(24-11-2025, 12:05 PM)Veggie Wrote: I certainly didn't make my harmonium! I rescued it from a chapel "Up the Valleys" that was about to be demolished. We loaded it onto our trailer and drove it back to Cardiff. I had this terrible urge to sit with it in the trailer, pedalling and playing as we drove home!Sounds great. Do you play? Or is that a silly question. I only got as far as three blind mice (badly), brother on the other hand...... he restores organs.
It was actually unplayable as the mice/damp had damaged the bellows. However, I found a gentleman "down the (Tiger) Bay" who knew all about restoring harmoniums (?harmonia) as he was from the West Indies where there was a hamonium in every chapel, apparently.
Some months later, the harmonium was returned, beautifully polished and full of puff.
Its a full workout to play it, while your hands play the keys, your feet pump the pedals, right, left, right left and......to increase the volume you push against big wooden levers with your knees. Addtionally, there are "stops" to alter the tone of the keys which you pull out manually,
The critical action is the pedalling. The slightest hesitation and the music stops!
Its good fun.
The image of you playing it on the way home conjures up an image.
Gardening is an excuse not to do housework
Greetings from Salisbury

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