THE "ITS-ALMOST-FALL" 2008 NEWSLETTER
Well just where did the past three months go! Here it is September already. I think I must say those words every year but I'm feeling the speed of time flying by especially more lately. Don't have a reason for it... just noticing.
It is the most beautiful day today (Sept. 1) to sit on the back patio and redo this webpage while being dive-bombed by hummers (not the SUV kind). You might have to look closely to see the little female at the snapdragons.
SUMMIN'
UP DRUMMIN'
SOME DRUMMING HAS BEEN GOING ON ALL SUMMER.
SOME CIRCLES TOOK A BREAK.
NOW WE'RE ALL FIRED UP AND READY TO GET GOING AGAIN.
CLICK ON THE LINK FOR THE UPDATED CHART OF LOCAL DRUMMING CIRCLES
www.pennywearne.com/drummin.htm
"BODHRAN BASHING 101"
(or How the Irish discovered the Big Bang Theory )
Saturday, Sept 20, from 1:00pm til 4:00pm
The Landon Library, 167 Wortley Road (Wortley Village/ Old South)
FEE: $45.00 Pre-registration Only - limited class size
Knockgrafton Productions in London at: 1-(519)-438-3924
e-mail: rmcmaster@knockgrafton.com
SoundScape percussionist and bodhran player Robert McMaster
will be presenting a hands-on workshop on the basics of playing the Irish bodhran drum.
Classes are kept small (15 participants). No need to own a drum. Booklet is included in the workshop fee.
Topics will include:
AROUND THE WORLD ON A DRUM HEAD: The bodhran and other hand-drums of the
world.
SEARCHING FOR THE RIGHT GOAT: What to look for in a bodhran.
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF A BODHRAN: Maintenance of the bodhran.
STICK WITH IT: Choosing the best tipper stick for you and the tunes you'll
be playing.
THE FUN-DA-MENTALS: Basic beats for reels, jigs, marches and beyond.
WHO IS THIS ROBERT MCMASTER?
Robert is the SoundScape Percussionist for his partner, (composer, harper
& vocalist) Jennifer White.
He has performed with a number of Celtic groups & musicians.
WEEKLY STARGAZING TIPS from STARDATE ONLINE
The nights are cool now but the skies are clear and bright
out here in the country.
Its a great time to go out and just get lost in the vastness of our universe.
| September 1 47 Ursae Majoris, a star system with at least one planet, is just visible below the bowl of the Big Dipper, which is in the northwest this evening. The planet is more massive than Jupiter, the giant of our solar system, but it is too faint to see even with a telescope. |
September 2 Virgo is easy to pick out the next couple of nights because its brightest star, Spica, is near the crescent Moon. Spica represents a stalk of wheat held in the hand of either the goddess of the harvest or the goddess's daughter. |
September 3 A thin crescent Moon lurks low in the southwest a little after sunset this evening, with the star Spica to its right. The planet Venus is farther along the same line, but tough to see in the twilight. The brilliant planet Jupiter is well up in the south. |
September 4 The planet Venus is pulling away from the Sun, so it is beginning to move into view in the evening sky. Unfortunately, though, its path across the sky is tilted at a poor angle, so Venus is just barely above the western horizon at sunset. |
September 5 The Moon is passing between the "claws" of the scorpion tonight and taking aim at its broad head. The three stars that mark the head form a short line to the left of the Moon. The scorpion's most prominent star, orange Antares, is to the left of the head. |
September 6 Antares, the brightest star of the scorpion, stands just above or to the upper left of the Moon at nightfall. At their closest, they will be separated by little more than the width of the Moon itself. |
Go to Stardate Online for the whole month of viewing notes.
FANSHAWE PIONEER
VILLAGE - HAUNTED VILLAGE HAYRIDE
You
might want to get your tickets early for this one.... a haunted hay
wagon that will take you back in time to the true story of Phoebe Cambell,
a lady who murdered her husband in 19th century Middlesex County.
Performances are at 7, 8, and 9 pm on Thursday and Sunday nights and
are at 7, 8, 9 and 10 pm on Friday and Saturday nights. The dates of
the hay ride are from October 17th to October 30th.
Cost is $10 each ($8 if you go to the preview on Oct. 17th)... advance
tickets only.
I expect that this was as clear as mud so you should call the Village
to purchase your tickets and confirm your time and date.
Phone: (519) 457-1296
BTW - it is not recommended for those under age 10... sounds like it
might be spoooooky.
PS - the Pioneer Village Cafe is a great place for a lunch date. Its
only open Wednesdays to Sundays and only until Oct. 13th so go soon.
POND PICTURES
This guy (or gal) frog is a resident in our pond this year... along with many other frogs, dragonflies, goldfish, and tadpoles.
I sat on the edge of the pond, feet in the water and took a lot of pictures last week... a whole LOT of pictures that I won't bore you with here... just enjoying the day with nature.
I really wish I could bottle the creaks of the crickets and the zooms of the hummers and the bizzing of the flies and the shrieks of the hawks and the caws of the crows and the sawing of the cicidas - all those sounds of the natural world that give us peace.
 |
 |
 |
And then I found this thinker in the Globe & Mail
this morning:
"What has to happen over the next 90 days for me to feel that this
was the best three months of my life?"
Hmmmmm......
Catchyadrummin'
Penny