the confidence of youth

lemongrove----the song came long before our piano move. Anyway, Fred's piano was an old upright wiv fings wot 'old the candles!

What a lovely positive post fennel it really gave the flavour of giddy 'can-do and have a laugh while we're doing it' carefree days of youth. Thanks for sharing and making me smile

Top of my bucket list is to play a station piano. There seem to be quite a lot dotted about but I have never been able to pluck up the courage to sit down and play one! I have only once ever seen anyone else playing one.
Congratulations to the youngsters who got yours into a van, fennel; I hope they manage to find, and can afford, a piano tuner when they get it off again - they will almost certainly need it ?!

chicken......is that where the ‘right said Fred’ song came from?

You have told us many times that you voted Remain.
Oh dear, DH says I repeat myself
but that's because he never acknowledges what I say

Yes, the traditional pianos are very heavy and every time they are moved they need tuning.
When we sold ours I was ashamed to see all the cobwebs lurking behind it - it was far too heavy to move although we did get it tuned regularly.

And go for it, Jalima!
Perhaps not tonight as DH has gone to sleep although I feel quite wide awake having slept through Blue Planet

New Year's Resolution!

We've had many a piano, grand and upright, moved in or out of our house, always by professional movers, and it can be quite a hairy business. Years ago, a couple of small brothers came to move a large grand. They were very quiet and polite and got the piano on end on their trolley when it slipped. In a totally expressionless voice, not raised by one iota, the smallest brother said" Oh Fred, you have dropped that piano on my toe." On another occasion, the movers had to get an upright piano up a narrow flight of stairs and round two sharp bends. They looked at the access ( or lack of it) and said to me " If I were you, madam, I'd take a little walk down the garden right now while we sort this out"-- so I did. How they managed, I shall never know, but I expect the blue air was a lubricant!

Too true, loopyloo.
A more appropriate requiem for my dear piano:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNOmN3YVL0

Earlier this summer, some young neighbours of mine were moving from their house near me, to further up the village. They borrowed a flat bed truck to move their furniture and dozens of black bin liners, stuffed to bursting. Between our end of the village, and the bit that they were moving to, is a very steep hill with a blind bend right at the top. They set off, fully loaded. Just as they got to the blind bend, a large van came towards them at high speed. Brakes were slammed on, everything shot to the back of the truck, the back flap shot down and their furniture and black bin liners were scattered far and wide! The road had to be closed for a couple of hours whilst they collected their splintered furniture. And the daft thing was that if they'd turned their truck around before they set off, they could have gone along a perfectly flat road with no bends at all. But "the other way was quicker" apparently

Ah pianos! They are very heavy. Frankly now I would always pay for a piano moving company. Our piano is in an alcove and the radiator had to be taken off to get it in. I gave myself sciatica trying to move the piano.

harrigran wrote
"Love the idea that the young man was buying it for his girlfriend."
Me too. I'm feeling quite emotional about parting with it, because I've had so much pleasure since childhood from piano-playing. but now various arthritic problems make it impossible. I was never an expert btw.
Nowadays not many people want to play the piano, it's all electronic keyboards. and the cost of transport is high.
I got an email back from the young man, to say he had arrived home safely, no problems.
And go for it, Jalima!
Also, Varian's comment about Brexit had entered my mind too. I believe in general the younger generation voted to stay in Europe. It's good to see them taking an interest in politics, and more credit and respect should be given to their views and energy.
God knows, the older generation on both sides aren't making much of an impact.
As a ps, a youtube recording of a historic piano performance:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZX_XCYokQo
Skip to 5 mins to start the music.

When we had our extension done the lovely young builders carried my piano from the lounge to the music room, they said it needed moving so they would make it happen.
Love the idea that the young man was buying it for his girlfriend.

Go for it, Jalima

Well, we have a large keyboard that someone lent us; unfortunately we got rid of the piano when DD left home. I had lessons but then assured my mother I just could not cope with all my homework and piano lessons so gave up. One of my regrets, especially when I hear DD playing.
I did buy some simple music when we still had the piano but I didn't seem to progress much!

I do knit so fingers are still going, but they do stiffen up sometimes.

Perhaps I'm too cautious and should just 'go for it'!

I didn't say you were a leaver Jalima. You have told us many times that you voted Remain. No slings and arrows were directed at you. I am just agreeing with you that piano lessons could take anyone's mind off the subject of brexit for a short while.

Unfortunately piano lessons, or other pleasant diversions, will not solve the problems, but good luck anyway. I hope you can still enjoy playing, and well done for giving it a go with your fingers not as flexible as they once were. We went to hear a brilliant pianist playing jazz the other night and really enjoyed it. I hardly thought about brexit at all while we were listening to him.

Yes, varian, how on earth did a thread about young people's confidence and moving pianos attract Brexit? It certainly wasn't mentioned by us Remainers!

Jalima1108, I have had vague thought about my wasted piano lessons at school and whether it would be a good idea to find a piano or even a keyboard to see if I could go back to playing, but I don't suppose I would practice any more now than I did then. Are you in a part of the country where you could arrange to rent a piano for a while, just to see how your fingers cope?

Why do I need to take my mind off it varian?

And who said I was a leaver?

Your posting needs to be considered a bit more carefully before you start chucking slings and arrows.

Isn't it interesting how often the GN leavers bring up brexit? I never mentioned it, but now it's been raised I have to agree that it does overshadow everything. Perhaps piano lessons might take your mind off it for a little while.

Do you thinking taking up the piano again at my age might be hard varian? Bearing in mind my fingers are not as flexible as they were.

I would welcome your opinion.

We can only hope that we don't stop learning even at our age. although varian has a point - and made me wonder whether or not to take up piano lessons again

I asked DD how she was going to manage to move her piano when she moved house (a very long way, no van!!). 'Oh, I'll manage somehow' she said! I must ask her if she did manage it.

We once sold a three piece suite to a young couple who turned up in a flat bed pick up type vehicle to collect it.In the pouring rain.With no cover to put over the top.
We said we would lend them a cover, and they promised to return it the next day ( they only lived a couple of small villages away.)They never returned it.

DH and I have been chuckling over the fact that although we know many capable and optimistic young people there are some who if left in charge of a milk float would have us thinking, Gawd help us!

Good job not all older people are full of anxieties and cautiousness.

Blimey. Totally unnecessary Varian. And mean. Why are Remainers forever being nasty to people who voted differently from them?
I was cautious before I voted and weighed up all the options. There were risks both ways. No one can predict the future.
Cannot believe you took yet another swipe on this thread.

Merlot The polemical threads often seem to flare up over a weekend - makes me wonder are people so bored that they pick an argument?

Lucky piano buyer, hope his girlfriend is thrilled.