Writing a wee poem about the Bertie

I think I should apologise to anybody reading this who doesn’t belong to the Heart of Scotland Choir. Yes, I am still harping on about our concert the other night!

I've not been sleeping all that well since Saturday (surely it can’t still be the adrenalin?!) so I spent some time late last night writing one of my wee poems. I’ve found - in the past - that scribbling a poem about an experience can help to unravel my thoughts about it. So, here's my thought-sorting ditty about the Bertie experience! I’ve recorded me reciting it as it doesn’t really make as much sense when you read it without my intonations (which is the same for most of my poems – and that’s why I’ll never win any prizes for poetry!!). However, Youtube's playing silly buggers with me tonight and I can't get the video to upload. So, the written version will have to do for now!

My thoughts on The Bertie Experience

When the choir last performed at the Bertie,
I was sat watching TV,
I’d never heard of Heart of Scotland,
It really meant nothing to me.

But luckily Gordon had gone along
With a crowd of his pals from school,
And when I went to pick him up
He was like, “Aw Mum, that was SO cool!”

So when we got home we looked on the web
And checked out the songs on Youtube,
I was like, “Wow, they’re awesome!
I didn’t expect them to be THAT good!"

Now, fast forward to nine months later
(As the whole story would take me an age)
To the choir’s next Bertie performance,
And there we were – up on the stage!

We first sang 'I’m So Excited'
As an opener, the perfect song
As all of our friends and our families
Could clap, cheer and sing along.

'I wish' I could bottle that feeling,
- So high you could 'Rule the World' -
By the time we sang 'Viva La Vida',
All tension and nerves had unfurled.

We sang 'Lean on Me' acapella,
And sounded like 'Angels' above,
It was just 'Like a Prayer' had been answered
As the audience showed us their love.

The appreciation continued
When we sang the next song in the show,
'This is Now' which was written
Just a few short weeks ago.

It's another one written for the choir
By Ray's two talented daughters
They write and support one another
Like a 'Bridge over Troubled Waters'!

The Simon/Garfunkel classic
Was a favourite at the Bertie, I’ve heard,
Jane and Drew sung so beautifully
And many a tear was shed.

The next song we sang is a belter,
It’s always sung out loud and proud,
So 'Firework' sung at the Bertie
Went down a real treat with the crowd!

I’ll pause here to mention how talented
Our choir leader Annie is,
Time and again her 'True Colours' shine through
And the gig at the Bertie showed this.

Not only did Annie play piano,
And direct so we knew what to do,
And sing with the choir and sing solos,
And chat to the audience too.

She’d also arranged nearly all of the songs,
In her own special wonderful way,
And 'Somebody Told Me' she’d taken the Juniors
Earlier on in that day!

'What a Wonderful World' she’s created,
Along with her talented sis,
In the truly special and magical thing
That the Heart of Scotland is.

The song that came next at the Bertie
Was the anthem that Greig sings so well,
Representing a story
Only 'Movin on Up' can tell.

And then it was nearly the interval,
Time to head back up the stair,
But not before we’d rocked the hall
With 'Livin on a Prayer'!

A quick chat with pals and a wee drink of juice
And plenty of plaudits already,
Before we went back to our place on the stage,
Though this time our nerves were more steady!

The opening song of the second half
Had the audience all going “Bless!”
When the choir weans lined up at the front
And gave 'Give it Away' their best!

Everyone was looking forward
- Choir and audience alike -
To hear Annie sing 'Here You Come Again',
A highlight, for sure, of the night.

We all clapped, were delighted to see
Our Annie take centre-stage,
With Steve on piano, Becky on drums
And the lovely Laurie on bass.

The musicians that night were all awesome,
We saw just how talented they are,
Including Dianne with her tambu
And John with his 'Babylon' guitar!

Team Sting then sang 'Every Breath You Take'
And they certainly did themselves proud,
Then we sang one of my favourite songs,
Annie’s 'Above the Clouds'.

It sounded just 'Perfect' and everyone gasped
When it was explained to them all,
That Annie had written this beautiful song
When she was just 13 years old!

'Don’t Stop Me Now' was another hit,
It’s a song that I really love,
The choir and the soloists just let themselves go
T’was the stuff that 'Sweet Dreams' are made of!

'Fix You' was lovely, and sung with such heart,
From the audience there wasn’t a peep,
Then Greig, Drew and Paul raised the tempo and roof
With the awesome 'Rolling in the Deep'.

Ruby had featured throughout the show,
But she captured everyone’s heart,
By enchanting us with her rendition of
'Flower of Scotland' right from its start.

Then it was time for 'Second Summer',
The song that we all adore,
But that meant the show was nearly done
And we would be singing no more!

The crowd weren’t ready to let us away though
Not quite that easily,
So we popped on our cheery Santa hats
For our special wee 'Christmas Medley'!

And then, that was it, the Bertie was done,
We bowed and walked off to the right,
We said our Goodbyes then we headed off home
To reflect on our fantastic night.

From learning the songs at rehearsals,
To finding the perfect red gear,
I loved the WHOLE Bertie experience,
And cant wait to go back there next year!

(13 December 2011)

....I’d hoped that doing this would give me a better chance of a good sleep tonight but, in a moment of madness, I agreed to let Gordon have the ‘after-party’ following his Senior Dance. Thirty odd sixteen year olds will be descending upon us at midnight - clad in their kilts and posh frocks and still raring to go - so I think the chances of me (or Alex) getting a good night’s sleep lie somewhere between slim and none! Ocht well, there’s always tomorrow night.....

...Several hours later...

Video has uploaded at last (though not sure I should be posting it as I'm looking pretty scary!)