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THE OCTOBER GIG

...and Paul though it went quiet during the off season!!  OUT OF CHAOS CAME ORDER.

Called Paul -'Fancy coming to see the Band in their Christmas tree outfits?'

Picked him up and off we went to Hopetoun House just outside Edinburgh - first there meant we got the pick of the sandwiches and coffee/teas..... before the Drum Corps descended on it. The Band gradually filtered in and greetings made all round. I introduced Paul to some of the Grade 4 Band that were making their debuts at this kind of function. We are in contact with a few people that request the Band to play at various functions in Scotland. Regulars are Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle Hopetoun House, and various forays into strange territory such as Glamis Castle in Angus, ancestral home of the late Queen Mother.

At the beginning all is noise, no music just noise. Everyone is trying to get their No1 Dress on whilst trying to tune instruments ............ the word is interesting!!

We all got going for tuning etc and then Mark (PM) hands out what we're doing when we play. Paul's face was a picture when he discovered that we were only playing for ten minutes?? I think he found incredible all the effort and travel for the sake of ten minutes playing!! It's these opportunities that help finance the Bands competing activities during the season and are extremely valuable to us.

Off we go and gave a pretty good performance considering the nerves of some of the Grade 4 players. Hardly any mistakes at all, excellent job! Then, as we were marching away, came the fireworks. First time I've seen the Band actually stop (out of sight of the guests!) and watch them - first class display. And so home again! Dropped Paul off at his home and then drove back to mine.

Next offering? The Annual Band Dinner & Dance, followed by Armistice Day Parade in Denny, always a moving experience.
 

PAUL'S VIEW OF THE NIGHT:  I agree with Andy about the fireworks, fantastic!  It was the first time I had seen the band in the posh gear, and they looked really smart.  As Andy says, what a din when tuning up!  as we were indoors it seemed to be actually in my heed!  Off they went after forming up, watched by a bunch from Spain, who were all on the steps to the house, in came the band, what a sight!  They played ten minutes or so and did everything right, they were as good as they looked.  Er, don't get me wrong here, I am as straight as a lamp post, there were girls in the band!!!  Sorry no pix, it was just too dark and my wee digi camera is not a pro job, so the photos came out very dark, well it was night time.  SO TO FINISH, WHO WANTS TO EMPLOY THIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BAND?  THEY CAN BE HIRED, SO COME ON LETS HEAR IT ...

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