Friday 30 March 2012

Raised Eyebrows

I have been poorly for about a week, watching my temperature rise and fall, feeling shivery, filling hot water bottles, coughing, sneezing, wincing at shooting pains in the head, Oh I`ve been a sorry sight. I am now recovered, just about. On the plus side, there has been a Schubert fest on Radio 3 which has been a delight, all his works played by top notchers. If I had not been ill I would never have heard it all.  Facts about Schubert: he was one of eighteen children (most of them died) and they all lived in one room. He never owned a piano, but borrowed one occasionally from a friend who signalled that the piano was free by leaving his curtains undrawn.
I was out with daughter J yesterday who went to a beauty parlour to have her legs waxed. Greatly daring, I had my eyebrows shaped, ie plucked, having noticed Judy Dench`s finely shaped eyebrows in her latest film:Marigold Hotel. What an improvement! They had become bushy and witchlike. And it was totally painless.
As well as Schubert this week, I have a superb book to read: Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese, enthralling.

Friday 23 March 2012

It was the first performance of the Wreck of the Titanic last night.  Oh what a palaver getting there! Picking up the villagers en route to Southampton on a double decker bus, all seventy five of us, took time and we got caught in the rush hour traffic getting in to the city. Also the driver had to have a forty five minute break because of elf and safety, so it all took over four hours and some were looking a bit queasy on the bus. We were greeted by the sight and sound of a huge childrens orchestra (with stiffeners and conductor from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra)  It all came together in the end and was very moving   Apparently there will be another big childrens orchestra in Cherburg when we go there in three weeks time. Amazing. 
We did Easter with the Infants on Wednesday. Many of them had never heard the story before. We made Easter gardens which was very messy with soil and twigs and moss all over the floor but they loved it.  So did I.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

London`s Burning......

Off to Newcastle in the morning to see all my dear family and celebrate two birthdays. Also to see sister J who has just moved up there too from Germany. So no more trips to the beautiful Lake Constance, but it is good to have her in the same country again.
At the Infants today, we re enacted the Great Fire of London in the playground. Mr T was in charge and I had the water bucket at the ready, while another helper paced around like a bullfighter flourishing the fire blanket. The sixty children roared and yelled with joy when the paper houses they had made went up in flames.  It was very exciting.
The Wreck of the Titanic is coming on a treat.  Some of us have started planning gourmet meals in Cherburg after the performance.

Friday 9 March 2012

People have started to phone and email to see if I am still alive as I have not blogged for a while. I have been back to Winchester for a few days, always a treat, but it also is nice to be back in dizzy Ditchling.
We are hotting up for The Wreck of the Titanic, the village choir`s French and Southampton debut. I was right about the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, but only a few members of it ,plus a childrens choir and orchestra, but there are eighty villagers in our choir so it will be quite a big do.  There will be a bit in the midddle where a small group of musicians including our conductor will perform the same music that was played as the Titanic sunk.
One of my neighbours has fitted up his garage as a luxurious little cinema and he puts on old films every week. I have just been along to see Great Expectations, the 1946 version. It was gripping, and just as spooky and frightening to me at the beginning as when I first saw it. They never got the voices and accents quite right in those old films though, everyone speaks posh.