Variety is....

Friday evening, I find myself wearing black, sitting on the stage in the music centre's main hall, playing the Viola (No, not a gentleman after all...) as part of a backing band for a very good singing couple called Maarit and Sami Hurmerinta. Very popular with 30-something woman, judging from the (large and enthusiastic) audience. Musical style was a mix of rock, jazz and soul - I could hear strains of Clapton (A direct use of the chords from 'tears in heaven'), amongst other stuff - click on the play button in the top left of this link for a sample. Then this morning again I found myself standing (still wearing the same black) in Kuopio Cathedral, singing the Agricola Mass, written by Mikael Agricola. 450 year old Gregorian chant, but still the same problem at communion! I think back to happy childhood days building sandcastles on the beach at Ballycroneen, and watching the tide engulf them in a single woosh. I felt exactly the same way as we grabbed our music stands and formed a defensive circle against the tide of people streaming up to communion. Still, went well, and have just spent a happy afternoon raking leaves in the garden. The clock went to winter time today, which means that we'll be getting up in the dark and coming back from work/study in the dark (Sunrise today 7.33, sunset 16.13 - 8h 40 mins of daylight). Still, it hasn't snowed yet, so we haven't had to change tyres, another herald of winter proper.

I had a wonderful time two weeks ago (sorry haven't blogged until now - time flies) with Mr & Mrs. Viking Longship (aka my brother and his wife) on the farm in Norway. Amongst the building of barn doors and dismantling and cleaning of old tractors, we found time to go kayaking in some fantastic wood strip and epoxy traditional style greenland kayaks. These were a wonderful combination of work of art and practical tool. As I hadn't been out in a kayak in 2 years and on the sea in about 6 or 7, it took a while to get really comfortable with waves. A very memorable experience, especially for the fact that our host and VL spent more time upside down than up, as they were practising rolling. A wonderful thing, but in my youth I always felt that if I was upside down in a kayak, something had gone wrong!!! prevention is better than the cure? Still, a great getaway from it all. I await with baited breath the publication of photos of said tractor being driven through said barn doors.