Bratislava and Vienna 1

We arrived in Bratislava early Monday morning for our 3.25 day visit! I already posted this picture, but I want to keep this a full account, so apologies for reposting.

First impressions were of beautiful buildings, and squares, lots of open spaces, but very quiet and very few people around.

 It felt much more leisurely than a city!

There are lots of statues like this one, so it's just as well it's not crowded, as tourists constantly stop to take photos with the statues!

A few tour groups passed along, and for a few moments the street would be crowded, then quiet again.
Bratislava by night is very, very beautiful!

This is the same square as the first picture, from the opposite angle, and that building is our hotel! Definitely the most impressive looking hotel we've ever stayed in!

Monday was Hubby's birthday, and when we were checking in, the receptionist noticed from his passport, and they sent a bottle of wine up to the room. How nice and thoughtful is that?
I really liked Slovakian people; everyone we met was friendly and helpful, and everyone had amazing English! I only managed to learn "thank you" in Slovakian, but each time I used it, they beamed. It makes a difference to learn just that one word!

Stole away! and update on my dilemma

Thank everyone for your fantastic, helpful comments on my last post. It really helped my confidence to know that so many people were behind me. That is one of the marvellous things about the blogging community.

 (and I thought the ivy in my garden was out of control! Perspective!)
I decided to face the situation head-on, but the person in question never turned up to the last rehearsal. Maybe she heard I would have chewing gum (Eddie's idea!) or had troops lined up to punch her (Pam and Stephanie!) or one of the many other ideas for dealing with it.

 However, another very talented player was there, and I noticed how polite and respectful he was, as I was to him. We are all just doing our best. That made me more determined not to be bullied.
I will keep you updated.

Hubby and I stole away for a few days. Bratislava and Vienna.  Above is the view from our hotel room! I think it looks like an architect's drawing!

 And this was one of many beautiful buildings in Bratislava.
Worthy of a full other post, but these few pics are an introduction. More to follow..

Bubble has Burst

Yes, the bubble has burst.
I've been having so much fun with band and orchestra....until the last 2 weeks.

A new player has joined one of the groups that I play with, and I find it difficult to get along with her. I find her pushy and loud, and she loves to point out my mistakes, and to lean over and write on my music!

I think I'm going to have to face the situation head-on, a thing I hate to do. I don't like conflict, and she will only be there for a few more weeks, until the summer break from her other ensemble is over. But it's quite possible that she will come back at some stage, so I need to let her know that she can't walk all over me.
 Any advice on how to address this would be greatly appreciated; I'm really stressed out about it.

What a Weekend! And a nugget of wisdom!

 We were in Clonakilty, Cork, for the South of Ireland Band Championships.

What a lot of fun!  (I'm 3rd Horn from the right, again!)
 Each of the bands plays in the school hall, at the competition, but also on the street! That was so much fun! I don't know why there's a monkey on top of the phone box!

 I'm discovering how different venues/acoustics affect the sound. On the street, I couldn't hear any of the other instruments, which made it really difficult to know if I was with the others or not.

We won 1st place in the Senior Competition, and part of winning is a Victory Train Ride through the town!

  The Lord Mayor comes on the train with the winners!

It was hilarious! If there's one thing guaranteed to get adults to instantly become children, it's a mini-train! We piled in and started singing, clapping, cheering!

Then, in the pub, they filled our cup with a cocktail of booze.

 It was passed around for everyone to have a taste.

During the night's celebrations, I was constantly surprised at the taking of photos (for Facebook). A night out has totally changed since I used to do this regularly- it's all about recording it!

And within minutes it's on Facebook!

 Would need to either not care or take extreme care to behave well!

(pictures 1 and 3 are from  Richard Tyndall Photography)

I was browsing through documents tonight and came across "Things to Give Up".

Give up thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

I'm so glad that I sometimes listen to my own (or the internet's!) advice, and that I went ahead and joined the Band. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made with my life.

The video is here!!!

The promised excerpt from our performance of Riverdance in the Helix. Enjoy!

The Concert!

Well, it was just amazing!
In the last post, Maggie May calls me an "old hand" at concerts, and to some extent I am (getting there!) but this was different.

We arrived at 5.20 for our 8.00pm concert, and immediately began tuning, sound checks and then rehearsals with the Tenor, the Choir and the Dancers.
Then we were directed to the Dressing Rooms, backstage. Oh my goodness, I just HAD to take a photo!

I couldn't believe it! The lights and all!!
There were 2 rooms for the men and 2 for women, so no overcrowding, lots of space to do make-up!
They also provided a room with tea, coffee, sandwiches and a fridge full of water.

There was a champagne reception before the concert, and we were invited to hang out there (but only for a little while, as we had to get back up to get our tuning done), and some of us may have had a little sip to settle our nerves!

Then it was out on stage, and the music began.

I'm the third horn from the left...

I have a little video clip that I hope you'll enjoy, but can't get it to upload and my "techie experts" are away, but I will post it in the next couple of days.
 I had to blink a few times and assure myself that I wasn't dreaming! It was a really great evening!

Bits of news

Today, Daughter finished her Leaving Cert! Phew!
She is now officially finished school, and will (d.v.) start college in September. She was great during the exams, so calm and not phased by papers that didn't go her way. She took 8 subjects (extra one being music which she did in Band) and took Higher Level in all those papers! Her last paper was this morning, Applied Maths.
So after she finished, one of her teachers brought her for hot chocolate in a local café, just the 2 of them. Wasn't that sweet? The teachers have made a huge effort to make it up to them for the awful finish they had to their schooldays; her English teacher went and selected a book for each student. Zoe got "Mrs. Dalloway", and I know that she will treasure it always, especially because of the lovely and inspiring message that her teacher wrote on the inside cover.

After her hot chocolate outing, I brought her out for lunch, just the 2 of us, and told her how proud I am of her. I am constantly impressed by how calm and mature she is, and especially how she and her friends held their dignity during the recent events. They were much more dignified than the Principal!

Tonight she's gone off out to celebrate with her friends-it's been quite a while since they had a night out, so I hope they really enjoy themselves, and stay safe. I have a feeling it will be a late night!!

 Tomorrow night our band plays another concert! It's quite a big event, with a Tenor, some Irish dancers, an exerpt from Riverdance (this is worth watching, especially from 4.22 on!), a choir and some Indian dancers. Should be fun!
And as there are 4 horns, it will be another great experience for me!
Sometimes, I blink and think "I can't believe all these wonderful things are happening to me!" The opportunities that have come to me from my involvement in music have been so exciting, and especially since I joined the new band. We will also be playing several outdoor concerts over the summer, and also at a music festival in Clonakilty in a couple of weeks time!

 I am loving every minute of it! even the "gradually faster to end"!