Rapper practice last night was fun but not exactly energetic. This was partly because we had no musician but mostly because none of us were really awake. We did, as predicted, do a bit of stepping practice but I think I need to do quite a bit more in the burrow between fiddle practices to get up to scratch for DERT. Speaking of DERT, must send the booking form in.
Busy this week. Off to the library tonight, going to see Avatar in 3D with Vicki on Wednesday, fiddle class on Thursday, off to see The Imagined Village in Glasgow on Friday and then COSM's mid winter feast whatsit on Saturday. After that, Roger goes for his MOT.
It's very nice that the snow is now disappearing but the thaw is turning all the pavements into sheet ice and it's a little unnerving having to cling fences as I go (although, at least it's finally stopped my neighbour from cheerfully melting the ice outside our door each morning with water from her kettle...!) and that's with my walking boots on!
Must also get a move on with my tattercoat since the end of the month is creeping up. I have the shirt, I have the tatters, I just need to bring them into conjunction.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Monday, 11 January 2010
Mons Meg Soiree
Had fun at Vicki's on Friday. We watched 'The Librarian; Quest for the Spear' which was hilariously bad. Apparently there are 2 sequels. Must look our for these.
Saturday was the Mons Meg ceilidh thing which has become known as 'The Soiree'. Was a little late meeting up with folks at Nobles (a pub which might have been built for rapper) for tea because I had to wait for the telephone repairman. On the other hand, I now have a working phone for the first time in months, which is nice. Now I just have to work on the Tv and the heating... Anyhow, had a nice tea (and got given a soft toy duck billed platypus by Trina. I have named him Bruce) and then decamped to The Village Inn. Absolutely fantastic evening.
We got things off to a cracking start with one of out better perfomances of our Number 1 dance (Our Winlaton, later on, went well except for the stepping. May need to work on that!), this was followed by story-telling from Kev with bemused accompaniament on the pipes from Andy, some Jake Thackery songs from Ian and random silly songs from various others (special mention goes to John and his kazoo and Stretch's Edinburgh version of 'Gorgie on My Mind'). We had some ceilidh dancing and Hazel had her first dance out in public which went really well. I believe there are (or soon will be photos up on the Mons Meg website http://www.monsmeg.com/Gallery.html )
After this we retreated to Trina's and continued with the silly songs and some more music. It might have been a mistake letting Trina make me cocktails. Apparently Vimto and Slivovitz (or however that is spelled. I don't even know what it is!) were involved. At any rate I was very giggly and chattery and at some point found a medical text book which I was apparently very happy about. Ended up spending the night and felt fine in the morning but I didn't think it was a good idea to try driving to Cupar so rang up and made my excuses and missed the COSM meeting. However, volunteered to make bread over the phone (well, in the kitchen. I know what I mean)
Slept for a little while when I got home and the went to see Sherlock Holmes again. Vicki has told me that there is a shot where the bridge is intact and I have become obsessed with finding it but I keep getting distracted. Besides, it's warm in the cinema!
Fantastic night out though. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and want to do it again. Hope we do.
Anyhow, rapper tonight (I suspect we may be practicing stepping in 8's).
Saturday was the Mons Meg ceilidh thing which has become known as 'The Soiree'. Was a little late meeting up with folks at Nobles (a pub which might have been built for rapper) for tea because I had to wait for the telephone repairman. On the other hand, I now have a working phone for the first time in months, which is nice. Now I just have to work on the Tv and the heating... Anyhow, had a nice tea (and got given a soft toy duck billed platypus by Trina. I have named him Bruce) and then decamped to The Village Inn. Absolutely fantastic evening.
We got things off to a cracking start with one of out better perfomances of our Number 1 dance (Our Winlaton, later on, went well except for the stepping. May need to work on that!), this was followed by story-telling from Kev with bemused accompaniament on the pipes from Andy, some Jake Thackery songs from Ian and random silly songs from various others (special mention goes to John and his kazoo and Stretch's Edinburgh version of 'Gorgie on My Mind'). We had some ceilidh dancing and Hazel had her first dance out in public which went really well. I believe there are (or soon will be photos up on the Mons Meg website http://www.monsmeg.com/Gallery.html )
After this we retreated to Trina's and continued with the silly songs and some more music. It might have been a mistake letting Trina make me cocktails. Apparently Vimto and Slivovitz (or however that is spelled. I don't even know what it is!) were involved. At any rate I was very giggly and chattery and at some point found a medical text book which I was apparently very happy about. Ended up spending the night and felt fine in the morning but I didn't think it was a good idea to try driving to Cupar so rang up and made my excuses and missed the COSM meeting. However, volunteered to make bread over the phone (well, in the kitchen. I know what I mean)
Slept for a little while when I got home and the went to see Sherlock Holmes again. Vicki has told me that there is a shot where the bridge is intact and I have become obsessed with finding it but I keep getting distracted. Besides, it's warm in the cinema!
Fantastic night out though. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and want to do it again. Hope we do.
Anyhow, rapper tonight (I suspect we may be practicing stepping in 8's).
Friday, 8 January 2010
Familiar Fiddle Tune
Started learning Mairi's Wedding at class last night. I found I was either singing along or running through the dance in my head so paying no attention to actually playing the thing at all. Might need to put a stop to that.
Yet another fire alarm this morning (I now strongly suspect a devious scheme by work to get us to go for walks in the morning!). There is now another snowbunny (with slightly better eyesight) flanking my snowgremlin.
Roger's behaving himself which makes me think he's up to something but at least it means I can get to the Post Office depot tonight to collect an Amazon parcel which (I hope) contains some books including 'The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard' by Arthur Conan Doyle which I used to have years ago in Northumberland but was sadly lost to time. Should also hopefully contain Vicki's Christmas present since I'm off there tonight. Have decided to leave the library till next week.
As well as Mons Meg's do, have a COSM meeting in Cupar on Sunday. Hope the roads are clear. Apparently we're organising cooking for our Mid-Winter Feast next week. I think I shall volunteer to make bread if I can since that's pretty much my limit in a modern kitchen. (Hopefully it should go better than my attempts at Linlithgow!)
Am planning to go along to the Irish Set classes when I get the chance (ie not this week cause of Vicki and not next week when I'm going to see The Imagined Village) so we'll see how that goes.
Yet another fire alarm this morning (I now strongly suspect a devious scheme by work to get us to go for walks in the morning!). There is now another snowbunny (with slightly better eyesight) flanking my snowgremlin.
Roger's behaving himself which makes me think he's up to something but at least it means I can get to the Post Office depot tonight to collect an Amazon parcel which (I hope) contains some books including 'The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard' by Arthur Conan Doyle which I used to have years ago in Northumberland but was sadly lost to time. Should also hopefully contain Vicki's Christmas present since I'm off there tonight. Have decided to leave the library till next week.
As well as Mons Meg's do, have a COSM meeting in Cupar on Sunday. Hope the roads are clear. Apparently we're organising cooking for our Mid-Winter Feast next week. I think I shall volunteer to make bread if I can since that's pretty much my limit in a modern kitchen. (Hopefully it should go better than my attempts at Linlithgow!)
Am planning to go along to the Irish Set classes when I get the chance (ie not this week cause of Vicki and not next week when I'm going to see The Imagined Village) so we'll see how that goes.
Thursday, 7 January 2010
I Give In
Alright, I give in. I'm now really enjoying Sherlock Holmes and will no doubt end up with the soundtrack and the DVD. (Plus I really, really want Watson's hat for Morris purposes!) However, I have stuff to do (lots of stuff) so, if people could stop offering to take me to see it again, that would be appreciated. (of course, now that it's made my 'like' list, I'll probably end up seeing it a couple more times anyway. There's a reason I have an Unlimited Card!)
Got through the rest of The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes last night so my eyes are a little squinty today due to the teeny tiny print. (And I still have Dangermouse running through my head!)
Another fire alarm this morning. I have now built a snow gremlin to go with my snow bunny (it stops me starting snowball fights)
First fiddle class of the Spring Term tonight and practice has not been what it should be over the break (and I still haven't got the bridge fixed) but looking forward to it. Aim for this year is to be able to play for morris if not for rapper (possibly slow motion rapper)
Library and an evening at Vicki's sewing and watching DVD's tomorrow and then Mons Meg (and hopefully a working phone!) on Saturday. Huzzah!
Got through the rest of The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes last night so my eyes are a little squinty today due to the teeny tiny print. (And I still have Dangermouse running through my head!)
Another fire alarm this morning. I have now built a snow gremlin to go with my snow bunny (it stops me starting snowball fights)
First fiddle class of the Spring Term tonight and practice has not been what it should be over the break (and I still haven't got the bridge fixed) but looking forward to it. Aim for this year is to be able to play for morris if not for rapper (possibly slow motion rapper)
Library and an evening at Vicki's sewing and watching DVD's tomorrow and then Mons Meg (and hopefully a working phone!) on Saturday. Huzzah!
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Oops, Bad Gremlin
Well, as predicted, I found my copy of Sherlock Holmes and nothing else got done. This is not good cause I still have half a burrow to spring clean and fiddle to practice and reenactment and morris kit to make and GMC to follow up on and rats to chase up and stuff to get fixed.... Will just have to finish the thing tonight and get it out of the way! Course, that isn't going to be helped by the fact that I'm getting dragged to the cinema again tonight by a friend from work to see, yes, you've guessed it, Sherlock Holmes. Good job I've started enjoying it really.
I also have the Dangermouse theme running through my head which isn't helping anything!
It would also be really nice if it could stop snowing now (Although it is still very funny watching children trying to sledge on horizontal surfaces. It's not like Edinburgh is a completely flat city so I don't understand it but still laugh at it!)
I also have the Dangermouse theme running through my head which isn't helping anything!
It would also be really nice if it could stop snowing now (Although it is still very funny watching children trying to sledge on horizontal surfaces. It's not like Edinburgh is a completely flat city so I don't understand it but still laugh at it!)
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Stuff I Must Remember.
Need to get in some fiddle practice (which I've neglected shamefully over the Christmas holidays) since class starts again on Thursday and I need to go to the library tomorrow.
Then it's Mons Meg's soiree type thing on Saturday (after I've spent the day waiting for Virgin Media to come and fix the phone. After the last fiasco, what's the betting that they try to ring me to tell me what time they'll be there...)
Had a fire alarm this morning so spent a fair bit of time out in the park trying to resist the urge to build a snowman. Succeeded in as far as there is now a (somewhat crosseyed) snow bunny now glaring at people (although not the people he's actually facing) out there!
Might try and dig out my complete works of Sherlock Holmes tonight. This will not help with the fiddle practice but I'm in the mood for a bit of Holmes.
Must also book Roger in for his MOT. Must then plan diet of bread and water so I can afford what will probably be needed to get him through it...
Then it's Mons Meg's soiree type thing on Saturday (after I've spent the day waiting for Virgin Media to come and fix the phone. After the last fiasco, what's the betting that they try to ring me to tell me what time they'll be there...)
Had a fire alarm this morning so spent a fair bit of time out in the park trying to resist the urge to build a snowman. Succeeded in as far as there is now a (somewhat crosseyed) snow bunny now glaring at people (although not the people he's actually facing) out there!
Might try and dig out my complete works of Sherlock Holmes tonight. This will not help with the fiddle practice but I'm in the mood for a bit of Holmes.
Must also book Roger in for his MOT. Must then plan diet of bread and water so I can afford what will probably be needed to get him through it...
New Year at Buittle
Well, spent the whole of Thursday at work worrying about the weather and periodically checking the forecast. Not at all encouraged by the fact that every forecast ended with the words 'and Dumfries and Galloway is locked in ice!'. However, by the end of work I thought, 'Sod it!', and set off anyway. I went across the M8 since it was snowing pretty heavily at this point and I have to assume that the road signs above the motorway were telling us about the heavy fog since all I could see was the glow through THE HEAVY FOG!!!!.
I remember thinking the moon looked particularly pretty on my way across but was wondering why it was green for about half an hour before it clicked that I have a tinted windscreen...
Anyhow, got through to D&G and, despite all the dire warnings about frost and ice, it was the clearest part of the journey (which was fortunate, given the somewhat steep, sloping corner on the way down to the tower).
Had a really fantastic weekend, just getting to see folks and drink wine and sit in front of a fire. (However, my small appetiser things making skills could probably use some improvement. Apparently I am unable to place cream cheese on a biscuit. Still, no-one died. Must also remember that my wearing heels means I have to duck going through the undercroft door!
Set off back on Sunday (having defrosted Roger and convinced him that yes, he did want to start!) Nearly didn't make it up the hill, (had a little slide backwards that caused me to stall him and, for a minute or two, I thought that might be me!) but, we rallied and made it up. Journey was fine until I reached the M74 where I ran into freezing fog. Stopped off at Abington Services to consider my options (and dig someone out of their parking space. Everybody should carry a shovel and sacking in this weather even if does make people think you're hiding bodies!) decided that I was happier on a familiar road and took the Biggar Road home. Bit snowy but not too bad and everybody was travelling at a sensible speed with sensible braking distances for once. Some truly impressive icicles on the eaves in some of the villages and some absolutely gorgeous snowy scenery.
Having got back to Edinburgh and found the burrow a little chilly, I decided to head the cinema to see Avatar. Got my times a little wrong and ended up seeing Sherlock Holmes again. I think a combination of tiredness and cheerfulness managed to shut down my Homes mania because I actually enjoyed it this time. I still think Irene Adler is horrendously annoying but Downey Jr's Holmes is growing on me and I still think that it contains one of the best portrayals of Watson I've seen in a long time. At this rate, by the time the sequel comes out, I'll actually be looking forward to it!
Meant to continue spring cleaning the Burrow on Monday, but that didn't happen. Stayed in my nest and watched the second part of Doctor Who instead. Not terribly impressed on the whole (although Bernard Cribbens was excellent and I would have loved it if he could have been a proper companion for a while and I adored the cactus aliens. They were just great. Also Timothy Dalton managed to make the most of the little he was given). The whole 'Doctor visiting all the people he's ever met and staring solemnly at them for no apparent reason' thing was mawkish and overlong. However, looking forward to the new Doctor (think Matt Smith is a very good actor in the other stuff I've seen him in) and Steven Moffatt at the helm.
Also managed to see 'The Water of Mars' which I missed due to Virgin Media having one of it's fits. Now this was more like it, claustrophobic, haunting and the Doctor is seen to be a dnagerous alien and doesn't win.
I remember thinking the moon looked particularly pretty on my way across but was wondering why it was green for about half an hour before it clicked that I have a tinted windscreen...
Anyhow, got through to D&G and, despite all the dire warnings about frost and ice, it was the clearest part of the journey (which was fortunate, given the somewhat steep, sloping corner on the way down to the tower).
Had a really fantastic weekend, just getting to see folks and drink wine and sit in front of a fire. (However, my small appetiser things making skills could probably use some improvement. Apparently I am unable to place cream cheese on a biscuit. Still, no-one died. Must also remember that my wearing heels means I have to duck going through the undercroft door!
Set off back on Sunday (having defrosted Roger and convinced him that yes, he did want to start!) Nearly didn't make it up the hill, (had a little slide backwards that caused me to stall him and, for a minute or two, I thought that might be me!) but, we rallied and made it up. Journey was fine until I reached the M74 where I ran into freezing fog. Stopped off at Abington Services to consider my options (and dig someone out of their parking space. Everybody should carry a shovel and sacking in this weather even if does make people think you're hiding bodies!) decided that I was happier on a familiar road and took the Biggar Road home. Bit snowy but not too bad and everybody was travelling at a sensible speed with sensible braking distances for once. Some truly impressive icicles on the eaves in some of the villages and some absolutely gorgeous snowy scenery.
Having got back to Edinburgh and found the burrow a little chilly, I decided to head the cinema to see Avatar. Got my times a little wrong and ended up seeing Sherlock Holmes again. I think a combination of tiredness and cheerfulness managed to shut down my Homes mania because I actually enjoyed it this time. I still think Irene Adler is horrendously annoying but Downey Jr's Holmes is growing on me and I still think that it contains one of the best portrayals of Watson I've seen in a long time. At this rate, by the time the sequel comes out, I'll actually be looking forward to it!
Meant to continue spring cleaning the Burrow on Monday, but that didn't happen. Stayed in my nest and watched the second part of Doctor Who instead. Not terribly impressed on the whole (although Bernard Cribbens was excellent and I would have loved it if he could have been a proper companion for a while and I adored the cactus aliens. They were just great. Also Timothy Dalton managed to make the most of the little he was given). The whole 'Doctor visiting all the people he's ever met and staring solemnly at them for no apparent reason' thing was mawkish and overlong. However, looking forward to the new Doctor (think Matt Smith is a very good actor in the other stuff I've seen him in) and Steven Moffatt at the helm.
Also managed to see 'The Water of Mars' which I missed due to Virgin Media having one of it's fits. Now this was more like it, claustrophobic, haunting and the Doctor is seen to be a dnagerous alien and doesn't win.
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