Au dodo ...

Which means 'to sleep'. Rather than delete this blog, just a note to say it is no longer active. I hope that what is here might still be of interest to some people ... have a browse!

Au revoir

Mine all mine

Be fair or foul or rain or shine

The joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine

Not Heaven itself, upon the past has power

But what has been has been, and I have had my hour

John Henry Dryden

Scientific Curiosity Captured in Photos

Scientific Curiosity Captured in Photos

La Marseillaise Transformée

Allons enfants de la patrie – ie
Le jour de gloire est arrivé !
Contre nous de toute l’amitié – é
L’étendard riant-élevé
L’étendard riant-élevé
De nos enfants et nos campagnes
Embrassant nos aimables amis
Et sautant tous dans leurs bras
Jouons tous, et dansons tous ensemble – e
Aux jeux des citoyens (badababoum)
Formons tous les équipes (badababoum)
Chantons, buvons, et tous ensemble,
Faisons tous – e la fête (badababoum) !

Chloë Rowlands

Music

Batala Massif is beginning to branch out to provide opportunities for young people. We started a group this Wednesday called Batala Bidons, that I guess we would call a junk percussion band in English, or a bucket band in the US. Four smiling enthusiasts as you can see. We have hopes and expectations of a few more during this spring term. The local secondary school is keen to support us too. We are dreaming of a Batala encontro with a strong youth element for May 2011. The idea being to build towards it and to harness the energy of such a wonderful event to develop a living drumming legacy in the Haute-Loire. Watch this space!

Le jazz fait son cirque

Les extraits du spectacle que li'l lam a vu hier soir au Puy

Guggenmusik

Before we (Batala Massif) played for the last time at Montbrison Sunday 4th October, we had the chance to watch this group. Apparently there are guggenmusik groups all over the place where they come from, but this is the first time I'd seen any. And having looked at a few on YouTube since, this lot are better than most!

And this is what we thought of them! (And what the guy was looking at and Charlotte filming in the clip above!)