Latest happenings

And so Autumn turns to Winter, the nights drawing in, fires lit and hail rattling on the windows. And after something of a pause in activity, not helped by continuing sinus problems and this and that antibiotics etc., it's back to work getting caught up with orders and new instruments started...





Pibgorn in D - yew body with natural
cane reed - £165 - SOLD



Pibgorn in D - oak body, natural
cane reed - £150 plus postage - SOLD




Pibau cyrn in D - leadwood with metallic detailing.
Plastic chanter reed for maintainance-free playing.
- £450 plus postage. SOLD

  A bright spot in September was a gig we did (Estron - me and daughter Danny on pibau cyrn, Micky on ukulele and Holly Robinson on octave fiddle) at Haverfordwest Beer and Cider festival in the ruins of the castle high above the town. We did one set, not so good, on a stage set up down in a dark hole by the castle wall with piss-poor PA and flapping tarpaulines overhead. Couldn't hear each other play so all in all rather less than tight. Then a second set out in the sunshine playing unamplified among the punters quaffing ale at picnic tables. Much more our kind of thing - plus there was a guy there with a djembe we invited to play with us which raised things another notch as well.

Not so good was the recent death of our good friend and fellow musician with Heb Enw Morris, Brian Wood, from cancer. He'll be missed by us all.







Brian and myself outside of Bessie's
in Cwm Gwaun a couple of years ago...





Just a normal Summer

It seems like it's done nothing but rain since the beginning of June right through to now, getting towards the end of August. But there have been brighter patches despite the damp and gloom...
One such was at the Bagpipe Society Blowout where along with the sunshine we had some great music from the `Daughters of Elvin' and the Swedish pipes of Olle Galmo and Erik Ask-Upmark with Goran Hallmarken on gorgeous sounding hurdy-gurdy.

And Estron - our band with me and daughter Danny on pibau cyrn with Micky on soprano ukulele (though Holly with her fiddle was missing) - had a chance to do a set in the sunday afternoon concert.

The next weekend was also fine and saw me driving up to Chester for the annual `Minstrel's Court' which re-enacts the giving of licenses to perform on the streets of the city.

Some of the `minstrels' playing in the entrance porch of
the church of St. John the Baptist, Chester.

Simon Pickard with the set of medieval
double-pipes he had from me at the Blowout.

The weekend after found us out with our Morris team - Heb Enw Morris - dancing at our local Steiner school's summer fete - another fine day sandwiched between the showers.

Danny pipes up for our version of Dilwyn with members
of the audience joining in.

Since then, well the rain really has stopped play and all we can do is hope for a dryer start to the Autumn and a chance to get some haymaking done on the farm...

New Chanter fitted to an old set of pibau cyrn for a customer
holly pipes in cherry stocks with brass ferules.

Stitching the seam on a bagpipe bag for a set of
`bacbib' - the veuze based loud Welsh pipes

Current pipes for sale...

Below are the pipes I currently have for sale plus a few I've recently sold so you can see what kind of things I've been working on recently:

Pibau-cyrn in D, yew, with hand carved square chanter.

Tenor drone, 1 octave below chanter, tuneable to D or E.

Fitted with plastic chanter reed. £450 - SOLD

Pibau-cyrn in D with unison drone tuneable to D or E.

Plastic chanter reed for ease of playing. £450

Pibgorn in D, lancewood body. £165 - SOLD

Pibgorn in D, chestnut body. £150 - SOLD

Double pipes - 3 finger G. Bass drone in G.

Chanters fitted with plastic reeds for ease of tuning.

£450 - SOLD

Pibau-cyrn in D. Wild cherry. Plastic chanter

reed. Tenor drone tuneable to D or E. £400 - SOLD

Pibau-cyrn in D, yew, with unison drone tuneable to D or E

Plastic chanter reed. £400 - SOLD

Pibgorn in D, yew with natural cane reed.

£150 - SOLD