It's been the Bolton Food Festival all this weekend and I've managed to meet The Hairy Bikers and James Martin.

If anyone is up in Bolton next August bank holiday weekend I'd highly recommend you come and visit the food festival. It runs from Friday to Monday.

Loz xx

Hearing that my first ever violin student wants to come back to me - she left because of lesson times and now I have more spaces (and she hasn't had lessons for the past year)

YAYS

Hows your piano going?

The fact that the 9-year-old violinist in the family I'm working for has finally "graduated" from the Indian Concertino. I really dislike that piece and we'd been practising it for weeks! This week we get to have fun learning about E major and B major.

Plus, the five-year-old didn't even try to run away on the way home from school today - big improvement, I hope it lasts!

Home made Chinese takeaway food

I love your updates, Rosie - sounds like you're having a 'great' time!!!

Lady Rat (of the large operation, and then unrelated facial abscess; her name is actually Dean) is currently in the single-level hospital cage. This is because she has a large open wound on her face. I'd like her to go back in the main cage, but separation at the moment makes it easier to feed her high-calorie food without the youngsters coming along to steal it Also, it makes it less likely anything will get in to the large open wound. Plus, it gives me time to re-arrange the main cage, since her back legs are starting to weaken - she has no problem climbing up things, but isn't so good at getting down. So ladders, etc, are being replaced with gently sloping hammocks to provide soft slide-down-able transportation.

Anyway, the hospital cage, for all its yummy food, is rather boring. Today I popped one of the youngsters in there with her. Youngster (whose name is actualy Lovell) was not initially impressed - why am i shoved in the boring single-level cage? What's going on? She located some yummy food though (not much of it!), and all looked OK. I have been down to lunch, and I see they are curled up together in the house, having a good snooze.

This is great Dean has definitely been really enjoying my company the last few days - she is bored on her own. So this way she gets some rat-company and social things like grooming which I can't provide(!), but will still have the advantages of being on her own at mealtimes. Once I get the cage 'converted', then she should be able to go back in the main cage, and just come out for mealtimes. She's old-approaching-ancient, but she sure as heck isn't giving up

PS The Good Lady herself (in sparkling HD) consuming a bit of baby food (which conceals antibiotics!) can be seen here

That's great to see her in action !

Awww!!! (to Maizie's video)

Just finished office work, hopefully forever!

And I am so excited about my first violin lesson tomorrow morning

Thanks Cyrilla, I am indeed. Work days and days off are 'great' in different ways and today I had a day off that made me very happy. Spent far more of my wages than I meant to, but on lovely things, and I found a very good place for lunch with lots more options to go back for. Didn't quite make it to the art gallery I'd planned on, but that can wait.

I have lost some weight Woooooo

I've sort of figured out how to do a wrist vibrato on my violin. It's not brilliant, but it's something. I just need to be able to do a slow vibrato as mine is quite quick.

I only got shown in my lesson last Thursday, and today I somehow managed to pick it up. I even attempted to try the vibrato in lesson, but it just didn't happen.

Loz xx

Cat is being cute (and a few people apparently thinking so on this thread )

Isn't that an oxymoron?

Sort of, but let me explain... "Chinese takeaway food" is to me a type of Chinese food - things like sweet & sour pork (chicken in this case) - stuff which you almost always don't make at home. I happened to make some the other day, because I wanted to see if I could replicate it.

Ah, I see - and did you manage?

I did indeed, I found that the secret to deep frying Chinese food is to use very very very thick cornstarch batter, till it's almost solid rather than liquid. The sauce is easy to make.

I phoned my car insurance company to update my details post-move and new-job. To my great suprise, I got a refund! This was totally unexpected... I thought it'd go up!

Did you tell your insurers about the risk of 'chocolate incidents' in your new job?

SB

Got back from the primary school pre-term staff meeting to receive a phone call asking if I could be at school at one o'clock tomorrow to take delivery of my new piano. It's a Roland HP 307 - rose wood finish. I might be even happier tomorrow!!

A nice day out with the kids at Benninbrough Hall

There was a live pianist - one of the Trust volunteers playing a number of pieces whilst we were inside

Mozart Rondo K485,
Handel Suite in E

plus something else I recognised but couldn't put the name to.

His pile of music included Chopin too .....

He was a skilled player and the sound totally filled the Hall .... being even fuller in the upper rooms than below ..... WOW!!!!

OOOOO!!!!

a very large fruit salad with eight different types of fruit

We just missed it this year - arrived Monday evening after a hideous trip up. Also missed the Steam Museum in action (but did go and look at the engines being maintained anyway). Trip back home today, by contrast, was WONDERFUL - 3h45 in beautiful autumnal sunshine! And the excitement of seeing the "miles remaining on this tank of diesel" going up from 368 to 618... aren't computers fun?

Being my own boss and being able to play music all day - bliss!

More quartetting

That is my happy for today along with the anticipation of a weekend of music making, socialising and fun starting tomorrow evening.

A huge long cuddle with Lady Rat.
We have a vet visit later, which I suspect may end up on the argh thread but at the moment I am savouring her snuggling up in the sleeve of my robe being warm and content together

My lovely little furball cat moved in a year ago today. I can't imagine life without her now. She may look sweet and innocent but she has asserted herself as top cat and chief mouser on the road.

I'm getting a new puppy and I'm SO excited!!! Another one like my profile pic

The only downside is it's a two-year wait for the puppy from the lines and the breeder that I trust.

In this breed, a rare one anyway, it will be more than worth the wait!!



(now I need to think of a name......)

It came - delivered by two very nice men - and it is beautiful!!! so yes cyrilla OOOOOOO

For the first time in two years I have recovered my desire to play for pleasure, not just for work!!

I had hopes of learning to play the piano this year... at least, I was toying with the idea. I even got as far as finding the teacher I was going to contact...

The trouble is, there really isn't space in this flat for a piano. It was going to have to be a digital one (daren't play my flute here, but I figured a piano with headphones wouldn't cause the neighbours issues) but even that'd be a squish. Wondering if a stage piano/keyboard and stand might be an option, but... I've still got to find somewhere to put it when it isn't up in the middle of my living room. Perhaps the cupboard which has got the ironing board in...

So anyway, the reason for this ramble was that I am very envious of Aquarelle's new piano!


And Lottie, with 2 years to think of a name, I reckon you'll be able to come up with something good.

Had a pupil who had actually made progress over the holiday and had learned the scales he didn't know before the holiday and his pieces showed definite improvement too...

YAY! Think I ought to remember that feeling as I don't think that'll be what I experience with most pupils next week!

Been enjoying my piano again

Our choir had the first practice back after Summer hols. As we have been invited to sing High Mass and Evensong on Sunday at the Crooked Spire, we had our session there tonight. What a sound! The superb organ and excellent accoustics really complimented our 24 strong ensemble.

Bring on Sunday!

Sounds great! Have a lovely sing on Sunday!

Going to my first Prom tonight

Brings back memories - hope it sends the same wonderful shivers down you spine as my first prom did!!

Someone I know is having a baby today. It's not been an easy road for them and when I saw her last night she looked beautiful and so healthy.

Another wee person for the world!

Day 1 of a two day cycle maintenance course (actually, you don't hvae to take both days, nor both days at the same time). So now I can confidently deal with wheels/tyres/inner tubes and brakes, as well a general inspection.
Tomorrow, it's brake cables, gears and gear cables, and chains

I didn't think there was space in our flat either (had to get rid of a bit of husband's furniture to make room but it was definitely worth it! I'm now thinking if there's room for a digital, there's definitely room for an acoustic....

The flat was fully furnished when I moved in, so not much opportunity to get rid of things to make space! I've already had to squidge things around to fit in a desk for my computer to sit on, still, I've started a thread in Viva Piano, to see what people can suggest... not giving up all hope yet!

Got a new pupil starting tomorrow and one on thursday

It was great Hoping to do it all again next year

Several 'happy' things for me today - memories of a lovely weekend , the promise of a cornet turning up at work for me to try tomorrow , and back to band tonight

I'm happy to not be travelling for a violin lesson today as the time eats into my available practice time...

I'm happy to have a singing lesson today

I'm happy to be going to get out the money to pay for my new bow

I think I'm just happy!!!!!

Lovely to hear!! (I mean read )

I've been offered a tenor chair in a big band and I'm off to my first rehearsal tonight. It's only temporary (for now) until a gig on the 1st October. If I do a good job and if (a very big if) my work commitments allow from October on it may become permanent. But even if it doesn't I'm pleased to get the opportunity.

An unexpected benefit of having a rehearsal after work tonight is that I have my sax with me under my desk. For some reason just knowing that it's there and that I can touch it has a comforting effect. Not comforting enough that I would go through the palaver of lugging a tenor sax into work on a rush hour train on a daily basis, but it's quite nice nevertheless.