My new computer

YES - thank you Dave for my new computer. I shall now have no excuse for writing this blog. To catch up ... my new harp The Nudey Lady is a beautiful harp but puzzling us somewhat. We think the newly-designed 'spine' to hold the soundboards together is soaking up too much sound. It amps up well though. On the Farm, I struggled to get any hen chicks to hatch earlier this year so imagine how thrilled I was to spot a hen appearing out of the woods with 10 chicks behind her. She had survived the foxes and hidden away. Apparantly she would have laid an egg a day and covered them up until she had 10. Fertility only lasts 10 days so I am amazed that she could apprantly count as well! My next concert is at The Arts Centre on Russell Street in Keighley on Sunday 29th July. It will be the full version of The Book of Caris - the story of 'Jaques', born, Prince of Noab (Aethiopia) 2,000 years ago, who is guided by the Angel Caris. It all starts with the harp commissioned by King Noab to soothe his son to sleep ...

Covered in Midges

Just before all the rains came we decided to move the turkey and hen pens behind the wood. All night long the turkeys would warble in answer to any owls or at eachother ... it drove us mad and we got no sleep! They are all safely behind the wood away from the house but it does mean I have to go through the wood to feed them and collect the eggs. Today was the first day it was sunny but as I hacked a path through the wood this evening I was literally attacked by thousands of midges! I was covered black - yuck!!! At least the rain washed them off... (not that I'm saying we want more rain!!!!) I have two forthcoming concerts to advertise. The first at East Morton Institute is with Bard of Saltaire, Eddie Lawler. It is all thanks to Eddie's song about Harry Ramsden's closing that a restaurant chain has bought it and it will stay as a fish and chip shop apparantly! It starts at 7.30 pm on FRIDAY 29TH JUNE. Tickets from Rhona on 07777 63 73 63. They have a bar. The second is pure Book of Caris music - its fabulous. We start 2,000 years ago in Ethiopia and travel to Britannia through Egypt and Germania ... It is at the new Arts Centre on Russell Street in Keighley on Sunday 30th July - MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

The nudey lady

Well - no news because I have been tuning the harp flat-out. I played it yesterday for the very first time. Of course the Law of Sod applied. The event was a big garden party in Baildon. Lots of stalls and music outside. The Council had decided to dig the road up so we had a huge JCB to compete with and the noise of the bunting flapping in the wind was like being on a tall ship! The new harp rose above it all and we 'rocked'! Strangely most people missed the fact that there was a nude lady painted on the front of the harp ... They commented on the colours and the flowers and I overheard a few amused comments as they sat and drank their drinks and suddenly realised. My 7 year old pupil, Billie, thinks I should paint her some clothes on though ...

fascinating ... stresses (yes, really!)

I have made it to the half way point on the harp! This is where the stresses really start to build up and this harp has a very different way of holding the two soundboards together. None of us are really sure if it's going to work! The 'inventor' is engineer, Philip Burnley, who came up with a wooden 'spine' to hold the two soundboards but also to give huge strength. Usually though, if you need strength, you lose the elasticity or resonance so it was a bit of a risk. Nevertheless, it beats my 'papermache' using bandage and wood glue! So far the front hasn't moved a millimetre, but the back has 'rounded' ever so slightly ... watch this space!

painfully slow progress

I've been here before! Yes - putting 128 strings onto a harp takes time. I have done about an octave and a half on each side but am so busy doing other things I am only managing 2 strings a day some days alas. I really need this harp for performances as my large silver harp was only supposed to be a prototype! I have 8 turkey chicks which hatched a week ago and an incubator full of eggs ready to hatch in a couple of weeks. I only have a pair of adult birds and the female lays 2 eggs every 3 days so its slow going! I bought some eggs last year but they turned out to be useless so better slow and productive I thought. At least our eggs are 100% fertile. I am also looking after a small puppy. She was very vulnerable at first but she has turned the corner and is at last putting on weight and is very playful. I have been chased round the field by Dodge the donkey (born last June). He is incredibly strong and with Spring in the air got very feisty! We want him to be a companion to his mum, Flossy, so the vet came up last week and did 'the deed'! I am waiting for him to calm down! I am told 6-8 weeks. Until then I creep up to the hen shed running from tree to tree out of sight. The danger comes when I go into the turkey pen... Firstly I have a huge stag to contend with. Just throw him food I hear you say ... not so simple ... he will only eat from the feeder for some reason. This means I have to get the food into the old caravan before he gets there! Occasionally he is waiting, hissing and spitting, by the door and I have to go back later. This is Dodge's cue and he is usually waiting in the wood for me to come out gingerly! I usually dodge Dodge through the trees and leap over the wall onto the footpath and come back to the Farm that way! I am just told that I am playing in Keighley at the Artistic Off-License in the next couple of weeks - I will keep you informed!

a moment in time

I borrowed the title from my husband's book but I also noticed it on a poster today advertising a lecture in discovering local history ... Yesterday me and Dave voted. We walked out of the farmyard, through the 'kissing gate', along the side of a field on a very muddy footpath (actually more like a stream bed after all the rain has washed the top soil off) and turned left out of the snicket onto the track which led to Marsh Chapel. The last few times the officials have placed a portoloo onto the pavement by the side of the Chapel, next to that is the sign 'polling station' and you go into the kitchen. The first thing we heard was the organist practising ... Then you go through another door into a back room with an old electric fire on. There was a chap sat sorting out all the voting papers and squeezed into the corner were the two put-up booths. We were looking for the box to put our votes in and then realised the lady waiting had put her stick on top of it. We edged past her, she politely smiled, apologised, removed her stick and we voted and made our way through the kitchen still humming the hymn. Last summer I spotted two friends of mine strolling through Todmorden as I drove through after a wedding. Trevor wore a linen suit, straw boater and walking cane; Cathy had a huge sunhat covered in flowers. I asked them if they had been to a wedding. No, they replied, they were going to vote ... The Book of Caris, from which I borrowed the title of this blog (in the book it is where Titus sees Hadrian's Wall for the first time) is for sale - and being bought, I hasten to add! Email us if you're interested: info@tripleharps.com

concerts

This is my poster for a forthcoming concert more details of other concerts coming soon