Doris's diary

Feb 2010:

Margie quit her job in the gym & is now back doing mobile outdoor personal training which is much more fun. She is still passionate about teaching her Les Mills classes - BodyPump & BodyBalance. She has been busy doing groundwork training of her baby horse Milo. In February he goes back to his breeder for breaking in so it will be very exciting to be able to ride him soon. After a fairly dry spell, she is in the middle of a flurry of songwriting, due mainly 2 the aquisition of her take-anywhere Backpackers guitar.

Jane went to Summersong with her sis Sara and her man Neil and is still coming down from the buzz. Both she and Hanly are hanging out to do some gigs.

August 2009:

Written by Jane:

The more we sing, tiddly pom, the more this thing, tiddly pom, the more this thing called Doris pleases me....Oh what a busy Winter we’ve had. Spent a blissful week with Sara and H at Melati Cottages, making music and doing yoga with our friend and fabuloso yoga teacher Katherine Riding. We are currently working on gigs for the upcoming busy Spring and Summer season and hope to see you at a gig sometime soon. Our dear friend Brenda Chapman is recovering from a recent operation and both H and I are hanging out to see her this weekend. More music news soon.

June 2009:

Written by Jane::

A sort of bad thing happened on the way to 2009. My beloved sister and Doris manager's partner got very sick and i spent most of the second half of 2008 worrying about them both. Plus I kept going back to see then in Edinburgh. I'm so glad I did, but it wasn't very conducive to making Doris music. Then Hanly relocated to Jennacubbine full time, then I got kinda of busy with work, then etc. etc. etc.

Anyway, the upshot is Doris has refocussed, re-established music as a priority and is ready to hit the ground running.

We have half a dozen or so new songs we're currently working on, and we're keen to get gigging again – not easy when you live in good ol' double-yoo-way.

August 2008:

Written by Jane:

Hallelluliah! Margie's arm is out of the sling and we finally got to make music this weekend! After a weekend of sitting in front of her log fire and drinking modest amounts of Dorises. (For the uninitiated, the Doris cocktail was invented for us by our mate John Millard. It involves Cointreau, heaps of fresh lime juice, ice and quite a few giggles.)

Sunday saw us play our first official gig in nearly two months, at the atmospheric Glen Forrest Hall in, um, Glen Forrest. It was wonderful to sing our hearts out, and to air a few newies which we've been working on.

I guess that's what keeps me fired up about Doris: We never stand still. New stuff pops out all the time.

Hanly has rented out her place in Perth and is now based solely at Jennacubbine, 90 mins' drive north-east, with the occasional night at my place. She has a new colt called Milo, is busy doing her personal training and is, basically, happy as a pig in sh*t :)

I'm keeping busy, writing, eating, trying to lose the 3 kg i seem to have acquired over Winter (I blame the Dorises).

Had a week in lovely Ubud and hope to get back there for more r&r early next year.

We're off to Denmark to make music in mid-August and have some songwriting workshops and gigs in Bunbury later in the month. Deets on our gigs page.

Then it's onto the Nanga Music Festival in mid September, and another longish break as H heads off to Malaysia and I go boss my family in the UK.

I've also just noticed how my entries talk about H and hers talk about me. Funny, huh.

PS that's me 'n H waiting for the coffee van to open at the Natnals last year.

June 2008:

Written by Margie:

After a fairly busy first few months of the year, Doris is having a bit of a break over Winter. Not by choice, but with my right arm in a sling due to a tendon repair in the shoulder, it makes the old jumbo-sizde guitar a little difficult to play. Actually, I thought I might be able to do all the songs on ukulele but even that proved impossible! So I've opted for a little Winter hibernation instead.

You can’t keep Jane down though, and she’s been out there doing her stuff, regular fortnightly chat appearances on local ABC afternoon radio and solo gigs at WOW and at the Denmark Festival of the Voice. And this weekend she’s getting together with Simon Nield to play at the Margaret River Chocolate Company in the Swan Valley – one of Doris’ favourite haunts for both playing gigs AND sampling free chocolate!

We played a couple of magic house concerts in May. The first was in Denmark in the south west of WA. Jane managed to combine the trip with a lunch-time cooking demonstration as well. But just WHAT was she cooking? When I picked her up in the late afternoon, why did she smell of sausages?

The second house concert, at Rob and Rita Phillips' place in the northern Perth suburb of Wanneroo, was a cosy affair with a tightly-packed crowd. Quite a few Doris regulars here – and what a joy it is to have people in the audience who not only know the lyrics, but sing along. We just love the intimacy of house concerts.

So, the next couple of months will be quiet for Doris, with me focused more on Physiotherapy than on playing. Jane is taking advantage of the break and heading off to Bali for a holiday. We will start gigging again in August and already have a few things lined up – a songwriting workshop for the Shoestring Players in Bunbury and performance that night at the Stirling Street Art Centre, an afternoon performance in the Karrinyup library (will they keep telling us to shush?) and, in September, performances at the Juice Writing Retreat in Jarrahdale and the inaugural Nanga Music Festival near Pinjarra. Can’t wait!

May 2008:

Written by Jane:

Well, at last the new CD is finished and out there! We’re just back from a great weekend at the Fairbridge Music Festival, where we got to hang out with our fellow musos, sing a little, drink and little and generally kick back. The weather was mostly kind and we were delighted by the numbers that showed up to all our gigs. A particular highlight, for me, was the hour of poetry and Doris music we performed with our good friend, Geraldine Mellet, a broadcaster with ABC local radio. Our launch was a great success, and we were really fortunate to have some of the musicians who contributed to our CD – Simon Nield, Erik Kowarski and Scott Wise – there to help us. Next up is a visit to Denmark, where we’re doing a house concert for our mate Robyn Polt, and some chill-out time with our respective families. Chin chin for now, Jane x

November 2007:

Written by Jane:

Good news! We've pretty much finished mixing and it looks like the cd is in its final stages of production.

I got back from the UK last week and have finally licked the jetlag. H and I are feeling like it's been forever since we played together, so lots of rehearsing for us in the next two weeks.

Love this weather, love dalylight saving (so far...) but miss Sas and the rest of my UK family.

October 2007

Written by Margie:

How come the older you get, the faster life whizzes by? And I'm not

even REALLY old yet. But these last few months have just up and bolted.

Doris had a lovely time at Jane's annual creative writing weekend

Juice in October. We played a few songs, hung out with a bunch of

passionate, creative people, jammed late into the night & polished

off a bottle of Cointreau & a TON of chocolate.

The following weekend we played at Araluen Festival and this was a

time of mixed emotions as it was the last time this festival will be

held.

It has been one of our favourite festivals because it is so

small & intimate. More jamming, song circles & of course vast

amounts of chocolate & Cointreau consumption.

Are you getting the idea that the Doris girls are a little prone to excesses? NEVER!!

Work on the CD trundles along slowly. When we finally finished

recording all our bits & started into the mixing process (yawn!) we

realised that this was going to be a very long CD unless we got brave

and did some serious pruning.

This is what happens when you write long songs (we are going to have to have lessons in being more concise in our writing!) Two songs had to go & I have to tell you it's a lot like having a leg removed. Well actually I've never had a leg removed (at least not that I can recall!) so what would I know?

We consoled ourselves with the thought that the songs are there,

tucked away safely on the computer, & can always be used on the next

CD, which of course, being women of very short attention spans, we

are already planning!

Anyway, mixing is almost done (thank you Erik for doing most of it without us having to sit & listen!) & we promise the CD will be out soon. (Notice I'm still too scared to actually mention a date!)

Jane & Sophie (J's daughter) went back to the UK in October to visit

family. It's amazing when Jane is away, because I revert totally to

my other lives (the farm, my animals, work etc). Then she comes back

& I switch on my Doris switch again. And I need to - we've got a big

couple of months coming up with house concerts, a Christmas gig & our

annual Kulcha gig.

It's nearly two years since I quit the classroom & re-trained as a

Gym Instructor & Personal Trainer. It's been a great move but it's

taken me a while to find my feet & work out my place in the industry.

I am now happily working at a small gym where I do a bit of

everything - gym instruction, personal training, classes & reception.

In October I trained as Les Mills Body Pump instructor which is

almost as much fun as performing with Doris! And this month I will

do my Body Balance training. I still get excited at the thought that

I am getting paid to keep fit. Wish I could find a way of being paid

to eat chocolate as well! :-) Still can't manage to talk Jane into

doing some personal training sessions with me!

Anyway, if you are a local WA person reading this, we hope to see you

at Kulcha on Friday December 7th. We love this gig & it's a great

chance to say hi to everyone. And, not sure if I should say this,

but we're trying really hard to have the CD ready by then. No

promises, but fingers crossed...

September 2007

Written by Jane:

Hi there. this is the little duo person signing in in the midst of producing the third Doris CD.

It's a busy, exciting time that hasn't been without its traumas, but Hanly and I are (mostly) enjoying the experience.

Our trip to Melbourne last month was truly lovely. The audiences were warm, appreciative and welcoming.

September sees us hang up the songwriting gloves for a few weeks until this CD baby of ours is born. We're still arguing about names, but we're pretty sure we won't be circumcising.

The weather in WA (should you be living elsewhere) is glorious. Spring has sprung and we can't wait for the outdoor gigs to start.

Take care. xx

August 2007

Written by Jane:

Um, what happened to the first half of 2007? Why didn’t the dockers win, and will I ever get back into my size 12 jeans? (Answers on the back of a postcard, please.)

Goodness, we’ve been busy. Not so much with gigs, but with perfecting our new songs and getting them up to scratch for performance. The new CD is well over halfway finished now, which is exciting.

We’re co-producing with Erik Kowarski, who has grown to understand the weird way in which we work and doesn’t seem to mind our occasional outbursts and descent into silliness. He just shrugs, gets out another bar of chocolate and gets on with it.

A few weeks back Hanly and I took ourselves to songwriters cottage, which is more or less halfway between her home and mine and the perfect place to escape the rigours and distractions of normal life.

We were both feeling a bit out of sorts. Our songwriting mate Simon Nield was about to start chemotherapy and myy sister Sas’ partner Amanda had just been diagnosed with a fairly horrible cancer in her brain.

I guess that whole thing about being there for someone, and wanting to be strong, came up for us, because we wrote a newie called Still Waters Run Deep which we liked so much (once we’d finished crying) we decided to put on the new CD.

We’ve now actually decided to stop writing new songs for a few months, so that we can focus on getting those we already have finalised and recorded.

We’re also a bit worried that if we write any more new ones, we’ll fall in love with those, too, and bang goes our October deadline for releasing the CD. Not a bad position to be in, I guess, but we’d really like to get this one finished and out so that we can start performing the songs.

Think that's about it. We’re off to Melbourne soon, and can hardly wait. Have never played over there. Hope they like us.

Take care and live it each day like it's your last. You never know - it might just be.

Jane xxxx

May 2007

Written by Doris' manager, Sara (Sas) Maclean (actually written by Jane pretending to be Sas !!):

April has been very busy for Doris. Easter saw us head over to Canberra for the National Folk Festival and a bunch of gigs in large, scary venues which, I kept thinking, were going to look dreadfully empty if no-one came.

But I needn't have worried. After a few unscheduled blackboard gigs, people began to know who Doris were. Actually, they didn't have much choice, given that I had daubed Doris posters everywhere. Several guys came up to Jane and commented that they'd seen her laughing at them as they took a pee. She pointed out that she was actually smiling with encouragement. That seemed to make them feel better.

The gals' first main gig was at the Marquee and they more or less filled it. Call me anal, but i couldn't help noticing every time someone arrived or left. (Do you s'pose Janice Ian and Kristina O ride the same emotional rollercoaster every time they do a gig? I think not.)

Afterwards, I sold CDs and gave away I DID DORIS badges. It was quite exciting, seeing folk walk away with Doris pinned to their collective bosum.

Jane was part of the National Poetry Debate and did okay, although I'll never forgive the camera man who did a close-up on her nostrils from down below. Not a pretty sight. Her team mates Peter Capp and Bernard Carney are very, very funny men. I particularly enjoyed the moment when Bernard had his team go forward and sing a rap about WA winning. Must have done the job, because they did!

Another highlight was the Sound of Music competition, which saw Hanly, Jane and I doing High on a Hill Lived a Lonely Goatherd dressed, respectively, in a nun's habit and leiderhosen. Jane and I wore fake pigtails and held up our shorts with ties we'd bought at the Salvo's. Not a pretty sight, I can assure you. And did I mention the helium??

Doris also did a live broadcast with the ABC, sitting up on a little stage in the midst of the food tents. Jane was as nervous as buggery, but really enjoyed it in the end, particularly singing Oolong High, which is such a morning song anyway.

On the last day, we sat around out the front of the troubadour as the tents were taken down around us. We drank sparkling red and kicked back a little. It was fun.

Home and back to finding more gigs and house concerts. Looks like Doris is heading to Melbourne in August for The Boite's Winter Festival (although sadly without me - I'll be back in Edinburgh). They're also toying with the idea of doing the Melbourne Fringe, but it all depends on cost – it's a damned expensive business getting two WA gals over to the East and while making money will never be our primary concern (don't kick me, Jane!) it would be nice to make a living from this thing we call Doris.

Enough, already. Oh, and by the way, we have a very few I DID DORIS AT THE NATIONAL tshirts left if anyone's interested. Just drop us a line!

Sara x

Dec '06 - Mar '07

Written by Hanly:

Well, Jane and I had very different christmas's this year. Bill and I went up to our old haunting ground at Hill River for a wonderful camping christmas, while Jane went off to Scotland to be at the partnership ceremony of her sister Sara and long term partner Manda's...so maybe we both did do a camp christmas? (Sara edits this website, by the way...)

I was there in spirit though, 'cos Sas asked if J and their Dad could sing one of my old songs at the ceremony.

While Jane was away in the UK, we got the fabulous news that we had been accepted at the National Folk Festival, in Canberra, for the first time. This news was then followed by some very excited cross-continent e-mail exchanges between us !!

Well, after all the new year celebrations it's easy for life to be a bit down...but not for us song writers! It means that wonderful event, 'Summersong', is getting very near. Summersong is a whole week in January,where you can just drown in every aspect of song and music that you could ever wish for.

Set in a beautiful lakeside camp just North of Sydney, you get to meet new people (it's where Jane and I met!) try new stuff and get wonderful tuition from an amazing group of musicians.

February saw the start of the new year, gigs-wise, with a couple in Perth and a few down on the South coast. But as we move into March we are really starting to focus on getting ready for the Nationals...music, promo stuff, travel etc...its actually pretty full on, but we are real excited...maybe we'll even see you there!

Bye for now - Margie x

Doris @ The National Folk Festival April '07

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