Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IT'S been a great week, apart from an extended dose of conjunctivitis, that is, and it started off very jovially with around 20 students from St. Christopher's School visiting me at the Radio Bahrain studios.
They were accompanied by their English teacher Phil Hunter who hails all the way "aye man" from Newcastle and art teacher Jackie Clark.
The excursion was in recognition of the kids' great work during term. I started things off by putting a funny young guy called Gavin into the 'hot seat' and getting him to kick off the programme by saying "Hi, this is Krazy Kevin ... and welcome to the Midday Madness Show".
I then had fun interviewing an assortment of students from Year 6. I even interviewed Molly Whitaker (for whom we all sang Happy Birthday) - she's a lovely kid and she dedicated an old song to her dad, Martin, of BIC fame, who is apparently quite stuck in a 70s time warp.
Sorry Martin we didn't play your all time favourite artist, Jethro Tull.
All too soon everyone had to leave the studio for a tour led by our resident tour guide and sometimes newsreader, Nadia Swan. I'm really looking forward to seeing the kids' future project all about television and radio.
The fun continued and later in the week I dj'd at a surprise 40th birthday party for Emma Garrett. A lady called Elen (who was one of the conspirators/organisers) contacted me about the event a few months previously.
To say that she kept me updated on developments would be an understatement! She was wonderfully determined that her friend's party would be both perfect and fantastic.
She called so often that my wife Wendy began to suspect I might be been having some kind of an elicit relationship. It was purely, professional.
The theme for the night was 'Carnival' and on the night everything went marvellously. Some of the costumes that people wore were just astonishing and simply out of this world.
Emma was resplendent in a gorgeous red dress and her husband Richard swept her off her feet as they danced to 'Lady in Red' by Chris de Burgh.
The event kicked off with some wonderful fire dancing and acrobatics from Darian, Mohammed and Hussein.
The setting in the grounds of Tim and Lisa Doyne's house was great and I was lucky to be in lovely marquee with (best of all) a big air conditioning unit blowing straight at me. What a fabulous night; my weary head hit the pillow at around 3am.
The next day was Friday. Wendy had been looking forward to some culture for some time and that night her patience was rewarded! Have I told you previously that when she was younger (or as she says, in a previous life) my lovely wife was a professional ballet dancer?
Well, she's been brought up with classical music and me, well, I do have a pretty vast knowledge of music but, the closest I got to learning anything classical was remembering the advert for Hamlet cigars (I'm not advocating smoking - but it was a great ad!) Which I have been reliably informed is JS Bach from orchestral suite No 3 in D Major, or otherwise known as, Air on a G String!
Air on a G String; doesn't that just make you chuckle?
The day before the event I'd interviewed Baritone Nathan Tripp (otherwise known as good old Nate). He sang a few bars from some of the pieces that were being performed by the Manama Singers and he certainly whetted everybody's appetite for the forthcoming concert.
We arrived at the venue (the Gulf Convention Centre) with anticipation and great excitement (mostly on Wendy's side).
But I've got to say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself too. I even discovered an instrument that suited me perfectly. So loud, so brash! I'd have loved to have a go on it; the Anvil!
"What"? I can hear you saying. But honestly, there was a piece written by Giuseppe Verdi (think that might be Joseph Green in English) called 'Il Trovatore'; the 'Anvil chorus', where they actually play an anvil.
For the concert it was borrowed from a Bahraini blacksmith and during the piece a very lucky percussionist got to bang the hell out of it.
It looked very satisfying and I could've just about managed to get it right, I think. I'd certainly have fun trying. I also enjoyed the way the conductor held everything together.
Hats off to Alistair Auld & Co for a wonderful uplifting night of entertainment in Bahrain - which unfortunately is pretty much starved of things like this, sometimes for months on end.
The next day, after some cajoling from Wendy, I bit the bullet and finally went to see a doctor about my yucky gunky eyes.
He threw the drops I'd been using in the bin and got me some new ones which gave almost instant relief.
He also took a look in my ears and made an appointment for me to see an ear, nose and throat specialist; The ENT doctor managed to remove a large wad of wax from one of my ears that I didn't even know was there.
Wendy's also been pestering me to see a dentist... ever since a big chunk of one of my fillings fell out the other day. Sigh!
We blokes just hate seeing doctors and dentists and such. If only you could go and get everything sorted at once - like getting your car serviced every 10,000 km. That would be just so much better.
Anyway, here's hoping for a happy and somewhat healthier week.
Keep looking after yourselves too.
Krazy Kevin
