What are we doing right now? (aside from being on the forum)

[dave brum]

Well, if the old f*rts forum can have one, so can we. And ours will be better than theirs, guaranteed!!

Sat drinking a cup of Chocolate Roast coffee that I got at the German Market in town at Christmas.

[Nutroast]

I'm just about to shut the computer down and go outside to muck out the chickens then I'm going to strim the nettles in the pig sty run. It's all so glamorous!

[dave brum]

I'm just about to shut the computer down and go outside to muck out the chickens then I'm going to strim the nettles in the pig sty run. It's all so glamorous!

Ooh, I'd love to come down and help you muck out your chuck chucks (just come back from a first appointment with a fitness trainer and I need to be much less sedantary in future) but I might clumsily tread on an egg or something. I am however not afraid of chickens' bowel movements. Do you generate your own electricity with it???

Just had my coffee, now I have to see to my own chicken. make two chicken rolls for lunch.

[Gill the Piano]

I've just come in from a busyish day - only one tuning, but had my hair cut (I can SEE, I can SEE!!!!!) and did shopping for my ma who is stuck in a chair/bed with a smashed ankle, then fed her ('this needs more salt. These beans are underdone.' I'm a piano tuner, not a cook...) and after I've answered a few emus on the pooter I shall have my tea (cooked by the longsuffering and competent Eric) then do some emergency guitar practice ready(ish) for my lesson tomorrow morning.

[dave brum]

Getting ready for my piano lesson tomorrow at 2.30, watching 'Perfection' on BBC2

[markymark]

Working on a literacy scheme - going towards 70 pages! Hope it ends soon!

[markymark]

BTW Dave,

Do you know anything about this?
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9698&p=45655#p45655

[dave brum]

BTW Dave,

Do you know anything about this?
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9698&p=45655#p45655

I gave mine away to an experienced pianist when I got it so I can't directly answer the question. I was told that only an advanced pianist would be able to make sense of any such 'freebie' that a piano manufacturer might give away with a new instrument.

[dave brum]

Right now, I'm going to go for a wee wee!

[dave brum]

Drawing the curtains. Still light at 16.30.....spring is almost here!!!

[Gill the Piano]

Right now, I'm going to go for a wee wee!

God, this is getting like Twitter!
Incidentally, I dunno why I wasted time practising last night. As soon as I sat on the guitar stool this morning my brain turned to porridge and my fingers to bananas.

[dave brum]

Right now, I'm going to go for a wee wee!

God, this is getting like Twitter!
Incidentally, I dunno why I wasted time practising last night. As soon as I sat on the guitar stool this morning my brain turned to porridge and my fingers to bananas.

Not Twatter??

As the late Gil Scott-Heron might have put it 'there will be no reports of Dave Brum going for a wee-wee because...the revolution will not be televised'...'

[Nutroast]

I have never tweeted in my life and no longer have a Facebook account. Am I alone? Maybe that's why no-one talks to me

I've just got back from school which I really enjoyed as usual. I'm about to take my pooch for a walk and then change the batteries in the chickens' automatic door opener I'm back at school later for recorders, else I'd be in a serious decorating-the-house mode.

[Feg]

I lasted a whole 20 minutes on Twitter then deactivated my account - I do not see the attraction

I 'may' have the afternoon to myself - my youngest has taken herself off to college on her motorbike now that the weather is more two-wheel friendly. My eldest is about to take himself off on his motorbike - not quite sure why but he muttered somthing about needing petrol and a Sport Society Fair at Uni. It'll just be Kim (Westie) and me for the afternoon - ah.....peace...........

[dave brum]

I have never tweeted in my life and no longer have a Facebook account. Am I alone? Maybe that's why no-one talks to me

I've just got back from school which I really enjoyed as usual. I'm about to take my pooch for a walk and then change the batteries in the chickens' automatic door opener I'm back at school later for recorders, else I'd be in a serious decorating-the-house mode.

Birds, not humans, go tweet! And if you don't have a Farcebook thing Nutty it actually means you are a free human being that can make decisions for yourself and not have to rely on your peers to tell you how to live your life or decide for you what exactly is 'cool' and what is 'square'!!!

I de-activated my Facebook account a year ago. What is the point of it???? Since then, I've signed countless petitions to get the thing turned off as I truly believe the world was a better place without it. Going out and meeting people is the best way to meet people, or (better still) use the Piano Lounge!!

Right now, I've just got back from an incredible psychedelic trip to Tipton.

[Gill the Piano]

How do you deactivate a FB account? Only thing is, there are a couple of word games on it that I like...

[dave brum]

Facebook will give you the option to 'deactivate' your account but your details are still stored on their system. Of course it will not provide any ways for users to discover they actually have lives of their own outside of its closed sphere by giving users a 'permanantly delete' option.

So.....My pleasure it is Gill to give you this. The most important link in the whole information superhighway...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16929680703

as I am not registered the actual link cannot be accessed on this computer, just follow the above one and click on the actual link once you've 'logged in' to your account. Zuckerberg can consider himself sternly told where to go!

[dave brum]

Watching Michael Portillo's Railway Journeys. It's one of the best things on telly and I've seen every one. You can learn such a lot about England in them.

Portillo's politics I detest from the pits of my stomach but he is a very intelligent man and takes a genuine interest in everything he does and is always keen to learn more.

[Feg]

I seem to have taken on the role of Co-ordinator for the local primary school's PTA Recorder Club.

I've been the recorder tutor for about 15 years and there is a PTA bod who organises class lists, fees, deals with parents and the school. The PTA bod changes every couple of years with varying degrees of efficiency but this one is down-right incompetent. She's not even invoiced the parents for last term!

When my kids were small and at primary school, I did a stint as Co-ordinator as well as tutor so I know what work is involved. I can't fathom out what she is playing at so all my emails this term have been copied into the Chairperson of the PTA. After a long conversation with said Chairperson tonight, I'm taking over the Co-ordinators role but I don't have to join the PTA (thank goodness).

Needless to say, I won't get paid any extra for taking on the admin but at least it might actually get done

[dave brum]

You've been promoted, and the school/PTA save themselves a couple of quid....and we're all happy!

Now, I'm forced to watch blooming football when I was looking forward to watching Heston Blumenthal.

[Gill the Piano]

I like the Portaloo prog too, but had to smile as he was being shown round a private mine and saying how much he admired the miners.
So why did he sit back and let his lot destroy the mines then???

[dave brum]

I like the Portaloo prog too, but had to smile as he was being shown round a private mine and saying how much he admired the miners.
So why did he sit back and let his lot destroy the mines then???

The answer is the public-private thing, and the Tories' fundamental hatred for the public sector. The English and Welsh coal industry at the time of the Great Strikes were of course owned by the National Coal Board (later renamed to British Coal) and reviled by Margaret Thatcher, who wanted to score a point over her predecessor Edward Heath by doing what the NUM wouldn't allow him to do. He'll be travelling through Merthyr tonight, but he'll probably have to shoot his scenes there in private as locals will be hurling abuse at him on behalf of his Government and their policies effect on their town.

Michael Portaloo???

[dave brum]

Nursing my wife who has been feeling rough all day and is off work.

And trying to study the top half of a standard circle of 5ths.

[Nutroast]

I completely agree about the railway programme, and the presenter - hate his politics, love the programme, I just wish it was on at a different time, we never remember to have the box on so early and keep missing the beginning.

It made us chuckle about the irony of the bit about the mines as well.

Sorry Mrs Brum is feeling rough, Dave. Hope she feels better soon.

I'm doing a bit of practice today, let's just call it a Schubert Dab

Boo has her second lesson later on, after the dentist

[dave brum]

Portillo didn't get lynched in Merthyr last night. But that programme is indeed ace, and much more positive viewing than the (where's my Prozac) news programmes on BBC1 and ITV. Eggheads is my fave prog. Barry Simmonds is God!!!

Right now, I'm just having a brew after getting back from a 15 mile round trip in the car into town and back in the rain, calling off at my wife's place of work to take in her sicknote.

I didn't think Dab was available in Schubert's day....Hannah will be seeing a row of 88 teeth when she looks down at the piano keyboard later!!

[Gill the Piano]

Has the management got Norovirus, Dave? That's what ruined my Christmas bank holiday; we were due to go to a friend's for a venison dinner instead ofd which I was in the smallest room getting quite a few sudokus done or talking to God on the big white telephone... Hope she's feeling better soon.

[dave brum]

I'm not sure of the name of it but its either bed or being sat in front of the TV with the heating on for another week.

[dave brum]

ENJOYED MY PIANO PRACTICE TODAY

Just had to share that. Need to control my very wayward hands tho!

[dave brum]

Playing with my wife.

At Scrabble. Love to play with you Gill someday, in Welsh of course!

ps I think my sight reading is improving, you know. But hush hush, don't want to shout my gob off about it!

[Gill the Piano]

You only ever needed to be patient about sightreading, Mr Brum! Think of it as learning to read - which it is. Some people pick it up no probs, others take a bit longer.
If I play Squabble in Welsh I'll need special dispensation to use the dictionary!

[dave brum]

Well, I was very quick in learning to read in both English and Welsh. I've always wanted to play Scrabble yn Gymraeg and you can use the dictionary, my wife (who is dyslexic) always does.

Actually I've been a couple of junctions along the m40 closer to you this morning Gill, in Leamington Spa. But my favourite slow food shop was closed, as was the music shop - and I only wanted the 12 Naxos catalogue. But I did manage to go in the Oxfam Books and Music and get some piano music by Cesar Franck on Naxos.

[dave brum]

Cooking dinner, listening to Chopin waltzes.

[dave brum]

Feeding my cats.

[dave brum]

Watching what must be the next worst television programme in England behind Big Brother and Jeremy Kyle, One Born Every Minute on Channel 4. Which usually triggers the usual response from Mrs.Brum 'why can't we have a baby like that' or 'I want our baby to be called Tara if its a girl' or something wet like that.

Sometimes I wish I was a priest.

[dave brum]

Thinking about PianoLove, finishing off my umpteenth cup of tea. Taylors Yorkshire of course!!

Just counted my New Piano fund. A full TEN quid. Hey, Manhattan!! (as Prefab Sprout once said...)

[Nutroast]

Decorating my days are not complete unless I've wielded a paintbrush.

I have been a piano angel though and practiced on Rosie yesterday, but I've put the ABRSM music theory pink book back on the shelf in a huff, I just couldn't understand what it was saying and I got the grumps!

[dave brum]

Two hours piano practise. trying to keep hands relaxed and fingers curved. It helps of course, but I've developed so many bad habits over the years. Also going over what I shall be playing in Ada's concert on the 24th March! Come one, come all and throw your bouquets (buckets) at me!

[dave brum]

...now I'm watching Andy Murray v Novak Djokovic. The Scottish No1's favourite word must be four letters starting in F, he always shouts it whenever he loses a point, don't know why he can't say 'oh posteriors' instead!!!

[dave brum]

well, Murray lost in the fifth set 7-5, and now, after some more piano practice (I can't stay away from the piano now Ada has made it so enjoyable!!) I'm now watching bowls, the former sport of my wife. Robert Weale the Welsh (well actually he's English, Hereford) bowler and world no11 is coming up - my wife has played him and apparently he's a bit of a narcissistic prima donna type... I want to do some more piano practice

[Gill the Piano]

Nutty, see if you can get hold of the old ABRSM 'little red' theory book. Far better, more concise and much clearer to my mind. Try Abebooks.co.uk.

[dave brum]

Paying my phone bill, £72.38. Winter fuel bill expected before the end of the month, usually £300+

[dave brum]

Just had a nice cup of Rosie after a lovely drive from Telford down the Severn Valley, Bridgnorth, Highley and Bewdley...and within one mile of Broughton Pianos at Drayton, near Belbroughton Worcs. Planning a nice day out to Oxford soon, would be nice, hire a punt, read some Auden aloud whilst she poles us along the Cherwell.

Now I've got to get into sight reading mode. Usually I would have already done them (wrong) by this time.

[Gill the Piano]

I would have already done them (wrong) by this time.

!!!!!

[dave brum]

I left the you-know-whats till after I got back purposely as I didn't want them to ruin my day out. But as we left early I didn't even have time for some scales, or some enjoyment pieces, got to do that later on after I've had a look at that 8 notes site that Fiona gave me a link to.

[dave brum]

Cooking a nice couple of pieces of tasty mackerel, listening to Tangerine Dream at their best in 1980.

[Gill the Piano]

Looking at incomprehensible advice on how to change my Tell.com listing.

[dave brum]

Watching Some Mothers Do Ave Em, reflecting upon this afternoon.

[dave brum]

Listening to Ronald Binge's Elizabethan Serenade in the conservatory.

[gizzy]

Listening to Angela Hewitt playing Couperin on a piano, not a giant harpiskord, unfortunately, but she's just about to launch into the B minor passacaglia. I have my left hand ready to reinforce the bottom F# (ffff#!)

Mysterious Barricades first. I seem to remember from Composer of the Week ages ago that he was a really nice chap, was Francois Couperin.

And Le Rossignol en Amour
And here comes the passacaglia. Growl - kerpow!! (She's being a bit ladylike with that F#...)

Gizzy in Cambridge

[gizzy]

Listening to r3 and eating cereal. Just had Chopin's have-a-banana polonaise. when I switched it on it was a blast from the past. Slow movement of Mendelssohn piano trio.

I played in this when I was at school. not as a piano trio, but a wind quartet with piano. 1 flute and 3 clarinets. I was, and still am, a very, very elementary clarinettist, only played the lower register. The flute was a Swiss boy called Francois (name'n'shame...) who was a lovely player and sex on legs, and I had a giant crush on him. Unfortunately it turned ouot he was also a bully. The middle clarinet player was a big shambling boy called Robin, scientific genius and an expert on doing all the voices in the Gppn Show. A couple of months after we played the Mendelssohn in a music festival, Francois punched Robin in the mouth becasue he was trying to stop him from bullying someone else. Francois was wearing a signet ring. It left a big scar in the corner of Robin's mouth, which he still has. I know, because I married him (about 35 years later, we were slow movers in Zummerzetshire)

I have to spend much of this morning trying to get to grips with a thing called Music Teacher Helper which is supposed to be able to manage all my admin and accounts under one umbrella. I'm still on a 30-day free trial. For the number of pupils I have, it will cost me £20 a month. I did a little bit of calculation and worked out that averaged out through the whole year that will be about a thirtieth of my pre-tax earnings. Still trying to work out if that's a reasonable deal for streamlining my admin. (I'm meant to be retired...)