Wednesday 10th April - Several small wins

This morning was dealing with small and time-consuming errands - queuing for a routine blood test,  banking a cheque, depositing some cash, collecting prescriptions. The weather today has looked marvellous, but there is a bitter cold wind which has caused me to change my mind several times about sitting outside.  

It took me most of Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday but I have finally cracked the Granny Square. It is a mildly soporific way of passing time; sort of meditative. I was glad to have taken it with me when I wen for the blood test.

I've unravelled a cowl I knit a while back as I want the yarn for that mitred square blanket I am knitting. The wool is 'out of print' or whatever they call it when you can't buy it any more, so I reckoned that I'd rather have a bigger blanket than the cowl.

Then it was time for tea; so, while the kettle was boiling I managed to get the dining room table from this; 

to this;

then, while the tea was brewing I cleared some more;

and finally, while I was waiting for it to be cool enough to drink I tackled the books piled up on the piano stool.

Ta-da!

There's still a heap of papers and stuff at the end of the table, ready for the next cup-of-tea-challenge.

My medium-term challenge is to consider taking a harpsichord exam at the end of the Summer Term - shall it be Grade 4 or Grade 5? That's the highest grade I can do on an electric harpsichord. Himself was blithely agreeing that it might be a plan until I pointed out we would have to transport the instrument to the exam centre. "Ah. I'll need to do some measuring." All things can be solved by careful measuring, I have found.

I don't have a harpsichord teacher at the moment, so I am having to use my initiative when working out how to play the pieces. Grade 4 might be simple, but the phrasing and interpretation is quite counter-intuitive for someone who has spent the last 55 years learning to play the piano. No more can I bring out a melody or shape a phrase by using 'loud' and 'soft'; it is all choosing which notes should be played smoothly or detached. I'm finding this takes a lot of concentration to play 'harpsichordally' and not 'pianistically'. 

And having had a good look at the harpsichord, I reckon it will take several cup-of-tea-challenges to sort that lot out.

To the left, paperwork, to the bags of wool and knitting projects and so on. I'm quite grateful for the heavy shadows concealing the worst excesses.