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?

soggy moggy

We have a very 'festive' stable here - really! Donkeys, dogs and puppies, guinea pigs, rabbits and hampsters! We have so many because my daughter has brought her pets with her for Christmas and the dog had pups last night! Our kitten, Stix, is very curious about it all and has to check each food bowl and bucket. He got in the way yesterday and was shooed away. He decided to jump onto a down pipe to get a better view. It fell off straight into the water butt. As the down pipe disappeared into the water Stix was frantically trying to climb up the pipe. Even his tail was spinning to try and gain bouancy. Luckily I was watching from not-too-far-away and ran ... I caught him just before he disappeared under the water!

This is a very special Christmas for Dave and Jack. The first thing Jack did when he came into the house was to check out all the fireplaces to see which one Santa would come down! He had his 7th birthday last week so the excitement is high. We have a house full but luckily one of my Christmas presents was a huge ham from Mum. It has already nearly gone! Stix is continually trying to sneak a taste but has been foiled on every attempt so far ...

We called in at The Barearts in Todmorden on Thursday and I am thrilled to say that Cathy has agreed to paint one of my harps. It was made for me using old oak and mahogany but don't worry! - the soundbox is made out of less-exotic wood and this is what will be painted - more on this soon!

Well all to say is to wish you all a very Peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year.
I am at The Square Chapel on Friday 20th January - 8 pm.

magnets and daisywheels

I am in big 'trouble' ...!!! In an attempt to get Dave organised I clipped wads of papers together for him. These clips had magnets on the back and I stuck them on the side of the computer. They have been there for a few weeks. Strange things started happenning to the computer and I 'helpfully' suggested at one point that a poltergeist was playing tricks. Dave has been tearing his hair out trying to fathom out what was going wrong with the computer. I have hardly been on (as you may have noticed).

It finally dawned on Dave and he couldn't actually believe I didn't know about computers and magnets ... nope ... I have never had any computer lessons alas.

The first day at my very first job was spent on 'Yorkshire's first and only daisywheel word processor' - according to my very first 'Boss'. I was stuck in the converted attic of an old Georgian house with no windows and a long very boring report to type. I started with a Beethoven Sonata (The Walstein) and it coped very well. I thought I had come up with a solution to boredom so tried some Gershwin. Not Rhapsody in Blue but Prelude in F ... I got to the last movement and the carriage shot off across the room about 10 feet. I wasn't looking because the flames coming out of the centre of the word processor were threatening to singe my hair.

I never dared to admit what I was actually doing and the IBM Engineer quized me very puzzled as he surveyed the burnt out machine ...

(Don't tell my Boss please.)