Something about nothing

This is more a rambling muse than a specific story…and a day late too. I thought I’d just tell you a little about the workings of my life.

Unusually, at the weekend, I went off to a thing in Essex that was just a bunch of people who book into a residential place and then basically have a session all weekend. It was an invite only thing but my sister managed to blag me in. I was aware these weekends happen but normally I can’t go to them for two main reasons; either I have a gig in the middle of it or, if it’s a free weekend’ I want to be with my partner as we don’t actually live together, at the moment, there are large distances involved and time together is limited.

This particular weekend just ticked a lot of boxes. Firstly my sister said that she was going to drive to Essex, then drive back to Derbyshire before leaving again on the Sunday for our gig in Maidenhead. She couldn’t think how she would get home otherwise as she’s not very good at doing night drives. Well that seemed like a few hours in the wrong direction and mostly nuts. I do do that sort of thing from time to time but try to avoid it where possible. So that’s when I said , maybe I could come. The Narthen gig was on a Sunday night so that sort of knocked out a weekend with my partner but also they were off working in New York anyway. For a change everything fell into place. I could take Fi down for the weekend , play music too, drive us both to Maidenhead and then she could travel home with her hubby and Lester.

I throughly enjoyed it and, as I said on facebook, played a whole lot of stuff I never knew I knew. Excellent exercise for the grey matter along with the fingers and sax lips etc. I wasn’t the only brass/reed instrument there, there was a tuba too.

The setting was beautiful and it was good to get a walk into Saffron Waldon on the Saturday. Lovely veg stall there where I bought some of those little long thin aubergines you can cook whole, garlic as I was a running low…unforgivable in my house and some pure Rye bread as I don’t digest wheat well anymore.

After Sunday lunch Fi and I drove over to Maidenhead to a lovely little art centre complex called Norden Farm. An intimate concert there which was lovely with an enthusiastic audience then the Derbyshire contingent drove off and I set off for Notts on my own. I allowed myself a small lie in and breakfast in bed in the morning as I hadn’t got to bed until gone midnight and sometimes sleeping after a relatively long drive doesn’t come easy.

Then I got up, packed everything I needed for a couple of days and drove to Glasgow. From here the nicest bit is, once you’re off the A1,  getting on the A66 across the Pennines. Beautiful. The journey, with a break, takes 5 hours and almost exactly half way is Cross Lanes organic farm shop and cafe. So I stopped there and had a bite to eat etc and bought some organic lamb to provide a meal for the other weary traveller and myself. Got to Glasgow, unloaded the car and cooked a moroccan style lamb and aubergine dish with rice. Relaxed.

The next day it was full on admin…you have to take a remote office with you which means loads of files, a computer, note books…etc etc to cover every eventuality otherwise it’s frustrating if you have to wait until you’re back in the ‘other’ office again. I walked into the town to get some exercise in the afternoon. Cooked a Spanish, pepper, chorizo and egg dish for dinner, relaxed for the evening and slept…all be it not well either night.

Wednesday , one of my best pals, Mary Macmaster dropped by in the morning for a coffee and a chat and then I loaded up and drove back to Nottingham. I then needed to cook and do work.

I have this thing called a ‘Young Composers Project’ and due to the way the Arts Council funding came through all the deadlines are yesterday and it’s full on constantly. Inevitably that is in addition to any music prep I need to do, the continual admin for the agency, the mail orders that only ever arrive when you away etc etc…oh and the laundry to wash, iron and put away. No time for any cleaning last night.  I have applications from young composers and constant, necessary communication with my wonderful project administrator Sara. It’s a fab project but full on and will keep me very busy through to April.

This morning the builder appeared at 8.00am to look at a job that needs sorting so I was standing outside in the frost for half an hour. The good news is he thinks he can sort what needs doing.

It’s be an admin and packing day and frustratingly I don’t think i can afford the time to go for a swim because the 10 hour drives have eaten heavily into my week. I do go by train when I can, by the way, it’s just sometimes the flexibility of a car is useful, it takes the same amount of time and believe it or not it costs less in fuel…how nuts is that? Tonight Andy Cutting will pick me up and we’ll head to Kent, through the severe weather warning, to stay with lovely friends Kerry and Chris. Tomorrow morning most of Blowzabella will come by, minus Dave Shepherd who’s heading off by Eurostar and minus Greg who obviously lives in France so won’t be travelling with us but meeting us there, we’ll pile into one vehicle and head for Brussels. We need to be there Friday night because we have workshops starting at 10.am on the Saturday morning . We do a full day of workshops ..mine will be dance and then we play for a Bal in the evening. Wind down a bit go to bed and then return via the car in kent to the home on Sunday. So for one day of gigs Andy and I spend 3 nights away from home. We could go to kent on the Friday morning but it’s an hour from Andy’s to mine and then the best part of three hours to Kent. Too risky on the Friday morning and too tiring to do all the travelling in one day.

To prepare for that I have to pack as few things as possible as there won’t be much room. All my instruments and the Blowzabella merchandise. I have a lot of admin to do with the young composers, agency gigs to sort, contracts to sign, mail orders to pack and post and more. Gotta dash xx