Urgh...
*Whispers* Morning...
It's 20 to 10, I've been at work 40 minutes, and already I've got a coffee beside me, and I've eaten the slice of fresh cream sponge I bought yesterday to have as a treat last night... but more of why it wasn't eaten last night in a bit.
I'm so sleepy, but it was worth it! Last night from 10pm til almost 2o'clock this morning, Viki & I were at one of the concerts that are part of the Orkney Folk Festival that's on this weekend. It started with Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller, who were very good, but (and this is just a personal thing) I don't know if they really got the crowd "going" enough... their performance was very melodic, and featured ballads strongly.
Then there was the reason we went... The Jani Lang Band. Jani is Hungarian and, after hearing on Radio Scotland that they were going to be playing, I came straight home and booked tickets. Viki got the chance to speak to Jani (I think it surprised him slightly to be greeted in Hungarian while in Orkney!), and also was given a CD by Aly Salam, their Egyptian percussionist, when she met him outside as she sloped off for a smoke after they'd finished playing (I guess sometimes smoking isn't entirely bad... lol). They were brilliant, and really got the crowd dancing (albeit with some spectacular displays of "dad dancing"... I don't think Orcadians know how to dance to traditional Hungarian gypsy music!). They've promised they'll be back in Orkney... and we'll be there if they are!
Then the main act... local band, The Chair. What can I say? Loud, energetic, funny, and sooooo good. They even got Jani and his band back on stage again with them for a bit of Hungarian / Orcadian fusion music.
Came out of there at nearly 2am, and straight to the burger van that was standing outside. A hot dog and chips were purchased each (we hadn't really eaten before going out, but more of that in a minute), and then my brother (who had kindly taken us to Stromness, and come back for us) drove us to a lovely spot beside the Standing Stones of Stenness to eat them... as we could look out to the North on a still-half light sky, with hardly any clouds, and coloured a sublime shade of orange and pinky-purple. On a bonny night, there truly is no more beautiful place than Orkney in midsummer. And, to think, there's about a month to go before the longest day, when it's possible to read a newspaper outside at midnight, and to play golf.
Came home and fell into bed... tired but happy. Until I woke up this morning, that is... now I'm just tired.
There was a time yesterday though that we thought we weren't going to get to the thing in Stromness... and now to recount the sorry tale...
After work we had to go to Tescos for some shopping, including something quick to eat before we went out. Came home with plenty of time to get ready, and that's when we made the wrong decision...
We decided, as it was only just after 7pm, and the thing didn't start until half past 10, that we had time for a short sleep before having food and getting ready. And that would have been okay... except we didn't waken up until half past 8! And we still had to get ready, eat, and get through to Stromness (a half-hour or so drive away)! Didn't really manage to eat... certainly not the relaxed affair that our tea was going to be. But we made it down to my brother's and then to Stromness in time (albeit not looking as beautiful (lol) as we intended... had to forego the make-up and hair-straightening, for example).
The moral of this tale: Time Is Short... especially when you're getting ready to go out.
Oh, and a message to those of you who left a message on my Facebook... there was not an aran jumper in sight last night! Maybe there might have been one or two weirdy-beardies, however...
It's 20 to 10, I've been at work 40 minutes, and already I've got a coffee beside me, and I've eaten the slice of fresh cream sponge I bought yesterday to have as a treat last night... but more of why it wasn't eaten last night in a bit.
I'm so sleepy, but it was worth it! Last night from 10pm til almost 2o'clock this morning, Viki & I were at one of the concerts that are part of the Orkney Folk Festival that's on this weekend. It started with Jeana Leslie & Siobhan Miller, who were very good, but (and this is just a personal thing) I don't know if they really got the crowd "going" enough... their performance was very melodic, and featured ballads strongly.
Then there was the reason we went... The Jani Lang Band. Jani is Hungarian and, after hearing on Radio Scotland that they were going to be playing, I came straight home and booked tickets. Viki got the chance to speak to Jani (I think it surprised him slightly to be greeted in Hungarian while in Orkney!), and also was given a CD by Aly Salam, their Egyptian percussionist, when she met him outside as she sloped off for a smoke after they'd finished playing (I guess sometimes smoking isn't entirely bad... lol). They were brilliant, and really got the crowd dancing (albeit with some spectacular displays of "dad dancing"... I don't think Orcadians know how to dance to traditional Hungarian gypsy music!). They've promised they'll be back in Orkney... and we'll be there if they are!
Then the main act... local band, The Chair. What can I say? Loud, energetic, funny, and sooooo good. They even got Jani and his band back on stage again with them for a bit of Hungarian / Orcadian fusion music.
Came out of there at nearly 2am, and straight to the burger van that was standing outside. A hot dog and chips were purchased each (we hadn't really eaten before going out, but more of that in a minute), and then my brother (who had kindly taken us to Stromness, and come back for us) drove us to a lovely spot beside the Standing Stones of Stenness to eat them... as we could look out to the North on a still-half light sky, with hardly any clouds, and coloured a sublime shade of orange and pinky-purple. On a bonny night, there truly is no more beautiful place than Orkney in midsummer. And, to think, there's about a month to go before the longest day, when it's possible to read a newspaper outside at midnight, and to play golf.
Came home and fell into bed... tired but happy. Until I woke up this morning, that is... now I'm just tired.
There was a time yesterday though that we thought we weren't going to get to the thing in Stromness... and now to recount the sorry tale...
After work we had to go to Tescos for some shopping, including something quick to eat before we went out. Came home with plenty of time to get ready, and that's when we made the wrong decision...
We decided, as it was only just after 7pm, and the thing didn't start until half past 10, that we had time for a short sleep before having food and getting ready. And that would have been okay... except we didn't waken up until half past 8! And we still had to get ready, eat, and get through to Stromness (a half-hour or so drive away)! Didn't really manage to eat... certainly not the relaxed affair that our tea was going to be. But we made it down to my brother's and then to Stromness in time (albeit not looking as beautiful (lol) as we intended... had to forego the make-up and hair-straightening, for example).
The moral of this tale: Time Is Short... especially when you're getting ready to go out.
Oh, and a message to those of you who left a message on my Facebook... there was not an aran jumper in sight last night! Maybe there might have been one or two weirdy-beardies, however...
1 comment:
Glad to hear there were no kangaroos from Aran!
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