Things to Look Forward To.

Off to collect my melodeon tonight. Little bit excited. Just a little bit. (My neighbours are going to hate me!)

Also have a ticket to go and see Les Miserables at the Edinburgh Playhouse thanks to ylla mentioning it on her livejournal (Apparently tickets have been on sale since last March. I hadn't heard a thing about it and she only heard about it when she went to St Andrews! No, I can't explain it either.) Anyhow, I will be sat in the middle at the back of the stalls so at least I can stand up a bit if I can't see. Have wanted to see this for years but have never gotten round to it so a little excited now. Of course, it's not till April so some time to go yet but, still!

Managed a little bit of tidying last night and did a good bit of various musical instrument practice so I felt entitled to watch half of the Bellowhead DVD.

Have now cancelled my TV Licence. I expect the threatening letters any minute now...

Melodeon Envy

Rapper was good last night. Not many of us so a lot of dancing done although a certain Goarsach dancer turned up on her way back up North with her 2 dogs (both adorable) and had a go at joining in with us (her, not the dogs).
Andy had a go at playing for us on the melodeon that he's only been practicing for 2 weeks. Absolutely sickening! If I can play even as quarter as well as that after 2 weeks I'll be bloody impressed with myself. Really quite excited waiting until I can get my melodeon now. Can't wait to give it a go.
There's the possibility of us dancing at Anstruther for a gala day (can't get used to that term. They will forever be 'fetes' to me.) in July. Sounds like fun so I hope we can do it. In the meantime, we've got a DERT rehearsal planned in St Andrews for the weekend after next and then, hopefully, a bit of pub touring. I don't think St Andrews has seen rapper since the Kingsman danced there during IVFDF 2002 but they seemed to enjoy it then.

The countdown to Oxford has started in my brain. I retrieved my Bellowhead DVD from Trina last night so that should be getting watched a lot in order to try and take the edge off...

Plan tonight is to get in, clarinet practice first (cause I can't mute it!), then fiddle practice (cause I can mute that) and then tidy like a tidy thing and, if I am good, I'm allowed to watch the Bellowhead DVD. (I strongly suspect I will watch it anyway but this is the intention)

At some point I should probably put Roger through a car wash. He is absolutely filthy and I haven't really got anywhere to put him to wash him by hand (if I try on the roadside I'll get killed and that's leaving aside the question as to whether you're allowed to wash cars in the street.) Before he goes through a car wash though, I think it might be an idea to get waterproof covers for the seats and me. (Not that I don't trust the door seals or anything...)

Productive Weekend (Relatively)

Spring may have occurred on Saturday. The weather was warm and dry and I quickly took the opportunity to put my washing out for the first time this year (what I hadn't taken into account was that it was also windy and I promptly got wrapped in a sheet and bashed into a wall! And so starts my washing's year long assault on me.) Having been nicely bruised, I decided to venture into town, mainly to look for rapper shoes but this was foiled by my not being able to remember where the Army and Navy store was and thus not being able to find it. No matter, I went on to find a nice wedding hat which I can wear for next weekend's sudden wedding (by which I mean that I've suddenly found out I'm going, not that the wedding is sudden) and I may have a acquired a cheap melodeon. This is probably not helpful and it's not like I don't have enough instruments to learn (although I got in a very good practice with both fiddle and clarinet this weekend.) but the idea of an instrument that doesn't rely on breathing control, finger placement, bow technique and mouth shape to produce an on-key note is very attractive and they just look really fun to play. It's a very cheap, never been used, D/G 2 row affair and, having, checked around, should I decide it's not for me, I should be able to sell it on with no loss. I suspect the reason it was being offered so cheaply was due to the preference in scottish music being for B/C tuning (and the fact that it's a cheap make) but I want to play morris tunes which suits me just fine. Huzzah for gumtree is all I can say.
One very odd occurrence while I was shopping in one of the pound saver shops (I was looking for pegs. My washing seems to eat them!). I was happily wandering along with my headphones on when this woman stops in front of me and tries to ask me something. I obligingly took out my headphones and she asked, in a somewhat irritated tone, where the *some weird item that I can't remember* was! I said I didn't know and she told me that that was appalling customer service. I pointed out that I didn't work there and she told me I looked as if I did and flounced off. I was in no way dressed like the staff and was not even wearing similar colours so I have no idea how to take that. Ah well.
Sunday, I actually did some tidying! I only read 2 books and did one puzzle book and I can now see most of the floor in the sitting room. The bed is still 'here be dragons' territory but, I feel I'm on a roll now and could be using it again as early as June!
The soundtrack to all this has been Belshazzer's Feast's 'Food of Love' CD which arrived on Saturday. The main CD is lovely with a really beautiful version of Mark Knoppfler's 'Cal' (and the CD notes are hilarious) but the main gem is the extra live CD which had me in giggles (which got me some funny looks while walking down Prince's Street, I can tell you!) most of the weekend. Can't wait to see them live.

Anyhow, rapper tonight and I'm in a particularly bouncy mood so that should be fun.

Wondering Why I Went!

Well, not that impressed by Alice In Wonderland. It was very pretty but oddly a bit flat. The Cheshire cat was fun but was blown off the screen by the March Hare who got the biggest laugh simply by randomly saying 'Spoon!'. The lass playing Alice was alright and not too twee (although the younger version was and wearing a scary amount of lipstick!) and Helena Bonham Carter was very good as the Red Queen. The Mad Hatter, though, long outstayed his welcome and tried too hard for the pathos. I think Johnny Depp is a good actor but sometimes he really misses and this was one of those times. Also no idea why they dragged the Jabberwocky in. Ah well, at least I got to use my 3D glasses again. Quite fancy seeing the dragon cartoon they were previewing and I'd also like to see Solomon Kane and Repo Men when they come out.

It was nice to be back at fiddle (not having been there for 3 weeks). We're playing The Cockle Gatherer's Reel for the concert and it was easy enough to pick up. I'm not convinced that I sound any better with the new bridge but at least I don't sound any worse and it doesn't look like the bridge is about to snap if I look at it wrong. I've also found that IVFDF has left me with a slight leaning towards wanting to play the melodeon as well (because, obviously, I need to add another instrument to learn to my life!) may have to investigate this at some point.

All the blurb is now in for our DERT entry so I can relax a little and dedicate myself to tidying the burrow (and hunting down some rapper shoes that fit!). Roger also seems to be working fine since his key battery changed. It's a bit of a novelty to be able to just press the button and expect the car to unlock.

Recently got the CD Umbrellowhead. Basically a compilation of music by the the various members of Bellowhead's projects outside of the group. Really enjoying it. My favourites are Belshazzer's Feast's 'Rondo a la Turky', Jon Boden's 'Beating the Bounds', Benji Kirkpatrick's 'Wallbreaker', Faustus' 'The New Recruit and Rachel McShane's 'The Fisherman'. This is, admittedly about half the album but there you go. That said, the rest of the tracks are good too. Pete Flood's 'Maste Kilby' is an odd one in that I always think I'll skip it (his voice is a little flat) but then I keep listening to it anyway. The number by Setsuban Bean Unit is nuts but then they're based in Japan which seems to bring out that kind of feeling. I also really enjoyed the choral work at the end. Very nice arrangement. They're a talented bunch, all told.

IVFDF 2010 2

Dragged myself along to the 'Folk Techniques for Classical Musicians' at 09.30. Mostly enjoyed sitting on the sofas and listening to the tune (I think it was 'Hexham Lasses' which I like, will have to check!) but I did pick up a few helpful hints on ornamentation. After that I headed off to Star and Shadow's workshop on how to set up a rapper team (I am not actually wanting to set up a new team, before anyone jumps on me, I just live in fear of having to move to an area where there's no rapper!). I really just wanted to find out where they got their shoes since it's really difficult to find potential rapper shoes in my size (Army and Navy Stores here I come!) but decided to stay for the rest of the workshop. We did a fair bit of stepping and ran through some simple figures which was nice because, for starters, I was in another short side (apart from number 3 who I think must have been going round on his knees!) and there was far more room that the previous rapper workshop as well. One of the lasses in our side seemed very interested and was one of the New Scotland lot so I did a bit of encouraging and said I'd send out details. Yay! Possibly more short people for Mons Meg!
For the last workshop I went back to the comfy sofas for the 'North East Tunes' bit. Met another lass from the Morpeth area who is now a student in Edinburgh and interested in rapper so I did a bit of a sales pitch to her as well. Don't remember much after that and ended up getting woken up at the end by Jon and Jenny. I managed not to hit either of them but I think this may have had more to do with me having got my hands tangled in my hair while I was asleep. Anyhow, I then went to get fish and chips with Jon and co before heading to the survivors' ceilidh. Due to space issues, they had had to split the ceilidh into two. We went to the one with the scratch band on the basis that they would probably play the more esoteric dances. This seemed to work and I got to dance to one of Rhodri's 'make it up as he goes along' dances which are always brilliant fun. It's not often I get to stay to the end of the survivors' ceilidh and, even though I didn't dance as much as I usually do (I really was knackered by this point) I really enjoyed myself.
Went for tea and cakes with Ian and Cara and baby afterwards while I was waiting for my train and got to catch up with them, which was nice before heading up to the station and wending my way back to Edinburgh.

Really enjoyed the weekend, got to catch up with a lot of old and new friends and I will definitely take some kind of instrument (preferably the fiddle) next year (which, incidentally, is in Bristol followed by Aberdeen the year after) because I really enjoy the musician workshops.
I also liked getting there under my own steam rather than going on the Scotland bus just because it meant I was working to my own timetable which made the whole thing just a little less fraught (also meant I got sleeping accomodation where I wanted it rather than having to go where they sent the group). Of course, Bristol being far away, the scotland bus may be the cheaper option next year, but will investigate before deciding.

Rapper was fun on Monday night (although I was late because I dozed off on the bus and had to backtrack) but my brain was decidedly missing. Shins are still sore and at some point (preferably after DERT. Mind, I feel that could be this summer's refrain, 'just after whichever festival...') I will go see the GP

Off to get a new battery for Roger's key today in the hope that that will de-immobilise him and then off to the cinema to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D with the usual suspects.

On the festival front, I am booked for the Oxford Folk Festival and The Big Session and I have applied to be a steward at Whitby. If that works out then I am also going to book for Shrewsbury and possibly Bromyard. Holmfirth I will book as soon as the website is up and running. Ah, festivally goodness.

IVFDF 2010 (Friday and Saturday)

What with Roger being, how can I put this, stationary with a vengence, I decided to get the train down to Durham for IVFDF. Passed the house where I grew up on the way down and was really shocked to see that they had decimated the surrounding wood and built a huge house right next to the old bungalow (which wasn't small to start with). It really threw me to see the orchard gone. Ah well.

Got into Durham at around 6pm and managed to find Alington House straight off by basically pointing myself in the direction of the Cathedral and wandering roughly in that direction until I encountered crowds of suspected IVFDF goers. Fortunately I managed to get a ticket for the central sleeping venue, dumped my stuff, randomly met up with some of the usual suspects and headed off for the ceilidh with 422. This was a fair walk from the centre but the weather was nice, if crisp, and it was well worth it. The first ceilidh was great fun with Martin Harvey calling and some truly stonking music (I do like 422) . In the break, Star and Shadow rapper dancers did a spot which was highly entertaining and they look in good from for DERT. For the second half of the evening, 422 were getting us to dance to 80's pop songs which worked surprisingly well. I may not have liked all the songs (I particularly hate ABBA's Dancing Queen. Don't get me wrong, I like ABBA, I liked them before they became popular again but I really, really hate this song and what song do they always play?) but they also played 'Money for Nothing', by Dire Straits which is a great song and worked really well with the dance. There was a brief hiatus in the evening where the was possibly a fire alarm. That is to say there was a high pitched whistling and all the lights went out but no-one could tell if it was an alarm or just serious feedback so we milled uncertainly then decided that, since no-one was yelling at us to get out, we'd stay put in the warm and go and have a drink (and not only was there a real ale bar but it was student union prices so not bad, not bad at all). Anyhow, they seemed to get it sorted and we went back to dancing. Went back to Alington house for the late night dancing but sadly there really wasn't any room for it. We took over the sleeping hall for a short while but there were far too many people even for that space and they didn't get round to the more esoteric dances which is what I go to the late night dancing for. Anyhow, once the musicians went back upstairs to just have a session. I decided just to head to bed and drift off to the music. Sadly, not a huge amount of sleep was got, not because of the music but because I could not get warm which is not usually a problem for me. Odd but so it goes.

Anyhow, dragged myself along to the student union at 9am to go to the workshop on how to cope in a session. Some very interesting and helpful information and it was nice listening to them play but I shall have to redouble my efforts with the clarinet and fiddle cause I want to join in damn it! Rapper was next up and High Spen was teaching. As always, the class was seriously over subscribed which meant that space was tight and you kept havingt to wait until a teacher was free to learn anything else but it was still fun. It's the first time since last year that I've danced in a set that was roughly my height and it really was a nice feeling. Most of our set had also done some rapper beforehand so we managed fairly well and we all knew each other so we spent a fair bit of time giggling. All in all a good fun and interesting workshop but I think they might want to start limiting the numbers (this means I would need to arrive much earlier in order to be certain of getting in!) in future IVFDF's.
I stayed on for the Playing for Morris workshop (again just listening in) which was really good with lots of helpful advice on the difference in playing for different types of folk dance. I paid particular attention to the advice on rapper and border obviously. After this, I went along to the clog workshop. I couldn't be bothered to head back to Alington house to get my clogs so I did the class in my rapper shoes. Good to know I carted my clogs to the North East for no particular reason. Still, at least it was a nice outing for them. The clog itself was fun and all the shuffles must be improving my rapper stepping. I put my name on the e-mail list for the clog workshop weekend so fingers crossed that's on when I'm free.

I caught the end of the display ceilidh, although I didn't really feel up to dancing (apparently being laid up in bed for over a week and then dancing like mad at a folk festival leaves you feeling knackered, who knew!). I enjoyed Exeter's dem to ABBA's 'Does your Mother Know that You're Out' (something of an ABBA theme this year) but then, I usually do.
I dithered between heading for a shower or going to see the Eliza Carthy concert but eventually the need to have shower won out and I had a nice walk through Durham to find the leisure centre. I feel incredibly disloyal saying it but Durham is a far, far prettier place than Newcastle. Anyhow, shower taken (and that was possibly the best £2.10 spent of the weekend!) I headed back out to the outskirts for the Contra ceilidh. Vertical Expression were on good form so the music was fantastic and Adam was calling well but there seemed to be some difficulty with the mic so that there were problems calling the dance at the far end of the hall which wasn't helped when people started to pour in and talk while they were trying to walk through. The lighting was also peculiar with the top end of the hall in darkness and the other end brightly lit so the caller couldn't see the end sets which can't of been helpful (Also people seemed to have lost the ability to form fours from the top of the set, which was bizarre). Adam had to give up on calling a couple of the more complicated dances because the instructions just weren't getting through but other dances were substituted and I really enjoyed it despite the problems. I stayed on for the Whapweasel ceilidh cause I was too knackered to head out for the Northumbrian one which I kind of regret because, although the music was great, it was too loud, there were still the same calling problems (and I know it wasn't the caller cause Gordon Potts is usually great) and I just didn't have the energy to deal with it. Still I enjoyed the music and it was fun watching people on the floor before I headed up to the balcony and had fun playing 'what sort of dancing does this person usually do'.
I headed back to the hall after this and went to bed to the sound of the session again. Sadly another chilly night and not much sleep.

Yet Another Catch Up

Got pretty much laid flat by the flu over the last week or so so have been a bit remiss in updating this so time to catch up.

First of all, went to see Damien Barber and Mike Wilson on the Wednesday at the Pleasance with some of Mons Meg. They were very good, particularly with the shanties, their voices go together really well and the chat between songs was also very funny (I do like the stories of having to suck crisps in folk clubs when little so as not to annoy people with the crunch). They were supported by Wendy Arrowsmith who I've not heard before but was also very good. Particularly liked her Whitby lifeboat song. Wasn't too sure about the irish singer at first. There's a tendancy among irish singers to overdo the ornamentation (for my taste anyway) and she did at first but then she seemed to ease out of it and I felt her singing improved because of it.

Also went to see Pete Morton (he who did the hilarious Geoffrey Chaucer Junior thing at Whitby last year) at the Royal Oak. I really enjoyed his sets. His music is very perky and all about love and what have you but manages to stop short of crossing the line into annoying which could be partly due to his stage presence (or corner of very small pub presence) but it seems to work. He did one of the Chaucer songs which was hilarious and he mentioned that he was bringing the Chaucer show to the Edinburgh Fringe. Unfortunately, I think I will be away when he does which may be a blessing since it was just so funny and surprising the first time that I don't think it will ever be able to measure up again.

In other news, Roger's immobiliser has completely immobilised him. I think I just need to get a new battery in the key so I shall take that along to the renault dealer and see of I can get that sorted. I am also still no further forward in tidying the burrow. In fact, it now looks worse since the last weekend was IVFDF (which needs a post of it's own!) and I caused my usual chaos trying to pack for it (and at some point I shall get round to unpacking).

Finally got round to replacing the fiddle bridge. It seems to have gone OK and it does seem to sound better (except for the G string but that sounded a lpeculiar before as well which makes me suspect that I should start saving to get the fiddle properly seen to but it will have to wait until after the festival season)