Thursday 16 July 2015

Gardens and removals.

Two topics for today.  First to gardens.   It was Open Gardens with scarecrows in  our village on Sunday and my son and his wife opened their garden to the public - it is a lovely garden with lots of secret corners, steps and surprises.   Their scarecrow sits in the centre of the front lawn guarding a tiny patch of long grass and daisies which my son has left in the lawn (he is a Roger Deakin fan) which is indicated as a Nature Reserve with No Fracking, and the scarecrow wears a badge saying Head Warden.   There is also a particularly beautiful clematis in full bloom.

Now to the piano of the title.

 I play piano and have done since I was a small child.   The piano you see, which is a Hopkinson - quite a good make - was bought for me by my parents as an eighteenth birthday present, so I treasure it greatly.   Sadly I rarely, if ever, play it these days.   Since marrying the farmer twenty odd years ago there always seems to have been other things to do and indeed the Schubert Impromptus which you see on the stand, have not been played for a very long time.  When I think I used to be up to performance standard with them in some ways I am ashamed that I have let it go.  When I sold my harpsichord I had the piano reconditioned so it is in fair shape.

My son teaches music - guitar, double bass, cello and piano - in schools and also to private pupils and this piano is much better than the one he has.   So tomorrow evening a removal company is going to attempt to move the piano from my house to his - getting it into his music room is going to be a tight fit so we are keeping our fingers crossed.   I know it will go into the sitting room as when I lived in the cottage I had it in there (and would often play until four o'clock in the morning when I lived alone after the death of my first husband).  Now I am going to sign off and start moving things - hare cards which are stored behind the lid until I have enough for another clip frame full for the utility room (I collect hares and can hear the farmer saying 'not another nail in the wall'.), photographs from the top (where am I going to put those I wonder.  For now they will go on the Welsh dresser in the dining room).   Then my next job will be to empty the music cabinet and sort out the music.

All rather sad jobs but they have to be done and the space will be useful as we only use that room when we have a lot of people there and there is never enough room for us all.
 .
So off now to get on with the job

18 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

I'm sure your son will love and treasure the piano as much as you do. You're lucky to have a musical son. Our daughter isn't musical at all and I worry about what will happen to my piano and her father's guitars, one of which was his fathers.

Jan said...

I too played the piano years ago-both performance and competition. As years went by, times that I stopped to play became less and less, so when we moved to this house 3 years ago, the piano went to our daughter's home. I'm hoping the grandkids will want to learn to play. They already play many songs by ear and make up their own, so I think it was a good decision.

Heather said...

It is sad when one's musical skills have dwindled, but your son will be thrilled to take on the care of your piano and I am sure he and his pupils will enjoy playing it. Hopefully the extra space and resulting rearrangements will make up for it's departure.

Anonymous said...

It's a lovely idea to pass it on to your son and keep it in the family- you'll be able to enjoy hearing it being played from time to time too.

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

Hiya Pat. That lovely piano was made to be played. How FANTASTIC that you are in the soup and boiling, taking things in, passing things on so they stay alive and do not stagnate. Happy, Happy for you. And all those memories of being played by you? All that sound is surely a part of the very fiber of the instrument.You have been such a big part of making that piano what it is today -literally. A unique you made it a unique piano. And on it goes!
:) m & jb who does not like "moozik" in the house because it hurts her ears!!!!!!!!

Joanne Noragon said...

Aren't you the clever one with the new hare pictures out of sight behind the piano lid.
My daughters were furious when I sold my ("their") piano. Neither one of them had a home or a place to store it, I had not room in my new home, nor use, so I sold it for a good price and split the money between them.

angryparsnip said...

Such a lovely piano should be played.
How lovely that wonderful and comforting memories will go with the piano
and now be in your Sons home making new memories.
I love when you show your Sons garden. Wish I could see more and visit the others too.

cheers, parsnip

Bovey Belle said...

Our piano was NEVER in tune (cheapo one from auction) and beyond all hope. We finally burned most of it recently! However, our eldest daughter Tam now has a boyfriend who is a talented musician (with a Music degree) and he has two pianos in his house, so she may play a little again. She is the most musical of our three.

I expect yours will be greatly appreciated and enjoyed at your son's, better than it just sitting looking hopeful at yours, tbh! You will still be able to play it if you wish, but you can fit more guests in when you have a houseful . . .

jinxxxygirl said...

Change is hard my friend. But i do think a beautiful piano was meant to be played don't you? I think it is a very wonderful gift you are giving your son. I hope he knows how much joy and peace this piano has given you over the years as that should be passed on too.... Hugs! deb

Penny said...

Change is good and it is lovely that your piano will be used again and especially nice that it is still in the family.

Frances said...

Weaver, where shall I begin. In the garden. Your showing us the photograph of the scarecrow, and explaining his location tells me much about the philosophy behind that garden. I think it's grand to have this welcome to the open garden, and hope that some younger visitors will catch on to some rather important concepts...gently delivered on a sunny day.

On to the beautiful piano. I am very glad that my parents, particularly my father, encouraged my drawing and painting and other visual art directions during my childhood. There was no piano in our home and I do not remember there being one in homes of any of my friends. My brothers got some musical training as part of our church's boys and men's choir, but I was encouraged to think that I could not carry a tune.

Ahhh, these childhood memories do linger. As I grew into young adulthood, after university, in New York, it was fascinating to meet new friends and learn that many of them had grown up with a piano in the house, and an early introduction to those black and white keys. I was awed by hearing their stories of eventually having actual piano lessons. I still do not feel envy. It's not that. It's more of an appreciation of how each of us puts down certain roots in our childhoods that grow deeper as the years pass.

I think it is very, very wonderful that your lovely piano has been relocated to your son's place. I am imagining all the future generations that will learn how to bring forth beautiful sounds from its keys.

xo

Hildred said...

Oh Pat, I think it is great that you are passing your piano on to your son, but I could never part with mine.... it was my mother's piano and she passed it on to me as soon as her grandchildren were old enough to take lessons. I taught elementary piano for a number of years while all the children in the neighbourhood were small, and also took lessons myself to obtain my Grade 10 certificate from the Toronto Conservatory. The last few years that Charles was alive I played every morning for him, - mostly Scott Joplin for at least half an hour. Now I play every day and it is one of my greatest joys, - not something I could live happily without. There will come a time - but not now!!!

Cro Magnon said...

We had a rather pompous friend who had a big reputation as a pianist; he even had a baby grand in his sitting room. I'd always wanted to hear him play so one day asked him to do exactly that. Amazingly he couldn't get anything at all from it, so my wife then sat down, stuck some Debussy in front of her, and played perfectly. The old fool was a fraud, and I was stunned by Lady Magnon's skills. Two birds; one stone!

thelma said...

Love the small historical tidbits that fall out of blogs, the corners of our lives that hold memories, the handing on to the next generation. I am sure the piano will be appreciated by your son.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Should the head-warden of a nature reserve busy himself, albeit in rather passive fashion, with scaring away the crows? Tut-tut.

The History Anorak said...

I wish I had room for a piano. It's years since I had the opportunity to play regularly. (about 20!) I miss it.

Linda Metcalf said...

What a wonderful thing to do! It will now be played daily? And I'm sure your son appreciates the gesture!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Can't wait to pass on John's comment to my son - it did make me laugh.
Thanks for coming along.