Goodnight

A day without music? Quite the contrary. Listened to Round the House CDs this morning and have rounded out the day playing my own music on the hammered dulcimer this evening. I'll read more of Urrea's The Hummingbird's Daughter before going to bed. I seem to spend a lot of time reading others' blogs; my own diminishes and I promise myself to come here each day. I won't always have a picture; and I may not have anything to say or I think I don't. An exercise I have not yet done is reviewing my memory cards. I make notes of odd memories that come to me in unguarded moments. Does a life have to make sense? I miss Zoë's physical presence and remember the times she would jump into my arms and lick my face. What will I dream tonight? Shall I remember any dreams? How shall I remember today? The music.

Joyful and Sad

What an eventful week-end. For the first time in too long a time I went to a music festival. The stay in England was too short and filled with friends I needed to see, and places of personal pilgrimage I needed to visit, to make time for either the Whitby folk festival or the Upton festival. My hunger to hear live music, other than that I try to make for myself, was satisfied by travelling over two-hundred miles to Edgewood, NM for the 7th Annual Wildlife West Music Festival. This is a delightful location just off Interstate 40 thirty or so miles east of Albuquerque.
I arrived in time to catch a local all female band Lady Fingers who played a relaxing eclectic set by no means all bluegrass. Quite a few local bands filled out the bill. Round the House from Tucson played traditional Irish tunes on the main stage at the amphitheatre. More bluegrass from The Badly Bent. And then the man who was the draw for me to attend this festival. A singer, songwriter and story-teller in the tradition of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Bob Dylan . . . ; multi-instrumentalist, teacher, father, soon to be grandfather, folklorist and all round generous man John McCutcheon.

Kathy stayed home to be with Zoë our Siberian husky who was very ill

This picture is of her in her prime when she was about four years old. She died Sunday whilst I was gone and today we made arrangements for her cremation.

Why thrup'ny bits?

I just like them and just happened to have a couple to snap. Sorry the quality of the picture is so poor. The twelve-sided nickel-brass coin on the left was introduced in the 1930s.
Silver threepenny pieces remained in circulation but became much less common. 

I started a second blog (This Sceptred Isle . . .) to record my forthcoming trip to England. I last visited England in 1998 before my father died.

The primary purpose of this visit is to attend my niece Clare's wedding in Colchester on the 25th April . . . but I expect I'll ring a few bells and down a few pints of real ale; catch up with dear friends and do a bit of sight-seeing (play the tourist). Oh, and I'll be going to a matinée of Oliver!

Now I wonder if I'll be able to get to Upton-upon-Severn for the folk festival?