Easter

Ok, so it didn't snow at Christmas. But snow at Easter?!Poor little tulips.
I braved the snow yesterday - it wasn't heavy but it was bloomin' cold - to go and see Nigel Havers in 2 one-act plays called Single Spies. The plays were average, but he was great.
Afterwards, I went to Marks and Spencers to get some vegies. The absolutely HUGE array of obscenely large Easter eggs in a large variety of shapes and flavours was almost sold out! The English certainly DO chocolate.
Thanks for all the texts from the National. It was lovely to hear from everyone.
Off to London tomorrow. Yippee.

Easter

Since 2001 I have gone down to Canberra every Easter for the National Folk Festival, to fiddle, eat, dance, eat, see brilliant concerts, eat, work at Beth and Mike's shop, eat, and see friends from all over Australia. THIS YEAR I WON'T BE THERE!
So to all the fiddlers and dancers and those who do both (yes, George and Davydd, we know you are stars and can do both at the same time) have a hobbit meal for me!
And to those going to Tassie or the beach or just hangin' around, have a lovely break.
I will be going to London on Monday to meet up with mum and dad - yippee! My Easter holidays will be spent in London, Newcastle and Northumbria, Belfast and Northern Ireland, Scotland and Paris. I will be working on my dissertation in between, but I guess I shouldn't complain...

Westside Story

It's been a busy week of peparation for Westside Story. Rehearsal with way too much sitting around waiting to begin etc. Yesterday we did two shows at The Baltic and both went very well. The Baltic is a gallery near The Sage on the Tyne river. Very nice views. There were police everywhere because the Conservative Party were having some do at The Sage. In fact The Sage was closed for three days; the undergrad folk classes were cancelled!
I was really tired when I finally arrived home at 1:30am, and today I didn't wake up until midday! I do feel much better for the sleep though.
And now it's holidays. Hurrah! So I'm off to the library to catch up on the work that didn't get done this term with all the paying in musicals...

Birthday

To celebrate my birthday, Maeva and I thought we'd go out for some light entertainment. We went to see 'Metamorphosis', which was fantastic and not nearly as depressing as I thought it would be. The 'jaw-dropping aerial physicality' really was! The stage was divided into two parts: downstairs, where the family mostly stayed, and upstairs, where the son/ insect lived. Upstairs used an interesting perspective, like you were looking down on top of the room, like looking into a shoebox. This meant that the son/ insect was often hanging from various objects giving the effect of 'sitting' on a chair or scurrying across the wall. It was truly outstanding.

I made mini pavlovas for a mini party. I even found fresh passionfruit to put on them to make them authenticly Australian. Maeva had NEVER had passionfruit before!!! She was impressed, and thought it tasted very tropical. (Ah, warm, sunny, golden-sand beaches. I do find myself lost in daydreams sometimes...)

I also attended a workshop on Baroque string playing which was very interesting. And I've just come home from an individual lesson with the tutor, Simon Jones, to get ideas on playing eighteenth century Scottish music. Interesting. I also played the same works for a masterclass on Wednesday, which went well I think. Definitely a lot to think about...

Thanks for the tip about the PTSS blog Penny. I really enjoyed hearing and reading about what everyone's up to, particularly Kirsty's exciting news.

And your remedy sounds fantastic Wilhelmina. Beware the mulled wine at the National - the scent wafts out as the sun sets and the temperature drops...

Reminiscing

March already! Time is just flying.
Wilhelmina, I love that poem you posted. My mum used to read it to me when I was little, and I wrote music for it when I was in high school. And it is just like that here.
I hope everyone's school, uni, work, dancing, music-making are all going well.
A quick plug for Bridget's band, Sunas, who are touring Tasmania next week, but will be back in Brisbane for St Patrick's day. You can google them for gig details.
The production of Westside Story which I'm playing in got postponed by one week due to the venue being double booked. Oops. I played this musical 20 years ago (there's a give-away!). Oh, it takes me back...