This week's author
Monday
Monday of this week started as usual with PT - good for some, not so good for
others! Sick Parade seems to be getting bigger by the day!
A pretty normal day at work in the buglers' world. With assessments coming up
next week I'm starting to get a bit panicky about my rudiments pieces and repertoire,
wondering what I have been doing all term!
Monday evening was spent behind the ironing board with duvet covers, sheets and scrubbing sinks in preparation for rounds, nice - this was followed by a short trip to the pub.
This week's author
Tuesday
We were up early to get everything ready for weekly rounds… Yawn Yawn! A fairly normal working day again and then working late in the evening. Us buglers were going through our repertoire for the forthcoming assessments, it's all right for the musicians they get to have the dots in front of them but we've got to have it all committed to memory and it's not so subtle when we muck up on Parade Band! Just before we secured for the day we went into the Concert Hall with the musicians to rehearse Sunset and General Salute for Thursday's gig which I wasn't on.
Wednesday
In the morning we got a tiny bit of a lie in as there was no Parade Band due to hearing tests going on in the Buglers Suite, Hurrah! Mind you it wasn't much of a lie in. The afternoon's RT period consisted of an Athletics Tournament at HMS Temeraire. People were selected to do activities that most had never done in their lives, so it was rather amusing watching some of the events, specially hurdles. Ha Ha! Never the less we did quite well and a few of us were up on the podium collecting gongs (medals). I took part in the high jump - (which was a miserable failure & rather embarrassing) and the javelin which I came second in and collected a silver medal YES! I only threw the javelin 10 metres so it shows that the others were really bad! Unfortunately the afternoon turned out to be a bit of a disaster for others. Bug Vyse went over on a bad knee about a metre away from the finish line of the 200 metres it was all very dramatic he looked like he was being shot by a machine gun - he should be in Sunset Beach! My bugler buddy Mr Keeping got halfway round the 5000 metres and tore his hamstring and had to be stretcherd off and taken to hospital by ambulance. Later on that evening I was just about to tuck into some delightful Nelson scran when I had a phone call from Musn Hall needing me to pick her and Mr Keeping up from the hospital because she had broken her toes playing hockey.
Thursday
I think the PTI's were rather amazed at the size of Thursday morning's Sick Parade; there were crutches and limps everywhere. Those who were still fit and walking then went on to do the BFT which most of us managed to pass in good time. Thursday was the Alton gig and as Bug Keeping was hobbling about on crutches and Bug Lowe was hobbling because he'd injured his ankle, I was put on the gig. The bus departed at 1300 but I decided to go separately with Scottie. This was when I discovered that my map reading skills have gone seriously down hill, since basic training! We got there eventually and when we did, all we did was get changed and wait… and wait… and wait. Because we only had a small part in the concert, we finished rehearsals at 1430 and were not needed again until 2100. What a life! Unfortunately when we did go on I split the first note of Sunset; I was gutted. Afterwards there was a free bar in the Fire Station… so we made the most of that! The only trouble was we didn't get back till very late and had still to do our kit for Parade Band.
Friday
On Friday morning it seemed as if our prayers had been answered as the heavens
well and truly opened to pour it down with rain and Parade Band was cancelled.
From there the day just got better, we were secured from work at stand easy
in the afternoon due to the previous evening for which we were very grateful
as the eyes were starting to close all on their own. Next week we buglers have
our assessments - fingers crossed!
Life in the Bugler's Practice area