So, Day 1… Jenny and I went to school and caught a train from Thurston to Stowmarket. Then we caught the train to Colchester. There was a weird Indian guy on the train that was singing to himself in Indian, and then started talking to me! He told me that his dad’s a pilot, London was expensive to live in and that we have a new PM called Gordon Brown (well unless I’ve been living in a hole, I think I would know that!)! He just wouldn’t stop talking! Then he asked for my name, so now I’m called Lucy Stokes! He wanted my number too, but I said no.
When we got to Colchester train station we said goodbye to the Indian guy (!) and then couldn’t figure out where we were meant to meet the Army people. We didn’t even know what they were going to be driving, whether they’d be inside the station or outside or what gender they’d be! So Jenny stood at the back entrance and I stood at the front. Jenny bumped into a boy with a trumpet (James, 15) and he was on work experience with us too!!!
I finally spotted someone outside in greens and asked them if they were for the work experience people and she said yes. She was called Hailey and was really nice and friendly. When Jenny and I got onto the minibus we met Ian aged 17, trombone, and Chris aged 20, French horn. We didn’t know at that point how long we would all spend in that little minibus!!!!
When we got to Colchester barracks we looked round the music block and it was amazing! I’ve never seen such good music facilities! IT WAS SOUND PROOFED!!!! But then we had the joys of a three hours drive down to Worthy Down, the other side of Twickenham!
Think this post may go on forever!!! So, day 2! We had a horrible greasy breakfast at Worthy Down and all said we weren’t eating there again, and then we had an hour and a half commute to Kneller Hall in Twickenham.
When we got to Kneller Hall the rehearsals had already started as we’d been held up slightly by traffic on the way. When Jenny and I got to the flute section of the band I heard ‘So who’s Joes niece?’. Took me a couple of seconds to realise that was me (they call Mick Joe for some peculiar reason)!!! Then I got sat at the front at 1st flute next to a nice man called Richard and a girl studying at Kneller, but the only thought running through my head was ‘OH SHIIIIIIITTTTT!!!! HOW AM I GOING TO PLAY THIS MUSIC!!!!!’. After calming down a bit I got talking to Richard and he was really nice. He gave me his flute case to put my flute case into for when it rained as we were outside on what’s known as the Rock. It’s really just a staggered stage. When it did rain, everyone ran for cover under trees so their instruments didn’t get wet, and the electric piano and percussion were covered in a big sheet!
Surprisingly enough, we stayed there for dinner, not eating at Worthy Down after the greasy breakfast! Then we had to travel back.
The next day we had a McDonalds breakfast! T’was good! Then it was on the Kneller Hall. There we had rehearsals again in the morning and then we had to wait and hope that the concert wouldn’t be rained off. While waiting we had a look around Kneller Hall itself. It wasn’t really much on the inside, but it was really grand on the outside. Then we went and watched the Rubycons audition for Rhythm Force II. Hailey was the basest and it was really good. They did some covers and then they sung there own song (I think that was the best one they did!), however we didn’t find out if they got the job or not.
Then there was the concert. It was the highlight of my whole week! It was amazing!!! We waited behind the rock (raised stage area) with the other work ex people at Kneller Hall, and one of the trainee conductors for some other country waked passed and one of the boys said (a little to loudly!) ‘Why’s he dressed as Aladdin?!’.
Then when we got on the rock, there were so many people in the audience! We played and I just wiggled my fingers in some pieces as they were far too hard! Then in the finale there was fireworks going off over out heads! It was amazing, however I jumped so much first time that I almost dropped my flute!!!! Then we all had to stand up and play God Save the Queen. It was absolutley FANTASTIC!!!!
We didn’t get back that night until about 12, and we were up the next morning at 5.15!!!! This was day 4 and we went to London to look at the Wellington barracks and watch the changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. We got there at 10 and it wasn’t until 11.30! So we (the work ex people, Hailey, Oli, Rolly, Baz and the BM, I think!) went to St James’s Palace. We were followed by a weird man who was wearing a Gandalf outfit and then suddenly just ran off in bare feet! You do see some odd people in London! This was the result of our visit to the palace:
Then we watched the changing of the Guards and Hailey and the boys were playing guess the tune. I did feel quite silly as I hardly knew any of the pieces!
After that we went to Pizza Hut. All 13 of us! Then on the way out of London, when Baz was driving a taxi pulled out in front of the minibus and Baz shouted out ‘The fucking twat! Basterds in London!’. This was soo funny as they weren’t meant to swear in front of us and Hailey just turned around and said, ‘He said twit.’ Well, it made us giggle at the time, but I suppose you had to be there.
After that it was another 3-hour drive up to Lincolnshire. There we had a dorm for 20 people (2 rows of 5 bunk beds) for the three of us! We had some fun with the camera on timer!
And there Jenny couldn’t make her bed!!!
The next day was our last day *sad face* and we had a go at marching while playing our instruments!!! My lyre didn’t fit properly and kept on falling off (well that’s my excuse anyway!) and it was soooooooooooo hard! I kept on steeping out of time and on the wrong foot! And then everyone else stopped marching, and I carried on!!!! But it was a fun experience and it’s definitely something that I need to work on!
After that we all watched a passing out parade in which the band was playing. It was quite interesting really with all the ceremonial stuff that happens.
Then we had to go home which I was very sad about. I wanted to stay with them, especially as they were going to Belgium the week after!
And if you’ve read through all that you have far too much spare time. Either that or you’re avoiding doing something productive! (That was the reason for me writing it in the first place!!!)
2 comments:
Hehe, I read it all but only cos I was there too and wanted to make sure there was nothing bad about me in it!! :P
Of course there was nothing bad in it!!! But i was very tempted to but the picture of you asleep in it!
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