A few weeks ago, DH was a little bit coy about the contents of a parcel that had been delivered to our home addressed to him. I assumed it was a Christmas gift for one of us and I therefore didn't think anything about it any more.
Cut to this morning: An 8am mist; Alphabet Street, Fulham.
I am alarmed by an ALMIGHTY drone that must have pierced the ear drums of EVERYONE in the vicinity. I immediately went into the back bedroom, looked through the sash window and saw DH prancing around in the garden in his silk dressing gown and velvet slippers with what appeared to be a set of BAGPIPES.
I was still in my nightie (VS) and reading Bea to my DS4, so I put on my own gown and slippers, marched downstairs, walked past the WM wallpaper, past the Aga, through the Crittall windows, and told DH to "stop at once".
The pipes let out a sorry whimper. But at least they stopped.
So what was going on?
My DH has decided to learn to play the bagpipes.
Truth be told, I am not completely opposed to DH learning to play bagpipes. After all, he did achieve Grade 8 Clarinet and Piano (ABRSM of course) and is musically gifted. We met at the Caledonian Society at our University (i.e. reeling balls etc.), and we are both one-quarter Scottish. We are not opposed to Scotland generally, but we don't drink Buckfast as a rule. Bagpipes, however, are another question entirely.
I asked DH why he had bought pipes and why he had decided to wake everyone up on a Saturday morning (DH works in an industry that cannot exactly excel if judgement is questionable). He said that his old college had asked him to pipe in the Haggis at Burns' supper in January. After persistent questioning, it is still not clear to me why anyone at his college had the impression whatsoever that he was a piper.
With an open mind, I asked DH what his practice sessions were likely to involve. He said that he intended to practice in the garden consistently every week at 8am on Saturdays so that "at least the neighbours will be expecting the noise" (even going so far as to suggest that they might find it comforting) and that he would "try to keep the noise to a minimum". Of course, anyone with any modicum of sense will know that with pipes keeping "noise to a minimum" is impossible.
Due to a prior experience involving how we came to acquire our Setter, I am slightly concerned that DH doesn't actually want to learn to pipe and is in fact using it as a bait-and-switch for something equally as ridiculous for a man his age (but not quite as bad) such as the electric guitar.
It's also not clear to me why DH bought his bagpipes in Royal Stewart (shudder) when we obviously have a clan tartan.
We are going to a friend's Hogmanay this year. I couldn't help notice that one of the tunes DH was playing this morning was Auld Lang Syne. Due to his relatively proficient performance this morning, I have the distinct impression that he must have been practicing in his office with a chanter for quite some time.
AIBU to say that DH cannot practice bagpipes in our garden at 8am on a Saturday morning? Where else can he practice? Does anyone have any ideas please. I want to support DH as much as possible (after all, he pays the bills).
p.s. Did anyone else in Fulham hear the unfathomable din?