They were everywhere!

Seeing my cat come home after her 1st almost unsupervised trip out. It was a little eventful after a disagreement with the neighbours cat a good look around next door and scaring me witless by climbing 3/4 up next doors fir tree.

Yesterday in band practice, but still
A member of the band offering her (entirely spontaneous) opinion that I was making a lovely sound on the saxophone

Just watched my 14 year old dyspraxic son act out 2 scenes as Lysander from Midsummer Night's Dream in his school Prizegiving.
He was excellent. It was very funny. He is 14- male- and acting on stage with confidence.
He is my middle child, sandwiched between 2 very academic, musically high achieving girls. His younger sister is also very sporty. It is so lovely when he has his moment.

He drives me nuts, as like most 14 year old boys, he doesn't like doing his homework, picking his clothes up the floor etc etc- but he really is a good kid. Tonight helped remind me that in spite of the fact I spend a lot of the time nagging him (very disorganised- I find his French homework in the middle of his science book- written in the science book!), I have a really rather lovely son.

That's lovely Clari Nicki!

A lovely day at dancing, and one of my Saturday-morning kids told me I was her "favourite teacher, out of ALL my teachers!!" she's only four so I doubt she has that many teachers, but it was dead cute

Today - the fact that my migraine is on it's way out!!

Yesteday not one but TWO FANTASTIC concerts that I performed in

In the morning Oldnotes' Vincent Billington appreciation concert was absolutely wonderful. Our pieces were well done and I soooo much enjoyed listening to the rest

Secondly, Our evening band concert in York was BRILLIANT - I played well (despite trying to squash a migraine) and the band overall played well. Our conductor was very pleased and we had a great audience too.
And I was especially pleased that Clarinet Candy went down sooo well our conductor's going to include it in teh Christmas programme so there'll be more opportunities for all us claris to be out front -

last night there were 11 of us





Edit: If you don't know what clarinet candy is there's a similar version [url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6MEX8ssi4w...eature=relatedl]here[/url]

Harold Darke, Elgar, Walmisley.

I've been stuck in bed all day with a stinking cold and was feeling really quite homesick, but my friend's spent all afternoon chatting to me on and off on skype and has really cheered me up It's no comparison to having the people I miss here with me, but it's so lovely to know that they're always there for me

Went to a relative's 90th Birthday (though she looks twenty years younger) and had a heavenly plate of fresh tagliatelle and truffles......

Seeing 5 or 6 beatifully marked goldfinches in the garden this morning at my bird feeder.

Excellent : and pulling off Clarinet Candy is no mean feat! Congratulations all round!

My dad sitting and working through maths homework with me for over an hour, he's so lovely

That's so nice Fran piano!


The lovely weather...
the fact that child no. 3 finished gym early yesterday so had time to do her homework and practice so had this afternoon free and she could have a friend around

and have just been in hot tub and it was extremely starry and nice....

Yesterday I played four flute pieces, with CD accompaniment, in our church for the Flower Festival/Harvest Day celebrations. I improvised a bit in the Rutter piece (well, to be honest I played some wrong notes ) but I was quite pleased with the Bennett piece and the two Mozart pieces, especially the Grade 7 one. Today I was told that a stranger who had dropped in to see the exhibition asked if the flute player was a professional player .

To think that it is only three and half years ago that I got my first note out of a flute, and exactly three years ago I had my first flute lesson. It has been a lot of hard work, and practice , but when you get a comment like that, it is really all worth it.

glad it went so well Dawn look forward to hearing all about it tonight did you have to play Clarinet Candy so well though....... thought I'd managed to escape that one! Glad you're feeling better too

what's made me happy today? memories and not going to work today

Paddington Station.

Getting up at stupid o'clock to work in west London for the day may be a bad thing, but it's all made better by having to go through Paddington Station, which smells and sounds like a Proper Railway Station

There's plenty more Christmas Candy for you .... and don't worry Sue knows that the 3rds can't play every note

THAT I'M BACK ON THE FORUMS! I've been so busy lately, but I can happily say now that I am back It feels nice. Especially now that I'm a first-year music student at the University of Manchester. Fun times!

A good clarinet lesson
Oh, and yesterday - I got picked to do the 'bottle-dance' (traditional Jewish wedding dance) in our production of Fiddler on the Roof for February! Since I didn't audition and am only in the chorus, I really wanted to do this dance!
(we do have to dress up as men though - in full Jewish traditional male dress )

3 pupils successfully auditioned for County Wind Band!

All were very nervous - more nervous than they are in exams......

Welcome back, Stephie!

(edit : why isn't the forum allowing me to type an 'e' with an acute accent??? )

? ? ?

Talking to my daughter who 1) started a new job today, and 2) drove home for the first time after collecting her car.

Barry - something odd about the 'e's ... they initially appeared to type alright, with the correct accent, but came out as ??? as you see.

Irish, now that's a cute accent!

Sorry couldn't resist

Yep, and I've just noticed that a load of other accented letters and suchlike on the forum have changed to '?' or similar nonsense...

Well done, Gerald! It's great when pieces go well.

Thank you! And yes, I've noticed that too. It's annoying!

I had a pupil today who started in September- she is doing really well and she said "I thought practice was going to be really hard work but I really enjoy it. I am always asking my mum if I can practice. It's such good fun'.


Long may that attitude continue.....

Spending the morning chatting and playing piano with piano*singing*lover!!!!