Hello!
We’re now back home again safe and sound. We didn’t didn’t blow away and the house seems to have escaped unscathed. Essex did seem to get quite a battering though. After Totnes and Corsham we headed across to Halsway Manor for  Nyckelharpas at Halsway II. Twelve bright eyed and bushy tailed nyckelharpa players eagerly chomping at the bit. I had stashed four nyckelharpas ready and two more had been sent over for the workshop from Sweden. (Thank you Olle!) They survived the journey and I was really happy to be able to unite them with new owners.

I always find the sound of massed nyckelharpas amazing and we had a really good go at three of the orchestral pieces from ENCORE. The nyckelharpa is rapidly gaining popularity in this country and the weekend is going from strength to strength.  The dates are booked already for 2014 and even 2015. I’ve made a little final tour video blog of some of the musical highlights of the second week. Enjoy!
🙂
Vicki & Jonny

Hello!
Day 13 is upon us and it’s Halloween! Spooky stuff might happen in tonights gig, let’s hope it’s not forgotten words!

We started our travels this month in Wiltshire and popped in for coffee and lunch at Pound Arts in Corsham. It made perfect sense as we’re at The Acoustic Oak in Corsham tonight to come back for lunch again. I had the most exquisite brie and cranberry toastie, it didn’t touch the sides as it went down!

The Baring-Gould Festival in Okehampton was lovely. We didn’t get blown away in the storm, our host’s garden umbrella was still standing the following morning. We have had reports from home though that we have lost a fence panel. Could have been worse! I’m not sure who the gentleman in the photograph is, but he’s a full size statue standing proud on a wall. We couldn’t figure out who he was, but he’s very impressive looking. I had great fun playing with the festival orchestra. The nyckelharpa showed her amazing qualities yet again by managing to be heard above the orchestra, she really is an incredible instrument!  We met lots of wonderful new friends and had a really great time.

Jonny shoes managed to finally give up the ghost and so once we got to Totnes we had to go shoe shopping. The old shoes were ceremoniously dumped in a bin outside Habertonford Church. Wednesday was also the broadcast of the European Nyckelharpa Orchestra radio programme. Although we couldn’t listen live we announced it from the stage, not that anyone in the audience could listen live either. We’ve since heard it and was fun to listen to Vicki’s piece being played again and the interview – although it was dubbed into German, so we can only really imagine what was said. (The usual ramble!)

The end of the tour is rapidly approaching, after Corsham we head off to the Nyckelharpas at Halsway weekend. There are six nyckelharpas stashed away in a secret cupboard. Two have been sent over by the amazing Olle Plahn. They’ve been waiting patiently for a week now at Halsway to be unwrapped and checked over. We are hoping that they’ve made it over here in one piece. <crossed fingers>.

Our final update will be soon. (Maybe I’ll get Jonny to write the last blog post of the tour!)
🙂
Vicki & Jonny

Hello!
It’s day 10 and it’s been lovely to spend a few days in the same space. After finishing our troll slaying with seriouskitchen we headed on down south to The Penzance Folk Club. The Admiral Benbow is the most amazing pub and venue! There are lots of things that have been rescued from the grip of the sea by a diver and are dotted around all over. From there we headed up to a full house at The Bideford Folk Club and then across east tothe Baring-Gould Folk Weekend. The promised storm didn’t seem to blow so hard down here and we couldn’t see too much damage. We played conkers, but my conker didn’t last the first match, although did take rather a long time to finally be pinged off it’s string.  One highlight of our time here in Okehampton was to play with the orchestra. There are movies, but they’re still on the camera, so that’s for a different blog.

On Wednesday night at 10:05 German time the ENCORE concert is being broadcast on German Radio. You can listen on the internet, so here’s the link for you! You should hear my piece being performed (but I’m not 100% sure which pieces are in the broadcast). You might hear my interview, but it’ll be dubbed into German if it’s included!

In the meantime here is a little video we took at Wiveliscombe Church. Jonny was given permission to fire up the organ, so we videoed Red House. It’s an on the road performance, not perfect, but we had fun playing with the organ!

Enjoy!
:))
Vicki & Jonny

Hello!
We’ve been on the road for four days now. Three nights of troll slaying with seriouskitchen. You can see our first tour diary on the SK website. We’re headed further south now, off to Penzance Folk Club tomorrow evening and then gradually work our way back north again finishing the tour at Halsway Manor at the start of November. Wiveliscombe was in a lovely church with some lovely artwork as a backdrop. A wonderful church was to one side and Jonny, who was missing his spinet decided to have a good old play. Some video was taken, so once we manage to get enough internet, we’ll add it to the Ancient Technology Centre movies.

We dropped off four nyckelharpas at Halsway Manor ready for the course next week and left them gently snoring in the storage cupboard. We’re hoping that they’ll have multiplied when we get back!

We drove down over the moors today to reach Liskeard. A very scenic route. One cow was obviously ready to donate his horns to Jonny as he wouldn’t get off the road. Pawing at the road we gently drove round him off road. Maybe not cow-horn musical instrument material.

The weather has been incredible. RAIN! We have never been so wet in our lives! We’re hoping it’ll dry out soon.

So where will you find us over the next two weeks?

23.10.13 – Penzance Folk Club, Cornwall
24.10.13 – Bideford Folk Club, Bideford
25 – 27.10.13 – Baring Gould Folk Weekend, Okehampton
30.10.13 – Dartmouth Inn, Totnes
31.10.13 – Acoustic Oak, Corsham, Wilts
01 – 03.11.13 – Nyckelharpa Course at Halsway Manor

😀
Vicki & Jonny