Showing posts with label Barnsley Spoken Voices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barnsley Spoken Voices. Show all posts

Monday, February 17, 2020

VALENTINE SPECIAL

Hello lovely readers,

I hope you all had a very HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! David and I celebrated with a glass of cider in the shed, followed by curried vegetables and rice - a Valentine Special!

We also had a midweek trip to Barnsley, Thursday, no market, it was a wee bit quiet but we picked up a few essentials and then had lunch in the Falco Bar, next to the library. That was quiet too, but we had a laugh, especially at the window decoration cum promotion cum I'm not really sure, of a lady about to either dive into the pool (none existent), or else the North Sea, a good two hour's away. Whichever, it put us in a jolly mood with David saying, 'I feel like I'm on holiday.' Maybe that is the reaction the widow dresser had in mind. We ordered three little dishes of tapas and larger to complete the mood:

Frighteningly funny! 


Brilliant little nibbles!
Storm 'Dennis' hit on Saturday/Sunday, but Birdwell is on hilly ground so we were safe from all the flooding. Apparently the river at Darfield came dangerously close to overflowing, but it seems like Wales and York got the worst of it.

After two days of rehearsing for my set at the Barnsley Spoken Word event on Sunday, I was ready for a relaxing evening and a cosy up. You will find the account of how the event panned out in my next blog, but you won't have to wait a week, it will be out as a simultaneous blog, right after this one.

So, if you are ready to see what I got up to yesterday, (Sunday), or if you just want a good laugh, read my next blog post.

See you on the other side of... (sanity)!
Love and Hugs,
Jane x

P.S. Oh, I forgot to mention, I've had another little success, I have had two poems accepted for the Voices of Change anthology, Sheffield, to be launched on 1st May. Yeah!

Monday, November 4, 2019

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound of Spoken Word

Hello everybody, yes, the hills have certainly been alive with the sound of spoken voice this week. In preparation for last night's Barnsley Spoken Voices, Our North, CD launch, David and I took to the countryside and strode out while the weather was so good. Of course there was a bit of a rehearsal while we slogged up the hill to Pilley, if you can breathe whilst hot footing it up Pilley Hill, then there's not a lot wrong with you.

My week was spent in a panic of poems, with a little bit of cello practice thrown in. There was a very pleasant interlude on Thursday, Halloween, when a gruesomeness of grommet sized ghosts and ghouls came knocking at our door offering 'Trick or Treat.' Well, I didn't want a trick so I had my bowl of sweeties at the ready and a bit of change to throw into their buckets. Bless!

On Friday morning David and I went into town to do a bit of shopping, it was really busy. I think people were celebrating the Not Brexit day. It was good to see the town so swift. I went off to do my little volunteer bit for the afternoon, and David took the shopping home. When I got back the shed was all lit up with fairy lights, the electric fire warming the space, and the bottle of wine opened. We had a lovely 'shed date' complete with music. I love our shed.

Of course we watched the rugby world cup final on Saturday morning. What a shame our lads couldn't work their magic just one more time, but South Africa played so well, they did deserve to win.

And that brings me to yesterday, and a lovely Sunday. A family Sunday lunch with our son and his partner set us in a great mood for the evening's entertainment. It was the launch of the 'Our North' CD, at the Rockingham Centre in Hoyland. It's a venue we've never been to before, and we were pleasantly surprised when we found a bar (always a good start).

I was excited to be filmed by the Civic team for a little YouTube video (watch this space next month) and after that I could relax a bit and enjoy the event. There is such talent out there. The evening was organised by Jeff Platts, and Lee Pollard was on form, as was Billy Bywater, Neil Roystone, Stan Duncan, Jo Brooks, Tedge, Gladys Wainwright, Mick Hawkins, Nigel Downing, and Mark Jackson, (if I've missed anybody I am sorry).

And the evening was made all the better by a vegan buffet of Barnsley portions - the best curry I've had in a long time. Thank you Mick and your lovely lady, Laura, for providing such wonderful nosh.

So it's back to the diet today, sort of.

Here's a few pics of last night:



Jeff and Jane
The Crowd Gathers

Get the beer in Billy!

The CD is selling well

And guess who's books are on show.

Preparing the Order of Service

Stan Duncan and Co

Wayne and Jason the Civic Organizers

Another photo opportunity

poet Nigel Downing

Poet Gladys and Dave





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 They're not the best pics, but it gives you a flavour of the evening.

This week is shaping up and looking quite exciting, so check me out next week to find out what I've been up to.

Have a great week folks, lots of love and hugs,
Jane x