Snake Oil Circus

So, another busy day! I can't believe this is, technically, a "holiday", whatever one of those is these days!

I rushed round doing bits of housework - and finally got the washing out of the machine that had been washed 3 times since I kept forgetting it and leaving it in the washer for ages. Then I headed off to Scharwenka's to see him (and got to see the cute kittens again - although even *I* know it wouldn't be sensible to take one, no matter how tempting, because we really are at capacity as far as felines are concerned), and had a quick snack before departing again.

I spent the afternoon volunteering at the mental health charity, based in East Oxford, that supported me when I was trying to get well enough to get back t0 work (the charity the "job lady", mentioned in earlier blips, works for). Every so often they run a series of workshops to help people build confidence and to let them try out various things and meet up with other people.

One of the workshops provided during these weeks is a music workshop, which I help lead (in fact, there are two this week). My colleague does most of the preparation (although this time I provided the music for her) and leads the workshop, and I provide extra support and play the keyboard.

It always strikes me as odd that I'm a shockingly terrible piano player compared to most of the musicians I hang out with (rusty grade 7ish, although with ambitions to do grade 8 one day - I will, really I will, probably when the Open University courses are finished), but in this context I'm a complete expert, and they think it's amazing to have someone who can play the piano and busk a few chords or play a melody for them or whatever. The keyboard is usually dusty and superannuated, and has little stickers on each key with the names of then notes, er, rubbed off them by now, except at the extreme treble & bass ends, but the response to me playing it is always rather startling.

I arrived a bit early for the workshop (or rather, it started a bit late, owing to a meeting), and had a rather surreal experience beforehand when a woman who was there to tell people what colours suited them, etc, offered to "do my colours". I sat in a chair looking in a mirror while she placed all sorts of different clothes round my shoulders. Apparently I'm predominantly "dark" and also "warm", and should wear dark colours, including purple (phew, got that right), red, blue, black and, more surprisingly, brown!

I have to admit though, that I usually buy whatever's cheapest where clothes are concerned, and my rule about what to wear in the morning is something like "if it's clean, and it fits, and I can find it, then stick it on". Clothes are not really among my top interests, and, if I'm honest, I think that, as a species, we made a mistake losing our fur!

After the workshop I had about an hour and a half to spare, so I tootled up to the big Pets at Home to get a few more bits for Laura. I spent quite a lot of time looking at the small pets there, including a cage of Roborovski hamsters. Roborovskis are the smallest and fastest of all hamsters (Laura's a Syrian, and they're relatively bit and slow in the hamster world). The Roborovskis were MAD! Absolutely tiny, and obviously just woken up for the evening as they were bouncing around all over the place. Adults grow to about 5 cm maximum, so they really are MINUTE!!!

Having reassured a couple of kids (around 10ish) who were trying to persuade their mum to let them have hamsters (and failing) that they WOULD have them one day, even if they had to wait until they were 40, I departed back into town to the Albion Beatnik bookshop.

The Wonderspouse was having a "do" in anticipation of his forthcoming 40th birthday (he doesn't tend to do much on his actual birthday because it's in the middle of winter and plans often get scuppered by snow), which was a very pleasant evening.

For me, the highlight was a performance by these wonderful people, who call themselves Snake Oil Circus. Storytelling, belly dancing, exotic music and singing, all wrapped up in a little dramaette - great stuff! And beautifully done too! I'm no critic, and I can't even describe it very well, but it was fab! :-)

Afterwards I went to fetch some chips because I was starving (meals seem to be a bit thin on the ground at the moment), then we drove home, arriving back about 13 hours after I'd departed - it really isn't worth opening the curtains these days. The Wonderspouse fed the felines, and I came upstairs to give the rodents their evening treats!

Then wine, bath, and bed.