In between times

it's been a weird time; last time I wrote, I'd stopped being ill, but in fact had come down with a sinus infection, which made my teeth throb, and a chest infection.
So much better now. Had a great time back in Brentford twice in the last week or so, realise how much I've been missing all my friends. The first occasion Sunday lunch at the Brewery Tap. I had never been there before, but it was a really relaxed place. About 16 of us went. The occasion was that Mary, Graham and Bekkah were there. These are our good friends who emigrated to New Zealand about two years ago. It was good to catch up, also to see Ali, Darren, Barney and Kate and for Jake to be with some of his friends.
Well, lunch was a fiver and a bargain. A huge plate of delicious roast meat with veg and gravy. A far cry from the Sunday lunches we've sampled in the Putney eateries. The atmosphere in the pub very relaxed and uncliquey, a very nice way to spend the afternoon. We went back to Ali's to collapse and digest, and to force down a little cheese and wine later on.

The second visit was to Phil and Tracey's on Friday. A true gathering of the yummy mummies, and very nice too, fuelled by tequila sunrises. Very nice to have Ali there, and without Darren, so lots of socialising all round. Of course, the evening would not have been complete without a little sidle round to Ali's for cheese and wine a bit later.

Putney is a very different place.

Sunday in Putney

woke up with my mouth throbbing, as if I had abcesses in all my teeth at once...hopefully just a complication of the lurgy I've had. Forged ahead with the day - a busy morning while Jake spent time, and my money choosing a present in the music shop for his upcoming birthday...Then we went round to Rachel and Janine's for lunch. Such a relaxing time, reminded me of being a teenager in Putney wandering about the leafy streets from one friend's house to another. A delicious lunch featuring several of my favourite things. Tuna, cheese and wine. We then sat around on cushions smoking a shisha, which was fun, although I feel I may have shared my lurgy with everyone, too. Several games followed- ancient to modern. Rachel and I played backgammon, the others played games on the stupidly named Wii. It was a lovely day, and we are going to go round there again on Boxing Day. Hope it's a lovely wintry day for walking round there and back, we can nose into the windows all the lovely festively decorated Putney houses.

whirlwind

An exciting couple of weeks, not all good, not all bad...

Saw Katy, Donna and Penny on the 23rd, a sort of mini school reunion. Quite special, because they all came to say hello to Dad at one point or other during the afternoon. Katy in particular, had a lovely long chat to him, possibly one of his last long lucid chats before the recent madness started.
Anyway we had a great afternoon, Katy had to go back in the evening, so Donna and I met up with Penny at Dad's, and went to the Spotted Horse for dinner which was great. Phil and Robin, who was over from America for a few days joined us there. Later Penny, Donna and I went for a walk down by the river - it was very cold. Walked Penny back to near to Dad's, and then Donna and I stayed in a local hotel for the night. A blissful uninterrupted night of sleep, well approximately 5 hours by the time we'd stopped chatting and giggling and gone to sleep. Dad got iller recently and I got ill too. The third time since the end of August. I was so ill, I couldn't even go out to a folk thing at the Festival Hall on Tuesday. The biggest stress in the new Putney situation has been trying to get help from Wandsworth social services for my dad. It has been extremely difficult to get anywhere with them. Impossible to know what is available, and how to get it. When I have phoned to ask how the delivery of one or other promised service is progressing, I have been told it's up to me to chase it....It took one dedicated district nurse to pull out all the stops on Friday, and organise something in one day that social services have taken 3 months to sort out. Dianne, you are an angel. Anyway...Dad's in hospital now, and won't come home until everything's in place for him, so a result all round.
Very strange (and relaxing) being at Dad's flat without him in it.

Dublin Friday onwards

A brisk walk along the beach after a delicious breakfast at the Esplanade. Got to be the best hotel breakfast ever - help yourself to as much as you want of everything - only complaint, no mushrooms. Lovely bread and everything else.
Sean came to collect us and drive us back into Dublin, setting out things to do with Phil and us later. In the evening we went to their flat, so near to the Harcourt - an excellent night eating, drinking and singing- well, largely listening to Phil and Sean playing and singing. What could be better than live music in your own sitting room? Pom is so great and it was good to get to know her a bit more - very involved in setting up her own project, with Sean, I think, doing drama with drug addicts and teenagers, anyway that night there wasn't nearly enough time to sing all the songs we wanted to sing, and the night ended all too quickly. Plans for the Saturday included Phil doing some recording with Sean, and a bus ride around Dublin, meeting up with Sean and our nephew Chan in the evening. The only low spot was when I got moody about how we were going to organise our stay at Dad's when we got back home. That passed quickly as I couldn't maintain a grumpy state for long. Off Phil went to record, and Jake and I went for a walk, and we looked forward to the evening.
First we met Chan in the bar at the Harcourt; a long time since I had sat down to chat to him - he is renovating a house in the middle of nowhere on the road to Sligo - how wild and exciting is that?? he had a photo or two on his phone to show us; Sean arrived and off we went for something to eat. After the promise of a table in about an hour at a Japanese place, we found a table at an Italian restaurant, and after a wonderful meal (and wine) we went to a bar called Anseo, I think it means 'it's here'. Very impressed that Jake could stroll in without the big bouncers challenging him as to his age.
All too soon, it was time to go back to the hotel and try to sleep before our journey back. It was wierdly only just around the corner from Anseo, although it felt like we'd walked all over the place.
A lovely moment in the morning when Phil and I popped out to get a coffee while Jake was asleep and we walked back through St Stephen's Green, very romantic.

Dublin again

Ah, we've just come back from Dublin. I got the classic lurgy just as I started to relax, and felt pretty unwell for two days, but enjoyed myself immensely in spite of it all.
We checked into the Harcourt, oh yes, our home from home in Dublin, on Wednesday night, and as I went to reception to ask for something or other, the phone rang there and it was Sean! we arranged a couple of things for us all to do involving music, eating and drinking and went next door for food. Straight to bed dosed up with paracetamol, and off to Bray the next morning. A lovely ride out on the Dart past Black Rock and Dalkey, great evocative names and landscapes. We reach Bray and the Esplanade Hotel. We look at our rooms, and Jake immediately jealous of the sea view from our room, unfortunately I feel too unwell to enjoy it properly.
Bravely we decide to walk along the cliffs to Greystones. Stunning and precarious in parts. People coming in the opposite direction greet us warmly, some stop to chat. Phil tells me that he and the Cute Hoors used to walk that way after a gig in Bray, musical instruments, alcohol, darkness and all. I'm impressed.
A medicinal brandy later in the hotel bar later and I'm revived enough to force down some dinner. We had a lovely time at the Martello, reasonable, too. I went to bed really early and Phil and Jake stayed up to chat and have another drink in the bar. Felt much better on Friday morning, and ready for all that Dublin was to throw at me.

St Faith's barn dance, a doddle

As I had hoped, after Whitby ceilidhs etc, and the more recent rigours of Ealing Country Dance Club, it was a cinch at St Faiths. Brilliant live music, what a joy that is, and very easy dances. I couldn't believe that I could actually 'strip the willow' without too much stress. People were coming up t me and saying I seemed to know wht I was doing...what's happeneing! Must have been because I'd got into the 'this is easy' frame of mind! I feel almost ready for whatever Whitby throws at me next summer.

back up North

Well, I'm off again tomorrow, up to Scarborough, a special little in between fix of North Sea to keep me going 'til next Summer. It's the NAPO (probation staff union) agm, and I'm going with my friend Ann, and someone she knows better than I do, called Eleanor. It will be good on many levels. The journey up together, a day early, time to relax and be in Scarborough before the conference chaos begins...being by the wild North Sea, in my favourite season; crashing waves and frosty sunshine. Having a break from everything else, being back with my friends from the probation mothership, especially Ann. Oh, how we suffered together and how much she helped me through the training, particularly in talking sense into me when I nearly gave up! It will also be good not having to persuade and threaten the malingering teenager to school in the morning. it will be good not stressing about my dad and having a break from the dad rota, and...there will be dancing!!!! On Friday night there'll be a group teaching ceroc and jive, with a live band. I've packed my dancing shoes! Another live band plays on Saturday. It will be hard stopping myself jumping on a bus to Whitby while I'm there. Not forgetting lots of debate. I think particularly this year on the future of probation and the current state of a service originally designed to 'advise assist and befriend' offfenders in the hope that they wouldn't do it again!
It will be brilliant, but I'll miss home in its last few days before building chaos begins!

St Faith's barn dance

Off to a barn dance tonight. That will be weird after the quite intense but enjoyable nature of things at Whitby and at Ealing country dance club! hopefully will be relaxed and energetic. I'm in the mood for that tonight. I wonder if I'll find it easier than I used to after so much hard concentration in my dance activities over the past two months. Had a good time at the country dancing in Ealing on Monday. Each dance brings a new anxiety, and you have to concentrate really hard, but there were only two out of about eight dances that completely defeated me. The slow ones can be lovely, and at the end of Monday, I felt really proud of myself when the caller told me afterwards that I appeared to have a really understanding of the music, and moved really gracefully! That is definitely a first in my entire life, having been encouraged to abandon ballet at about eight years old due to lack of grace.
Anyway, tonight will be different, I can go back to my pre-Whitby ways of skipping about in an energetic and slightly clumsy way, bashing into people as I go..., not on purpose of course. Time to get my glad rags on.

Readers

Hello out there; I realise, by the power of google analytics that I have a steady stream of readers, dotted around the globe! who are you all? leave me a comment now and again, ask me questions, thanks for reading my blog...

The weekend's here

Oh how I love the weekend; as the week rolls by, I think this weekend, I'm going to really make the weekend really excellent and extract every last drop of life from it. A great start- just come back from tap, relaxing with 3/4 of my immediate family, glass of nice dry rose to hand - tomorrow's looking good, a visit to Putney to see Dad and just spend some time there, and have a nice time having lunch...where? decisions decisions.
A friend's birthday celebrations in the evening. A very yummy mummy of Brentford as it happens. Celebrating at Grounds coffee/wine bar in Brentford. Happy birthday yummy Jenny x
But what shall I wear?
Lots to look forward to, a work conference in Scarborough...aah, so close to Whitby. It will be very bracing by then, waves crashing against the sea wall, lovely crisp cold air. The following week, off to Dublin; here we come everybody, Sean (Dr Millar) and Phil might be doing some music together, it will be fantastic.

Facebook

Well, I'm on Facebook, too now. Great fun, and I'm sure to spend/waste many more hours on there. It seems a clever way of catching up with people, and I've yet to learn the knack of refining searches etc. It's nice and immediate though. Good thing they've blocked it at work though, otherwise no reports would get written.
Otherwise, went to a bellydancing class at Watermans arts centre today with Gerardine next door, and Sarah. All geared up for swirly hipped dancing, but it had been cancelled. Had a nice glass of wine and watched the river go by instead.

update

It's been a couple of weeks since I wrote, a bit of a whirlwind. Dad is getting frail and needs people around him a lot. This has had an upside in that my brothers have all rallied round to help. It's been weird and good. My three brothers are younger than me, and the only one I see with any regularity is my youngest brother, who lives in America. My next brother down is Barney of No Hit Records/Sounds that Swing - he lives in London and we may see each other once a year or so, and the middle one is Matt, the concert pianist, who I almost never saw. So strange seeing Barn and Matt, and looking for similarities and differences between me and them. So great to have a ready familiarity between us. Such a project to work on together, such complex arrangements. It takes all our energy, and work is just an unfocused blur at present, nothing getting done. Nice all meeting up in Putney together.
Phil and I made the pilgrimage to Pete Cooper again last week, and he said I could play something with Phil at his fiddle party at Cecil Sharp House at Christmasstime. Wow! Nervewracking. My new violin is very beautiful though and I am pushing myself to work hard at things I find difficult. It's very hard though, but will be worth it. If I look back to this time last year, or even December, and how I've moved on, there has clearly been some progress. A long way to go, but I may well be session-ready by the time we go to Whitby next year.

dancing in ealing

All returning to normal, went to tap on Friday, to be greeted by Rose in a t-shirt bearing the legend 'Rock'n Tinkabell', you may remember I called her a Rock 'n' Roll Tinkerbell in a previous post. Tap was great, so good to get back into it - the grown-ups might also be putting on a show, and I might take part...more nights to find time for though.
Decided a good thing, before Whitby next summer, might be to go to some folk/country damceclasses, or join a group ro something, so have discovered Ealing Country Dance Club. Wierdly this is also in Pitshanger LAne. Phil and I went last night, it was brilliant. Everyone was superfriendly, and tolerant and patient with us, there were no sour faces when we didn't do things properly, and we are learning to refine some of our moves. We knew it would be fun, but we had an even better time than we thought we would. One lovely moment was when we saw someone who had been at Whitby Folk Week; that was really special, seeing someone who had only caught glimpses of in the massive ceilidhs there, just locally in Pitshanger Lane. He is great and we had a lovely time talking to him. He goes to Pete Cooper's classes at Cecil Sharpe House sometimes. Our bus came just as we were really getting into our chat. Sadly these dances are on Monday night, clashing with the tap show rehearsals. Wow, I love dancing, it is so all encompassing and joyous. Particularly in a way when folk dancing is going well, and you are really with other people enjoying the music.

back from Whitby Folk Week

Well, we have returned from Whitby; all blogging ceased during Folk Week, because there was simply too much to do! Firstly, tried loads of violins for size and fell in love with the first one that Geraldine Stephenson got out of the back of her van. It's about 100 years old, and comes from France via the Shetlands; it's lovely and has transformed the sound I produce when I play. Then, it was ceilidhs and other assorted related dances every night 'til 1, and up at 8 to go to workshops! Phil and I managed not to annoy quite as many people with our dancing this year, I think we only got things badly wrong about three times, and that was also other people getting it wrong. I'm sorry to have to report there were still a couple of very sour faced people who crossed our paths once or twice during the week. What an amazing week though, and what a brilliant holiday. During folk week, the whole town becomes infused with folk music- all kinds of it, dancing is everywhere, some of it village green type morris dancing, and some more extreme like the Wytchmen- how I wish I got to see them and their exciting band more than just on the first night.
There was an Abba Ceilidh, with the classic tunes done ceilidh band style, and a band formed by Eliza Carthy for the occasion. Her dad Martin played the electric guitar for the occasion, all the band and the caller, Martyn Harvey dressed up 70s disco style. It was excellent, and Phil and I managed to join in quite a few dances without stuffing them up. It really is an incredible feeling dancing with about 500 other people, holding hands and swinging each other about. I'm going to avoid the polka in future though, it's dangerous, as the young people tend to charge about manically and I received a polka related injury when Phil and I, too, were charging about in a rather stupid way and collided with another couple; well, they were dancing crazily too and collided with us. I fell flat on my bum right in front of the band. The band Pete Cooper, my fiddle guru was playing in. Embarrassing as well as painful.
The last night was especially moving. They had a ceremony that we hadn't noticed last year to do with a 'heather garland.' It was brought in serenaded by the Goathland Plough Stots. Early in the evening, children were all encouraged to take a sprig of heather, and then later the adults. Before we took a sprig, everyone sang 'Will ye go Lassie Go'. It was very moving, probably about 5-600 people there, maybe more, all singing gently together. Lots of not very dry eyes in the house as a result. The heather is supposed to bring us back next year. I don't need heather for that, but took some anyway.

sockie meltdown

I'm sorry to have to report that sockies do not like washer/dryers. This year and last we have stayed in flats/houses in Whitby that have a washer /dryer. The temperature of the drying heat is too much for the poor sockie. Bits of molten sockie have been discovered embedded into other items of clothing. Lakeland take note.

nearly folk week

Well, it's Friday, and there has been a distinct shift in the type of tourist crowd milling about. We can observe this at leisure from our vantage point overlooking the harbour. The regatta is well and truly over and things are mellower. Folk week is about to begin. The menfolk (Phil and son) have gone on a three hour fishing trip. Geraldine Stephenson has rung to say she is here, with a couple of fiddles for me to look at- I feel sick with excitement and after I finish here, am going to see her to check them out!
I've browsed through the folk week programme- almost too much to choose from, and lots of things are on at the same time, or a long way from each other so there isn't enough time to get there. Went for a coffee with Phil at the Pavilion earlier and people were setting up PAs and stuff in readiness!
I'm amazed that son has really got into things now. He's gone from being really bored on Tuesday, to begging to come for two weeks again next year...oh if only our annual leave was more generous, we'd spend the whole summer here, bliss...will blog about Folk week in a day or two.

Blogging from Whitby

Here I am in the Coliseum again, what a useful place, a nice cafe, cinema, theatre and all round community resource. £1 for half an hour. Bargain. Although it was relaxing when we arrived on Saturday, it's really chilled out now, all the regatta crowds have gone, and there is a several day lull before the folkies arrive. Time for me to get some serious fiddle practice in, if I am going to be fit to participate in any way fiddle-wise. Son had a low half day yesterday, claiming to be bored....after sleeping for the drizzly afternoon, we went for a reviving meal at the Khyber, and he is restored to good humour, enjoying a late night 'creepy' walk with Phil and a lot of gazing at various views with us both today.
After seeing a few bods fishing on the jetty by the lifeboat house, he announced that he wished he'd brought his fishing rods to Whitby after all, and could we front him with the funds for another. We agree, as he will be able to while away a good few hours doing this, which will be particularly useful when Phil and I are doing various workshops etc during folk week. He even said it would be quite nice to live here, a concept that Phil and I toy with on a regular basis. Whitby is so great, but really a pain to get to, which probably enhances the feeling of 'away from it all' remoteness that I love. The return journey will take about seven and a half hours, but has the advantage of being only by train all the way (apart from Kings X to Waterloo).
Tonight we may go to The Magpie; Ingrid Flute gave me a £10 voucher to use in there, as I'd mentioned their agency on this blog. Am not snacking on anything until then, so that I'm good and hungry for that treat. And no, I'm not going to partake of their famed fish and chips, but something more interesting of their varied menu. Hopefully we'll get a table by the window, as I can't get enough of soaking in the many and various views available. Was speaking to Nick, who I think manages the Coliseum, and he said he had only moved here recently, and what had stopped him doing so previously was, as with Phil and I, the responsibility for an ageing relative, in his case, his mum. She had told him to go, but I can't imagine my dad saying that, also, visiting him is a pleasure, too. It gives us space as well, to think about what we will do when he's not around any more, as it will be quite an opportunity to look at change. Hey ho, more soon, back to the flat for that fiddle practice.

sockies at Donna's

The first day of the holidays we spent, as always, with Donna, Ken and Harriet. It was excellent as always. A constant round of eating, drinking and falling about laughing. For some reason, we talked about the pain of odd socks, and how to avoid them occurring, or we could've been discussing the Lakeland catalogue...whatever. I had to show them the miraculous creation that is the sockie, a little piece of plastic that looks like pince-nez which takes your pair of socks undivided from the washing basket to washing line, and home to the drawer again. Donna, ably assited by Harriet and her boyfriend Tom, cooked a nutritionally balanced meal of chicken fajitas, with plenty of veg. We added various other sayings to the understated praisings. Perfectly accetable, and adequate, made it to the collection. Phil has been ordered to complete his Billy Bunter/Biggles musical within the month-10th Sept, and e-mail it to Donna; quite right too, and we all tried to work out what superpower we would have, in readiness for Harriet's 18th in February. We got as far as Phil; he would be Sensitivo. We established this a bit earlier when we'd been discussing the series Heroes. No-one else could think of a superpower. Harriet's celebrations may now involve a night at the bingo, with us all dressed as fictional or real Londoners, maybe pearly kings and queens.
Later we got the fiddles and guitars out and Donna and I relived our teens by playing 'Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooley'; Jake Ken and Donna playing a mean guitar. The tv didn't go on once, we realised later, aren't we good.

here I am

Here I am in Whitby again; we arrived on Saturday afternoon, Monday today. SO relaxing; we knew our flat would be perfect and it is, thanks again Ingrid Flute. We're in a modern flat with a clear view of the harbour, the Grand Turk and Church St from the two big sitting room windows. We were starving when we arrived and went straight to the co-op and back to the flat to gorge ourselves on french bread, cheeses and other bits and pieces. Sat and tried to take in the view; almost too much. I'd been looking forward to this since leaving Whitby last year, and here we are again with the teeming intensity of the harbourside on Regatta week Saturday right smack bang in front of us! So brilliant. We went out for a walk to try and work up an appetite for our promised first night dinner at the Khyber, but even three hours later couldn't eat it all. We had a great time though, looking at the views from the Khyber windows, and drinking a lovely dry white wine and feeling very full.
Phil and I went for a walk along the beach towards Sandsend, and then up a zigzag to the cliff-top. Clean fresh air and uninterrupted views out to the North Sea. So magical. Son, who had been at the amusements with two quid, summoned us by the magic of mobile to meet him in the little cave- type aperture by the Khyber. He just wanted to stare and stare at the view; this from the boy who didn't want to come to Whitby yet again this year. When we got back to the flat, he stayed up later than us, staring out at the night-time harbour; more transfixing than the tv.
I've discovered the Coliseum-thanks to a poster on Whitby online - where the've got an internet cafe, so will be able to blog live from here every couple of days or so. Took me about half an hour to remember my blogspot username and password to begin with, but all ok now, phew!

almost there

Packing our cases, writing lists of what to remember- racking my brains to remember everything that needs to go on the lists. Have flicked through the programme for Whitby Folk Week, too much to choose from, but we're determined to get our money's worth after buying passes for the whole week. Can't wait to see Donna, and have nutritious, delicious dinner; gin and chocolate brownies for pudding, chat and laugh with her, Ken and Harriet; always a good start to our break. What will our flats be like in Whitby; a week by the harbour, another week up on the West Cliff. First night definitely dinner in the Khyber. Will try and blog from Whitby, but will be relying on internet cafes, otherwise no blogging until I'm back. Good old fashioned pen and paper will have to suffice...then will painstakingly transcribe it onto the mac upon my return. Will have to wait and see if my dancing and fiddling passed muster. Have a good Summer one and all; if the yummy mummies and daddies check in, hope wales was wonderful (and not too wet), let's all have a great summer!