Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
This and the following article are good thought-provokers
http://solapanel.org/article/we_are_poorly_dressed_part_1/
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Our counting wasn't bad - we were "une trentaine"
about 30, counting the nippers - many of whom didn't use chairs anyway. It was a poignant occasion because we said goodbye to Heidi and Luc-O who are moving east with their three little ones. We put all our tables in a row on the terrasse and everyone fitted on fine. In the absence of last weeks pompier (fireman) to advise on the barbecue we had a scoute (you can work that one out) and all seemed fine. All was OK.
We sang unaccompanied because all our pianists are missing on holidays, but all was OK except for 'Before the throne' which starts very low then goes very high. Ooops.
We took a few hits afterwards on our natty black plastic solar lamps but since I got them ten for 5 euros at Auchan it isn't a huge loss...
I preached on Galatians 2:20.
31 chairs this week
It's a privilege to have the church meet at our home. We have counted up the people who could reasonably be expected to be here and we get to 32.
Aha !
We have 31 chairs when we really scour the joint hard.
Ah well. There's always the stairs, and one family we have counted may not yet be back from holiday and some other folks too, so I'd be surprised if we get to 31.
But if we do we're ready !
Aha !
We have 31 chairs when we really scour the joint hard.
Ah well. There's always the stairs, and one family we have counted may not yet be back from holiday and some other folks too, so I'd be surprised if we get to 31.
But if we do we're ready !
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Les C pas C - Guantanamera
We went to Dax to the feria yesterday. It's a kind of town fair with funfairs, bands playing in the street and bullfighting.
I was keen to go to see what it's like, though I was wary of the level of drunkenness and also unsure how much the bullfighting would dominate.
France has it's own kind of bullfighting where people try to avoid a charging bull either by side-stepping or by vaulting over its horns. But the Spanish kind is also done - at Dax.
Here we have a band (fanfare de rue) playing Guantanamera. My prof de trombone is in this group.
(There was more drunkenness than I've seen before in France, but still pretty mild by British standards.)
Bandas à Dax 2
I guess they numbered about thirty players. I was quite taken with one guy who held his lit cigarette and trombone in one hand and worked the slide with the other.
C'est si bon - Banda à Dax
This is the last of the videos I'll post. There were about 16 bandas blasting here and there. How could anyone accuse the French of being humourless when they do this to one of their great standards ?
"What flavour crisps do you think we should get for the apéro before the church lunch tomorrow ?"
T
he
re's ( among many others )Old-fashioned mustard.
Woodman's fry-up.
Grilled onion.
Pesto.
Grilled peppers.
Tzatziki. ( ! )
Chicken and thyme.
Herbes de Provence.
Garlic and rosemary.
My favourite is olive flavour, but I got pesto. The weirder the flavour the longer the crisps last.
Derek Thomas interviews Geoff Thomas
Derek begins with a marvellous imitation of Geoff's voice. Mind you, most people who studied in Aber can do that voice.
The interview speaks for itself.
Friday, August 15, 2008
I never told you about the trombone saga
Renaud the prof de trombone said that it was time to think about changing from the ex-rental Taiwanese Jupiter 432 that I'd been playing to a big boy's trombone - that is to say one with an F mechanism and a large bore.
hmmm. There's a second-hand trombone outfit in Mont de Marsan but Bordeaux is awful for music shops. Worse than Cardiff. And trombones are expensive here in France. In fact I'd bought the Jupiter for £150 from Britain on eBay. ( It was a good buy too )
I asked in the local shops for the sake of form. Jupiter 636 large bore with F mechanism, three times the price they are in Britain ! Up there with the Yamahas and the American trombones. Second hand ? Dream on. All this about two months before we were due to go to Britain on summer hols, though.
So I thought 'OK - while we're in the UK I'll visit some of the trombone mongers. There's one in Bristol, one in Taunton, one in Watford. That'll follow our itinerary a bit'. I phoned Taunton. They had nothing. I visited Bristol. They had an old Conn that was great but expensive. I fretted about it but it was out of my budget and I knew it. Nobody had the Jupiters.
Then when we were in Swansea I looked on eBay. What's this ? An American Bach 42, second-hand, good condition, good price, nobody bidding, in Shrewsbury, the auction due to finish the day before we passed through on the way to North Wales. Could this be a providential trombone ? I bid and prayed and waited.
And won it. We called for it and the old chap who was selling it was very nice. A retired nurse, he plays for the town band and was selling his Bach and keeping his Conn. He said "I think you're getting a bargain. It's worth more than you've paid." I said that I knew - but he was happy with the deal and he threw in three mouthpieces, a waterspray and a new pot of Conn grease. And the horn is gorgeous. The bell section dates from about 1978 and the slide from about 1998. All works well and Renaud has given it his seal of approval. He said "C'est un peu vidé, mais moi j'aime bien un trombone qui est un peu vidé". He means that being old it doesn't ring quite as much as a new trombone would. ( I sometimes think I'm a bit vidé, too. )
And Renaud suddenly bought my old Jupiter. I said "You can't play a Jupiter, people will laugh" but he needed a cheap trombone for playing in the street. I sold it to him for 150 euros which is just a little less than I had paid for it.
Que du bonheur.
Now to master this Bach. Perseverance and patient endurance.
hmmm. There's a second-hand trombone outfit in Mont de Marsan but Bordeaux is awful for music shops. Worse than Cardiff. And trombones are expensive here in France. In fact I'd bought the Jupiter for £150 from Britain on eBay. ( It was a good buy too )
I asked in the local shops for the sake of form. Jupiter 636 large bore with F mechanism, three times the price they are in Britain ! Up there with the Yamahas and the American trombones. Second hand ? Dream on. All this about two months before we were due to go to Britain on summer hols, though.
So I thought 'OK - while we're in the UK I'll visit some of the trombone mongers. There's one in Bristol, one in Taunton, one in Watford. That'll follow our itinerary a bit'. I phoned Taunton. They had nothing. I visited Bristol. They had an old Conn that was great but expensive. I fretted about it but it was out of my budget and I knew it. Nobody had the Jupiters.
Then when we were in Swansea I looked on eBay. What's this ? An American Bach 42, second-hand, good condition, good price, nobody bidding, in Shrewsbury, the auction due to finish the day before we passed through on the way to North Wales. Could this be a providential trombone ? I bid and prayed and waited.
And won it. We called for it and the old chap who was selling it was very nice. A retired nurse, he plays for the town band and was selling his Bach and keeping his Conn. He said "I think you're getting a bargain. It's worth more than you've paid." I said that I knew - but he was happy with the deal and he threw in three mouthpieces, a waterspray and a new pot of Conn grease. And the horn is gorgeous. The bell section dates from about 1978 and the slide from about 1998. All works well and Renaud has given it his seal of approval. He said "C'est un peu vidé, mais moi j'aime bien un trombone qui est un peu vidé". He means that being old it doesn't ring quite as much as a new trombone would. ( I sometimes think I'm a bit vidé, too. )
And Renaud suddenly bought my old Jupiter. I said "You can't play a Jupiter, people will laugh" but he needed a cheap trombone for playing in the street. I sold it to him for 150 euros which is just a little less than I had paid for it.
Que du bonheur.
Now to master this Bach. Perseverance and patient endurance.
More on the new premises
Que du bonheur ! It's good news all the way !
We sign on September 4th and get the keys straight away.
The agency has reduced their fees by a third and we can pay them in a couple of instalments.
Whoopeeee ! Here we go !
(Thanks for praying ! Sorry not to pass this on yesterday but I took to my bed with a sudden cold.)
We sign on September 4th and get the keys straight away.
The agency has reduced their fees by a third and we can pay them in a couple of instalments.
Whoopeeee ! Here we go !
(Thanks for praying ! Sorry not to pass this on yesterday but I took to my bed with a sudden cold.)
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
We've been to see the new premises
You enter via the door on the right of the first photo (the door seems to be covered by a roll-up shutter?)
and gently sloping stairs take you up to the main rooms.
and gently sloping stairs take you up to the main rooms.
At the top of the stairs you find
A small room with a half-glazed wall, a nice light room such as one might use for children's meetings and a small room whose importance is out of all proportion to its size 
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Views across Bordeaux
I got caught in a classic trap today. Heading down a one way street I got to a part that was road-blocked because of roadworks at the far end of the street. The problem was that the only way out was either the wrong way down the street I had just come from or the wrong way down another street past a big no entry sign. Anyway I parked and by the time I came back the road-block had gone.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Church premises - a state of total nervous excitement !
We are getting closer and closer to securing a place to worship in the centre of the city. The place is :
in the centre of town, within reach of trams stops at Quinconces and Gambetta. Quinconces is where all the tramlines meet.
to rent, at a rent that is within our budget.
clean and tidy, needing little or no work to be done. We can just move in.
big enough to accommodate 80 people fairly comfortably. That's OK, but doesn't give a LOT of room for growth.
would permit use for an international service in English, too.
would have rooms for children's work etc.
has no next-door neighbours, so no problem of noise.
would also be available mid-week and on Saturdays for all sorts of stuff.
requires an agency fee of four months' rent. That'll be somewhere in the region of 6500 euros up front. Ooh la la !
We're going to see it on Wednesday.
in the centre of town, within reach of trams stops at Quinconces and Gambetta. Quinconces is where all the tramlines meet.
to rent, at a rent that is within our budget.
clean and tidy, needing little or no work to be done. We can just move in.
big enough to accommodate 80 people fairly comfortably. That's OK, but doesn't give a LOT of room for growth.
would permit use for an international service in English, too.
would have rooms for children's work etc.
has no next-door neighbours, so no problem of noise.
would also be available mid-week and on Saturdays for all sorts of stuff.
requires an agency fee of four months' rent. That'll be somewhere in the region of 6500 euros up front. Ooh la la !
We're going to see it on Wednesday.
Dumas - novelist of French history
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7549210.stm
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Well we were about 20 but we seemed to use a lot of chairs.
Next time I'll have to do a proper head count ! Afterwards the barbecue went OK and I had a special lesson in how to pronounce barbecue - you have to say bar-bu-cioo otherwise it sounds funny. OK. A chap who wants to be a fireman helped get the fire going. We have what it takes !
This evening our neighbour invited us round for apéros. It was a good opportunity to ask whether our singing disturbed them - I noticed half-way through the service that the kitchen windows were open. They said not at all. Good.
This evening our neighbour invited us round for apéros. It was a good opportunity to ask whether our singing disturbed them - I noticed half-way through the service that the kitchen windows were open. They said not at all. Good.
Service at our home
The French service is at our home this morning, followed by a barbecue.
Pat has cleaned the house mercilessly.
My notes are ready for preaching though I agonised and fretted over what to preach on.
The accompanist is primed to play our little piano which has one of those short 5-octave keyboards so detested by pianists everywhere.
We have approximately 30 chairs, having ransacked the Griffins' folding chairs from their garage yesterday. I can't imagine we'll be 30 people today. Not in August.
I am just about to knock the order of service into final shape.
We've all prayed earnestly.
I've contacted people by email and by phone, though I have this dread of having left some folk out.
We've explained to the neighbour who lives behind us. Three of our next-door neighbours seem to be on holiday.
Nevertheless, I am convinced that I've forgotten something.
Pat has cleaned the house mercilessly.
My notes are ready for preaching though I agonised and fretted over what to preach on.
The accompanist is primed to play our little piano which has one of those short 5-octave keyboards so detested by pianists everywhere.
We have approximately 30 chairs, having ransacked the Griffins' folding chairs from their garage yesterday. I can't imagine we'll be 30 people today. Not in August.
I am just about to knock the order of service into final shape.
We've all prayed earnestly.
I've contacted people by email and by phone, though I have this dread of having left some folk out.
We've explained to the neighbour who lives behind us. Three of our next-door neighbours seem to be on holiday.
Nevertheless, I am convinced that I've forgotten something.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Quick allergy update
The family has been surpised this year at my low level of hayfever (just a quick morning snuffle and sneeze) and my almost total absence of cat-fever.
Well a neighbourhood cat has adopted us. It's a very sleek grey cat with a look of the siamese about it who cries all the time. We call it Graham. What its owners call it is probably quite different, especially since it is female.
Anyway it's been visiting us for some time and has started padding round the house. I encourage it to explore the loft - just in case small creatures decide to move in.
Then this morning while the family were asleep and I was eating my choco-weeto-oati-splods it jumped through the open window, up onto my lap and sat there scratching contentedly, crying all the while.
No wheezing.
Amazing.
Well a neighbourhood cat has adopted us. It's a very sleek grey cat with a look of the siamese about it who cries all the time. We call it Graham. What its owners call it is probably quite different, especially since it is female.
Anyway it's been visiting us for some time and has started padding round the house. I encourage it to explore the loft - just in case small creatures decide to move in.
Then this morning while the family were asleep and I was eating my choco-weeto-oati-splods it jumped through the open window, up onto my lap and sat there scratching contentedly, crying all the while.
No wheezing.
Amazing.
Friday, August 08, 2008
I'm sure you'll get the gist of this
http://www.france24.com/fr/20080807-aeronautique-commandes-constructeur-airbus-devance-boeing-concurrence-eads
Essentially it says that Airbus has overtaken Boeing.
Yippeeeee !
Essentially it says that Airbus has overtaken Boeing.
Yippeeeee !
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Thomas interviews Thomas
You need to watch closely at the beginning to see who's talking. Geoff's accent is catching !
The interview speaks for itself.
( Why can't I post videos from Youtube any more ? It used to work fine. )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPClbTgDSBs&eurl=http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2008/08/video-derek-thomas-interviews.php
The interview speaks for itself.
( Why can't I post videos from Youtube any more ? It used to work fine. )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPClbTgDSBs&eurl=http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2008/08/video-derek-thomas-interviews.php
Clinics can be nice places
The other day it was very, very hot, but I went to visit someone in a clinic in Bordeaux.
As I suspected, the clinic was air-conditioned.
Lovely !
As I suspected, the clinic was air-conditioned.
Lovely !
It is NOT true
The story goes that during a rather spirited performance of "When the Saints go marching in" by a German youth band a young trombonist struck the trumpeter in front of him rather hard behind the left ear - this provoking a serious fracture of his skull - serious and fatal.Fret not. The story is an urban legend.
Also it has been demonstrated that trombones are no good as bazooka substitutes and that the sound levels produced by trombones are within industrial safety limits - even during the loudest bits of Berlioz .
Bottom line : trombones are safer than you thought.
A vertical garden in the depths of Bordeaux
The walls of this playground have been planted as a vertical garden with fuchsias, ferns, spider plants and all sorts of dangly things.Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Possible premises ?
An estate agent may have really come up trumps with these premises. In a good part of town between Quinconces and Gambetta, with no houses or flats adjoining (so no worries about noise on Sundays) and a main room with space for 