Byron's honeymoon

The things hotel's market! I have yet to 'google' this one but yesterday's wedding took place in the room where Byron had his first evening meal at the start of his honeymoon. The large plaque on the door actually states 'ill-fated' honeymoon! This fact apparantly inspired 4 brides yesterday. Nearly a disaster because I was setting up the harp when the next 'Groom' brought his flowers in and started taking the existing flowers out. The weddings were planned a mere half an hour apart - that's confidence for you!

Well, the harp survived the British high humidity thank goodness... The summer before last broke quite a few harps alas. I had a few phonecalls asking if they could borrow mine....answer 'yes - it has 4 sets of strings you know?' ... answer 'Oh my God, no' ...

Four weddings and a funeral

We swopped a walking stick for stringing a harp today. It turned out to be a much longer job than first thought alas (why do these things always do that?). When I heard that a man had down-loaded a design of harp from the internet I assumed that the 'mathematics' of the instrument had been included. Not so! A long process of measuring the harp and working out where the holes will be on the soundboard and head. Each string has to be parallel and exactly 15 mm from the centre. Usually the strings run parallel with the forepillar - this one had a curved one .... Eventually I worked out the guages and lengths for each string and gave it to the man. He went away and drilled all the holes but when he brought the harp back - guess what - he had lost the guage.... Almost back to square one with measuring again...

Anyway - job done and I can now move on. Next week I actually have 4 weddings and a funeral - for the second time in my career! One of the weddings will involve playing chinese harp and a spot of piano for a change.

Next gig - Bacup (see earlier post for details - tickets from me)

auditions and incubators

Usually when I don't write the blog its not that I have nothing to write about its just that I have no time to write it! Such is the case and I could run off a list of events here and now or continue to chat away about a couple of nice things...

Mac the sheepdog is bouncing around back to normal and had his stitches out. I packed the incubator full of eggs and hopefully in 3 week's time we shall have a load more pompom chicks, wyandottes and copper blacks to replace the others.

This morning I went to an audition - tipped off by my Mum (who has time to read newspapers).
It went well - I am thrilled because they all seemed to understand the hours of slog I have put into designing the harp - and the different music I can achieve - hurrah....watch this space. It sounded pretty positive but they will get back to me in about 2 weeks time. Who knows what might have happenned by then on this farm!

Next gig: The Wyrd of Stake Moss Festival - 29th May 2010 - tickets by invitation only - please get in touch!