MOBO Awards 2013 - VOTE NOW!

...and for those of you who do not know what MOBO stands for, it is Music of Black Origin.
Laura Mvula  is up for five awards.  Laura and the band (with my youngest daughter Iona on harp/vocals) will be playing at the Awards Ceremony at 9pm on BBC3 this Saturday 20th October , and 11.15 pm on BBC1 on Sunday 21st.

There is still just time to vote for Laura at   http://www.mobo.com/voting2013

For a reminder of her fabulous songs, here are the band on last month's North American tour performing on the David Letterman Show ...

and in Chicago...

Unfortunately the videos from the Today show in New York, and the Jimmy Kinmel Show no longer seem to be available.

For those of you who are in North America, watch out for their November tour which may be coming to a venue near you!  - link to schedule as follows   http://www.lauramvula.com/events

STOP PRESS - LAURA MVULA WINNER OF MOBO BEST FEMALE ARTIST AND BEST R & B / SOUL AWARD!!

Laura beat Jessie J and Rita Ora in the MOBO Best Female Performance 2013 group.   I will put a link to the MOBO ceremony later in the week.

With a different hat on.

Just to show I am not always wearing smelly trousers and a weird gold helmet, here I am with my judge's hat on at the Welsh National Show a few weeks ago.  The lovely horse is my Part bred Welsh champion Stanleygrange Regal Empire, bred by Jerome Harforth.

A Missionary in Belgium

I had a lovely unexpected surprise on Wednesday when Kris Annaerts and Sabrina Proost from Belgium turned up on my doorstep.  It transpired that about ten years ago Kris had bought Cwrtycadno Cenhadwr, a young colt that I had sold to Holland and subsequently lost track of.  Quite a timely re-discovery as he is a full brother to my 2013 Royal Welsh Champion Cwrtycadno Perlen (see previous post) and the first foal by Cwrtycadno Cymro.  He was called Cenhadwr (the Welsh for missionary) as we had just moved into our present home Ffrwdfal House which had previously been set up as a religious retreat for returning missionaries, and the colt was one of the first ponies I exported to the continent.
 At the time he was born he was a great disappointment as I was eagerly hoping for a filly foal, but had to wait another two years!  However he has landed on his feet, or should I say hooves, leading a fulfilling life as a marathon driving pony.  Kris and Sabrina gave me lots of photos and video clips of him in action.  Here he is in his role as lead pony in a tandem.....

 

.............and in action at Hatrival ...........

 





Cloud Nine

Absolutely thrilled to bits that my Welsh pony mare Cwrtycadno Perlen trotted her way to victory last week when she was awarded the Overall Welsh Pony Championship at the Royal Welsh Show, arguably the highest accolade in the Welsh Pony showing world, and a once in a lifetime achievement for most people.   It was particularly gratifying as it is the only time I have won it as an owner-breeder.  

 

 

Many many thanks to Tom Best and David Blair of the Waxwing stud (where she has been on lease while I have been riding in foreign parts) for producing and showing her so superbly once again - last year she was Reserve Female Champion.  A tremendous effort considering these have been her only two outings as an adult! 

 

 Perlen (and handler Tom Best) receiving the Coed Coch cup from judge Meirion Davies of the Heniarth stud, Perlen apparently fascinated by the cup!  She also won the Queen's cup which is awarded to a different livestock section every year - unfortunately no longer by Lizzie in person!  And of course a coveted gold Welsh Pony and Cob society medal to add to her silver and bronze ones.

...a proud and excited owner who had just scrambled over the fence into the ring, with Tom and Perlen - the pony may look resigned, but she can now afford to rest on her laurels!  Photo taken by visiting Ozzie friend Toni.

Unsurprisingly the bubbly came out in force at home, and not least because our Dutch guests Geert Verbaas and Marit Timmermans won the Junior Mare class with their lovely mare Stougjeshoeve Emilia and also a third place with a two year old filly.
Other successes were a 3rd place in the yearling colt class for Coriolan de L'Aurore out of my mare Cwrtycadno Colomen (on loan with Ingrid Delaitre who took the lovely photo of Tom and Perlen in middle), and 4th place in the two year old colt class for Debbie Thomas's Waxing Glimmer who is out of my mare Cwrtycadno Glain (on loan with Perlen at the Waxwing stud).

And in the unlikely event that there is someone out there who will not only be as transfixed as me but also can understand Welsh, here are links to S4C video clips of her winning the Senior Mare class.......
http://s4c.co.uk/sioe/cgi-bin/2013.pl?rm=vt&vt=181&l=c
and the Overall championship............
http://s4c.co.uk/sioe/cgi-bin/2013.pl?rm=vt&vt=194&l=c

I can't Get No Satisfaction........

....as the Rolling Stones belted out last night on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.   But plenty of satisfaction for youngest daughter Iona, performing on the same stage earlier in the day in Laura Mvula's band - here is a Iona's eye view .......

 

Link to Laura's set  ..... Laura Mvula Glastonbury 2013

 

..... and they even got to hobnob with the Stones backstage afterwards............

 

Playing the part and mooching round Glastonbury like a rock star with her minders...actually fellow musicians James and Karl ..............

 

 

 

On Wednesday she collected the new electro-acoustic harp especially made for her by Pilgrim Harps

 

 

She is delighted with it but has yet to play it in a performance - she decided Glastonbury two days later might not be the best time for a maiden trial!

 

Iona the little Marble

Video of my little girl playing to an audience of 10,000 at the O2 Arena in Laura Mvula's band.  Look out for her singing and clapping next to her harp on the left.   Paloma Faith was the other artiste at this venue.

This coming Saturday 29th June at 2.00pm they will be performing on the Pyramid Stage (the main stage) at Glastonbury as one of the supporting acts before the Stones in the evening!
Watch out for them - Iona will be playing the new electric harp she has been sponsored by Pilgrim Harps and which she is collecting mid week!   Looking at the TV Guide, Laura is specifically scheduled to be on BBC3 between 7 - 8pm on Saturday evening, although there is also coverage of the festival on BBC2.

Dr Who?.....

......Dr Julia Harper of course!   I am happy and proud to report that no doubt as a direct result of the hours spent poring over her thesis in the lorry during the Ireland ride, not to mention the perceptive and penetrating questions I posed, Julia's viva last Monday June 4th went with a boom bang a bang, and she successfully acquired her doctorate.  But please do not mention post modern hybridity or Habermasian theory (wasn't he in a pit or something?) to me ever again.