The Perfect Weekend?

 I have spent most of today in bed, I'm not ill, I'm just shattered! One of the great things about my current status as self unemployed/semi retired is that I can just take a time out when I need one, and boy oh boy did I need one. When I eventually got home last night I felt broken, physically tired and emotionally drained. But I am not complaining, far from it I have just had one of the best weekends ever!

The weekend started with an early alarm call so I could get up, finish packing, load up the car, and have a cup of coffee before setting off for a band weekend away ~ or as some if you might know them, a band camp! This was my second with the fabulous Phoenix Concert Band who I have been conducting now for about 9 months. With most of the band and a few friends I think we were about 40 in all, of varying standard but all with the same enthusiasm. We mostly played music new to the band, and found some real gems, the couple that had been played before showed some very real progress from the band as a whole. It's certainly given me plenty of food for thought as I sort out a programme for our next concert in March.

Photo credit Peter Atkin (trombone)

 I had enormous fun but after 7 sessions conducting for about 8 hours in total, plus a session on electric bass with a scratch jazz band drawn from members of band I was very glad that I hadn't had to do anything else. The hospitality and food of the venue is without doubt one of the best, and the extra entertainment and "hospitality" put together by members of the band was fabulous.

As well as a chance to do some intensive musical work, these weekends away are a great way to forge relationships within the band, as we share (some fabulous) meals and leisure time together.

I finished the "Band camp" in deepest Surrey mid-afternoon, which just about gave me time to drive straight up to central London for the first rehearsal with LGSO for our next concert on the 19th February. It's and interesting and varied programme, and a fantastic part for me to play on my new tuba in the Rachmaninov 2nd Symphony ~ if you only know Rachmaninov for his piano music please come to this concert, the symphony is a real treat, even though it did not get immediate critical acclaim.

After all that it is no surprise that today didn't really happen ~ until I go to the Croydon Brass this evening. The other no surprise thing is that yet again I had a packing failure, I remembered by toothbrush and slippers, I remembered to pack a sufficient change of clothes and a choice between jeans, skirt and leggings ~ what I forgot was central heating so didn't take any light weight tops or tee shirts so ended spending a lot of the time a little too warm.

And.... the final good thing is that my being trans was never mentioned or and issue for anybody, we were all just a group of friends and musicians.