Singing at a lights switch on

Our choir sang at the switch on of Christmas lights tonight. We sang for about twenty minutes and included traditional carols and other seasonal songs.

The only problem though was the traffic! It felt like hundreds of cars were on the way to the venue. Everyone was driving in the right hand lane as we had to turn right at a roundabout onto the venue. Our choir leader had a asked for designated parking, but was told there would be plenty of spaces. Unfortunately half the city seemed to be fighting for them!

We were dropped off while my friend went to find somewhere to park the car. We had to fight our way through a packed crowd to get to the stage, so when we had finished our set we decided to listen to a couple of songs from the next act, then get going. Unfortunately this meant walking to the far end of the site and climbing over a low fence. When we finally made it to the car all the vehicles around us were in a stationary queue. The cars were moving a foot or two every few minutes. I think we would still be there if a man controlling the traffic explained there was a back road off the site! It took us one and a quarter hours to drive 400 yards!

Despite the traffic chaos, I think we did a great job, we were well appreciated and I’m glad we did it.

A camera!

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found (and kept)?

We were cycling home on our tandem one summer evening, when suddenly we turned round in the road. I had no idea what was going on, it was a narrow country road and it surprised me.

We pulled up and my hubby started looking on the grass verge. There was a camera just lying there! We didn’t know what to do, so we took it home (we were in the middle of the countryside), with the idea of seeing if there was a film inside and getting it developed if there was. We would try and get it back to its owners somehow? This was about 30 or so years ago before we had the Internet, so there wasn’t much hope of finding its owners.

We sent the film off, but it came back blank, it must have been lost when someone put a new film in, maybe put it on top of a car and forgot to move it when they drove off.

I have to say I had forgotten all about it until I saw this prompt, and now I feel guilty for not reuniting it with it’s owners.

Old Orchids

Old orchids on the windowsill

Growing fitfully, they need repotting. I’m going to have to do it soon as the orchid medium is spent, but they have reflowered a few times. They need clear plastic pots to let light to the roots apparently. My worst habit is not keeping them misted so they are a little dry. I’ve got two more on the kitchen windowsill but I think it will be too cold in there in the winter so I will be moving them into the living room where it’s warmer..

Health

Age and health can go hand in hand, your body can start to get wear out. Things don’t work as well as they used to. My hubby hasn’t been well for a few days. He usually throws things off, but he’s not right at the moment. I’m not going to describe his symptoms and I’m not going to Dr Google to see what it says. I think a trip to the doctors is the right thing to do. Fingers crossed it’s a passing thing and it won’t be long till he’s better.

Variations

Using photodirector to alter my painting that I completed today. Photodirector can change the texture and shapes of my paintbrush strokes, adding uniformity and chaos at the same time, while I learn what I like, and which editing tool to use. I gave the original painting away. But at least I have a good photo…

Tired

I know I’m being hypervigilant, but after the robbery a couple of weeks ago my sleep patterns are really disrupted. I still haven’t gone back to bed upstairs, I feel like a security guard, watching for movements. I thought I saw someone running along the alleyway next to our garden tonight. It worried me and we went out to look.

In the meantime my hubby has been ill for a few days and I need to make sure he’s OK. I don’t know if he’s still shocked by the robbery and he’s worked hard to secure the boundary hedge. Yesterday we were putting in spikey plants. He’s getting on and he’s probably overdoing things. Life is a pain sometimes. I just want us to feel safe again.

Potting bench and moss

It’s wet under the trees, and the old bench that sits next to the kitchen gets damp. We don’t sit on it very often and it’s started to fall apart. I guess we should have varnished it when we got it. Maybe we should replace it with a metal one? Now it’s basically used for pots and potting on. The moss is getting rampant. The leaves need clearing up. Oh well, we live and learn.

Mystery singers

It’s coming up for Christmas and once again the Clay Chorus choir has transmogrified into the Mystery Singers.

We met last night for our second rehearsal and it was straight into various carols and wassails that we perform in a trip round Penkhulls’ pubs in a few weeks time.

We sang ‘while shepherd’s watched their flocks by night’ Cranbrook arrangement, ‘Good king Wenceslas’, ‘Sweet Chiming Bells’, and several other favourites.

Old friends come and add to the choir numbers. We sounded good last night. I hope we learn some new songs too x

Dawn French

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

I met the lovely Dawn French once, for about five seconds, she was giving out chocolate coins with her face embellished on them to graduates at the University she is the Chancellor of, and I was one of the hundreds of students that met her that day.

She is a comedian, actor, writer, appears on TV as a the Vicar of Dibley and is one half of French and Saunders the comedy double act.

My fleeting meeting was just a smile and a handshake and me trying to say thank you very much and I love you without garbling it up too much.

I’d travelled a few hundred miles to be at the graduation ceremony, but after being given a very hot nylon gown and mortar board to wear on a blistering hot summers day it was all I could do to stay upright. I’d got family and friends with me in the audience, and it was a very proud moment, but my main thought as I got off the stage was “ice-cream” or “cold drink”!