not dead

Well. I successfully converted the harp, Big Al, into a Christmas Tree! It took an embroidery hoop and a hoola hoop and some washing line. I had to keep the lights away from the strings somehow. Soomebody hacked into Dave's Facebook last night and informed everybody (very tastefully) that he had 'passed away' in the night. It took us to lunchtime, when the phone started ringing, until we realised. We are all set to have a lovely Christmas. Bizarrely all the turkeys are inside the barn. Somebody stole 2 in October. I went to the wood to feed them and spotted a chap just about to climb the fence. As soon as he spotted me he scarpered! I filed an email report to the police thinking I would never hear from them again when I got a call - delighted they were! My description fitted someone they knew and they were very grateful for my email. We decided not to take any more risk and have wintered the turkeys inside. They can go out in 2 day's time again! They are needed for breeding stock this Spring. Have a lovely Christmas from us all here.

Witches

In the old days I would have had a rough time. Everytime I take my dog, Colin, for a walk the cat comes too. He follows me everywhere, he is jet black with 4 white half-paws and a bib, he has never grown to full size and has no road sense at all. I cringe as people screech to a halt and ask me angrily if its my cat. 'No, never seen him before' I always reply. Well today I am promised a day at home to 'get ready for christmas'. Dave doesn't understand this. 'Why is it different?' he asks. Simple answer - finding room to place a tree in amongst 33 harps and loads of ventriloquist dolls is no easy feat. My new hobby is proving very enjoyable. I have made a doll in the memory of Dad, with top hat, wool overcoat, silk waistcoat, Dad's old monacle etc. He has proper gold cufflinks and I have made proper boots with buckles. The next doll is a genie - Kaffa djinn. I even pierced his ear and he has pearls and diamonds on his turban and a guinea fowl feather. I sewed beads on his little shoes with curled up toes and painted them gold. The next project is Beryl - think 'Ab Fab' in the 50s. I am also making Jacques - led the Ninth 2,000 yrs ago (read Dave's book 'The Book of Caris' - now available on Amazon). Anyway nothing will get done whilst I'm sat typing ... some exciting concerts planned for next year incorporating loads of new music from The Book of Caris and soon-to-be-published The Book of Anon - exquisite music from Persia.

-6 at Lunchtime

A few people have actually asked me to write this again ... wow! Anyway here I am - it's not for want of trying alas - just one of those years! It was -6 inside the porch this lunchtime - we don't mind because at least the mud and floods are frozen, albeit in foot-high ridges which is so difficult to walk around on, but still easier than the neverending mud! We are fed up with it - this year has been the worst ever but I suppose if you live somewhere called ... Marsh ... you've got to expect it! It got so cold that last night at this time (11 pm) I set off to make the donkey a rug out of an old picnic blanket. I set off down the field to search for her at midnight with a torch and hay. I didn't hold out much hope as donkeys are not the most patient of animals. As I tried to put it on she bent down on her knees, everso gracefully, until her front end was on the ground. I carried on and fastened it on her. It was a good fit surprisingly. However I have just found it, ditched half way down the field! She seems happy enough so I will leave well alone! Dave's present of a harp for me is coming on well - it is in one piece and being sanded today ready for the first layer of paint. I have had to empty the petshop which will be used as the spray shop as its warmer than the barn (and no cobwebs). I was truly AMAZED to find out today that some of my music was used at the closing ceremony of the olympics!!!! WOW! (again)

Long time no Blog!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a while since managed to post any news on the blog and the truth is that we have been extrememly busy following all the rain on the farm we had to put in new drains and also move the Turkeys. All have been moved now and done I have tried to post the odd comment or two on our facebook page which can be found by looking up Fiona Katie Roberts on the site. We have continued to promote "The Book of Caris" and I am pleased to say that Dave has made a good start on his new book which i am told is about Anon Following a trip to Rome in October , we have taken inspiration from the box makers in Sorrento and Dave commissioned some wood inlays for a super harp which the construction has started on more news later

For one night only !!!!!!!

This Post is by Dave For one night only Fiona Katie wil be perforning this evening at Gargrave Church . The concert is extra special as she wil be sharing the concert with none other than Mark Hamer also a Harp Player. Two very different styles of playing , two very different styles of Music whilst we were up at Rossendale last night doing a one of session I heard a Woman saying that she had enjoyed the evening and especially the contrast between the two So if you are free this evening , and want to see something which is extremely rare then get yourself up to Gargrave Church you wil be most welcome There is a entrance fee and I believe it is £7 per person if it is the same as last night but it is a treat you wil enjoy I can assure you of that. Even I enjoyed it and I hear harps all th time !!! Sorry in my excitement I forgot to take pictures for you I wil try and remember tonight if you cant come Dave..

Caught reading the magazines

I was just flicking through all the scandal rags at Morrisons at Illingworth the other day when a man approached and asked if I was 'the' Fiona-Katie Roberts. Oh yeah!!! (That's a first, by the way). Both my husband, Dave, and I thought he was going to tell us off for not buying the magazines! The news on the farm is good - we finally caught the missing hen chick whilst it was dozing the other night so it is now back with mum and its siblings. The Swifts have all fledged and the farmyard is full of them swooping low nearly catching our heads. Next week I have two concerts in North Yorkshire with another harper, Mark Harmer. We start at Rosedale Church on Friday 17th August at 7 pm and the following night we are at Gargrave Church (Saturday l8th August, also at 7 pm).

Swifts and Amazons

Stix's whole life is an adventure. He has taken to coming for a walk when we take the dogs out. He follows at a safe distance on the wall tops, crossing the roads and taking time out to check out trees. However, this week he has positioned himself in the medieval barn archway where the swifts are about to fledge. The mum and dad 'dive-bombed' him consistently until tragedy happenned. Stix leapt a mighty olympic 10 foot into the air and grabbed one of the parents. He got lucky so the fleglings have only one parent left to feed them. This Spring they lost all their chicks because their mud nest fell off the underside of the beams. We found it hanging with one egg left in and propped it with a piece of 3 by 2 but they started again. My escapee hen chick is still living rough. She feeds with the big hens during the day but goes back to her old coop at night. I have tried in vain to trap her and put her back with her siblings but she is very wick, running off at the slightest noise! I have a series of concerts coming up with another celtic harper - all taking place in North Yorkshire - details to follow (when I have them myself!!) The 'Nudey Lady' sounds fantastic amped up and is returning 'home' to the Barearts soon - watch this space!

Exchange Arts Sunday 29th July

Our cat, Stix, is having a bad week of it ... He is locked in the stable for the night again! Earlier this week I opened the hen coop to feed the chicks and one flew out. The only way it would survive the night was to lock Stix up - he is tiny for a cat but don't be fooled - he is definitely related to tiger! I get quite upset at his daily dead offerings on the door mat but he does catch moles as well which helps the hay fields tremendously. Anyway I caught the single chick and tonight two chicks flew out as I was trying to catch them and transfer them to the hen run. Stix is back in the stable for the night and first thing tomorrow I shall endeavour to catch the two chicks. The Nudey Lady Harp and I are in concert on Sunday night at Exchange Arts in Keighley - 7 pm. Tel 01535 661591 for tickets. This will be the full version of THE BOOK OF CARIS - words and music by David Widdop - fascinating true story set 2,000 years ago. Reviews so far ... 'fabulous'; 'sublime'; 'enchanting'.

My new computer

YES - thank you Dave for my new computer. I shall now have no excuse for writing this blog. To catch up ... my new harp The Nudey Lady is a beautiful harp but puzzling us somewhat. We think the newly-designed 'spine' to hold the soundboards together is soaking up too much sound. It amps up well though. On the Farm, I struggled to get any hen chicks to hatch earlier this year so imagine how thrilled I was to spot a hen appearing out of the woods with 10 chicks behind her. She had survived the foxes and hidden away. Apparantly she would have laid an egg a day and covered them up until she had 10. Fertility only lasts 10 days so I am amazed that she could apprantly count as well! My next concert is at The Arts Centre on Russell Street in Keighley on Sunday 29th July. It will be the full version of The Book of Caris - the story of 'Jaques', born, Prince of Noab (Aethiopia) 2,000 years ago, who is guided by the Angel Caris. It all starts with the harp commissioned by King Noab to soothe his son to sleep ...

Covered in Midges

Just before all the rains came we decided to move the turkey and hen pens behind the wood. All night long the turkeys would warble in answer to any owls or at eachother ... it drove us mad and we got no sleep! They are all safely behind the wood away from the house but it does mean I have to go through the wood to feed them and collect the eggs. Today was the first day it was sunny but as I hacked a path through the wood this evening I was literally attacked by thousands of midges! I was covered black - yuck!!! At least the rain washed them off... (not that I'm saying we want more rain!!!!) I have two forthcoming concerts to advertise. The first at East Morton Institute is with Bard of Saltaire, Eddie Lawler. It is all thanks to Eddie's song about Harry Ramsden's closing that a restaurant chain has bought it and it will stay as a fish and chip shop apparantly! It starts at 7.30 pm on FRIDAY 29TH JUNE. Tickets from Rhona on 07777 63 73 63. They have a bar. The second is pure Book of Caris music - its fabulous. We start 2,000 years ago in Ethiopia and travel to Britannia through Egypt and Germania ... It is at the new Arts Centre on Russell Street in Keighley on Sunday 30th July - MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

The nudey lady

Well - no news because I have been tuning the harp flat-out. I played it yesterday for the very first time. Of course the Law of Sod applied. The event was a big garden party in Baildon. Lots of stalls and music outside. The Council had decided to dig the road up so we had a huge JCB to compete with and the noise of the bunting flapping in the wind was like being on a tall ship! The new harp rose above it all and we 'rocked'! Strangely most people missed the fact that there was a nude lady painted on the front of the harp ... They commented on the colours and the flowers and I overheard a few amused comments as they sat and drank their drinks and suddenly realised. My 7 year old pupil, Billie, thinks I should paint her some clothes on though ...

fascinating ... stresses (yes, really!)

I have made it to the half way point on the harp! This is where the stresses really start to build up and this harp has a very different way of holding the two soundboards together. None of us are really sure if it's going to work! The 'inventor' is engineer, Philip Burnley, who came up with a wooden 'spine' to hold the two soundboards but also to give huge strength. Usually though, if you need strength, you lose the elasticity or resonance so it was a bit of a risk. Nevertheless, it beats my 'papermache' using bandage and wood glue! So far the front hasn't moved a millimetre, but the back has 'rounded' ever so slightly ... watch this space!

painfully slow progress

I've been here before! Yes - putting 128 strings onto a harp takes time. I have done about an octave and a half on each side but am so busy doing other things I am only managing 2 strings a day some days alas. I really need this harp for performances as my large silver harp was only supposed to be a prototype! I have 8 turkey chicks which hatched a week ago and an incubator full of eggs ready to hatch in a couple of weeks. I only have a pair of adult birds and the female lays 2 eggs every 3 days so its slow going! I bought some eggs last year but they turned out to be useless so better slow and productive I thought. At least our eggs are 100% fertile. I am also looking after a small puppy. She was very vulnerable at first but she has turned the corner and is at last putting on weight and is very playful. I have been chased round the field by Dodge the donkey (born last June). He is incredibly strong and with Spring in the air got very feisty! We want him to be a companion to his mum, Flossy, so the vet came up last week and did 'the deed'! I am waiting for him to calm down! I am told 6-8 weeks. Until then I creep up to the hen shed running from tree to tree out of sight. The danger comes when I go into the turkey pen... Firstly I have a huge stag to contend with. Just throw him food I hear you say ... not so simple ... he will only eat from the feeder for some reason. This means I have to get the food into the old caravan before he gets there! Occasionally he is waiting, hissing and spitting, by the door and I have to go back later. This is Dodge's cue and he is usually waiting in the wood for me to come out gingerly! I usually dodge Dodge through the trees and leap over the wall onto the footpath and come back to the Farm that way! I am just told that I am playing in Keighley at the Artistic Off-License in the next couple of weeks - I will keep you informed!

a moment in time

I borrowed the title from my husband's book but I also noticed it on a poster today advertising a lecture in discovering local history ... Yesterday me and Dave voted. We walked out of the farmyard, through the 'kissing gate', along the side of a field on a very muddy footpath (actually more like a stream bed after all the rain has washed the top soil off) and turned left out of the snicket onto the track which led to Marsh Chapel. The last few times the officials have placed a portoloo onto the pavement by the side of the Chapel, next to that is the sign 'polling station' and you go into the kitchen. The first thing we heard was the organist practising ... Then you go through another door into a back room with an old electric fire on. There was a chap sat sorting out all the voting papers and squeezed into the corner were the two put-up booths. We were looking for the box to put our votes in and then realised the lady waiting had put her stick on top of it. We edged past her, she politely smiled, apologised, removed her stick and we voted and made our way through the kitchen still humming the hymn. Last summer I spotted two friends of mine strolling through Todmorden as I drove through after a wedding. Trevor wore a linen suit, straw boater and walking cane; Cathy had a huge sunhat covered in flowers. I asked them if they had been to a wedding. No, they replied, they were going to vote ... The Book of Caris, from which I borrowed the title of this blog (in the book it is where Titus sees Hadrian's Wall for the first time) is for sale - and being bought, I hasten to add! Email us if you're interested: info@tripleharps.com

concerts

This is my poster for a forthcoming concert more details of other concerts coming soon

Had a really busy day , First we delivered the pet food as normal then the publisher phoned to say that Dave's new book was ready so we went and collected that. We then had to nip to Asda and got back to the farm to find that someone had been to the farm and opened all the gates and let the sheep out . Finally after catching all the sheep we had Dinner . Dave has spent the evening trying to figure out Twitter I now believe I have a twitter account but I am not sure just how to use it yet so please bear with us If you want to follow my "Tweets" then add me Fiona Katie Roberts @HarpsFKRoberts Thats all for today back to recording tomorrow and Dave is back on with his marketing drive for new venues and bookings

It is finished! THE BOOK OF CARIS by David John widdop The illustration you see is of Caris drawn by our friend, Dennis Oates of Oxenhope. The book is being printed tomorrow. My husband, Dave, started writing this book by hand over two years ago but over the last couple of months we have been transferring it to print and doing the corrections ... I mention this, not because he is such a bad speller or even bad at grammar, no, we picked up a nasty virus which messed up everything we tried to type! The more we corrected the line endings, the more went wrong! Trouble was, it only showed up when we turned on the computer again, everytime we left it - things were perfect. It was a nightmare! We nearly lost it and worked through till 3 or 4 am every morning to try and get it right. I think we re-typed the whole book 4 times! Now you know why I haven't been near the blog. Dave has to live in and amongst 32 harps (and of course me). You've heard of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'? Well I think Dave did just that. The book starts with a beautiful harp and not only that, he wrote me a whole book full of tunes. Each event in the book, or character, has a tune so we are on with the recording right now. I have played these tunes in concert a few times now and he can write some lovely melodies - brought some to tears they did! More soon!

All for the cat

You would not believe how much work he has created ... He isn't even a big cat, about 3/4 in size. He is, however, such a thief. He can get the screw caps off milk bottles, get cheese out of celaphane, open tupperware boxes and tins and will knock anything off a shelf to see if it breaks so he can get in that way.

A couple of weeks ago some walkers took him back to their hotel because they fell in love with him. Luckily I had been round the vets and pet shops and left our number. I'm wondering if he stole all their chocolates in the night before they decided to hand him in!

Dave has spent all day sealing up every tiny crack and hole around the pantry. I lock the door and a couple of hours later find the cat locked in yowling madly. He has squeezed through the tiniest holes around the central heating pipes. He has even chewed a cat sized holes in the platerboard.

There is now a brand new door across the corridor outside the pantry and wooden cladding all around the holes. Finger's crossed!

On the harp front I spent an enjoyable week playing to nursery children and special needs children. We took a vote and they have decided that 'happy dance' music is better than 'sleep' music. They settled quietly with lots of drumming, bells and a good beat!

I am playing at Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle on Sunday 11th March between 10-4 pm for their Wedding Fayre.

Mending the Tractor

A year last November we had a massive storm and a huge pine tree came down at the corner of the garden. Luckily it missed the house by inches but managed to land straddled across the tractor. We had to saw off each branch carefully to get to the tractor. Most of the glass broke and the exhaust snapped off but apart from that it was okay. Well we have not managed to do any work on the tractor itself since then and suddenly realised that plants were growing inside! It still starts okay and runs fine so we bought some perspex and started cutting yesterday.

I have just bought 3 tubes of black silicone and the sun is shining so we can stick all the panels in again!

To continue the theme of nursery rhymes I sat next to a lady at a luncheon I was speaker at the other day and she told me about Jack Horner. He was supposed to collect all the deeds of properties for King Henry VIII but kept one ...

'took out a plum and said what a good boy am I' !!!

Our barn was apparantly sold in the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540 as it was a Tithe barn and there was a large vegetable garden walled in at the front and the back was open to the valley for sheep. Now there is a 17thC Manor House built next door and they took the walled garden. The land nearby has lots of different herbs still growing wild as they used to be skilled herbalists.

My next concert is on March 23rd but I will be playing at Bowes Museum in Barard Castle on Sunday 11th March. In the meantime I have lots of private bookings for parties and as a speaker.

sledging and schools

We escaped lightly with the snow but I honestly think most of it blew down into the valley! I went into Haworth this morning and it was still chaos. Every side road was 4 inches of solid white ice and every time you drove past a road end you had to watch out for out of control cars skidding out into the main road.

The harps sound superb (they love it cold!) and the phone has rung and rung this week so that's brilliant. Suddenly I have a lot of school bookings again. I still get big grins and 'you're the harp lady aren't you?' when I'm shopping. They never forget and it's lovely.

Well I made potato salad today with the tops of the chives poking out of the snow, I then struggled with cling film to try and get my masterpiece of cold meats and salad prepared for my husband's dinner tonight. Never again! I made a completely useless mess of it and had to use sellotape to rectify the edges! I then went upstairs to paint the skirting board and knocked the paint over ... arghhhh! I am hoping this break gets me in slightly more sensible frame of mind!!! Here's hoping... (Hope you're keeping warm)

Following Tom Thumb

I was asked to play at Tattershall Castle in Lincolnshire yesterday. Whilst I sat freezing in the great hall playing the harp Dave and Jack were left to explore the village. They started with the Church and found Tom Thumb's grave. It never occurred to me that he really existed. He died in 1620 aged 101 and was 47 cm high apparantly. There is a lovely photo of 'his house' on Tattershall village website - it is perched high on the roof of another house so small you can hardly notice it from the ground!

The castle itself was impressive but the moat was dry. It is normally fed from the river but they have had to close the sluice gates because of lack of rain ... (YES!) no such luck here!!! I am fed up of squelching everywhere in wellies and getting stuck. Anyway I might go back - the knights (booked to fight outside) and the National Trust were very impressed and took cards.

We are catching up slowly after a horrendous year. The harp 'Mystical' which did its first gig in May last year continues to amaze me - it sounds absolutely beautiful and multi-strung harps are like wine - they improve with age. I will never hear it at its best which I reckon to be about 100-200 years from now.

You have to look after harps though - a warning - I have collected 2 harps with central heating damage this week. The wood dries out and every joint comes apart and the harp is damaged permanently. If you have musical instruments in a heated house leave them well away from heat - they like CONSTANT TEMPERATURE. Leave WATER in a dish somewhere near for moisture.

The lost Bell

I have lost a bell ... and ... yes ... I do think that Father Christmas borrowed it and forgot to give it back! Bells are extremely difficult to get hold of. A few years ago hand bells were in every Christmas catalogue but not now alas.

This particular bell was my lament bell. These bells used to be wrapped in linen to dull the sound at funerals. I shall keep looking and will have to improvise until I find it!

I am performing at The Square Chapel tomorrow (Friday 20th January) - starts at 8 pm. I have an amazing set of people who follow my music and I love the fact that music brings together people together.

Nearly the entire set has been written by my husband, Dave. (In true spirit of: 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em'!) We start in Ethiopia, 3,000 years ago ...
Come and listen - see you there?

scared of the dark

Our young lad, Jack, is scared of the dark. Has to sleep with the light on. Every night our two donkeys come into their warm and dry, cosy, stable for the night. The last two weekends the weather has been atrocious and some days we have left them inside. (Donkeys are not waterproof so they need to have decent shelter.)
They pestered us to let them out this weekend even though the rain and sleet blew in from the West. Every night Jack and I had to take the torch and squelch through the mud to bring them in. We have a long narrow field that heads down hill by the side of a deep goit. (When I was a child the word goit meant a ditch but round here it is much bigger - a ravine.) Half way down is a Roman wishing well called a Keld and quite a lot of trees. The donkeys, however, decided the most sheltered place was right at the bottom where the stream comes out of the ravine but the field takes a steep dip.

The mud is so deep in places that Jack's wellies get stuck. Of course your legs keep on walking so he ends up taking a very cold step before he realises. I don't use a torch because I like the dark and the moon but Jack takes the biggest torch he can find. This gives shadows and it has taken him two trips before he realises that its best to walk without ... and that the dark is not as scarey afterall!

When Flossy comes up the hill she wanders in zig-zags and knows exactly where it is driest. We tried to lead her but she was adamant and now she leads us. We are always followed by the kitten, Stix. His white paws show up in the dark and his bell can just be heard through the howling wind.