just to say hello, again! Back to the pipes after seven years of hardly any playing at all. In case you wondered what happened, see included picture. A week after we emigrated to Armagh (for the music) we found out Thirza was pregnant, which changed the plans somewhat. The subsequent years we actually had less music than at the time we were still living in The Netherlands. Starting a new life also took a bit more time and energy than we had anticipated.
But, we’re still living happily in Armagh. The girls are both singing with the Armagh Pipers Club and Thirza is now teaching a singing class for the third year at the club. I’ve been involved with the club from the sideline: website, photography, posters etc. but haven’t really played much. Which changed at the start of last month (September 2010), when the youngest (a boy, yes, I know, he’s wearing a dress in the picture, but trust me, it’s a boy) started going to playgroup! Finally, ME time! And there’s only going to be more of it!
My set at the moment is just a practise set, Eamonn Curran bag and bellows, Joe Kennedy B chanter and the old Kevin Thompson concert pitch chanter. Sold the C half set because I like B better and sold the Kevin Thompson full set (minus the chanter which is absolutely brilliant) because I didn’t like it. Both chanters are reeded by Joe and playing wonderfully. Had a wonderful Dutch tionól last weekend and am looking forward to the William Kennedy Piping Festival and I’m actually planning on participating in this Monday’s Family Session…
welcome back and glad you are able to scratch that itch - i would up with a 3+ year hiatus myself due to baby then divorce then raising baby and now that she is a little girl, i have been able to get back into it - slowly… still miss out on a lot of the tionol’s and workshops due to parenting schedules and not able to justify taking a four year old (almost five) girl to a weekend of music and no sleep… but its all worth it of course.
yesterday she had her first fiddle lesson so one day it will hopefully all come full circle. glad there is another dad out there with a good excuse for not keeping up the practicing.
I should have a look at that, but rather spend that time playing. For now anyhow. Plus, there are more photos I took over the years at the piping festival. When (if) I’ve completed it I’ll stick up a wee note here.
Allthough I haven’t been as busy as you (I only have one daughter), I ran into a load of troubles - stress related illness, loss of job, etc. etc.
But thats all in the past, and I have started practising for the first time in 5 years. Showed up at the local session last sunday and was greeted as an old lost friend (I didn’t play though - faaar to rusty). And I fell in love with the music all over again. So now I’m taking it easy, and trying to figure out what I’ll do. I’m quite certain that my trusty Williams chanter is going to go. It is a wonderful stick, but we don’t get along that well. I guess it is too much in your face for my taste. So I’ll find something else. Maybe it will be that Bayley full set thats coming
Hope to make it to Armagh this November!
And if anyone is in the neighborhood, there is a pipes workshop here in Denmark in november too. Can’t remember details right now, but if anyone is interested I’ll dig them up.
Sorry to hijack your thread Paul, back to you. And welcome back, it is allways nice to see old friends again!
Hello Morten, so the bug’s bitten you again as well! Brilliant. Welcome back. It’s great, exactly as you say, falling in love with the music all over again. Today during the school walk I switched on Toots and the Maytals as usual, but after half a song I put on Tommy Reck It’s great. Rusty, but great.
Very much looking forward to seeing you in November. I’m sorry I can’t offer you a bed, Thirza’s sister is staying with us to babysit during the entire festival! So plenty of time for playing, listening and socializing!
It’s great. Rusty, but great.