A Funny old week

Well my week has been rather mixed, with no major events to report just very much the usual cycle of rehearsals and work. I have started putting in a new patio for one of my regular customers, but due to other work commitments and poor weather have not managed to progress as much as I would have liked.

Of course there are always things going on in the family, my daughter is in a show later this month and preparations and rehearsals for that are gaining pace, this is not the place to publicise it, this is http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000777333945

Having to ferry her around for rehearsal etc. now makes me appreciate what my parents went through while I was learning. In addition to that we have just bought her a new electric guitar, now twangy things are a bit a mystery to me, but I do have say that this guitar is pretty cool. I will add a photo soon.

Just for fun

Here's a little bonus, I know I'm going to be very busy this week so there is unlikely to be anything else here until next weekend now.

I love 9 Chickweed Lane, found it by accident but have followed it everyday for quite a few months now, so I can recommend it highly.

More on Last weekend

I mentioned Mike Ray, a super musician and good friend, well now he can add photographer to his CV, he sent me through these pics he took last Saturday night. Of these six reprobates I'm the only one who might not be described as a professional tuba player anymore, I think we all have at least two instruments, some of us more, yet we all choose to take a Besson EEb admittedly 5 different models, but I think you can still see that they are all basically pretty much the same. I do know that my little Besson is the oldest of the bunch since the others were all manufactured in concert pitch and mine is a sharp pitch conversion, sound wise though it held it's own against it's much newer brothers.

One of the things we enjoyed most about being at Expo '92 was the fireworks. Every evening, not long after we had finished our set there was a big display of fireworks and holograms over the central lake of the show ground.

We were both really struck by the music, but like so much about this Expo the whole show was something very special. See what you think follow this link to see someone's home video on facebook..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y2Y3ST-URI&feature=related

Great Weekend

What great weekend, I travelled down to Bournemouth on Saturday for an "End of an Era" party. A professional German band I used to play in over a period of about 25 years packed up last year. After years of declining bookings due to venues being too mean to pay for a full pro band the band leader finally bit the bullet, sold the kit and wrapped up the trading company. Very sad for all of us, but none the less inevitable.

The good thing was that one of the last members of the band and a good friend to the band leader decided to mark the event with a surprise party! Musicians, and families came from across the UK to reminisce, play a few tunes and meet old friends. Personally it was a special pleasure to meet up with Mike Ray, the accordionist who worked with me in Seville at Expo '92. This was a pivotal time in my life as during that year, I got engaged, my father died, my wife's best friend died, and oh yes we got married. During the party lots of people were taking photos and videos, I think actually everyone except me, so as soon as I get copies of some of these I will put them, in the mean time this one was taken at Expo '92 outside the bar we were working in. There is now a lot less hair, we both shave now, and what hair is left is a lot greyer.