Monday, April 18, 2016

Working for Auntie Beeb






A number of years ago, before I was married with kids and living in the U.K...I used to supplement my gigging income with some teaching for a local music authority. Basically I would travel around the county to various schools and teach Drum Kit, Snare Drum, Tympani, Percussion to small groups of kids or 1-2-1 lessons.

There was one particular school I visited which was a very well to do, private, fee paying school and was literally overflowing with amazing music gear for the students to explore.

I had a couple of group percussion ensembles and 6 individual students learning snare drum and drum kit, they were a really great bunch but there was one young lady (Lucy, 6yrs old) who just stood out, she had a gift with music and had an amazing sense of humour, way, way beyond her years..

I later found out her father was a comedian, which really came as no surprise at all

Anyway, one morning I arrived at school after a hard night of gigging and was resplendent in my sensible trousers and shirt (A dress code expected by this particular school) and was busy setting up my teaching room for the day when, in strolls Lucy with her little music bag and drumsticks under her arm.

Good morning Sir, she said offering me a polite little hand shake...Good morning Lucy, and how are you this morning? 

Oh, you know, same shit, different day! she quipped, stifling a laugh I asked her to set up her music stand for the lesson. As she unfolded the stand she was watching me intently...

Sir, do you work for the BBC? she asked with her head tilted to the side.

Yes Lucy, I do work for them on occasion, how did you guess that? I asked

I knew it! Came the reply...

You've got an earring, Dad says it must be a bloody term of employment for the BBC these days..

:   PS: What is Auntie? Older UK audiences used to refer to the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) as Auntie, said to originate from the older presenters (your Auntie) who presented kids TV in the 50-60s and from the term of phrase "Auntie Knows Best"

Pool Fart




We are very lucky to have had a pool installed in the garden last summer.
This new addition to our household has enabled Big and small to master the art of swimming very well. However, due to the harsh Swiss winter and a seemingly endless (and very autumnal) spring this year, I have yet to uncover the pool for the season.

This means that on the occasional Sunday morning Mrs S will decide that it's time for the entire clan to hit the local pool for a couple of hours....

And so this past Sunday we loaded up and headed off to the local baths.

Aside from the usual chaos and laughter from our hooligans in the communal changing room, all was well with Big and small swimming and diving and jumping and generally going nuts.....

After a while Big jumps out of the pool and runs up onto the raised platform for diving, at the top of voice he shouts for my attention....


Hey Pa! Listen to this....

Before I can reply, he let's rip a colossal fart that echoes around the bathing hall..

"Farts are even better with a wet bum!" he enthuses, as parents turn to look at me and his little brother howls with laughter.

And then of course small joins in " Yeah, and in the water you can make bubbles out your bum, look"........


I'm opening the garden pool asap, I don't care about the cold anymore......



The Motorhead









The wife and I take our youngest and most accident prone hooligan (small) to a kind of reiki therapy to balance him up,calm him down and keep his feet on the ground... 

It's a bit freaky-deaky and initially I was extremely sceptical as to wether paying a vast amount of $ for small to lay on a table and have a very kind lady do some magic on him.....I have no idea what happens, but just assume it's some magic thing...obvs! 

But, to my surprise, it really seems to work well for him...

So, we were there last week after his latest head related mishap, this involved him falling off his BMX and impaling himself by the forehead,on the brake lever, a very relaxing Sunday bike ride! 

Anyway,  whilst he's on the table having a kind of a head massage thing, he says to the therapist, ever so politely, 

"Frau Doodah, what is this music?" 


"This is meditation music Will, do you like it?" she replies 

"No it's rubbish, please turn it off, do you have any Motorhead?"


Proud :D