Catching Up

I have been really exceptionally busy recently - a 16 hour plus day is quite the norm at the moment in Flutewiseland, so it's hard to remember to write something for the blog especially when people don't leave comments. Shame on you! It doesn't take much effort to post something but it does help me on my way. As you might guess, life has been busy because of loads of events, a residential course at Abbotsholme and the planning of Flutewise Live! I think if I had realised just how much work was involved in Flutewise Live! I might not have decided to go ahead with it, but I did, so I've just got to get on with it. I'm making sure that I won't have any follow-up work to do for it though, apart from writing a short report. It's going to be great and I'll be so happy when it is here (and over). Now about those recent events. Gareth McLearnon and I went off to Darlington on 20 March. We had a very small, but real quality class on the Friday evening. [caption id="attachment_799" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Gareth in Darlington"][/caption] Gareth covered all the usual topics in his excellent warm-up and then we did some pleasant ensemble playing. Everyone seemd to have a really good time and they all learnt some new extended techniques. It's just a shame there were so few there - everyone there came from a different flute teacher and I'm sure those flute players don't just teach one pupil! Life is a bit odd at times. Gareth and I spent a lovely evening with Michael Cave, a very keen flute player up there. We went out for a meal - mine looked dreadful, but it was delicious! The next morning, while Gareth rehearsed for an important concert on Sunday, I drove up to Newcastle to visit my wonderful relatives. I had such a good time, I didn't want to leave. One of my cousins has a lovely daughter called Hannah. Hannah is 6 now and she has Down's Syndrome. She is an exceptionally special little girl as she has had a heart transplant. It's quite amazing to see how fit, healthy and bright she is. Sunday saw me back in Darlington for the Concerto. Gareth was playing a world premiere of a concerto by James Penny. James and his wife Lindy have been dedicated friends of Flutewise since I started it in 1988, and it was a great honour to be present for this concert. The concerto is lovely, lots of memorable tunes. It's dedicated to Lindy and their baby daughter, Evie. [caption id="attachment_800" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Gareth - apt name"][/caption] Just before the concert, Gareth and I went to grab some lunch and we found this pub just by the church - it's name seemed very apt for the occasion! Gareth and I were both delighted when Flutewise member Nicola Mirams turned up. It was really lovely that she came along. Facebook is very useful. It was a really productive and memorable weekend.