Beautiful weather here most of the week so far. We've had lovely long walks and E is proving a real trooper, walking for miles. Found an octopus in a rock pool, so mummy probably gets the prize for the best find, unless anyone finds something much better.
Gotta dash!
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Friday, 19 October 2007
Home!
A beautiful autumn day here. So happy to be home. Making bread, which is always one of the first things I do. Winks both asleep for a little rest. Spouse up at department working as ever, and we're getting house ready for guests this evening.
The flight was odd, as some poor person managed rather frighteningly to get onto the wrong plane and didn't realise until we reached the runway. We had to go back to the stand and let him off, then check all the hand luggage before we could set off again. Dull, but made all the more horrific by the drunken blokey lynch mob sitting behind me. I am pretty sure that had the poor guy been sitting further back the plane he would have been thumped. The aggression of these guys was just so vile that I ended up moving to the front of the plane.
Nowt else to report, except a particularly touching bit of fan mail this morning from a Doctor in Zurich who sent me a CD of his piano playing, having been at one of the Prague concerts. The reason I was so touched was that there was a particular generosity about him writing without leaving any return address or needing any acknowledgement. I would love to thank him for his words and lovely music, which we listened to over lunch, but until I link this to the website, not much chance of him reading it. In the unlikely event...Thank you!
The flight was odd, as some poor person managed rather frighteningly to get onto the wrong plane and didn't realise until we reached the runway. We had to go back to the stand and let him off, then check all the hand luggage before we could set off again. Dull, but made all the more horrific by the drunken blokey lynch mob sitting behind me. I am pretty sure that had the poor guy been sitting further back the plane he would have been thumped. The aggression of these guys was just so vile that I ended up moving to the front of the plane.
Nowt else to report, except a particularly touching bit of fan mail this morning from a Doctor in Zurich who sent me a CD of his piano playing, having been at one of the Prague concerts. The reason I was so touched was that there was a particular generosity about him writing without leaving any return address or needing any acknowledgement. I would love to thank him for his words and lovely music, which we listened to over lunch, but until I link this to the website, not much chance of him reading it. In the unlikely event...Thank you!
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Time to go home
At last time to go home. I have bought E´s birthday present and an unbirthday something for J, and a pair of new boots, and now I can finally start to head to the airport. I have wandered through a bit more of Cologne, though I never have really got the guide book out, and today would have been the day. I went into the cathedral, enormous, and saw the new stained glass window, and what I presume is the new organ hanging as if by a thread, about to crash down onto the congregation. I also chanced upon a few of the many lovely churches dotted around, but mostly I spent the day with my hand in my wallet, which is now thinner and lighter.
Knowing me and home life this will be the last post for some time. Promise to upload a few pics and videos.
It´s been great working so much in Germany this year, and I now can have basic chats with people in the vernacular. There´s much to love about Germany, but I do still have one problem, which has to do with salads. I still just don´t get the German salad sauce thing! Just oil and vinegar or oil and lemon juice PLEASE!!! I put on half a stone every time I order the healthy salad option! Might as well stick to steak and chips and strudel.
N
Knowing me and home life this will be the last post for some time. Promise to upload a few pics and videos.
It´s been great working so much in Germany this year, and I now can have basic chats with people in the vernacular. There´s much to love about Germany, but I do still have one problem, which has to do with salads. I still just don´t get the German salad sauce thing! Just oil and vinegar or oil and lemon juice PLEASE!!! I put on half a stone every time I order the healthy salad option! Might as well stick to steak and chips and strudel.
N
Mini Shoe Rant
Why is it so hard to find girls´shoes in UK that are not PINK????
What´s so wrong with a nice pair of red shoes? E already obsessed with pink. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she answered ´pink´. For goodness sake, the girl wants just ´pink´for her third birthday! Ridiculous! Where am I going to find ´pink´? And can we afford it? I find it impossible now to get her into a pair of trousers and happiness for my beloved daughter would really just involve wearing a pink dress with pink tights and a pink hat all day every day. The first thing she says in the morning concerns her attire for the day and she occasionally even starts lobbying for the dress the night before!
J is a complete monkey. The children have a special treat every day that I´m away in the form of a little box with a couple of chocolate or yoghurt coated raisins inside. As they open one each day, they see the pile diminishing until there is only one box left, and then they know I´m nearly home. J yesterday (only 18 months) went twice into the kitchen, moved a chair and climbed up and helped himself! Little devil. I have a feeling we´re going to have one unbelievable year or two with him as he hits the terrible twos. He loves being naughty and positively enjoys the fact he´s getting told off. He thinks it´s really funny. E has always been horrified at the thought of a telling off. They are certainly chalk and cheese.
Spouse on cooking duty as lots of friends for dinner tomorrow night, then off to Wales on Saturday. Can´t wait.
What´s so wrong with a nice pair of red shoes? E already obsessed with pink. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she answered ´pink´. For goodness sake, the girl wants just ´pink´for her third birthday! Ridiculous! Where am I going to find ´pink´? And can we afford it? I find it impossible now to get her into a pair of trousers and happiness for my beloved daughter would really just involve wearing a pink dress with pink tights and a pink hat all day every day. The first thing she says in the morning concerns her attire for the day and she occasionally even starts lobbying for the dress the night before!
J is a complete monkey. The children have a special treat every day that I´m away in the form of a little box with a couple of chocolate or yoghurt coated raisins inside. As they open one each day, they see the pile diminishing until there is only one box left, and then they know I´m nearly home. J yesterday (only 18 months) went twice into the kitchen, moved a chair and climbed up and helped himself! Little devil. I have a feeling we´re going to have one unbelievable year or two with him as he hits the terrible twos. He loves being naughty and positively enjoys the fact he´s getting told off. He thinks it´s really funny. E has always been horrified at the thought of a telling off. They are certainly chalk and cheese.
Spouse on cooking duty as lots of friends for dinner tomorrow night, then off to Wales on Saturday. Can´t wait.
Mattheson in the can
Well we finished the Mattheson yesterday, and despite being on less than perfect form I do think it will come out ok. It wasn´t comfortable for me but I think that it probably wasn´t noticeable to the colleagues around me. Just in the two quiet and slow arias I might have been able just to do a little more with the phrasing and subtlety, but it´s the reality of a singer´s life. On to more important things... shopping. I now have a whole day in Cologne to kill before my flight home. I have this terrible obsession with finding the perfect diary, it has to be just so, and I´m ashamed to say I have already bought and rejected more than one for next year. You see, I have always had the Ordnung and Reda ones, which have the year planner for the current and the following year, but they´re hard to get outside London for me. English diaries don´t seem to have the right year planners. And it must be a week to a view. German diaries seem to fit the bill but the first one I bought for next year had dodgy paper and was no good. NOW, I have found the perfect one, which is a Moleskin one, just peachy, with the year planners and a week to a view AND, get this, a page for notes beside each week! Phew.
Also need to buy E´s birthday present for next week and a pair of new shoes for me. I´ve seen such gorgeous shoes for children here, so much nicer than anything I can find at home. I might do a separate shoe post for my shoe rant.
Have just read Ian McEwan´s book on Chesil Beach, shortlisted for the Man Booker prize. I think if I were on the jury, I´d have to go with Mister Pip though. But the thing I like about McEwan is his ability to describe things so perfectly. The only problem with this book is that the whole thing is just marvellous until the outcome which is far too dramatic and unlikely I think. It would have loved it so much more had the outcome been more urbane and normal. Still, hats off to his wonderful inhabiting of his characters´lives. It´s the great compensation for being away from my family, being able to read books.
Need some good recommendations please!
Also need to buy E´s birthday present for next week and a pair of new shoes for me. I´ve seen such gorgeous shoes for children here, so much nicer than anything I can find at home. I might do a separate shoe post for my shoe rant.
Have just read Ian McEwan´s book on Chesil Beach, shortlisted for the Man Booker prize. I think if I were on the jury, I´d have to go with Mister Pip though. But the thing I like about McEwan is his ability to describe things so perfectly. The only problem with this book is that the whole thing is just marvellous until the outcome which is far too dramatic and unlikely I think. It would have loved it so much more had the outcome been more urbane and normal. Still, hats off to his wonderful inhabiting of his characters´lives. It´s the great compensation for being away from my family, being able to read books.
Need some good recommendations please!
Tuesday, 16 October 2007
Deutschlandfunk
I´m writing this from the studios of Deutschlandfunk, halfway through recording of Mattheson´s oratorio about the patient and loving David. I´ve not been on best form really, with the voice feeling really dry and inflexible, but I don´t think it will show. Not long to go now... soon to be on the beach...
N
N
Monday, 15 October 2007
Winks news
Can´t wait to upload fantastic video of E singing ´Daisy Daisy´and of J showing off his sophisticated understanding of the whereabouts of various of his body parts. They are on such excellent form. E´s THIRD birthday next week! Blimey.
Cologne
Well, here I am in Cologne. There is a massive trade fair here this week, so I´m staying in a hotel miles out, in Overath, but actually I don´t mind as it´s a nice country setting, fresh air and clean hotel, so that´s fine. We start recording Mattheson´s oratorio ´David´(The loving and patient David, in fact) this evening at the Deutschlandfunk studio, which is familiar territory. The orchestra, all the other singers and the producert and conductor are all old well known colleagues, so it´s in a nice comfort zone. It´s quite a demanding role and I was fighting off the winks´horrid cold all last week, so fingers firmly crossed. There were a few disasters in the run up to this project as the dates shifted slightly and the only way I could get here to start rehearsals on time was to leave home at 3.30am on Saturday morning. Above and beyond the call of duty I´d say. Anyway, I was very glad to be able to accompany spouse to the governers´dinner on Friday night as I wouldn´t have been prepared to let him down on this occasion.
The dinner was great, with a bond theme, so I got all dressed up in my bikini, but wimped out at the last minute and put on a glamourous frock instead. I did a lot of cheating in the quiz, but was outcheated by head´s wife!!!
Lovely to spend a fortnight at home, though did have a weekend away with winks. Did three performances of King Arthur in the newly renovated Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, but took nanny and the winks which was great fun. We stayed in a lovely place. I dropped my stick in the morris dance on the first night. But managed to do better in subsequent performances. Agent came, thanks agent!
I am promising to upload some pics to this blog.
Thanks to the sisters for the comments. Very good to feel that now at least four people aware of the existence of blog.
Will soon attach it to website and then will be forced to write intelligent and sage comments instead of rambling on about nothing.
Delighted to say am finally getting somewhere with my German and now am speaking quite a bit more.
Have just read good book, Mister Pip. Quite a book... it unfolds so slowly and gets better and better as it goes on.
Obviously not obliged to say anything intelligent about it yet as still top secret blog.
Must go now, off for the first recording session. Pray to God of voices to be with me. Also to God of German pronuciation and inspired interpretation. More soon.
Nicki
The dinner was great, with a bond theme, so I got all dressed up in my bikini, but wimped out at the last minute and put on a glamourous frock instead. I did a lot of cheating in the quiz, but was outcheated by head´s wife!!!
Lovely to spend a fortnight at home, though did have a weekend away with winks. Did three performances of King Arthur in the newly renovated Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds, but took nanny and the winks which was great fun. We stayed in a lovely place. I dropped my stick in the morris dance on the first night. But managed to do better in subsequent performances. Agent came, thanks agent!
I am promising to upload some pics to this blog.
Thanks to the sisters for the comments. Very good to feel that now at least four people aware of the existence of blog.
Will soon attach it to website and then will be forced to write intelligent and sage comments instead of rambling on about nothing.
Delighted to say am finally getting somewhere with my German and now am speaking quite a bit more.
Have just read good book, Mister Pip. Quite a book... it unfolds so slowly and gets better and better as it goes on.
Obviously not obliged to say anything intelligent about it yet as still top secret blog.
Must go now, off for the first recording session. Pray to God of voices to be with me. Also to God of German pronuciation and inspired interpretation. More soon.
Nicki
Friday, 12 October 2007
My word,
Amazed to find two comments on the last post. Word is getting out about my top secret blog.
More to come this week. Have been home for last two weeks and lovely to spend time with winks. Now off to Cologne for recording project and then, at last, half term.
Can't wait.
N
More to come this week. Have been home for last two weeks and lovely to spend time with winks. Now off to Cologne for recording project and then, at last, half term.
Can't wait.
N
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