The Next Act at Platform 4

Carlisle Community Choir have been together since October 2012 and trod the boards in public for the first time yesterday at Carlisle's Citadel Railway Station.  We serenaded passengers as they arrived and waited for trains and were featured in this Radio Cumbria round-up report. We are about 45 minutes in and you can hear some of our singing and comments from our audience.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p018rbsz

There are a few video clips on the Carlisle Community Choir Facebook Page to look at if you have sufficient interest in our fledgling musical adventure.

Taiwan Blog

 

Polly's trip to Taiwan seemed like months away for ages and it has sneaked up on us in the last few weeks. Here she is with bff Maia this morning waiting for the bus to pick them up in Penrith. And they look rather good in their peacock blue hoodies. Despite the early hour and very cold morning.

So they will be arriving in Taipei tomorrow afternoon (local time) which will be about 6am here. And they are writing a blog while they are away so for more news of what they get up to you can check http://www.cumbriataiwan.blogspot.com/ which I believe will be updated regularly. (Just in case she doesn't get round to writing postcards to you all.)

She will have some utterly memorable experiences and I am very happy to be able to let her have this opportunity. But I am her mum so I will miss her enormously and be happier still when she comes home in 12 days time.

Nina

Stray kittens don't come along very often. And, being fairly helpless, furry young mammals, they are very hard to resist.  Add to that the clamours from one's own human offspring, and there was no way this little bundle of fluff was ever going to leave when she found us on Friday.

She has gained weight and confidence. And she shows no favouritism in the family. She is resting her front paws on my left hand as I type this with my right index, and purring peacefully. Her once dirty and matted coat is now soft and looks a great deal whiter. After all the stroking and food and love she has received she is definitely looking and feeling a lot better. Polly has proved to be an expert at spotting and picking off ticks. We have lost count of how many ticks have embedded themselves in Nina and gorged themselves on her blood and Polly has calmly taken on the role of tick nurse.

Nina has befriended all the humans in the house. The remaining challenge for her is to win over Mouser, who has enjoyed unchallenged dominion here for some five years.