Lamington Village Day

Posted on June 6, 2007 by Simon Thoumire

I've been busy this week – in the garden! Lamington Village Day is on Sunday and everybody is trying to make their gardens presentable. We've planted new flowers and had the back garden turfed. It's all go…

On the trad music front I've written to Linda Fabiani, Minister for Europe, External Affairs & Culture for a meeting to talk about traditional music and St Andrew's Day. I also want to talk about getting Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame inductees automatically considered for the UK Honours system. These guys have done so much amazing work over the years and they all should be recognised nationally. We'll see what happens… We also invited the Minister to open the finals of the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician Awards in January 2008 (Celtic Connections). We're also waiting to hear from the First Minister to see if he will open the Scots Trad Music Awards on 1st December 2007.

I'm looking forward to Tinto Summer School in the first week of July. The tutors are:

  • Anna Massie (fiddle)
  • Gillian Frame (fiddle, song)
  • Findlay Napier (guitar, songwriting)
  • Hamish Napier (piano, ensemble)
  • Aly Hutton (whistle/flute) (all from Back of the Moon and a great success in 2006)
  • David Nisbet (accordion).

It's looking like a busy year, lots of entrants. Many thanks to Paul Murray who has coordinated the event for Hands Up for Trad. If you want to come to this fun event visit www.handsupfortrad.co.uk. It is always lots of laughs and fun, with great staff and tutors and a brilliant final night party.

I need to get back to writing my bagpipe concerto. I've really struggled for concentration of late. I suppose I thought when our wee boy arrived and Clare was off school to look after him, I would have all the time in the world. As any parents will know this was very niave (!) and my brain is as scrambled as ever. I've ended up staying up later and later to work and feel totally knackered in the mornings. Being tired is not conjusive to being creative but I need to bite the bullet and get back to it. This is all complicated by the need for Hands Up for Trad budgets and applications which are due now.

Time to get back in the garden – lots of plants to water.

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