Picnic with the Ambassador

 Back on my first day of the school holidays, I headed across London to East Finchley were I was due to perform with my Gamelan group for the Anglo-Indonesian society's picnic at the Indonesian Ambassador's residence.

In case you are wondering what a Gamelan is, the word Gamelan is the Indonesian word for 'orchestra' and is the collective term for a set of instruments which all have individual names.  In the gamelan, nearly all the instruments are percussion instruments- ones you hit or shake- mostly the former.  There are metallophones - bronze bars of different sizes/pitches in various sizes, bronze gongs, bronze mini-gongs of different sizes which are suspended on ropes to make a row from low to high pitch, double headed drums- hit either with hard beaters of the hands, a time-keeping instrument- another nobbled gong suspended on ropes on a wooden base. 

There may also be bamboo flutes and a two stringed string instrument.

If you would like to TRY these instruments, head over to this link here: https://pad.philharmoniedeparis.fr/gamelan/index.html?_ga=2.238034377.871447270.1592844796-1250210365.1592844796

 where you can try various gamelans from different parts of Indonesia.  Once you load each one, wait and then click or hover your mouse above the metal parts of the instrument or the drum skins. Honestly, do give it a go- they are really fun and it's much easier to understand what I'm talking about once you've had a go!

We were performing on the Balinese Gamelan Angklung. This is sadly not featured in that interactive gamelan. In a nutshell, this type of gamelan is portable and tiny. It only uses 4 pitches and is very chirpy and cheerful sounding, even though it is used for cremation ceremonies in Bali. It is our summer gamelan that we play for outdoor gigs in the Summer!

The instruments are beautifully carved.

We wore out traditional costumes- men- jackets, Udang (headdress) and sarong and saput (over sarong). The women wear kebayas- embroidered blouses and sarongs in Ikat cloth.

The new ambassador is really nice! He's also a really talented saxophone player- you can see him playing it here!

Part of the joy of taking part in this gig is the FOOD! We got to eat lots of Indonesian food- tempeh, tofu, Gado-gado, noodles, all sorts!

Another player, Wil and I took a picture of our Brompton bikes meeting each other. At that point, the Ambassador came bouncing over to admire our Bromptons. He told us he had one too- customised in Indonesian flag colours.  Wil asked if we could see it so we got to go INSIDE the residence to see the bike!

It was such a lovely shady location and the whole day was really enjoyable!

Here were the two instruments I played.

I played the pulse on this nobbled gong and I also played the little Bamboo flute called the Suling! I managed to play both at the same time (we were short of players)!

Here's hoping I get to take part in this again. Last time was 2019!

x

Dungarees or don't dogarees!

Hello there!

Hope all is well with you!

Thank you for your recent comments. I can't wait till the holiday when I can have a good catch up!

CBC is ok but he's still very scratched and bruised with big nasty scabs and gashes all over him- a particularly nasty one on his shoulder which has gone a bit yellowy- he's now got antibiotics.

One thing I forgot to mention the other day was I had the most lovely opportunity and message (want to document it here so I remember). on Sunday. The lovely 1st flautist from the East-London based orchestra I recently played for, asked me if I was free to come to Minehead for a week next week (expenses, accommodation, food etc) to play flute with the Minehead Festival Orchestra with rehearsals and concerts (but free time too!)  with him and another amazing flautist as the regular other player is having surgery and can't do it. I was SO amazed, honoured and touched to be asked. I knew I couldn't do it as I was going to our Music camp on the penultimate day of this week but I couldn't bear to answer no straight away as it's the only time I'll get asked. Still, I will remember the chance.If only I wasn't going to camp, then I would have been free to do it!

So, here's the dungarees I bought the other day to see what you lot think.

They are lilac and made of 55% linen and 45% viscose. Most dungarees I've ever tried made me look plump and saggy but these fitted quite well! CBC was not convinced at all (he's not seen them on me in real life, only these pics) and that made me doubt them a bit. What do you think? They are totally different from anything else I have and I really liked the ruffles but will I wear them if I am not 100% convinced they are 'me'?

How did you get on with the heat this week? I found it utterly awful as I am sure you did. It was so hard to function and sleep. I am SO grateful for my house and pity anyone in badly insulated flats etc. I feel awful for all those experiencing wild fires. If these aren't enough to convince the government to work renewables and to work on emissions etc, God help us all.

I've been collecting the shower water in the buckets in the showers- CBC has been dutifully showering with the bucket, provided I put it in there for him (he empties it himself now) for the garden.

School was dreadful in the heat but thank the Lord our local authority said that children could stay home and have an authorized absence so only 10-16 kids were in most classrooms which reduced the body heat. I took in my water spray bottle (usually for my germinating seeds) and spent a lot of the time spraying children (and teachers and parents).  They absolutely loved it!

Getting home was a little bit problematic. On the Monday, they cancelled every other train at my interchange station so I ended having to sit on the hot platform for 40minutes, having just missed one.

On the Tuesday, I arrived at the end of my first train discovering my 2nd train was cancelled and there was a 20minute wait for the next one and thought to myself, "Ah, why don't I just stay on this nice airconditioned train for a few minutes before I go to the platform. I even checked the monitor which seemed to suggest I had 10minutes grace.

Alas not.

Literally minute later, the train I was on suddenly started moving and went back towards the previous station.

"NOooooooooooooooooooooooooo!" I shrieked and started stampeding towards the front of the train (I was at the very back...the next stop entrance was at the other end). I wondered if I could get  train BACK to the terminus in time for my next train.

Alas not.

The next few trains were ALL cancelled and delayed and there wouldn't be any trains back for at least 40minutes!

I legged it as fast as I could along the platform, ran up the stairs and went to the cab office which was thankfully by the station. Perhaps I could get a taxi back in time?

Alas not.

There was a 30minute delay on taxis. Not enough drivers and many requests.

BUT, hearing my story, they took pity and realised a driver was doing a drop off near by and they could squeeze me in on the way to the next pick up.

I got in the taxi and the driver did his best to get me back to my original station.

I arrived with only 30seconds to spare but a 2minute journey into the station.

Would I make it?

God was looking out for me as the train was now 5 minutes delayed and I madeit!

£7.50 poorer, a lot sweatier and definitely more stressed!

But I made it!

Wednesday resulted in 3 nice Year 5 lessons (except for having to deal with stubborn, annoying boy.) and a lovelyYear 6 final lesson. I went out to dinner with my 2 colleagues.

Today, my final lessons were with Year 4 who did some lovely variations on Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra and Year 6 leavers assembly plus lots of tidying up.  After school I headed up to London for a Gamelan rehearsal. I am heading to the Indonesian Ambassador's residence on Sunday (in very posh East Finchley) to perform for the Anglo-Indonesian society picnic. That was fun. I also managed to foist a box of chocolates onto the others at my rehearsal.

Tomorrow is the last day. Time to say goodbye to my Year 6's who were so awful 4 years ago and have come a very long way. Lockdown saved us all.

Hope all is well with you.

Your opinion on the dungarees please!

x

 

If I were in charge of Clara's wardrobe....

 ....I'd be sure to choose this dress for her.  In some ways, it is a combination of several Clara dresses-
Journey to the centre of the TARDIS she wears a quirky patterned dress with black shirt collar in a similar shape; in another episode, The name of the Doctor, she wears a green and blue tartan mini-dress with a black collar (here).

 This one comes from a brand called Closet, whose dresses I have been collecting over the past 6 years.  There's a little independent shop near school that has sold them since before they got into shops like House of Frazer, Debenhams, Asos and online.  That shop still sells them as their main brand and periodically, if I am headed up to London, I nip in there as it is close to the station.

I like a lot of their dresses that are in cotton material- they do do other materials like scuba and synthetics, but it is definitely the cotton ones that I like best. Plus, I know that I can just buy one without trying it on and know it fits me perfectly- their size 8 is always my perfect size.

In case you think that is entirely too tenuous for TARDIS Tuesday, then I did add a Dalek pin badge for a little extra geeky points!

Today, I took my year 6's to play a Javanese Gamelan orchestra. We always study Balinese and Javanese gamelan in the summer term and I am lucky to be able to access one at our local music school for free - firstly because our music school offers that service but also, that I am a gamelan player myself, therefore am allowed to take my own groups to teach them there. We had a great time and they did really well- I took a video of them playing and it sounded really effective! This is the Javanese gamelan in case you are wondering and the piece that we learnt (this is not us!) ....


 The other class goes next week! Also, another school has agreed to lend me some timpani so my darling little girl who is playing the timpani parts in orchestra on Bass Chime bars gets to play real timps at last!!! How cool is that!?!

Hope you are all well!
xx

An InLinkz Link-up

148bpm

Hi!  Here's a video of Short ride in a fast machine which I played in last week's concert. I am in the front row, far left.  It's a bit of a crazy piece!



In Truna Jaya (a traditional piece, considered virtuousic!  Worth listening for the crazy stops and starts!) I am on the far right playing the Suling (bamboo flute) but I don't start playing until 4 minutes and 10 seconds (suling only plays in the slow bits sadly as this is my favourite piece!) so wind forward if wailing cat-like flute playing is your thang!

Hope you enjoy this impromptu concert!   I was totally amazed to discover this youtube set of videos as it features performances from our performances in Bali in 2006 which I didn't know exist!!

In stark contrast, I a  sitting here eating ramen with loads of pak choi and peas and corn whilst listening to Art Tatum jazz piano! The two sound funny together!!!

What a weekend!

Actually that post title makes it sound like it all went wrong!  It didn't- I just couldn't think of a post title!

I've had an interesting weekend which has been enjoyable!

Friday night:


The Gamelan concert went really well on the whole!  Short ride in a fast machine by John Adams was the main piece I was playing in (hence the music stands- you don't usually use music stands for gamelan as it is learnt by ear and played from memory!  It went fairly well although my hand totally seized up about 2 pages into it and I was worried I wouldn't be able to continue- it was going so fast (140 beats a minute!).

I adore my friend's necklace!  She got it made at Tatty Devine! Isn't it the best!

CBC and I enjoyed a lovely Malaysian meal afterwards- a great Singapore Laksa with even too much for me to finish!


Saturday morning we went swimming which was a good idea as I was in SUCH a grump, I was tired and headachy!  Poor CBC!


Saturday afternoon we visited a lovely French patisserie we hope will make our wedding cake to moon over cake pictures and to eat goats-cheese baguettes and exquisite chocolate mousses (micce??)

In the evening we headed to the coast for a leaving do for a work colleague of CBC's.
Anticipating the cold but wanting to still try and be a little glam (but covered up!) I wore a black velvet skater dress (from local Boutique Kush) with an Edwardian-style high-necked wool jumper underneath with tights and Hush puppies!  It was just right as it was not warm in the venue!




There was lots of delicious food (Katie, there was a house-sized strawberry mille-feuille!!!!! Why oh why I didn't take a photo!) a great band comprising of teachers and we had a nice time analysing the lazer-light patterns on the walls!






Sunday, I am ashamed that I woke up late so I missed the Palm Sunday parade from the clock tower in my 'town?' and had to chase it down the street to church.  SUCH an interesting sermon and approach to the service.  We didn't have communion, because on Palm Sunday Jesus had not instituted Holy Communion and we symbolically ripped pieces of cloth from the cross to represent our ripping apart Jesus with all the ways we have done hurtful, sinful and wrong actions against him which we then bound to the cross to represent being healed- like sheets were ripped up and used to bind and stem wounds in World War 1.




The afternoon has been most jolly spent dancing around the house to Django Reinhardt!!!!

How has your weekend been?

xx



Linking to Claire Justine oxo