New Legs for Barney

This is Chuffy the Cornish Chough. He was knitted by my mum and is usually to be found sitting on my bedside cabinet (which hardly ever looks as tidy as it is here).  He always seems very content, but I did sometimes worry that he might be a bit lonely. 

Back in July, when the sun seemed to shine every day, the Ukes of Azzard were invited to entertain the crowds at Soudley Village Fete. During a break in our stirring performance I wandered around the stalls, chatting to stallholders and hoping to find some memento of the day. One stall was especially interesting as it was displaying a fine collection of knitted birds, just like the ones that adorn mum's home. I wish I'd taken a photo of them all; they were a splendid sight.

It occurred to me that this was a chance to bring home a friend for Chuffy. Unsurprisingly, there were no choughs, so I bought him a big, fat, brightly coloured blue tit.

Five months later Barney the Blue Tit was not in the peak of health. As you see, his long legs were no longer able to support his obese body, even when Chuffy was around to lean on. Fortunately, though, help was on hand, for mum was spending Christmas with us and she'd brought along her dicky-bird knitting pattern book.

Mum carefully inspected the sick creature and concluded that Barney's legs were too near the back of his body, and that shortening them would also greatly improve his health.  The necessary surgery took place over a couple of days, with Chuffy looking on anxiously from the lounge sideboard.  

I'm delighted to report that Barney has made a full recovery. He's very pleased with his 'new look', not least because he no longer towers above his friend. But I do think that he needs to go on a diet!

FUN in Gloucester

FUN stands for 'Friends Ukenited' - an informal group of players drawn from ukulele groups in Gloucestershire and beyond.  They've featured several times on this blog, but this was the first time I'd been able to join them since lockdown. To my delight, I was greeted like a long-lost friend, with hugs and kisses.

It was cold!

The guy on the right with his festive red jumper and low-slung ukulele is our amazing leader Terry, who somehow keeps us all playing and singing in time and in tune.  "We never practice together," he explains to the small group of onlookers. "Perhaps you can tell!" I'm on the far left - playing, singing and gradually freezing.

Many of the FUN events either take place far from my home, or on days when I have other commitments, but when this one appeared on the group's Facebook page I immediately put it in my diary.  

Being Christmas, we rattled through our Winter Songbook with old favourites such as Jingle Bells, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Frosty the Snowman and (of course) Merry Christmas Everybody.  I also found myself singing a little Hawaiian (Mele Kalikimaka), Italian (Dominic the Donkey) and Spanish (Feliz Navidad).  Next year, Cornish maybe?  "Is there a good one?" I ask myself.

My only disappointment was that that there weren't many people in King's Square to hear us. Quite why the local Rotarians (the business folk of the city?) set up their stand in a place where there were no shops is a mystery to me, especially as buskers were playing to large crowds in nearby Eastgate.