Month: November 2010

Music on a Monday – One last push for sales of my Charity CD

On By auntyamoIn Music1 Comment

I’m delighted that over 100 copies of ‘Music for India’ have been sold. Thanks SO MUCH to all of you who bought one (and more than one!!!)

The feedback has been great and Psalm 84 seems to be a ‘hit’ 🙂 I’ve really appreciated the encouragement.

I seem to be at my best writing wise when I’m at my worst emotionally. I’m sure that says a lot about my bizarre mind!!!
But my songs have definitely been written from a position of sadness and struggle.

I have the beginnings of lots of songs that roll around my brain for ages then when I’m crying out to God, (or giving out to God) something happens and they turn into a song.

Music is a big part of my life and a big part of my family. There aren’t many professionaly trained musicians in the family. But that hasn’t stopped us 🙂 When I started to follow God and realised what a big part music plays in the Christian faith, it felt like a bonus!!! And all those songs of misery in my teen years that cried out to emptiness turned into songs that cry out to God and aim, in some way to give Him glory in everything.

Some of you have been kind enough to ask for more of my songs. And I have already decided to make another CD next year to raise month for another charity. So watch this space…

If you haven’t yet bought a copy of ‘Music for India’ and would like to then please get in touch. I’d be delighted to send one to you. It doesn’t matter where you are… they’ve gone to the UK, the US and Australia. Nowhere is too far, as long as you’re wiling to part with a few sheckles… for a very good cause!

My FB page is http://www.facebook.com/auntyamo or you can leave a comment on the blog

Thanks again 🙂

Another old blog post of mine – Cadbury’s now owned by Mac’n’Cheese brigade!!!

On By auntyamoIn Health, weight & wellbeing, HumourLeave a comment

I’ve been looking at my old blog posts and found this one from almost a year ago…

What a sad day. After months of fending off a hostile takeover, Cadbury have finally bowed to Kraft’s offer.
Now I’m feeling very delicate and fragile at the moment (another story) but the one of the things gives me comfort is chocolate. In fact I do believe it is an addcitive substance. I’d love to walk up to a drug addict and say, “HEROIN??? come on!! have you never dipped a bar of fruit and nut into your tea and sucked the melting chocolate off while keeping a finger free to catch the bit rolling down your chin?????? Now that’s a high!!”

But some one told me that not to do that. Not advisable… apparently!

Kraft make soups, freeze dried mac’n’cheese and all sorts of other highly processed instant stuff. Yum… not! And I know Iriah jobs are important and blah blah blah but WHAT IF THEY CHANGE THE RECIPE!!!! Now that WOULD BE a serious national disaster.

As life progresses I realise more and more that it is true… God really IS the only one I can rely on. I’m struggling with some disappointments at the moment. And even the faithful chocolate could end up being a pierce’n’ding product — although I’m not sure quite how that would work; but you get my point.

There was an attempt at a hostile take over of God. More than 1 actually. But he fends them off — every time. And thank God that his recipe won’t change!

Right let’s make some tea…. 🙂

Music on a Monday — Oh Carol!

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, MusicLeave a comment

Are you ready?!

Have you prepared your vocal chords?

Are you all tuned up?

Cos it’s that time of year…..

If you’re someone who goes to church then you’re about to enter the ‘Hark! the Herald Angels Sing’ zone never to escape from it (well… until January!)

But I have to say I wouldn’t have it any other way. I totally love that carol. And the fact that it is a smidge too high for my grizzly alto means I have to MEAN it to be able to sing it.

As someone who loves Christmas and bans humbugs from her presence….! (be warned) the carols mean so much to me.

I’ve always loved Christmas. It’s a huge deal in my family. And I’m grateful to my parents that the crib was as important as the tree when I was a kid. Christmas Mass was important too so I learned that carol at a young age and still love it!

There’s so much GREAT Chistmas music. ReligIous and non religious. And I’ve even written my own Christmas song….

But for me, nothing comes near Hark! the herald angels sing.

And by the way…. if you’ve never actually thought about it, or investigated what it is they sing and why… Ask me, it could lead to a Christmas you’ll never forget!

Charitable Giving — Every little (REALLY) helps!

On By auntyamoIn Random RamblingsLeave a comment

Working for a charity as i have done for almost 10 years now; I really believe in the concept that ‘Every Little helps’.
I know that Tesco have commandeered the phrase. But they are right.

Coming up to Christmas, this is a time when charitable giving seems to come of the fore. Children in Need will be on soon, lots of charities will send out their Christmas appeal and you won’t be able to get down a high street without someone shaking a collecting tin at you.

If you’ve ever sat in a bath of baked beans to raise money for Children in Need or shaved your head for Tsunami survivors or just thrown a couple of quid in a collection bucket for the NSPCC… you really have done a worthwhile thing.

All those fivers and euros and tenners and fifties when put together can make REAL difference!!!

If your heart hurts for whales, endangered animals, sick childdren or viictims of global disasters you CAN be a small of the solution.

I know in these financially difficult times that it’s hard to give to everything, In fact for a lot of us it’s hard to give to ANYTHING; but I would encourage to find the cause that you feel strongly about and help someone or some ‘body’ that is working to help in that area.

Stuck for ideas of who to give to?
I doubt it but just in case… the charity I work for supports family life in Ireland, TearFund work all over the work helping to fight poverty and injustice, I’ve a friend in the UK who works for the Marine Conservation Society and in January one of my nephews will take the Art O’Neill challenge to raise money for 3Ts (Turn the Tide on Suicide) http://www.mycharity.ie/event/mick_bretts_event?ref=nf

As the saying goes…. Give a little; it’ll help a lot!

Music on a Monday — The Cousins CD

On By auntyamoIn Family, MusicLeave a comment

I’m in the middle of a really fun music project at the mo.

Last year one of my nieces was away and another niece wanted to send her a CD with some of us singing Christmas songs on it. – so she wouldn’t feel so homesick.
That turned into a Double CD with lots of the family singing Christmas songs with backing tracks, and a bonus track of practiaclly the whole family doing “Do They Know it’s Christmas”

It was hard work but the finished product is brilliant, If I do say so……

Some of the family are experienced GREAT singers, others are singers and others still are… well… not. But this was a free for all.
Anyone who wanted to do a song did one.
It was a whole lot of work but twice that in fun 🙂

This year we’re making another one.
It will just have as many of my 27 nicece and nephews as can/will be on it.
Solo spots are only for the more confident singers and then all 27 (hopeuflly) will feature in some way on the final track ‘We are the World’

I heard some of the stuff that’s already been recorded. From Beatles to Kelly Clarkson to Norman Wisdom — so far the songs are amazing.
Coming up there’s an acoustic version of a Beyonce song and a bit of Randy Crawford too….!

We’ve got some real talent in the family. A few X Factor hopefuls that didn’t get anywhere near as far as they should have. Singers that would knock your socks off and at least one guitar player that, as me da would say, “could make the thing talk””.

But FAR bigger that the talent is the love for music in the family. Which seems to be across the board regardless of the actual abibitly.

My brother Christopher is (as usual) doing all the hard work on this CD project. I’m sure everyone on the ‘Cousins CD’ will agree he’s a legend… in his own music room!

Oh by the way…If you come to one of our family parties you’ll be very welcome, but you better bring a song with you 🙂

Saying it out loud!

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff3 Comments

Last night I was speaking at the Ladies Dessert and Coffee evening in my church.

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary God

There were two of us speaking and my theme was ‘Disappointment and Hope’

I shared the story of how as the baby of 8 children and an aunty to 27 (and a great aunty to 15), how sad it was to find that I could not have children.

I had hoped for a very different outcome in my life. Disappointment doesn’t come near to how it feels.

I talked about the story of the two guys on the Road to Emmaus, walking away from Jerusalam after the death of Jesus and how they ‘had hoped’ for so much more.

They only knew half of the story. The picture is so much bigger. And I take consolation from that.

It was the first time that I had told our story in that sort of setting. It was a bit weird to hear myself say it out loud. And amazing how hard it still is to tell the story.

But even though ‘we had hoped’ for a different story, our hope is in Jesus and I thank Him and praise Him for His extraordinary love and mercy to me… an ordianry woman

Music on a Monday — This blog??? oohhhh… about Seventeen Seconds!

On By auntyamoIn MusicLeave a comment

I bought Seventeen Seconds by the The Cure again. I couldn’t help myself.

A few months ago I had the immense priv of meeting a band member from those days. The splendid Matthieu Hartley (keyboard player on SS). Standing outside the Bad Ass Café (where once I had hung out, mohican, doc boots, white face and all), I was v nervous waiting for him to arrive. But Matt (I can call him Matt you know) and his lovely wife and two of his mates (I’ve met his wife and two of his mates you know) were really great! They didn’t mind the weird stalker type person who just wanted to sit near a bit of Cure history 🙂

Seventeen Seconds was an important buy the first time around. I was into The Cure from just after Love Cats but EVERYONE loved The Cure after Love Cats. But to prove yourself as a real fan you had to go back! So I bought Seventeen Seconds and learned every word off by heart. Then I learned the words of 10:15 on a Saturday Night. Cos as a Cure fan you had to know the B Sides as well.

It’s the music of my formative years. We were never happier than when we were depressed listening to the Cure 🙂 I had lots of younger nieces and nephews and was the ‘cool’ aunty. But I didn’t want to be cool. I just wanted to be Robert Smith!

I look back on those days and remember loving my identity. And to this day regret giving it up for a guy who didn’t like girls with mohicans! Inside I’m still a Curehead really!

btw Mattieu Hartley music is still great! His band Icicle Thieves are playing in the Albert in Brighton this coming Friday.

An old blog of mine…. on social networking

On By auntyamoIn Humour1 Comment

Get out of my FACEbook!

This is a new site I’m thinking of developing for people who want to join social network sites but don’t want anyone to view their profile, don’t want to be invited to join an group and certainly DON’T want anyone to request their friendship!!

It is inspired by a friend of mine who is new to FB and VERY suspicious of it. He’s quite wary that now he is on there, people might find him.

There was the shocking moment when he realised that when he wrote on his friend’s wall other people could see it!!! The post went something like… “Wow Pete, haven’t seen you in ages. How are you doing?”

Now I know that the guys from Spooks would have that deciphered in a second and would know that this guy is obviously subversive and a danger to society and scoop him up, hiding him in a Safe House in Bethnal Green; never to be seen again. But to most of us FB users it’s probably fairly harmless and won’t damage the UN peace agreement s just yet if someone spots it. . .

Some words of advice for those nervous about social networking sites. Don’t take them too seriously guys. Don’t dwell too much on it. Be sensible, be friendly and for goodness sake if you’re going to add your credit card number will you PLEASE remember the last 3 digits on the back!!!

Music on a Monday — Zschech it out!

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, MusicLeave a comment

 (I know… I know…the title only works if Darlene’s surname is actually prounounced Check…)
 
I thought maybe on Monday’s I’d waffle about music. Some church, some not! Maybe comment on how the previouse days songs had affected me… or not….I WAS wondering if I’d have anything to say (quite likely most of the time….)
 
But tis a feast today….
 
I was going to talk about our church’s live Radio broadcast on RTE 1 LW and online yesterday morning.
 
But then the news came to me that Darlene Unprouncable is leaving Hillsongs to take up a joint pastorate with her husband in a Pente church in Sydney.
 
It brought back a flood of memories. ‘Shout to the Lord’ was in the 90s and some of the Noughties what In Christ Alone  became in the rest of the Noughties and continues in to the…. Tennies???
 
We sang ‘Shout to the Lord’ was at every wedding I went to , including my own. We sang it most sunday mornings. at every Bible college chapel service and evertwhere else.
 
It blew other emotive worship songs out of the water for me. And (when playing it in G) that F chord came in it just lifted the whole song. Then a key chnge in the MIDDLE of the chorus. What an effect it had on the mood of the song.
 
it was as if we couldn’t hang on til the end of the chorus to go up a key. 
 
We’re worship leaders and WE CAN’T WAIT TO MODULATE!!!
To this day listening to it brings me to another time and place in my Christian life. I don’t know whether I’ve grown that much or just swapped a bunch of insecurites for different ones. But its about 15 yeats since I heard the song first and the words are as true to me now as they were then. So I can’t be doing that bad eh?
 
If you would like to hear the broadcast of our service yesterday you can go to this link. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/player_av.html?0%2Cnull%2C200,http://dynamic.rte.ie/quickaxs/209-r1-reflectiveservice.smil It’s me leading the singing for the the group songs (as opposed to the hymns with the organ).
 
I’m no Darlene; but zschech me out and let me know what you think!