Gosh, was it now? Well well. I look forward all the more to its arrival in the OED.

Glad you've cheered up, Andy. Hendrix can be like that. (Although I've never spoken to him on the phone...)

strina, 90% of the time, I'd say exactly the same about composing! Perhaps it's about getting in touch, however reluctantly, with a part of yourself which you've long ago sacrificed other things to, and realising that actually, yes, it's still there and real, and perhaps the sacrifice was worth it after all, at least up till now...
 

My Happy Room contribution today is a result of the LSO's announcement that Gidon Saks will be replacing John Relyea as Claggart in this weekend's concert performances of "Billy Budd".

(I've got nothing against Relyea, you understand, but I'd have been quite prepared to go through hell and high water to hear Saks in a role like that.)

 

That sounds like excellent casting to me, Ruth.

My Happy Room news concerns the arrival of a quantity of Hi-fi equipment which belonged to one of my longest-standing customers, happily still with us although now in his hundredth year. He moved rooms at his retirement home down South a few months back, and has had to choose something rather smaller to replace his original gear, since the room itself is substantially less spacious. There were several items that I'd always fancied, but at our many evenings over a glass of malt and a choice of CDs before he moved, he had always made it plain that the equipment would go to his son. However, when the time came, it transpired that none of his offspring were really that interested in the gear, and that as a result of a discussion between them and him, it was decided to offer them to me. Not surprisingly I was only too happy to accept, though the fact that I was 500 miles away and the speakers (Lowther corner horns, for anyone interested) stand well over 5 feet high and over 2 feet wide made the logistics of moving them a problem: I'd have needed a very large estate car at the very least. The gentleman's daughter has very kindly stored them in her garage for the last couple of months, but I've been very guilty about this, and was prodded into action when she called last week and asked if there as any chance that I could move the stuff before Christmas. I decided that I'd better fly down and do a one-way hire of a van back up, though that still left a problem of how to load the gear. 

Dode's ever resourceful son-in-law came to my aid: he has a van, and happened to be free yesterday and today. Our original plan of going down yesterday, staying overnight and coming back today was modified late on Monday afternoon: we left Dundee at six, and drove as far as Warwick, stayed overnight, then drove down and picked the gear up late in the morning: after a good meal, we then turned round, leaving at 14:40 and arriving back just after 22:30. I drove back from his place after a cup of tea, and he's delivered the load this morning. It will be a few days before I have everything moved and wired up (basically the whole room will require reorganising), but the speakers actually physically fit in the study, which was by no means guaranteed. I've just done a very temporary lash-up, and they're certainly working OK.

Definitely happy.

Well people, me and the wife are moving house, so I wont be on here for a few days. We have to sort out broadband etc, from a different provider, and things like that. So when I am all ship shape and bristol fashion again I will let you guys know. Hopefully be before Christmas!! Ive really enjoyed these forums, sofar, so I be back asap!!

See you people soon.

Best wshes BBM.

To the same house I hope.

Hope it all runs smoothly... see you again soon!

best of luck too bbm!

I am happy because I traced my great-great-great grandmother (I am so well, like, heavily, into genealogy) but only got it because the fambly used her maiden name as first or Christian names in every branch of every generation.

How would you like to be called Edbrooke?  Oh, those Devonians!  What a sense of humour they have!  Anyway, turns out, her Father, my gggg-father is from Wales!  Hurrah!  And better still, a Shipwright from Swansea!  Double hurrah!

There will be dancing on the sloe black, coal black, cobbles tonight