Guacamole Girl

Busy, Busy

Looks like I'm not the only one with a busy life - check this guy out....

My children love this song - can't think why!!

Thanks to Biz for the techy hints!

Listen Up

I just got a text from my friend Ilse to say she's on the radio tonight. Listen in to Revival Radio between 6 & 7pm tonight to hear some totally sublime music. Hope you enjoy it.

Carnival Time

Yesterday, I took my children (age 10 & 6) to a children's concert in Glasgow Concert Hall. The theme was "from Ceilidhs to Carnivals", so there was a wonderful range of music from Indonesia, China, Brazil, Mexico, India & of course Scotland. I love world music, so this was a chance to enjoy a variety & hopefully get the children into it as well! Needless to say they did. There was loads of energy in the performances & a bit of a story about the cultures they represent.

However, surprisingly, these groups were not flown here at great expense, they are all based in Glasgow! That just made it even better! To enjoy the rich diversity of our city through music is a great privilege & a real treat.

My favourite was Dhol Infusion, the Indian drumming was so energetic, I love the rhythms they play. My son enjoyed Rapido Mariachi the most, as he is a fan of all things Mexican (especially the sombreros). My daughter really loved Carnival Samba & joined in enthusuastically. I was even conned into buying 2 pairs of maraccas on the way out, but I don't mind.

The main thing is, we had fun & enjoyed the music. I love the way God made us musical & how that has found expression in such a variety of ways around the world. Our creator has given us a wealth of creativity - I feel inspired to explore this again. It's a long time since I played either the flute or piano (both learned in my teens), maybe I should have a go again. Or maybe, I could learn the dhol!!

Corinne Bailey Rae

Been listening to Corinne Bailey Rae again after adding her album to my best music list. (Incidentally, Galuma, I have no idea why Typepad seems to think you are a Croatian folk band, as this is the album cover they have attached to your mention - it is a profound mystery! Galuma is in fact my sister's band & you can hear them on their myspace page)

Anyway, back to CBR.....I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole page article about her in today's Times. You can read it here - boy I love this hyperlink thing! I knew she is a Christian, but wasn't sure how this would come across in print. She mentions growing up in a "strict Brethern church" where women's voices weren't heard. This is similar to my background (although "strict" is a relative term!) so maybe it's the same sort of force propelling us to "push women forward" or at least to make ourselves heard.

The article is really positive about her Christianity, which is a welcome change, especially this week with all the adoption/discrimination furore going on. Lets hope it redresses the balance a little. Christians seem to be totally stereotyped these days, particularly on TV drama (anyone watching the new series of ER??) that an article like this is a breath of fresh air. And, of course her music is sublime - looking forward to her new single coming out on 12th February. Maybe I'll drop a hint to Guacamole Guy that that's good timing for Valentines Day!!

Sidey bits

In answer to Stuart's comment to "new year, new blog", I am getting to grips with the sidebars on this site at last. Hopefully I will be able to add more stuff so you can get an idea of what makes me tick! Any suggestions for typelists etc gratefully received.

It's a shame I can't import my Blogger blog to here, so if you want to read Guacamole Girl #1, you need to re-tune to this address