I know it really is time to put something new up about the gardens I am working on, the trouble is I'm not! I have plenty of work in the pipeline, I just can't get it done because of the weather.
The next time I hear someone say, at least it's pretty I may not be responsible for my actions!
At least I have been active musically, on Thursday and Friday I was out caroling with my Church, as we were walking and few in number it was easier to use the Euphonium, and being in pitch closer to the cornets a much more satisfying overall sound. As I have cut the marching lugs off my EEb I also had a band Tuba with me, on Friday I left both these instruments at the Church to save cluttering up the house too much, so last night I played the band EEb Imperial for our Carol Service, it made me remember what a class instrument this is. Both my wife and daughter sang solos so I think my poor efforts on the bass were rather overshadowed, I know pride is meant to be a sin, but I did indulge myself last night.
Monday, 20 December 2010
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Out of sequence
It was so good to get out on Friday and do some work. I was able to work as I had some prep work to do for a landscaping job I'm just starting so it didn't matter that there was still snow on the ground. I think it was and probably still is too cold to do any "proper" gardening.
But it was great to be outside in the air breathing fully and using some muscles, bending my back and .... yes working.
But it was great to be outside in the air breathing fully and using some muscles, bending my back and .... yes working.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
This concert is now in it's second edition
Tonight we repeated last Saturday's Christmas Praise concert, this time at All Soul's Church in Langham Place. Again we started with the Saint Saens Organ Symphony, and as we were playing this it struck me that this is about as much fun as it is possible to have, certainly for a heavy brass player like myself there is not much that I can do that is more fun (these days with or without my clothes on).
With Graham Kendrick as a guest of the Orchestra it also struck me just how special the All Soul's Orchestra is, our guests are great stars in their field but they just join in with the rest of us, somehow we have a unity of purpose that I don't quite find with any other ensemble I play with. Don't get me wrong I get an enormous amount of pleasure from all my playing, but there is just something a bit special about ASO. I think this is illustrated by the fact that I went for a quick pint after the concert with my friend who leads the second violins. In most orchestras there is no way that a violin would even talk to a tuba player, ( "Fiddle! fiddle indeed, you will kindly address us as violins!")
Did I mention that Graham Kendrick was our guest? tomorrow morning I will be playing for a service at a local Methodist Church and we will be singing "Shine Jesus Shine" and it will be really difficult not to keep thinking "last night I was singing this standing next to Graham Kendrick" (who wrote it) I still might just mention it to the rest of the worship band though.............
With Graham Kendrick as a guest of the Orchestra it also struck me just how special the All Soul's Orchestra is, our guests are great stars in their field but they just join in with the rest of us, somehow we have a unity of purpose that I don't quite find with any other ensemble I play with. Don't get me wrong I get an enormous amount of pleasure from all my playing, but there is just something a bit special about ASO. I think this is illustrated by the fact that I went for a quick pint after the concert with my friend who leads the second violins. In most orchestras there is no way that a violin would even talk to a tuba player, ( "Fiddle! fiddle indeed, you will kindly address us as violins!")
Did I mention that Graham Kendrick was our guest? tomorrow morning I will be playing for a service at a local Methodist Church and we will be singing "Shine Jesus Shine" and it will be really difficult not to keep thinking "last night I was singing this standing next to Graham Kendrick" (who wrote it) I still might just mention it to the rest of the worship band though.............
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Good Morning
Good Morning! the sun is out, the snow is melting, I may be able to do some work today!
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Saturday Night's Concert
Not sure why it's taken this long for me to comment on this concert, it was a great night and I am sure that both the performers and the audience got a lot out of it. This was my first proper Christmas concert so maybe I am reluctant to bring Christmas on too soon.
The All Souls Orchestra, the Christmas Praise Choir, Graham Kendrick, and Michelle Todd came together under the baton of Noel Tredinnick at Croydon's Fairfield hall. The programme started with the finale from Saint -Saens' Organ Symphony and concluded with Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride, via some of Nutcracker, a few of the Carnival of the Animals, a good selection of Christmas worship songs and the Chicken Reel.
The Fairfield is a great hall, as well as being my local hall it is still one of the best in the UK, it is always a joy to me to play here, it is so familiar yet still manages to be a special event each time. Added to that it is a real privilege to be on the same platform as such special talents as Graham Kendrick and Michelle Todd
Graham Kendrick
The All Souls Orchestra, the Christmas Praise Choir, Graham Kendrick, and Michelle Todd came together under the baton of Noel Tredinnick at Croydon's Fairfield hall. The programme started with the finale from Saint -Saens' Organ Symphony and concluded with Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride, via some of Nutcracker, a few of the Carnival of the Animals, a good selection of Christmas worship songs and the Chicken Reel.
The Fairfield is a great hall, as well as being my local hall it is still one of the best in the UK, it is always a joy to me to play here, it is so familiar yet still manages to be a special event each time. Added to that it is a real privilege to be on the same platform as such special talents as Graham Kendrick and Michelle Todd
Graham Kendrick
Michelle Todd
We will be repeating the concert next Saturday at All Souls Church with a different audience and choir, but I am sure it will still be a "joyous sound"
This is the best thing I do
Monday, 6 December 2010
Still Cold
Yep it's still freezing here, cold enough that I can't think of any useful work I can do as a gardener, so staying at home again to day, catching up an a bit of admin, and stuff.
Ever since this snow began, my wife has done nothing but stand there looking through the window, if it gets any worse I shall have to let her in! Thanks to "The Now Show" for that last one
Ever since this snow began, my wife has done nothing but stand there looking through the window, if it gets any worse I shall have to let her in! Thanks to "The Now Show" for that last one
Friday, 3 December 2010
More snow
What can I say, more snow, more cold and it looks like it's here to stay, into next week at the least. I have now got to the point where I just want to get back to work and make some money.
Last night we had a rehearsal for tomorrow night's Christmas Praise, the orchestra was a little thin on the ground so I hope everyone can make it OK tomorrow. There are still some tickets left and available through the Fairfield box office http://www.fairfield.co.uk/showInfo.php?showid=15785 If you can't make that then we do the whole thing again next Saturday at All Souls Church - link at the side.
Saturday mornings performance with the Brass Band has been cancelled, so that's a little time pressure removed, but to be honest we could with both the exposure and the money. Sorry not a very cheerful post today, I'm getting a bit fed up with pretty white, I'm ready for some boring grey now.
Last night we had a rehearsal for tomorrow night's Christmas Praise, the orchestra was a little thin on the ground so I hope everyone can make it OK tomorrow. There are still some tickets left and available through the Fairfield box office http://www.fairfield.co.uk/showInfo.php?showid=15785 If you can't make that then we do the whole thing again next Saturday at All Souls Church - link at the side.
Saturday mornings performance with the Brass Band has been cancelled, so that's a little time pressure removed, but to be honest we could with both the exposure and the money. Sorry not a very cheerful post today, I'm getting a bit fed up with pretty white, I'm ready for some boring grey now.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Another snow bound day
Yep another white out! It is nice to have some time off, the usual trouble though is when I have time, there is money, when I have money I have no time. Now add to that I can't get out and do the things I want to do when not working.
Still it does give me an opportunity to get on with some practise! no excuses really work now. Last night's band rehearsal was cancelled, and of course Monday was stick waving, so I haven't had the tuba out much. We have an ASO rehearsal this evening in Central London and I should be able to get there OK, it will be nice to see some non relations and play some music with other people.
Daughter still home from school as well so at least I have some company.
Still it does give me an opportunity to get on with some practise! no excuses really work now. Last night's band rehearsal was cancelled, and of course Monday was stick waving, so I haven't had the tuba out much. We have an ASO rehearsal this evening in Central London and I should be able to get there OK, it will be nice to see some non relations and play some music with other people.
Daughter still home from school as well so at least I have some company.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
More snow
First I shall get my rant over with, best to do it early!
Yesterday my daughter's school decided that the weather was not so bad that they couldn't open, so off to school they all went. Then at midday they decided that the weather was too bad after all, we were told that the school would be closed from 12:30, and by the way the buses had stopped running. Why wait till the buses had stopped, now we were faced with the prospect of 13 year old girls being asked to walk more than 7 miles home in the snow.
I made the rash decision that it would be better to get the car out and pick them up, the 15 mile round trip journey took me about six and a half hours. There was no communication from any authorities as to what was going on, which roads were open, or indeed the causes of hold ups. I know in a lot of places gritters had been out and roads were clear - this is LONDON after all, but in Bromley there was no sign that even main roads had been gritted before the morning rush. The consequence buses cancelled, grid lock on the roads gritters unable to get through because of the grid lock. It has to be said that some of the problem comes from people not knowing how to drive in the snow, but it is more difficult in modern cars than those from say the 60s and 70s. Also those like me making unnecessary journeys (as it turned out they would have been home quicker if they had walked.
Today I'm staying home, and possibly all week as far as work goes!
OK rant over
Like everyone else my garden is covered by snow, but already I am worried about the damage. All my Kerrier is weighed down but my main concern is my Pittosporum, it is a variegated form which currently stands about 12 feet high with a potato vine (Solanum Jasimoides) growing through it. The snow has weighed it down to no more than 6 - 7 foot high, I have been trying to pluck up the courage to give it a good prune for a while, I think it may now have been thrust upon me.
Yesterday my daughter's school decided that the weather was not so bad that they couldn't open, so off to school they all went. Then at midday they decided that the weather was too bad after all, we were told that the school would be closed from 12:30, and by the way the buses had stopped running. Why wait till the buses had stopped, now we were faced with the prospect of 13 year old girls being asked to walk more than 7 miles home in the snow.
I made the rash decision that it would be better to get the car out and pick them up, the 15 mile round trip journey took me about six and a half hours. There was no communication from any authorities as to what was going on, which roads were open, or indeed the causes of hold ups. I know in a lot of places gritters had been out and roads were clear - this is LONDON after all, but in Bromley there was no sign that even main roads had been gritted before the morning rush. The consequence buses cancelled, grid lock on the roads gritters unable to get through because of the grid lock. It has to be said that some of the problem comes from people not knowing how to drive in the snow, but it is more difficult in modern cars than those from say the 60s and 70s. Also those like me making unnecessary journeys (as it turned out they would have been home quicker if they had walked.
Today I'm staying home, and possibly all week as far as work goes!
OK rant over
Like everyone else my garden is covered by snow, but already I am worried about the damage. All my Kerrier is weighed down but my main concern is my Pittosporum, it is a variegated form which currently stands about 12 feet high with a potato vine (Solanum Jasimoides) growing through it. The snow has weighed it down to no more than 6 - 7 foot high, I have been trying to pluck up the courage to give it a good prune for a while, I think it may now have been thrust upon me.
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