5 on Friday -- Set 244 -- The Thanksgiving Edition

Photo courtesy of the Graphics Fairy

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

This weekend is all about giving thanks here in The Great White North.

To all of my readers, friends and family -- I wish you many blessings on this Thanksgiving.

1 - The Green, Green Grass of Home -- Tom Jones

2 - Thank You -- Led Zeppelin

3 - Thank You For the Music  -- ABBA

CLICK HERE to watch the video

4 - Counting My Blessings  -- Bing Crosby

5 - How Great Thou Art  -- Elvis Presley

5 on Friday -- Set 243

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

Now that October has arrived, it's time for my monthly feature for 5 on Friday -- The Hit Makers.

Once a month I'm going to feature the songs that launched careers. I'll be looking at different musical styles and the groups or singers from those styles who I love the best.

Here are five of my favorite Australian bands and artists, and the songs that brought them to the masses.

1 - Highway to Hell  -- AC/DC -- 1979

Ten years ago, if you had asked me whether AC/DC would be on my list of favorite bands, I would have looked at you as if you'd lost your mind.

The Supernatural soundtrack changed all of that.

2 - Who Can it Be Now -- Men at Work -- 1981

3 - Original Sin -- INXS -- 1983

Oh, how I love INXS and Michael Hutchence.

4 - Don't Dream It's Over  -- Crowded House  --  1986

As someone who loves collage, it's no wonder I was highly attracted to this mixed-media video when it first came out.

5 - Spinning Around  -- Kylie Minogue -- 2000

Although technically Kylie came to prominence with her Loco-Motion cover in 1987, her career did a bit of side-tracking for awhile. Her current dance-club music career really launched with this 2000 hit.

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5 on Friday -- Set 242

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

My writers' group had a busy weekend last week, making our second appearance at Word on the Street in Halifax. That's me above with fellow Romance of Atlantic Canada authors Jennie Marsland and Donna Alward at the opening reception, which took place at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design's Institute of Applied Creativity on Saturday night.

As I was heading out following the reception -- just before the East Coast literary awards were about to start -- I bumped into Stephen and Jeanie Kimber. If you can seriously believe it's been basically 30 years ago, I was the Kimber's nanny (mostly for their youngest, who is now 30!) Stephen went on to win the Evelyn Richardson Non-fiction award for What Lies Across the Water: The Real Story of the Cuban Five. 

On Sunday, RWAC prez Taryn Blackthorne and I set up our table which was then run by rotating teams from our group. Thanks to everyone who took part!

This week's set is dedicated to writers everywhere as we carry on, shaping our stories no matter that there are only 24 hours in a day, unexpected emergencies, day jobs and unco-operative fictional characters that won't behave while we're trying to get our word counts. 

1 - One Way or Another  -- Blondie

2 - Hit Me With Your Best Shot -- Pat Benatar

3 - Tubthumping -- Chumbawamba

4 - I Won't Back Down  -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

5 - Follow That Dream  -- Elvis Presley

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5 on Friday -- Set 241

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

I'm still in a ballet state of mind -- music from my favorite ballets has been going through my head all week as I readjust to being back in the office at my day job.

All pieces feature my favorite Russian dancer Vladimir Shklyarov from the Mariinsky Ballet.

So -- let's get seated, watch the lights go down, the curtain go up -- and on with the show.

1 - Adagio -- Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K488 from Le Parc --  composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This lovely piece of music has definitely been going through my head this week. Mozart is mainly associated with lighter music, but I've always been a fan of his darker, more emotional pieces.

I absolutely love the 'high-flying kiss' section of this dance piece, which starts at the 6:15 mark and ends at the 7:00 mark.

2 - The Young Prince and The Young Princess from Scheherazade -- composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Another beautifully sensual pas de deux...sigh...

3 - First Galop of the Prince from Cinderella -- composed by Sergei Prokofiev

And now for something completely different. The piece I'm referring to begins at the 17:08 mark and ends at the 18:19 mark.

It's the perfect rushing-around music.

Of course, if you also wanted to check out the romantic closing pas de deux beginning at the 39:25 mark and ending at the 44:35 mark, I wouldn't discourage you. 

4 - Pas de deux from the Le Corsaire -- composed by Adolphe Adam

5 - Finale from Etudes -- composed by Carl Czerny

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