Long time no Blog!!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a while since managed to post any news on the blog and the truth is that we have been extrememly busy following all the rain on the farm we had to put in new drains and also move the Turkeys. All have been moved now and done I have tried to post the odd comment or two on our facebook page which can be found by looking up Fiona Katie Roberts on the site. We have continued to promote "The Book of Caris" and I am pleased to say that Dave has made a good start on his new book which i am told is about Anon Following a trip to Rome in October , we have taken inspiration from the box makers in Sorrento and Dave commissioned some wood inlays for a super harp which the construction has started on more news later

For one night only !!!!!!!

This Post is by Dave For one night only Fiona Katie wil be perforning this evening at Gargrave Church . The concert is extra special as she wil be sharing the concert with none other than Mark Hamer also a Harp Player. Two very different styles of playing , two very different styles of Music whilst we were up at Rossendale last night doing a one of session I heard a Woman saying that she had enjoyed the evening and especially the contrast between the two So if you are free this evening , and want to see something which is extremely rare then get yourself up to Gargrave Church you wil be most welcome There is a entrance fee and I believe it is £7 per person if it is the same as last night but it is a treat you wil enjoy I can assure you of that. Even I enjoyed it and I hear harps all th time !!! Sorry in my excitement I forgot to take pictures for you I wil try and remember tonight if you cant come Dave..

Caught reading the magazines

I was just flicking through all the scandal rags at Morrisons at Illingworth the other day when a man approached and asked if I was 'the' Fiona-Katie Roberts. Oh yeah!!! (That's a first, by the way). Both my husband, Dave, and I thought he was going to tell us off for not buying the magazines! The news on the farm is good - we finally caught the missing hen chick whilst it was dozing the other night so it is now back with mum and its siblings. The Swifts have all fledged and the farmyard is full of them swooping low nearly catching our heads. Next week I have two concerts in North Yorkshire with another harper, Mark Harmer. We start at Rosedale Church on Friday 17th August at 7 pm and the following night we are at Gargrave Church (Saturday l8th August, also at 7 pm).

Swifts and Amazons

Stix's whole life is an adventure. He has taken to coming for a walk when we take the dogs out. He follows at a safe distance on the wall tops, crossing the roads and taking time out to check out trees. However, this week he has positioned himself in the medieval barn archway where the swifts are about to fledge. The mum and dad 'dive-bombed' him consistently until tragedy happenned. Stix leapt a mighty olympic 10 foot into the air and grabbed one of the parents. He got lucky so the fleglings have only one parent left to feed them. This Spring they lost all their chicks because their mud nest fell off the underside of the beams. We found it hanging with one egg left in and propped it with a piece of 3 by 2 but they started again. My escapee hen chick is still living rough. She feeds with the big hens during the day but goes back to her old coop at night. I have tried in vain to trap her and put her back with her siblings but she is very wick, running off at the slightest noise! I have a series of concerts coming up with another celtic harper - all taking place in North Yorkshire - details to follow (when I have them myself!!) The 'Nudey Lady' sounds fantastic amped up and is returning 'home' to the Barearts soon - watch this space!

Exchange Arts Sunday 29th July

Our cat, Stix, is having a bad week of it ... He is locked in the stable for the night again! Earlier this week I opened the hen coop to feed the chicks and one flew out. The only way it would survive the night was to lock Stix up - he is tiny for a cat but don't be fooled - he is definitely related to tiger! I get quite upset at his daily dead offerings on the door mat but he does catch moles as well which helps the hay fields tremendously. Anyway I caught the single chick and tonight two chicks flew out as I was trying to catch them and transfer them to the hen run. Stix is back in the stable for the night and first thing tomorrow I shall endeavour to catch the two chicks. The Nudey Lady Harp and I are in concert on Sunday night at Exchange Arts in Keighley - 7 pm. Tel 01535 661591 for tickets. This will be the full version of THE BOOK OF CARIS - words and music by David Widdop - fascinating true story set 2,000 years ago. Reviews so far ... 'fabulous'; 'sublime'; 'enchanting'.

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.