Dressed for the 1st Christmas Driveway Concert of the Season!

It’s just a quick blog today as I continue with my Christmas Driveway Concerts. This isn’t work for the faint hearted as it requires stamina and a lot of determination. The devil is in the detail and I’ve upgraded my leads to a heavier duty rubber which can cope with the cold and working out doors. I’ve also had to invest in crystals which I’ve placed in my cases. The idea being the crystals will absorb any moisture protecting my equipment  when I put it away after working in freezing temperatures.

My Driveway Concerts have been a life line although I didn’t expect I would have to be working outside this late in the season. Although I’m up and running with zoom shows clients don’t seem to have the technology in place to move forward with it confidently. Fortunately I’ve still been able to fill most of my dates, but I am mindful that my shows can only go ahead if the weather remains dry. I’ve managed to perform 71 Driveway Concerts to date and last Saturday I had two back to back one in Leighton Buzzard and another in Toddington to tie in with the turning on of the Christmas lights.

On Stage in Brooklands Avenue!

It’s great to see communities coming together and enjoying the Christmas music especially after such a difficult year. Yesterday I was in St Albans and today I performed a 7pm concert in Russell Way for a wonderful audience who all came out and entered into the festive spirit.

This is hard work especially when temperatures drop and it’s essential I wrap up warmly  when I’m performing although the hardest part is packing up in the dark. I’ve been wearing heat packs in my boots and gloves but even so fingers and toes can get numb all too quickly and it makes it difficult to handle speakers and wires.

Stronger Leads and Heat Patches!

Fortunately I have an out-fit for everything and all sorts of period items I’ve collected over years.This Christmas I’ve been wearing my pirate, cavalier boots which are just that little bit warmer due to the fact they pull up over the knee. You wouldn’t think that little piece of leather would make such a difference but it does!

Tomorrow I’m performing a virtual zoom show live from St Barnabas Church in Leighton Buzzard from 6.30pm with fellow singer Richard Stark. We have a fantastic concert planed which will include Christmas carols and all the seasonal favourites. I will be streaming it live on facebook so I hope you can all click on to watch.

That’s all my news for the moment as I need to get to bed and catch up on my beauty sleep.

Thank-you for following Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉

Rehearsing at St Barnabas Church!

December 2020 has got to be the toughest Christmas ever. Normally by now my Christmas season would be in full swing but this year  I’m constantly battling against the endless Covid restrictions mixed in with having to perform out-side and the wet and cold weather. I managed to squeeze in an out door “We’ll Meet Again” show last week. The last 40s uniform show of the year.

We’ll Meet Again in the Garden!

Although I’ve now got zoom up and running in reality most of my customers aren’t rigged up for it, or understand how to use it to best advantage.  It takes some skill from both parties to get it right and I performed my first zoom show on the 1st  December.

The interesting thing my audience at the other end didn’t have a web-cam so I was working blind. All I could see was a tiny thumb nail of myself in the right hand corner of my iphone and it took me awhile to realise they could see me perfectly well squinting at the phone wondering why I couldn

Trimming my Sitting Room Backdrop with Fairy Lights & Christmas Cards!

Rehearsing at St Barnabas Church!

‘t see them. It wasn’t until I telephoned through I discovered every-one was watching me on their large screens. I must have been very comical, looking confused with my glasses on, speaking to them on the telephone before the penny dropped and I was able to start my show properly.

It’s important to remember that zoom is a porthole into your world and the audience can see everything. Don’t make the assumption that just because you can’t see them they can’t see you. When I did my zoom rehearsal with my web-designer Karen suggested I put up some fairy lights and decorations. I can’t tell you how long it took me to put up my lights and Christmas cards. All through the show I was praying, please don’t fall down as the back drop is so important.

After my show I telephoned my client and they said they could see and hear me well and every-one enjoyed the show. Phew! It looks like my little mixer was a good invested. I have another couple of zoom shows to perform the end of this month but I’m constantly working from day to day. Apparently I was only the second entertainer who had performed for them via zoom. Their last entertainer had his airing rack in shot with his underpants and socks drying in the background which I guess is how not to do it. Thank goodness I had fairy lights!

Next Thursday I’m planning on streaming a 6.30pm virtual concert live from St Barnabas

The Worst Christmas Sweater of All Time!

Church in Leighton Buzzard with fellow singer Richard Stark. The concert was Richards idea and St Barnabas is renowned for it’s beautiful acoustics. We will be streaming the concert live onto our Facebook pages. Last Monday we had a morning rehearsal and I was able to stream a few numbers from the church. Richard and I have put together a great program of Christmas carols and songs which we hope every-one will enjoy.

I always enjoy singing in church as the acoustics are a perfect fit with my voice type. Richard is also a classical singer and I’m looking forward to hearing him sing O Holy Night. It’s been a while

Dreadful Christmas Sweaters – Yuck!

since I last worked with him so I can’t wait and I’m looking forward to the concert very much.

That’s all my news for now but I shall leave you with a few photos of horrible Christmas sweaters. Just when you think the Christmas sweater couldn’t get any worse I saw these in Tesco tonight. Aren’t they dreadful!

Keep Following and Toodle Pip! 😉

Dressing for the Christmas Concert Season!

This week the title really does say it all. I’ve been working from home mastering the art of going virtual by presenting my shows via zoom. It’s true I’m not very good with technology but I’m pleased to announce this week I had a breakthrough and now I’m up and running and raring to go.

Fortunately I have had a good teacher and I’ve been working closely with Stephan Medhurst from RKHD Lighting and Sound. https://rkhdlighting.co.uk/

I was introduced to Stephan through the

Getting Set Up to Zoom!

Limelight Theatre in Aylesbury as I wanted someone who would understand Zoom from the perspective of performing a show. When it comes to zoom concerts there is a little more to it than just speaking to someone on a business call.  The sound quality has to be right and you can’t rely on the microphones and web-cams in mobile phones and lap tops alone. It takes some skill and a certain amount of investment in getting the right equipment which will work in harmony with the singing voice.

The magic piece of equipment which every singer needs is a Roland  go-mixer which plugs into the phone and then, with two jack leads straight into the amp. Also it’s important the master sound level on the amp needs to be up to 12 o’clock in the room which ordinarily is too loud for the surroundings. A simple way around this problem is to follow the old gramophone saying of  to “Put a sock in it”. By putting a blanket over the speaker or in my case a couple of coats, this has the same effect and doesn’t deafen the rest of the household.

The Magic Go-Mixer!

Earlier this week I had a sound glitch where the mixer wouldn’t let me hear people on the other end even though they could hear me. To sort this problem it’s necessary to click the speaker icon in the left hand side of the screen. I was having a problem. My phone wouldn’t give me a speaker option and locked itself solely into Go Mixer. We discovered the way to stop this problem from happening is to click the mixer into the phone only after the screen has been opened, which was a huge breakthrough.

I have been busy practicing this week and I have

Christmas is Coming!

my first profesional zoom concert on the 1st December. I’ve paid my subscription so I’m permitted to zoom for over an hour. Zoom will only let you stream for free up to 40 minutes so it’s important everything is in place before I start zooming and performing professionally.

My eyes feel square after spending so much time this week looking at various computer screens. I’m looking forward to performing again even though it will be virtual but a few of my customers have venues which are Covid safe so I can’t wait to get back out on the road.

I’ve also been busy selling Driveway concerts, although it is all dependent on the weather. In theory I’ve sold all of Christmas week but anything can happen between now and then so I’m praying for dry weather. On the 10th December I’ve been asked to take part in a virtual Christmas Concert at St Barnabas Church in Leighton Buzzard with fellow singer Richard Stark.  Richard is a baritone and we are planning to sing a selection of Christmas Carols and seasonal favorites which we will be streaming live but more on that in my next blog.

Keep Following, Toodle Pip and Bye for Now!

On Set to Film with The Leighton Buzzard Helpers!

It’s Beginning to Look at Lot Like Christmas at The Depot!

You could say it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as we all look for positive ways to get through this second lock-down. Perhaps it’s not that surprising that more and more people are choosing to put up their Christmas decorations early in an attempt to lift spirits. I too have been rehearsing my Christmas repertoire and last Saturday I was invited by the Leighton Linslade Helpers to film some songs at their depot to tie in with the turning on of the Leighton Buzzard Christmas lights, which this year is going virtual.

The idea is to get local people to send in footage of themselves turning on their Christmas lights from home which will be going out on social media on the 5th December. My job was to record a couple of my Christmas numbers live to camera which will be edited and spliced together with the switching on of the Christmas lights from home footage.

One thing I can do is entertain people so when Sarah Cursons approached me on Facebook to sing from the Leighton Linslade Helpers depot I was delighted to help. When I arrived on Saturday all the helpers had worked extremely hard to decorated the depot and I recorded a selection of songs. These included, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Santa Baby, Mistletoe and Wine,

Charlotte’s Shot of Barty and I!

A Winter Wonderland, Silent Night, A Christmas Carol Sing-along Medley, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, White Christmas and of course not forgetting It’s Beginning to look alot like Christmas which I also streamed live on Facebook.

I’d like to say a big thank-you to every-one who came along on Saturday to help with the filming and especially to Sarah and all the Leighton Linslade Helpers for their wonderful hospitality. The time went so quickly and I can’t wait to see the results once all the footage has been edited. The Leighton Linslade Helpers do so much for local people helping families to cope with their everyday needs during these difficult Covid times from picking up prescriptions to food parcels. If you would like to find out more about the Leighton Linslade Helpers then please do visit their web-site by clicking the link below.

https://www.leightonlinsladehelpers.org.uk/

Getting The Barty Shot!

This week I was also thrilled that our local paper decided to write an article about Barty the Singing Lamppost. If you caught my previous blog you may remember me mentioning this charming unassuming Mentmore park gas lamppost which inspired a 1940s musical called “We’ll Meet Again”. I co-wrote the show and toured with it back in the early noughties with my manager Paul Spence. The Leighton Buzzard Observer went on line with the story on Monday night and it came out in print this Tuesday.

You can read the story by clicking the link. https://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/news/people/leighton-buzzard-singer-relieved-it-not-end-barty-singing-lamppost-3037164 

Ladder at the Ready for the Perfect Barty Shot!

With everything else going on in the world at the moment it’s lovely to think that’s this charming old gas lamp is going to be restored and returned to the park. I first became aware that Barty was being removed from the park on Thursday when I was out jogging. The men from the council were having trouble trying to remove him from his footing which only helps to strengthen Barty’s personality and character.

He’s now gone away to be restored but just before he did Charlotte Worrall very kindly took my photo with Barty which the paper used in their article. Thank-you so much Charlotte for your photos.

This week I’ve been cracking on with trying to learn how to do Zoom. It’s not easy especially when it comes to streaming music shows as you need a special mixer which goes from the phone to the amp using a double lead jack. This helps to give the sound continuity rather than relying on the phones mic which can often have breaks in connection. I had a meeting today but I’m still very much at sea with it all and I need to get some practice in before my first  Zoom show on the 1st December.

While I’ve had my equipment set up I’ve been rehearsing and streaming a few of my songs live to Facebook. It’s been good to have some time to practice and I’ve also been going through my press cuttings. I’m pleased I’ve got them filed and up to date. It’s a work in progress and something I hope which will continue to grow. Although much of my press is now on line it’s still good to have paper copies, something I can look back on when I’m an old lady!

Thank-you for Following and Toodle Pip! 😉

The Show Must Go On!

The show must go on whatever the restisions and this week I have been working with activities coordinators to see that their shows can still go ahead in this current Covid environment. No-one wants to be the person responsible for canceling Christmas but nevertheless times are difficult and it’s hard to forward plan. I’m now reselling a lot of my Christmas dates as Driveway Concerts and the response from new customers has been very encouraging.

This Saturday I’ve been invited by Sarah Cursons of the Leighton -Linslade Helpers to film some of my Christmas songs to coincide with the turning on of the Christmas lights in Leighton Buzzard. This year the town is asking people to send in footage of families turning

on their own Christmas lights from home. I’m still not quite sure how they are going to eddit it all together but I expect I

We’ll Meet Again in the Car Park!

shall be the sound track for the feature so I’m busy brushing up on my Christmas repertoire in preparation for Saturday.

This week I have been out in uniform performing my ATS “We’ll Meet Again” show for remembrance. It’s still very hit and miss and in many cases I don’t know until the very last minute if we are good to go or not. For Remembrance Sunday I had the pleasure of performing at Caddington Grove in Dunstable. Although the home has a visitors suit they are still unable to mix floors, so we took the decision for me to play my show in the car-park. This ment all the

The Inspiration Behind Barty The Singing Lamp post!

residence could watch me from their gallery windows, as I made the show larger and worked the space.

I always make sure I have more music than I need when I perform and certainly when you work a big area it’s important you move and make the show larger to suit the space (you can see by my mic leads in the photos). All my musical arrangements are custom made and designed for large stages so they can withstand being played at a louder volume. It’s very much a case of assessing the situation quickly and getting on with it and adapting the show to suit the environment. When I’m in a situation like this I always keep the tempo high using as many medley arrangements as possible so the show moves quickly and keeps attention span.

Fortunately it was very mild on Sunday and the show couldn’t have gone better. Come the 11th November it was colder for my Bedford show  but on this occasion I was working in a Covid safe environment and I had a screen between me and the residence

Barty Not Wishing to Leave Mentmore Park!

so all was well. When it comes to entertaining the sixty plus age group it’s really too cold for them to be watching shows with doors open and although I don’t mind being outside it’s important everyone is warm and comfortable.

Like the rest of the world I was thrilled to hear that a vaccine is now in sight and hopefully by next summer things will be returning to some sort of normality. The entertainments industry has been badly hit and I hope it won’t be too long before live venues can re-open again. For me I’m constantly adjusting and re visiting my shows to make them suitable for all types of audiences whatever the brief.

Today I was reminded of the “We’ll Meet Again” theatre show I toured in, way back in the early noughties. In this show my co star was a singing lamp post by the name of Barty. Today while I was jogging around Mentmore Park the Edwardian lamp post which inspired Barty’s character was being removed from the park. The man from the council said Barty was going away to be refurbished and the plan is to return him to the park on the other side of the path. I truly hope that this will be the case as Barty didn’t want to leave today and he broke the strap the men were using to try and pull him out of the ground which they had attached to their van.

Later that day I rang the Leighton Linslade council and I spoke to Ian Haynes. He told me it’s got to be cost effective to have Barty restored and possibly re instated, so it’s not a full gone conclusion he will return. I truly hope they do as this little unassuming lamp post inspired a whole 1940s musical which in turn launched my theatrical career.

Fingers crossed Barty will return to Mentmore Park. That’s all my news for now. Keep Following and Toodle Pip! 😉

Witchcraft for Halloween in Phoenix Drive

Fly Me to the Moon!

What a difference a year makes and who would have thought we would all be at home on Remembrance weekend, it’s so surreal. I’m usually really busy this time of year but instead I’m working in the office rescheduling my shows, adapting to fit in with the new Covid Lock down rules. I still have dates in the diary but I’m constantly trying to find innovative ways to keep working. This time last year I was singing in Birmingham at New Street Station, raising money for the Poppy Appeal. This year everything has been put on hold and we are all keeping our fingers crossed for better times ahead.

None of us know what the future will hold but I do hope 2021 will pick up and a vaccine is found for Covid before too long, so we can all get on with our lives. As for the here and now, no sooner do I find I an alternative booking and then the goal posts change. Fortunately I was able to reschedule my Guy Fawkes show to the 4th November and I have a couple of shows in the diary for Remembrance Sunday and the 11th.

Last week I continued with Enchantment shows which rolled over nicely from Halloween and now

Getting Dressed for Remembrance!

it’s time to polish my buttons and shoes and step out in my ATS uniform for remembrance. Normally I would be working flat out this time of year but I have done better than most and I am mindful for the future, predicting what audiences might want for 2021.

Realistically I think it unlikely shows and entertainment venues will open before Easter and I’m so grateful I have been able to keep working performing Driveway concerts. I’ve been able to do this by stripping everything back to the bare minimum and relying solely on my voice, sound system and musical arrangements. My musical arrangements are worth their weight in gold and today I had a Facetime meeting with my musical arranger Richard Whennell.

Although times are challenging it’s important to stay creative and to think ahead. It’s quite possible that if venues don’t open up next year I will need to continue with my Driveway Concerts, I have built up a wonderful net work around my home town and local

Researching the Music Aladdin!

villages. If that is the case it’s essential I have more family friendly songs in my repertoire and based on what I’ve learned this year you can’t go wrong with Disney and Abba.

Today I was able to put into production an Aladdin medley which will also sit well in my Christmas and Enchantment Shows along with my Wizard of Oz medley. I’ve been thinking about the music of Aladdin for quite a while now. I was first introduced to the music a few years ago when I was engaged as a guest soprano for a local choir. I’ve been doing my research and I only saw

The Aladdin Vocal Score!

the Disney films fairly recently. I already perform “A Whole New World” which always goes down well and it’s important to have arrangements which tick all the right boxes. Enchantment is a show I’m also developing for Hanukkah and although many of the musical events I was originally booked at this year weren’t able to go ahead I’m looking forward to coming back next year even stronger than ever.

For now I’m continuing to sell Christmas dates as Driveway concerts and I’ve already sold all my weekend slots. Selling the week day slots will be harder but if all music events and venues remain closed I may do quite well providing the weather stays dry.

For Halloween I was invited to perform in Phoenix Close my “Fly me to the Moon”show as a Driveway Concert. Thank-you to Anita and family for inviting me to sing and to every-one who came to support the show. I shall leave you with a few pictures from this weeks Halloween and Enchantment performances.

Keep Following and Toodle Pip! 😉

Going Spooky for Halloween!

After Show Halloween Cup Cakes!

I’m now in full swing with my Enchantment and Halloween shows doing my best to keep singing. This weekend I have a couple of shows booked in Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury which I’m looking forward to performing very much although in this current Covid world it’s not easy trying to maintain my living.

Sometimes it’s good to try something new and this week I started working as a delivery driver for Hermes. In reality I think it’s unlikely the hospitality sector will open up properly before Easter and that’s only if a vaccine can be found. What-ever happens it’s important to keep working and as I’m a woman with a van I thought working as a delivery driver might be the perfect fit to tie me over to better times.

It’s hard brutal work and although I don’t mind the sorting, lifting, carrying and driving it’s actually the I.T. side of the job I find the most challenging. All parcels have to be scanned using my mobile phone and then scanned out once the parcel has been delivered. It’s also important to take a photo of the person receiving their parcel too and once that is done you can then move onto delivering the next parcel. Thursday was my third

In my 1960s Boots & Mini Skirt Dress!

The Mad Men Look!

day but it didn’t go well.  My I.T. went down and it wouldn’t let me deliver any further parcels.

On the previous day I was delivering around Pitstone using my Sat Nav. Pitstone has a new housing estate and sometimes Google maps don’t tally with what is actually there. I’ve also noticed road designs can change on new housing estates with roads blocked off in reality with-out openings. Determined to deliver all my packages I went back home and had a look on my computer. It helped fill in the blanks but even so I was out all day and probably spent more on fuel than I would have earnt.

I’m not very good with technology and I thought this job might be away for me to face my demons and learn something new. However after Thursday I’m probably better to stick to what I know best which is entertaining people. I hate to be defeated, but at least I gave it ago and I really ought to be concentrating on my business. There is always plenty to organise and my next big

Off to the Party!

Going Psychedelic!

challenge is to learn how to do zoom. A couple of my clients have asked if I can perform my shows this way so I just need to find someone who can teach me.

Tomorrow I’m performing my Halloween show as a Driveway concert in Phoenix Close, Leighton Buzzard. The weather looks like it might be OK at 4pm which is when I’m booked to sing. Today I went out and bought myself a couple of flood lights as the light will fade quickly and it’s important the end of the show doesn’t get lost in darkness.

This week my photos arrived from my 1960s photo shot with Angela Adams. I shall leave you with a few of my favourites.

Keep Following, Toodle Pip and Bye for Now! 😉