It’s a Small Worlds After All

August 15, 2009 on 6:58 pm by Michael Grey | In News, Pipe Bands, Whinges | 7 Comments

BBC’s live streaming of today’s World Pipe Band Championships worked beautifully. In one marvelous effort the BBC has transformed, in one big-servered swoop, the perception of the the grand event as a need-to-be-there happening, at least for observers. A good set of speakers and high speed internet access provided any listener, anywhere, with at least as sound a listening post as those on the Green tenth row back from the ropes. To those who have never attended the event the broadcast has allowed a look-in to how things work and gives a fair representation to the scale of the event. To those pipe band zealots who have been (many times before, like me) and couldn’t attend, BBC’s magnanimity provided a fix that helped ease the angst of not being there.
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Memorable

August 10, 2009 on 1:21 am by Michael Grey | In Stories | Comments Off on Memorable

I write this while standing outside the entrance doors at Paris’ CDG airport; a cloud of smoke enveloping me as a dozen smokers take their last, desperate pre-flight drags. The flight home awaits but not before a few moments of quiet(ish) reflection.
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Lorient Cheese Nazi

August 4, 2009 on 2:55 pm by Michael Grey | In Pipe Bands, Stories | 6 Comments

Just as you should expect the music at the festival is superb. I’m still savouring the great tunes delivered by the first grade bagads at Saturday’s competition. It seems to me the best bagads play with a level of musicianship that exceeds even the best of pipe bands. It’s inspiring.
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All Wet in Lorient

August 1, 2009 on 7:57 am by Michael Grey | In Stories | 1 Comment

After a seriously long journey to Brittany (7 hours by plane, 8 hours by bus) we arrived. I suggest anyone planning to head to Lorient from Paris travel by high-speed TGV train (a 3 and a half hour journey) instead of bus (as mentioned, 8 arse-numbing hours).
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