Back on track.

Well, how to begin! When I started my new beginning I certainly didn't expect to have done half the things that I've already done this year and it's still only August. In my first blog I mentioned that I had joined a choir. It's actually called a singing group and was initially set up just for fun. We certainly have fun but something unexpected has happened. Just before christmas we were asked to sing in a local pub, performing some of our set list and finishing with a few carols for everyone to join in with. That was ok, we could do that we thought. Then, a few days before the event our choir leader emailed us with 2 bits of information.
1. the local tv would be there to film it for their Christmas day broadcast.
2. We had been asked to sing a song to be played in the background of a video that a local farmer was filming to thank all the customers of his farm shop.

The first one was bad enough, at least we'd been practising, but for the second one we had learn new words to 'I am a cider drinker' i.e. 'I am a Foxbury Farmer' and then turn up on the night and record it with no rehearsal!!!!!!! Being the professionals that we are (titters) we managed 'no problem'. It must have been ok because the video had about 850,000 hits!

Little did we know that this was the beginning of a close relationship between us and Witneytv. So far this year we've been filmed singing at the Witney Music Festival, Beer Festival, a local music festival called Battstock and the 'piecé de resistance' doing a Flashmob in a shopping centre in Oxford. Now that may not sound too strange, after all flashmobs happen all the time. But when you consider that I won't see 50 again and I know of one choir, sorry 'singing group' member who is one year short of 70, it kind of conjures up a different picture :).

My tv appearances don't stop there though! Intrigued? Let me explain. Another one of my new adventures was to begin volunteering at Cogges Manor Farm. This is a beautiful old Manor house some parts of which date back to 1264. It has all the old farm buildings and a wonderful walled garden that is being lovingly restored by a group of volunteer gardeners. I hasten to add that am not one of them. Gardening and having your nails done once a fortnight don't mix! What has this got to do with me being on tv? Well, about a month ago Lynda Bellingham came to Cogges to make a programme for tv. Carol one of the cooks who can be found making Welsh cakes on the range in the kitchen at weekends 'challenged' Lynda to make a Victorian meat pie and she made one too. When they were finished some of us volunteers were filmed tasting the pies and choosing the one we liked best. I even have a speaking part as I commented on the pastry of each pie, if I'm not edited out that is.  I found the experience very exciting and as this happened only 2 days before we were due to do the flashmob, I was so high my hubby practically had to scrape me off the ceiling by the end of that week.

But my relationship with Witneytv doesn't end there. Oh no! I need to bring this entry to a halt as I have been asked to make a scarecrow to be used in filming a promotional video for a Scarecrow Festival to be held at Cogges over the Bank Holiday weekend. Impressed, well don't be. I've not made it yet and as I've NEVER made one before there is plenty of scope for it going horribly wrong. Stiil, I have decided to challenge myself this year, so here goes.

Wish me luck.

Flashmob Granny.