Tuesday 27 September 2011

donkeys ...

We were sat in the dining room having tea when there was a sort of shuffling noise coming from pantry, followed by a huge crash. I jumped up just in time to see the back-ends of two donkeys disappearing round the corner. Flossy is a silver-coloured adult and her foal is jet black with a ginger winter coat just coming through. He started off with a few grand names to choose from but ended up as 'Dodge' - you can guess why. He has a white belly, eyes and muzzle. His knees look far too big and his hooves look far too little. He can gallop round the field at a fair pace and puts on a good bucking display for any passerby.

Of harps ... I am very busy - which is good but it does mean a gap in the blogs. I am also re-stringing Ang-Al (Angel) to try and get more tone. It is going well but the harp is at the stage where it sounds awful! I am well past the point of no return so shall have to keep going! That means another 20 or so strings, all hand-wrapped. I am sure I could adapt the drill but it would take a bit of time and I shall see if the tone is right first. If the harp is improved I have another 3 to string!

Monday 19 September 2011

turkeys

This time last night I was chasing a turkey through the woods! I went to lock them in and the male stag was missing. I had left it late and it was pretty dark. Just to the back of the turkey pen is a wood with a sharp drop to a goit and 10' tall waterfall. It is waist deep in nettles and thistles. I heard a rustle and of course it was somewhere in the undergrowth. It broke cover and I chased it towards the pen but it couldn't fathom how to get through the gatehole. A couple of owls had heard the commotion and were circling overhead calling out and the waterfall was 'fair-drumming' because of all the rain we've had.

This bird is huge and quite scarey. I am very cautious when I approach with feed. Turkeys have red necks and faces and when they get frightened or nervous they go paler until they are a deathly greeny-white. They also fluff up their feathers so they look twice as big. At this stage they will attack.

I didn't realise until last night that they were also luminous. This turkey was frightened and everytime it broke cover you could see its head and neck glowing white in the dark! I spent about quarter of an hour running round in circles and wading through the nettles until I gave up, went back to the house and asked Dave to come and help! I cornered it and he grabbed its neck and hung on tight. It flapped and screeched and it took all his strength to keep hold of it and put it back in its shed.

Saturday Night's concert at Fairweather Green - A full house and it was lovely to get a thank you email first thing the next morning. Dave's son liked Eddie Lawler's songs and has not stopped singing since!

Wednesday 14 September 2011

buck-oo-up-oo breakfasts

We are in need of one right now!

Too many people off-loading their problems/messes onto us but less of that and here is today's 'dream'.

The best time of the day (according to my Dad) was early morning. We would set off, sometimes on push-bikes or me pillion on his motorbike, but mostly in his 1934 Lagonda. We'd end up in some wild deserted place not far from home and set up a camp fire. We took frying pan, sausages, bread, teabags etc and the all-important brown sauce. We'd watch the sun come up and if it rained (which it usually did) we would find a bridge or ruined barn. He refused to put the roof up on his car and me and my sister would hide under the toneau cover to escape hail, snow and rain.

There was one hill we loved to go up - out of Summerbridge towards Brimham Rocks. It is very steep and narrow and overhung with trees all the way up with lots of bends. He let the Lagonda back-fire all the way up whilst we shrieked and screamed kneeling up, facing backwards watching the flames come out of the exhaust.

Well, I must away and carry on. In a rare break I replaced a couple of broken strings on Ang-Al (Angel) - all set for Saturday at Fairweather Green.

Friday 9 September 2011

The bhb and problems with legs

I have a gig every day this week so I am quite proud that I have actually made it to the computer at all! Today's wedding involves negotiating roadworks of a major scale. I have been warned to expect nearly half an hour of detours! That's a major part of the Dales!!! I shall enjoy the scenery and have Buffy StMarie cd ready. Dave was going to come with me but the added time would prove too much so I have made a pile of sandwiches and pizzas to heat up!

I have finally sorted out legs for my 3/4 size harp! This 'small' and lightweight harp has taken the longest and proved the most difficult of all my projects. I ended up sat on a wooden box at Saltaire Bandstand last week - and still have the bruises to prove it alas. At the wedding the day before I sat on a fold-up fishing stool - OUCH! Same problem!!! Well I finally had the time to attach screw-on legs yesterday.

The bhb in the title refers to a car. A long conversation with my son last weekend (they are only long if cars are the subject!) revealed his latest project. He has a very important engine in his garage right now that needs fixing. I remember seeing this on tv a while back. Bhb stands for Basil Henry(?) Davenport who raced this car on Brighton beach past crowds of spectators in the 20s and the engine blew up narrowly missing everyone. Anyway the cylinder barrel blew up at Harewood a few weeks back and needs fixing. I gather this chap only made a few racing cars - Spider being one of them. Fantastic cars.

Well I shall be back next week. It's the Woodland Festival at Townley Hall, Burnley this Sunday - I have always enjoyed the diversity of this event - you get sculptors with chainsaws in the woods, the Sealed Knot on the front lawn, crafts and demonstrations ... and me of course!