Monday 31 January 2011

I could have danced all night....

Just back from a couple of days at Winchester. Went to two parties both with dancing, not so good with my great big clumping shoes but I managed and enjoyed it.. One guest joined in with gusto at ninety five. I went around visiting all my old mates, including one in hospital. The hospital where I worked for thirteen happy years, is sadly changed, with disembodied voices telling you to wash and spray yourself with disinfectant as you cross the threshold, and grisly notices everywhere about vomiting and diarrhoea.
It was the Ditchling Choir practice yesterday afternoon. We have a concert coming up at the Village Hall. As there are over eighty of us there will not be much room for an audience. We are singing  It Must Be Love, and La Mer and songs from My Fair Lady etc. It is the most enjoyable choir I have ever been in.
On Wednesday I am going to Birmingham to the Quaker College there to Give a Talk I must have been mad to agree to this, I am scared stiff.

Thursday 20 January 2011

keeping up appearances

I have started volunteering at a local primary school to help with reading, I had to squeeze my bottom on to an infant chair, and revisited Mr Gumpy`s Outing etc with one finger following the words. It is a miracle to see children experiencing the transformation of squiggles on a page to language, especially children who are not used to speaking English at home.
Otherwise it has all been high maintenance, keeping myself and car in running order: first an eye test and new specs, then the hearing aid place where I was enclosed in a sound proof booth, then the foot specialist ( no operation after all, just changing to even huger shoes),  followed by excruciating and tickly dental hygienist, then Thai massage (present from J which was lovely), finally two new tyres, and exhaust for car. All in just over a week! 
I had J`s Impro group round on Monday night, we played acting games and had a laugh which was very therapeutic. Who needs television?

Tuesday 11 January 2011

Back to my old routine at last with my usual music group on Monday morning.   I had not touched the cello for about a month so it did not sound too good. Still I always find it enjoyable to play a few sonatas with two or three other people and it seems to make certain bits of my brain work. 
I went to the cinema on Saturday to see `The Kings Speech` Colin Firth playing King George VI with his terrible stammer. It was such a sensitive and heart warming film, I cried and that to me is the acid test, crying and keeping awake.
I also read a brilliant book by Kate Atkinson: Got Up Early Took My Dog, just couldn`t put it down and felt so bereaved when I finished it. I have now started on Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantell which is monumentally long. Looks good.
Today I went to a hilarious exercise class.  You have never seen such a collection of unfit creaky old people but we had lovely music, and we joined in with the songs while we heaved ourselves around. If You Were the Only Girl in the World etc.  I loved it, I think I will go again.

Friday 7 January 2011

Went to London yesterday to meet grandson M`s on his twenty second birthday.  I took the train to London Bridge. I used to cycle round that area, but I hardly recognised it. It was horribly changed, huge space age buildings, all glass and steel. I felt like a country bumpkin, overawed and jostled, and getting wet feet as I stumbled into huge puddles, it was deluging with rain. We met at the Tate Modern, grand daughter M from UCL as well and we had a nice birthday lunch, and then whizzed through a few galleries at top speed, Bridget Rileys etc and then gazed at the huge expanse of sunflower seeds on the ground floor. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the huge noisy gangs of badly behaved schoolkids, but that is what oldies like me always say.  I got soaked to the skin as I walked back to London Bridge, but I am very glad I went, I love being with the grown up grandchildren, and the others too of course.