Because I do so few concerts these days, the time before a tour starts is filled with prolonged rehearsals to get my voice and fingers in trim again.
I have trained my voice, so still do my vocal warm ups most days of my life, but now it gets louder and stronger to get those vocal chords and breathing muscles up to scratch.
The corns on my left fingers have to be hardened as playing the guitar for a few minutes on my verandah every day is nothing compared to two 40 minute sets for a concert. So, out with the guitar and on with the practicing !!
I usually practice far more songs than I will need as someone will always surprise me and say ‘Can you sing ……… ?”
This musical tour starts off in The Netherlands.
I shall be singing at one of my favourite places –
Karin’s Folk in the Lounge in Den Haag on Sunday 8th June 2025. We are dear friends so I will make a long weekend of it.
I met Karin at Warwick Folk Festival in 2012 and she asked if I would like to sing in her Lounge Concert the next year. I was overjoyed as she has made a great success of this, and has booked some of the best folk singers in Europe to sing there.
At the time, flights to Amsterdam were more amenable than they are nowadays, and the baggage allowance meant I could travel with luggage and the guitar. I did this twice.
The third time, my daughter kindly drove me there, and we made a long weekend of it, including a journey to the Zuider Zee !
Karin’s daughter also has a son the same age as my grandson, so there was lots to talk about. They were both toddlers then, but turn 13 this year !!!
Hence, we had a lovely Mothers – Daughters time together, and took a lovely trip to Delft.
This time, it’s a case of everything piling on the cost, so I will travel very light and borrow a guitar for the concert – otherwise I have to buy another seat for mine !!
So, off I go in the morning of June 5th. I will tell you how it went, and where the adventure took me when I return on the 10th June.
I have just heard that there is a train strike on that day, so plans have changed and I will have to get a bus to the airport that day.
Life is indeed interesting, and I have learned to go with the flow !!
