In the bleak Market Square...

[woolymonkey]

The Parkside Federation Orchestra, featuring the Not So Little Monkeys, set forth boldly this morning to bring Christmas cheer to Cambridge shoppers (and collect money to pay for PFO sweatshirts).
The music teacher had arranged permission for them to play outside the Guildhall. Rain being even worse for violins than for Small Monkeys, they huddled next to the Guildhall, under the concrete colonnade of Lion Yard.
"Ho, ho, ho, Little Monkeys," said the Jolly Fat Security Woman. "You can't stand under there in the dry because it's private property. You'll have to stand six paces forward where the rain can get at you."
So they did. With various large, kind monkeys holding umbrellas over the little monkeys with wooden instruments.



"This is still not good," said the Jolly Fat Security Woman. "If you stand in front of the colonnade, you obstruct the pavement.  It's not up to me. I don't make the rules and my boss won't come out in the wet, but I'm going to have to inform the police. And they will move you on. Or arrest you. Yes they will."
"Fine!" said assorted, stroppy, large monkeys. "Bring 'em on. The Cambridge Evening News will just love this and it'll be great publicity for the orchestra. Though maybe not so good for your boss and Lion Yard."
"That's not up to me," said the Jolly Fat Security Woman. "I have to call the police."
"Look!" said woolymonkey. "I have a camera. It takes videos too.!"
It's amazing how fast a jolly fat security woman can move. We didn't see her again until she came back to say how very very happy she was that the orchestra could now play under cover of the colonnade.
"But next time, you need a proper permit from the council."
So the band played on while the shoppers shopped and the parents clapped and cheered. They played Jingle Bells.  They played God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  And Instant Concert and Merry Christmas Everybody...  And everyone got very very cold and possibly a bit grumpy.
Then we went home to thaw out.
Phew!

Comments

[smtfhw.livejournal.com]

What a jobsworth! Good for you for standing your ground...

[dharma-slut.livejournal.com]

It's amazing; I can hear your teeth grinding as you type!

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I still think you should have sung the H P Lovecraft Choral Society versions. VERY VERY LOUDLY.

Bloody appalling behaviour from JFSW and am astounded that orchestra people did not arrange permit for alternative-venue-in-case-of-rain (er, assuming they didn't, as opposed to her saying they hadn't). Am vaguely intrigued as to whether permission from That Shop They Were Outside would've sufficed, or whether the Private Property was administered by another entity.

and GO YOU for "I have a camera!"

hope you've all thawed now.

[porridgebird.livejournal.com]

GO YOU, cameramonkey! Huzzah!

That picture makes me shiver just looking at it. But it's the violin case wide-open in the rain that's really killing me. Yikes!

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Quite! It felt good--but also cold.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

That's progress. This morning, they were grinding and chattering.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

You have a point. The letter telling us where to meet was sent out a couple of weeks ago and said the wet weather venue had "yet to be confirmed". We didn't realise this would still be the case today.

It does rather depend on what the permit actually says, since we were close enough to the Guildhall that I was pretty much leaning my back against it as I took that picture...

The problem, apparently was that the Salvation Army Band had already booked Lion Yard, but they were, in fact, outside Lion Yard, leaving the nice, warm, dry, location inside (where the PFO played last Wednesday) completely unused. It seems "no room at the Inn" re-enactments are part of the seasonal celebrations.

And the were singing "Freddie the red-brained mi-go", but after we got home.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Lucky she didn't know my phone was off at the time and it takes me about half an hour to press all the right buttons to fire it up...

Oh Lord, the violin case! It's not spidermonkey's one. I think we were all getting so wet trying to keep the actual violins dry that no-one noticed the case filling with water. Let's home nobody put a nice dry violin in it to take home...

[artaxastra.livejournal.com]

Go you! And yay for Orchestral Little Monkeys!

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

Thank you! They have one more concert on Wednesday (in the school hall, for the old folks).

[justawench.livejournal.com]

Good grief, she sounds like a little caesar. "I has a tiny bit of power over other people!" I'm glad the kids were able to spread some Christmas cheer despite her antics.

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

I think defeating her only added to the fun!