Wednesday 27 February 2013

Copernicus

The new harp, Copernicus, is very nearly ready. I painted the back today with blackboard paint and the metal strips are ready to be fastened on the sides tomorrow. We are a little bit more organised since the last post - we are warm again! The boiler was actually condemned because the original installers had messed up 2 years ago. I am disgusted but there is nothing we can do as they are no longer in trading. Roll on Spring - I saw some crocus's today - we are so high up here the snowdrops are just appearing! I am giving two lectures this week, Ripon on Friday and Harrogate on Monday - both on The Book of Caris. We are giving a full performance on Friday 22nd March at The Rainhall Centre in Barnoldswick. I shall leave you with a quote: "Caris told Jaques many things and told Jaques of the spririt of the wind who played music through the trees and the spririt of the earth and how the earth could feel pain when man cut into it for his greed and how it would shake like a dog shifting to get comfortable again and that mankind would know of this shifting."

Friday 22 February 2013

Wuthering ...

We have had no heating for a week and it is so cold. To make matters worse we had just decided to strip and renovate the sitting room - where the wood burning stove is! It all started just over 3 weeks ago when I walked through the sitting room and heard a noise. Next second the ceiling came down on top of me. I ran (the wrong way as it happens) and it followed me, knocking the cornice from the top of the old bacon cupboard which also hit me on the head. We had a plasterer do the whole ceiling and we started stripping the old wallpaper off. As we did huge chunks of plaster fell off the chimney breast so Dave had to plasterboard it and re-plaster that! Just as we got back to basics again the boiler broke. We have lit the stove and it has 4 radiators connected to it but it barely makes a difference. It is now snowing outside! The good news is that the engineer has just rung to say we are his next job today. Fingers crossed that it is easy to fix ... I am giving lectures in Harrogate and Ripon this week on my husband's book 'The Book of Caris' and its music. It starts 2,000 years ago in Aethiopia and the story and music travels across to Britannia. The history is fascinating, the story beautiful, the words Eternal and the music (which reflects the differing styles) gorgeous. Now too cold to type!

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Of Love and Harp Music

I am playing at a Valentine Dinner at SCARTOP RESTAURANT - starts at 7 for 7.30 I shall be playing background music throughout the 3 course meal and then will give a presentation on 'Love' with music afterwards. Tickets are available from Mark of Maxine on 0744 950 9423

Monday 4 February 2013

Old Year's Night

I mentioned the title today and the reception was surprising. No-one had heard the expression for years apparantly! The reason for my mention was a sad one. We lost Flossy the donkey. She was only 6 but Dave rescued her and the vets wanted to put her out of her suffering straight away. He had to persuade them to keep her alive. She was expecting and gave birth to a very healthy jet black male donkey who we call Dodge. She fed him and looked after him and did a splendid job. He pined terribly for a while and we looked for another donkey but in the end circumstances put us in touch with a pigmy goat called Dennis. He was visibly terrified at first when we introduced them but Dodge was so gentle with him. Dennis has his own corner to hide away in the stable when they are inside and Dodge looks and steps so carefully so as not to harm him by mistake. They are now inseparable and run around eachother when they are in the field. They even share a bucket of food. It happenned by mistake at first and we worried that Dennis wouldn't get enough food. He is very smart however - Dodge is the perfect gentleman and takes some food and then gives Dennis a chance. Not so Dennis. Once he sticks his head in the bucket his horns reach up the rim and Dodge looks on bemused as he lowers his head and gets his nose pricked!