I trust you haven’t been sitting on the edge of your comfy chairs, waiting for the next instalment of my travels. To continue where I left off, I was on my way to Aberdeen.
My friend and I flew out the next day, she to the US and I to Aberdeen. Our flights that morning were, thankfully, not at o’dark thirty. We went to the airport together, parting ways when her flight was called. Mine was later in the day, so I mooched around a crowded terminal 5 until the gate was called. When I got to the gate, they were ‘boarding’, but in actuality we were sent downstairs to the gate itself, where there were only five priority seats. Being dead tired and having a bandage around my head still, I reckoned I had a good case for sitting. Then we waited. A fault had been found on the plane, the mechanics couldn’t fix it, another plane had to be sourced and prepped. The wait seemed to be days but was only an hour.
Montelimar Station
Arrived in Aberdeen, I retrieved the trusty suitcase and dragged it up hill and down dale to the hotel. I’d also figured that if I could see the airport hotels from the front of the terminal, it wasn’t far. I trusted Apple Maps for the most direct route, but of course it’s not designed for foot traffic and sent me ‘round the houses. But I do manage to get disoriented even with, or maybe perhaps because, an app. This isn’t the first time!
Setting Up
The handbell symposium started unofficially the next day, with teams arriving and setting up. The venue was a large event/conference centre about a mile from the hotels and airport. It needed to be large, as there were about 550 ringers attending, with cases of bells, chimes, music stands, etc. The official opening was the next morning, after which the hard work began.
River foam
It was exhausting! Handbells are rung while standing, and this first day we practiced 11 pieces for half an hour each, then started the cycle again. Between pieces, there were short five minute breaks when conductors changed. After every other piece, there was a brief ten minute break. By the next day, we knew to sit if we weren’t playing. I also decided I didn’t need to be there every minute and skipped practices, as well as most of the evening concerts by visiting teams. Instead, after dinner I returned to the hotel and put my feet up on a stack of pillows, as my legs were still swollen from the heat in France.
Another Rainy Sunday
On two of the days, there was some respite from constant ringing, when a short workshops a variety of subjects took place. Some were cultural, like making a Korean knotted bracelet or learning to draw Celtic knotwork. Others were handbell related – how to play very quietly, techniques for ringing, ringing by numbers (a different notation system). But the focus of the symposium was the massed ringing. Should you wish to see the final concert, it’s up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMRDALSfd5Y You’ll spot me easily – I’m the only person with a bandage around their head.
This past week, I’ve been plugging away at the gansey. It doesn’t look very big yet, but there’s about 9” now. The yoke and gusset will be started at around 13”, which hopefully will be reached this coming week. In order to keep the hem from rolling up in the photos, I’ve threaded a blocking wire through it, which helps somewhat.
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