Journal
A small ambition
It’s a small thing to most, I know, but on Easter Monday I finally achieved my ambition of singing a solo aria with my choir in a concert. The work in question was Vivaldi’s Gloria, and I sang the Domine Deus as well as the Laudamus te in a duet with Karen. I’d...
Save the day
It's Mothering Sunday in the UK again today and with it, as has become customary, the usual mealy-mouthed platitudes that distance the event from a celebration of mums. Arguably it's just the case on social media, and not in the world of real interactions with people,...
Bereft
This week I have had my beloved Oscar put to sleep. I first met him as a five week old puppy who could sit on my hand and he was with us for fourteen and a half years. I have tried not to be too mawkish, because I know it makes people uncomfortable, but his sudden...
A tiny act of defiance
I've wanted a French-style house number for decades. We bought an echt one in a quincaillerie somewhere in France so long ago that I can't remember when but until now had nowhere to fix it. Today, here it is, the final touch on our ambitious front drive project (final...
Into the woods
Every year I'm fascinated by the fungi that spring up in our local woodland. Since becoming a dog person, autumn has been my favourite season. I love to walk my boys as the colours change around me, and there is always lots to take pictures of. I always find myself...
Covided
After almost three years of avoiding it, I have finally succumbed to Covid19.Today is my ninth day of Covid symptoms. When I woke up last Saturday morning with a sore throat and headache, and could barely keep my eyes open duirng the day, I intially thought that I was...
Stuff
I am drowning in thingsOur seafreight shipment arrived from Hong Kong about two weeks ago and we've been intermittently unpacking boxes ever since. My house is now full of too much stuff and I'm overwhelmed by it. There is a lot more unpacking to do before I can clear...
Libéra me
I'm singing the Fauré Requiem in my choir's next concert.Do you ever wake up with a song going round and round in your head that reflects your mood perfectly? This happens to me all the time and sometimes I even refer to my earworm as a way of assessing my mood. This...