Fishing line but no fish

I am taking a break. It has just taken 3 hrs and 40 minutes to get the first 42 strings on. (another 80 to go - arghhhh!!) I had to take most of the pegs off another harp (which is second in line to be repaired). I use fishing line - not because I am a 'skin-flint' but because my harps are designed to sound different and to do this I have altered the lengths of the strings. All mathematics. When I asked the string manufacturers for quotes to buy rolls they wouldn't let me have them - only pre-cut lengths available. Huh!! Eventually a fellow musician who owned a fishing supplies wholesale company let me have every guage he had in stock!

Another problem I had was that I have to use harpsichord pegs to hold the strings onto the harp. To get more than one set of strings on the top (head) of the harp you have to be pretty organised - there isn't much room! The harpishord pegs have a standard width of hole in the end to thread the wire string through before you start winding it on and tightening it. The hole is much too small for the first octave of nylon strings. Solution ... to hammer the end of the string flat on an old shoe last and carefully cut a thin sliver off so it fits through!

As I write this the air is acrid because a local mill burnt down yesterday in Haworth, also Dave is outside spraying the first coat onto Dav-Al. Be patient Dave!!! He is so excited to see the finished result he worked till midnight in the barn the other night... (but I can't wait either!).

At Burnley Community Festival next Sunday - Queen's Park

chicken rescue at midnight

In the corner of our field by the wood all overgrown with nettles is an old caravan. It has been taken over by chickens and last night Dave was locking them in when he heard a sound. Sadly, a dying hen - maybe a fox attack or mink. He was about to come back in when he heard a tiny squeak and out from under the caravan rolled a chick.

It took 2 car jacks, an awful lot of nettle stings and a neighbour's help but eventually he passed out the chicks and then the eggs and I rushed back to the house. The eggs were cold and one of the chicks had 'done the splits' and wasn't moving much.

I stuck the box into the oven of the Rayburn - (and left the door open!) Found the incubator and turned it on in the living room. It took about an hour to heat up and all the time I had to monitor the oven temperature by leaving the door wide open or closing it slightly again ... but ... amazingly all the chicks were soon jumping around and cheeping loudly and the eggs were 'chipping'. This morning we have 9 beautiful bouncing fluffy chicks and one egg still to hatch - a 'blooming miracle'!!!

Thank you so much for the 'comment' - so funny and thanks to Circus Envy for the mention on yr blog - all the best to you all