Day 20

It’s my last day at the day job before I finish for Christmas, so today’s post is about office life and the compulsory fun (thank you for that one, Derek from MS!) it can bring at this time of year.

In a break from tradition, I’m having some time off work. Normally the days in between Christmas and New Year are quite a nice time to be in an office. It’s really quiet, you can get on with things as the phones don’t ring as much. If you’re a commuter, the trains and roads are much quieter too and a lot of people I’ve worked with over the years use it as an opportunity to catch up on filing and all the little stuff that gets put off the rest of the year. This year, I need a break. It has been quite a whirlwind these last few months, with a new job and a wedding, and I’m desperate for a few days to myself.

I’ve never really talked much about having a day job as a musician - it’s something people ask you when they hear that’s what you do, particularly in the wedding industry, and I used to feel like less of a Real Musician because I didn’t do it full time. I’m actually a better musician and a nicer person because I don’t rely on music for everything. It’s different for everyone, and it has taken me a long time to find the right balance.

A few months ago, I had a long conversation with another harpist who was contemplating getting a Proper Job for a bit. There are a lot of myths about it but the reality is - not everyone gets sick pay, not everyone can choose their holidays, sometimes you have to work with people you can’t stand on a daily basis and you have to just get on with it, and the security of a monthly pay cheque really doesn’t mean a lot these days, particularly if you work in finance or retail where you can go into work one day and that’s you out of a job through no fault of your own. Lavish Christmas dos are also a total myth in my experience.

But there are lots of good things too. For a few years I worked for a big US investment bank. It was never something I pictured myself doing, but there were some tough emotional times while I was there and I made some friends for life. Having a non-musical day job meant I could earn money, work sensible hours (at least in the team I was in), have a decent social life with my team and leave my work at work, which was something I hadn’t been able to do previously. It meant I still had the energy to do musical things in the evenings and at the weekends. The team building side of things there was excellent and despite half of my team being in New York, we really gelled and it was a big decision to leave.

Our best dos since I’ve been up in Glasgow were spent in our work local - we wrapped up early for the day (a big advantage of having a New York team to hand the phones over to!) and a quiz, some food and a lot of drinks with my friends was a pretty good way to celebrate. As wise Derek said, most people just want to go to the pub so let’s just do that.~

One year we had an Olympics-themed event running through the summer (my Team Canada cupcakes won third prize for creativity!), but the desk pictures are from the year-long Clash of the Clans. My team that year were not particularly social and to be fair, by Christmas everyone was sick of anything clan-related. So I was the lone team representative for the desk decoration round of the competition.

That November was a tough one. I’d had quite a worrying lump in my neck. There’d been a whole load of tests including a hideous needle biopsy which finally brought all the tears out. A few days later, everything was all clear. I got the phone call at work and I celebrated with a big sticky Christmas coffee and a mince pie. I went to Paperchase on the way home and spent a fortune on anything vaguely festive and mountain-related, and my desk was transformed into a totally over the top ‘Christmas in the mountains’ scene.

The year after, we moved offices across the road and we went to a clear desk policy. If you spend a long time at your desk, it’s nice to be able to make it a bit more cheerful so it was a bit of a shame.

By that time, I’d started moving house and Christmas in the mountains was recreated on the windowsill of a flat in the west end of Glasgow. This year, things have changed again and we have a cardboard cut-out of Tom Hanks stood next to our Christmas tree. More on that on Christmas Eve….

I’ve still no idea who this guy was, nobody at MS seemed to know but he was brought out of the drawer every year. I laughed every time I walked past him.

We attempted to turn a Pinata into a reindeer with the addition of some branches. Marc the landlord kindly put a hook in the ceiling just for us, then a customer came over with a stool - it was a slight health and safety hazard (that was his job) so this was the least disruptive way of making it safe. We howled about it but it’s funny how those are the things that people remember years later. The Pinata was later covered in post-it notes with all the things we wanted to see the back of that year. “Tax team tea protocol” was my favourite….

Day 22

It’s a wee bit late to get my Christmas list off to Santa, but let’s be honest, I’m a Strong Independent Woman (TM) capable of earning the money to buy myself a present when I’d like one. Maybe not all the presents I’d like, but you know what I mean.

Also, Christmas has never been the same since that year I parked the motorbike I’d just bought under my newly purchased Christmas tree, which was decorated to match the bike.

The super-rare Ducati 998S Bostrom replica - only a very small number are left in the UK now :( and the rarest thing on the bike is the blue handlebar grips! It was covered in stars and sparkles so perfect for Christmas.

I’ve gradually accepted that my motorbike days are on hold for a bit. I had dreams of racing at the Manx GP one year, but they changed the rules recently and I think I’m too old as a Newcomer now. It’s a real shame, but it’s a reminder to get on and do the things you want to do and not to put things off.

Anyway. Here are just a few things on my Christmas list this year.

Some of these are a bit more realistic and achievable than others, but it’s good to dream, right?

More harps:

• A workhorse harp - I really like the Aoyama Venus, or a Salvi Symphony would be good. The black and bronze Lyon & Healy Style 23 is also very nice, but that’s getting into fancy territory like my beautiful Salvi Minerva. The whole point of getting another pedal harp is to have something a bit lower down on the budget scale that already has a few bumps and dings on it so it’s not the end of the world if it picks up any more.

• An electroacoustic harp - a Lyon and Healy Style 2000 please

• A clarsach - I’m torn between Dusty Strings, Starfish and Pilgrim. I think it would be Starfish for their excellent flight cases.

More electronics:

• Right now I’m desperate for a Boss SL-20 slicer pedal but they’re discontinued now - sob. Santa is bringing me a voucher towards an Electroharmonix Super Pulsar which looks like the closest thing for the least £££ and I can’t wait! Santa has also brought me a synth pedal and I can’t believe I haven’t emptied the flat looking for it yet.

• I’d also love a Boss RC-300 - the big daddy looper - and my Balmoral pay cheque will probably go towards that this year.

• I’d also like a MIDI controller and/or a drum machine, but this is a whole new world for me and so if Santa needs specifics, this will have to wait until next year.

On the realistic, practical side of things - the slippers/pyjamas equivalent if you like - and the stuff that I’ll be buying myself this year anyway

• New transport covers for my big sparkly harp - I keep hearing incredible things about Splashsacs so I’ll probably go to them. Mine were old when I got them and that was 10 years ago!

• New bass wires and a service - I have a buzzy 4th D string and the bass wires were old when I got the harp 5 years ago so it’s definitely time to shut my eyes and hand over my credit card.

I’m still daydreaming of my dream harp room (remember Day 11 ?) and this is a little more in my control. Flat hunting will start very soon. Speaking of which….

I’ve not mentioned the dog situation - lots of people are asking, and yes there are plans for the pitter patter of four canine feet soon. Hopefully my Christmas telly viewing will be shared with a furry next year. But we/they need more space first.

I’m also daydreaming of an Audi RS6 estate, but since I don’t have the petrol/tyres budget to go with it, I’d settle for a pre-loved A6 AllRoad. I’m thinking about changing my car this year, but it heavily depends on where we end up buying a flat. West End parking is not fun, and I’ve already picked up a handful of scratches on my bumper and a broken wing mirror, none of which were my fault. So having a very fancy car is probably pointless.

Other than that, my list includes something that’s probably common to all harpists and musicians - more hours in the week to spend exploring, writing, creating and practicing.

And I’d love an easy-to-access quirky venue that’s reasonably central and not too pricey to hire so I can put on some more of my own stuff. I have one I use at the moment which is a joy (with a lovely super kind super helpful sound man) but it’s up several flights of stairs which means my big harp has to stay at home, and I’d love to do at least one gig where I use both.

I have a small supportive core audience which I’m incredibly grateful for, and I’d love to expand that some more this year. Hopefully if I work hard and keep going, I won’t need Santa for that.

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Lastly, as the Spice Girls sang, “Giving is good, as long as you’re getting,” and hopefully a long list of things I’d like to Get will be offset by something I’m Giving.

Don’t forget about Coorie in for Christmas! This is a short cosy Christmas concert that I’ll be live-streaming via Facebook on Christmas Eve. It’s free and you don’t even have to get out of your pyjamas. The link to all the information is here - I hope to ‘see’ you there!

Day 13

For the last few years, I’ve worked on Christmas Day, playing background music at fancy hotels over in Edinburgh.

It’s something I never thought I’d do - it was never something that came up when I was working down south, but a shout went out one year for an extra person and I didn’t really have anything else doing so I said yes. My friends and family are quite far-flung so I usually catch up with them a couple of days later instead.

The money always gets earmarked for something extra lovely, I don’t mind the drive over and while I’ve spent a few very happy Christmases on my own with my feet up, there’s something really nice about going out and then coming home, shutting the door and collapsing in an exhausted heap in front of the telly with a glass of something nice.

It used to involve a warm snuggle from a greyhound as well - this is only my second Christmas without them and that side of things will be a struggle again.

Rudolph keeping a space for me

The last few years I’ve been at the Balmoral hotel which goes all out with the decorations. There are sometimes three of us working there on Christmas Day, and it’s always lovely to catch up with resident harpist Iain for a chat and a big hug. Every year we promise we’ll have a tired harpists’ Christmas night out but we’ve never quite made it. Iain does two shifts on Christmas Day most years and I’m in awe of his stamina - I think even I’d get tired of Christmas music after six hours plus!

The year of the tinkly clock and the festive essential oils - both were quite overpowering at times but certainly Christmassy!

Music-wise, each year I wish I’ve got my Christmas rep out a bit earlier, and I try to add something new.

Last year was a first as I played Happy Birthday as my first piece for a little girl - the restaurant team had seated her family next to the harp so that before any Christmas celebrations began for her family, they marked her birthday first.

Resident harpist Iain next to the hardest working harp in Scotland - the Balmoral has its own harp and it’s played for at least five hours every day. A rota is in place and as it’s right next to the station, it’s a very handy gig for lots of us.

The first year I played there, I wore a big red flower in my hair. This proved quite important as just as I was heading back through reception on my way home, a lady caught my eye and asked me if I had been playing the harp. She’d recognised the flower and for a moment I was worried she’d complain about the amount of times I’d played Silent Night, but actually she had stopped me to say thank you.

It was her first Christmas without her husband, and her family had made the decision to do something completely different that year. They’d never spent Christmas away from home and she very kindly told me that the harp music had been a really special part of it and she’d always remember it. I’ve never forgotten her - I think of her every year when I play there, and when I start to flag I try to think of all the stories of the people I’m playing for.

You often sit for hours wondering if anyone’s listening - after all people are there to celebrate with family and friends, not really for the music - and it’s always a lovely surprise when someone tells you they’ve heard you and they’ve enjoyed what you played.

It’s a really nice thing to be part of other people’s Christmas in this way and I do enjoy it.

Day 21

Post-concert relief for Zuzanna and general silliness from the rest of us

The shortest day is here and the light is almost on its way.

I always feel a huge sense of relief when this day comes each winter, especially now I live as far north as I do.

I feel so much more connected to the change of seasons up here in Scotland - I really notice the change of colours on the trees and the different light in the sky, and I particularly love our long evenings of daylight in the summer especially since I started spending a lot of time in the hills. Training this year has involved two mid-week mountains and I hope to do many more next year.

Today’s post is also quite brief. It’s to say a big thank you to all my harp friends, both those IRL (in real life) and those living around the world who I might never get to physically meet.

There are far too many to mention and I know I will leave someone out if I do, but following everyone’s projects and successes (as well as the heartbreak and the more disappointing side of life) has been a truly enriching experience. It helps keep me connected to my own music and most importantly, it reminds me I’m not alone as a harpist any more, no matter how isolating it can feel in a practice room when things just are not working.

Here are just a couple of my favourite harp things that my friends have done this year.

I’ve loved Zuzanna’s commitment to her weekly Live Lessons and I’m so impressed with her book of Polish Carols that she released this year. (We talked lots about those on Day 6)

Keziah’s incredible Vivaldi project originated from a social media post, and led to a phenomenal transcription of the Four Seasons for harp which she has filmed and shared as she has gone along through the year. It’ll be performed in full some time next year and I can only begin to imagine how much work has gone into it. She shared Autumn a couple of weeks ago (below), and the other movements are here - Spring , Summer and Winter.

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Lastly, a reminder that at 9pm on Christmas Eve I’ll be live-streaming a short cosy Christmas concert via Facebook.

The link to all the information is here - I hope to ‘see’ you there!

Day 12

Big smiles after a gig at The Old Hairdressers in April 2017 - photo by Julie Broadfoot

As part of the work I’ve been doing via the Autonomous Creative Collective and the Creative Focus Workshop, I had a big old think about all the Harp Things I had going on in my head and how/if/when those things might become actual real life things rather than ideas. I’ll be sharing a little bit more about this on another day, but I thought I’d talk about a partnership that is a few years old now and that I’m really proud of. It has already crossed countries and I hope it continues to do so.

I met Frankie in the summer of 2011 and she opened the door to a whole new way of performing for me. I’d recently taken part in a jazz workshop in the Netherlands and I’d acquired my first electric harp. Thanks to my friend Donna, I went along to my first open mic night in Colchester where I lived at the time, and life changed forever.

Through her, I got to know jazz guitarist John, and we started playing a fairly unusual range of tunes as a trio, and we played in a few pubs until we all went our separate ways geographically. We were well received, and one of the things I remember from that time is never having to worry about the harp - people were so respectful of it and interested in it.

Getting a huge harp into a small packed pub is no joke, and kind customers who held doors and stepped out of the way for a few seconds were and still are much appreciated.

The black and white picture was the night I played Stairway to Heaven (on request!) and there were people slow-dancing just in front of the harp - it was magical.

That time was so important to where I was then and where I am now as a musician, and if the reception had been different, I probably would have given up and gone back to classical forever.

(photos below by Natasha Robinson)

Since I started thinking about space and place earlier this month, my thoughts have often turned to the Old - to people and places I knew before the big move north. There’s a lot to forget from that time in Essex, but sometimes thinking back to the old familiar - to east coast sunsets by the creek, sunrises across the fields outside my bedroom window, the magical Great Henny support network, meeting friends for a thrash round the lanes and bypasses on our motorbikes, beaches, a packed pub full of music lovers on a Wednesday night - is immensely comforting.

I moved to Glasgow, Frankie moved to Liverpool and John moved to Portugal and we thought that was it forever, but then Frankie ended up in Glasgow for a while which meant a new chapter started with just the two of us.

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One of my favourite things I’ve done with Frankie was playing as part of a club night in Liverpool called the Secret Circus.

Somebody very kindly filmed it on their phone, and every time I watch it I’m blown away by just how many people were in that audience and how quiet they all were.

It was Valentine’s weekend and the perfect time for a big sparkly gold harp to appear for a couple of tunes. The stage manager had big fluffy angel wings and it was such a fun gig.

Day 11

Today’s post is about space, and specifically harp space and the complexities of it.

Last year I found myself parked up next to a Christmas tree at one of my favourite venues to play, which gave me another thing to add to the list for my perfect harp room.

Any musical instrument requires space to play it in, but a full size concert harp needs a large area to play in plus storage space for itself and its covers as well. Not to mention the vehicle to transport it and a place for that to live too.

A recent post on the Harp Mastery blog about decorating your practice room for Christmas and your aspirations for your harp next year got me thinking quite hard about my own current practice space, and living space, and then about some deeper stuff involving place and self too.

My first big pedal harp, squeezed into the corner of our dining room in Stratford-on-Avon - note the oboe/bassoon knick-knacks next to the clock up on the pelmet and I think what was the first harp collectible… Just next to the dining room was a baby grand piano. Eventually my mum and dad converted the garage so my mum had some space to teach at last. The harp stayed in the dining room though.

My initial thoughts were written during a rather tough day at work when I was tired, run down and ill, and you’ll be pleased to know I scratched that post - it was pretty gloomy.

But as it happens often with writing things down, your brain mulls them over and I realised that there was some important stuff in amongst all those sad words. I also finally admitted to myself that the space issue has been getting me down a bit and I need to do some more thinking on that one.

So, without further waffle, here are some thoughts on the perfect harp space. Harp aspirations?… they’re for another post.

Wendy keeping guard - you’d think a bony dog would want a soft space but she loved that floor especially on a hot day.

My old house was perfect in a few ways - it was at the bottom of the hills, it had a little space for harps, it had dogs in it for most of the time I lived there and it had a garage.

However, the house was tiny, the harp room was basically the hallway and because it was also part of the living room and my boy greyhound liked to borrow things, I had to pack the harp away every time I finished playing and barricade it in with my bike, harp stool and trolley. Most of the time that wasn’t too bad, but gradually I started acquiring more harp stuff, which meant more unpacking and packing away.

So what’s on my shopping list for the perfect practice room?

I dream of having space for both harps side by side, to be able to leave all my stuff out, to have space for my trolley and case while I’m practising and to be able to SHUT THE DOOR on it all when I’m finished.

I would also like space for a desk for my computer and printer and fluffy Cardiff dragon and owl mug.

There we go. I’m not big on manifestation but I do like a good daydreaming session so maybe over the new year, I might sit down and get specific about exactly how I’d like to lay my room out.

Testing my new pedal harp (left) versus my old pedal harp (right). The left one looks more impressive but the right one held its own sound-wise and it was a really tough decision to get a new one.

Eventually, circumstances changed from the tiny house and as you’ll have seen from the Day 9 post, I acquired a husband and that meant moving house.

It also meant moving harps elsewhere, as his flat is three floors up and while I think it’s the same overall floor space, it has one bedroom and a living room which means no sensible workable space for harps.

Thankfully, just down the road and within walking distance and exactly halfway between home and my day job at the time, I found a lovely studio that I could afford and which acted as an extra bedroom.

Note - it was also very small, BUT crucially it meant I could leave things out and shut the door. I’ve loved playing there, although I’m starting to miss having the harp at home as even three visits a week aren’t enough really. I’ve also moved job so it’s not as straightforward to get there.

Definitely no space for more than one harp out at a time though….

New space - It doesn’t look that much bigger, but at last it’s big enough and I LOVE IT HERE!

A few weeks ago I moved just down the corridor to a slightly wider room, and at last I have some elbow space around me when I practice. I can leave all my growing collection of electronics out and there is space for my trolley too.

Hopefully next year we’ll move to a different flat and I can have the harp at home again, as well as all the other requirements.

I’m a way away from having all this studio equipment, but hopefully there’ll at least be room for a Christmas tree in my new space. 

It’ll be a different matter once I start to build some more studio kit …. this was me achieving one of my dreams of playing on a track for a techno producer a couple of years back. It went in the bin but it was great fun at the time.

Day 1

Early morning in George Square in Glasgow

It’s December 1st! Whether you’re on the “bah humbug!” side of the fence or the “bring it on from about September” side (you can probably guess which side I’m on!), you surely can’t argue that now December is finally here, Christmas is on its way.

I’m not entirely sure when I started getting really big on Christmas, it’s certainly not something that’s a big deal in my family - in fact it’s the exact opposite.

I think it was my first year working in a head office in retail. Our big conference was held in September each year, and the main function of it was to launch all the gorgeous glittery party accessories and celebrate the wonderful staff we had. The anticipation and excitement around seeing what our incredible design team had come up with was fantastic and I really loved working there.

That year, I separated from my husband and things were looking rather grey. I moved back in with my parents for a couple of weeks while I waited to move into a houseshare. My nephew was born just before Christmas, and my mum and dad went off to help my brother and sister-in-law with the new arrival while I looked after my parents’ dogs. It was my first ever Christmas on my own and I actually really loved it.

The first year on my own in the house I had previously shared with my ex husband, I bought the biggest, glitteriest tree I could find and themed the decorations to match the fabulous and extremely rare motorbike I’d just bought and which lived next to the tree. Red white and blue, stars, sparkles, the lot!

A super rare Ducati 998S Bostrom - one of only a handful left in the UK now. No longer mine sadly!

I think it was a way of trying to celebrate when things were actually pretty bleak. Something I am really good at is making a celebration out of pretty much nothing.

Anyhoo...as I’ve met more and more people who are totally over Christmas and everything it seems to stand for right now, I’ve had to think about why I love Christmas so much.

And apart from the excuse to cover everything that is dark in glitter and fairy lights, for me it’s about the music.

I love the bringing out and then putting away of tunes for another year, and the “is it too early?” feeling when it comes to unpacking them again. I love the sensation of slight cliche when I hear the same old songs, and I love how it rubs up against the comfort and familiarity of tradition.

I love the anticipation of new Christmas songs and the inevitable frustration when the pop machine cranks out yet another terrible cover of a mediocre song with a compulsory key change around two thirds of the way through.

One of my biggest ambitions is to write a really excellent Christmas song. I have a theme in mind, but the pop world will be pleased to know it can rest easy for another year because I have a different Christmas Thing in mind for this year...but more on that another day.

And so on to the first thing behind our advent calendar door.

Three excellent harp Christmas albums - one old, one newer and one brand spanking new.

The first is The Gift by Deborah Henson-Conant.

DHC - I wouldn’t be writing this without her. I nearly gave up the harp (yet again) in 2016 but she helped me find my way through. I found this gorgeous album last year - I’ve no idea how I didn’t find it earlier because it was released in 1995, but it turned up via YouTube and I’m head over heels in love with it. It’s jazzy, it’s funky, it’s sooo clever and cool. There’s old stuff, there’s some fabulously unexpected twists on old stuff and it’s a total must-have.

My favourites - ALL of them! If I had to choose - Joy to the World, Carol of the Bells, Deck the Halls

Listen to short snippets here: https://www.hipharp.com/pdct_pgs/gift_pdctpg.html
To buy an actual CD - https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/dhc4
Or you can buy via iTunes/Amazon etc

The second album is At Christmas by 4 Girls 4 Harps

(Full disclosure - 2 of my all time harp idols/crushes are in this group. I love everything they do.)

This album is more traditional/classical in terms of what people think of when they think of a harp, but if you love harp, and you believe more harps can only be a good thing, you’ll adore this.

The arrangements are stunning (all by the girls themselves who are internationally renowned harpists in their own right) and they really show off the capabilities of the instrument.

The other thing is....the ensemble playing. It’s absolutely spot on which is super hard with the harp. Everyone lifts their arms differently, squeezes the strings at different times and with four of you, you have to look at your own strings AND at three other people while you’re playing.

You have to keep all the harps bang in tune with each other…. which is not easy when all four harps have 47 strings EACH.

You wouldn’t normally notice differences in tuning and timing in a Live situation, but in a recording where everything is in stereo and super high quality ... just wow.

This must have been a total labour of love getting it all just so. As if this wasn’t enough, the singer is superb!

My favourites - ALL of them but especially Silent Night - those harmonics!, Il est Ne (harmonics, arpeggios, soooo harpy!), In The Bleak Midwinter and What Child Is This.

Buy an actual CD here:
Or you can buy via iTunes etc

You can listen to Gaudete here:

Finally! Christmas Star by The Outside Track

This is the most recent - in fact it’s brand new and already there are only a few physical CDs left if you want to buy one. It’s completely different to the other two albums mentioned above but it’s BRILLIANT, I have it on in my car at the moment on my commute and sitting in traffic on the M8 and the Clydeside Expressway has never been such a joy!

The Outside Track are a traditional/Celtic music band with the incredible Ailie Robertson on harp. I saw them live for the first time at Celtic Connections last year and I just was blown away - engaging stage chat, brilliant arrangements, and all instruments given their fair share of presence. I can’t wait to see them again in January!

This album is best played LOUD and I guarantee you won’t be able to sit still while you’re listening!

My favourites - of course ALL of them but especially the first track Christmas in Killarney, Winter Jigs, and Carol of the Bells (I’m addicted). Hanky warning for Auld Lang Syne though….

To buy an actual CD - go here quickly as they’re almost sold out!
Listen to Auld Lang Syne here: https://www.theoutsidetrack.com/media
Also available via iTunes etc

You can listen to a wee snippet of Christmas in Killarney and hear more about the music they make in this video.

Any of these albums would be a great way to get your Christmas spirit warmed up. I’d love to hear which one is your favourite.

See you tomorrow for Day 2!

Day 18

Somewhere on the A507 near Buntingford, Christmas Day 2006

Today’s post is about spending Christmas Day on your own, and how it’s not as bad as you think.

I’ll caveat that slightly, by saying that spending Christmas Day on your own when you have chosen to do so is not as bad as you might think - in fact it’s actually pretty good fun.

My ex-husband and I separated just before Christmas in 2006. I was due to move into a houseshare but it wouldn’t be ready until mid-January, so I made the somewhat unusual decision to move home for a couple of weeks.

I left home when I went to university in 1997 and I had never moved back afterwards. Mum and Dad have moved home numerous times since I left, and so “home” is a somewhat alien concept for me. That’s something for another day though…(no festive content there so it’ll be after Christmas).

I was ready to go, my mum was ready for me to go and for a while we got on best with a big distance between us! (She’d say the same!) And so it was a big decision to go back, even short term.

Anyway. I finished work on Christmas Eve 2006, left work in Billericay, hopped on my motorbike and instead of turning right onto the A12, I went left towards the M25 and then to Stevenage. These are some of the busiest roads in the UK and the Lakeside roundabout was horrendous. But after that, it was an easy speedy ride to my mum and dad’s house and after unpacking, I set off for the most important mission of Christmas…

Buying some food for Christmas Day.

I was going to be spending the bulk of it alone - my nephew had been born a couple of days earlier, my mum was staying in Bromley helping my brother’s family adjust to their new arrival and Dad would be leaving early and arriving late to go and give my 2 year old niece some uninterrupted Grandad time for Christmas. I was in charge of looking after the dog - Lady the beautiful greyhound who is long departed.

My nephew will be 13 next week - it’s always funny looking back at that first Christmas now as he is so big!

I knew I was going to be on my own and I had three plans for the day - food, TV and a motorbike ride.

I’d thought in advance about what was going to make Christmas for me, and I bought all my favourite Christmas food - pigs in blankets, mince pies, smoked salmon and crackers. I bought pizza for my dinner, and a bottle of my favourite gin at the time - Bombay Sapphire (times have definitely changed there!)

Numerous Christmases have been spent in the same way now. Without realising it, I’d started to created my own new Christmas traditions.

The motorbike ride was one of the best bits of the day though.

With deserted roads and a relatively new and very fast bike, I set off for my favourite road which happened to be very close to my mum and dad’s house. The A507 between Buntingford and Baldock was beautifully surfaced, a good mixture of tight corners and sweeping bends, and with quiet roads for Christmas, there was nowhere else my bike and I would rather be. In fact, I looped back and did it twice.

The picture at the top was taken on an ancient camera phone before the arrival of front facing phones, and it’s one of my favourite photos of me. It was so unusual to take a photo of yourself in that way back then, that someone pulled over at the side of the road and asked if I was alright as I was parked up and off my bike.

I sometimes wonder where that girl in the photo went.

She’s still there of course, but so much has changed and while I miss my bike, this year I’ve had to face up and accept that it’s different in Scotland, life has changed and it’s no longer the defining part of my identity it used to be. There are so many other things instead, different things, good things.

We’ve still had a couple of brilliant days out together up here - I tried for the same photo in my back garden but didn’t quite manage it. Food and a motorbike ride are still a brilliant way of spending my time though.

I’m lucky that I have choices on how I spend Christmas and I’m actually pretty protective of it now. Food and TV remain a big part of my celebrations.

A couple of years ago I also discovered Sarah Millican’s #joinin on Twitter and I’ve enjoyed chatting away to people all over the world when I get in from work on Christmas Day. As she says, plenty of people are quite happy on their own but not everyone is, and it’s a really enjoyable thing for anyone who just fancies a natter. If you’re on Twitter, definitely check it out.

Day 25

Ronnie, who was not for leaving the sofa while I was recording a Christmas video a few years back.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and I hope that 2020 brings you everything you wish for.

For the last of this year’s advent calendar posts, I’ve included the video I made back in 2016 and a recording of last night’s Coorie in for Christmas.

I was going to play it to finish the concert last night, but I decided to stay traditional and play Silent Night instead.

(Also, it’s a lot of notes and I couldn’t hold on until after the concert for a glass of champagne!)

This was my view from the harp while I recorded the 2016 video! Wendy had barged Ronnie off this sofa so he must have been relegated to the smaller one.

This is the link to watch the concert last night. If you missed it you can watch here, or if you particularly enjoyed it you can watch again.

It took a few minutes to get settled in, but things start properly from about 4 minutes in. I really loved doing the concert and I know at least one of my special guests enjoyed it too.

All that’s left now is to say thank you so much for reading all these posts! I’m off to get ready for the Balmoral and then I’ll be home later this evening to tuck into all my favourite Christmas goodies. Hopefully Santa has brought me something nice!

Lastly, if you need some time out at some point today and you use Twitter, you might enjoy taking part in #joinin or #duvetknowitschristmas. This year I also found #clergymaltclub which is huge fun too (you don’t have to be a vicar or drink whisky for that one).

(If you don’t use Twitter, you can read through the posts by clicking on the links above)

Thanks again and Merry Christmas!

Katherine X

Day 9

Well, it was a month ago today already!

I’ve been asking Santa for years, but it seems this year he came good and he brought me a husband.

Because both of us waited so long, we made sure our day was extra special. Our friends, family and our incredible team of pros were brilliant. We wish we could have invited everyone.

We had a fancy ceremony then a BIG party afterwards. My dress was far bigger and more traditional than I planned but I loved it. Colin looked smashing too. My brother and his family came up for their first trip to Scotland, in fact a few people travelled a long way for us and mostly on the day we just felt very hashtag blessed and very, very loved.

For two weeks beforehand, I practiced not crying when my entrance music started up but I still failed and in the first picture below I’ve only just stopped blubbing, which is why I’m not smiling. Not because I wasn’t happy because I really, really was.

The Tom Hanks thing? If you were there, you know. If you weren’t, you’ll need to wait til Christmas Eve to find out about that!

Thanks to everyone who gave us such a wonderful day. We’re just about back to earth now but it’ll be an extra special Christmas this year.

All photos by Jo + Liam

Day 24

Christmas Eve is here.

The stage is set, the harp has been wheeled up all the 68 stairs to our flat with only two pauses for breath, and after a short successful test event last night, sound and lighting are good (as confirmed by a very helpful audience) so I think that means we are ready to go!

The show starts on Facebook at 9pm. There are some joining instructions below, and there are a few more details on the page here.

I’d recommend putting your pyjamas on and gathering your favourite snacks and something nice to drink. The idea is to be as cosy and comfy as possible.

I’ll be playing a few Christmas tunes, a couple of non-Christmas tunes and I’ll be talking a bit about Christmas in between the music. There will be two special guests and I’ll tell you about them during the concert.

Until then, I have a bit of last minute practice to do, I’m off to the gym and let’s be honest, the living room is a bit of a mess with the addition of a harp so I’ll be doing a wee bit of tidying up as best I can.

Hope you can join me tonight.

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My Facebook page is here: facebook.com/Glasgowharpist

The easiest way not to miss it if you have a Facebook account is to Like the page, then edit the Notification settings so you Get Notifications, See the Page First and set to Standard so you get notifications of every post.

However, you don’t have to do that - you don’t even have to have a Facebook account. Lots of people don’t these days for various reasons. If you click on the page just before 9pm, once I go live you should see a post on the page with a triangular arrow to click to Play. It might ask you to create an account but you absolutely don’t have to and you can still watch as normal.

Day 10

Today’s post is dedicated to all those things your friends send you that have harps on (or in)…

Rarely stylish, sometimes hideous, often strange, occasionally downright weird, if you are a harpist you can guarantee that at least one person you love thinks you need more things with harps on.

And maybe you like that, and that’s great.

What I do really love is when there’s a harp on TV and people message me to tell me about it. I really like that they think of me when I see a harp, even if I get the same message more than once.

Here are just a few of the things that have popped up in my email or on my Facebook in recent years.

I’ve kept to YouTube videos so as not to offend, after all one person’s trash is another’s treasure and if anyone wants to send me gifts then I am always delighted to receive them.

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Harps and animals are of course always an excellent combination. These are a couple of my favourites:

This one is really quite bizarre - if you’re a runner or dog walker who is frightened of cows, I would skip it, but if you like cows, and I really do, then you will love the curious expression on their faces and the truly unique nature of this video.

I can’t remember who sent me this one - one of the most common requests at background gigs or wedding shows is for something metal, as people think they are being original and/or funny because they think you can’t play it on a harp, which of course you can.

But this is another favourite because it’s such a cool sound out of not many strings played by someone who I am guessing is not a harpist. I also love the expression on the guy’s face as you don’t tend to see angry harp faces! I’d love to shriek and wail as I’m performing (it often happens during practice)…. I might try it.

This one was sent to me by another harpist years ago and it remains one of my favourites. It probably wouldn’t make sense to non-harpists unless they live with a harpist, but it’s so good.

Day 8

A greyhound-safe tree… out of the way!

Today’s post is all about Christmas harp videos. If you’re a harpist, it’s likely that at some point someone will have said to you, “oh you should make YouTube videos, you’d make a fortune!”

What nobody realises is how long it takes to make a really good one and how frustrating a process it can be.

I couldn’t decide which video to start with, so here’s my absolute favourite - Nicole’s playing is beautiful, she looks really comfortable and at ease playing (which is something I can only aspire to as I find it really really hard!), the setting is gorgeous, the arrangement is superb and I’ve run out of adjectives now. I was lucky enough to spend a few days working with Nicole on our retreat with DHC and I learnt so much from her.

Next up we have the harp video legend that is Amy Turk. This is from last year and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with this year. Also, it’s really easy to feel obliged to smile when you’re playing, but I love how Amy’s expression is one of intense focus but she never looks miserable or cross (which I often do when playing!)

If you’re a Die Hard fan there are a few sneaky references in the video apparently - I’ve never seen it so my appreciation is for the incredible skilfulness of Amy’s playing, and the creativeness of the arrangements and the videos she puts together.

She has a Patreon page here where you can support her incredible work.

I think this will be the year I watch Die Hard….

Another incredible version of Sleigh Ride which is truly mindbending - beautifully done by Rachel Lee Hall. This would also explain why it’s so hard to play on one harp - you need five at the same time to really do it justice!

This version of Carol of the Bells by Eihwaz is so atmospheric and makes me want to hop on a plane to Brittany:

It wouldn’t be a post about harp videos without the Harp Twins so here you go - O Holy Night. I’m sure there was a different version of this years ago where their dog lay in between the harps but I must have been imagining it.

They have LOADS of videos all filmed in different places with different costumes, and they are certainly very popular!

I’m going to finish with a great arrangement, great playing and TOTAL commitment - Keziah you must have been absolutely freezing!!

Day 2

The beautiful Singing Tree at the V&A museum in Christmas 2017.

Words people associated with Christmas were projected onto tiny wooden blocks that changed as people put different words into a computer.

Slight confession - today’s post is about favourite Christmas music as well.

But….after yesterday’s harpy favourites, I thought I’d go for about as big a contrast as I could possibly manage.

A couple of years ago, my friend Rachel did an excellent advent calendar series of Facebook posts which shared a whole variety of unusual and at times quite bizarre Christmas songs. A whole new world was opened up for me and each year I’ve tried to find new discoveries to add to my Christmas collection.

A little internet trawl for Alternative Christmas songs will pull up numerous lists, but here are a few of my favourites (NB I’ve saved my more usual non-harp favourites for another day).

The first is Joy by Tracey Thorn - the opening gets me every time. Over the last couple of years, I’ve heard “all clear” from those around me on more than one occasion, and then this time last year, I received the devastating news from a dear friend that she didn’t have much time left. A truly beautiful, simple quiet song about making the most of life.

Carol of The Bells - Pentatonix

Normally a vocal harmony group ((c) Pete Waterman) would have me heading for the hills, but I’ll confess to having a not-so-secret addiction to pretty much any version of this song… (that’s also the first clue to what might be coming on Christmas Eve) and this one is tremendous!

Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC

I’m not quite sure where to start with this one but it’s EXCELLENT! It also mentions macaroni and cheese which is an important part of the Glasgow diet.

Sleigh Ride - Memphis Orchestra

If I had to pick just one off-piste Christmas favourite, it would be between this one and the next one by Dolly.

PS It’s also incredibly catchy. Sorry about that, but if you’re still singing Christmas in Killarney from yesterday, you might appreciate a change. And the video is quite unusual - I’m not quite sur ewhat’s going on there!

Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton

Last one, and I think this is my favourite (or it was when I wrote this - it’ll probably change in about ten minutes back to Sleigh Ride).

I found this one two years ago - thanks to Rachel’s advent calendar, we spent most of that December swapping unusual Christmas tunes via Facebook messenger. At the time we had no idea what the year 2018 would bring us and it turned out to be quite a year for both of us! This song was one that we both agreed on and adored.

It’s quite sad but I also find it very uplifting. And I adore Dolly.

If you have a favourite unusual Christmas tune, please drop me a message as I’d love to hear it - I’m always on the hunt for new ones.

See you tomorrow for a change from Christmas music…

Day 5

Today is about my favourite harp arrangements.

I’ve limited myself here. There are so very many of them, with more appearing each year, but these are my enduring favourites I think. 

Note - I can’t actually play two of these yet, but they are at the top of my “maybe next year” list. I have promised myself that one year, I will put on a VERY harpy Christmas concert and I will sit down in February and start learning them, but this will require some very tolerant neighbours as it will take months…..

Susann McDonald/Linda Wood - Sleigh Ride and Silent Night

There are three Christmas books by this duo of harp royalty. These arrangements are wonderful to listen to and to play, but they come with a health warning - they aren’t the easiest. 

Silent Night is one of my Christmas Day gig staples, but Sleigh Ride remains firmly on my Future Me list.

Brava Melody Lindsay - I really love listening to that and I hope to play it half as well one day! Also - Melody is now a space scientist. https://www.montana.edu/news/16244/msu-scientist-wins-nasa-fellowship-to-explore-early-life-on-earth-other-planets

See, harpists are SO cool.

The three books are widely available from harp sheet music suppliers.

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Harriet Adie - Festive Fantasy - this is a beast at 16 pages long! But it’s FANTASTIC!!

I love Harriet’s arrangements, and she is a talented composer too. This arrangement is SO clever - it weaves so many Christmas favourites together and it’s a real concert piece which would surely dazzle even the chilliest of audiences! 

Thank you SO much for writing it Harriet, and for recording it too, you truly have nerves of steel.

The sheet music is available (along with a few of Harriet’s other pieces) as a download from the Harp Column website: https://harpcolumn.com/music/all-music/artists/harriet-adie/festive-fantasy/

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Ray Pool

Ray Pool is a hero to all harpists who have to spend long hours playing background music in hotels and at weddings. We should all say a prayer of thanks every time we play his music.

His arrangements are wonderful and hugely enjoyable to play. If you are a harpist and you don’t have any of his books, you are missing out. 

My two Tea At The Waldorf books are compulsory background rep - I even take the original sheet music of these in case my iPad dies on a gig, as I know I can manage for a good long while with just those two books and my own memory!

There’s a great shopping list of his arrangements here and they are widely available at harp sheet music suppliers. Order early for Christmas as they always sell quickly!

Best of all, many of his publications are also now available as downloads from the Harp Column website - https://harpcolumn.com/music/all-music/categories/artists/ray-pool/

His Winter Wonderland book is a real friend at this time of year - this whole book is amazing but my favourites are Let it Snow and Little Drummer Boy.. oh and his Sleigh Ride is a really clever arrangement of a really tricky tune! I am grateful for his version as I can actually play that one…

There’s quite a lot of background noise in this video - but harpists are used to trying to control all their fingers (and toes if they are playing a pedal harp!) while not being able to actually hear what they’re playing properly… it does take a lot of getting used to, and I find on a long gig, my ears get tired before my fingers do.

I’d love to hear what your favourite arrangements are.

Also if you’re on the hunt for new Christmas arrangements, the Harp Column online shop is BRILLIANT. It’s so easy to search as you can choose what type of harp, what level you are etc. In fact, it’s way too easy, I’ve just spent a fortune!

https://harpcolumn.com/music/all-music/attrs/occasion/christmas/

Day 15

Frasers in Glasgow - truly eyewatering when you go in but no question it’s festive!

After touching on some of the deeper stuff the last couple of days, today I’m going back to the music. Not the harp stuff this time, but the enduring pop classics that show up every year.

If you like Christmas, you’ll have a favourite (or at least a top three in my case). If you hate Christmas you’ll have a most hated. If you work in retail or the hospitality industry, our thoughts are with you.

I’m in quite a newly formed team at work and one of our spontaneous ice breaker questions while we waited for our boss to arrive at our team meeting last week was, “What’s your favourite Christmas song?”

Heated discussion followed, but across ten people, two clear favourites emerged. Neither of them were mine, but I loved the passionate exchange of views and it was another reminder for me that music matters. Even the fluffiest of pop tunes bookmark people’s lives, and I can’t imagine what it’s like to have written a song that is known and loved by millions of people across the world.

So without further ado, here are my favourites.

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A Christmas Gift for You was my favourite non-harpy Christmas album until recently (A Very Special Christmas took over this year) and this is my favourite of favourite Christmas pop songs.

Apart from We Belong Together, I am not a fan of Mariah Carey really. But this one…. well it really is Christmas on a stick. Bonus points for a big dog in the video! :-)

I’m a child of the 80s and this is the first Christmas song I really remember. I think I was still a bit young for Kim Wilde at that point but watching it back now, I adore her hair, and oh my goodness that dress! Other versions are available of course, but this is the one for me and it sits at equal 2nd in my Top 3 along with Mariah.

I was too busy listening to the Doors and Aphex Twin through my teens, and the Spice Girls kind of passed me by until the year I left school. At the time I couldn’t understand why even the cool alternative grunge girls loved them, and I was going through some pretty awkward teenage times re. how I looked and they really didn’t help - I got that they were all different, but for me they were all too pretty pretty.

But, now they are one of the things that reminds me of some of the better times at school. This one is the only Christmas single I’ve ever spent money on in the hope of getting it to Christmas no.1 - I bought it in HMV Market Street in Manchester on the day it was released. It was my first year of uni and I think I was missing my friends.

Lastly, it’s not remotely fluffy pop AT ALL, but this song, this version, is the one that out of all the Christmas music on the planet, I can’t do Christmas without.

The strings at the start, his wonderfully smooth voice, that beautiful smile, the joy, the clarity of his words and the guitar intervals at the end. Just perfection.

Lastly, a reminder that at 9pm on Christmas Eve I’ll be livestreaming a short cosy Christmas concert via Facebook.

The link to all the information is here - I hope to ‘see’ you there!

Day 3

Behind today’s door we find…. shameless greyhound spam. 

Christmas on my own became much more manageable once I had this beautiful soft, furry, daft, not-very-toothsome twosome for company. 

As retired racing dogs made up largely of old weary bones, their favourite place was the sofa, and boyhound Ronnie loved nothing more than sharing his sofa space with (I like to think) his favourite human. 

Girlhound Wendy would only permit the occasional fuss which was strictly time-limited, and then she would take herself back to bed when she’d had enough. This was until her last few months when she became very, very snuggly. Whether she got colder in her old age, or whether there was physically more space for her once Ronnie died I’m not sure, but it was a lovely way to find out that sometimes old dogs can learn new tricks.

Ronnie in full snuggle mode

Wendy in rare close contact mode

I miss them dreadfully. 

The last few years, I’ve played at a hotel on Christmas Day and my Christmas didn’t properly start until I was snuggled on the sofa in my dressing gown and pyjamas with a drink and the two of them. One magical year, it started to snow just before midnight as I was drawing the curtains to go off to bed. Surely one of the best Christmases ever. 

Wendy

Another year, we surprised my Granny with a visit on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately Granny had had an unfortunate accident while putting up her Christmas tree, which resulted in a fracture and a big boot and so she was rather fed up.

I rang the doorbell, and as she opened the door I managed to let go of their leads and the two of them raced into the living room to see Granny and almost took her out in the process. I was mortified. Thankfully no harm was done.

All retired folk safely seated.

On our first date, I tentatively asked my now husband what he thought of dogs. I gently explained that there was no point in things continuing if he didn’t like them, as I couldn’t contemplate an existence without more pets in the not too distant future. Thankfully he at least said he liked dogs, and over the next few weeks he carefully studied each dog before stating which breed he thought it was. Things were looking good.

We haven’t got one of our own yet. People keep asking, and we will soon.

Ronnie and Wendy died within a year of each other. In between them going, I adopted a beautiful boy called Ike but very sadly, things didn’t work out with him and I very reluctantly had to give him back to the greyhound rescue where he came from. Saying goodbye to three dogs in a short space of time was, as you can imagine, pretty tough, and my heart hasn’t quite recovered enough to make space for another dog just yet. Ronnie in particular was a Very Special Dog and it’s proving extra hard to contemplate loving another dog quite as much as him.

Ronnie “helping” pack the harp up - early in the morning for both of us and I don’t think either of us were quite awake!

What do you mean concert isn’t for greyhounds? I’ve learned all the words for O Holy Night!

And so, every dog I meet is cautiously greeted, and if a particular dog declares itself willing for a fuss, the world just has to wait a bit while I oblige. Even more so if the dog in question is skinny with a long nose.

You can only imagine the joy when we walked into a hotel bar in Ballachulish last weekend and came face to face (literally in my case) with Daragh the five-year-old deerhound….

Day 17

A trip to St Luke’s in Glasgow with the Braw Brides party night - my harp was part of the Jungle Book Orchestra and she was very happy to have a good seat for Mia Meow’s fire performance.

This year has been a packed year beyond any other.

For the first half of the year, and for the first time ever, I completely blocked out my harp calendar so I could concentrate on training for a big running event I had in the diary. It didn’t go to plan sadly, but this wasn’t a huge surprise and despite training much more efficiently and being in much better health than the last time I attempted the race, I still had to stop at exactly the same place. The strange thing was I wasn’t really disappointed - I felt so awful when I stopped that I just wanted it to be over. Heat and altitude do not agree with me it’s fair to say, but also I just wasn’t fit enough for that kind of race. I don’t think I’ll be back for another go - it was very busy and I like a bit more personal space around me in the mountains.

Grindelwald valley at 4.38am - I had climbed 1000m already by this point. Thankfully this view was worth the hard work!

I also have a bit of a strong reaction to the sight and sound of a helicopter at the moment, and these are ever-present at big European mountain races. This is left over from another big event of the year. My mum was taken ill very suddenly and very seriously over the summer and the sight and sound of the coastguard helicopter at Oban hospital is still pretty vivid. Thankfully she has mostly recovered, but the shock and the after-effects on her, my dad and me will take a little while to work through.

I left my very stressful day job in investment banking. This had been coming for a while but it was accelerated after everything happened with my mum. I needed some breathing space and some time to figure out what was next. I eventually found another day job - for now I’m happy that I do other non-harp things to cover the bulk of the bills, and it was good to take a little time to think about that and what that job could be.

I finally sold my old house in the hills and after a huge long phase of Marie Kondo-inspired rightsizing, I moved the rest of my stuff into my now husband’s flat in the city.

And of course I got married - while we were high in the mountains in Switzerland, a perfectly timed prosecco truck was taken full advantage of. He asked, and after a few moments where I thought he was joking, and a LOT of tears, I said yes.

In between all that, C and I explored some more island beaches and we had a proper holiday on Colonsay in September. There was still some running, but both of us needed a few days of Not Doing Much and it really was perfect.

My harp and I went to some beautiful places this year, but I'll be honest, I’m exhausted and we’re both ready for a rest after Christmas.

Here are just a few photos of some of the places we’ve been together this year.

Day 19

The “one week to go” klaxon sounded yesterday and heralded our second and therefore now annual traditional trip to the Tron pantomime.

I’ve eaten several M&S Turkey Feast sandwiches through this month, but unusually for me I hadn’t been feeling very Christmassy at all until yesterday. A work trip to sunny Coatbridge meant a quick dash into Asda for lunch as my meeting ran on, and there were the local primary school kids singing carols. Secret Santa arrived while I was out, I managed to leave work a little early and I felt the start of just a little Christmas spirit starting to build. My Radio Times is sitting next to me waiting for me to have a proper flick through so surely Christmas can’t be far away.

The panto was excellent - it was a very Glaswegian take on Cinderella with an all female cast with all the good bits of panto (singing along, shouting ‘Oh no she isn’t’ etc, laughing until you cry) and none of the bad (some creepy kids TV ‘personality’ making inappropriate and/or outdated jokes at an audience member’s expense). My favourite bit was probably right at the end when I looked along our row and saw my friends singing along with All I Want for Christmas is You as the cast took their final bows. It’s a small theatre with live music as part of the production and we’ll definitely be back next year.

So. I’ve done the Tron panto.

I have one more proper day left in the office, and then I have the whole Christmas week off this year. I’ll play a Facebook live concert on Christmas Eve (details at the bottom of this post) and at the Balmoral on Christmas Day to share some Christmas music with others, but here are a few of the other ways I’ll be celebrating this year.

Eating - I spoke about the importance of food in my celebrations yesterday. Smoked salmon, crackers, pigs in blankets and mince pies are the absolute essentials.

Drinking gin! A couple of weeks after our wedding, we finally got up to Pixel Spirits in Ballachulish to use our gin school voucher we’d bought in April at the Gintyre festival in Campbeltown. We spent a day learning how to distil our own gin, including choosing what to flavour it with. We went for a Christmassy mix of secret ingredients including frankincense, and we were astonished by just how much we enjoyed the day and how good our gin was. We spent the next day walking in Glencoe, and precariously dangled from a path to get some pine needles for a garnish.

Reading - I have a copy of Training for Uphill Athletes by Kilian Jornet, Steve House and Scott Johnston that I can’t wait to read. I’ve had my eye on the Elton John book for a while, and then I saw Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has written one as well and that sounds good too. There’s a Bruce Lee book that I’ve wanted to read for ages so I’m hopeful of getting through that one too.

Watching lots of TV – my Christmas essentials include musicals (High Society, Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and my favourite Thoroughly Modern Millie which is rarely on), selected costume dramas (I see the Colin Firth/Jennifer Ehle version of Pride and Prejudice is on which I’m excited about despite having the DVD), as much Harry Potter as possible, and slightly bizarrely the film Babe is an important part of my Christmas. I’ll howl like a baby but that’s all part of it.

I have a lot of research to do to see if and how I can make a Fringe show happen next year, so thanks to Glasgow harpist and Fringe veteran Sophie Rocks, I’ve lots of good stuff to think about for that. While I’m off work, I want to spend some serious time investigating.

All of those things (apart from the Balmoral) involve wearing pyjamas which is wonderful (and another important part of Christmas for me), but I also need some fresh air in amongst all that, and so I’ll be out running starting to build my fitness back up for next year, and something I’m really looking forward to is our second annual and therefore traditional Christmas hill day.

Last year three of us spent a cold but stunning afternoon walking up Conic Hill - a tiny hill by our normal standards, and one that two of us have run past on numerous occasions but we had never diverted off the West Highland Way to climb up to the top. We decided that was the day for us and we were totally spoiled with a cloud inversion over Loch Lomond, a stunning winter sunset and an excellent lunch in the pub afterwards. This year we’re planning to be the other side of the Loch for some more new hills.

The clouds behind us are actually hiding Loch Lomond beneath them. Such a special day with two of my panto buddies.

Lastly, a reminder that at 9pm on Christmas Eve I’ll be live-streaming a short cosy Christmas concert via Facebook.

The link to all the information is here - I hope to ‘see’ you there!

Day 6

Zuzanna tuning up ready for her Drake Chamber Music performance in Glasgow earlier this year

Something a bit different today! Still harp-related of course, and still on the subject of arrangements, but still different.

My dear friend and fellow harpist Zuzanna Olbryś has launched a fantastic collection of Polish Christmas Carols , which she has arranged for beginner harpists.

This publication is a wonderful addition to the usual Christmas repertoire, and I’ve loved reading through her book and discovering some beautiful new melodies. In fact I enjoyed them so much, I’ll be sharing one of them during my Facebook Live concert on Christmas Eve.

She has also written a little bit about each carol underneath the music which is a really unique touch.

Zuzanna is an incredible harpist and teacher, and her website is a very comprehensive resource for all harpists. Among many other things, each week she does a live lesson via Facebook which is then published on her website, covering all manner of topics suitable for beginners and experienced harpists alike.

I caught up with Zuzanna earlier this week for a Zoom chat about this new publication, and because December 6th is a very important date in Poland which she tells us about in the video below. We spoke about what prompted her to start this project and about her plans for Christmas. There’s also a discount code for the Carols which she has kindly shared in the video, and the link to buy the carols is included below.

A wee note re the video - we were excited to see each other at the start, so we did talk over each other just a little at the very beginning before we settled down!

The carols are available on Zuzanna’s website via the link below, and she has very generously given us a discount code STAR2019 for 15% off this publication, valid until December 8th (this coming Sunday) if you’d like to buy the carols yourself.

The carols come as a download which you can either print yourself or use on an iPad or similar.

http://www.zuzanna-harpist.com/product/polish-christmas-carols/

The melodies are wonderful for beginner harpists, but also they’re easy and hugely enjoyable to sight read or improvise over for more advanced harpists - they can of course be made as elaborate as you like. I think my tired fingers will be glad of the easier versions as we get deeper into December!

A huge thank you to Zuzanna for telling us about the carols, and of course for giving us the discount code too. We hope you enjoy them.