strictly speaking I never log off as I just leave everything running in the browser, but I'm going to go and play the piano now.

Get the kids out to school and then take hubs to the hospital for his proper cast on his ankle. The swelling has gone down and now the temp one is just too loose now, letting the joint move again and causing pain. And then my violin lesson with another violin arriving for me to evaluate.....

Enjoy your lesson Dawn

I'm off to work

Can you bring me some of those violin to try out?

A trip to the instrument repairers to try and get the buzzing on my A clarinet fixed.

Off to buy my husband a wheelbarrow for Christmas.

How things can change in the space of a week.

Hope husband's ankle heals nicely and you get a nice new (to you) violin.



I did that once - one of the most awkward things I ever gift-wrapped.

Despite having a pile of things to do, I'm falling asleep here so am going to crawl into bed for an hour. Been dashing around all day and now aching a bit.

So he can bring you all your presents in one go?

Well he's not so happy as the swelling didn't go down so he has a week of pain in a soft cast again until they can put a proper one on. His work is not happy....he was only in his new job for 3 weeks before this happened...
I have had to make a decision on the violin as he has other people ready to pay more - but knows I really need it now and is being accomodating. I love the sound it makes!

Off to band now, Sleigh Ride etc here we come!!

Sleigh Ride is the BEST!!!!

do do do do do d-d-do do do d-d-do doooooooooooooo

I do love Leroy Anderson's work.

I am not a big fan of Sleigh ride but do like Christmas music in general.

I like the nostalgia that comes with Christmas music.

We have all the usual stuff out, Sleigh Ride, A Christmas Festival, Troika, An English Christmas, Frank SInatra Christmas, Wassail....I love it!

We have 5 gigs in 8 days the week before Christmas so at least with that lot we don't have to play the same thing every day!!

looking forward to the two concerts we have this year

oh, look at the time, better get ready for work will be humming Sleigh Ride all day now

That's the other big one...

I shall be heading out and seeing how many Pudseys I can spot

The nice thing is that I can play them all this year!!

Happy Pudsey spotting....

I'll let you know how many I spot...

The weather forecast says "light rain shower", but nobody has told the sky. I'm off into the garden for an hour.

watch a bit of children in need and try to forget I have to go work tomorrow

Oh yes!!!!!!

I saw two Pudseys, and donated to one of them, and hopefully his eye will be better by next year

Now there's a thought!

Take my tired and somewhat stressed and unhappy self to bed.

Off to Saturday morning orchestra for the third time - not sure it's a realistic option long-tems as free Saturdays are a bit rare anyway....

Christmas concerts? Let's see - 10th, 11th, 15th, 17th, 21st, and 24th. The repertoire of the two main choirs is different and the other choir I'm depping in is a one-off but tough as it's Bernstein and Britten, amongst others!

No quartet this morning for me as I haven't got an instrument to play on...but going to put a deposit on that violin I've played and fallen in love with all week.....

What violin is it?

It is, supposedly, an Italian made (around 1905) strad copy. No name, but a fantastic sound, very responsive and easy to play, very even over all 4 strings and sings all the way up each string. Yellow/amber coloured varnish. Flaming on back horizontal and well matched, not in a "V". Purfling continues to a long, very fine point. Pretty back, not so pretty on the front but worth it for the sound. No significant damage, but has the odd mark to match its age And one corner was knocked off but well mended. Very light - the other slightly newer (1920) instrument was notably heavier.
Teacher is taking it to a luthier in Granada to get a valuation certificate for it this weekend/Monday and I get it back as MINE on Wednesday. I can't wait. Feels weird to not have anything to play....

Good luck with your search today. How's it going?

Just left a well known string shop/studio with a 9k Italian, 1832, violin. I have an appointment with blackburn strings for half 11. Later I need to return the violin with the repaired crack despite how much I like it and the John Betts violin as it was just not the one for me.

Now to work out my route with all these tube closures!

Ooh nice...my teacher still swears Italian ones have a sound of their own...have fun

some cross stitching I think was going to be a Christmas present for youngest niece, not sure it will be finished in time now though!

Stick a pizza in the oven and settle down with the pusskies to watch Strictly.

Aww, sounds like they've settled in

I'm going to wrap a couple of Christmas presents then watch TV Burp

Fur babies!!!

Sorry, C. I am a bit infatuated with the thought of your kittens, I am excitedly counting down the approximate weeks until Matthew and I move somewhere else where we can have a cat!

Oh, yes, they've definitely done that...






LOL! I hope your dream comes true and that you can have fur babies (love the description!) too. One of these days I'll get round to working out how to get photos on here...

Incidentally, Strictly was pretty rubbish tonight..

Have you got an online photo album (eg Flickr, Photobucket)?

Yes got Photobucket but I'm still finding it a faff to get the photos off iPhone and onto PC in the first place .

drink tea then should get the clari out, but I'm tired so I don't think I will!

Continue studying for my Server 2008 exam coming up very soon.

The accounts. Ugh!

Teach some theory (Grade 6) to a lass with a few problems - she hasn't been out of the house since before her GCSEs were meant to happen in June, and she's decided to have her lessons at my house....Mum is very happy and hoping it's the start of things to come, and I just need to tread very gently today, without being obvious about it. Wish me luck....

EDIT her Mum phoned, she's not coming. Not a big suprise. I'm hoping to have the first lesson at her house instead. Apparently she got all ready but couldn't actually step out of the door.

Hope it works out, Dawn

I've not had any time to advertise for pupils recently so no new ones

send an email and wait for the fireworks to start

LOL move away from the screen!!

Go back to bed!

It's only 5.15am but I was up at 4 to see hubby ( ) off on his trip. Actually I was awake at 3am because I was worrying that his alarm wouldn't go off and he'd miss his chopper check-in!

I don't particularly want to go back to sleep though in case I sleep-in and miss my meeting

Hey I do that all the time.... if anyone has to get up really early I worry that the alarm won't go off and stay awake half the night!

Many moons ago I had an audition at the RNCM and my train left Edinburgh for Manchester at 7am

I slept through my alarm and woke with my digital clock reading 7.02 !!!!!!!!!!!!


The trauma and panic were horrendous I have NEVER forgotten it so now if I have an appointment before 9am I tend not to sleep much past 3am in case I miss it

I have mountains of work to do but am feeling unwell and not myself at all so may just get ready for bed, mooch around a bit and then get INTO bed and shut the world out..

Hope you feel better soon Cyrilla

I have some coursework to do then I might read for a bit......