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Auxerre8:26 PM - Fri 12 March 2010We’ve just had the best part of a week staying on some friends’ boat which is moored in Auxerre where they’ve spent the winter. It’s a lovely boat – a Dutch Barge replica with good heating and well-proportioned living space. 
It was really cold in Auxerre though – I was expecting France to be warmer but it was colder than the UK! 
I’ve spent most of the week sorting out all the replacement bank cards, driving licence etc for the bag snatch last week but at last it’s nearly done. Any of you whose mobile number I had who hasn’t yet private messaged it to me please do as I lost my mobile phone as well! We’re back to Gambia next week to help with the two festivals in Kartong and Dombondir so exciting times! comments {0}Fairport Convention at Cropredy10:24 AM - Mon 17 August 2009http://chandramoon.efx3.com/2009/08/...-cropredy/comments {0}Off To Drum Camp2:10 PM - Wed 8 July 2009I can't believe a year has passed since the last Drum Camp! It's a relatively small gathering in Suffolk with daily workshops in drum, dance and song with wonderful performances in the evening. It's camping or camper vans so we're taking Moon Palace - just topped up the oil and water and packed her full of drums etc! It's very unlikely I'll find any wireless there so don't expect to hear from me till next week some time. At last I have tenants for my Bristol house which I've let out and we're settling in well here. I get a replacement car next week after the accident and my shoulder's on the mend so all in all life is good. Here's a picture from last year - I'll take the camera and get some good new ones hopefully! Pray for good weather - it's been very stormy here the last few days. 
comments {2}Burgundy Canal Trip8:58 PM - Sat 20 June 2009We got back at 3.30am today after a very long drive up from just south of Dijon back to the Dunkerque Ferry for 10pm then the drive back to Oxfordshire! We're pretty tired but it was worth the effort.We had four glorious days of sunshine on the canal. We moved the boat most days to a different mooring. While P worked I lazed about enjoying the scenery and doing the odd crossword! Apart from cooking one meal I really did have a fantastic rest! The views were beautiful - here's a typical evening sunset over the canal. 
Here's a link to more photos - including one of how you get a small car on and off a barge! MORE PHOTOS 
comments {3}How to Make Baobab Juice!10:26 PM - Thu 7 May 2009I’m in the middle of moving so don’t have time to do a proper post but here’s some photos on how to make Baobab juice PHOTO LINK comments {2}Hello from Timbooktoo Bookshop at Fajaro1:36 PM - Thu 19 February 2009Another quick update. We've just returned yesterday from a four-day trip to Senegal sussing out another festival to see how they do things there and what we can learn from them.The journey there was over quite rough terrain and untarmacced roads so very hot and dusty but great fun! We spent four nights at a friend's compound in the outskirts of Abene, about half an hour from Kafountine. The festival at Kafountine was really lively and we saw some good traditional African bands. I'm putting some photos up on my Facebook if there's enough bandwidth. We're now starting to organise the festival at Kartong properly and have a meeting on Sunday with the members of the local Festival Committee and are starting to make contact with artists etc. Last night we spent at Safari Gardens a small hotel with a hot shower (what a luxury!!!) though I don't mind washing with a bucket of water from the well which is fine too. 
So..... that's it for now. I hope this uploads ok. Bye for now. MORE PHOTOS comments {4}News from The Gambia12:52 PM - Wed 11 February 2009Hi guys - I'm in an internet cafe in Fajaro - a biggish town in the Gambia where we came to pick up a visa for a friend visiting the UK in March.We've started preparations for the Kartong Festival which runs from the 26th to 29th March inclusive and will have music, drumming, dance, cultural activities, wrestling and more! We've been working with the local school to get the children involved and a UK musician will be working with a local teacher to write a song with the children to perform at the festival about Kartong. Other children who are not singing will make costumes for the performers to wear. Everything here takes at least three times longer to achieve and you have to be very patient - it's hot and a tremendous lack of resources but people are enthusiastic although there is also sometimes jealousy if people think some are benefiting and they aren't! All par for the course and it will all smooth out in the end (hopefully!) We are staying in a very lovely lodge with a friend and eating well. It's wonderfully hot and sunny and we are quite near the beach though haven't had time to go there really! I'll try and upload a photo of the local town. 
comments {10}Boat trip in Belgium11:41 PM - Tue 16 December 2008I've not had a minute to blog this week as I've been away then back home with P and my daughter and baby grandchild staying till Christmas - I'd forgotten how time consuming new babies are! Absolutely gorgeous though!P and I had a lovely trip over on the ferry to Belgium on the weekend and helped someone move their boat from Veurne to Brugge. They own a lovely Dutch barge which they'll use for taking people on French cruises eventually. The weather was bitterly cold but clear on the day we moved the boat and the scenery was beautiful. 
There are some PHOTOS at the link. This weekend we're having a songwriters' group re-union which should be a wonderful chance to catch up and play some music. I really must buy some presents and plan Christmas - I always leave it to the last minute every year - doh! We did put the tree up today which is a start I suppose! comments {2}Walking in the Highlands of Scotland!1:53 PM - Tue 9 December 2008What a glorious weekend I had - it was an old friend's 50th birthday and they organised a weekend in a Youth Hostel in Torrodon on the West coast of the Scottish Highlands. I flew up to Inverness then we shared a hire car and drove the couple of hours west to Torrodon.
We went on a spectacular hill walk on the Saturday - do take the time to follow the link to the PHOTOS In the evening we had real 1950's style knees up with Scottish dancing, fancy dress, party games and yummy food. Here's a picture of me in my 50s dress! 
This week I'm trying to get the spare room finished in time for Christmas as I have a lot of vistors coming... Guess how many presents I've bought so far......... Yes - you're right - not one! Ahhhhhh! And finally - a short fun clip from the return leg of the climb! MVI_9346 from http://chandramoon.vox.com/ comments {8}Frozen11:24 AM - Wed 3 December 2008I've had a lovely time but no time to blog. Last weekend we did the sabar workshop in Walberswick - Suffolk - where it all began in 2005. It was wonderful going back there. Modou (our teacher) has been sick though and had to go to hospital but he's coming out today.I'm in P's van by the canal which is frozen solid - I've never seen that before. There's no running water as the source is frozen so they've gone with some containers to get water from the village! I'm going back to Bristol today for a couple of days then off to Scotland for someone's 50th in Inverness - it'll be bitterly cold up there so I'll have to go very well prepared - I'll be playing a set for them at the party. I played a small gig in a local pub in Hook Norton last night - it was good to do something in this area for a start although there was hardly anyone there - which strangely made me feel more nervous than a larger crowd ha ha! Next week I'll be off with P to see a boat he's been working on in Belgium then we'll call in to see my daughter and lovely new grandchild again. Anyway - that's it for now. comments {5}Nottingham7:18 PM - Fri 31 October 2008I'm in Nottingham for a couple of nights at P's daughter's place. Tonight we're going to a Halloween gig at a local pub which should be a laugh.My daughter's baby is due on Nov 12th but the head's engaged and it could be any time so I'll be a granny soon! Exciting...... Have a good weekend everyone! comments {0}Hello from Cropredy8:40 PM - Mon 27 October 2008I've been away with P since my gig on Thursday night when he turned up unexpectedly in Bristol to support me.The gig itself was pretty ropey - the venue was one of those pubs where people aren't really there to listen to the music but to get really drunk! I didn't feel I played particularly well but they've offered me more gigs there and at other pubs organised by the same bloke so I'll think about it I guess! 
P stayed Thursday night then we came to Cropredy on Friday for one night before going off to Nottingham for a night at his daughter's. Yesterday we went to a brilliant party at friend's place - the sort of party that starts in the afternoon with a Sunday roast then carries on till the last person's standing! It was really pleasant and I was able to join in a couple of good music jams with my flute and also some people jammed along to my tunes as well. Today we went for a lovely walk while the sun was out and jumped on a friend's narrowboat for a short boat trip to Cropredy for a bit of shopping. That's it for now....... comments {4}The Haven7:00 PM - Fri 17 October 2008
A picture of me with both my kids at a lovely place in Bristol called the Haven yesterday. comments {5}Wales7:50 PM - Mon 13 October 2008Had a great weekend in Wales - the weather was more like the summer. Here are some pics:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...=637503707 comments {5}Woops - what an idiot!4:49 PM - Wed 8 October 2008Just back from another lovely weekend with P - the sun actually came out a couple of times.On Saturday I played at a gig at Easton Community Centre which was all very difficult - the bass player went home before we'd played as it wasn't clear what time we'd be on (though we were on about 5 mins after he left) so I had to re-jig the set very fast plus the sound was dreadful on stage (no monitoring). It went down alright anyway and the other acts were pretty good - lots of drumming and African acts. 
The weather forecast for Sunday was dire so I decided to drive to Cropredy that night so didn't get there till 2am tired out. Sunday we had a lovely meal on a friend's boat after spending the day in Banbury for Canal Day 
On Monday P had to go and fix someone's central heating on another boat so I said I'd walk along the canal later to join him for some lunch. He gave me directions (very simple) - cross the bridge and turn right along the canal path - go past a couple of bridges and you'll find me on the boat - about a thirty minute walk. Doh - simple you'd think? I missed the path, got slightly lost, could n't find the path so went round the back of someone's house adjacent to the canal - there was a bit of a drop down to the canal path so I thought I'd jump - it wasn't far.... Unfortunately I caught my foot in an unseen root and flew through the air onto the tow path right knee first - somehow I didn't smash all the bottles I had in a bag to take to the re-cycling place. It hurt like crazy but I didn't really investigate the damage and carried on walking as after a few minutes the knee went completely numb. Maybe that should have worried me..... When I arrived at the boat (about a mile or so later) I had a look and discovered my knee was quite badly split open and I ended up on P's insistence having it checked out at Banbury Casualty Dept. Just an unpleasant clean out job and stuck back together with Steristrips! What a fool - I've been hobbling around all bruised ever since but it's nothing serious thankfully. Friday we're off to London then to Wales for a party in Moon Palace then actually spend some time in Bristol next week for a change. By the way - I've written a new song - the lyrics are HERE comments {6}Tribe of Doris - Part 24:19 PM - Tue 26 August 2008I'm so sorry but I didn't take a single photograph!It was a wonderful and busy week - there's a big choice of workshops every day culminating in a performance on the last evening to the rest of the camp. I participated in the advanced intermediate Djembe with Mokoulou Swane who's a strict but very good teacher. The rhythm we learnt was tricky and I thought I'd never get the hang of it as there was so much to remember, but we got there in the end. The other workshop was my usual sabar drumming with Modou Diouf which was fantastic as ever. Apart from that, I dropped into several workshops as an observer including baka song. I also sang two songs at the Doris open mic - it didn't go very well but hey - you can't win them all and it stops me getting too cocky ha ha! The weather was erratic with quite bad wind and rain at times but I was snug in the Moon Palace. The closing ceremony was wonderful with performances from the complete beginner drummers and some hand bell ringers. I can't begin to describe what a wonderful week I've had musically, creatively and personally........................ lovely! Watch this space. PS: I did take a few pics after all! 
comments {4}Tribe of Doris12:19 AM - Tue 19 August 2008Apologies for the long silence - I've had a house full of people for a weekend of drumming and we're off tomorrow for a week's summer school in Devon.This will be the last big trip of the summer and the weather forecast is crap but thankfully with the Moon Palace I'll be fine. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I'll take pictures and be in touch in a week if not before. Last time I went away my mobile broadband dongle didn't have coverage and again I'll be in a field in the middle of nowhere so I probably won't post again till next Weds or so. So, keep well and bye for now xx comments {9}Acrobatics and more10:12 AM - Tue 12 August 2008I'm back from doing a sabar gig in Suffolk for someone's birthday. It's a long way from where I live but it was lovely to be there anyway.We practiced all day and then performed in the evening at the party. It was supposed to be outside but it was pissing with rain and very windy so we had to perform inside. 
The aerial gymnast couldn't perform till Sunday morning but I was lucky as I popped back to get my drum and got there in time for an impromptu performance. 
I stayed with a friend on her farm for two nights then came back via my son's in London and got back yesterday evening tired but happy. 
This week I have a gig on Thursday evening here in Bristol then a crowd of people coming for a weekend sabar workshop and then from there we all go off together a week today to the Tribe Of Doris summer school for a week of drum and dance. That's it then - the end of a wonderful summer of drumming and festivals in the van and it'll be back to working on my website and trying to get airplay for the album plus recording new songs that I've written and looking after the more mundane stuff of my life....got to be done! Here's a LINK TO MORE PHOTOS - CLICK comments {3}Back from WOMAD4:10 PM - Mon 28 July 2008What a fantabulous weekend I just had at WOMAD. Compared to last year's horrendous mud fest that many of you will remember the photos of!I have to confess that I didn't take any photos this year due to having been too busy having fun and listening to wonderful music.... The acts were magnificent from all round the world and the whole atmosphere of the festival was marvellous. For such a big festival (around 40,000) it is very trouble free and a beautiful setting at Charlton Park. So, sorry about no photos - I'll have to do better next time (don't worry it won't be long - I'm going to the Big Chill this coming weekend and I promise to get some pics this time! comments {8}Where to start???4:12 PM - Mon 21 July 2008It's been a while since I posted here due to being away and the Efx crash!Not sure where to start......... People who haven't read about Drum Camp the post is over on my Vox blog. After that I spent two lovely days with a friend in Essex then went to Whistable to stay with my preggers daughter and her hubbie. We had such a wonderful time and there are lots of photos over at Facebook We visited an absolutely amazing place called The Grotto at Margate - the actual town seemed like the backend of nowhere - ghastly place but the Grotto was extraordinary - rumoured to be 2,000 years old - certainly no Christian influences or images GROTTO PHOTOS CLICK We spent the rest of the time enjoying ourselves with their friends and going to the beach and the local Whitstable Regatta MORE PHOTOS CLICK EVEN MORE PHOTOS CLICK HA HA HA!! For those who can't be bothered to click the links here's just one for fun: 
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WELCOME! This blog is about my travels, original music and songwriting, drumming, festivals and gigs mainly from Bristol, UK. I also post about my everyday life and happenings. Please respect that any song lyrics are copyright Chandramoon and shouldn't be copied without my express permission. There's a link here called Song Lyrics which will take you to my second blog dedicated to posting my lyrics. There's also a link called Chandra Moon's Music direct to myspace where you can listen to some of my tracks. Now available on iTunes  
  
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