plus la change, plus la même chose

Current work: M&B Medical and admin
Listening to: Bach
Reading: (next on TBR pile)

I had plans for work, yesterday. So what did I end up writing? Music. The weird thing is that it works the same as my books do, in that I get the tune and the first few lines and possibly the ending, and the middle is saggy. Plus la change, yada yada yada.

Really good guitar lesson yesterday – I’m doing well on the Bach (‘well’ being a relative term – given that my practising time has vanished, I’m doing OK), and we messed about with an arrangement of Coventry Carol (as in ‘right, you’re going to transpose it from Gm to Em as it’s a more sensible key, and work out the bass’ – and I did OK with that, too).

Right at the end of the lesson I suddenly remembered the conversation I’d had with my daughter that morning. ‘Mummy, will you write me a song?’ And of course I said yes. And I always keep my promises. Whoops. So I scribbled a note in my manuscript book to write a song next week. Course, as soon as I started driving home and couldn’t write anything down, the lyrics and the tune came into my head. This is where a digital recorder is brilliant (aka my PDA) – sang it into the recorder, worked it out on the piano while I had lunch, and will straighten it out with Jim’s help next week. I sang her the first draft and she loved it.

Actually, that’s given me a lightbulb: about someone whose dream is to have a song written for them. Hmm. (Yeah, yeah. I know I already have the next three books worked out. But an ideas file is a Very Good Thing.)

Also had a nice conversation with Alex, M&B’s publicist, re my January UK release. Have given him a different hook (i.e. deaf author, deaf heroine) so hopefully it’ll interest some editors. What I’d really like is to be able to reach out to other people who have a hearing problem but don’t think anything can be done about it, to show them that times have moved on and modern (digital) hearing aids are very effective, and give them the courage to talk to their GP and see if they can get some help. It’s made a huge difference to my life (though I do admit to resorting to lipreading and subtitles when I’m tired).

Then, late yesterday afternoon, I had an unexpected phone call that left me smiling… about which I shall blog later. (That’s TWO exciting bits of news now that I’m dying to talk about and can’t. But as soon as I can, I will – sorry to be such a tease.) (Is good news. I suggested it meant a new Pandora bead. DH was unamused at the suggestion and asked why could he not have something, so have bought him a Badfinger CD to shut him up. Am going to Sonkai with my daughter this week, to spend her birthday money. Have made no promises to be Good Kate.)

And then it was Madam’s concert at school. It was fantastic. Some of the little ones in the choir were only seven, and there they were, singing their hearts out. I knew some of the kids in the orchestra, too, and they played beautifully. I was especially impressed with the jazz improvs by the junior school: just excellent. The high school did a great version of ‘Live and Let Die’ – and all the kids were enjoying it as much as their parents and siblings were. I recorded the choir on my PDA, so fingers crossed I can transfer the wav files. (Grandparents and godparents might get a chance to hear it, then…)

I think the evening made son regret giving up his music lessons. DH suggested trying the drums (this is to do with our house band - I reckon Madam knows enough chords for it to work now) but son is currently leaning towards the piano. Might teach him a bit this week, while he’s still warm to the idea. He can read music, so it’s not going to be that hard for him – especially as his hands are larger than mine, so he’ll be able to do an octave span. (He’s had yet another growth spurt. Two and a half centimetres and he’ll be my height. Clearly I will have to master stilts...)