Gnats

Yesterday I managed a full day's work despite several short interruptions for rain.   Of course all that rain meant that the mossies were out in strength, and of course I got bitten.   Now this is something of an occupational hazard, but I often get a bit of a reaction to these bites.   Yesterday I got a  couple of gnat bites near my left eye, this morning I woke up looking like the "Elephant Man".

I realised that in my comments on last Saturday's outings I was a little unfair to the band I was playing with. I should have made it a bit clearer that this is a training band, preparing members for main competition bands, so by definition the players themselves will be more inexperienced and less technically able. This also means that they need to bring in help from experienced players to ensure a decent, balanced performance, something I am really happy to do as in gets me playing and it is helping others (and of course I just love performing). One thing that did come to mind, but only a day or so afterwards, was how much I enjoyed playing the tuba (my good old faithful modified Besson New Standard EEb). I am quite busy musically but I seem to only conducting or playing trombone, I like playing trombone and conducting is the most musically challenging thing I have done for some time. But my first love is the Tuba and I suspect always will be.

A little local do

Today I played with the Crystal Palace Progress Band, this was a first for me, I have played with their main band, and indeed I think I am still registered with them for contests.  This is something of a training band so there are a lot of inexperienced musicians and lower standard instrumentalists there.   However with a carefully chosen programme they put o a good performance and entertained a good crowd.

My low point was finding that I had fallen foul of the local parking restrictions and getting a ticket, still I did better than many who had their cars lifted and taken away.   My high point was playing Bandology, one of my favorites, but one  that many band leaders won't play as it is a bit hackneyed, I don't care I love it!

As a side though where else but Clapham could you have a church fete with an olive oil stall?

Play time

Later this afternoon I will be playing with Crystal Palace band, this will be the first time for ages that I will have played in a brass band - certainly not since taking up the baton with Croydon a couple of years back.   Not only that but it will be the first time I will have played EEb for some time as well.   I have been trying to remember when I last played EEb and can' however I am quite certain that it is not this year.

A couple of years back with my trusty old Custom Besson

So I am about to go up into the attic to get the instrument down and make sure that the valves move, and will trust to luck and hope that I can remeber which fingers to put down and that my mouth still fits in the mouthpiece.   Although a large trombone mouthpiece it is nothing like the Schilke 67 I use on the British Tubas, and the Laskey 30H I use on the CC is of course larger again.

What ever happens it will be interesting, and I hope to meet up with some old friends at the same time.

Marriage

As I was driving my daughter to school today there was a short piece on the radio on the governments plans to allow same sex marriage. To debate the issues they invited two men of opposing views Rt Reverend Tim Stevens The Bishop of Leicester, and Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall. Personally I'm no longer sure where I lie on this issue, but it is interesting to note that my daughter and I agreed that the Bishop came over as much more considered and reasonable as he simply stated his, and the Church's views where Tim Stevens got quite emotional and tried to interrupt and speak over the others. I'm afraid that Tim Stevens did his cause no good at all this morning.

As some of you will know I have been trying to work out my position on this for some time now. I am sympathetic to my Church's view that this is a major change in how society works, the ability of individuals and groups to act within established systems of belief and practise. and could undermine the whole position of the Church of England as the established Church. I also can see no reason why my gay friends should be denied the joy and stability I and many others have found in marriage.

I am quite certain that there is something wrong with how we as a society do marriage, this is evident by the number of marriage and civil partnerships that fail. I have heard it said that divorce is too easy, but not by anybody who has been divorced, I suspect that getting married is too easy, and maybe undertaken for the wrong reasons. It often seems that the wedding is more important than the marriage, all the trappings of a wedding, the dress the photos the reception, the whole thing costing tens of thousands of pounds and putting into the shadows the essential thing of two people saying publicly that they are committed to each other for life. In a religious marriage there is of course the other factor of inviting God to join them together and play a part within that marriage. Again I suspect that many church marriages do not fully embrace that aspect as much as just finding a nice venue for the photos.

I am convinced that civil partnerships were a fudge and a missed opportunity ~ they should either made available to all people living in stable non married partnerships or abandoned all together.

Something that was pointed out to me recently is that since marriage can only legally be between a man and a woman, if one partner transitions gender (not necessarily through surgery, but by legally changing their status) then the marriage will be annulled, with all the implications that can have for children, and grand children, property and pension rights and all sorts of other issues. Now I don't know how many people that actually effects as the only people I know who have transitioned were not married before, or were already divorced. However for a partner who has stood beside their loved one all through the trauma, pain and bureaucracy of transition to then be told that their marriage is null seems heartless.

Wash out

At the weekend I was accused of being a fair weather gardener, well yes I guess I am.   I am of the opinion that much of the commercial gardening I do will do more damage to soil structure if I do it in the wet than any benefit that might come about.   Because of this I have got very behind with some of my customers gardens and very behind with my own.   Given that I am working in some one else's garden when ever the weather allows mine has been very neglected.   On Saturday I agreed with the family not to work, and of course it was the best day for some time.   I actually did do a bit in my own garden!

I cut the grass, trimmed the hedge (rather unevenly) and made a start on controlling the Winter Jasmine.   I have decided to take this out, it is too rampant and tends to swamp the rose growing next to it.   On Sunday I had hoped to carry on, but yes more rain.   Pretty much as soon as I got back from Church it started to rain so no more work in the garden.   As I had planned to carry on where I had been working I left a tub trug out when I just looked at it there must be nearly three inches of rain in the bottom, that is from Saturday evening to mid day Monday.   And we still have a hosepipe ban.

Jubilee Weekend

This weekend means all sorts of things to all sorts of people. To me it means lots of work, and lots of performing.   Yesterday I played with with the All Saints Concert Band at a do in West Wickham, it was quite a big occasion with lots of rides, side shows, stalls and events in the arena.  We were playing in a large marquee with a nice temporary stage.   We played two sets of about 45 minutes each, the first we played to a fairy, but expected sparse audience.   The second set was to a paced house, tat may have been something to do with the rain, which was lashing down outside; and incidentally just behind my back as well.

Ice Cream in the rain, I opted for tea

It was a pretty good performance under the circumstances, but for me it was a bit frustrating as I was playing tenor sax parts on a borrowed euphonium.   Way out of my comfort zone, the parts are pretty boring and rather high for me.   Still at least two of us enjoyed the occasion.