Va sheshoon kiaullee mie ayns my hie fastyr jea. Cha daink agh nane fer elley, as chloie shin carryn Erinagh, son y chooid smoo, er y feddan stainnagh, er y feddan ishil, er y gitar as er y conserteen. Chloie mysh my cavaquinho noa (sorçh jeh gitar beg voish yn Phortiugal) chammah. Chionnee mee strengyn noa er e hon yn çhiaghtyn shoh, er yn oyr dy row strengyn neugheyr er tra hooar mee eh as chaill eh y carr dy mennick. Nish t’eh tannaghtyn lesh y carr, fo ny harrish. Foddee by char dou ynsaghey cloie carryn son cavaquinho voish yn Phortiugal nish.

There was a music session in my place this afternoon. Only one other person turned up, and we mainly played tunes from Ireland on the tin whistle, the low whistle, the guitar and the concertina. I also played my new cavaquinho (a kind of baby guitar from Portugal). I bought new strings for it this week because it had not very good strings on it when I got it and went out of tune all the time. Now it stays in tune, more or less. Maybe I should learn to play a few tunes for cavaquinho from Portugal now.

Moghrey jea chouds va mee gobbyr, hug carrey yllagh çhellvane hym as chur ee feysht orrym dy row mee çheet dys y possan feddan millish ny nagh row. Yarrood mee dy bollagh dy row shin cloie y moghrey shen, as hie mee dys tie my charrey dy tappee lesh my feddanyn millish. Lurg kirbyl ren mee thooilliu obbyr, as chloie mee er y phianney as er y gitar.

Yesterday morning while I was working I got call from a friend asking me whether I was coming to the recorder group or not. I completely forgot that we were playing that morning, and hurried off to my friend’s house with my recorders After lunch I did some more work, and played the piano and guitar.

Fastyr jea ren mee shuilgey tooilley smeir, as ren mee broit ad lesh ooylyn voish my villey ooyl. Ren mee sconnagyn lesh ooylyn as sultaanaghyn chammah. ‘Syn ‘astyr hie mee da giense y possan coloayrtys Frangish ec thie carrey. T’eh cummal ayns thie mooar faggys da’n ollooscoill ayns paart jeh Bangor nagh row mee oayllagh rish. Dee shin feill vart bourguignon lesh praaseyn broojit as poanreyn-glass, as va key riojey son puiddin. Va y lhongey feer blasstal. Ren shin coloayrts ny lei jinnair, as goaill mee arrane ny ghaa.

Yesterday afternoon I picked some more blackberries, and I stewed them with apples from my apple tree. I also made some apple and sultana scones. In the evening I went to a friend’s house for a French conversation group party. He lives in a large house close to the university in a part of Bangor I wasn’t familiar with. We had bœuf bourguignon with massed potatoes and green beans, and there was ice cream for pudding. It was a very tasty meal. We chatted after dinner, and I sang a few songs.

Va fliaghey ayn bunnys feie’n laa jea, myr shen cha jagh mee magh. Ayns ynnyd jeh ren mee beggan da obbyr, chloie mee ymmodee greieyn-kiaull as lhaih mee lioar – laa sampleyragh v’ayn.

It rained most of yesterday, so I didn’t go out. Instead I did a bit of work, played various musical instruments and read a book – a typical day.

Dobbree mee er m’ynnyd-eggey moghrey jea, as va sheshoon kiaullee mie ayns my hie fastyr jea. Chloie shin mastey cliaghtagh jeh carryn voish Nalbin, Nerin, yn Roosh as America.

I wokred on my website yesterday morning, there was a good music session in my place yesterday afternoon. We played the usual mixture of tunes from Scotland, Ireland, Russian and America

Chrìoch an cùrsa an-dè agus dh’fhàg feadhainn againn. San oidhche chruinnich sinn ann an Cafaidh Ostaig agus sheinn sinn òrain le chèile. An uair sin chaidh feadhainn againn gu taigh-òsta Àird a’ Bhàsair airson deoch no dhà. Air an t-slighe air ais sheinn sinn òrain glè aisealaiche ann an Albais.

The course finished yesterday and some people left. In the evening those who were still around gathered in Café Ostaig and sang some songs. Then we went to the Hotel Ardvassar for a drink or two. On the way back we sang some very funny songs in Scots.

Bha cuirm-chiùil samhaidh ann an-raoir le Màiri Anna, Finlay Wells agus Lorne MacDougall. Sheinn Màiri Anna òrain le com-pàirt na fir, agus ‘na aonrachd, agus sheinn na fir le chéile agus ‘nam aonrachd. Tha buaidh aig Finaly air an ghiotàr, agus tha buaidh aig Lorne air an phìob agus air an fhideag. Sheinn an clas òrain le Màiri Anna an òran ‘Seo mar rachinn Fhèin is Thu’, agus sheinn Màiri Anna òran lena màthair.

Madainn an-diugh thàinig màthair agus dhà antaidh Màiri Anna chun an clas, agus bhruidhinn iad mu dèidhinn beatha ann an Roag, agus iomadh rudan eile. Bha sin gu math ùidheachail. Sheinn iad òrain rinn cuideachd.

Feasgar an-diugh chrìoch an clas gu moch agus bha àm saoire againn. Rinn mi cuairt bheag timcheall Slèite le càraid às na na Stàitean Aonaichte. Chaidh sinn trìd Tarsgabhaig, Tòcabhaig agus an t-Òrd, agus gu Dùn Sgathaich. Bha na seallaidhean math dha-rìribh.

There was an excellent concert last night with Mary Ann Kennedy, Finlay Wells and Lorne MacDougall. Mary Ann sang with accompaniment from the men, and on her own, and the men played tunes together and on their own. Finlay is a very accomplished guitarist, and Lorne is pretty good on the pipes and whistles. The singing class sang ‘Seo mar rachinn Fhèin is Thu’ with Mary Ann, and Mary Ann sang one song with her mother.

This morning Mary Ann’s mother and two aunts came to the class and talked about their life in Roag, where they grew up, and many other things. It was fascinating. They also sang a few songs with us.

This afternoon the class finished early and we had some free time. I went on a little trip around Sleat with a couple from the States. We went through Tarksavaig, Tokavaig and Ord, and visited Dunscaith castle. The views were wonderful.

Bha seisean math ann anns an Talla Mhòr an-raoir, agus sheinn mi an fhideag ìseal agus an bodhrán. Bha mi i mo leapaidh mu aon uair deug, ach bha daoine eile a’ seinn gu dhà uair, agus bha iad uabhasach sgìth an-diugh.

Bha madainn bhraonaich ann an-diugh, ach tha i nas tiorma a-nis. Dh’ionnsich sinn sia òrain ùr an-diugh: puirt à beul, òrain luaidh, Eilean Sgiathanch Nam Buadh (òran gaoil airson an t-Eilean Sgitheanach), agus Sìos Dhan An Abhainn, tionndadh Ghàidhlig de Down In The River to Pray. le Kenna Campbell, màthair Mhàiri Anna.

There was a good session in the main hall last night, and I played the low whistle and the bodhrán. I was in my bed by about 11, but others were singing and playing until about 2am, and they were rather tired today.

It was damp this morning, but it’s drier now. We learnt six songs today: some mouth music, a couple of waulking songs, Eilean Sgiathanch Nam Buadh (a love song to the Isle of Skye), and Sìos Dhan An Abhainn, a Gaelic version of Down In The River to Pray. by Kenna Campbell, Mary Ann’s mother.