Two in a row – whoo-hoo.

Hello, People, (or Person), (or no one at all),

Well, Saturday was going to be our barbeque and sing-song in Cranshaws day, but – bother and blimey, they couldn’t find us an audience! What can that mean????? Apparently the problem involves illness in the community. And lambing. And also, maybe, the fact that they’re programmed to expect us at Christmas, warbling carols. Perhaps nothing else will do. Whatever. We will not be going, after all. Which is a great shame. I will probably never now see Cranshaws by daylight. However, as it is quite magical all dark and glittering with frost and stars (real, proper, countryside starriness) I daresay I can live with the disappointment. See you in December, folks xx

The change in plans allowed us, this week, to have a look at more music for the Wedding of the Year which pleased yours truly because, as related last blog, there are a couple of things I’ve never set eyes on. Actually, three things I’ve never set eyes on. Now there are only two. We make progress. After Wednesday’s rehearsal I think I can claim to know Monateng Kapele (African, Sotho, in case you’re wondering) - great, rousing stuff which we can belt out good and proper – as long as we take care to give the verse a little more consideration. There’s always a catch. Now I just have to learn a Norwegian ditty that appears to be easy being all ‘dum, dum da’ –ey but will be a tricky little number, I’ve no doubt, as getting yer dums and das in the right order is bound to be problematic, don’t you think?

Then there is a version of Only You. This one consists of ‘ba-ba-ba’ and ‘sha-la-la’ – ditto above concern. I am not alone in my ignorance of these songs, which is a comfort. Next week we are bound to cover them and then all will be well...

It was a pleasure to re-visit Ave Maris Stella and If Ye Love Me (both absolute beauties) – and extremely good fun, if a little scary, to sing Gaol mo chridh-sa Mairi Bhan (there’s an accent or two in there which I can’t reproduce, so apologies to any Gaelic speakers who might be reading this) aka Mairi’s Wedding at break-neck speed (ooo, some Gaelic practice required, methinks!) and I hope my enthusiasm for the majority of Douglas’s choices makes up for my unthinking rudeness about one of them.("Do we have to? [practise it] I’ll slit my wrists.") Not clever. Sort of funny, but not clever.

Next week I must take a pen and a piece of paper as I know extremely amusing – occasionally hilarious - things occur or are said weekly and I can rarely remember what or why or by whom by the time I sit down to report. How useless is that? It means I have to write about myself (sigh) instead, which is not at all the point of this blog, though it may be of others. Note to self (me, again!!): MUST DO BETTER.

G’bye.