Happy Christmas and New Year!

A belated Happy Christmas and an early Happy New Year!

Well...so much has happened in recent days that it is hard to recap. School ended on the 20th with Christmas carols in the next door church and mince pies and mulled wine [for parents only] in the school. Last one out of school before the caretaker saw Greg, the girls and Beni picking me up and us all going for a celebratory meal at our local pub. We had a grand time saying hello to neighbours and eating the best of Yorkshire fayre before walking home. It was lovely having our girls being with us. We hung on to every moment they were here. We experienced the glory of York which is a truly special place. We all loved Betty's tea house so much so we vowed to return with Grandma.

The 21st saw us picking up a very excited Grandma from her home in South Manchester. We returned via my good schoolfriend Sara and her husband Dave's home in Holmfirth, the village portrayed in the series "Last of the Summer Wine". They have taken a beautiful, grand old house and have restored it completely. We enjoyed Dave's homemade scones and preserves and cream cake before heading back to Selby. The next few days saw us going Christmas shopping to York and a return visit to Betty's and just generally relaxing asa family. We had one drive to Ampleforth Benedictine Abbey, a special place to which Grandma had visited many times in the past. It is located in the stunningly beautiful North Yorkshire Moors. Sadly though in recent years  it has been tarnished with sexual abuse cases and it felt like a cloud of sadness hung over the College. We all felt it.

On Christmas Eve we packed [actually Greg did] the Jag and all 6 of us crammed into the vehicle loaded with presents and parcels etc and embarked on a 2 hour drive to peterborough where we were stopping en route to Hampstead in London. My colleague and close friend Alison and her family were waiting with a true English afternoon tea and welcomed us with open arms. Although we have kept in contact it has been 10 years since we last met, how time flies. Lizzie had been her bridesmaid some 25 years ago and had not met since then!

We left for glorious Hampstead and arrived about 6:30pm where a lovely dinner party awaited us. My sister lives in this exquisite part of London. Amazing historic London houses surround where she lives and only local traffic can access the lane. It backs on to Hampstead Heath. I love this area and it's the only place I would want to live in if I had to live in London. Hampstead is like a big village but it's Central London. After dinner we all left to attend midnight mass at St Mary's Church in Hampstead where interestingly enough a lot of the songs were in Latin. It is a "hidden" church between gorgeous mews, it was the church that Charles de Gaul attended during the war.

Christmas Day saw us all going to Harpenden where my nephew Dominic and his family live. 20 of us gathered for dinner, the first time I have been in the UK with my family for 23 years. It was very, very special. The only thing was that my brother in Bordeaux was unable to join us. My English family is not used to having any "live" music so they joyously welcomed Greg, Beni and Lizzie leading the songs with guitar.

On Boxing day we had the mad idea of going to Stonehenge so we all piled into the car for what turned out to be a 3 hour journey due to traffic to the mystical stones. Well worth it when we arrived 45 minutes before closing. Only the crazy Canucks would do this everyone said!

The next day was wonderfully spent with our cousins Margaret and Dona and their husbands and family in Gravesend in Kent. Margaret's husband John recently retired as British Ambassador to the Vatican and numerous other haunts..the result is a huge collection of art items which grace their lovely home. They are very down to earth people for sure and not the quintessential diplomatic "type". Greeted with champagne and numerous appies followed by the eating of roast pheasant for the first time being told just to take care eating in order to avoid the lead bullets! "Tea" then followed some hours later. In England one is never sure of what constitutes "tea". In this case a glorious buffet with all the cheeses you could imagine, smoked salmon, several salads and desserts plus the required port. A most delightful visit!

Thank goodness for the DD Greg!

The next day saw a blissful walk across Hampstead Heath with visiting family to Parliament Hill to which we will be going to on New Year's Eve. It overlooks the whole of the London skyline ie St Paul's, Westminster, The Eye etc. Rosemary and I walked back via South End Green, a pretty "village" next to Hampstead, where we checked out the open mic where Beni played some weeks ago.

Now to last night...what fun and anticipation!!! I had discovered another new cousin. Before coming to the UK we had arranged that we would meet once in London. He lives and works in London weekdays then returns to his home in Devon during the week. He had arranged for us [8 of us as family including Grandma! So ranging from 18 to 91 in years!] to meet at his club, Home House, for 7:30pm. We all read the website for this "club" which as it turns out is one of the top exclusive, oldest clubs in London. Check out this site www.homehouse.co.uk  for very interesting details on this stunning venue, press reviews particularly. We did not know what to wear and indeed did not know if it would be "suitable" for Grandma! In the end Grandma would not be left alone and said at 91 she had the right to come so...Beni was placed in charge of escorting Grandma to whatever transpired in the night, our minds were boggling at what could take place [check the site out]! Carefully dressing in preparation [except for Greg who had "forgotten" his dress up clothes conveniently!] for whatever was to happen..we set off into the downtown London night which is always very exciting!

The address is 20, Portman Square. ...no name on the front of the black double doors. What met our eyes was a sight to behold in terms of luxury but at the same time it felt welcoming and homey. Up a sumptuous winding staircase we all went, in and out of glorious lounges till we were introduced to Lawder who had reserved a meeting area for us. As soon as we met our cousin all fears were set aside. This  gorgeous, gentle, calm man welcomed us and what ensued where a few hours till midnight of chat, exchanging family histories and happy talk. The club is fabulous. If one was single, could afford the thousands it costs in membership per year, this would be the place to be. Our cousin comes here 2 or 3 nights a week, just 10 minutes walk from his Marylebone home. Too bad JoJo [who sadly left the day before] was not with us as she would have adored the ambience.

We said farewell to our cousin and will meet him again in London or Devon. A funny thing happened during chatting outside the club. Beni brought up the name of Noel Fielding, his current favourite comic [The Mighty Boosh] when Aunty Ro said "Oh I know him". Turns out she had met him at a party recently, had no clue who he was, had spent ages in conversation with him [her partner, the lovely Bob..his good friend's daughter is going out with Noel] ..Beni was suitably impressed.

Oh the pains of saying Goodbye...today the 29th..saw Greg and I taking Lizzie to Heathrow..where have the long for 2 weeks gone to? JoJo is now back in Victoria after a LONG flight via Paris and Seattle and all the visit seems very surreal. They both plan to return in June with respective boyfriends so we will look forward to this.

It is now prevening here in Hampstead. Beni wants to go the an indie gig in Islington, Greg to a new release at the cinema..and Grandma...one or the other!!! I sure hope I am like her at 91!! The woman knows no bounds and is game for anything at any time of day or night!!! She puts us all to shame.

Off to pour a little aperitif!!

Hope all of you have a chance to relax with friends and family. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have this time altogether over here for sure....thanks for all the Christmas notes, so much appreciated!!

Jo

eeh bye gum!

Hello people of the internet! It's been a while.

Last time I posted I was in London.. and now guess where I am! You guessed it! London! Well, really Hampstead to be exact, but still, London.

Since my last post on this blog I've been back "home" at Sale Hill Farm, riding my bike and drinking English bitter. What more could I want from life? Ha ha!

Haha, if you're thinking "is that it?" then you obviously haven't read further!

Later on in November I played a show at the Milo bar in Leeds! Since then I've also played at various open mics around Selby, recorded, wrote songs, ate chocolate shreddies (mmmhmm), chilled out with my dad, a lot, read about the art world, watched dry english comedies and popular blockbusters, listened to a lot of new music (awesome), and thought about the big questions in life and concluded with "man, Noel Fielding, what a guy! Brilliant"...

Currently I have just had an fantastical visit from my sisters! We spent a week touring Yorkshire and jaunting around in outlet malls, viking villages, and in York's magical downtown! Lizzie, Dad and I played at the Cafe Chic Christmas party hosted by quite a most talented musician by the name of Nic Slack. It was a mystical night. Dad and I concluded our small sets with singing a rather long sea shanty, and Lizzie played a delightful set! A spectacular night indeed! My family and I spent Christmas eve together at Sale Hill Farm and then proceeded to travel to London in a 5 person Jaguar with 6 people and a whole whack of luggage. We did indeed have many national lampoonish moments. It was an experience that I'd rather not have again, ha ha. From Sale Hill Farm we travelled to Flitwick to stay with my cousin and his wife.

A few Christmas dinners and sleeps later and here I am, a furry bohemian with a cold, expecting the unexpected in this crazy city.

(We also went to Stonehenge! It rocks!)

All in all, this gap year is turning out to be more than I expected... I'll be going to France in February, Switzerland in the spring, going on tour (news that'll be brought to main stream attention ASAP), probably working after it all to save up and then travel in the summer! Anyone want to bum around Europe and play some shows for a few months? haha.

Better Late Than Never

Hello Everyone!
My apologies for not blogging sooner than this....the basic reason is that I have been on overload from Day 1 over here. I can't recall in deatil any of the happenings since we arrived as there is so much to tell but no time! This is my attempt to catch up and start afresh. Thank goodness for Beni and his posts..

Yorkshire people are blunt and great! We have received nothing but kindnessess from everyone we have met and for this we are greatful. The house we are living in, rather, the converted barn, is spacious, very Ikearish and easy [for Greg my domestic] to clean. We overlook rambling pastures and it is safe to compare where we aer to the prairies...totally flat. We have horses across from us, the local pub with succulent lunches and dinners, all cheap, "The Black Dog" 5 doors down, the "Travelling People" a few pastures away, the charming village of Snaith a few miles down the road and Selby, an ancient market town, some 10 minutes away. York is about 20 minutes away.

My first day at school was very special..the children were all lined up outside the school waving Canadian and UK flags to welcome us..a great start.

Greg has settled into domesticity really surprisingly easily. He chauffeurs me to work in the gas guzzler of a Jag, returns home for a leisurely breakfast [Beni still asleep] reading his Times Colonist online from Victoria, then begins on his housework chores and so it goes...he fits in a 20 mile bike ride with beni every day to various hotspots around the countryside. He picks me up at 6pm and I return home to dinner on the table...what a life!Oh yes..and private counsellor too!

Beni has had an amazing month here. He has got himself [long story for him to tell] signed to a fledgling record label in Lincoln. The owner arranged a gig for him in Leeds 2 weeks ago and then followed it up with a contract! An EP will soon come about with an arranged tour..so exciting times ahead come what may for Beni. he had an excellent 2 weeks in London with my sister, friend's children and experienced occupy London to Nightclubbing in Brixton to being robbed by 2 women outside Westminster Cathedral...ah my baby is growing up!!
It is wonderful to be spending time with my Mum and family. My Mum's memory is deteriorating and I am so thankful to be here with her. Christmas is approaching and our girls, Lizzie and JoJo, arrive December 15th until December 29th. We are all going to London to stay with family and we are pretty excited to be doing so.

We went to one very special house concert last weekend just outside York in a pretty village. A magical cottage named "Thyme Cottage" saw 50 people crammed into a room with church pews to listen to the very special Amy Wadge and Pete Riley. I had forgotten that Amy had emailed me a couple of years ago re coming to Canada...well..guess what, you have likely guessed...we will be meeting them sometime soon and yes, hopefully the new Damer Agency [that's me!]will be trying to set up gigs when I return to Canada...some things never change hey??

We stayed with a childhood friend last weekend, Sar and her husband Dave. Both very inspiring people who have renovated and old house in the beautiful Yorkshire village of Holmfirth [Last of The Summer Wine]. Check out a blog of Dave's, very interesting, http://www.itriwetri.co/

This coming weekend will see us all getting very dressed up for the staff Christmas night out at the local [Biggest Power Plant in Europe] power plant at Drax...a splendid meal awaits as does a live blues band for dancing. Worries cast aside for the night!

Take care all of you out there and be greatful for all that you love and hold dear!
Josephine trying to Stay Calm and Brave