Topic: Euroweenie 2012

[blueshome]

Act your age Bob!

[Richard]

Actually Bob, the truth is the pneumatic lady in question has a slow puncture.

[bob long]

She probably feels we're letting her down...

[Richard]

Yes, she was quite upset being all physcologically (phonetic) pumped up do do her act. Don't tell Phil, but I've also learnt that he first met her when she used to double as double as barage balloon in the war, which war I'm not sure.

[blueshome]

Actually it was eBay Richard, or that's what you told me.

Never mind only 52 days to go to we meet in Milford-on-Sea.

[Richard]

Damn, you're right I was confusing the two.

[Laura]

Hello everyone.  A very kind person directed me to this website, and this thread in particular as I was looking for people in the UK interested in country blues and had been unable to find anyone! ( I clearly wasn't looking in the right places).

I am pretty excited to find that there are get togethers and events like this going on. - and in the south, even better - but I have a few questions about them.  I have read through the thread so apologies if I missed the relevant posts.. I've only been playing for around 3 years so to attend do you need to be a certain level? Do you just pay for the accomodation costs or are there extra fees for workshops etc?

Unfortunately I found this a little late and don't think I could make it this year but would be very interested in attending similar workshops and certainly Euroweenie 2013! Also it would be great to hear from people around here (I'm in Wiltshire) who play country blues guitar or just enjoy talking about it.

Cheers
Laura

[Richard]

Well Laura, welcome to wonderful world of a weenie weekend!

The weekend extravaganza that I "put on"is for all weenies and since you have been brave enough to sign upas a said weenie then I don't see why you shouldn't come along and enjoy the fun 

Seriously, come along all you have to do is book in the hotel and say you want the blues weekend rate. The weekend's activities are totally free, totally al fresco andsubject to change, the sole object of the thing is get together those that like country blues. Whatever playing level you are at makes no difference, evan as a non-playing weenie you would be welcome so we will hope to see you there and who knows you might even enjoy it 

We hope to see you there and so send me a message if you have any queries.

[Adam Franklin]

Hey Laura,

There are a few Country Blues acts in your area. I've got some dates in Salisbury later this year myself.

I'm hoping to make Euro Weenie if I'm not playing. It'll be my first time.......they look friendly......mind you my Mum said that on my first day at school.

Adam.

[blueshome]

Laura, even if you can't make the weekend, come down for the Saturday, you will be made very welcome. Don't worry about your playing level, we've got those amongst us who have been playing for 30 years and still aren't very good.

Also, are you aware of the European Blues Association and their events? Nothing to do with Weenie Campbell but most UK weenies have attended their events and support the organisation.
 www.euroblues.org

[Parlor Picker]

... we've got those amongst us who have been playing for 30 years and still aren't very good.

Talking about me behind my back again Blueshome!!

Seriously Laura, it would be good to have some new blood - and reading between the lines, I guess your're not an old bloke with a beard, like so many of us. It would be refreshing to see a new face. Don't worry about musical ability, you'll be made very welcome. In fact, I look forward each year to the social aspect of meeting up with old friends just as much as, if not more than, the playing.

[Laura]

Sorry, I'm going to be really boring and say I can't make it this year ... I don't drive so the cost of the trains/taxis plus accommodation would just be a bit too much with it being next month and also a little off the beaten path.  I am really disappointed though because you are all making it sound like such a great weekend.

Phil - I looked into the idea of just coming down for the Saturday but again it's more the problem with transport than anything else.  By the way, thanks for the EBA link - looks like they have lots of good stuff going on.  Is it worth the membership fee to sign up?

Great music Adam - I will definitely keep my eyes open for those Salisbury dates!

It's a shame you don't do this twice a year, but well done Richard on organising it - as I said I will certainly plan to be there next year and who knows I might be quite good by then !

Parlor picker - No, I'm not an old bloke but I could probably work on growing a beard if you think it might help   

[Richard]

Well ain't it a pity, ain't it a shame..

I don't know where you live, but since people appear from all over there might be somebody coming your way and could give a lift.... you could always ask!

If not, well think of next year and maybe the EBA thing for the campus week in Northampton it's brilliant.

Keep playing!

[Rivers]

Laura, funny, I see from your pin you're in Swindon or thereabouts. I have a story for you.

I lived in a one room bedsit there for a year in a house full of crazy people in the mid 70's welding for a living. I was aiming for a commercial diving ticket on the North Sea oil rigs in a vain attempt to buy a farm and retire young.

My folks had moved to Lydington Hill so I could drop in on the weekends. Got my scuba cert (after first actually, yes, learning to swim in the Swindon Baths), got a TOPs grant to go to commercial diving school in Fort William if I did my time in industry, and a promise of a job from Comex Diving in Aberdeen if I learned to weld, courtesy my Dad, who worked for an oil company. So I went to the local tech college to learn welding. I was, and still am, pretty crap at it.

Spent a year welding, fitting, cutting, riveting, rolling, pounding a sledgehammer, etc in a Swindon shop that reconditioned and built buckets for draglines, diggers, dredgers and various other weird and extremely large and heavy contraptions, which I would hitch up and dump into my workspace with an overhead crane. Dark night of the soul, but a lot of fun. All the older guys were deaf from years of leaning on riveting guns, I always wore ear protectors.

In the evenings I would attempt to improve my darts game (still fairly mediocre) and drink a lot of beer in the local pubs. After a year of it, just when I could have gone to Scotland for the dive course, I decided I didn't want to be a commercial diver after all, after reading screeds about saturation diving, bone necrosis and the accident rate. I got on a train and moved on. I still have a twinge of regret I didn't just go on and do the commercial dive course, and then walk away.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Played guitar throughout but admit I had lousy influences in music at that point, it was the mid 70's after all. Moved back to Brighton, then to Germany, then NZ, now happily domiciled in Texas.

Anyway, give my regards to Swindon, my old home town for a while, and home of the very wonderful band XTC (after my time). Saw Elvis Costello on his very first tour in a disco in Swindon town center.

[blueshome]

Laura,

Final call..... Check out this http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/timesandfares/SWI/BCU/210412/0800/dep/210412/2000/dep

We can pick you up from and drop you at Brockenhurst which is only a few miles from where we meet.