Holding on to my high

I've had a really lovely day today. I was still on a high, after last night's amazing choir rehearsal, when I met a special pal this morning for breakfast. Karen was as attentive and enthusiastic as ever as I rambled on, very animatedly, about how awesome the rehearsal had been (which she already knew because she's not only my very special friend, she's probably the most faithful follower and regular commenter on my blog. You would maybe recognise her as my 'anon' friend as she, very early on, gave up on trying to work out the wonders of the Blogger commenting set-up and decided to remain 'anon' instead!). We did manage to squeeze in a good blether about other stuff, with some tears and laughter in between, but choir took up a fair chunk of the chit-chat! So, the birthday breakfast to start to my day was really lovely. Thank you my very special anon pal!

Lunch was great too. For Mother's Day this year, back in March, Gordon gave me a wee hand-written voucher that entitled me to a celebration lunch out with him after we'd both finished trying to lose a bit of weight. We've both finished trying to lose a bit of weight, and he's off school as his exams finished last week, so it was time to redeem my voucher! Gemma came along too and we had a really lovely, chatty lunch. Thank you Gordon!

Gemma and Gordon after stuffing ourselves at lunch!

Then, as if that wasn't enough to make my day perfect, we finished the afternoon off in absolutely glorious style at a concert in a very special place featuring a very special bunch of folk. The Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling, as I've mentioned in previous blog posts, was the site of our wee business's first 'proper' contract - way back in 1989 - not long after Alex had decided to set up his own stonemasonry business. Over the years since, Alex's carried out various bits and pieces of restorative works there and, my favourite bit of all, was asked to cut a plaque in the floor of the church to commemorate the crowning of King James VI. The plaque was unveiled by the Queen at a special ceremony in 1997, to which my favourite stonemason was invited along to. I remember being so very proud of Alex - as I still am - and it's a time-honoured tradition that if I'm in the Holy Rude I have to go and have a wee look at the plaque. It's not going anywhere, but it never fails to make me feel good that it's still there. The kids were mortified when I told them to sit down beside it for a photo, but it's essential to keep up that time-honoured tradition of embarrassing your kids at every opportunity... !

The special bunch of folk that we'd come to see in concert was the very same special bunch of folk that came along to our rehearsal last night. I can't think of a better setting for the beautiful voices that make up the Maryville College Choir. The cheers and applause that filled the church was a just reflection of their awesome performance. I'm fast running out of superlatives to describe this incredible choir, so I'll finish with a few photos and a wee video instead. The video's one that I'll always treasure; at the end of the concert, Stacey (the lovely choir leader), invited all of the Heart of Scotland members in the audience to come up and join them for their last song. It was a Benediction and I didn't have a clue what the words were or how it went. I'm probably the least religious person I know, but that doesn't stop me appreciating the beauty of the buildings that are built in the name of religion or the type of music that's traditionally sung or played in them. And, wild horses wouldn't have stopped me from accepting the invitation from our special new friends to join them in their special song at the close of their concert. It was such a poignant and lovely end to a really lovely day. And, although I'm not at all religious, I really did feel today - in my own way - blessed.

The rear of the choir!

Maryville's finest in their finest

Such a special choir rehearsal

One of the reasons I’ll probably never make it as a real writer is that I don’t have the vocabulary to describe the awesome things that happen in my life in a ‘proper’ writer way. I’m sitting here at the end of one of the most amazing nights ever and I’m thinking, ‘how do I record this on my wee blog without it sounding like I’m being a bit over the top about how totally fantastic and special a night that was?’

But I can’t. So, I won’t try. I’ll just write it, as usual, straight from the heart. And it’ll probably sound like I’m exaggerating. But I’m not.

We were joined at choir rehearsal tonight by the Maryville College Choir from Tennessee and it was just such a special experience. I’m not kidding; it comes way up amongst the top of my list of ‘best Monday nights ever!’ The Maryville College Choir leader – the lovely Stacey – had contacted one of our choir leaders – the lovely Jane – via Facebook a while ago, after watching the Heart of Scotland Choir version of ‘Flower of Scotland’ on Youtube. A connection was made, a ‘virtual’ friendship was born, one thing lead to another and the next thing we knew we were getting told that our ‘American friends’ were going to be joining us at rehearsal while they were over here in Scotland on tour. Now, the Maryville College Choir from Tennessee is made up of a large group of 18 to 30 year olds who audition for their choir; who can read music; who sing mostly gospel music; and are likely to be either a soprano, alto or tenor. The Heart of Scotland Choir from Stirling, on the other hand, is made up of a large group of 15 to, ahem, well, I’d rather not say how old year olds; who don’t audition for their choir; who mostly can’t read music; who sing mostly rock and soul songs; and are likely to be either a melody lady, low lady or an, em, man.

But, we came together in Cambusbarron Church tonight and we clapped each other in warm welcome; we listened to each other perform our very different type of choir music with a mutual respect, admiration and – on numerous occasions – in total awe of the talent and sheer beauty of the sound that was gently wrapping itself around us; we showed our appreciation of each other by clapping, cheering, dancing, crying (there was a lot of crying!) and shouting for more; we learned a very special song together – written by Annie, Jane and their Dad, Laurie – and produced the most amazing and special moment when we filled the church with its totally awesome and uplifting words and tune; and we all simply didn’t want to leave when rehearsal was over.

It was awesome. I could’ve listened to the youngsters from Maryville College for another few hours; they reduced me to tears with almost every song and I definitely had the ‘wee hairy hairy’s’ when we all sang together. There was lots of hugging, more tears, lots of gratitude and more mutual appreciation before we all headed off. Totally buzzing.

Gordon and I talked non-stop in the car on the way back home. One of the many highlights of the night for me had been watching Gordon do his thing brilliantly when he stepped up to sing solo in front of a large group of totally amazing singers who had just blown us away with their performance. He’s not often nervous, but Gordon had to sing with his eyes closed as he was frightened to look at the audience. He needn’t have worried though as he and his fellow soloist, Sasha, soon had our American friends standing up, clapping and dancing along!

It’s a few hours later and I’m still buzzing. I am so very, very lucky to be part of the Heart of Scotland Choir. Tonight was a brilliant reminder of that. I loved every minute of what turned out to be a very, very special night.

See, told you you’d think I was being a bit over the top! But I’m really not, honest. And, aw man, does it make me feel good.

Raising confidence, a fair few smiles and some much-needed cash

I’ve been itching to write a blog post every night for this past week, but just haven’t had the time. And now that I’ve found the time, there’s too much to include in one post! So, I’m not even going to attempt to cram it all in. Here are just a couple of highlights:

Last Wednesday one of my friends from choir, Paul McKeever, came into the hospice to play guitar with a patient. This particular patient’s been both an in-patient and Day Care attendee for several years. He’s found, in recent years, that learning how to play the guitar helps to take his mind off other things but he’s really lacking in confidence. So, I figured he’d enjoy having someone with a bit of patience, a big friendly smile and a mutual love of guitar-playing to come in to the hospice and ‘jam’ with him – and Paul was absolutely perfect for the job! The staff said to me later that they’d never seen the patient so ‘energised’ and animated. A little bit of music and a big heart goes a long way. Thank you Paul!

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Paul making a patient's day

Last Friday, at last, was the night of the Strathcarron fundraising event I’ve been organising and I’m delighted to report that 'Music from the Heart for Strathcarron' was a resounding success! The evening was all about raising awareness, raising cash, raising a smile and raising the roof! 

Raising Awareness:  This is the wee video that I used to kick off the evening. Annie, my incredibly talented Choir leader, sat under the projector screen and played piano while the video rolled above her. She was simply awesome, and a fair few tears were shed through the smiles in the hall:

Raising Cash: I’d hoped to raise around £2000 for the hospice, but I’d been a bit wary about setting myself a target; just in case I was disappointed! However, I needn’t have worried as the final total came to over £3000! I was absolutely delighted, and I’m extremely grateful to everyone who contributed; either by giving up their free time to perform, or by buying a raffle ticket, or by coming along on the night, or by taking part in the tombola, or by giving me moral support and encouragement or...ocht, there are too many things to mention (let alone thanking all the individual people who helped out!) I just feel very lucky and very privileged to have had the overwhelming support that I had.

Raising a Smile: 130 people bought tickets and came along to The Golden Lion Hotel, so the hall was practically full. I was so moved by some of their lovely, warm comments and I was delighted that they all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. I saw loads of smiles on Friday night, but mine was probably the biggest.

Raising the Roof!  A whole host of fantastic musicians and singers helped to do just that. First, we had superb buskers - Paul and Drew - at the entrance to the hotel as guests were arriving (the very same Paul who came into the hospice last week – thank you Paul!) Then, there was Cara and Eoin, entertaining the guests as they arrived in the ballroom with their beautiful folk music. Then there was Annie playing piano to accompany the video. Gorgeous. Then Annie moved her piano to the other side of the hall in preparation for the Heart of Scotland Choir. Aw man, I can’t tell you how much I loved singing with the choir at my own fundraising event. I was so chuffed that so many members came along to support the night and it’ll go down as one of my very favourite choir gigs. Here’s my son Gordon doing his thing:

There was the small matter of me singing my first solo part too (I don’t think I’ve felt that nervous since I sat my driving test...), which made the whole thing even more memorable for me personally. Following on from the choir came Gordon’s band ‘A Turtle Called Shelly’. They were fantastic! I felt quite guilty as I’d not expected them to be quite so good! I think it was when Gordon told me that his pal Martin would be playing the melodica that the doubts started to seep in! I was actually immensely proud of all three of my kids on Friday night. They all helped me in so many different ways, both during the event and during the weeks leading up to it. Ross was the perfect host, chatting to folk as they tried their hand at the tombola (pick out ‘The Beatles’ or ‘Queen’ and you win a prize, pick out ‘Justin Bieber’ and you win nothing!). And Gemma, well, her turning up completely unexpectedly to surprise me (she had a Uni exam the next day and we’d agreed that her studies had to come first..) was one of the many highlights of my night. As for Alex, well, I simply wouldn’t have been able to do it all without him. I’m so very lucky.

Completing the live music line-up was the fabulous GT’s Boos Band. Their front man and absolutely brilliant vocalist Greig is a popular member of our choir and, together with John Boos (the amazing guitarist who came in and played for a patient not long after I’d started my placement), Iain Donald (an AMAZING bass player) and the talented Simon Pooley (better known as Cymbal Simon) on drums, they produce a sound that is '100% Bona Fide Rock and Roll!'

A couple of my friends from choir, Paula and Carrie, also joined the Boos Band as guests to sing a few more fantastic songs - and that was the line-up complete. It was such an honour to have so many super-talented musicians and singers perform at my fundraiser for Strathcarron - there certainly was no shortage of Music performed straight from the Heart!

So, the night was a resounding success, and I've now got some free time back on my hands. Hmm, let's think now.......

School kids and film-makers

The hospice placement is about so much more than just the music, and yesterday provided another great example of that. I had arranged for a group of school pupils to come along, this time from Wallace High School in Stirling, to perform for the Day Care patients. And they were just brilliant!

Lewis, Ruth, Anna (the teacher!), Louise and Samira

Not only were they brilliant on their respective instruments – the xylophone, guitar, piano and oboe – but they, and their lovely teacher, were also brilliant with the patients. After they’d finished performing, they wandered around the room, chatting to the patients and playing some more tunes – but this time on a much more personal level. I think the patients – and staff – enjoyed the chit-chat just as much as they enjoyed the music. And the pupils certainly seemed to think it was a great way to spend a Wednesday afternoon! I think these wee photos kind of sum it up:


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Louise and a happy chat!



Lewis and a happy hug!

The hospice has the services of an Arts Council funded ‘Film-maker in Residence’ at the moment and Amy Hardie and her team happened to be filming in Day Care yesterday. There are several aspects to Amy’s remit at the hospice. One is to make a documentary about Strathcarron, but another is to facilitate more personal film-making. I think one of the most valuable skills that Amy has to offer is in teaching people – either patients or family members – how best to use a camera to create something that could become a really important keepsake in the years ahead. Bearing in mind that many of Strathcarron’s patients are cared for in the community, and that many of the patients do go home after a short spell in the hospice, the film-making project can have far-reaching benefits, especially for some of the patients’ children. Anyway, I’m digressing! On with yesterday’s story, when Amy and her team were filming footage, I think, for the documentary.

Now, as regular readers will know, my film-making skills are limited; a wee video taken using my phone is about as professional as it gets on this blog! I had a nerve-wracking time at the hospice recently when, in Amy’s absence, I was asked to film a wedding – but that’s something I’d like to write about another time. I only mention it to preface the fact that I’m definitely no professional when it comes to filming! So, it was an interesting experience to watch the professionals at work yesterday. Although I didn’t take my phone out to record the pupils while they were performing (I’m hoping to blag some snippets of that from Amy!), I did want to capture some of the special wee moments that followed their ‘official’ performance. So, sitting opposite 12 year old Lewis as he entertained some of the men in the hospice with his banter and oboe playing, I hit the ‘record’ button to capture the moment. However, as this little bit of footage shows, it seems that amateur capturing of moments don’t count in the professionals books! It was all great fun, and really added to the pupils’ experience – showing yet another wee group of youngsters that their local hospice is very much a bright and cheery place and, more importantly, full of bright and cheery people.

Rewarding and feel-good moments

I was full of good intentions of publishing a post on this blog every week during my placement at Strathcarron. Oops.

Being busy is my only excuse and I’m delighted to report that things are still going really well; music is definitely making a difference! Here’s just one of many examples: A patient’s partner said to me last week, “As I was walking towards the room, I thought I could hear singing. ‘He must have his music on’, I thought. As I got closer, I realised that he did indeed have his music on; playing through the wee speaker you gave him. But that wasn’t the only thing I could hear. It was him. Singing. I’ve not heard him sing for such a long time. I can’t even begin to tell you how good it made me feel.”
It was another example of the far-reaching benefits that go hand-in-hand with making music part of the patients’ lives in the hospice; this particular patient had really enjoyed spending time making up their playlist and chatting with me about some of the music that’s meaningful to them. But his partner had also benefitted by taking some comfort from the fact that her loved-one’s spirits had been lifted enough to sing along to those favourite songs. It might sound like a simple thing, but it was one of many such rewarding moments.

The fifteen hours per week I’m allocated for my placement simply isn’t enough to fit everything in, so I’m doing all of the fundraising part of the project in my own time. It’s now less than two weeks till my ‘Music from the Heart for Strathcarron’ fundraising night and I’m really enjoying pulling it all together. If I’m totally honest though, I’m getting quite nervous about it too; what if something goes wrong on the night, what if people don’t turn up, what if the people that do turn up don’t enjoy themselves etc etc! However, as soon as I start to think like that, I give myself a good shake and go write another begging letter for a raffle prize, or post another request on Facebook for friends to please buy tickets for the night! And, while I’m doing that, I remind myself that if it all went wrong, it would certainly be disappointing but, in comparison to the challenges that face the lovely patients that I have the absolute privilege of getting to know at the hospice, it really wouldn’t be that big a deal.

I’m obviously extremely hopeful that nothing will go wrong and that it’ll be a great night! I’m chuffed to bits that so many fantastic singers and musicians are giving up their Friday evening to come and perform; some of my friends are going to ‘busk’ for the guests as they arrive at the hotel, one of my choir friends and her partner are going to provide the background music as the guests arrive in the function suite and my choir leader – who’s also an incredibly talented pianist – is going to play a lovely classical piece while a short DVD (which I’ve yet to put together – eek!) introduces the guests to the hospice and the project. The evening’s proceedings will then really get going when the fantastic Heart of Scotland Choir take to the (very small!) stage at 8pm. Here's a wee sample of what's in store:



Following on from the choir, I’m giving a young, new band the opportunity to play for a little while (and it just so happens that my son’s the lead singer..!) and then the ‘headline’ act will take over proceedings for the rest of the evening. GT’s Boos Band has an ever-growing fan base in Scotland and I’m delighted that they’re providing most of the music for my night (with the added bonus of a few special guests). Here’s another wee taste of what’s in store:



In amongst all of that, a buffet will be laid out and a raffle will be drawn. I’m so grateful to the local businesses and friends who’ve donated prizes – from bottles of wine to a week’s holiday in a 3 bedroom luxury lodge – every single one of the donations has been extremely gratefully received. I’m still on the hunt for more prizes as I’ve decided to split them up into the main raffle and a sort of ‘lucky dip’. The main raffle draw will include the big prizes and the lucky dip – which can be set-up sort of like a tombola stall – will include the smaller gifts. That’s the plan at the moment anyway! So, if you’re reading this and you live within travelling distance of Stirling, and you’re at a loose end on Friday the 18th of May, why don’t you come along to The Golden Lion Hotel for what promises to be a great night of live music – with a wee buffet, a bar, great raffle prizes and a dance floor all thrown in for good measure. And, simply by buying a ticket and coming along, you’ll be supporting a fantastic charity that supports so many people in its local community. If you’d like more information, here’s the link to the public event page. I’d love to see you there as, hopefully, it'll be an evening full of feel-good moments.