Ahead of schedule, due to a few days off sick recently, I have been getting on with my very first knitted toy, Sackboy.

Here is a picture from the video game, Little Big Planet, of which he is the character:




... and below is a picture of the one I've made.



The hands, each with a thumb and four fingers, came out particularly well.

N. is very pleased with him :-)

Tags: knitting

Quite a few months ago now, I went to Get Knitted and bought some lovely purple yarn and a cardigan pattern.  Now, over a year and a half later, here is the finished product.





I should point out that I'm not THAT slow at knitting!  I do tend to have phases of doing lots of it, then long periods of not doing any.   The last time I had a burst of knitting activity was on holiday in the Lake District last year, and I managed to finish the last section whilst staying with my dad earlier this summer holiday.  I always hate the sewing up part of a knitting project, but it is rather magical that all these meaningless-looking shapes of knitted material suddenly become a garment.

This cardigan is just the right size and looks lovely on, but I must make a mental note to choose yarn that won't itch me in future.  I thought I'd be OK with this one, as the wool percentage is very low, but even this is causing problems on my skin.  I'm hoping once it's washed a couple of times it'll feel better.

I'm off to stay with my aunt tomorrow in London, so the next project is going with me.  It's a cream coloured cardigan for K. with little sparkles in the yarn.  It's nearly finished, actually, as I also took it to Ireland last week while visiting my sister for the Christening of her four children.  After that, it's N's turn - he isn't really into knitted garments any more, but being obsessed with video games, is desperate for one of these:





I've never tried knitting a toy before, so this will be a new thing.  He's dead cute - has little fingers and everything!

We're back at school next week - I can't believe the holidays have slipped by without me doing much useful stuff.  I had lots of plans about how to use the time to try and improve things in the house; mainly purging of unwanted stuff and layout/furniture changes in K's room.  We have been away three times though, and there didn't seem to be much of a chance in between all the visits.  Lack of motivation is, of course, always the problem as well!

Ah well, next stop: Christmas!

Tags: knitting

I joined a choir!  They rehearse on Monday evenings, and the concert is in July.  They're doing a latin religious piece and two secular ones.  One is Gershwin songs arranged by the choir's musical director.

Doing this is a very good workout for the sight-reading, which is why I'm doing it.  Hopefully it will lead to me joining a smaller, more skilled choir, but I have to get my reading up together.  I want to be able to read music much more fluently than I can at present.  I expect, knowing me, I'll get too fond of this choir and not want to leave.

So now the singing group has moved to Tuesday nights, and I'm out singing (different styles) three evenings a week.  A little bit of me thinks I should have picked something different and out of my comfort zone, like a martial arts group or an evening class, but this is what I really wanted to do, so I'm doing it.  It's my Monday evening, and my £10 for the babysitter, so there!     *sticks tongue out at conscience*

In the band at the moment, I'm having a look at an Aretha Franklin song - Think! (the one from the Blues Brothers film where she plays the cafe owner).  It's a challenge, but will be a showstopping number if we can nail it!  Crazy Chick is also being reinstated, and a couple of my old Bryan Adams numbers are going to the giant to sing, as he can do a much better job on them than I can.

The singing group are working on a four part unaccompanied arrangement of the Wine Song, done for us by my dad.  This is hopefully going to lead to a recording, which may end up being sent to Cloudstreet in Australia, as it was their version that got us all interested in the song in the first place.

That sounded like the singing news, didn't it?  Ah well, it's mainly what I'm getting up to at the moment.

Today I got my award at the blood donation session for 25 donations!

I feel strangely proud of this - I like being a blood donor!  I have been donating regularly for about 15 years, but have had lots of breaks for various body piercings and having two babies.

The kids and I have worked out that by the time I might get my 50-donation award (based on 3 donations a year), they will be ages 18 and 20!  K and I have a deal that she will come along with me and do her first one :-)

So, my debut as a soprano soloist is coming up next weekend.  I guess "soloist" isn't strictly accurate - the part is in fact a short duet with the main soprano who has been booked for the evening.  I've been much more stressed about what to wear than about the actual singing.... singing I do; clothes I don't do.  Anyway, pretty much sorted now, I think.

Last time I posted, I was waiting for an audition at Gloucester Cathedral.  I did go up and do it, last week.  I was asked to bring a piece I was familiar with to sing, plus I was given some aural tests to do, and finally some new music to try and sight-sing.  The guy was impressed with my range and how I sounded.  He also, surprisingly, said I would do well as an alto, as I had a nice timbre at that end of my range (Dad says this is because of all the rock singing I do) - however, I did know when I went to the audition that the choir have no spaces at the moment.  I'm on the list, apparently, so that's something.  All I need now is (a) for someone to leave, and (b) for me to be better than any other sopranos that are on the list!  Or altos?  Whatever.

There was one thing that let me down a little bit at the audition, and that was my sight-reading.  It's not surprising - the last time I was in a choir working from choral scores was at school, and the only other experience I have of vocal music is from the couple of years of singing lessons I had when K. was still a baby.  Back then, I did Grades IV and V music theory and learnt songs from written music, but still didn't get much practice at the sort of sight-reading a good choir would be expected to do - namely to be given a piece of music for the first time and sing it correctly on sight with only minor errors.  My sight reading at the moment is on a par with the text reading of your average five year old - I have a solid knowledge of the basics, but need to develop confidence, accuracy and fluency.

I thought I could do worse than try and get my sight-reading up to scratch a bit, so I have found some internet resources.  I also bought a book with a CD which I thought would be helpful... when it arrived, I began to have suspicions that it would be too easy, when J and I sang through the duet on the very last page!  Sure enough, it was way too easy.

I did hit upon another really good practice method, though, and it was quite by accident.  I dug out an old recording of my dad's Requiem (a piece for four part choir, plus four soloists) the first performance of which was ten years ago, and sung by the very choir I am singing with on Saturday.  The reason for listening to it again was that the soprano soloist is the same woman I'll be singing the duet with - she is booked by that choir most years for their concerts.  In listening to the recording and following the score, I was getting a really good workout for my music reading.  My dad is now making me a present of some popular choral works, score and CD (Verdi Requiem, stuff like that) and I can practice reading not only the soprano part but the alto part too.

In other news, I am now the proud owner of one of these:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Saitek-Eclipse-II-Keyboard-PC/dp/B000ISU0I6

It's absolutely awesome in the dark, is really nice to use, and is easily the best thing I have bought... this week ;-)

I've been increasingly wishing I was in a choir for the last few months, having been listening to music by Anuna and then seeing the Monteverdi Singers at Eddie's memorial service.  A few weeks ago, I decided to actually try and find one, and started to do some research.  First I looked on the internet to find out what choirs are operating in the area and what nights they rehearse.  There are two big choral societies in the area - one rehearses on Monday nights, and the other on Thursdays.  Monday night is singing group rehearsal night, and Thursday night is the band practice, so that's out!  There is a smaller choir in Stroud that rehearse on a Wednesday - they were interested enough to keep my details on file, but being a small choir they already have their full quota of sopranos, so that was a dead end too.  Several other choirs in the area, big and small, are also operating, but they all rehearse on Mondays or Thursdays.  So far, I haven't wanted to do this quite enough to give something else up to do it.  Re-scheduling rehearsal nights is difficult, as the singing group has 3 other people to accommodate, two of whom are role-playing on another night in the week (with the associated commitment to ANOTHER group of people) and one of whom goes shooting one night a week.  The band is even worse - there are another 8 people to consider.  So it would have to be something really special that would make me inconvenience other people in this way.

Anyway, from all this research, I have now realised that it is a chamber choir I want to be in.  That's likely to be a smaller choir, probably with an audition to get in.  With this in mind, I googled for local chamber choirs and up came the St Cecilia choir of Gloucester Cathedral.  Their website states that the members are "gifted amateurs and semi-professionals" - sounds a bit out of my league to me, but J insists that I am in fact both of these!  Anyway, you can "apply to audition" so I have sent off an email and I'm waiting for a response from the musical director.  I'm determined to do the audition anyway if I can get one, as it will be a good experience, and if I was successful I would really have to consider re-jigging bits of my life to accommodate.  Anyway, we shall see.

In the middle of waiting from a response from the musical director, who is away on business at the moment, out of the blue today I got a phone call from my dad.  It seems his friend John (who we spent Christmas with last year and the year before) is looking for a solo soprano to sing a short secondary solo part at his choir's next concert, alongside the professional soprano soloist who has been booked.  John runs a choir in Surrey, and I already said ages ago that I would go to their next concert on 4th April.  A member of his choir had said she would do the second solo, but is now pregnant and expecting a horrendous pregnancy like her last one, so has dropped out.  John was racking his brains about what he would do, and suddenly thought of me!  He's very keen for me to do this - he is familiar with my voice as he has sung in four parts with me, J and Dad on many occasions.  I'm really flattered he's thought of me.  Dad's really keen for me to do it too - he's going to be at the concert himself, as he helps with choir coaching and plays the organ on the night.

If I've understood the situation correctly, I've just been booked for my first professional engagement as a soprano soloist!  Crikey!

I can't help thinking that this wouldn't do me any harm on my "musical CV" if I want to audition for a really good choir.

I also can't help thinking, "I'm doing WHAT?  Oh, shit..."  But it'll be a great experience, and John and my dad are involved: two great professional musicians.  And my bit is only a couple of minutes long, out of a whole evening's programme.  It'll be fun, what am I worried about?  Anyway, I've sung at two funerals - if I can do that, this'll be a piece of cake.  Won't it???   *gulp*

The concert is on 4th April, and unfortunately my band are playing at a charity gig that night (they were already preparing to do it without me, as I told Dad ages ago I'd come to the concert and turn his pages while he plays the organ).  So J won't be able to come and see me do it, as he'll be gigging himself.  It's a shame, but it can't be helped.  Dad's talking about inviting my mum and my auntie to watch too, so it might turn out to be as nerve-wracking as the funeral after all!

Yikes!

Current Mood: Overwhelmed

I have just given my little cats their worming pills for the first time.  They weren't very happy :-(  N. and I are covered in scratches (it took both of us to give the pill to each cat) but the pills have been successfully administered.  In the case of poor Pippin, you might say "suck-cessfully"... the poor thing refused to swallow his, so it dissolved in his mouth instead, which must have tasted foul. 

They're both ok though, having had lots of cuddles and treats, plus a nice dinner to make up for it.

All this reminded me of something I was sent a couple of years ago by email, so I dug it out for a laugh.

( Instructions )

Current Mood: Shredded

I wonder if I should post to my journal a bit more often?

I love reading other people's journals, and look most days at my friends page, occasionally commenting on others' posts, but rarely writing anything in my own.  I suppose it's because I can't believe people would want to read about my life, or find it as interesting as I seem to find other people's.

Is it fair to be reading about people's lives without giving them something back about mine?

Thoughts, anyone?

I am at my dad's - the turkey is in the oven, the children have opened some presents, and I have given and received one present, in the early hours of Christmas day (last night).

I have a pair of diamond earrings!!!!!  They are absolutely beautiful, and I'm over the moon!

Our gathering will be complete when dad's friend John gets here - he has been playing for the Catholic Mass in his church in  Surrey this morning, and will be arriving at around 2.30 ready for lunch.

This afternoon we will open all the presents.

I have been really rubbish about Christmas cards this year - a very Happy Christmas to everyone on my friends list.

Our little kittens arrived yesterday, and are settling in well.  They are friendly, gentle, playful and extremely small, at only 8 weeks old.

Here is the promised picture:





On the right is Merry, and on the left is Pippin.  Pippin is the larger of the two, and also the most energetic and nosey.  He is getting more confident with people, having been rather shy at first, but loves to play with his brother.  Merry is smaller, and in fact a little underweight at the moment.  He's much more placid; loves his cuddles and sleeps a lot more than Pippin.  We're keeping an eye on him - he may not be in very good health at the moment.  The two of them have been tearing around the house, chasing each other and exploring every inch.  They especially enjoy the stairs.  I think they're just bowled over by the space at the moment, having been cooped up in a room the size of a bathroom for two weeks in the animal rescue centre, and who knows where, before that.

They were brought into the centre a couple of weeks ago by a man who said that they'd been abandoned on his doorstep.  The staff didn't believe him and thought they were actually his, but took them and put them in a dog pen which was exactly like a toilet cubicle with no toilet - tiled walls, concrete floor and a wooden gate with chicken wire.  The staff would leave this gate open most of the time, so the kittens could play in the rest of the room, but it was only a corridor a metre wide by about 2 metres long.  It was cold in there, so they had a red light to keep them warm.  Yesterday when we picked them up, the centre had a power cut, so the kittens were a bit cold. 

So, at the moment, they seem happy and settling in.  The kids are really enjoying it, and are keeping still for hours if they have a sleeping cat on them.  I can recommend sleepy kittens for the calming of children!

Tags: cats