I've missed Belfagan 2 weeks running - though admittedly one of those days I stayed at home because I had a bad cold. I've been working most evenings, and getting jobs finished that have been hiding in dark corners, sobbing, wondering when I'd notice them. It's awful! I've more or less got to the end of the queue of chairs to be reseated, and I've been putting money in the bank, too! Give me another week or two of this and my bookkeeping will be up to date, for the first time ever since I started being self-employed.
Of course, this will only happen if I can keep it up. And I'm not properly organised yet, as I haven't managed to fit a regular dog-walk in to all this busyness (just as well Steve takes them), and the house still looks like a bomb has hit it. There's still a lot of deck-clearing to do.
MUSIC (1) - los Huevos Bandidos
Last Saturday at this time I was at the Kirkgate watching Steve's illustrious band, Los Huevos Bandidos, doing their first gig of 2008. One of their best for a long time, it was, and after much angst about the lack of a percussionist, they ended up with 2 Andys. Andy1, the Original Andy, who has in fact left the band, came back for the night and played his congas, bongos and other latin percussion, while Andy2, the New Andy, was there with his drum kit. He seems to be fitting in well, so long may he stay.
The local salsa dance class turned up, as usual, and for the first time included several quite young children, who danced happily and confidently, though it was the expert adults, as always, who stole the show.The Kirkgate had put on food with a vaguely Tex-Mex bias, perhaps thinking, erroneously, that there was some connection between Mexico and Afro-Cuban jazz. (There isn't. Well, apart from the use of Spanish, I suppose. But that's like serving up Aussie beer at Glyndebourne just because the English language is spoken in both countries.) Anyway, despite the mismatch, the food went down a storm, so well, in fact, that most of the audience went on strike after the interval and refused to come back upstairs until they'd eaten their fill, despite the band being ready to start playing again.
Well, who cares? The main thing is that the audience enjoyed themselves and got their money's worth. The place was full. Everyone was happy. Well, apart from Peter, who tends to panic a bit if shows overrun at the end, but there's no pleasing him, really . . .
MUSIC (2) - Piping Hot
Piping Hot are now practising for our Georgian Fair gig, though it's beginning to look like we'll be very lucky if we all manage to get together at the same practice even once before the concert.
We're doing three Dowland pieces from our back catalogue, some Playford sets that we did at the Playford ball two years ago, an arrangement for recorders of Mozart's Horn Concerto No.3 (KV 447), Brian Bonsor's Serenata and a piece by JC Bach whose name I've forgotten as I haven't actually got a copy of the music yet.
Doesn't sound much? Well, it's not. It's just a sort of mini-gig. Most of the musical groups in the Cockermouth area are getting half an hour to put on a performance, one after the other, and this is our half hour.
The trouble is that it's coinciding with Belfagan's Day of Dance, which will be happening around Cockermouth all day. Bridget and I will have to slope off and play recorders for half an hour, and then back to the morris dancing. (Actually Bridget is so tied up with the Georgian Fair that I can't see how she'll manage to do much for Belfagan at all that day.) And to make matters worse, my Georgian (well, Tudor actually) corset doesn't fit properly since I lost weight, so I really ought to make a new one, but because of being BUSYBUSYBUSY (see above) I haven't got time.
Just as well I'm putting "Practice recorder music" on my list every day, mixed in with work reminders!
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