that damn four-letter-word!
BUSY!
I'm wondering if I've posted a post in the last year or so where I haven't mentioned how busy I've been. I feel fortunate though, as my life is a stimulating one that is full, and sometimes even rewarding.
The latest excitement in my life has been to do with music, which is always wonderful when it affects my life.
Last weekend in Bendigo was the Gorgeous Voices Festival and was amazing. By the time Sunday night came around I was physically exhausted! And that is no exaggeration!
Friday night began with an afternoon/evening showcase/welcome of artists who would be around for the weekend, which was a great little taste that went for about two-and-a-bit hours. After that I moseyed on up to the grandstand at the local footy ground, the home of the Bendigo Folk Club, to see a show by one of my favourite songwriters, Kavisha Mazzella. Before Kavisha was a family band from a town just down the road from Bendigo. I'd never heard them, but their name is The Rainmakers, and they were a wonderful surprise, that I got to spend an entertaining time listening to.
Saturday morning saw my usual start to the weekend of Bendigo Laughter Club, of which I am a facilitator. This had nothing to do with the festival, but is always a wonderful part of my weekend. From there I went to a couple of hours of choir practice, for my first experience in a choir (apart from as a youngster at church) at the end of the weekend. Saturday in Bendigo was busy with things that weren't just to do with the festival, and there was a children's carnival in the main park, where I was working between 12 and 4, in a tent set up by one of my workplaces, the Discovery Science and Technology Centre. Our tent was called "The Grossology Tent" and we spent the afternoon making fake scabs on kids' bodies, slimy snot that they could take home and play with, and my main job was teaching the kids about what is in poo and then making some fake poo out of a host of yummy ingrdients so that they could EAT IT! A few kids (and parents) weren't interested in the poo, but I had to go to the supermarket at one stage to get extra supplies! Yummy poo... Between three and seven there was an open mike at the grandstand, and I had my guitar in the car and went on up and heard some great music, as well as played three songs, which all went well. Quick drive home for dinner and then out to a premiere of a "folk-rock-opera" that was written by a local. The music was more beautiful than I can describe, but it finished earlier than I expected, at about 9:15pm. Back over to the grandstand to hear someone I'd never heard of before named Jo Jo Smith. At the end of the night my jaw was sore due to its constnt state of being gawkingly hanging open. An older woman, Jo Jo played a nylon-string guitar like a maestro, and sung with a gusto and passion that made me totally envious. And her voice was beautiful. Check her website at the link...there're some good songs you can hear.
Sunday morning was another two hours of choir practice. I could've done some workshops before the finale concert but I needed some lunch and wanted to organise some 'cheat notes' for songs I didn't know by heart. The finale was at the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral, a massive behemoth of intricate architecture that, even though it was a fine day, was pretty chily inside of. I'd battled most of the weekend with a runny-nosed cold, and after we finished singing and I sat down to watch the end of the concert, I couldn't stop shivering. Reluctantly, I left when the last act started, because I was feeling the agony. I'm sure it was also from exhaustion too. When I got back to my car, parked facing the lowering afternoon sun, it was so heated inside that I simply put some music on (the CD of Jo Jo I'd bought the night before) and put the seat back to recover from my cold. It was about 4.20pm then and when I opened my eyes again it was 5.30, so maybe I was tired...
What a beautiful joy-giving weekend with a host of marvellous, talented, and personally edifying people to share time with. I encourage you to have a look at all of the links I've put in this post, as you may just find some great additions to your life.
Much love to you all.
I'm wondering if I've posted a post in the last year or so where I haven't mentioned how busy I've been. I feel fortunate though, as my life is a stimulating one that is full, and sometimes even rewarding.
The latest excitement in my life has been to do with music, which is always wonderful when it affects my life.
Last weekend in Bendigo was the Gorgeous Voices Festival and was amazing. By the time Sunday night came around I was physically exhausted! And that is no exaggeration!
Friday night began with an afternoon/evening showcase/welcome of artists who would be around for the weekend, which was a great little taste that went for about two-and-a-bit hours. After that I moseyed on up to the grandstand at the local footy ground, the home of the Bendigo Folk Club, to see a show by one of my favourite songwriters, Kavisha Mazzella. Before Kavisha was a family band from a town just down the road from Bendigo. I'd never heard them, but their name is The Rainmakers, and they were a wonderful surprise, that I got to spend an entertaining time listening to.
Saturday morning saw my usual start to the weekend of Bendigo Laughter Club, of which I am a facilitator. This had nothing to do with the festival, but is always a wonderful part of my weekend. From there I went to a couple of hours of choir practice, for my first experience in a choir (apart from as a youngster at church) at the end of the weekend. Saturday in Bendigo was busy with things that weren't just to do with the festival, and there was a children's carnival in the main park, where I was working between 12 and 4, in a tent set up by one of my workplaces, the Discovery Science and Technology Centre. Our tent was called "The Grossology Tent" and we spent the afternoon making fake scabs on kids' bodies, slimy snot that they could take home and play with, and my main job was teaching the kids about what is in poo and then making some fake poo out of a host of yummy ingrdients so that they could EAT IT! A few kids (and parents) weren't interested in the poo, but I had to go to the supermarket at one stage to get extra supplies! Yummy poo... Between three and seven there was an open mike at the grandstand, and I had my guitar in the car and went on up and heard some great music, as well as played three songs, which all went well. Quick drive home for dinner and then out to a premiere of a "folk-rock-opera" that was written by a local. The music was more beautiful than I can describe, but it finished earlier than I expected, at about 9:15pm. Back over to the grandstand to hear someone I'd never heard of before named Jo Jo Smith. At the end of the night my jaw was sore due to its constnt state of being gawkingly hanging open. An older woman, Jo Jo played a nylon-string guitar like a maestro, and sung with a gusto and passion that made me totally envious. And her voice was beautiful. Check her website at the link...there're some good songs you can hear.
Sunday morning was another two hours of choir practice. I could've done some workshops before the finale concert but I needed some lunch and wanted to organise some 'cheat notes' for songs I didn't know by heart. The finale was at the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral, a massive behemoth of intricate architecture that, even though it was a fine day, was pretty chily inside of. I'd battled most of the weekend with a runny-nosed cold, and after we finished singing and I sat down to watch the end of the concert, I couldn't stop shivering. Reluctantly, I left when the last act started, because I was feeling the agony. I'm sure it was also from exhaustion too. When I got back to my car, parked facing the lowering afternoon sun, it was so heated inside that I simply put some music on (the CD of Jo Jo I'd bought the night before) and put the seat back to recover from my cold. It was about 4.20pm then and when I opened my eyes again it was 5.30, so maybe I was tired...
What a beautiful joy-giving weekend with a host of marvellous, talented, and personally edifying people to share time with. I encourage you to have a look at all of the links I've put in this post, as you may just find some great additions to your life.
Much love to you all.