h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My dear AR1

Yes, trumpet with a brace is interesting. If it gets too painful, I'll stop, but what I've learned so far in half an hour is interesting.

I had a lovely birthday. I went with Roy and little . The weather was lovely. We did lots of walking and little went in the sea twice and got his trousers soaked both times.

Are there two visits - one to Kew and one to the Wetlands? I'm totally confused,. I thought a decision was being made of one or the other? If it's both, I couldn't possibly not go to the one that you, Gnomon and Azara were doing to.

You sound to be having a time of it with your internet and phone providers. I don't understand what is going on, so I can't suggest what to do. Do you have copies of your agreements that you can send them? They can't take your money and deny having done so (or more to the point that they should be providing you with a service).

I didn't go to see The Queen in the end. We went into London and visited HMS Belfast, which was much more exciting that I thought it was going to be, and then went for a really nice meal and then a longish walk to get a train home. The trains were up the spout, so we had to catch a bus for the first and last bits. I really enjoyed it.

My father was on the HMS Belfast. But on reading the history (as your post prompted me to) I can't figure out when. He is writing it all down at the moment. Possibly he did his basic training on it in Belfast before war broke out. He turned 19 in 1939 and, on entering National Service, went straight off to war.

Anyway - from me, too, a belated happy birthday, I was so distracted by you blowing your trumpet (!) that I overlooked that little bit of your post.





And, with your trumpet, you can go and play Christmas carols on the street in December. Most of the rest of the time it might be difficult to practise without annoying the neighbours. Have you got somewhere to go to practise? It would be a shame if you couldn't keep up the music because of that.

Although - when I was a teenager we lived in a semi and the piano was against the adjoining wall. I used to come home from school and throw my satchel in the corner and get rid of my aggressions by bashing away on the piano. I once apologised to the neighbours but they said they didn't mind - they liked it.

Hi TC!

Your dad was on the Belfast? It certainly looked state of the art for the end of the war onwards. Much whizzier than I thought it was going to be. It said inside that it was built to combat the Japanese Mogami class ships (which I'd never heard of!), but that it came onstream just too late to see action. When you're next in London it's well worth a visit. Is your dad writing a book, or will you ask if you can use his memories to write an entry for the Guide?

I do like the idea of playing trumpet for Christmas carols. I have to confess, it's not actually a trumpet, it's a cornet - Roy did play trumpet in the Mercury band, but bought a cornet as it's better for jazz. My teacher said that cornets are very forgiving. My neighbours haven't complained about the trumpet playing (and I'm still going to call it a trumpet even if it isn't) so far.

I used to play piano at home too. Sonatinas and that kind of thing. Towards the end, I wasn't practising very much at all, because (so I said) my teacher wouldn't let me play jazz. When she gave me Caruso's songs, I was really unimpressed.

Hi dear ZSF,

Thank you for your reply. I am so pleased you had a happy holiday and a nice evening on Saturday.
Isn't the world small that Trillian's child father should have been on the Belfast.

I think that there was a vote between whether it should be Wetlands or Kew and I believe that Kew won it. So we shall all be together.Hoorah. I have asked Gnoman and Azara if they would like to come out to Sevenoaks on the Sunday. Perhaps you all would like to join us and we could go to Leeds Castle. I prefer Hever but you have already been there.

I have noted the fact that I should have agreements, but to the best of my knowledge I do not have them. In any case, can you explain to me how and why I am able to work on this thread - althouch I continually get messages that I am not using the right password, members sanme etc. It is only when I have to answer the secret question that I get onto this thread. I wonder if it is my computer that has gone up the spout? I think so probably.

I shall try again today - or rather as I am taking my friend from Malawi down to Margate I shall ask my carer to go over to K's and do the phoning from there. I have a special phone and cannot hear on his so cannot do my phoning from there.

Much affection
Christiane and K

Hello AR1

Yes, isn't it (a small world)?

OK, Kew it is. Would we like to join you on the Sunday? I'll check with Roy first.

Good luck with sorting your phone and computer out.

Second lesson today. I'd been thinking that the brace had got in my way and I might not do so well, but I was really quite happy with my progress. Another couple of exercises before the trumpet proper - breath control exercises and one to make sure that the sides of my mouth remain tightly shut whilst playing. It involved putting tightly folded paper in both sides of my mouth (so that I looked a bit like a paper Dracula) and making sure that no air escaped whilst I was blowing. And I got to play a tune - 'Merrily we roll along'. At one point he asked me if I had played it properly at some time in the past and I was duly flattered. I've never got a proper tune out of it - just scales - unless you count going camping and trying to play 'Do Ray Me' à la Sound of Music, which I played excruciatingly badly.

I'm progressing nicely on the trumpet. I can now do a basic blues - and I even worked out how to progress to the key change, even though it wasn't in the music.

I can do more than an octave and have increased my range at both the top and the bottom. OK, there are only three notes lower than the bottom 'C'. I'm getting increasingly better at the higher ones, although sometimes it's a bit of a squeak. My neighbours have been very good. None have complained so far and I've been careful to practice in the early evening, so that I'm hopefully not disturbing sleep.

There should be six notes possible below the bottom C.

Are there, Gnomon? I've only been shown three so far. Lots more for me to learn! Is the lowest one whatever the note is with all three valves depressed?

Yes.

I can now (just) play the first eight bars of the Trumpet Voluntary (the Prince of Denmark's March?)! My teacher thinks it will be a good piece to aim for. So far, my other favourite pieces have been the basic blues and Botany Bay.

My teacher says he's really pleased with my progress. I've had seven lessons so far. He says it's nice when someone practices! My ultimate test piece would be the 'Carnival of Venice', I think.