Well I'm over my fever now, I guess as Lucy said, this wasn't the year to do the fleadh. It'll be in Manchester next year, so hopefully I'll be able to make it then. I heard there was only one other harp in the over 18s.
Sunday Still too fevered to get out of bed for very long.
Monday Resting after a tough day at work.
Tuesday My day off; lots of time to practice. Watch this space.
So it's open mic night tonight so I'm just concentrating on what I'll play tonight. Cooley's / Tailor's Twist hornpipes and All Around the Faery Fort / The New Broom (barndances) and Miss Hamilton (Cornelius Lyons piece) and The Temperance / Morning Star reels. Have also played the other things I was going to play at the fleadh--O'Sullivan's March and yet again Were You at the Rock.
Can I say my hands feel like big fat stiff cold sausages? Never before had I had this problem, even in cold weather (it is still very cold here). My elegant 33 year old very-young-and-not-nearly-middle-aged harp hands have now become 49 year old-old-lady harp hands and I do not like it one bit. Not One Bit.
Wednesday and Thursday I've been practicing lots of bits and pieces also running through some stuff on the fiddle. Starting to teach myself the jig 'Tell Her I Am' (which I already know on the fiddle) on the harp. It's one of my faves that Martin Hayes does and I was hoping he'd play it in concert and he did inspired me to try it on the harp. He puts it with Gallagher's Frolics and I already can play that, so perfect set.
Refreshing myself on the Junior Crehan hornpipe 'Her Long Golden Hair Was Hanging Down Her Back' which I learned about a year ago. It's sort of hard so I'm proud of myself for sticking that one out. I love the tune. Love Junior Crehan tunes in general and may learn the air An an Chuin (spelling wrong) which the jig of the same name is derived from. Haven't got too far on that one yet.
My eyes are glued! Glad you have a day off. I bet yesterday was hard.
ReplyDeleteYesterday was hard and today I really tired myself out with some much needed spring cleaning as well. Had to be done though, was living in filfth. Grease and cat hair. And that was just the baseboards in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteSpring cleaning is good. Wear gloves!!!!!!!!!! That will save you a little bit from sausage hands. As long as they keep working, I don't care how they look. I wash nary a dish without gloves on. And when they are too cold to play I warm them up with the gloves on.
ReplyDeleteYep, that's what Mike said. Will do. Remember when your cat (so sorry forget his name!) brought a bright yellow rubber glove into the house? I remember he had a whole stash of random gloves, socks, and underpants outside the back of your house!
ReplyDeleteYep - poor fellow, now we are leading a rural life he is stuck with our stuff only! He likes to overturn th laundry hamper and pull out all the socks. Or pull them off the rack where they are drying....
ReplyDeleteI've struggled with Ana Chuin (terrible spelling) Sheep in the Boat, both slow and jig - never quite got either one right. Golden Hair has so far eluded me - I've started it once or twice. Kudos for staying with it. I play Tell Her I Am on the c'tina, sort of, just sort of picked that one up since several folks at sessions play it - but I should focus on it. Never thought of trying it on the harp.