sing it back

I came across an old old friend form my childhood today.
It was amazing was to be transported back to my wayward teenage years. No wayward as you may think, as I was a huge music geek.
As a cellist I played in orchestra (the Canberra Youth Orchestra) and sung in a choir. No ordinary choir at all Gaueamus was a collective under the baton of Judy Clingan, whom was a pen pal of Tolkien I found out today - she penned music to all of the songs in the Hobbit which I sang heaps during this time.
We would meet at least twice a week and sing - play recorders ( I can play them all from soprano to bass) and many early instruments, crumhorns, dulcimers and viola de gambas.

Then there were the camps - we would tramp down to Caloola farm and make music and performances together for a week during the school holidays. I grew up in this family and today looking back I realise this is were I found my creative bent that sent me on the path I now tread. We were given the freedom to discover our loves and pursue them in this wonderful group. I would sew all the costumes and uniforms - I saw some of my creations a few years ago in a retrospective in Canberra.
Although I am so far removed from myself back then - the journey through my 20's saw a huge change for me personally and I left that person behind, it still makes up a huge part of whom I am.