In recent years these aims have included being generally fitter twelve months from now, or reading more (and in this last one I’ve done very well for the past two years). This year in addition to those two standing aims, I want to vow to play my flute more and do more practice.

This Christmas I’ve enjoyed playing notes out of a trumpet again – I think I may have exorcised some demons from past there – although one day I think I might like to get a trumpet of my own again as I can, kind of play it, to add another instrument to my repertoire. Whilst visiting my brothers I tinkled – in the losest of senses – on Ben’s piano and I enjoyed the fact that some of what I taught myself ten years ago wasn’t completely forgotten. I also haven’t forgotten that the piano is definitely not the instrument for me. Right hand playing one tune on treble clef whilst left hand plays something completely different in bass clef is a skill that is not made for me!!

But in the the meantime I have my flute and I have my piccolo and I think I should start first at playing those better – and yes, that does include finally learning how to play those illusive notes scarily stratopheric above the stave above top G. Yes, I need to start there, and do regular practice.

However, in the intervening time Jenny’s had three children, one of which is eight! Is it really 12 years now, that I’ve been at Abingdon Concert Band. I guess I have got married and published a book…

Today wasn’t all bad though. I learnt some sign language from Kirsty, which was fun. I can now ask someone what there name is and tell them mine. I probably can’t understand anything they say to me, but you know, baby steps and all…

Had a particularly good blow at Abingdon Concert Band tonight, which included playing mostly the right notes in the mostly the right order and almost at the right speed. I even played piccolo in not only Beauty and the Beast but also Pirates of the Caribbean and was heard in a not objectionable way. Which is encouraging. And hey, as a band we were even playing so well that Sunday’s extra-rehearsal has been canceled. Here’s to a nice weekend to get out in the country instead!

Due to a high solar storm, the Northern Lights are apparently particularly active tonight. I’ve found this really cool website for forecasting where and when you will see them. You can even sign up for twitter text alerts for it.

I’m just pleased I did it. Kind of a brave thing to pick up the smallest instrument in the band and play something no one else is playing! Or at least I think it is!

At the end of the walk we passed a house selling homemade produce from the gate. And when I say homemade produce, I mean fudge, crumbles, jam, jellies… and all with an honesty box. How cool would it be to live in a village where you could sell so much from the front gate with an honesty box? I want to live in Dorchester! Seduced by all that was on offer we bought a bag of fudge and a blackcurrant crumble. I now wish that I had bought a pot of raspberry and apple jam…

Back home and there was just time to have a cup of tea and review today’s photos before I made spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, which we ate early followed by the the crumble, before Emma headed out to work.

This evening I have mainly be mooching around and giving some of the piccolo pieces for Abingdon Concert Band‘s next Movie Magic concert. I *think* Beauty and the Beast, Hymn to the Fallen, and The Simpsons might be possible … maybe, on a good day … but there’s not a cat in hell’s chance of Pirates of the Caribbean!

Saturday morning, and I woke up in Berkshire. Emma and I drove back up to Bicester, meeting up with my parents for lunch, and – umm – not much else before I had to get changed and leave for the afternoon rehearsal. The rehearsal went well, and a little after 5 o’clock I nipped out and up the road to meet Emma and my parents at The Fishes for a bit of a meal before the concert. It transpires that I really shouldn’t leave Emma alone with my parents because of the stories that they have been telling each other about me, and ‘ganging’ on me. I want them all to get on, but honestly there’s getting on, and there’s getting on a little too much… *grins*

The concert itself was good. My first Christmas concert in the seven years that I’ve been with the band, the entire flute section tied tinsel round our instruments for added shininess and we had a mixture of words and music to start off Christmas: Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival and Sleigh Ride and a fiendishly difficult but effective arrangement of The Nutcracker for Christmas cheer; a sprinkling of the fiendishly difficult and actually not all that interesting arrangement of John Williams’ music for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for that Christmas Day afternoon; and a nice serving of carols (the audience will stand and sing.

All too soon it was over; Mum and Dad headed back to the New Forest and Emma and I headed home…

As such, last night, appropriate music was brought out including, Leroy Anderson’s Christmas Festival (never played this before on picc), and some excerpts from The Nutcracker (one of my favourite pieces of music ‘though as I’ve now discovered, fiendishly difficult to play.