Tulips, Mountains and Music

On the day of the Tulip Festival with a very early start and excitement building we piled into the campervan, squishing in and around the combined gear of myself and Dad (The Alpaca Man)

Eventually we arrrived in Wynyard  and with the assistance of Ethan and Esther my adorable niece and nephew I set up with puppet master and strings all in order thanks to my multi tasking and kind hearted mother, ever working in the background to ensure things run smoothly and all is well.

This only being the second time I had been invited to the Blooming Tulip Festival 

I was incredibly impressed by the range of entertainment and activities showcased  along with local foods. The place had such a nice atmosphere, the weather remained amicable and the amount of people circling around to watch and applaud me was a real boost. 

Many asked for CDs, and I almost ran out of business cards and flyers.

However, nothing beats the feeling I get seeing adults and children alike foot tapping and dancing to the beat of celtic song.

https://www.facebook.com/twistedstringstas

Comment of the day

"I bought my daughter back this year just so we could hear you play again."

https://www.facebook.com/BloominTulips

I ended the day on a high, with my mind brimming with new ideas and improvements to make and indulging in the revitalising and thirst quenching properties of Henry's Ginger Beer, by purchasing a box of six! 

This friendly family of three greatly assisted me in setting up my own little business and now tour the state from show ground to festival selling the popular beverage.

https://www.facebook.com/henrysgingerbeer

 Mountain Mumma's Saturday Music Night.

https://www.facebook.com/mountainmummatas

After returning back home I hopped straight into preparations for my half hour support gig at the local restaurant Mountain Mumma's Music Night.

After my little stint Dominic (owner of Mountain Mumma) kindly supplied myself and Dad (my plus one) with a meal and refreshments as we sat back and relaxed amid the music, stage banter and wonderful atmosphere that made up the inspiring performance of Rose Bygrave and Marce Howard!

It was a wonderful way to wind down after our hectic day.

Plus I got to have a one on one conversation with the stars of the night while we ate, who rather took me under their wing, encouraging and supplying me with tips on stage and microphone management along with snippets of historical facts concerning the Harp.

 Marce Howard                                  Dominic                                       Rose Bygrave  

 

I was eventually drawn away and welcomed home by the warmth of lantern flame at the front door,

illuminating the beautiful quote that seemed to sum up the entire day we'd spent participating in the festive celebration of Tassie's food, music and beauty. 

"A little corner of the world where peoples heart and hand called up a fairytale."

Silks and Strings

So folks, this blog post has been floating around unfinished for a few months! and finally I have had the time to complete and share it with you. 

Enjoy.

"Dare you cross the border to creativity?"

After playing at the Young Makers Market and Buskers Festival in Burnie, I was invited to perform at the Arts On Fire event held in Ulverstone, at the Civic Centre on Sunday the 22nd of June. A great exhibition of artists, craftsmen and entertainers from all across our little island state.  

Having accepted the invite I was then contacted by Robin, an amazingly hard working and beautiful arial silks artist whom I had previously met during my short time involved with Ulverstone's Slip Stream Circus! 

We had been playing with the idea of joining forces and performing together for some time, so having both been invited to exhibit our abilities for the same event, we agreed to meet up and try to find some harp music suited to Robins prearranged silks routine. 

Our creative playground 

Dizzying heights and flowing moves

Feeling exhilarated after watching the video of our practice routine

After the first practice session with Robin, I had more of a grasp on how to go about altering the chosen piece of music. It being the first time ever that I had to accompany someone doing their own routine, 

I thought it'd be pretty challenging. However, after a bit of trial and error I set the changes in the music that had to be timed to Robins act, and managed to loosely improvise in-between.

With some practice sessions up our sleeves and a goodly amount of encouragement
we felt happy with our act.

Getting a little stage wary

This amazing young photographer managed to slip away from his stall and snap this great picture of Robin wowing the crowed. Please follow the link and like his page to support the time and effort, not to mention passion that he has put in to his business. 

https://www.facebook.com/CordellRichardsonPhotography?ref=br_tfplease

And finally, here's the link to the video of our quite unique performance! Give it a big old like and share it with all you please!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QDp1sH56kk&feature=youtu.be

For more of a look at what this years Arts On Fire showcased, follow this link to their webpage

http://www.artsonfire.org.au/photos2014.php

Hope to see you there next year!