What a week!

We are back home from what has been an fantastic couple of days away in Newfoundland. Thank you to everyone for your good wishes as we journeyed up to the edge of the world for the Canadian Folk Music Awards. My little one was an absolutely amazing travel partner… she charmed everyone we met…

We were picked up in St. Johns by Jean Hewson – what a sweet lady! She is one of the organizing committee members and had a huge role in putting together the gala… and yet she still found the time to come pick us up at the airport… this is the kindness and graciousness of the people of Newfoundland that is evident everywhere you go. They all have such big hearts! Everyone calls me “Luv”… She and Frank helped us get settled into our hotel room (both are amazing musicians, by the way).

On Friday, we had some media stuff to attend to. There I am on stage in the theatre, singing Dle Yaman a cappella, while the camera is on me, I am surrounded by other nominees who are standing about, my little one is being held by a children’s singer who is also nominated, and she is watching me intently… and I try to remain very focused… as I begin to sing this extremely moving, almost sacred song, my little one lets out a wee yelp… she isn’t crying, just singing along… and I try to not get distracted but I am smiling in my heart… miraculously, she is able to stay quiet for the rest of the song… and I am still singing, still smiling…

Saturday is windy and cold and we try to brave the weather… but alas, the wind is too strong for us innocent ones… I mean, I can actually see the wind, not just the effects of it, but the actual pale white movement of cold air through the sky! It is quite something. The rest of the Maritimes are covered in snow, so I am thankful for only wind and cold rain.

And I so thankful to be back in a city where when I ask for a cup of tea the response is: with cream or milk? Yes!! I remember the first time I asked for tea in the South and the waitress asked, unsweetened or sweetened and I was stumped for a second… or another time when the waitress searched high and low for a tea bag for my hot tea (I now knew to ask for “hot tea”) and she proceeded to find one lone tattered tea bag from the back room… oh what fun!

Nothing like a good hot cup o’ tea while you are watching a wind storm from inside the warmth of a cozy inn…

Sunday’s sound check went really well… the theatre was beautiful and the sound guys were great… Gord had arrived late Saturday evening (or should I say early Sunday morning…) but he played with the same beauty as always… We were all concerned about the oud because apparently there is only one other oud on the island and it is in need of repairs… but Air Canada treated the oud well. Gord’s plane might have been delayed, but the oud was in fine shape…

Tags: Canadian folk music awards, music, nomination, performing, singer, tea