29th December 2018 - Jig-saw time

The Son has shown himself to have an extraordinary talent for 'impossible' jigsaws (no, this is not your opportunity to unload all those horrible jigsaws of baked beans or whatever that you have lurking in dark corners.) Back to The Son; while round at friends the other evening, he more or less finished off an 'impossible' jigsaw; the sort with 750 pieces and no picture on the box. All that was left was a large area of Black.

It was a marvellous sight to see him pick up, look, place, pick up, look, place the puzzle pieces apparently without thinking, like some kind of machine. The last few pieces wouldn't fit neatly; there must have been a mistake earlier on, but we decreed the jigsaw 'finished' so it could go.

I set about a 500 piece 'kittens in a sweetshop' which friends had given me;

  doing all the jars of sweets was quite fun, but then I was left with a few bald patches in the picture and a whole pile of fur. The Son completed all the kittens in fifteen minutes (I timed him).

Good-oh, I thought. About three years ago Someone bought 'The Puzzle That Burned The Turkey'. He and I got it out over the Summer, tried it for a day or so and put it back. It is FIENDISH. So, today the Puzzle Expert is cracking on through it;

Not a puzzle for the faint of heart; no square edges anywhere, and the picture is a fuzz and the pieces are a mass of interlocking snow-flakes, and what look like gnomes and bats. Son and Daughter are further on with it than we ever managed.

We are great fans of Wentworth wooden jigsaws, especially the ones with 'whimsy' pieces. I bought these little 40-piece ones for everyone (including one for me) this Christmas;

           
        

We also bought a larger, Christmas one, which is waiting for the Right Moment, and also one with cats that we gave to my godmother and she has given back to us because 'I never do them twice - you can have it now.'

Jigsaws might well become a new Christmas Tradition.

#Pause for Advent 4

Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Advent

O Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; 

that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, 

thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; 

through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

I've had several goes at writing some kind of post to go with this collect, but totally failed to come up with anything that is worth reading.

I came to the conclusion that the words stand for themselves. 

I'm just about at the end of the race to get ready for Christmas - writing cards, shopping, wrapping presents. Just the cake to marzipan and ice, some mince pies to bake, last minute shopping as the satsumas are all finished, a few emails instead of cards to write and press 'send'. 

Looking at the collect for today, it is clear that this is not the race that God has in mind...  but speedy help and deliverance from those things that are hindering me is close by... 

Saturday 22nd December - Nearly ready

Someone will have to go out into the cold this evening (unlikely) or tomorrow morning (more likely) to post the neighbour's cards through their letter boxes.

And there's still a fair bit of present wrapping to be done (I've wrapped everything that I am responsible for so I'm alright thank you!).

But the turkey and the ham are in the fridge, and the vegetables ar all in the shed.

We have cups of tea, and I've lit the candles and switched on the lights, and we are eating chocolates out of our Advent calendars - from yesterday's little drawers - we've got a bit behind - and the cats have settled and it is all quiet and peaceful.

We've been sent personalised Christmas baubles from our friends in Canada;

(this is an open blog, so I have turned them round to hide the names; mine is purple, his is dark teal). They will become a Christmas treasure, to join the others collected over the years.

The last couple of days have been full of happinesses;

we visited old friends in their new house in a pretty little town, or maybe large village? This involved a pub lunch - very good -  and exchange of news and a generally excellent day. Driving back through the remnants of heavy rain we discovered that our little Panda loves swimming and paddling through the puddles in a way that our old car would have strongly resented.

we visited my godmother, now about 90. Another lunch! Twice in succession - I could get used to this! She is slowly but determinedly clearing out everything that she no longer uses. We took her a Christmas present, and collected from her the birthday present jigsaw puzzle we gave her a few months ago ('you have it now - I only ever do them once you know'). Last time we went, I came away with a bag full of Christmas and other hand-embroidered tablecloths and napkins.

It was a bit of a puzzle to know what to do... one friend has taken a tea-table sized cloth embroidered with Spring flowers, but didn't have a use for the napkins. So I sewed them together in pairs to make gift bags;

Hooray - I have given them all away! As for other the tablecloths and Christmas tables runners and place-mats and so on; I have made Japanese 'bento bags' and gift bags, and wrapped the presents in tissue and tied them up in a cloth bag. That's another four table cloths and three napkins 'gone'.

   
I have to say there was a fair amount of 'deep sighing' and 'murderous muttering' going on as I made the bags. Not sure how much of a great idea it was.

Anyway, it is beginning to look a bit like Christmas...

#Pause for Advent 3

Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent

O LORD Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee: Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

The first time I heard this collect, as in "hear, mark, learn and inwardly digest", was only a year or so ago. It struck me then that quite a duty is being laid upon the "ministers and stewards of thy mysteries". To begin with, I assumed these are the Vicar and the Curate, and maybe the Churchwardens. A little more thought and I realised that all of us who follow Christ, who believe in the Holy Trinity, who worship God, are included in "ministers and stewards of thy mysteries".

And who are "the disobedient"?

This looks like a call to all of us followers to reach out and share the Good News.

Today I also read the fourth Chapter of the Gospel of St John. I was feeling a little 'off' as yet again I had nearly, but not quite, made it to the 9am service. I could have got there... and then I didn't.

This is the chapter where Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the well. The encounter ends with these words from Jesus, ('The Message' version)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Icon_of_Agia_Fotini-Pachia_Ammos-Lasithi-2.JPG

19-20 “Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshipped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”

21-23 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

25 The woman said, “I don’t know about that. I do know that the Messiah is coming. When he arrives, we’ll get the whole story.”

26 “I am he,” said Jesus. “You don’t have to wait any longer or look any further.”

The two main thoughts I had on reading this were

firstly that getting to church every week wasn't the main thing to aim for (Phew)

secondly - this is the Good News!

Sunday 16th December - A Quiet Day In

I haven't been indoors All Day - no, I have stepped out into the garden twice; once to clear the leaves from under the apple tree to see if the snowdrops will be in flower for Christmas Day, and again, later, to take a photograph...

Here they are! It is four o'clock now, and the light has faded, so the buds are not very easy to see,

so here's a flash photograph so you can see the first buds more clearly. It always amazes me how the leaves of bulbs will grow through the dead oak leaves lying on the ground, making holes in them. I'm not sure what is more surprising - that the little snow drop leaves are so strong, or that the fallen leaves are so determined not to move out of the way.

I've been sewing all day. When the house is full I have found it is the path of least resistance to bring a little Windsor chair into the sitting room and sit there - but then I have nowhere to leave the book I am reading or the knitting that is in progress, as a side-table would be sorely in the way. Brainwave - I have converted three rather unloveable cloth table napkins into a bag that can be tied on to the chair arms;

It seems a very old-fashioned idea, but will hopefully be the answer. The whole scenario is full of memories; or Oma (that's my Oma, children, not yours!) used to sit in the rush-seated chair that is in the back bedroom at Christmas chair - she was so short that it was the most comfortable chair for her - and this Windsor chair is one of two that used to be in her sitting room when I was a child.

Going through the button jar to find four matching buttons was another trip down memory lane...

The table napkins came from a whole bag of tablecloths and napkins, many hand embroidered with great skill, that came from my godmother. She is de-cluttering - every time we visit we come away with bagfuls of things - some for the tip, as she can no longer get rid of rubbish, and others just things that she wants to be cleared away. 'I don't need those things any more,' she says. 'You just take them away. You can have them now.' So we do, as it is clearly what she wants.

I'm not sure what to do with all the linen tea table cloths and matching napkins. So they are de-cluttered out of her house, and cluttered into ours at the moment. Well, we have lots of clutter - ours and other peoples' in the house - what's a little more, here or there?

And, breaking news; when was the last time the cats consented to share a settee?

 
Leo was hugely suspicious at first, but finally settled on the blue fleece rug heaped on the back of the settee and draped over the radiator, and went to sleep with her head on one of the hot-pack teddy bears, kept ready in case of sore necks. She's not there now - when she woke up and found McCavity had crept into her cushion/bed, that was the end of that.

Friday 14th December - Custard Biscuits and Malt Loaf

I promised son and daughter I would publish the recipe for the Custard Biscuits we were scoffing last weekend. This is my preferred recipe, and you can find it here;

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/node/101365/bbcgf_pdf

Custard & white chocolate biscuits

but I always leave out the white chocolate. It makes around 30 biscuits

Ingredients;

140g butter, softened

175g caster sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla extract

225g self-raising flour

85g custard powder

85g white chocolate, chopped into small chunks - let me know if it works better with or without!

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.

Line 2-3 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

Sift together the flour and custard powder, then tip into the bowl and pulse to mix into a dough.

Scrape out the food processor and work the chocolate in by hand.

Roll the dough into balls a little smaller than a walnut, then place on the baking sheets, a little apart to allow for spreading.

Press each biscuit down lightly with your fingers.

Bake for 12-15 mins until lightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

One of these days I will follow the method properly - instead of creaming the butter and sugar and adding the egg, like making a cake, I keep forgetting and tipping it all in together and then wondering why it doesn't mix properly.

Mary Berry Malt Loaf

Today I made a Malt Loaf. Remember those Soreen fruit loaves that you slice and butter and they are delicious but stick your teeth together? This version uses Ovaltine powder, tastes exactly right and doesn't stick your teeth together. Perfect! I made one this afternoon, partly as procrastination befor writing Christmas cards, and partly to have as a reward for writing the cards.

http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/30263/ovaltine--loaf-cake.aspx

It appears to be identical to the Mary Berry recipe, but double quantity, and so makes 2 1lb loaves.
I have halved everything below, so you only make one.

Ingredients 

170g (6 oz) self raising flour

• 2 tablespoons Ovaltine®
• 25g (1 oz) caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 150ml (1/4 pt) milk
• 85g (3 oz) mixed dried fruit
• 
  
• Method
• 
  
• Heat oven to 160C fan or gas 4
• Grease and lined a 1lb (250gram) loaf tin
• (they are quite small)
• Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix
• Tip into the loaf tin
• Bake for around 50 mins/1hour
• test with skewer; if done, cool on rack
• 
  
• 
  

Friday 14th December - London, knitting, cooking, this and that

Knitting...

I've finished the scarf that I started back in April! I stopped knitting it over the Summer- being a tube, and colour knitting as well, it was too warm to have on my lap. I'm wearing it round my neck as I type instead of a hot-pack. I was very grateful for it this morning - it is the first time there has been ice on ponds and buckets of water, still there at lunchtime.

Some of the patterns worked better than others. On the whole the second half of the scarf has more of my favourites - the birds, Christmas trees and Scandinavian people. Although I have a fondness for the giant chickens and the purple Rennie-Mackintosh style roses as well.

I was given a couple of balls of King Cole Tinsel 'eyelash' yarn by my daughter, as a birthday present last month.


I asked the assistant in John Lewis about patterns; 'Oh, it is mainly used in knitting toys...' and she handed me a pattern book full of monkeys and squids and stuff...

   

cute, but a bit too much like hard work. However, this gave me an idea, so I bought the pattern



and I have been knitting away. And I'm not making snowmen.

Did I mention John Lewis? We went to London yesterday - how lovely to go up without an agenda or a timetable or appointments. He persuaded our Panda to ease into a highly improbably space - the last one left in the station car park -  and we caught a train at nearly 10 am - tickets costing about £70 less than we usually pay for hospital appointment travel.

The idea was to investigate a new set of plates and bowls as we have never been that fond of what we have had since we were married ('you must choose your dinner service and put is on the wedding list...') My, but we were hard to please then ('oh, I suppose this is the best we can do') and time hasn't changed us. Back then we chose this set, and still have plenty of it left.

  (Poole Parkstone, in the 'oatmeal' colourway)

 We've seen some Belleek that we like, advertised as for sale in House of Fraser and Debenhams but when we looked for it the assistant said 'it's only available on-line now, Madam. You can always send it back if you change your mind', which is not how we like to buy stuff.

The various white or cream china in Selfridges and Debenhams and John Lewis proudly proclaims itself to be 'hotel china', and looks the part. But we don't cook like Masterchefs, requiring oversized bowls with tiny little depressions for a spoonful of consomme

                

so we are continuing to smash our way through the Poole plates.

It was fun, though, riding on the top of a London bus (number 390 these days) along Oxford Street, and browsing through Selfridges again. We bought a few small Christmassy bits and pieces, nothing too heavy or bulky.

Today I did a bit of teaching in the morning, and settled to Christmas Cards in the afternoon, encouraged by some Christmassy bits and pieces, a tea-light, and a cup of tea. 

I've done one list, now for to the Really Long List.

#Pause for Advent 2

Here is the second in my '#Pause for Advent' posts. If you would like to read what other bloggers have written in this series, go to www.angalmond.blogspot.com



This is the collect for the second Sunday in Advent, from the Book of Common Prayer;

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

'...read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest....'  these words are very familiar to me. I think it was the English teacher, or maybe my History teacher, who used to use them 'at us' in their lessons. They were both thin, grey-haired 'older ladies' who glared at us over half glasses and spoke in perfectly constructed sentences.

Some books are just full of quotations.... the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and Shakespeare being the three that first come to mind.

If I am going to 'mark, learn, and inwardly digest' something, then I will have to take time; maybe 'ponder the words in my heart' (Luke 2, 19), rather than rushing off to the next thing. Time to listen properly, or read attentively.

In the Lent book 'The Art of Lent' by Jane Williams, today's picture is this da Vinci sketch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Virgin_and_Child_with_St_Anne_and_St_John_the_Baptist

 Left to the 'devices and desires of my own heart' (General Confession, Book of Common Prayer) I would look at the picture for a few moments, and then move on to the next thing - tidying up, making a cup of tea, writing a letter...

and completely fail to notice the details and connections that Jane Williams brings to our attention - How St Anne (Mary's mother) is pointing to heaven, linking the scene to God above, how Jesus is blessing St John, how St John seems already to be on the edge, looking in, how St Anne is looking at Mary, but Mary is looking at Jesus...

It takes time to hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest.

The word 'wise' has pinged my brain - in its old meaning of 'manner' or 'way', and in the narrower modern meaning of 'wisdom'. Now 'manner' is adding its resonance to the phrase - as in 'respect' and also resonating with the Manna that God provided for the Israelites in the desert fleeing from Pharaoh...

The collect seems to adjure me to hear and read the Scriptures in a respectful, thoughtful way, and take nourishment from them. To chew over the meaning properly, and get the full benefit of the words.

What riches come to those who pause to meditate, not to empty their minds, but to fill them...   


The painting below is from the same wikipedia site, but by Bernadino Luini. He has clearly used the same composition.

Holy Family with St Anne and the infant John the Baptist, Bernardino Luini

Tuesday 4th December - The Official 'OK'

Today was chest clinic day

That meant setting the alarm for 5 am, and aiming to be in the car for 6.15 am, to catch the early train to London. The moon was a sharp little silver crescent, still shining in through the front bedroom window when I opened the curtains. It has usually got itself round to the back windows by the time I like to get up!

 So - lung function tests followed by a chat with the consultant was the plan for the first part of the day.

Lung function tests mean breathing in special and slightly complicated ways into a machine - sometimes slowly, sometimes fast, sometimes holding your breath, sometimes changing from in to out, or out to in as quickly as you can - it takes a surprising amount of concentration to re-arrange your diaphragm from 'in' to 'out' quickly enough without losing control! They also take a blood sample to test haemoglobin oxygen levels. If you are lucky, they just do a finger-prick. If you are unlucky, they stab your earlobe. I was unlucky, so spent the rest of the day wandering around London with a bulky dressing encasing one earlobe.

The results weren't as good as last time, back in the Summer, and I was a little apprehensive when it came to the time to discuss them. But the consultant decided they were 'fine' - considering that I had a cough and a cold and had just finished a course of antibiotics everything was in line with expectations. Good-oh. We went merrily on our way to enjoy the rest of our time in London.

At the beginning of the year I took out a membership of the V and A museum - sheer luxury - but it has transformed our visits. We can have a reasonably priced meal in the member's room -  a peaceful haven on the fifth floor, and then free entry to an exhibition, and explore whatever catches our attention on the day.

At the moment they have an exhibition on computer games;

So we went for a look-see. It was very interesting (and loud, and colourful and energetic). My main interest was in the art and story-boarding. There were lots of pictures and sketchbooks to look at.

Some of the games were of the doom and horror and blood and gore variety.

Time for a cup of tea or coffee? We went to the cafe on the ground floor in one of the three rooms created as refreshment rooms when the museum was built. Look at the beautiful tiles in this room, which was designed for serving 'broiled and grilled meats'.  Aren't they fabulous?

Presumably the meats were broiled and grilled on this enormous range.

So how they can furnish the room with white plastic tables and chairs, and serve cakes on paper plates, and milk in paper cups, and tea in cups without saucers?  That's just distressing. (And espresso coffee should always be served IN HOT CUPS. Just saying)

Oh well. We made our way through the shop, buying almost nothing for once, and caught the bus back to Victoria. 

Home sweet home, and happily so.

Sunday 2nd December - Journeys

'Journeys' was the subject of today's church service.

We went to church in a panda. I should think our journey was much more comfortable than many of the journeys in the Bible (consider Jonah travelling by whale, with his face wrapped in seaweed. Ugh)

Obviously the 'journeys' at church did not involve pandas. (I don't think pandas are actually mentioned in the Bible.)

The first one was Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem, by donkey.
The second one was the shepherds going on foot to Bethlehem.
The third journey was the several wise men going by camel (really - does it mention camels in the Bible version of the story?) also to Bethlehem.

We went to Chichester rather than Bethlehem after church, again by panda, to meet up with The Offsprings, finish my birthday celebrations (presents! presents!), break bread, or rather pizza, together, and then do a little Christmas shoppery on the way back to the car.

We saw a spectacular Christmas Tree constructed from green plastic bottles.

We also accomplished The Taking Of Photographs, as requested by my father, and The Synchronisation of Christmas and New Year Plans, or at least creating several possible variations thereof.

Then we drove back through the darkening light, trees silhouetted against an inky grey sky. In the panda. Of course.

All in all a greatly lovely day.

I have set fire to one of my birthday presents.   

#Pause for Advent 1 - Sunday 2nd December

The Light and The Dark

I've joined the blogging group for Advent again; a random fellowship of people putting up as Advent post for each of the Sundays in Advent.

We have been gathered together by Angela Almond, of www.angalmond.blogspot.com.  If you go over to her site, you will see the list of 'Pausers' on the right on her home page.

So, what to write? I've been thinking about that all week. There were several clues...

I started reading the Book of the month for our church Bible Reading Book Club - which happens to be John's Gospel. You know, the bit that has

 'And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not'

Last Monday, I glanced out of the window of the little room where I had been teaching piano all afternoon. Without my realising it, the sky had clouded over and it was raining. Dusk had come early, and although it was only half past three the parents waiting in the playground were just dark shapes, scattered about in small groups, hardly distinguishable in the gloom. Night was falling, at half past three!

I felt a theme developing...

Today's picture in the Advent book I am reading ('The Art of Advent' by Jane Williams)  is Holman Hunt's 'The Light of the World'.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hunt_Light_of_the_World.jpg

There is so much to see in this picture. Thanks to the wonders of computers you can zoom in on the details. I'd never noticed how overgrown the door is.

Up to now I'd always 'read' the painting as Jesus knocking on the door, to see if I/we/you would let him in - that's because of the title, of course;

 Revelation3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me"

Then I suddenly thought - what if he was inviting us to come out - to leave our fusty, cosy, confined little den and join in him the Great Outdoors Adventure? Or maybe just have a picnic somewhere. Is that sunrise - vanquishing the dark night - and not an ominously deepening twilight as I've always assumed?

I'm hoping that the door will open inwards, so that whoever is inside doesn't have to heave against all those plants, but can just push past and see what the new day will bring.

Finally, This morning, I read the collect for today from my old-fashioned prayer book;

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

That seemed to be a confirmation that this first week of Advent will be, for me, a time to think about the Coming of the Light and the Defeat of the Dark.

Saturday 1st December - It is raining

The first poem in my Advent Book ('Haphazard by Starlight') is 'Advent Calendar' by Rowan Davies. If you google 'Advent calendar Rowan Williams' you will find several people have copied out the whole poem with or without out copyright; and here is the choral setting of some of the words by Phillip Ledger for SATB choir (with subtitles). It sounds fiendishly difficult to sing; I shall keep an eye out in case I trip across another recording. 

I strongly recommend reading the poem; it does exactly what poems should do; combine words and phrases in unexpected but apposite ways to create multi-layered images and meanings and connections and understandings...

Other news?

It's raining.

I thought I would do some sewing.

The cat went from this;

to this

in less than ten seconds. I would have let her stay, as she would have been a useful fabric weight, to hold everything steady while I cut round the wadding, but she was too quick and didn't give me enough time to get the red fabric positioned as I wanted on the wadding. So I turfed her off.

....

As part of Christmas preparations I am doing 'tidying' and' throwing out' and 'recycling'. Just before I threw this empty chocolate box (from about three Christmasses ago, probably,) into the recycling, I had a sudden thought - and Hey Presto! Each drawer holds a dozen tea lights! So I am storing my Advent lights in the box. A reprieve - I didn't really want to throw it out anyway.

At 6pm I shall light the first one.

Friday 30th November - Busy times ahead

   James MacMillan's   'Miserere' That's the music for today.

Today is not the last day before Advent. It is the last day before Advent Calendars. NOT the same thing.

So tomorrow I will light the first tealight,
and the Advent candle,
and investigate the first drawer of my Advent calendar,
and take a decoration from the pocket on the cloth Advent calendar to hang on the patchwork tree, and click on the first bauble on my Jacquie Lawson computer Advent calendar,
and read the first entry in my 'Art of Advent' book,
and the first entry in my 'Haphazard by Starlight' book.

And I will try and do this every day for as long as the calendars, and the chapters in the books last - that's 24th, or 25th of December, or Epiphany in January next year.

That's not including trying to follow Dame Catherine's advice - which luckily doesn't start until Advent, which is Sunday 2nd;

read the scripture passages for each day (in my little old prayer book - a Confirmation Present from my Godfather),
and spend a few minutes in prayer
and find time for silence
and be kind to people
and not get too cheesed off when I don't manage to do all these things!

There won't be any time left in the day for anything else!

Thursday 29th November - The End Is Nigh

The end of National Blog Promotion whatsit thingy is what I'm talking about. Only one more post to go.....

Today's music - I haven't heard it yet as the television is on and I'm not sure if Monteverdi opera and adverts for men's shavers go together. They are two very different styles of music.

So I will have to wait for a suitable moment to listen to the duet 'Pur ti miro' - 'I gaze at you' from The Coronation of Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). It seems that back in Ancient Rome (AD65) Nero, the emporer, is married to Octavia but in love with Poppea, who is engaged to Otho who is beloved of Drusilla. It is all going to end in tears, I reckon.

Aha, the TV has been switched off - I'm listening to this version, sung beautifully by Danielle De Niese (soprano) as Poppea in a gold sequinned, strapless, drapey dress, and Philippe Jaroussky as Nerone, (counter-tenor) in another gold-sequinned, mercifully not strapless, drapey dress. The duet is so lovely I'm going to listen to it again.

I had my lesson observation this afternoon. It went well - what a relief. Glad that's over. I had to prepare three 'proper' lesson plans because of  all the delays and rescheduling -  very wearing. My usual efforts are handwritten jottings - the same sorts of words, but not organised into boxes and bold and italic type.

What else? This book arrived in the post; a present from a member of the family.



It is one I have had my eye on since I dipped into it at a friend's house a year or so ago. I have managed to read just the introduction and no more.

'Haphazard by starlight' is a quote from a poem by U A Fanthorpe;

U.A. Fanthorpe (born 1929)

BC:AD
This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future's
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.
This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth.
This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.
And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.

Just imagine composing these words

'Walked haphazard by starlight straight into the kingdom of heaven'.

I hope U A Fanthorpe was pleased with herself; this phrase is giving me a lot of pleasure.

Ah well. Time to walk haphazard by electric light straight up the stairs to bed. To sleep, perchance to dream. Sweet dreams, I hope.

from Spooky Pianotime (I'm teaching this to a pupil at the moment)

Although the Tchaikovsky piece is Much Sweeter