Harp on Stage

The last time I played on the open stage at the culture club, I was asked to play at an open air event in July. On Friday I took my big harp to Bodenwerder where a real stage was waiting for 8 different kinds of music by solo musicians and bands.

 When we arrived a real band from Hannover were getting ready for their sound check.

It was a very cosy place, just beside the river Weser.

My harp had to wait - but then we also had a sound check which only took a few minutes.

First a young girl played on a keyboard and some songs on her guitar - rather well. Next came a guitar player I already know from the culture club and then it was my turn.

It was the first time I played 30 minutes at a stretch and the first time that 200 people where in front of the stage - although not all were listening. 

Listen to some songs - click here

Usually I make more mistakes when someone is listening than when I play on my own. But this time I concentrated hard and although I slowed down in one or two songs, I hardly missed the right strings and it just felt fantastic!

When I had finished I felt like floating and at ease for food and drink (no alcohol as I had to drive!). My husband and I enjoyed the following 4 bands, but missed the last one as we decided to go home at midnight.

Addicted to conserve the Summer

So far, we didn't have many summer days this year (or the past 2 years), but since we were lucky during our holiday, I shouldn't complain. Due to cold temperatures and grey skies, nature is late in ripening fruits and vegetables. Better late than never!

Last Saturday I got an unexpected invitation to pick my favorite berries: Juneberries. Our tree had died last year and the new one is still too small to get a share of berries from the birds. So I spent 2,5 hours picking on Sunday and filled about one third of a bucket. My husband picked cherries and brought a full bucket home.

On Monday I started making jam - the Juneberries first, which is a hard job, but the result is delicious!

In my freezer I found some blackberries from last year and since I love them with apricot together in jam, I took them out. (to make space for this year's crop). In the evening my husband picked more cherries and to get a variety I made cherry jam with different other fruits, like red currents, kiwi and pinapple. By yesterday evening I had filled 45 jars with homemade jam.

There are still many jars full from the last years - and now only very few are left empty.

We now have raspberries in our garden and our neighbour offered to pick his morello cherries, beside offers to pick plums later on and new blackberries still green. Not to mention pears, although we won't get as many as the last years. So far, all this fruit has to rest in our freezer until I have more empty jars.

Still - eating our homemade jam always reminds me of picking fruits in the sunshine under a blue sky!

Medieval weekend with Harp

After our cycle trip I only spent 2 days at home and then went off again. This time to Thüringen, the eastern part of Germany. Last year I had visited the Castle Festival in Schalkau with Dunkelschön - this year I was invited again and was delighted to go.

The festival started on Friday evening, but the preparations had already started a week before. I thought I could offer some help when I arrived on Thursday, but the about 30 members of the assosiation who look after the castle ruins and run the festival all had their jobs. As I was asked to bring my harp - Biddy, the small and sturdy one - along, I practised and the working force enjoyed it.

On Friday I met a young HurdyGurly player - about the age of our youngest daughter. He gave me his precious instrument and I really managed to make it sound - well, maybe no very nice, but still... Of course he was allowed to play on my harp and was surprised how easy it is to make it sound nicely.

More medieval stalls apeared and I enjoyed some walks in the wonderful surroundings with perfect summer weather.

For the evening we all got dressed in medieval looking clothes and listened to the first arriving bands. The band "Die Irrlichter" (fen fires) also arrived even though they started playing on Saturday and since we met several times before, they seemed to be happy to see me again and asked me to show them around.

 While I was playing on top of the castle ruins, one visitor took some pictures and even made a video of my performance. You can listen to it here

 With fen fires on the castle ruins.

 Heidenlärm played on all 3 days.

On Friday I was sitting in the front row to enjoy the fire show of Luna.

On Saturday I was very busy with my harp whenever no band was playing on the stage. Otherwise the sound was travelling all over the castle. Still - many visitors loved my harp and I had even a request to play (!) and got free drinks.

The best bit of the day was playing together with the Hurdy Gurly. The young player just listened to my songs and then played along. That was really fantastic! I loved every second.

 And what is more - one song of this experiment can be seen on YouTube - click here.

 The Irrlichter played several times on stage.

....then my harp had a rest.

The harp player of the Irrlichter is looking for a harp for her son, so she tried out little Biddy and was delighted about the sound.

On Sunday summer took a break and it was raining almost all day. Still, many visitors took their umbrellas and came anyway. The church service was planned for the top of the castle but had to take place under shelters, which were build up in a moment - and carried away again afterwards.

My harp had to stay in the car - it was just too wet. So I had time for plenty of photos, especially when the knights of the medieval camp came to take over the castle.

Just when the festival was over, I had to leave to catch my train home. It was pouring again and the sound of the HurdyGurly playing on the stage followed me....

Well - it was a fantastic weekend and felt like a real holiday!

 

Have a look here