Christmas Concert - Methodist Church

Another of Mr. Bobb's efforts, with four young boys - the four Js - the stars of the evening.

Goodwine Choir sings at St. Botolph without Bishopsgate

St. Botolph's without Bishopsgate is just a few minutes from Liverpool Street Station, and although there are no services there on Sunday, it is open all day during the week, with lunchtime services for the local workers.

The church was beautifully lit and decorated for the concert, and had just the right atmosphere for a Christmassy event.   I got there quite early, in case it was crowded - the friends I was meeting had the same thought, and were already there when I arrived.

Carol concert - Indian Cultural Centre

The Indian Cultural Centre in Castleton Road has a Christmas event every year.   When I went before, it was very good, and it was equally good this year.

We all arrived just before it started at 1.00 p.m., and were lucky to get such good seats, with an excellent view of the stage.

The programme began with a children's choir, all in very colourful costumes, singing variations on well-known Christmas carols.   Unlike some children's choirs, they all sang beautifully and were obviously well-rehearsed.

That was followed by two very different items of Indian dancing, again with all the participants in beautiful costumes.

And as usual the programme ended with food in the hall - delicious Indian vegetarian food with a glass of mango juice.

Carol Service - St. John the Baptist Holland Road

Instead of their  usual Saturday evening Mass, there was a well-attended carol service, held in conjunction with St. George's, Camden Square - and it was obvious that the majority of the congregation came from St. George's.

The programme featured all the usual carols and readings, with the choir processing round the church before returning to the front.   Unfortunately, after all the candles had been blown out, I found it very difficult to see the words of the carols - I kept mine going as long as I could, but eventually it accidentally went out and I was left straining my eyes to try and see.   However I then discovered that if I moved a couple of places along the pew, I could get enough light to see the word.  Very dim lighting may look lovely, but it does make things difficult for  people to see - and not everyone has a mobile phone with a light.

Puccini's Tabarra

Performed at St. Matthew's Church, Sinclair Road, this featured the music from Puccini's opera, though without most of the acting and costumes.   However, the programme notes explained the story, leaving the audience free just to lsiten to the music.

Graphic Chemistry

A fascinating talk at the Chemistry Society, about the use of comics for spreading scientific information.   The speaker was an expert on the subject, and led us through the was comics of various types have been used to educate people and dissimulate information.   One normally thinks of comics and fiction for children; however they have been used extensively to get information to adults, and in places like Japan, are a very popular way of reaching the general public.

Corpus Christi Plays

The Players of St. Peter have now moved to St. George in the East, which is further to go, but is still quite easy to get to, as it is quite near Shadwell Station.

I went to the 6.30 p.m. performance, as I had nothing else on that evening - they always have two performances, one at 6.30 p.m. and the other at 8.30 p.m. throughout a whole week at the beginning of December.

Their previous home, in St. Clement Eastcheap, where they had been for several years, was very small and far from ideal - there were no toilets or catering facilities, and seating was limited and not terribly comfortable.   Also there was nowhere to wait indoors if you arrived early for the second performance - if it were raining, as it sometimes was, you just had to wait outside in the rain.   St. George's, on the other hand, is a large church with every facility, including a much bigger stage.

The production was, as usual, excellent - and this time there were refreshments at the interval, including, of course, mince pies.

The Players of St. Peter were formed in 1946 in St. Peter-upon-Cornhill, which was where I first saw them perform.   St. Peter's had atmosphere, but again wasn't really ideal, though they were there for forty years, before moving to Holy Trinity Sloane Square for a ten year stint, from which they later moved to St. Clement Eastcheap in the City.

The plays themselves are as faithful as possible to the originals of six hundred years ago, thought with some modern innovations such as electric lighting and an organ.   The language used is as far as possible the same, with a few adaptations to make it comprehensible to modern audiences - thought it is remarkable just how little the language had changed in all that time.

A Tale of Two Queens

The two queens in question were Mary 1 of Scotland and Elizabeth I of England, and the concert was at the Crown Church of Scotland in Covent Garden - they have quite a lot of musical events there on Sunday afternoons.

The music was played by a group of four recorder players, though they recorders were not the usual small instruments that school children learn to play.

The programme was quite short, but very varied, with a variety of styles of music from that period.

Germany in 600 Objects

One of the current special exhibitions at the British Museum, and an excellent way to spend a couple of hours.

German history is fascinating, and of course the history of the German people goes back hundreds of years before the formation of the German nation.

One thing I found interesting was how the German language evolved - I had never realised that it was Luther's desire to produce a Bible that all Germans could read that lead him to create a German language which was capable to expressing all the ideas in the Bible, as many of the local dialects were not.   His German language was a hybrid of the dialects, supplemented by new words to express new ideas, and formed the basis of the German language that we know today.

Hindle Wakes

Another fine performance from the Ladbroke Players at St. Peter's Kensington Park Road.

Although the play dates back to the early 1900s, it depicts a world where not everyone accepted the general view of how men and women should behave, and some of the views expressed had a very modern feel to them - for instance, that women should have the same sexual freedom as men, which resulted in a rather surprising ending.

Tredici

They have some wonderful Sunday afternoon concerts at St. George's Bloomsbury, and this was no exception.

Tredici are a large mixed choir who sing unaccompanied; this afternoon's programme included works by composers from Orlando Gibbons (16th/17th century) right through to Alfred Schnittke, who died in 1998 and Mack Wilberg, who was born in 1955.

The styles of music were quite varied,; particularly haunting was Mack Wilberg's The Dying Soldier.

There was a good audience, despite the awful weather; rain had been falling since early morning, and the streets were awash.  

As usual for these concerts, there was no entry charge, but a retiring collection for the church - the conductor joked that it we didn't give generously, they mightn't be invited back again!

Towards Advent

I wasn't able to get there at the start (the Fair opened at 10.00 a.m.), as I had the monthly reading group meeting was in the morning, which should have finished by noon, but overran a little.   So it was nearly twelve thirty before I set off for Victoria.   As I wasn't certain what food they would have there, I popped into the Cathedral cafe for a snack (scrambled eggs on toast) before going to the hall.

There were all the usual stands, with many of the usual individuals manning them - I saw quite a few people I knew, which is always nice.  

I had hoped there would be a supply of chutneys and pickles etc, but either there weren't any this year, or they had all gone by the time I got there.  What I did manage to get was two large jars of apple jelly jam from the Ladies of the Ordinariate stand, probably made, I was told, by the well-known Joanna Bogle, whose chutneys I bought last year.

I had hoped to get some Christmas cards, but there weren't any I really liked; Aid to the Church in Need had some I thought of buying, but they had all gone when I went back for them.

One interesting part of the afternoon was a workshop on Gregorian Chant, I now have details of a number of websites from which chants for all sorts of festivals can be downloaded.

For the Chop

Another brilliant production from the Beaufort Players -"For the Chop", written and directed by Thomas Cobb, and performed, as usual, in the church hall of the Church of the Ascension, Hanger Lane.

The three super chefs and their assistants have more on their minds than just winning the coveted prize on the "For the Chop" TV show - they have their own prejudices which are brought out under the pressure of the competition, and  it emerges that two of the contestants have a great deal more in common that an interest in cooking - they are in fact brother and sister-in-law, with a wealth of scores to settle.

The ending is a surprise, preceded by endless twists and turns as the three chefs not only battle it out to secure the prize as top chef, but also to settle their personal differences.

The audience were invited, by holding up cards, to vote for the contestants, to determine who would get the chop; I suspect the result was fixed, or the play would never have worked, but it was all good fun, with all the laughter that you would expect from a good comedy.

A lot of thought had obviously gone into not only writing the play, but also designing the scenery, which added so much to the overall effect.

An added bonus was details of the chosen recipes from the three chefs, which were set out in the programme - though I don't think I'll get round to trying them at home.

Although it was the first night of the run, the hall wasn't packed; I was able to get an excellent seat, despite not having booked.   Sometimes when I've been to the Beaufort Players productions I have ended up at the back on a seat near the wall.

Nunhead Cemetery

There was supposed to be special tours of the cemetery at 2.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m.; however, when I got there for the 3 o'clock tour, no-one seemed to know anything about them, although there was special opening of the ruined chapel and crypt, with guides to show everyone around.   This included a visit to the top of the tower; I had the required hard hat on when I discovered that the stairs were extremely narrow (the larger guide couldn't go up because he was too large) and there were no handrails.   So the hard hat quickly came off, and was passed to someone else - no way was I going up a tiny, dark staircase, even if the view from the top was superb.

So I went on the tour of the crypt instead, stepping over puddles and muddy ground to get there.   The crypt was supposed to be used from burials, but was incredibly expensive, so few took up the option.

The cemetery itself opened in the 1840s, and is one of the seven Victorian cemeteries in London.   At first it was very profitable, but as space for new burials ran out, profits declined until it was no longer economic for the company to maintain it.   After years of neglect, it is today owned by Southwark Council, and is being restored as a leisure resource for the borough.   There are paths everywhere, with trees, shrubs, undergrowth, wildlife and interesting monuments, including one I had never heard of before, a memorial to the Scottish martyrs of 1793.

I popped into the little office on my way out, and discovered that the tours had been cancelled because of the muddiness and slipperiness of the paths - having walked along several of them, which were often on a slope, I could understand their concerns.

Poppies

As the committee meeting I was attending finished by 4.00 p.m., I decided to go and have a look at the poppies at the Tower of London before they were all taken away.   Everyone has been saying how marvellous the display was, and how moving, with each poppy representing someone from the UK and Empire who died in the First World War.   And after spending so much time selling poppies I just couldn't miss going to see the display.

I got the train to Tower Hill, despite being advised by TfL that it was better go go to one of the other nearby stations and walk down.   As it happened, Tower Hill station was packed, but mostly with people going home, and when I got out was no problem reaching the Tower.

Unfortunately, though, instead of a sea of red, there were just patches, and dozens of people working hard  taking them up and stacking them in boxes.   But one could imagine what it must have looked look when all the 800,000 plus poppies were there.   I tried to take some photos, but I think the natural light wasn't good enough and the floodlighting didn't really add much.

But I'm glad I went - to see a reminder of all the mostly young men who died in that war.

Music of the Eastern Church

A wonderful concert of Eastern Church music at St. Sophia's Cathedral in Bayswater - a breathtaking Greek Orthodox Church with magnificent paintings and architecture.   The church itself is worth a visit just to see the interior.

The concert featured Canticum conducted by Mark Forkgen, with music by a wide variety of composers that are not always the first ones that come to mind when one thinks of Orthodox Church music, as they are so modern.    Alexander Grechaninov, Sergei Rachmaninov, Henryk Gorecki, Sergei Prokofiev, and of course, John Taverner, whom everyone thinks of in connection with the Orthodox Church.

The church was fairly full when I arrived, but I was lucky enough to get a seat in the front row, so had the best possible view of the choir without having to worry about large heads or hats in front of me.

The choir, a mixed one of equal numbers of men and women, were very smart in black trousers and shirts - no long skirts anywhere to be seen, but perhaps that is the latest fashion for choirs, with "black trousers" replacing the former "black bottoms".

The music was beautiful, with some being quite folksy and other items very definitely liturgical.   In the interval, everyone poured round the corner to the church hall, where drinks were available - I stuck to orange juice as I had not had a chance to have anything to eat before going.

Lord Mayor's Show

Another year, and another Lord Mayor's Show, but this time the rain kept off - at least until late afternoon - so the whole procession was able to take place without getting even slightly damp.

I was there with a group of friends and we were able to get an excellent view of all the floats and bands, as the crowds were only a couple deep - I was right next to the road, with no-one in front. so was able to see everything.  

Once again, it was there were hundreds of people taking part, from all over the world, including as far afield as Malaysia and Kenya.  

This year, I managed to get a photo - or several - of the Lord's Mayor's carriage - last year, when I particularly wanted to, as it was only the second woman Lord Mayor in history - her carriage was disappearing into the distance by the time I got my camera out of my bag where it was safely hidden from the rain.

Colour

A fascinating lecture on colour at the Chemistry Society.    The lecturer, as always, was an expert, and talked about the way colours were produced from pre-historic times right up to the present.   An interesting point he made was that in all languages the first names for colour were those that could be produced from the earth, e.g. browns, yellows, reds, and that it is only recently that it has been possible to produce the huge range, mostly produced in laboratories, that painters can use today.   Things have moved a long way from the days when painters had to produce their own colours using natural materials.

But although such a huge range of colours is available, technology is not capable of reproducing the majority of them accurately either on the printed page or on the internet.   What can be blue on a painting may well turn out to appear mauve on screen or in a book.

A fascinating lecture - I wanted to listen to it again on the internet, but unfortunately for some reason it was not available.

Egypt - the Elusive Arab Spring

This evening I went straight from work to a lecture at Pimlico Library on Egypt and the Arab Spring.

It was given by Dr. Wafik Moustafa, who is a real doctor and has been extensively engaged in Egyptian politics and Anglo-Egyptian relations all his life.   He knows everyone and everything in connection with Egyptian politics and has just brought out a book on Egypt and the Arab Spring.

The talk was fascinating, as were the comments of many of the people there, who were also involved with Anglo-Egyptian politics - they all seemed to know each other.

His contention was that democracy is not necessarily the right political solution for Egypt, which, like all the Middle East and North Africa, has no history of democracy, but is used to absolute rule either by the army or a dictator.   He also made the point that the Egyptian Army does not see the Muslim Brotherhood as the real enemy - with their super intelligence services, they know everything there is to know about the leadership and members of the Muslim Brotherhood and are well able to control them.   But they are not so keen on Western style liberal democracy, which was what the Arab Spring was more about.

Altogether a very interesting talk, and I felt when I left I knew more about Egyptian history and politics than when I arrived.

London Mandolin Orchestra

A concert at the Westminster Music Library in Buckingham Palace Road which I went to straight form work, as it started at 6.00 p.m.

The concert was held in a little space upstairs, which was so small it was packed, with the orchestra occupying half the area available.

The musicians played not just mandolins, but also other stringed instruments such as guitars, and and performed wide variety of music, some specially set for them.

A most enjoyable hour - it was quite a short concert - and I'd like to go and hear them again if they do another concert.

Lake District

A trip to the Lake District, which meant a very early start - 4.45 a.m. to be exact, so be sure of getting the 6.05 a.m. train from Euston to Windermere.   I'd already booked my ticket, so didn't have to worry about queuing up at the booking office - not that there would be likely to be many people around at that time of the morning.   But if you book well in advance, you can get huge discounts - book on the day and you have to pay a fortune for the same journey.

The journey up to Windermere was very pleasant, with the train rattling along at a good rate of knots through the countryside.  In the beginning it was quite dark, but then the sun started to come up and you could see all the green fields and woods.  I love travelling in the early morning when everything is so fresh.

I had to change at Oxenholme for the branch line to Windermere, which I reached about 9.30 a.m., and from there I got a bus to Ambleside, which is at the top of Windermere - the ride from Windermere to Ambleside follows the side of the lake through beautiful countryside.

Ambleside's main purpose is obviously to cater for all the walkers and climbers who visit the Lake District every year.   The town is quite small, but there are shops everywhere selling walking and climbing equipment and lots of people who are obviously there to walk and climb.   I loved it - it just has so much character and an outdoorsy feel.

Whilst there I fairly thoroughly explored the town and spent quite a long period in the Beatrix Potter Museum, which concentrates not so much on her fame as a writer, but on her other attributes, such as her extensive scientific knowledge and work on fungi - she was a world expert and in touch with scientists at Kew Gardens, where her work was eventually recognised.    And then of course there was her work as a sheep breeder and founder of the National Trust, to whom she bequeathed her property when she died.   A most remarkable women, and one can only wonder what she would have achieved if she had had the opportunities that girls have today, instead of being stifled by the restrictions of the period in which she lived.

From Ambleside I got a bus to Kendal, as I had seen on the internet that they had a festival celebrating Kendal's past as a famous woollen manufacturing town.   The description of the festival on the internet turned out to be a slight exaggeration - or more correctly, a very large exaggeration - as there wasn't really very much there to make it worth a special visit, but Kendal itself was.   It's a lovely little town, still unspoilt, with lots of interesting shops and history.   The only problem was some rain - fortunately I had come prepared, so didn't get too wet.

Oxenholme, where I was getting the train back to London, is simply a train station.   The village, about ten minutes' walk away, has just one Post office cum very small general store.   It is quite close to Kendal, but the buses finish very early and it's a bit far to walk, so I got there in very good time and thought I would get something to eat before catching the train.   After asking at the booking office, I was directed to Lidl (or was it Asda?) some thiry minutes' or so's walk away and set off down the hill from the station.   The directions I had been given were a bit awry - the girl had taken them off her tablet, and I got slightly lost on the way, but by asking was put back on the right road.   And indeed the supermarket was closer than I had expected, as there was a path though the woods to it which was obviously not accessible to cars, which had to take a much longer route by road.   It was a very busy supermarket, set in a field - obviously one of those "out of town" establishments, with a very large car park, and completely impossible to use without a car.   All I wanted was something to nibble on the train, which was fine, but I would not have enjoyed carrying heavy bags of shopping back to the station.

I got home rather late, feeling just slightly tired, but it had been a wonderful day out, away from all the hustle and bustle and crowds of London.

Self-Publishing Workshop

I thought I'd go along to this, which was held at Pimlico Library, as I'm interested in self-publishing and thought I might get a few tips.

Pimlico Library is a very modern library, with a cafe selling a wide variety of eats and drinks in the foyer, evening classes, lecture rooms, and of course, a good sized library.   Everything is new and spacious and it's the sort of facility that every borough should have.   But Westminster is a borough which tends to spend money on its libraries.

The lecturer was a chap who writes under the name of Edward St.Boniface, and has recently self-published a three volume tome.   But although he had self-published his own books, he didn't seem to be terribly clued up on self-publishing in general, and I didn't feel I gained much from going.

But just to show how small a place London can be, I met someone I knew there, who I wouldn't have expected to be there, but she is interested in illustrating for people who want to self-publish.

The Golden Age of the Recorder

This afternoon I went to a concert at Crown Court Church of Scotland, which I had never visited before.   It tucked away in Russell Street, in Covent Garden, and the church itself is upstairs, with the hall on the ground floor.   The church congregation dates back to the early eighteenth century - the first records are from 1711 - and was a home for the Scots who came to London, although there had been other congregations from the time of James I.   They moved to the current site in 1719; by 1909 the building had become very dilapidated, so was rebuilt in its current form.

The church is rather plain, as one would expect; it is approached up a flight of stairs, and there would appear to be other offices or meeting rooms on the same floor.   There is a very spacious hall downstairs, with more offices or meeting rooms - one thing I noticed was lists of names on one wall described as a "Cradle Roll".   There seemed to be far too few names for the lists to be baptisms, but I can't think what else they might be.

The concert featured The Flautadors, who are one of the UK's leading recorder ensembles, although the instruments they were playing bore little resemblance to what one normally thinks of as recorders.   They have a large repertoire, spanning over 800 years, and the music they were playing today was from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries - Richard Deering, Anthony Holborne, Matthew Locke, Georg Philip Telemann, Johan Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi.   The programme included a wide variety of pieces, mostly fairly short.

Music for a While

This evening I went to a concert at Holy Trinity Church, Rotherhithe, which might seem a long way to go, but in fact is a very easy journey - Central Line to Oxford Circus, change to the Victoria Line to Green Park, and then pick up the Jubilee Line to Canada Water, from where it is just a short bus-ride to the church.

Holy Trinity is a modern Church; the impressive original one, dating back to 1838, was bombed in 1940, the first church to be completely destroyed, and it was later rebuilt in the 1950s.   It is not very big, although it is set is quite large grounds, and seems to have quite a lot going on.

I had come to listen to a concert of music by Henry Purcell and John Blow, sung by soprano Emily Atkinson and mezzo-soprano Cathy Bell, accompanied by musicians on harpsichord, organ, viola, violin and guitar.

The singing was wonderful; both girls have lovely voices and it is not difficult to find excellent pieces from the seventeenth century.   The programme included a large number of short pieces by both composers,  including "Sound the Trumpet", "If music be the Food of Love" and "Dido's Lament".

It wasn't a stuffy concert; although all the singers and musicians were very professional, there was a certain light-heartedness about it, although this didn't detract at all from the performance.

Brook Green Day

The Old Brook Green Fair used to be quite a good event - loads of charity stalls selling everything from bric-a-brac to cakes to crafts - rides, etc for the children, commercial food stalls, a stage with constant entertainment, a tug-of-war - all the usual things you would expect at a fair on the village green.    All that was needed was some sunshine to make it a very pleasant place to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon.

Brook Green Day was a much inferior affair.   There were a couple of stalls selling expensive - very expensive cakes, etc. some facepainting, a funfair for the children which would soon eat up a fortune, something for dog-owners, some children from Bute House singing, and rather more estate agents stalls than anything else.   Just about worth a quick walk-through to see what was there.   But Andy Slaughter, our MP turned up and there were a few people wandering around.

It looked as if it was organised in rather a hurry, and no-one had time to really make it a really good event.   Maybe next year things will be different.

Queen's Park Festival

I'd been to the Queen's Park Festival many years ago, on a day when, in the middle of the afternoon, the heavens opened and the rain poured down, and it was only a long plastic mac that saved me from being completely soaked - an umbrella would have been completely useless.

Today the sun was shining, and the park was alive with people all enjoying the festival, the park and the sun.

There were plenty of stalls, though the prices for things like cakes and jam and honey were rather steep.   There were also a lot of craft stalls, but none selling anything I really wanted.

There was, though, plenty of entertainment for everyone, especially the children, and the atmosphere was quite jolly.

I went with a friend and we had a cup of tea in the park cafe before going and getting something to eat at a Lebanese restaurant where the menu included a bowl of very nice soup at a very reasonable price.

Quebec House

I'd passed Quebec House several times on the bus, but never actually stopped off to see inside it.  So today I decided to make up for that omission.

Quebec House is owned by the National Trust, and was the former childhood home of General James Wolfe, with whom most people immediately associate the Plains of Abraham and the gaining of Canada as a British colony in 1759.

The house is at one end of the village of Westerham in Kent, and although comparatively small, is full of interest as an example of a family house in the early eighteenth century.   The house itself is much older and was presumably built for letting, but because no-one really famous ever resided there, there are no records of its occupants prior to the Wolfe family.

The house came to the National Trust in an unusual way.   A Canadian devotee of General Wolfe bought the property for a museum; his widow left the property to the Canadian Government who, realising the problems of looking after a museum in England, offered it to the National Trust.

Unfortunately, not many mementos of General Wolfe are in the house.   He died young and unmarried at the battle of Quebec; his mother when she died distributed the family's possessions amongst many different people, and although quite a lot exists, it is all in other hands.

When I was there, there was a lot more than usual in the house.   The young James Wolfe had been great friends with the young son of the Squerryes family, who lived on a large estate at the other end of the village, and they in fact have many items connected with him, including portraits, books etc.    Squerryes Court is currently being refurbished, and so they have loaned some of their items to the museum for the duration of the works.

But among the permanent items are the white robe in which James Wolfe's body was wrapped for transportation back to England, and replicas of his uniform and weapons.

There was also a opportunity to try some of the eighteenth century cakes in the kitchen, where "Mrs. Wolfe" was busy baking.

A house that is very much worth a visit.

Fourteen Guitars

I didn't recognise Holland Park School when I saw it; nothing about it rang a bell, and I assumed that it must be because I was entering via a different gate, until I discovered that the whole school had been pulled down an the re-built.   And I must say the finished product is rather outstanding.  

There are now security gates - you used to just be able to walk straight in - and the guard showed me the way to the main entrance, which looks a bit like a hotel entrance - nothing dull or drab about it.

The entrance hall is very spacious, with armchairs, huge bowls of lavender on the table, copies of Dickens' novels on the coffee tables, vases of fresh flowers - a complete contrast to what school receptions used to look like.   Likewise the Ladies - modern, gleaming, complete with taps with sensors so you don't have to touch them.   Everything is spotless and very much 2014.

The hall where the concert was held is huge, and could probably easily hold a thousand.   The wood floors were gleaming, with not a mark on them, and the whole place would not have looked out of place on the Southbank.

The concert was in aid of a charity called Future Talent, which aims to help brilliant but poor musically gifted children from 5 to 18 years old, by providing mentoring and financial assistance, e.g. paying for tuition, helping to purchase instruments, enabling them to take part in competitions, etc.   The charity was set up by the Duchess of Kent in 2004, and although she was meant to be attending, she was was not able to make it. But the fourteen guitarists of the title all managed to make it, along with two others and an unexpected fifteen year old guest player from South London, who is one of the recipients of their help.

The programme was quite varied, with most, if not all, pieces not originally written for guitar.   Some sounded slightly strange as a result, and much more medieval.than normal, as if they were being played on a lute.   But the result was wonderful - an evening that was different, but also very enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the size of the audience was quite small -  most of the chairs that had been put out were unoccupied, and I got the impression that much of the audience were in some way connected to the school.

1964 Exhibtion at Whiteleys

It seemed from its publicity on the internet that this would be something worth going to, something that would take those who were around at the time back to the past, bringing back memories of what life was like in 1964, when we were young and carefree.

However, it didn't quite live up to its publicity.

I had expected the exhibition would be quite large and be spread throughout the ground floor of Whiteleys.   Instead it was just a very, very small event, with some dancing on a tiny stage, a guitarist playing intermittently, some picture on boards of people like Cilla Black and Mary Quant and the Beatles, some old television clips - and that was about it.   Certainly nothing worth making a special effort to go there, though perhaps it was interesting to those who were's around at that time.   The young girls in mini skirts just didn't look authentic, and I can't remember ever wearing the sort of boots they had on - nor can I remember seeing them on anyone else.

Quentin Blake Exhibition

This afternoon I went to see the Quentin Blake Exhibition at the House of Illustration in Granary Square, behind Kings Cross.

I love his work, and it was interesting watching the short films about how he went about providing the pictures for several children's books,

I had imagined that most illustrators would be a bit like Rolf Harris, dashing off pictures in seconds.   But that apparently is not how Quentin Blake works. Instead, everything is carefully planned and altered and redone until it is just right.

I had expected the House of Illustration would have works by a number of illustrators, instead of just an exhibition on Quentin  Blake.   But their premises are very small, and apparently their main focus is on running classes and workshops.

A Day in the Country

South West Trains are still doing a special offer of travel any time day returns for £15, so I decided to have another day out, and booked a ticket for Wareham in Dorset, with the idea of going to Corfe Castle, which is owned by the National Trust.

I didn't get the first train on the morning, but almost; I caught the 6.30 a.m. from Waterloo, which gets to Wareham just after nine o'clock, and would give me time to have a look around and go to the Post Office before getting the bus to Corfe Castle - it goes from the town centre at ten past the hour.

The station is half a mile from the town, which is really quite small - not much more than the main street, although it does have a large Sainsburys in one of the side streets.   There are lots of little shops, stacks of pubs, a market, a museum (which I didn't go to), a very old church (St. Martin-on-the-Walls) dating back to Saxon times, which was firmly locked although the key could be borrowed from one of the shops, and which appeared to have just one service a week on a Wednesday, a river where you can hire boats - in fact, it gives the impression of being rather a nice place to live.    I saw there was a concert on at Lady St. Mary's Church which is at the other end of the high street, in the evening as well as a flower festival, and decided to go it I could.

The bus to Corfe Castle only takes twenty minutes, although I got off at the first stop rather than the third, as I should have done.   That meant I had a good ten minutes' walk through the woods and along the river to the Castle, instead of about two minutes up the road.

I hadn't realised before that there is a village there as well as the castle; whenever I've seen pictures there has just been the ruined castle on a hill-top.   But in fact there is quite a large village at the bottom of the hill, with shops, cafes, a museum, a large church and a fair amount of housing.

There was a festival for children on today, with a number of tents where people dressed in medieval clothes talked about their lives and work: a doctor, a lord, a steward, a carpenter, an archer, etc,   All very interesting for the children, of which there were rather a lot, and who were also encouraged to take a  sheet and look for various things around the castle.

Corfe Castle dates back to the 11th century, and was originally built by William the Conqueror, although there were alterations in the 12th and 13th centuries.   It remained in Royal hands until Elizabeth 1 sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, who in 1635 sold it to Sir John Bankes - the Bankes family remained the owners until they gave it to the National Trust.   Sir John Bankes was away at the time during the Civil War, when it was twice besieged by the Parliamentarians - the Bankes were Royalists - and his wife Lady Mary Bankes was in charge.  The first siege was unsuccessful, but during the second, in 1645, the Castle was betrayed by someone inside, and was taken.   Lady Mary was allowed to keep the keys in recognition of her brave efforts, but the castle itself was destroyed - it is rumoured that two ken involved in dynamiting the castle lie buried under the rubble. After the Restoration, the Bankes decided to build another house at Kingston Lacy, rather than restore Corfe Castle, so it remained a ruin.

But it is a very impressive ruin.   Set on a hilltop, it is in a commanding position; with a clear view for miles on every side; it would be impossible to approach it without being seen.

Just below the castle is the very pretty little village, and it was from there that I got the bus into Swanage, after waiting for ages for it to come.

I had lunch in Swanage, and wandered all round the town, before climbing to the top of the cliff past the pier.The sun kept shining all day, and there was a bit of a breeze, so it really was pleasant to be out of doors.

Late afternoon I got the bus back to Wareham so that I could go to the concert, which started at 7 o'clock in Lady St. Mary's Church, and this also gave me a chance to have a look at their flower festival - the church was a mass of flowers everywhere, with all displays provided by parishioners.

The concert had a very varied programme, with songs, readings, recitations and music all connected in some way  to the First World War and the audience were invited to join in the chorus of several items, singing the words printed in the programme.   All the participant were local people, and although some of the acts were quite light-hearted, such as Joyce Grenfell's "The Canteen in Wartime" the general feeling was of a certian amount of solemnity, remembered the War.   Unfortunately I had to leave before the final two items, "The Poppies Grow" and "Go Forth into the World in Peace", as it over-ran a bit (it was supposed to finish at 8.15 p.m.), as I had to catch the train back to London.

I arrived home rather tired, but it had been a wonderful day out - seeing interesting new places, walking miles and generally enjoying being out of London and in the fresh air.

Oxford Spezzati concert

A delightful concert by the Oxford Spezzati Soloists and Orchestra at St. Matthew's Church, featuring works by Debussy, Milhaud, Vaughan Williams, Pearsall, reland, Britten and Farkas - quite a collection.

I loved the first item, which was Early Hungarian Dances from the 17th Century by Ferenc Farkas; I almost wanted to get up and start dancing.

Festival at Chiswick Pier

I didn't find out about this until Sunday afternoon, but decided to go along as they were having free boat trims on the river.   I got a bus from Hammersmith to Chiswick, and then walked down to Chiswick Pier.

The festival was rather small - there were a few stalls there, but not many, and the Boat Club was selling refreshments - I had a cup of tea and a scone with jam and cream before I left.  

Fullers Brewery were sponsoring the boat trips, and I managed to get on the 4.00 p.m. one, which was the last.    We sailed nearly down to Hammersmith Bridge, and then back to Chiswick Pier and had a further little trip up to Barnes Bridge and back.   A very pleasant way to spend a good half hour on a warm sunny day - sitting outside on the top deck, with a slight breeze blowing in your hair.

Afterwards, I walked back along the river  as it was such a lovely day.

Rally for Christians of Mosul

This morning I joined a rally outside the Houses of Parliament in support of the Christians in Iraq in general, and of Mosul in particular, who have been driven from the homes by ISIS.   The rally was organised by Iraqi Christians and supported by Aid to the Church in Need, and for something that had been organised at very short notice, there was quite a crowd there.   Nothing compared to the numbers protesting about Gaza, of course, for they are well-organised with a lot of support from organisations like the Socialist Workers Party, who were very much in evidence in Parliament Square; when I came out of Westminster station there were hundreds of their placards stacked up waiting to be collected.

The Iraqi Christians rally was a rather more sedate affair.   Some people had brought along banners, which they held aloft, condemning the killing and exile of Iraqi Christians, and there were people handing out A4 posters for people to carry and stickers to go on people's blouses or shirts.   There were also some people handing out rosary books.

There were a number of speakers, including at lease one Muslim, who condemned ISIS and said Christians had always been part of Iraqi society and had as much right to live peacefully in Iraq as everybody else,  In fact, quite a few of the crowd were Muslims, some holding banner saying "In solidarity with the Christians in Iraq.  ISIS does NOT represent us" or something similar.   One I spoke to pointed out that ISIS were destroying the history of all Iraqis and that they were not just targeting Christians, but all minorities, including Shias.

I had expected we would all march to Downing Street, but instead only about twenty or thirty were allowed to go; the rest of us stayed where we were until about 12.30 p.m. before dispersing.

I was glad I went; Christians from the Middle East need all the support they can get, and for governments to know they have this support - maybe then they will do something to help them.
 

Giltspur Singers Summer Concert

A concert at St. John's Holland Road which concluded the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Giltspur Singers, which were formed by Dr. Christopher Maxim in 2003 - the name comes from the street in which the church where they rehearse is based.

The programme featured a wide range of music, mostly from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, and many with a country theme - including items by Reginald Spofforth, Samuel Webbe the elder, William Horsley, Robert Pearsall and others.   Most of them were quite light-hearted and fun, rather than serious and heavy.
The first half ended with Gerald  Finzi's "Lo, the full, final sacrifice", with its haunting introducation.

Following the interval, at which wine and soft drinks were available, there was a section entitled Three Pastoral Partsongs, with words by John Keats, Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Thomas Hardy set to music by Christopher Maxim.

Then came the special feature of the evening: a number of pieces under the heading "Songs of Gods and Mortals" composed Christopher Maxim especially for the anniversary:

Hymn to Pan - words: John Fletcher (1579-1625)
Mistress Margery Wentworth - words: John Skelton (c.1460-1529)
Hymn to Bacchus - words: Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Jenny kissed me - words: Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
Hymn to Venus - words: Ambrose Philips (1574-1749), based on Sappho (c.625-c.570BC)
Mad Tom - words: Anon.

New music, but very old words, and all of them very, very different.

The programme concluded with two pieces for lute and voice.

The Giltspur Singers are a mixed choir, who all have other jobs during the day, although several are trained musicians and singers and all are enthusiastic about music.

St. John's is a wonderful church for concerts; the beauty of the church itself gives it an atmosphere that no normal concert hall can offer, and is especially suitable for pieces which are haunting and emotional, as so many of this evening's pieces were.

Allergy Show

I had a free ticket for the Allergy Show and Back Pain Show at Olympia so I went along.   In the past it has been a fairly small affair, enough there to see everything in an hour or two.   But this year, it was much, much bigger, with dozens of interesting stands, and I could have spent a whole day there.   All the different foodstuffs were particularly interesting.   I wasn't terribly interested in all the "Free from" products - I find things like gluten free bread and cakes rather tasteless - but there were so many other interesting food products there from all over the world.

In addition to all the different foods, there were products that I would have liked to have time to try, but time was rather limited, as I was going to a concert at four o'clock.

Concert - Methodist Church

A concert by one of Mr. Bobb's star pupils, a young Ghanaian boy who is obviously hugely talented.

Weston-super-Mare and Bridgwater

I caught the 7.00 a.m. train from Paddington to Bristol, and from there got a bus to Weston-super-Mare, which was fairly quiet at that time in the morning.   After a wander round the front and the town, and a late breakfast (or early lunch) at a little cafe, I caught the bus to Bridgwater, which I hadn't been to before.

Bridgwater, a market town, isn't on the coast, but it is on a river, the River Parrett, which you have to cross to get from the bus-station to the town.   At one time there was a quay and Bridgwater was an important inland port, with a vibrant industrial base.

The town itself is quit small and you can easily walk round it in an hour or two.   I wandered around most of it, before going to the Blake Museum, which is where Admiral Robert Blake is reputed to have lived.   Today it houses a museum in his honour, and quite a fascinating museum too.   Before today I had never heard of Robert Blake, who was a famous as Nelson in his day.   I spent a considerable amount of time in the museum, more than I intended, and then purchased some of their home-made marmalade which they were selling in the shop.

After the museum closed I had a look at more of the town, and also had something to eat - by this time, there were a limited number of cafes still open, and it seems Bridgwater is the sort of place where everything closes at five o'clock.

When I got back to Weston-super-Mare I found I had just missed the last bus back to Bristol, so had to get the train, which turned out to be less expensive than I expected, and the route was very scenic.

Erebus Ensemble

Another concert at St. Matthew's, this time featuring Tom Williams' Erebus Ensemble singing a very varied programme, which inlcuded Byrd's Ave verum, Paert's Tribute to Caesar, Gorecki's Totus tuus, Gibbons' Hosanna to the Son of David, and the star piece of the evening, Thomas Tallis' 40-part motet Spem in alium.

A very pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening, sitting listening to beautiful music.

Anne Boleyn

This afternoon I went to see a production of a new play about Anne Boleyn which has had excellent reviews in other parts of the country.  

it was being performed at Putney Arts Centre, and before the show, we had lunch at a very nice Persian restaurant just across the road from the theatre.   Although the food was excellent, and not expensive, we were the only diners there, although the waiter said they got busy later.

The play was well cast, except for a black James I, who didn't really look the part - his actions and facial expressions just weren't right, and also the play emphasised his alleged homosexuality rather too much.

But apart from that, it was very good, giving a picture of Anne Boleyn as a woman who was quite capable of scheming her way into power and position.  

Was it historically accurate?  I don't know.  Apparently all her letters and other writings have been destroyed, so there is very little first hand evidence to go on in attributing reasons and motives for her actions.   Certainly she lived in an interesting time, and moved in circles where intrigue and double dealing were commonplace.

Putney Arts Centre puts on a lot of plays, and I've been to several there before.   They have a proper stage and stacked seating - important if you are little.

Ramble - Aldgate East to Bethnal Green

A Saturday afternoon, rather than a Sunday afternoon walk, on a lovely sunny day.  

Much of the walk followed the Canal, walking along the towpath, and also went through Victoria Park, which is lovely.

We ended up at Bethnal Green tube, which was the scene of a terrible tragedy during the Second World War, where so many people died trying to get down into the tube.   Today there is a memorial to them at the station.

Once again, a very friendly crowd of people - so a very chatty walk.

Ramble - West Dulwich to Sydenham Hill

Another great Sunday afternoon out in the fresh air, this time in south London, starting at West Dulwich station and walking past the Dulwich Picture Gallery to Dulwich Park, which is beautiful at this time of year, and full of people enjoying the sun.   There's a boating lake and a cafe, gardens, grass and trees if you like the shade.   There are also various items of exercise equipment, which seemed very popular, though I didn't get a chance to try anything.

After that we spent most of the time in the woods, partly following an old railway line.   Surprisingly, there didn't seem to be any squirrels about - in fact, I've noticed there seems to be a shortage of them this year.   I wonder what has happened to them.

As its name suggests, Sydenham Hill is a hill, but it wasn't a really steep climb and we weren't rushing.

Enfield

I took the rain out to Enfield, with the idea of going to a festival there and also having a look round Forty Hall.

There didn't seem to be very much happening at Forty Hall, so I went on to the festival.

The festival turned out to rather a damp squib.   Although advertised as a fantastic family event, it was in a field off the main road  behind the church, and although they were charging £1 get to in, there was really very little there.   A few rather under-stocked stalls and a mini fun fair for the children and not much else.   After having a quick look around I decided to move on, and found a very nice little cafe to have some lunch, before getting a bus back to Enfield Town.  

The good thing about the day was that I walked for miles and so got a lot of exercise out in the fresh air.

Ramble - Ruislip to Northwood Hills

A Sunday afternoon ramble starting at Ruislip station and walking through areas of green to Ruislip Lido, which was packed with people, some swimming in the Lido, others just enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. It's the sort of place it would be nice to come for Sunday lunch in the summer.

We stopped there for a cup of tea, which I think most of us managed to get, despite the long queues at the cafe.

After that we went on, and that was where I got separated from the rest of the group.   The leader asked if anyone wanted to use the toilets, and two of us said yes.   So we went, and when we emerged a minute of two later, the group had completely disappeared.   We hurried on the route we thought they were taking, but it was soon obvious that they must have branched off, and without knowing where they had gone, it was useless to try and find them.   So we asked someone the way to Northwood Hills, and with vague directions, set off.   Fortunately the other girl had a map on her mobile phone, which wasn't perfect by any means, but did enable us to find our way through the woods and eventually arrive at Northwood Hills station just as the rest of the group appeared.

Actually, I think we took a more scenic route, walking along muddy paths through the woods, making detours to avoid large puddles, and moving out of the way of the horses also out enjoying the woods with their riders.  

Diary of a Nobody

This evening I went to see "Diary of a Nobody" at the White Bear Theatre in Kennington Park Road.

The White Bear Theatre is quite small and located behind a pub.   There's no proper stage, and seating is on two sides.

"Diary of a Nobody" had a young all male cast, with the use of hats and gowns to indicate the female parts, of which there were several.    But on this evening, one of the principal characters had been suddenly called away, and so the others had to take his parts in addition to their own.  Which they did it amazingly well, with lightning fast changes of costume, voice and position on stage. Only talented and experienced actors could have pulled it off.   The result was a fascinating look at a world which no longer exists

Although this was my first visit to the White Bear Theatre, it definitely won't be my last.

Josiah Wedgwood

This evening I attended a lecture at the Chemistry Society on Josiah Wedgwood, the founder of the famous pottery firm - the talk was entitled "Josiah Wedgwood - the Arts and Sciences United".

It was an extremely interesting talk.   Everyone knows about Wedgwood pottery, but I expect few people know much about the man himself, including the fact that he was lame, due to a leg being amputated as a result of an abscess behind the knee.   But that didn't stop his enormous artistic and scientific output, nor his constant travelling to and from London.

Starting work as a young child as an apprentice to his older brother Thomas, Josiah quickly showed his abilities as a potter, despite not being able to work the foot pedal of the wheel due to the after effects of smallpox.  As a result he concentrated on designing pottery, where his artistic skills soon showed.

Josiah later set himself up in business, and transformed the pottery industry, industrialising the processes used, and incorporating his inventions to make his pottery better and more attractive.   Soon he was receiving orders from royalty, not just in this country, but from places like Russia.

Although working conditions in factories at that time were awful, Josiah tried to improve them and make life easier for his employees.   One of his most important inventions was the pyrometer for measuring the very high temperatures in the kilns during firing.   Previously this had been a dangerous and inaccurate operation.

In his time, Josiah Wedgwood was the most famous potter in the world, and his blue and white designs are still recognizable today.

Ramble - East Croydon

Another Sunday afternoon ramble, this time starting at East Croydon station.

East Croydon is not a place one would normally think of to start a ramble, as Croydon is such a busy, bustling town.   But in a five minutes' walk you are in the beautiful Coombe Park, where we stopped for a few minutes to admire the flowers.

The walk ended up at a tram stop - I love travelling on the tram, which trundles along through parks as well as along streets.

An Autumn Afternoon

A very touching 1962 Japanese film about a group of older men who meet up every year to reminisce and their attempts to help a former teacher who has fallen on hard times.   Interwoven with this is the story of two unmarried daughters and their realisation by their fathers that it is their own selfishness which has stopped them from marrying, and their attempts to make amends.   There is an awful lot of bowing and polite conversation

Like all other Japanese films I have seen, this reminds me of English films of the same period.  No swearing, no nudity, no violence, just a good story simply told.   There was none of the loud and grating voices you often get in American films today, and definitely no car chases.

It was, in fact, the sort of film you could watch a second time, and just enjoy the different world that it portrayed - a world much more gentle than today.

As the film, which was at the BFI, didn't start till a quarter to nine, it was quite late when I got home.   Walking across the bridge to Embankment is lovely late at night; with all the lighted buildings lining the river it's quite magical.

Ramble - North Harrow to Ruislip

Another Sunday afternoon ramble, this time meeting in North Harrow and making our way through parks and green spaces to Ruislip.   Several of the same people, including a delightful retired biochemist from Romania.

One nice thing about rambles is the is the sort of people you meet on them - usually very friendly and chatty and interesting.   And if the pace isn't too fast, there is plenty of time for chatting.

Concert - St. Pancras Church

A delightful concert in the evening at St. Pancras Church, which is just across Euston Road from the station. They have a  lot of concerts there, including a lot of classical.  

This one was part of the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, and the concert was preceded at 7 o'clock by a talk by Gavin Bryars on his life and music.   Absolutely fascinating

The concert itself was quite varied, with the Gavin Bryars Ensemble, Addison Chamber Choir and the the Vigala Singers all playing a part.  

Highlights of the evening included the world premiere of "Psalm 126" and the London premiere of "A Time and a Place" and "Jesus Blood Never failed Me Yet" - the latter was a a strangely moving piece, based on the words of a tramp Gavin Bryars had met.

Ramble through Richmond Park

The ramble started at Petersham Gate, which is quite a long walk from Richmond Station - a mile at least I would say, and mostly uphill.    Having not really allowed enough time, I arrived just a couple of minutes before 11 o'clock, when they were due to move off, starting with a walk up the hill of Richmond Park.  

It was a rather overcast day, with the possibility of rain, which is actually quite nice for walking provided the rain doesn't actually materialise.   Later in the afternoon it was really warm.

We walked right through Richmond Park to the cafe on the other side, where we stopped for lunch.   There was quite a range of food, and I had a roll and some soup.  They were also doing a good trade in icecreams.

The other walkers, some of whom I had met on previous rambles, were a very friendly crowd,  so I spent the time chatting while I walked.

After lunch, we continued the ramble and ended up at Barnes Station.   I wanted to do some shopping on the way home, so went up to Rocks Lane and got a bus back to Hammersmith.

Concert - St. George in the East

Another part of the London Sangerstevne, this time at an East End Church.   St. George's was largely destroyed during the War, but has been re-built, although you can still see some of the original building.  The ceiling is somewhat unusual, and so is the entrance - it's very modern, and reminds me a bit of the Methodist Church in Fulham Broadway.

The concert featured a couple of unusual choirs, including one called the Turbelles, who combined singing with movement.    Philip Norman was there again, of course, with his enthusiastic appeal for money!    Unfortunately the audience wasn't very big - certainly not as large as the choirs deserved.

Concert - St. George's Aubrey Walk

Having been out rambling all afternoon, in the evening I went to a fundraising concert entitled "A Festival of Music" at St. George's Camden Hill.

A delightful evening, and I saw a very much older looking Mrs. Stirling, whom I knew from my time at the Kensington Day Centre, sitting across the aisle, although I don't think she saw me.  

I wished I hadn't bothered to have something very quickly to eat before I went, as the tickets included not just nibbles, but piles of more substantial food, mostly deliciously home-made.   Everything looked to enticing I just had to try a few things, even though I'd already eaten.   Well, it was a couple of hours later by the time the interval came round.

Ramble in Twickenham

A nice, pleasant ramble in Twickenham.   We met at the station, which was awash with rugby fans - mostly students, by the look of them, with outrageous costumes.

I first saw them on the platform at Clapham Junction.   Normally on a Saturday afternoon there would be no problem in getting on a train to Twickenham, but today the platform was packed.   And I mean packed!   A bit like the rush hour on the tube when a train has been delayed.   Several trains were too full to get on, even with my years of experience on the underground.   Eventually I moved to the end of the platform in the hope an end carriage might be less crowded.  Well, I did manage to get on, but was absolutely squashed as more people crowded in every station we stopped at.   Mostly young people in outlandish outfits, face paintings and sometimes masks.   All happy and laughing.   And the heat!   I couldn't wait to get to Twickenham!

The walk itself was very pleasant.   There was quite a big group, and as we passed the rugby stadium on the way, we could hear all the rugby supporters.Mostly we followed the River Crane, which eventually ends up in the Thames.    The path was quite narrow and a bit muddy - we had been warned to wear suitable footwear.   You also needed to be wearing trousers, as there were nettles everywhere.

At one point there was a short shower - enough to make you want to put your brolly up, but not enough to seriously wet you unless you were standing in an exposed place - trees were sufficient to break the fall of the rain.   Anyway, it didn't last for long, and it was warm enough to dry out any damp clothing fairly quickly.

Concert - St. John's Holland Road

The concert this evening at St. John's Holland Road was part of the London Sangerstevne, with choirs performing prior to the main all day event tomorrow at St. Matthew's Ealing Common.

The concert, like all the Sangerstevne events, was free, but with an enthusiastic appeal by Philip Norman to give generously to the retiring collection which would go to the church.   And he pointed out, as he always does, that the Church of England, unlike many Continental churches, does not receive ANYTHING AT ALL from the Government, and so needs to raise every penny it costs to get it going.   Notes and cheques acceptable!  

Three choirs were singing - Kensington and Victoria Park Singers from London, Coro Montalbo from Italy and Cor Merched Cwm Llynfi from - guess where? - Wales.   All were very good.   The Italian choir had to use a translator to explain their pieces, and kept moving round taking photos.   Altogether a lovely evening.

The Two Faces of January

Another free cinema ticket courtesy of the Telegraph - this time for The Two Faces of January at the Millbank Cinema in, of course, Millbank.   I went at straight from work so arrived in very good time, but as seats at these free events are never numbered, it's advisable to be there as soon as the doors open, as they are usually fully booked, and latecomers get the worst seats.

The film is based on a book by Patricia Highsmith and is set in Athens and a Greek island.  Fast paced, exciting and with constant twists and turns, it's a thriller, a crime film, a romance, and also has something to say about the morality and deviousness of human beings.    

Canalway Cavalcade

It's May Bank Holiday, so of course Canalway Cavalcade is on at Little Venice.   It was a lovely afternoon for being out of doors,among all the crowds thronging the pathways around the basin and along the canal.   Lots of boats, many gaily decorated; stalls selling all sorts of things from jumble to cheeses; English folk music, and a generally happy atmosphere.

And talking of cheese, the stall where I bought all those delicious cheeses last year was there again, so I stocked up with some more, which will very soon go.   They're in all sorts of interesting flavours that you can't normally get, and if you buy several you get a discount.  

Tea and a cake from the tea bar on one of the boats added to the day; there's something about having afternoon tea sitting on a boat on the canal.  

My Name is

In the evening I went to see "My Name is" at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney.   Based on the true story of a half-Pakistani Muslim girl from Scotland who was the subject of a ,Court case to decide where she would live, with her mother in Scotland or her father in Pakistan, it followed the mother's story from the time she was a teenager in a home with an abusive stepfather.and moved out when she was sixteen to live with a local Pakistani boy - she married him in an Islamic ceremony, but was never married under Scottish law.   The boy was very secular when she started going out with him, but once married, he changed and became a typical controlling husband.   She had converted to Islam, and apparently took it all very seriously, becoming something of an expert on religious practices, so that even her in laws thought she was going too far.  

But it was a stormy marriage, and when she eventually lost her faith whilst on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and the fervour that went with it, the relationship was doomed.   Her five children had, however, all been brought up as devout Muslims.

When her husband returned to Pakistan, the twelve year old daughter wanted to live with him - though how much she was influenced by the though of a very comfortable life in Pakistan compared to a life in a small Council flat in Scotland with her mother and stepfather and half siblings is hard to tell.    She slipped away with an elder sister to Pakistan, with her disappearance initially being called abduction, although it later emerged she had wanted to go.   The Courts eventually decided she could stay in Pakistan, though had to be allowed regular contact with her mother.

The play seemed to follow the story quite closely as I remembered it from the news reports, without sensationalising it in any way.  But it did highlight several things very clearly.    The first was the danger of Scottish girls marrying very young into a culture which they don't understand.   Her husband seemed a very ordinary Scottish boy of Pakistani origin - it never occurred to her than he might change if she lived with him and his family.   The second was the cultural differences between them -  he expected her to behave like an uneducated Pakistani girl, rather than an uneducated Scottish girl.   Thirdly, the dangers of marrying without looking very seriously at the implications of changing religion and culture.   The mother mostly saw the marriage as a way of getting away from home and her abusive stepfather - never a good reason to marry.

None of the characters came out as totally sympathetic.   The husband was violent, controlling and unable to realise that he was living in Scotland, not Pakistan.   The wife was from a very rough background, not terribly bright and was also uneducated.   The daughter came out as scheming and manipulative.

But the acting was excellent, and the characters were well cast, making for an excellent play.

Lewisham Rivers

A leisurely stroll looking at rivers in Lewisham in south London.   A huge crowd of people gathered at Lewisham station for the walk - you couldn't miss them.  Part of a programme to get Londoners walking - and so improve their health, it had been quite heavily promoted among those who are involved with services for the elderly, but was also on things like Meet Up and the Ramblers Association.

A bright sunny day, perfect for walking, and I was dressed appropriately - the website said expect some mud, so I was wearing my oldest, most comfortable shoes, which are falling apart from old age, but are just soooo comfortable.   Actually, the walk was only about four or five miles, so not really excessive.  

A really nice crowd of people, all very friendly and chatty, and a leader who was familiar with the local area and interesting details.

One feature of walks like this is that you get to see places you wouldn't think of walking along in normal circumstances.

The river we were following was the River Quaggy, which joins the Ravensbourne at Lewisham station.    It has been forced into a channel with walled sides in Lewisham, but tends to flood if there is too much heavy rain, so arrangements have been made for it to overflow into parks which make up its flood plain, rather than in Lewisham itself.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

With the Olympics now well over, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is now open to the public - actually it opened last week, but I was doing something else then.

The park is quite near Westfield in Stratford, and that is where I got the train to.   Unless you know your way around - which I don't really - it is quite difficult to find.   But I found it, and walked through to the actual park, passing the swimming pool and other leftovers from the Olympics on the way.

At the moment, the Queen Elizabeth Park is far from finished - the most one can say is that the idea is there, but there;s still a lot of work to be done before it's finished.   But enough has been done to show that it will be a fantastic place and a real asset the the local area and all the families that live there.   Even in it's unfinished state, it was full of people, including stacks of children.   Admittedly, it was a nice day, but even so, it was really alive.

The site itself is interesting, with little hills and valleys.   Gardens and trees have been planted, but there is still piles of open space for children to play.   There's a cafe - a bit pricey I thought - and a children's playground (not yet finished); a river and canal, a climbing wall.   And, of course, a general feeling of being a nice place.

I wandered the whole length of the park, having a good look at everything - it's definitely one of the successes that has sprung from the Olympics.

St. Matthew's Passion

A wonderful performance - as one would expect - by the BBC singers and musicians at St. Simon's Church in Rockley Road.   The performance was in aid of a charity which they support for poor children in South America, and the Vicar, Cameron Collington, gave an impassioned talk about the work they do and of course asked everyone to be generous when they took up a collection at the end.  

I hadn't realised just how long St. Matthew's Passion is!    I sang in it a very long time ago, but can't remember it being excessively long, but then when you're singing, you're not thinking about time.  

It was also interesting to hear it as a member of an audience - I remembered the soprano parts, but the others hand't really registered.   When you're singing, it's your own part that's important, and ensuring you come in at the right time.

One really nice touch was having the words all displayed on screens high up on each side, so you could follow all the words as they were singing.

During the interval, there were rather delicious "eats", with children, including Cameron Collington's, acting as waiters and waitresses.

Altogether a lovely evening.

Present Laughter

Another production by the Ladbroke Players at St. Peter;s, Kensington Park Road - Noel Coward's "Present Laughter".  Excellently cast - as usual - with some new members of the society taking part, including Alison du Cane's daughter.  A light comedy, bordering on farce, with never a dull moment.  Set in the world of travelling theatre, it lurches from one drama to the next, as the characters move from one impossible situation to the next.   Nothing too serious, just light entertainment which leaves you feeling good at the end.

Water, Water Everywhere

Another lecture at the Chemistry Society - this time on water.    A fascinating talk about the difficulties of monitoring water quality, when anything more sophisticated than the simplest of sensors in prohibitively expensive and therefore impractical.   Professor Dermot Diamond is a good lecturer, with an excellent speaking voice, and his talk was very much aimed at the laymen, rather than the expert.   He started the lecture with a story about a burst water main, and then went on to talk about the importance of good water supplies throughout history, and also the problems involved in ensuring the quality.

One small interesting snippet - in Dublin, they can judge the cocaine consumption in the city from measuring the drugs in the sewage!

Barnes Music Festival Chorus and the Music Makers of London

Another concert in the Barnes Music Festival, and an equally good one.

Again the emphasis was on works by modern English composers, although there was one piece by Henry Purcell - Thou Knowest Lord.

The first half of the programme featured the Music Makers of London singing pieces by Peter Warlock, Gustav Holst and Edward Elgar - all completely new to me, which was rather nice.   I don't like hearing the same old things all the time.  

The second half of the programme featured the Barnes Music Festival Chorus, singing a variety of pieces, including three by David Bednall which had been especially commissioned for the Festival - Rhythm - Beat and Pause, Eternal God, who sets the way and The Day Thou Gavest.  

Of course, the adults all sang beautifully, but to my mind the stars of the evening were the children from St. Mary's School, who sang Ralph Vaughan Williams' The Call and Simon Lindley's Ave Maria.   Looking very formal and professional, there was nothing of the Spice Girls about them - my complaint about the sort of singing they seemed to learn at Sacred Heart - instead their voices were clear and sweet, like good children's choirs should sound.   They mostly seemed to know the pieces by heart, but it was obvious how well trained they were by the way they kept looking all the time at the conductor, especially the six year old tot in the front row, who never took here eyes off him.   It's nice to see some schools taking music seriously, and teaching children how to sing properly.

Picasso's Artful Occupation

Picasso's Artful Occupation, written by Ian Buckley and directed by Kenneth Michaels, is just finishing its run at the Baron's Court Theatre in Comeragh Road, West Kensington - tomorrow is the last night of a three week run.   As I have something else I want to go and see on Sunday evening, I decided to go tonight.
It was a bit of a rush to get there, as it started at 7.30 p.m., but I made it - just.   In fact, I was in plenty of time, as it was about ten minutes late in starting.

For once, the theatre was quite full, but I still managed to get a seat in the front row facing the stage - my favourite spot in that theatre.

Piucasso't Artful Occupation is about two German officers making an inventory of Picasso's paintings in 1940, following the German occupation of Paris.   All the action takes place in his studio, which is packed high with paintings, and poses the question - how did Picasso manage to survive and keep his paintings in German occupied France?

The answer in the play focuses on the conflict between the two German officers, both of whom are from the same secondary school in Strasbourg.   One is a typical young soldier in an occupied country - bored, more interested in girls that his work, willing to skive and cut corners if he possibly can, and contemptuous of his rather weedy, probably homosexual, arty colleague.   The other one is a stickler for going by the book, being totally honest never doing anything that is against orders.   They are so totally unalike in their lifestyle and attitudes that conflict between them is inevitable.

Picasso is portrayed as someone who  is is intelligent, wily and very perceptive.   He seizes on the conflict between the two officers and uses it to his own advantage, to ensure that he gets them out of his hair as quickly as possible, and without their going through and listing all his paintings and their value - and also leaves them not knowing for certain whether he is in fact friends of their superior.

An interesting subject and an interestin g play - the dialogue was brilliant, the acting equally so, and apparently the storyline was based on really events.

Zenobia Consort

At 1.30 p.m. there was a free concert at St. James Spanish Place, featuring the Spanish choir Zebobia, from Madrid, who specialise in the works by Tomas Luis de Victoria.   They were over here to do two concerts and also sing at Mass at Westminster Cathedral - the first concert was in Cambridge on the Friday evening, and the second today at St. James.

The programme included Ave Maria, Salve Regina, Missa Salve Regina, Super Flumina Babylonis, Alma Redemptorus Mater and Magnificat primi toni. - all beautifully sung unaccompanied by a large mixed choir dressed in black, with the addition of large red roses for the women.

It was rather said that there were so few people there to hear them - I would have expected quite a crowd, considering the size of the congregation at St. James, although probably most of them don't live in the area.   But the concert was free, and the choir were well worth making a little effort to hear.

Afterwards, everyone was invited to go downstairs for a drink and to sample Spanish ham, which was being sliced into tiny pieces from a whole leg of salted pork.   Needless to say, I didn't try the ham, but I did have a glass of most welcome apple juice.

Viking Exhibition

The British Museum has another new exhibition - this time about the Vikings, who may have indulged in some plundering and raping on their travels, but also found  time to create beautiful and intricate jewellery for themselves.   There were very skilled craftsmen among them, comparable to those elsewhere in the world.

Unfortunately, the exhibition was rather packed, so I decided to have just a quick look and then come back another time when there were fewer people there, and I wouldn't have to spend most of the time just standing around waiting.  

In the background at the entrance there was what I assume was something being said in the Norse language, though I'm not sure.    Later in the exhibition I heard what I thought was the same thing, but hearing what sounded like the odd English word, I listened more closely, and it turned out to be broad Scots   I'm not sure what foreigners made of it, as I had to listen very closely to understand it.

The one thing I did manage to see was the Viking ship - 120 feet long and about 13 feet across and powered by 100 oarsmen.   It must have been quite an impressive sight as it sailed across the North Sea and up the rivers.

It was quite amazing how far the Vikings travelled, with their voyages taking them to places as far away as America in the West and China in the East.  

St. Paul's Girls School Symphony Orchestra and Paulina Voices

Another very entertaining evening, also at St. Mary's Church in Barnes.   This time it was the St. Paul's Girls School Symphony Orchestra and The Paulinas - no prizes for guessing which school the choir all went to!

The programme focussed on the works of Vaughan Williams, Elgar and Holst, with the Paulinas singing works by all three composers, followed by the Orchestra playing Elgar's Enigma Variations.   All, of course, at the standard that one would expect from St. Paul's

One noticeable thing about them was the number of Asian and Chinese girls among them - but of course, that probably just reflects the make up of the school, and the fact that everyone is encouraged to play and sing properly.

Cantabile - The London Quartet in Concert

For the second year running there is a music festival based at St. Mary's Church in Barnes - the same church as I hear that brilliant young singer, Mary Jess.

The introduction was by Gyles Brandreth, with wildly entertaining reminiscences, and the concert itself featured The London Quartet  - four gentlemen -  Richard Bryan(counter-tenor) , Steven Brooks (tenor), Mark Fleming (tenor) and Michael Steffan (baritone ), not forgetting the pianist Christ Hatt - who sang, told jokes and generally entertained everyone.  Their songs went from the sublime to the ridiculous - they are obviously talented in a wide range of musical styles, as well as being excellent entertainers.

An added bonus was the appearance of the the boys from St. Paul's School - also, as one would expect, extremely talented.

Carol Lee

This evening after work I went to a talk by author Carol Lee about her new book "Out of Winter", in which she describes the two and a half years she spent going to and fro from London to Wales, as she looked after her elderly parents and really got to know them for the first time.

Carol Lee, a journalist and author who now lives in Islington, had an interesting childhood,partly spent in Tanzania where her mother was secretary to a wealthy diamond mine owner.   She didn't mention what her father did there, except that he was an engineer.   She described life in Tanzania at that time as wonderful for children, with a great deal of freedom to enjoy themselves out of doors.  But her father was a morose man, due to feelings of guilt and horror for having taken part in the raid on Dresden, and Carol herself spent much time living apart from her parents, including long spells with the grandmother in Carmarthen.  The result was that she never really got to know her parents when she was young, and made her own way in life without them.  Added to that they also had little in common - she was a writer, while they never read books or even newspapers.   After a very interesting talk and reading short passages from the book, Carol took questions from the floor about her work and the book, which brought forth more interesting facts - she is an excellent speaker, who knows how to engage with her audience.  No looking down at the floor or mumbling.

The talk was held at Waterstones in Islington Green, after the shop closed, and started with wine and almond slices - very nice!   There was quite a crowd of people there, all very friendly, and most seemed to know Carol well.   A number arrived late, as there was some confusion over the starting time; The information I saw on the internet gave 6.00 p.m., but the notice at Waterstones said 6.30 p.m.   It actually started about en past six.

I didn't buy a copy of the book, although I intend to borrow it from the library.

Chiswick Ait

A glorious Sunday afternoon, with the sun shining almost brightly enough for it to be spring or even summer.   So I decided to go for a walk along the river from Hammersmith Bridge up towards Chiswick..

Hammersmith Mall and Furnival Gardens were full of people also enjoying the sunshine; the pubs along the river were bursting with people both inside and sitting at the tables outside - one pub even had a notice saying "Fully Booked".   At St. Nicholas Church, you used to have to temporarily leave the Thames Path along the river, but that has now changed; the Path continues along the river, although for a short distance is is on private land and is only open during daylight hours.    On the way I stopped for an icecream, and only discovered after ordering that they were charging £3!   Obviously making the most of an opportunity!

Reaching Chiswick Ait, for the first time I was there when it was no longer an island; the tide was out, and there was a stretch of dry river-bed where you could walk across and clamber up the back on the other side.   Which I obviously did, along with a number of other people.

Chiswick Ait is only a couple of acres in size, and is quite densely covered with trees and bushes, although there are some paths.   I wandered almost the length of the island, before going back.   I was just standing there, looking for a suitable place to sit and read my book, when I suddenly realised that the tide was coming in, and the water was already nearly up to the level of the stones I had used to stop treading on damp sand.  Even as I cross, rather carefully to avoid getting my feet wet, it was noticeable how much higher the water was than when I started crossing, even though it was just a few yards.    The people who crossed just a minute or two later had to take off their shoes and paddle.   An interesting thing about Chiswick Ait - I didn't see any squirrel, nor any birds either.

After that I continued on to Duke's Meadow, and then left the Thames Path to go to Chiswick House,   A lot has changed since I was last there.   They now have a large impressive restaurant, with a lot of outdoor seating, in place of the much smaller old one, there is a huge conservatory housing an exhibition of camellias, and extensive landscaped gardens.   And, of course, there were crowds of people there, with lots of small children playing ball games.   All very jolly and just what it should be like on a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon.

Isle of Wight

South West Trains have extended the availability of their £10 go anywhere return tickets until 16th March, so I decided to have another cheap day out, this time to the Isle of Wight.   So 5.30 a.m. on Saturday morning saw me marching briskly up to Shepherds Bush Station to catch the tube to Waterloo, where I was going to get the 6.30 a.m. train to Southampton.

It was a lovely morning; not too cold, and with the promise of a beautiful sunny day.  I hadn't got my ticket in advance, but luckily the booking office at Waterloo was empty, so there was no problem in getting my ticket in the 15 minutes I had to spare.

The journey to Southampton is roughly an hour and a half, depending on how many stops the train makes, and once at Southampton Central, I got one of the free buses to the docks, where I got a ticket for the ferry to West Cowes - it only cost me £8.90 return with my £10 special ticket on South West Trains.   The Red Funnel ferries run from Southampton to both East Cowes and West Cowes, but the one to East Cowes is the car ferry and takes twice as long.   So I got the passenger one to West Cowes, arriving just as they were about to close the gates.

The crossing was great - the sea was so absolutely calm, that even I could manage not to be seasick.   Also, of course, modern ferries have stabilisers, which also helps.   There weren't many people on the ferry going over to the Cowes, but there was a queue that snaked right back to the ticket office at West Cowes, of people waiting to go to Southampton.   Considering the time, I presume most of them were going to work, although there were a few families with children amongst them.

I arrived at West Cowes  before 9.00 a.m., before anything much was open, and got a bus to Newport, which is the capital - although its size hardly warrants such a grand title.   The journey took about half an hour through very pretty countryside, and once in Newport I found a little cafe to have a late breakfast.   Cafes on the Isle of Wight, I found, tend to be a bit pricey, although the food is quite reasonable.   I just had fried eggs on toast and a cup of tea, and a bit later a lemon cake which I got at a bazaar at St. Thomas's church hall.

I also had a look at the church itself, which dates back to the 12th century, although most of the building is rather newer, dating from 1854.   It was originally dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury, but Henry VIII declared him a traitor, so the "of Canterbury" bit was quietly dropped, and everyone came to assume that it was the apostle who was being referred to.   Today it is dedicated to Saints Thomas, presumably incorporating both the apostle and the martyr.

St. Thomas's is also the resting place of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria, who with Henry, one of her brothers, was imprisoned in Carisbrooke Castle.   An extremely intelligent and educated girl, speaking six languages, she died soon after she was imprisoned, still aged only fourteen. and now rests in front of the alter.   Queen Victoria presented a large marble statue of Princess Elizabeth as a memorial to her, and this lies in a chapel in the north aisle.

Another noteworthy statue is one of Sir Edward de Horsey, who was governor of the Isle of Wight from 1565 - 1582.

Newport is surprisingly small, and it doesn't take long to wander round all its streets, so I got a bus out to Alum Bay, where the Needles are.   It is also the site where Marconi made his first telephone calls, and a plaque commemorates his achievement.   Unfortunately, the visitor centre wasn't really open until the end of March, so I just spent about twenty minutes there before catching the bus back to Yarmouth.

Yarmouth is small, but a very pretty little place, and must be lovely in the summer when it is full of visitors.    I had a look at St. James's Church, which is right in the centre of the town.    One of its most notable features is a monument to the seventeenth century Admiral Sir Robert Holmes, who was based in Yarmouth.   The monument started out its life as a statue of Louis Xiv of France.   It, together with the sculpter, was captured from a French ship by Sir Robert Holmes, who decided that it would make a rather nice monument to himself, and so ordered the sculpter to put his head on the body which he had already carved, which was possibly rather fitting in view of the fact that the French had destroyed the church in 1377.

Whilst in Yarmouth, I got talking to the manager in one of the shops, and  found out why there were sandbags everywhere - in the recent storms, the Isle of Wight had been badly bit, and Yarmouth itself was flooded by the sea.   

I don't think there is a direct bus route from Yarmouth to Cowes - if there is, I didn't see any - so I got a bus back to Newport and then back to Cowes, this time going to East Cowes, where the car ferries come in.   East Cowes is rather smaller than west Cowes, and the only way to get from one to the other is via chain ferry at the mouth of the River Medina.   it goes back and forth all day, and while cars have to pay £2, foot passengers go free.   Apparently, the Town Council considered building a bridge, but were put off the idea by the £20m cost, so it's either the ferry or a very long journey.

Whilst in Cowes I visited St. Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Church, which from the outside looks like a rather elegant house, but inside is rather beautiful, with lots of statues and paintings.  I wanted to have a look in St. Mary's Church, which is obviously quite old, but the doors were locked.

Two things particularly noticeable about the Isle of Wight.   Firstly, the number of collection points for food banks - one got the impression that food banks were all the rage there.   Secondly, the size of the people. Not their height, but their girth.   I don't think I've ever seen so many overweight people anywhere. else.   There is obviously a market for slimming clubs on the island!   

The weather was ideal for a day out - bright, sunny and almost like summer, although by the time I came to catch the ferry back to Southampton, it was starting to get just slightly chillier.