Jingling Johnny again!

While the sun shone, mike made some recycled discs from bottle tops collected from a Weymouth Pub ...

Tap tap, gently round, until each bottle top is flat!

Cat made comfy, grippy handles by carefully gluing on braid. The end of the braid is secured with a small tack first ...

One instrument is covered in scripture, and varnished, and the other stained with ebony stain. They have brackets fitted below the handles, and check out the musical topping on the black jingling johnny!

They make a good noise already!

Both are ready here for the application of some chest-expander springs! The size difference might be to do with our size differences, but might also be to do with playing sitting or standing!

And dog bowls? what? This is looking crazy and fun! More later!

Jingling johnny!

Michael has been sanding and whittling some long pieces of wood....

Which does have it's risks...

Then as the wood was having different finishes applied, he collected some bottle tops from a local pub ....

Then sat in the sun making holes in each one!

Some had four holes and will be joined together with wire! 

So do you know what a jingling johnny is yet?

Refresh 2012 ... Out and About!

Playing in the sand at church on the beach!

Catching up with Friends, old and new ...

Being inspired ... Andrew Palau

Hanging out in the girly tent...

rocking the beach, after dark!

a touch of clown chique!

Taking advantage of the free Wifi...

Watching others play very silly beach games!

my lovely birthday present, and the bag i made for her to live in ...

this year on my trip to scotland i fell in love with a stringed instrument. i couldnt put my friend davie's crafter down, even when my fingers were grooved and sore ... so i knew what i wanted for my birthday this year and let me say, its much more fun than chocolate or soap!
after messing around on ebay i followed a UK forums advice to contact the acoustic music compnay (TAMCO), and they made a reccomendation which i also followed ... after michael played some mandolins to me on the phone.
funny thing about the bag tho, you know how i love to sew and when i was looking on ebay i thought yeah, i can make a bag for it etc etc ...
then michael at TAMCO said 'sorry, we dont have any gig bags, we got sent banjo bags by mistake!'
imagine my joy as i ran to my fabric stash to plan some patchwork!
the bag is lined with some almost-hideous-but-soft-and-woolly vintage rug fabric, from jean down the road ...

a couple of fun musical events ...

one is our choir's next concert, here in weymouth, all for charity ...
(i will be there of course .....)

the other is a showcase in the highlands organised by a dear friend of mine ....
the black rock ceilidh band with have them stopin'
(i wish i was there...)

something for this end of the country, and the other !