Updates from around here and the Eclipse

Taken at 9.47am

We've been running in and out all morning trying to catch a glimpse of the eclipse.   And we saw it!! Fantastic... The cloud broke twice early on and we caught a very quick look, through Tom's welding mask.   I tried to capture it on camera, but the sky is too bright or else too cloudy, but the cloud is fabulous ...

It's really eerie - the birds have stopped singing - they think it's bedtime and it got dark enough around 9.30 that the automatic lights were coming on outside.   Some a fabulous phenomena to even be able to notice if not totally witness.   Apparently there's a fantastic view up around the Faroe Islands around now.  (9.40)

Well, things have been crazy busy here - again.   I find it very hard coping when there are too many different things going on... Being busy at one thing is fine, but when it's multiples my mainframe just crashes and I can't sleep.

So I've taken a few decisions.
Firstly I'm not going to take part in the A to Z challenge this year.   I've signed up and have bits of preparation done, but it's just too much.   So i'm just going to enjoy reading as much as I can of the other participants and just try and get back to some normal blogging which has backed up on me.

Last Saturday Csilla and I launched The Emigrant Woman's Tale to a packed Book Corner here in Rostrevor - it's a tiny place and people were standing inside the doors.   It was very well recieved and people picked up on lots of themes we hadn't even considered.   Our main focus was on emigration/imigration, mainly her escape from behind the Iron Curtain.  Read more about it here.
But it also unlocked the whole feeling that I grew up with, of the silence - being afraid to speak in case people heard our accents in the 80s in England or further afield, and not being allowed to talk openly here because you never knew who could be listening or who you might offend and what they'd do if they became offended.  Thankfully we no longer feel that now, but the immigrants coming here must surely feel it.

We launched a book and CD to accompany the show .. more about that later.

Hold on - it's out again ... 9.47 - we caught it on the other side ... better pictures this time ... the green one is taken through a welders mask ....exciting start to Friday.

9.48am

10.04am

And the last bit of this week was the sad news that we buried one of the members of our choir ...  She was with us straight after Christmas and and died on St Patrick's Day.  We are a small group and this has hit us hard ... We sang our hearts out on Wednesday night to just get on with life.

The choir on 6th December - Brona on the left.

St Patricks' Day sort of passed in a blur ... there was a big parade in Downpatrick and another in Belfast but of course that ended up in a bit of trouble.  It's sad that our national holiday can be celebrated peacefully everywhere else in the world except here.  In our local town it's the funfare and kids running around with Tricolours over their shoulders looking every bit as bad as the kids running around with Union Jacks around their shoulders on the 12th July.  It's better to stay in and do some gardening or work.  But I hope you had a lovely day if you were celebrating for us.

Community Choir back for another term.

Is it a choir?

Is it a singing circle?

Is it a class?

I'm never quite sure what to call it - but it's all of those things - a chance to come and exercise your vocal chords for a couple of hours once a week.

For sake of clarity we'll call it a Community Choir.  

We sing a mixture of African rounds, Irish folk songs, old pop songs, new material.   Our only performances are around Christmas time, playing at the village pageant and at the Christmas craft fair and otherwise it is a safe place, I hope, for people who are unsure of their voices, but who want to sing.  

We meet on Wednesday nights in An Cuan, Rostrevor, at 7.30pm with a break for tea/coffee half way through.  

If you've ever thought you couldn't sing, but always wanted to, then give this a try - your only commitment is for 6 weeks - and it costs £30.  (Please help me out and put your money in an envelope with your name on it  - thanks, it'll speed things up).

If you want more information, contact me on  028 417 38052 or on 07803 226279 or just show up on this or any other Wednesday.  

Singing is good for you...

Group singing sessions start up again next week (2nd October) on Wednesday nights in An Cuan in Rostrevor at 7.30pm.   This will be a 4 part evening - class of exercises, group singing session, tea and chat break and finishing up with a singsong/singaround.   If you're in the area and would like to join us please come along -- all the details are here.

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I teach a natural way of singing - - no training the voice for operatic work - but grounding the voice in telling the story.  I work to help people use the muscle of their voice and get used to the idea that their voice is unique and even though it doesn't sound like the person you feel it should sound like in order to think of yourself as a good singer, the fact that you are singing will make your voice strong.  A lot of these ways are similar to those ideas promoted by the NVPN - Natural Voice Practitioners Network. 

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So here are some ideas of why it's good for you... courtesy of my good friend Laura Plummer who runs the Voices of Lecale community choir in Downpatrick ...

Singing is good for you – it’s official. Recent research carried out at the University of Frankfurt in Germany indicates that singing strengthens the immune system, increasing significantly the levels of immunoglobulin A (proteins which functions as antibodies) and hydrocortisone (an anti-stress hormone). This German study and other research findings on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years have yielded encouraging evidence of the health benefits of singing.
	12  good reasons to take up singing
1	Singing boosts the immune system, improving circulation which oxygenates your cells
2	Singing improves your mood & helps combat depression; it releases the same ‘feel good’ endorphins as chocolate and sex!
3	Singing gives your upper body a  workout – lungs, abdominal, intercostal muscles & diaphragm – and improves posture
4	Singing is aerobic & releases muscle tension
5	Singing keeps your vocal chords in good shape and your voice youthful
6	Singing improves concentration, memory & mental alertness
7	Singing gives YOU immediate pleasure (your sacculus organ in the inner ear is connected to the part of the brain which registers pleasure!)
8	Singing clears your sinuses and respiratory tubes
9	Singing boosts your confidence
10	Singing combats stress and improves sleep
11	Singing stimulates insight into poetry, prose & the inner meaning of words
12	Singing is a spiritual experience (regardless of what is sung!)

Come by and say hello - www.filcampbell.com

Singing Workshops Back for the Autumn

Carlingford Lough Singing Circle & Community Choir

Singing for fun!

Every Monday night, 7.30pm

Warrenpoint Town Hall

Starts back Monday 3^rd September

For all levels of singers

Aged 16+

Easy Repertoire suitable for all singers…

Folk songs from around the world, old pop songs, standards, rounds and simple harmonies.

New voices always welcome

                Pop in for one night or stay for the season               

No audition necessary

By donation – suggested donation £5 per week.

Workshop leader: Fil Campbell
Tel: 028 417 38052/07803 226279
Email: fil@filcampbell.com