While we're all enjoying our Christmas and New Year festivities, let's not forget the more than 110,000 people who have been lost in the horrendous disaster in south-east Asia. We should all do our bit to help out, so please go here and make a donation.
It's the best Christmas present you'll give this year.
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
A quiet Christmas
Well, I hope you all had a really fantastic Christmas. We had a nice quiet one, which made a change as we're normally dashing around all over.
Christmas Eve we had friends round with their kids. The children all entertained themselves, which took their minds off the fact that it was Christmas Eve. Christmas Day started very quiet. Joseph decided to lay in till 8:00, so the girls were getting very impatient as they had been on our bed since 7:00 desperate to open their presents! When Joseph eventually woke up we opened our pressies, then got ourselves ready and spent the rest of the day, and most of Boxing Day, round at Mum & Dad's.
We cam back on Boxing Day afternoon as we had a mass of presents to find homes for. The kids had all been bought TVs for their rooms, so I had to set them up as soon as we got back. It seemed strange not to be out anywhere , but it certainly made for a more relaxing time.
So now I am back working for a couple of days, until New Year's Eve. We're out most of the day and round at some friends for the night, so, again, it should be fairly relaxing. We have had parties for the last few years, so it's going to be nice to be out somewhere else for a change.
Anyway, let me know what you got for Christmas, what you're up to in between, and what your doing for New Year, and I'll be in touch again soon!
Richard
Christmas Eve we had friends round with their kids. The children all entertained themselves, which took their minds off the fact that it was Christmas Eve. Christmas Day started very quiet. Joseph decided to lay in till 8:00, so the girls were getting very impatient as they had been on our bed since 7:00 desperate to open their presents! When Joseph eventually woke up we opened our pressies, then got ourselves ready and spent the rest of the day, and most of Boxing Day, round at Mum & Dad's.
We cam back on Boxing Day afternoon as we had a mass of presents to find homes for. The kids had all been bought TVs for their rooms, so I had to set them up as soon as we got back. It seemed strange not to be out anywhere , but it certainly made for a more relaxing time.
So now I am back working for a couple of days, until New Year's Eve. We're out most of the day and round at some friends for the night, so, again, it should be fairly relaxing. We have had parties for the last few years, so it's going to be nice to be out somewhere else for a change.
Anyway, let me know what you got for Christmas, what you're up to in between, and what your doing for New Year, and I'll be in touch again soon!
Richard
Thursday, December 23, 2004
I'm Google number 1!
How cool is this?....type "richard barley" into Google right now and you'll find my Blogger profile is the number one result. I don't know what black magic Google use to decide what goes where, but I'm pretty chuffed to be the number one Richard Barley in the world right now!
(here's a screenshot, just in case I am ever deposed!)
(here's a screenshot, just in case I am ever deposed!)
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
So much for a white Christmas...
Look North predicted a white Christmas a few days ago. Doesn't look likely now :o(
Oh, and dont forget, Operatics xmas gathering at the Lynton tonight, 8pm.
Oh, and dont forget, Operatics xmas gathering at the Lynton tonight, 8pm.
Happy Christmas!
I just want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.
It has been quite a strange year for me, being more and more fed up woth my job, but at the same time getting to achieve my goal of playing Judas. And it all culminated in such a fantastic week, topped off by getting a new job soon after. I've made lots of new friends and I can't quite believe that 12 months ago I didn't even have a website ;o)
So, it's been a rollercoaster ride for me, and next year may well be just as exciting. A trip to America, my sister's new baby, travelling round the country with my new job, another holiday to France in the Summer, then hopefully emigrating out there at the end of the year. THere's going to be lots for me to write about, so I hope you all keep coming back to see what I've been up to. And I hope your 2005 turns out to be as great as I hope mine will.
Merry Christmas!
Richard
It has been quite a strange year for me, being more and more fed up woth my job, but at the same time getting to achieve my goal of playing Judas. And it all culminated in such a fantastic week, topped off by getting a new job soon after. I've made lots of new friends and I can't quite believe that 12 months ago I didn't even have a website ;o)
So, it's been a rollercoaster ride for me, and next year may well be just as exciting. A trip to America, my sister's new baby, travelling round the country with my new job, another holiday to France in the Summer, then hopefully emigrating out there at the end of the year. THere's going to be lots for me to write about, so I hope you all keep coming back to see what I've been up to. And I hope your 2005 turns out to be as great as I hope mine will.
Merry Christmas!
Richard
Friday, December 17, 2004
Montana here I come...
On the job front, I've just heard that I'll be starting my new role on 7th February. First off I'll be heading to the head office in Bozeman, Montana for my 3 solid weeks of "on-boarding" (so they call it - "induction & training" I call it). It's right up in the mountians near the Canadian border, so in February it'll be nice and cold.
Thermal vests for Christmas please Santa!
UPDATE:
See just how cold it is right now!
Thermal vests for Christmas please Santa!
UPDATE:
See just how cold it is right now!
Swindon JCS gallery
Today's hillarious JCS gallery brought to you by the Swindon Amateur Light Operatic Society. Nice to see Lilly Savage taking the role of Herod in this one...
No, really!
No, really!
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Good luck to CAST
Just a note to say "good luck" (sorry, "Break a leg") to all those involved in the CAST panto at the Central Hall tomorrow. Let me know how it goes.
Monday, December 13, 2004
Philharmonic Farewell
Last night's Phil concert was great. It was a really varied programme, including old favourites like "The Holly and the ivy" and "The 12 days of Christmas", alongside some beautiful new songs like "A Time Of Snow" and "Scots Nativity". We had the EYMS Brass Band with us, doing a few numbers (although we felt they went on a little too long in the second half) which made it all feel even more festive than normal.
And of course we had solos from Rachel Robinson, who sounded amazing. Such a beautiful pure voice. Very well done Rachel.
This performance was a little sad though, as it marked the end of my singing for the forseeable future. I'll just not have the opportunity to do any serious singing with the new job, so it was a bit sad to think that this is it now for a long time. I have really enjoyed my year at the Phil. Susan Hollingworth, the conductor, is a total inspiration. I could not have sung as I did in JCS if I hadn't spent the 6 months in the Phil beforehand. I would urge anyone who is interested in "proper" choral singing to give the Phil a try. Susan makes it all great fun, she is so full of life and energy and it;s not at all stuffy and boring. Next concert is a Jazz concert and will be totally unlike anything the Phil have done before. Men, especially, will be welcomed, seeing as how they have just lost a tenor. Please give them a try!
And of course we had solos from Rachel Robinson, who sounded amazing. Such a beautiful pure voice. Very well done Rachel.
This performance was a little sad though, as it marked the end of my singing for the forseeable future. I'll just not have the opportunity to do any serious singing with the new job, so it was a bit sad to think that this is it now for a long time. I have really enjoyed my year at the Phil. Susan Hollingworth, the conductor, is a total inspiration. I could not have sung as I did in JCS if I hadn't spent the 6 months in the Phil beforehand. I would urge anyone who is interested in "proper" choral singing to give the Phil a try. Susan makes it all great fun, she is so full of life and energy and it;s not at all stuffy and boring. Next concert is a Jazz concert and will be totally unlike anything the Phil have done before. Men, especially, will be welcomed, seeing as how they have just lost a tenor. Please give them a try!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Harwich JCS gallery
Today's JCS performance photos brought to you by Harwich Amateur Operatic Society. (You have to click on "Jesus Christ Superstar" on the left - above the review - then click on "Gallery" next to the god-awful spinning cube/JCS logo thing.)
Pics are a bit dark and site is a bit slow, but it's interesting to see what they did. Herod and his harem are particularly...*a-hem*...different!
Pics are a bit dark and site is a bit slow, but it's interesting to see what they did. Herod and his harem are particularly...*a-hem*...different!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Buying music books?
If you're looking to buy any sheet music, exam books, books about music, dvd's/videos about music, music software, music accessories etc, may I heartily recommend Musicroom.com. I have ordered quite a bit of stuff from there and it has always arrived really quickly, and they do FREE delivery on all orders.
Plus, if you go there by clicking on the ad under "Recommendations" on the right and buy something, they will send me a few coppers for referring you. What nice people!
Plus, if you go there by clicking on the ad under "Recommendations" on the right and buy something, they will send me a few coppers for referring you. What nice people!
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
A quiet AGM
After a busy Phil rehearsal, I arrived at the AGM last night just in time for the buffet. Sounds like I hadn't missed a huge amount tho....no stirring speaches or exciting arguments to spice up the evening. Just the usual stuff. I was hoping that at least the NODA report would have been read out, but it seems we don't have it yet, which is a shame.
Still, it was good to see folk again...the men all looked very different without their beards and long hair (and hair extensions in certain cases!). Seems like it was a pretty quiet night all told. A few of us went to the pub after for a quick tipple, then that was it.
The Christmas "do" has been cancelled, by the way. But people are now meeting in the Lynton on the night of Wednesday 22nd December for drinks. Hopefully I'll see you all there.
Still, it was good to see folk again...the men all looked very different without their beards and long hair (and hair extensions in certain cases!). Seems like it was a pretty quiet night all told. A few of us went to the pub after for a quick tipple, then that was it.
The Christmas "do" has been cancelled, by the way. But people are now meeting in the Lynton on the night of Wednesday 22nd December for drinks. Hopefully I'll see you all there.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Monday morning musings
You have to see "The Incredibles"...we took Joseph and his friends for his 5th Birthday at the weekend and we all loved it. It's a bit more complex than Toy Story and Nemo, but this just adds to the enjoyment for us (almost) grown-ups. It's such a good film...I especially liked the cameo from Samuel L Jackson...so cool.
You have to hear the soundtrack from "The Woman in White", Andrew LLoyd-Webber's latest musical. It's a bit "Phantom", a lot "Sunset Boulevard", a touch of "Aspects of Love" and even a smattering on "Les Mis", with a very subtle hint of "Martin Geurre" for good measure. But altogether it makes for a very emotional, passionate performance. You can see an 8-minute clip of the show (be warned, its about 38mb, so will take a while if you're not on a decent broadband connection) on the official website. It gives a good flavour of the show and includes most of the big numbers. Michael Crawford and Maria Friedman are the stars and both give stunning perfomances I reckon. It's interesting to see that they don't use a normal big set, but instead have a curved screen along the back of the stage onto which they project computer-generated images of the verious scenes. Sounds a bit dodgy, but from the clip It looks really effective.
On the subject of Lloyd-Webber, you also have to see the "Phantom" movie when it comes out at the end of this week. It's a show I've never had chance to see, but have always loved the music. Having recently acquired the soundtrack for the movie, I was keen to see how it had changed, and I was pleasently surprised by how good it sounded. The trailers I've seen look stunning as well, so I reckon this should be a cracker of a film.
On the job front, I have heard that I will be starting on the 7th February...no doubt going straight out to the states for my 3 weeks training. This is a bit later than I had hoped - I didn't really want to have go back to BT after Christmas, but at least this way I will get to go to Centre Parcs and see my sister's new baby, both of which will (hopefully) be happening in January.
Don't forget everyone, it's the Operatics AGM tonight...hope to see you all there.
look in the eyes...the eyes...not AROUND the eyes...don't look around the eyes, look IN the eyes...*snap*...and youre under.
You have to hear the soundtrack from "The Woman in White", Andrew LLoyd-Webber's latest musical. It's a bit "Phantom", a lot "Sunset Boulevard", a touch of "Aspects of Love" and even a smattering on "Les Mis", with a very subtle hint of "Martin Geurre" for good measure. But altogether it makes for a very emotional, passionate performance. You can see an 8-minute clip of the show (be warned, its about 38mb, so will take a while if you're not on a decent broadband connection) on the official website. It gives a good flavour of the show and includes most of the big numbers. Michael Crawford and Maria Friedman are the stars and both give stunning perfomances I reckon. It's interesting to see that they don't use a normal big set, but instead have a curved screen along the back of the stage onto which they project computer-generated images of the verious scenes. Sounds a bit dodgy, but from the clip It looks really effective.
On the subject of Lloyd-Webber, you also have to see the "Phantom" movie when it comes out at the end of this week. It's a show I've never had chance to see, but have always loved the music. Having recently acquired the soundtrack for the movie, I was keen to see how it had changed, and I was pleasently surprised by how good it sounded. The trailers I've seen look stunning as well, so I reckon this should be a cracker of a film.
On the job front, I have heard that I will be starting on the 7th February...no doubt going straight out to the states for my 3 weeks training. This is a bit later than I had hoped - I didn't really want to have go back to BT after Christmas, but at least this way I will get to go to Centre Parcs and see my sister's new baby, both of which will (hopefully) be happening in January.
Don't forget everyone, it's the Operatics AGM tonight...hope to see you all there.
look in the eyes...the eyes...not AROUND the eyes...don't look around the eyes, look IN the eyes...*snap*...and youre under.
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Moving on...
Well, yes, as some of you may have heard, I have got a new job. I've been well fed up with my current job for some time...a lot of the tears shed at the end of the show were down to the fact that I was having to go back to this job that I really hated after having had the best time that week.
So, anyway, what does it mean for me? Well, I'll be starting sometime soon after Christmas I hope...its a much better job, smaller company, smaller teams, more CA$H! ;o) The downside being that I will have to be working away for maybe 3 weeks in every 4. This means that I won't be able to commit to anything like Operatics shows or Philharmonic concerts next year :o( Major disappointment, but such is life.
The most exciting thing about the job is that it looks likely that I will get to achieve another ambition of mine (yes, I had more than one!). Ever since being at school I had wanted to live in France. I had intended to do a degree course based half-time in France, but that never came off. But I never gave up on the dream. Having been on holiday there several times with the family, it became apparent that it was Lisa's dream too. So imagine my surprise when I found out that, not only was this job ideal for what I wanted to do now, but they are also looking to open an office in France at the end of next year, and would relocate me and the family over there to set it up for them! It's the ideal situation really...I get to spend a year in this country, getting trained (and taking French lessons) and then we get help to move out there next winter with a ready-made job all wiating for me.
So, it's all change for me right now. It's going to be a strange year...being away a lot and preparing to emigrate. I'm going to continue with the website, fear not. I'll be doing lots of fairly interesting stuff (3 weeks training in America for starters!) so I'll have lots to say for myself and it's a good way to keep in touch with everyone.
Anyway, hope to see you all soon.
Keep in touch
Richard
xxx
So, anyway, what does it mean for me? Well, I'll be starting sometime soon after Christmas I hope...its a much better job, smaller company, smaller teams, more CA$H! ;o) The downside being that I will have to be working away for maybe 3 weeks in every 4. This means that I won't be able to commit to anything like Operatics shows or Philharmonic concerts next year :o( Major disappointment, but such is life.
The most exciting thing about the job is that it looks likely that I will get to achieve another ambition of mine (yes, I had more than one!). Ever since being at school I had wanted to live in France. I had intended to do a degree course based half-time in France, but that never came off. But I never gave up on the dream. Having been on holiday there several times with the family, it became apparent that it was Lisa's dream too. So imagine my surprise when I found out that, not only was this job ideal for what I wanted to do now, but they are also looking to open an office in France at the end of next year, and would relocate me and the family over there to set it up for them! It's the ideal situation really...I get to spend a year in this country, getting trained (and taking French lessons) and then we get help to move out there next winter with a ready-made job all wiating for me.
So, it's all change for me right now. It's going to be a strange year...being away a lot and preparing to emigrate. I'm going to continue with the website, fear not. I'll be doing lots of fairly interesting stuff (3 weeks training in America for starters!) so I'll have lots to say for myself and it's a good way to keep in touch with everyone.
Anyway, hope to see you all soon.
Keep in touch
Richard
xxx
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