Thursday 8th May - how Jean Baptiste Lully died

 That's a bit of a heavy title for today's post...

Garden

Today I noticed the clematis with little white flowers has come out. The rambunctious rose is covered in little buds; any day now, any day... some aliums have flowered and there's a bud on one of the peonies, giving a sneak preview of the red flower to come.

Some more potatoes are shoving their way through the earth,  radishes and spinach, broad beans and peas looking like what they will become.

No 'proper' rain yet, BB was out with the hose earlier.

Reading

I thought I was being clever with my guesses as to 'whodunnit' in 'The Lake House' by Kate Morton. But know, more twists and turns yet, and a hint of romance too. It's a good read.

Music

 Ah yes, Lully. He hurt his foot when he was conducting the orchestra in one of his operas. Unfortunately, it being the early 1700s, when the wound became infected there wasn't much that could be done for him, and he died. A reminder of how grateful we are for 20th/21st century medicine and antibiotics, and a warning to treat them with respect! 

For years I couldn't fathom out how he hurt his foot with his baton... this video explains all.

I love the verve and vitality of the band, the extraordinarily 'period' hairstyle and demeanour of the conductor, and also watching the faces of the audience. 

The venue, and the music are pretty splendid too!