Here we go again...

 Happy as can be,

All good friends and

Jolly good company.

Another cold morning. Our heat pump has decided to stop working. Peter has already left a comment on Rob's latest post. He thinks that Rob has got his facts wrong. 

"Quintilis. In 44 BC the Romans change it to July in honour of Julius Caesar; though I doubt TC would accept that as he thinks everything back then was myth. Around that time Luke had written the first account of the life of Jesus or was it Mark?"

No doubt the boys will fight over this for a while. Ah well, it keeps them busy on a very cold morning. It's evidently 2 degrees in the Nui. It'll be warmer in Thorndon because it is considered a posh suburb. I think they have heat pumps on the side of Peter's street. 

I don't think that is the case in Moera. Evidently the temperature here is 4 degrees now. Both our car windows are covered in ice. At least it's not raining. That means that Peter won't have to drive Lynn to work. Though I suppose he still could. He could wear his new pants.

It'll make it look like Lynn is being driven to 
work by a tradesman. Cool!

I'm off work today, which is good because it takes the rush out of my morning when one is not feeling 100%. I was offered a break today because I am going in to assess performances tomorrow. 

I have a new routine in my practice. Every week day (Monday to Friday) I play 6 of my 30 repertoire tunes so that, over five days I've played every tune. I still practise on the weekend and it doesn't mean that I won't do extra practice on tunes that need it. It's just a way to make sure that no tunes are neglected. Peter will be pleased to hear that. I also MUST get some double bass practice done.

Well, that should do for today. 

Oggi la mia pratica inizia con la melodia numero tredici e arriva alla numero diciotto.

Ciao tutti.

Richard's Bass Bag* WET SATURDAY QUIZ.

 

Welcome to our WET SATURDAY QUIZ. This quiz is open to anyone who happens to read this blog. Good luck to all the competitors. Anyone who was in 3P in 1966 should find this quiz easy! Anyone who attended music lessons at St. Mary's College in the 1960s should do well too.

Here we go...

1. Mount Victoria in Wellington is named after which of these people? a) Donald Trump b) Father Bliss c) an English queen d) Victoria Tucker.

2. Richard (of RBB) is carrying his violin to a gig (yes, he does have one). How many violin strings are in his violin case?

3. Which one of these people has never played or practised the violin? a) Robert Prowse b) Itzhak Perlman c) Peter McDonald d) Hilary Hahn.

4. Which one of these people was not in 3P at St. Patrick's College in 1966? a) Peter McDonald b) Noel Kidson c) Danny Cotteral d) Ferruccio Baldas.

5. What are the four notes that make up the chord C#dim7?

6. Who taught the standard four boys at Marist Thorndon in 1963? a) Brother Benedict b) Father Woodcock c) Mrs. Carr d) Brother Leon.

7. One of these boys has the nickname Prowsey but has never played in the Prowse Brothers Band. Which one? a) Daryl Prowse b) Rodney Prowse c) Henry Prowse d) Robert Prowse.

8. On the violin I put my first finger on Eb on the D string, my second finger on C on the A string and my third finger on A on the E string. Then I rock my bow over these strings. Then I move each finger up a minor third, then another minor third and then another minor third. Which of these chords am I playing over? a) Ebm7 b) D7b9 c) Cmaj7 d) C7#9.

9. Which blog in this little community also runs a sightseeing extravaganza in the Wellington region? a) The Wine Guy b) The The The Guy c) Richard's Bass Bag* d) The Food Curmudgeon.

10. An Italian looks at The Curmudgeon's latest attempt at a quiz and says, "Che stronzata!" Which answer best sums up his feeling about the quiz? a) Fantastic! b) Silly questions! c) It's good that he never took up the violin! d) What a load of bullshit!

Well, wasn't that fun! Get your answers in, quick!

Ciao.

* the original bass bagging site

Tickle my arse with a feather.*

 

Excuse me, but I think you misheard me.

I said, "Particularly nasty weather."

There will be no golf or tennis for Peter today. At least Robert will still be able to clean the shit off toilets. I guess Shelley and I will wait and see what happens to the weather around lunchtime. I've just been out delivering our elderly neighbour's paper. I also put the lids back on a couple of neighbours' rubbish bins and pushed another couple up tight against a fence. It's rubbish day in the Nui today. The wind has been very strong and the rain is pissing down.

Like this but much worse.

If we do make it to Greytown, I've been asked to play some violin. I know the people at dinner are not really keen on jazz. As Peter remembers, one guy is a big Neil Diamond fan and he'll no doubt want to play tunes from Hot August Night. He's not a musician but will want to run his phone through my little amp. I've dug up my charts for 24 Irish tunes. The guy running the dinner is Irish, so that will win him over. 

I spent a lot of time playing through those Irish tunes yesterday and will do the same this morning. 

Well, that's enough from me for this morning.

Fai il solletico al mio sedere con una piuma.

Ciao tutti.

* A very old joke. Peter may remember it.

Blog posts around here are getting shorter.

 

That's Peter, second from the left, and Robert next, to his right.

It looks like it's going to be a wet weekend. They say it's even colder in the Wairarapa. Yes, I'll get some face masks today. Peter told me what to do on his last short post. 

I'll take my violin with me, if we make it to the Wire Wrapper. Just so that I can get some practice done on Saturday. Don't worry Peter, I'll use a mute in the motel room. There is a good chance that we may not go. Time will tell.

Some pieces in my 30 tune repertoire need some work, so I need to keep working through those tunes. My double bass has been a bit neglected lately. Maybe I should give it some time today? Guitar practice happens when it happens. 

Compared to efforts of the other two bloggers, this can now be considered a long post. 

So, I'll sign off there.

Ho letto da qualche parte che questo è l'inverno più caldo mai registrato. Sì, e io sono il papa!

Bye.

I've picked up a bug.

 

A bug.

I have a cough and a sore throat and am a bit short of breath so I'm staying home from school today. I guess that means I have time to write a post.

I see that Robert is back. He's going on about Original Sin and how three people were born without it. That doesn't seem fair. The story goes that God the Farter Father inflicted it onto everyone because Eve bit his favourite apple. This 'all loving god' evidently let three people off. 888 was one of those three people. Hang on, he's part of the three entities in one god. One of the other two was a woman who became 888's earthly mother. Then there was a bloke named John. I don't know why he was so highly respected by this third of a god. Is God the Farter Father supposed to be older than 888? Well, they have both evidently been around for eternity, along with Karen. That makes them both very old, by human standards. If this father - son stuff is true, Karen MUST be the real mother and not Mary. Robert should start saying the rosary to Karen.

"Hi, I'm Karen, 888's 'real' mother."

In case anyone is wondering, my practice is presently one hour ahead of schedule - 175 hours, as of yesterday (day 174). Wow, if there really was a god, that should be enough to make me free from Original Sin! You'd better correct that last post, Rob, and change the number to four. 888, Mary, John and Richard of RBB*.

This is not the coldest morning I've experienced so far this year. Still, it's nice to be sitting near the heater. Shelley and I are due to spend a couple of nights in Greytown this coming weekend. I hope we're both feeling a bit better (Shelley is not well either). It'll be nice to get away for a couple of nights. Don't worry, Peter, I'll take my violin and keep the practice up. Evidently there are big celebrations on in Greytown on the Saturday night for Winter Christmas. Evidently the celebrations go on for a month. In my present state, I'd be happy just sleeping in our motel. We have friends who will be there too. One couple has a house in Greytown and the rest of the people are staying there. I chose a motel so that I'll have a better chance of finding an empty bathroom. 

Well, I guess that's it from me this morning.

No need to say the rosary for me. Well, I am one of the chosen four, at least I think I am.

Ciao.

* the original bass bagging site

Very cold.

 Off to work soon but having a little bit of time in front of the heat-him.

Today is going to be a busy day. Fitting in my practice is always a bit tricky on a Tuesday, but I'll do my best. Where there's a will there's a way.

888 it's cold!

I'm off to get my morning 'jobs' done.

Hey, this post is as short as some of Peter's posts!

"It's cold! I'm glad I 
brought my hat to Thorndon!"

Ciao.

God the Father, God the Son and Karen.

 

I don't think the Holy Spirit (formerly the Holy Ghost) is a bird, I think it is more likely to be God the Mother. Catholics tell us that there are three entities in one god. Supposedly they have always been there, so the labels father, son and mother are a bit silly. This god has existed forever. Imagine just a little bit of this eternity, before man was created and God the Father sent his 'only begotten' son down to Earth.

Here is just a little bit of this pre JC time...

1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.

Hey, eternity is a very long time!

I suspect that the whole mum and dad thing only came along when '888' was sent down to Earth to die on a cross. 

* * *

Rob's blog has gone again.

Hey, it's just like old times!

* * *

Well, the good news is that my left hand is feeling better this morning. That means more violin practice today. I've kept my practice up to date during the worrying time of an injured hand. I got some cream from our chemist shop and it seems that has done the trick. Thank you, young lady in the chemist shop who served me!

I guess I'll wrap it up there for today.

Ciao Peter (he's the only known post reader left).

Apologies to my violin.

 

It was my guitar that hurt my left hand and not my violin.

I found out the truth while I was doing some guitar practice yesterday. I'll get my poor old violin out today and I'll apologise to it.

* * *

"You cannot be the slave of 888 and swearing...do and say what you have to." Jim 6

When people bump their toe on something or hurt one of their fingers, two common phrases you'll hear are, "Jesus Christ!" and "God Almighty!" To understand why this is we need to read Jim 7.

"Alimana had two sons, Manoah and Bumcover. Both boys were keen carpenters and, for some reason, refused to wear shoes. One day 888 visited their workshop. Bumcover said, "Hey 888, what's a good phrase to use when I accidentally bump my toe on a piece of wood or something?" 888 told him that he was often called Jesus when he preferred 888. He suggested that Bumcover use Jesus Christ, but he should say it with emphasis - "Jesus Christ!" Manoah asked if there were any alternatives. 888 replied, "When I'm angry with dad, I say "God Almighty!" Notice that I've built emphasis into that statement too." 

When Alimana heard her sons using these two statements she was happy because she assumed they were praising two members of the Holy Trinity."

* * *

It's another cold day in the Nui. I heard it said that this is the warmest June we've ever had.

Che stronzata!

Oops, sorry about the Italian. That's bullshit!

Hey, Peter is wearing a jacket everywhere!

I've got to say that this is one of the better photos of Peter I've seen. It's almost up with this one.

Yep, Peter knows how to pose for a photo!

Rob, on the other hand, would have us all wearing barrels!

Weird!

I think this guy looks better in pants.

Hey, but I've already told you that.

* * *

Well, I guess that's enough for today. 

Rob has a new closing statement, "Embrace your cross."

I think he's telling a lady named Embrace that she is angry.

I know, I know, he should have said, "Embrace, you're cross."

He could have even put a question mark at the end of that statement.

Oh, well, there you go, I'm just trying to help.

Ciao tutti.

Keep your pants on!

 

Now, isn't that better?

I'm sure that Peter will be happier now! Yes, it's all tucked away.

* * *

It's nice to be sitting by the heater. It reminds me of a thing I read in the Bible.

Ronald 17:3 Two men were standing out in the cold. 888 came along. "Why are you shivering? Go stand by a fire. You'll need to get used to heat for when you go to Hell." The two men were not amused, but they did go and stand by a fire.

I hurt my left hand yesterday while doing a little bit of relaxed violin practice. It's sort just where the hand touches the violin. I wasn't putting any pressure on it when it happened. I'm going to a physiotherapist today because he's checking out my left elbow. He thinks I have Tennis Elbow. That's weird because I don't play tennis. Bloody old hands and arms! I wonder if Peter will get Violinist's Elbow?

[Bathroom time}

[I'm back}

I went to a guitar clinic in Wellington last night. The guy is a well known guitarist. He played a bit and talked a lot about blues. He played quite loudly and played through some pedals. He said that he wasn't keen on the more natural sound of a guitar in jazz, at least I think that's what he meant. Personally, I'm not into pedals and play my guitar acoustically - not that I claim to be a guitar expert. Ah well, I'll push on with what I'm doing, hand permitting.

I guess that's a long enough post for a Thursday. 

Ciao tutti.

166

 

Today is the 166th. day of the year and I have already done 166 hours of practice! My violin gets most of the practice. I'll spend some time on the double bass later today. 

Yesterday's jam was a bit of a waste of time but at least there were nice people there. I have absolutely no gigs coming, so why do I practise so much? Well, as a jazz bassist said once, "Funk is its own reward." I don't know why he used the word funk and not jazz but, never mind, the intended message is the same.

Rob is back to regular posting but nothing is really happening over on Peter's site. No big surprise there. Rob's latest effort is really short. Four short sentences, actually.

"Thank you God for this wonderful world and all you give me. I haven't done anything to deserve your generosity. Your world is beyond comprehension. Your intellect beyond limit. I pray you forgive those who treat you with contempt." There you go. You won't have to visit his site now. Peter left a message, "At least horseshit is good for the roses." He left a comment on my last post about roses too.  "I guess that your roses are doing ok." I don't know why he is suddenly so interested in roses. 

I thought he was more interested in meat pies.

Well, I've got some school reports to write, so I'd better move on. Peter might write a post some time over the next week or so. Robert's posts will no doubt be giving advice on the Christian god. Yawn.

Oh yes, and here's Peter's favourite picture.

You can thank Rob for that one. Evidently, in the Philippines, Catholics like things like that.

Ciao tutti.

Unusual, to say the least!

Good morning.

Here's a very unusual thing that Rob evidently bought in that very Catholic country called the Philippines.

It appears on his latest post. He also wrote a warning to brothers.

""Anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it in the court, if a man calls his brother "fool" he will answer for it in the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him "Renegade" he will answer for it in hell fire"....Jesus the Christ Mat 5:20-26"

For those of you who were wondering, like me, the Sanhedrin was a big Jewish council thing. 

Well, Rob is a bit of a renegade (a person who deserts or betrays a set of principles) for buying a little wooden man with a huge wooden cock! Oops, I'll be answering for that in Hellfire! At least I'll be warm. It's freezing in the Nui this morning. 

Day number 161 of 2026. I only got half an hour's practice done yesterday. That means that I need to practise for at least one and a half hours today. I'd better get about half an hour done on the bass. I've been a bit slack on bass practice over the last few days. I wonder if you can practise musical instruments in Hell? The fire would be a bit of a danger for wooden instruments. Also, you wouldn't want to be caught playing the tritone. That interval belongs to Satan. 

I hope that Peter is being careful to keep his car locked now and is not leaving keys in it. Maybe he should have left his racoon hat in the car?

Anyway, it's good that he got his locks sorted out. 

I'll leave you there for this morning.

Ciao tutti e ci rivedremo in molti all'inferno.

Oh, and thanks to Peter for returning this. *

Yes, I'm in front of the heater again.

 

I've received a message from Rob saying that his flight to Wellington will now be much later. He says he'll get a taxi. He doesn't say what time he's arriving. I can't find arrival times online.

It was nice to have Peter pop around yesterday. However, I don't think he'll be interested in the latest diminished thing I'm working on. I'm talking about the violin here. If I get this thing working, it could be quite spectacular. It's really an extension on something I've been doing for a while. Okay, okay, I'll keep it to myself.

I also had my younger grandson pop in yesterday. What a cute little chap! Obviously, he came with daddy because he's not driving yet. Nor is he up to walking from his place. His name is Henry and he is not quire 14 months old. He reaches that milestone on June 15th. He can stand up and crawl very fast. What a guy!

I really have nothing else to tell you.

I guess I should go and take my meds.

At least it seems that the rain has stopped in the Nui. Maybe I'll be able to go for a walk today. I'll certainly be working on those diminished ideas too. Yes Rob, I'll try not to sin. Actually, all that sinning stuff is a pile of nonsense!

Oggi sarò felice se riuscirò a stare al caldo.

Ciao tutti.

Rob returns.

 

Opps, sorry, that's Peter.

Rob returns.

Rob left a comment on my last post and will return on Sunday. I'll be at the airport to meet him.

I haven't got much else to tell you. It's a very wet day in the Nui. It's probably sunny in Thorndon. I suspect it's probably hot and sunny in the Philippines.

I'm hoping that the people who empty our rubbish and recycling bins will shut the lids today so they don't fill with rainwater. They usually don't. By the way, that photo of Peter was taken in 1970. Long before he acquired his racoon hat.

I'm working on diminished things at the moment.

I have to deliver my elderly neighbour's paper, so I'll head off now.

Buona giornata.

A cold Thursday morning.

 Well, we are into winter.

Okay, a question.

What is the link between this ocean and Peter's bath?

It was somewhere around where this picture was taken that Rob entered the water with his phone in his pocket. Now we don't have much (if any) contact with him. We only know that he is in a place full of Catholics and very short on toilet paper. I'm supposed to pick him up from Wellington airport on Sunday. I do know the approximate time of his arrival. I will have some toilet paper in my car.

Yesterday was day number 154 of this year and my practice reached 152 hours. In a year I normally aim to reach at least 365 hours of practice. Obviously this means one hour of practice for every single day. I need to do an extra hour in a Leap Year. I don't always achieve 365 hours, but I'm on target so far this year. A good amount of practice today would help.

I'll concentrate on violin today. I did an hour of guitar practice and an hour on the violin yesterday. I'll do some more double bass practice in the near future. I need to check out some of my 12 violin unaccompanied pieces today. Well, I don't have any gigs or chances to play on the horizon. Maybe I should make some videos? Yes, that's always an option. 

I don't have any plans for today, except for picking up my little friend around 4pm, but it would be nice to go out and do something interesting. Time will tell. Anyway, it's nice not to be working today. Also, on the bright side, I have a dry phone. Peter will be envious of that. Maybe that's a good topic for his next post, instead of what he is putting in his garage cupboards?

"It's looking a bit wet for a round of golf today. Maybe I'll write a post. Well, here I go. In the P class days we didn't have mobile phones. You had to ring your mates on a landline. These days I take my phone everywhere, even into the bath. I see that Rob is following my example, except that he's looking for places with even more water. I see that Richard prefers a dry phone. Maybe that's why his posts are so boring. All we seem to hear about is how cold he is and how much practice he has done. I don't tell you about my golf practice. Hey, this is turning into a long post for me! I went to tennis last weekend, after putting some of our fancy cups in the cupboards in the garage.  Mihi placet dare omnia in armariis. Yes, we learnt Latin in the P classes. The dumber guys were made to learn French. Sheesh! I had a disagreement with a guy at tennis and it felt like old times! Well, that's it for today."

Thanks Peter. I'm feeling warmer now so I think I'll go and get organised.

Remember that avoiding sin is not as important as finding toilet paper.

Ciao tutti e non preoccuparti per il latino.

Believe me, you wouldn't want this jam on your toast!

 

That's me at yesterday's jam. I'm the guy you can see from back view standing on the left. 

I only stayed for about 40 minutes, maybe a bit less.

The jam was controlled by one guy who set out the rules and also sang most of the tunes. The jam was set to run for two hours. Notice how everyone is reading music from stands. I've got to be mean and say that the standard of playing was not very high, so I suppose it's my own fault for having different expectations. 

My expectation of a jazz jam is:

1) You don't have a music stand in front of you with all the music on it. Okay, sometimes the rhythm section might need to see the chord changes, but melody instruments don't really need to see that. Use your ears!

2) A tune is decided on by the majority, one that enough people know. If you don't know the tune, you should still be able to knock out a solo and maybe play some backing things.

Okay, maybe this jam was designed to cater for people with less experience. I should have stayed home and had some peanut butter on toast.

* * *

We (Shelley and I) are heading up to Greytown soon to see some old friends who have just become grandparents for the second time. We'll have a lot to talk about and grandparent notes to share with each other. 

Sorry to hear that Rob is a bit unwell in the Philippines and his phone is wet - he should have learnt from Peter's clumsiness. I hope he's feeling better soon.

Okay, I'll leave it there.

Worry about how your music practice is going, not sin.

Ciao.

Heathim on.

Sorry, I should explain, a heathim is a male heater.

It's cold and dark in the Nui. 

I did half an hour on each of my instruments yesterday. That gets all their practice up to date (sort of). I'll concentrate on violin today because my plan is to take it to a jazz jam tomorrow. Yesterday I sorted out five tunes (all my originals) for the guitar. I was thinking that, maybe in the future, I'll record some trio stuff with me playing my three instruments. Obviously I'll call such a session 'Playing with Myself'.

I really have nothing else to tell you today. 

Here are some random pictures...

The sun is starting to rise. 

I guess I'll leave you there for today.

I might do a little bit of guitar while the sun is still coming up.

Ciao.