stopped opening doors

[pensnest]

Dear me, what a long stretch without posting. I don't know why, really. I haven't done so much I couldn't have fitted in a few words on DW, but never mind.

There was an all-day rehearsal for the Mixed Chorus last weekend, and a mini music festival yesterday at a friend's house—they do this every year, and it's mostly a folk/barbershop mixture, with occasional instruments. I did a Flanders and Swann song.

And we did a very interesting experiment with one of our convention songs last week - using "I feel" words to try expressing each line of the song in a different way. I was very sceptical when we went into it, but it worked. Our pro-actor member talked us through the idea first, but she and the MD had worked out a series of appropriate actions. And it really made a difference, with us all directing these very specific things forwards. We didn't get very far, but I think most of us were convinced. And when we tried to sing the whole song, the beginning went really well but we kinda fell apart once we reached the end of what we had worked on, and had to 'just' express ourselves. Very interesting.

We continue to be at war with the sunshine. Beast checks temperatures to see whether we should have windows open/closed, curtains open/closed, back door open/closed, and actually, this is working out reasonably well in terms of control of the bedroom temperature. The house is naturally a rather cold house, for which I am grateful, and the gigantic beech tree next to the back garden does a good job of shading... everything. Including the house plants, which are still outdoors on vacation, and the tomatoes, which amazingly have not only burgeoned with fruits but are even starting to ripen. The pumpkin is still not dead, and both the beat plants provided by nopseud are still alive and growing. I hope that at some point they will provide beans. And the blackberries are abundant, but in the heat we are less enthusiastic about gathering them. I did get some more so as to take blackberry crumble slices to the festival yesterday, but we haven't actually used up all the blackberries from last year.

Squirrel action has been somewhat muted since the implementation of the dustbin lid baffle, but Beast witnessed a tree rat climb on to the dining room window and then leap across to land on the dustbin lid. Entertainingly, it then climbed the rest of the way up the pole, only to fall off when it encountered the plastic bottle fitted over the horizontal spur from which the peanuts are suspended.

And I have not yet tried colouring the squirrels. I think I want a water pistol with a trigger.

Comments

[dine]

I hope you win the war against sunshine, and that your garden continues to produce lovely things! there's no such thing as too many blackberries, imo

the tales of your ongoing squirrel wars are fantastic - amusing as heck to onlookers, though likely not you

[pensnest]

You are of course quite right that one cannot have too many blackberries. We picked another generous bowlful yesterday, and they are in the freezer. Unfortunately, a lot of them are growing beyond even Beast's reach, which means we have to get the stepladder out and only one of us (Beast) can pick at a time. I hold the ladder.

I'm a little disappointed by the squirrels' lack of action at the moment!

[minoanmiss]

wves

[pensnest]

*waves back*

[frausorge]

That sounds like a cool rehearsal technique! I could well imagine that the lines practiced in that way sink into memory more vividly.

[pensnest]

It was very interesting. I think it will help, because the physical gestures I found myself doing in response to the specific verb will help cement the lyrics for me. Which is always useful! It's not quite what I had in mind when I hoped for Useful Choreo, but perhaps that will happen with our livelier song.

[jacieleigh]

I'm glad the squirrels are as entertaining as they are annoying to deal with.

[pensnest]

Some of them seem to have gone away of late! At least, there have been times this year when there were SEVEN of the little blighters in the garden at the same time, but currently there don't seem to be as many.

[author_by_night]

I know what you mean about shade.

[pensnest]

It is a very beautiful tree, especially in the autumn, but it is *huge* and on the southern border of the garden. If only it were to the north!

[watervole]

Which Flanders and Swann song?

I've just discovered that their songs still resonate with a modern ten-year old. Which was very nice to find out.

[pensnest]

The one about the honeysuckle and the bindweed. Hold on a sec - "Misalliance". Fun to sing! I think a lot of their songs definitely still work. I shall perhaps learn the Sloth song for next year.

[pensnest]

The one about the honeysuckle and the bindweed. Hold on a sec - "Misalliance". Fun to sing! I think a lot of their songs definitely still work. I shall perhaps learn the Sloth song for next year.

[turlough]

That sounds like a really interesting rehearsal!

I very envious of the many large trees in your garden. The only trees near enough to my house to give some shade are all on the north side, boo! Good to hear your tomatoes are doing well and that the pumpkin is still surviving. Blackberries are so tasty!

The antics of your squirrels never fails to entertain!

[turps]

I've been out blackberry'ing lately, too. Such tasty fruit for free, it's a win-win.

[wenchpixie]

I suspect, had it been a rather less rubbish summer, the shade might have been a bit more welcome. It's a shame trees can't realistically be moved.

[ephemera]

Hurray for music, and shady spots. (A water pistol, and some food colouring, sounds like it could be fun to try..)