A Year in Books

Well here I am late again, I'm so sorry, but stuff has been happening. Some good stuff, certainly, but on the not so good side, my mum fell in the garden last Tuesday and fractured her neck of femur. She has had a partial hip replacement and physically is doing quite well. However, she is quite confused - much more so than usual, and I can't see us managing to get her back to her own little home again. It is very sad. I know there are packages of care, and we did actually have a pretty good system going between us, but I am so worried now about her being on her own at night. And to be honest, at the moment, she is a bit perplexed in time and space I think even during the day she would need someone with her constantly. We are waiting now to hear which unit she will be sent to for 're-hab', as our local hospital which has a purpose built wing for the elderly and re-hab, now apparently does not DO rehab. So it will be Downham Market, Swaffham or Fakenham.

Garden looking good - cheerful cowslips and primroses

In the meantime, I, who have not had so much as a head cold for nearly two years, - that's how retirement form the NHS improves your health! - has caught a head cold after two visits to the hospital, and now have exacerbation of asthma and a developing bronchitis. Nice. So, on antibiotics and steroids just when I could really NOT be doing with them!

My lovely Burwell Fiddle Class friend Debs

All of which, in-between hospital and surgery visits, leaves me plenty of time to read! I also managed a trip to my Burwell friend Deb's home in Godmanchester last Friday. She rang me to say our fiddle turor from the Burwell Bash, Jock Tildsley, was appearing with his band The New Rope String Band in Huntingdon, would I like to stay at hers and we could all go together? It was JUST what I needed. It was a hilarious gig, and afterwards another couple of Burwell Bashers came back to  Debs and also Jock came and parked his motor home on her drive for the night. We played very silly musical games as there were at least three fiddles, my melodeon, some boom-whackers, and a theorim which I have probably spelled incorrectly. It is a very strange instrument which makes weird sounds but you can play a scale and make a tune if you are clever. We weren't. A really lovely break, and great to see Jock and others who I usually only see once a year.

The New Rope String Band- minus Jock's wife Vera, at home with the children!

Jock, sorry about the terrible quality, I was too far away for a good shot.

Now then, back to books. I continue to race through the Game of Thrones epic, now on the final Dragon book, the last he has written (so far!) However this was not my Year in Books book. That was the Elly Griffiths newest publication "The Outcast Dead" which sees Ruth Galloway back in Norfolk and solving another historical conundrum, whilst dealing with her unorthodox relationship with her young daughter's father. All very satisfying and interest-holding. I look forward to her next! And those of you who have told me you've been inspired to check out her earlier novels - do let me know how you are getting on with them.

For March I have chosen a book by a favourite author of mine - Sally Vickers. I simply adore her first novel, "Miss Garnet's Angel", cannot get into her second, "Instances of the Number 3", and I have "Mr Golightly's Holiday" waiting my attention one day. This new one is her sixth novel, called "The Cleaner of Chartres" and is about the mysterious and elusive Agnes Morel whose little acts of kindness around the cathedral city of Chartres touch the lives of many. Then her tragic past is exposed and life for her can never be the same. I have begun reading this book and I can say she has, for me, regained the lovely flowing prose and human interest I last found in Miss Garnet's Angel. More about this next month!

I have only found this one Snake's Head Fritillary so far this spring.

So happy reading, folks, and I hope you are suitably impressed by the lovely weather we - here at least - have been enjoying. I was actually considering sun-tan lotion this afternoon as I sat out enjoying the flowers and herbs in our garden . Keep it up, weather, I can stand lots more of this!!

Burwell Bash 2012

                                     Fiddle Class, Friday Concert. Moi resplendent in Turquoise!

Well now. This is a tricky post to get my head round. I have to be up front and say it has absolutely NOTHING to do with either textiles are art journaling.  But it is to do with music, and therefore  legitimate blog fodder, I'm sure you'll agree. But thanks for all the comments on the previous couple of posts, and I have answered them!

I think the easiest thing to do is just post the photos and try and remember what was going on in each one. I can't begin to express adequately the magic that is the annual Burwell Bash, when people turn up with their fiddles, flutes, whistles, guitars, and piano accordians for the tutored classes, but also sneaking in other illegitimate instruments such as melodeon (me), violas, mandolins, bouzoukis, broomstick basses, double basses, cellos, djembe, cymbals, trumpets, saxaphones, clarinets,.......correct me if I've missed any out! Suffice to say there is non-stop music going on. No tv, no radio, no newspapers...who would have time to read one?

 

                        Emily and Gina......ha,  Jude thought she was safely out of shot!

Anyway, the eager ones turned up on the Sunday, and right after supper a session got under way outside the lounge.

                                         About a quarter of the gathered musicians

                                                       I do believe that's me!

                      Session moved indoors about 11pm. Here are Sam and Yael.

                                              Jayne, Hattie and Debs. OH! And Mr Meloedeon!

Monday everyone else arrived and the course got under way. Burwell House look after us beautifully, the staff welcoming us back year after year, like old friends. I can't tell you how well the whole thing just moves smoothly on, we certainly aren't aware of the 'seams' though I'm sure behind the scenes there is furious paddling going on all the time.

                                  James, Mr Burwell House himself, manning the bar.

The Burwell Bash is organised by Stephen Bardwell (with help from his son Joe...a guitar student on the course.)

     Sorry,  not the best shot, but here is Stephen looking pensive at set-up time, Concert Night.

Jumping about a bit here, but trying to be chronological and explanatory at the same time - failing on both counts! The tutors for the Bash are as follows. Google them, as they are all incredible performers, talented and generous musicians who play solo, together, and with a plethora of other well-known musicans and bands.

                        This is Jock Tyldsley, fiddle tutor, who came to Burwell my first year.

Jock teaches Appalachian and Cajun fiddle tunes, and plays with the New Rope String Band, his lovely wife Vera van Heeringen, and numerous other folk, including Eliza Carthy, Dirk Powell, and erm.. Joan Baez. Jock has welded together a cohesive fiddle class, and tolerates our many quirkes and annoying habits...and random bowing styles (That'll be me, then.)

New to the fiddle class this year, Irish fiddle tutor Tola Custy, who arrived with his wild hair and fiddle, having had 6 hours sleep in 3 days...or was it 3 hours sleep in 6 days. Anyway, he settled right in.....

                                                    Tola's debut at Tutors' Concert.

Responsible for more than a few philosphical digressions during class, Tola never the less managed to impart some fab tunes, two of which I have in my head all day .

               Stephen presenting Brian with his birthday cake..made by the Burwell staff.

Brian Finnegan is probably the foremost flute and whistle player, anywhere,  ex of the band Flook, now with Kan, and corroborating with umpteen other musicians. As well as learning within our instrument classes, students are allocated to a 'mixed band' headed by a tutor. We have a handful of classes to prepare a couple (at least) of numbers to perform before the Tutors' Concert on Thursday night. The year I was in Brian's mixed band I was overcome by the beauty of the tune we learned. The arrangement was magical and I can still remember feeling quite emotional about the final rehearsal when it all came together. (FYI, Burwellties, it was a slow version of 'Joy' from Brian's cd. )

Assisting Brian is  Katherine  Mann who is surely one of the earliest Burwell-goers, from childhood. This year Katherine came accompanied by husband and baby.

Ed Boyd tutors the guitar class. Another ex member of Flook, Ed has played with bands and solo artists too numerous to mention; he's always in demand because his talent is widely sought after. Honestly you have to google these guys to understand just what top-notch tuition goes on here. The running joke at Burwell is Ed's iron - or lack of one!

Last but certainly not least, we have piano accordian tutor Sam Pirt. What can I say about Sam? Musically, I think, he's a genius. No, seriously, stand him in a room  with 50 or so music students on various instruments, no music, a tune off the top of his head, and within 20 minutes or so he will have us all having learned the tune, taken it apart, put it back together again and re-arranged in several variations. The end result is...mind blowing!  And it isn't prepared. I don't think Sam reads music. Anyone who can arrange a piece for five different instruments and 50 players, on the hoof, in 20 minutes, has to be pretty special, don't you think? We do. Every year I tell Sam I am getting speaking to his mum about the adoption papers!

                                                    Sam commanding the troops.

     Sorry, lousey shot,  Sam doing some foot percussion, which he usually does while playing.
The lap-top you can see there was enabling a link-up with Helen, a regular flute student who was unfortunately in California so unable to join us. We had her on skype for about 4 hours while she chatted to all of us and then she watched the concert!

Sam plays in so many bands I couldn't name them all. 422, and The Hut People are the ones I mostly know him from. He plays an eclectic variety of music, all of it hugely rhythmic and attention grabbing, particularly the south American Foro and Poro tunes. This year Iwas in Sam's Mixed Band  (Next year again, please, Stephen!) and we did two cracking numbers. Truth to tell, I was torn by wanting to buy a piano-accordian just so I could play the sort of music Sam plays. Not that I would leave the fiddle class  ; )   ! Oh, so tempted.  But I think I will continue with my melodeon, which I do love.

Ok, I am slowly losing the will to live here, going back and forth between photos, so just a few more general shots.

                         John, married to Jude, and all-round good egg and stalwart regular.

                                  Eddie, piano-accordianist, saxophonist, and BBC sound man.

   Sam and Thelma.........don't ask! I think she looks as if she's been knocked out and is going down for the count!

Ellie is another student who has been coming to Burwell since babyhood. Here she is doing a guest spot with her band Kiss The Mistress..unfortunately I couldn't squeeze John on bhodran into the shot, but he was dead good! Their set was absolutely brilliant.

                                                                   Clive and Debs

                                             Damien and Nicolas...The French Connection

                       Martina from Vienna, and behind, Caroline, from a bit nearer!

               It's a brave Frenchman who proudly sports the Union Flag on his chest! Damien.

                                                                Jock and Emma

                               Jenny and Sam. Jenny and Emma are sisters with Katherine (tutor)

Well, do you know, I think that's your lot. Normal service will be resumed next post! Sorry my plan to explain more about the course fell by the wayside, as I'm in a hurry to get this out. However, I think the photos speak for themselves. To fill yourself in, google Burwell Bash and have a read, also you'll find most of the tutors on youtube, somewhere! Now I'm going to lie down in a darkened room! Catch you next time.