Oops!

Yesterday I managed not to play, again. We had curtain rails to put up, curtains to hang, the aftermath of some decorating to tidy away, dinner to cook, a cake to bake... Something had to give.

Progress at the half way point isn't looking too bad. Father John is, if not quite shining like a national guitar, at least reasonably buffed up. Women is also improving, with more control now on the opening bars of the B part. More elbow grease required for Sleat, which my fingers still run away with.

Perth is doing well. I'm no longer confusing the 3rd and 4th parts, or forgetting the 3rd part, and speed is picking up nicely. St Valery still needs work. The 2nd and 4th are less likely to get confused but I'm not always getting the variations on the repeat of the 2nd part.

Barren Rocks first part is fine, the second is OK sometimes. I'm less convinced that it sits well with Atholl, which is requiring quite a lot of remedial work. The 4th part considerably slower than the others, the 1st having a tendency to be too fast, too untidy.

Flanders seems to be going the same way as the Creeks: lovely tune, recognise it when I see it, never hum it, can't play without dots, rapidly losing interest...  Lindisfarne and Planxty I think I am sometimes humming in parts, but neither tunes falls easily under my fingers, and a couple of note changes sound rather odd to my ear. In theory I like them rather a lot, but my fingers just haven't taken to them and I fear both will fall by the wayside before too long.