Oh my goodness, back to work and it's one thing after another! On Thursday Diane organised some gamelan training with Kate. Loved it. Converted. My new best instrument. Watch this space.
Friday, and Culture Vulture, Emma has these Friday picnics - this one's at the Corn Exchange. They give me a table; I take some songbooks and some pictures for display; I also have Maya. I re-meet Lizzie the Photographer, plant-sellers from Oakwood Farmers Market and Jane from Loving Leeds.
Monday: I'm in Skipton at Brooklands Special School with a pan workshop. Obviously no pic, but it was ace. Thank you, Rachel for finding me.
Wednesday: it's me and Gig in Sheffield for Dancing on Ice. I don't easily make heroes of living people. but I make an exception for Torvill and Dean. Also Nelson Mandela, but he's not on ice at Sheffield this week. Here's the audience at the Sheffield Arena to the right and below are the extraordinary Chris and Jane:
On Thursday it's the Allerton Grange showcase. Well, my pan-players are shaping up nicely, but nothing prepared me for Glassbody, their Yr11 rockband. I'm thinking, if I collected autographs I'd be collecting theirs now. Actually I do have autographs, two, in fact - Peter Perritt from the Only Ones in early eighties, and also same vintage, Feargal Sharkey from Bradfrd St George's, when he was an Undertone.
On Friday Diane and I unexpectedly find ourselves at York University for the gathering of the gamelans. And the debate is opening up between the culture, the perceived culture and those who would do what they want with it.
And Saturday it's the Anti-Academies-Alliance Steering Committee meeting in London. That story for the other blog. I also meet Grafton at the Crooked Billet in Clapton, and we discuss pentatonic steel pans, which he agrees to make for us at YAMSEN: SpeciallyMusic in Leeds.
