Rainy weddings and broken boilers!

I always feel slightly sorry for the bride whose wedding day resembles an Indian monsoon day.  It's not the same to have to dash from the car to the church with eager guests waving umbrellas over you.  Not to mention the lack of 'outside' photos in the album.  I guess it's not unexpected, living in England as we do and being used to, lets say, not the best climate in the world.

However, I have to say I've now changed my mind.  We Key Largo Trio lot were playing at some such wedding just last week and the inclement weather mattered not a jot!  The hotel had real fires roaring, there were several oversized squashy sofas to lounge on and copious amounts of mulled wine upon arrival. Delicious.

We started our set with some traditional classical tunes but as evening approached and what little light there was began to fade we performed some more rousing numbers, adding a little merriment to the gloomy skies.  The atmosphere was magical, the guests were happy and the bride and groom were overjoyed with their day.  It was a beautiful occasion and I am a complete convert to the cold, wet weather wedding!

Unfortunately when I returned home, I discovered our boiler was broken. Totally dead!  I couldn't face bathing the kids in the ice cold bathroom with it's draughty old sash window so the kids are dirty, the house is freezing and there's a gale just brewing up outside.

Mulled wine anyone?

Winter Chills and Party Thrills

I have had a most marvellous twenty four hours.  It all began yesterday evening when we Key Largo Ladies played at a twenty fifth wedding anniversary in York.  It was actually a private party so the setting was the clients house.  But the house was large, beautiful and decorated with tealights, lanterns and an abundance of bunting.  Glorious! We were even offered a glass of champagne as we were setting up - a most unheard of gesture. Normally we stay in the 'water only' territory.  But why not indeed?  A few little sips can't hurt, can they?

The party was a great one.  Full of fun, energy, liveliness and the guests were incredibly appreciative of our music.  Nice to slightly 'kick back' from our classical stance and give a little bit more 'jazz' to the occasion.  A highlight of the evening was playing our arrangement of 'Nearness of You' as the still loved up couple smooched away looking for all the world like teenagers with a crush.  Ahhhh...

So what better this morning than to shake off a vaguely fuzzy head (late night and half a glass of champagne does this to me!) than a lovely hack in Hagg woods on my trusty steed.  (In reality he's more likely to be described as a stubborn, lazy, disobedient dobbin - but I'm being kind and also that doesn't have such a romantic ring to it, does it?)

It was such a beautiful cold, crisp morning and I was chilled to the bone upon my return home.  When I've finished my little blogging moment I'm going to jump up and make a hearty sweet potato and butter bean soup on the old aga.  (Actually, it will be less 'jumping' and more shuffling along like an octogenarian due to afore mentioned horse adventure!)

But when the soup's ready I'm gonna sit down, take a load off and relax before the kiddiewinks return from school.

Happy days...

Key Largo Trio vid

Wedding glamour urgently required

I'm sitting here surrounded by a mountain of ironing, an explosively full laundry basket and the dog's just vomited on the kitchen floor! Add to this delightful mix a screaming toddler who's refusing to sit on the potty and has just thrown herself to the floor in a vaguely demented manner and you're starting to get a feel for the kind of day I'm having.  Oh, and I found a couple of nits in residence on my eldest daughters hair over breakfast this morning.  Jealous, anyone?

Mmmmm...probably not.

As for me personally, I'm not sure I even brushed my hair this morning, (probably why I love hats so much!) let alone applied any kind of 'face'. My clothes are covered in hair (horses);  mud (dog);  stains of unknown origin (kids), and there's one rather large hole in my left sock!  Not for me the title of 'Yummy Mummy'.  Not for me the effortless glamour conveyed by all those celebrity mums out there.

But I have been saved.  

Everything is going to be OK.  The Key Largo girls and I have a wedding to play at in a couple of days.  Woohoo!

I can't wait to be clean, pretty and pampered again.  (And please don't be worried out there future brides. Despite the bleak picture I'm painting I can still scrub up pretty well)  Can't wait to don my elegant dress and high heels (this calls for another even louder Woo hoo!) and make up!  Can't wait to escape the messy house and  chaos of the kids and enter the serenity of the church.  Can't wait to play the beautiful music, can't wait to see rows and rows of immaculately styled guests.  And most of all I can't wait to see the beautiful bride in all her finery and radiance.

Bring on the glamour.

Bring on the magic.

Weddings  -  I love you!

Let Them Eat Cake

I am currently fighting violently strong cake cravings.  It might be because the weather is rubbish; wet and windy and I'm already wanting to hibernate by my fire with sweet morsels to eat.  But I also think it might have rather a lot to do with a wedding we Key Largo-ettes played earlier this week.  Now, don't get me wrong, the wedding cakes are always an amazing sight, but this particular one was just beautiful.

It was actually kind of simple.  It had three tiers but instead of a covering of marzipan, it was just a plain and simple sponge cake.  To elaborate, I was duly informed it was a madagascar vanilla bean cake, with buttercream raspberry preserve, decorated with fresh raspberries and strawberries.  It was a delight.

I haven't had chance to make a cake since the craving started.  It's been a busy week what with juggling work, two toddlers, two horses a dog and three chickens!  But I'm thinking that tonight's the night.  Now I can't hope to recreate the wondrous treat I saw at the wedding, mine will be a sorry affair in comparison.  Sponge with a bit of icing on if I'm lucky, (oh and maybe a bit of St Dalfour jam - my favourite!) but I'm still strangely excited about it.

I intend to eat a huge slice of it, well probably two to be fair - still warm from the Aga and perhaps in front of the television.  After all, Strictly Come Dancing is on.  Perhaps I'll invite a few friends round for this 'cake fest' and crack open some wine. But then again - nah!  I think a nice pot of tea works better with cake.

Never let it be said, that I am not Rock and Roll.  I am a party girl.  Mmm...sort of.  Or maybe not.   But what the heck - let's all eat CAKE!

Video moments

Had an immensely fun night last night with the Key Largo girls.  We decided to make a video of ourselves to put on our website.  Admittedly it was slightly low tech; a family camcorder, some Ikea lights from my husbands office and my living room was the set, but hey - it worked!

I've always fancied 'cutting' a music video and being cool and pop star like.  But if you're picturing bikini clad, club-dancing musicians (a seeming pre-requisite on the pop scene) you'd be sadly disappointed.  Booty shaking was definitely a little lacking too. (But if I ever get chance to be reincarnated I'm coming back as Beyonce and that's a fact!)

Anyway, back to reality, the video features the three of us, our three instruments and our music.  That's it.  Unglamorous maybe, but honest.  Am slightly dreading looking at the footage cos doesn't it always make you cringe watching yourself back on these things?  Perhaps I need an alter ego like Beyonce does?  Whenever she's performing she imagines herself to be Sasha Fierce.  Love it!  My name would need to be prodigy-evoking, flamboyant, extrovert.  Mmm... I'm thinking Allegra Von Yamaha.  Yeah - am liking it.

Righto - better get to the editing suite and bring Allegra to life.  Ha!  Watch this space for a Key Largo Trio vid...

Wedding matters

The Key Largo ladies have had a fabulously joyous August filled with superb weddings.  Each different and unique and beautiful in their own way.

Some couples were really into every detail of our performance whilst others were happy to let us do what we do best, and be guided by our musical opinions.  What always makes things interesting is the less common requests.  'Spiderpig' definitely falls into this category as does the 'Darth Vader Theme' for the GROOMS entrance.  Yes there's never a dull moment.  But thank goodness for that.  Besides, it helps keeps us on our toes to learn and arrange unexpected pieces.  And music is such a personal thing that any piece of music can have special meaning to a particular couple and the part it's played in their relationship; whether it's the reminder of a film they saw on a first date or music playing when the gentleman proposed.  Or indeed, the lady. ( Let's not be sexist here - and indeed I'm all for the lady going for it - but I'm not sure I would.  Hmmm...anyway, I digress...)

The brides were all beautiful too.  They're always so radiant that every time I play at a wedding, I desperately want to get married!  One wedding had the most amazing cake I'd ever seen, and at another, the bride arrived in horse drawn carriage - a personal romantic fantasy of mine.  My Dream Wedding is becoming quite clear in my mind now. Yes - I have it all planned out - I know the place, the quaint picture book church, I've even chosen The Dress, and (I guess this goes without saying) I know just what music I want.    

  But ho hum, I forget myself.  Carried away with the magic and romance as always.  I am ALREADY married. Have been for 16 years.   Happily too.  Perhaps that's the most romantic thing of all...