Fun Fun Fun!

Once again, it has been way too long since I last updated my Blog... Given that, at the moment, I barely have time to eat and sleep (never mind wade through boxes of reeds in a desperate search for 'the one'!) I hope I can be forgiven!

I had a lesson in Paris today and have just got back to London. I'm rehearsing with Daniel over the next few days in preparation for my Wigmore Hall recital this Monday. I had hoped to get some sleep on the Eurostar... but not much chance of that unfortunately. Why do so many people confuse the train with their office?! I know all about 'Felicity's' business trip to Brussels next week (as I'm sure the rest of the carriage do too), and how she needs her meetings changed from Tuesday to Wednesday... why do people talk so loudly down their mobiles when they're on a train?! I even know that her daughter had a boiled egg for dinner!! So much for 'We hope you have a pleasant and enjoyable journey with Eurostar'!!!!

Anyway, grumpiness aside, things have been going great. I'm really looking forward to playing in Wigmore Hall on Monday (and wearing my new dress and matching sparkly shoes!!)

I managed to get a couple of days off a couple of weeks ago... I always try to take 2 days off about 3 weeks before a big recital and recharge my musical batteries - I find it injects a freshness into my soul before the home stretch! My wonderful boyfriend Oli took me to Dorset, where we stayed in a beautiful B&B in the middle of nowhere and devoured fantastic food. We were supposed to go Zorbing (where you're strapped in a massive ball and rolled down a hill!) but unfortunately it was cancelled due to the strong winds :-( We'll just have to go again next season! So... we did lots of nice walking in the fresh air. On one such walk, we climbed a massive mountain (Oli would probably call it a gentle hill, but it's a matter of opinion!) Anyway, from the top we could see a beautiful old church which looked like its sides had been blown off. We tried to find it once we got back to the village, but to no avail, and noone seemed to know what we were talking about... UNTIL breakfast the next day when the girl serving us told us it was in Alfred Brendel's garden... and Alfred Brendel owned the house directly OPPOSITE where we were staying!! How random is that?! We were literally, in the middle of nowhere!! Anyway, to cut a very long story short, we ended up having a tour of the church (which has been beautifully restored since it's sides were indeed blown off!), which progressed onto a tour of the gardens... and finally the beautiful manor house, which is home to about five gorgeous pianos and plenty more cds! We left with a very generous invitation to the recital series held in the church next season... and needless to say, I invited Alfred to my Wigmore recital!!

Playing wise, this season started off very well with a lunchtime recital in Fairfield Hall. I always find it interesting being front of house before a concert - it's a chance to see your audience before you walk onto the platform. I was sat having a quick coffee with my mum, dad and Oli about 45 minutes before the start. This was before I had glammed myself up, so I was in my jeans and jumper with no make-up... generally not looking like I was about to put on my favourite sparkly dress and give a recital! As it was quite busy, we were actually sharing a table with two very nice ladies who were obviously coming to my concert. Therefore, we couldn't help but hear their conversation as they sat with a programme and discussed the concert... and the fact that surely it wasn't a GIRL playing the saxophone, and how the girl looked in the photo etc etc etc TOTALLY oblivious to the fact that the girl they were talking about was sat next to them!! My mum's chuckle gave it away, and I reassured them that I would be glamming myself up for the concert before I dashed back to my dressing room! The two ladies found my mum at the end and reported back that they loved the concert... and my dress! Phew!

My pink sax has had a few outings. A couple of months ago, Daniel and I played for the children at the Royal Free Hospital. I really love giving concerts like these - and it's so touching to see how enthusiastic and positive these children can be when they are so poorly. I also did a concert with my friend Abbie at a school for children with special needs. As this was a 'Pink Concert', I was obviously in my element! Due to my hectic schedule, I had limited time to gather props, so I just mentioned to my mum that if she saw anything suitable, would she mind getting it for me. Next thing I know, mum presents me with a huge bag full of pink fairy outfits, glittery magic wands, pink sparkly stickers, pink feather boas, fairy wings for me, and pink marshmallows! Wow! It was brilliant - the children loved it! And my pink saxophone and Abbie's pink flute were a hit with the children... and also the adults!

I've realised that I've become a little bit too dependent on my sat nav when travelling to concert venues... and I should actually have a better grasp of where I am going. On one recent venture, Tom Tom dutifully delivered us to the venue for the rehearsal. Then, before the concert, I went with my dear friend Laura to find some food. Off we drove, chatting away, catching up on the previous 6 months (I hate it when I realise I don't see some of my best friends often enough), taking no notice of where we were going because we had Tom Tom to get us back again for the concert. Well, we had a lovely dinner, got in the car to go back to the concert venue... and... crash bang wollop... the sat nav doesn't turn on! (And yes, it was charged up!) But it was ok because we knew the name of the venue to ask someone for directions... or not!! No, the post code we used to get there was stored on the sat nav, and the printed sheet with the concert details on was in my sax case... at the venue!! We spent the next half hour driving around trying to retrace our steps, until we finally recognised something... a board advertising 'free-range eggs'!! We'd never been so happy to see an egg! And made it back, albeit slightly stressed! The moral of the story is DON'T just rely on sat nav! IT CAN LET YOU DOWN! A few days later, it started working again... not sure how to explain that one.

I've got lots of exciting things coming up... including another Wigmore Hall recital on April 6th 2009. I'll keep you posted. I'm also giving a recital in Watford this Sunday (the night before the Wigmore Hall) for Octagon Music Society. I haven't given a recital in my home town for a very long time, so I'm very excited to be playing to lots of old friends. Right now though, I think it's time for bed... Henri Sax has got a busy day tomorrow and he needs me to play all the right notes! Hope to see you on Monday! xxxx