under another sun

Greatly cheering text this morning from Jane, saying: "Just turned on radio. Reading one of your poems in the town church for liberation service..." Guernsey was liberated on 9th May 1945, and to hear the liberation day service click through. It starts around 1:31 and my poem Root and Branch is read at 1.52  rather beautifully by Dr Jonathan Frost, Bishop of Southampton. Obviously actually being part of the sermon made me feel incredibly proud and slightly amazed as I had heard nothing about it beforehand. Lengthy chat with Sonia about knee cartilage before heading up to London. Beautiful day in Brighton, so I stupidly set off in shirtsleeves. Pouring with rain when I arrived in London, so Pooterishly purchased a umbrella which I then did not need to use. Had a dental appointment at 2:30 (or tooth-hurty as I couldn't help but think of it) in my old Strand on the Green stomping ground. Had a walk across Kew Bridge and wandered about there for a bit past my old house and...

Fairytale of Brighton Cold pressing against my study window, and I found myself wearing a scarf indoors as I worked on a project for my lovely French client Jeanne. Always a pleasure to be thinking about France, and wielding aigu and grave accents with abandon. I wish I could speak French beyond a risible level. Maybe I should go to classes in the new year. Otherwise went up to see Beth and Mark in their college show singing Fairytale of New York , and take part in a narrated piece about a singing donkey by John Rutter, called Brother Heinrich's Christmas . I can't say I was particularly looking forward to it, but actually I really enjoyed myself. There were lots of instrumental pieces played, Jazz, Pop and Classical. Some of the students at BHASVIC are extremely competent instrumentalists, and clearly have been well taught. Something cheering about seeing the young uns so encouraged to use their talents. After dropping Beth and Mark and two of their pals off in town, Lorria...

New and old stagers A hot night and a hotter day. Up at seven to get cracking on Skelton Yawngrave again. Toby sleeping off his jetlag upstairs. Worked for four hours or so and then hung out with Toby for a bit of tea drinking and chatting over lunch. Then he trundled down the Twitten and up to the smoke to see Mum and Mas. I spent the rest of the day working, apart from a dead to the world doze for an hour. Got an email from Jason at Guernsey museums who tells me that there was a Dr Who novelisation set on Guernsey. Amazing. In the evening walked off to BHASVIC to meet Lorraine to see Beth and Mark in a college drama presentation: a collection of monologues and excerpts from plays from Sophocles to Jean-Claude Van Itallie. Beth and Mark were by far the best boy and girl. Both outstanding. Some of the kids are merely walking about saying lines, whereas Beth and Mark and two or three others can genuinely act, and the gulf is enormous. Sheep and goats. And Lorraine quietly proud beside m...

Songs about pies A good night's sleep, and Calliope not waking me for a change. In fact I did not see her at all this morning. I am beginning to worry that she's falling into bad company, and may return home barefoot and pregnant. Another trip to the vet is called for. Up to London and working on the train on MS and then a day in the agency, punctuated by a visit to Plum with Betsy and Anna from NZ. Nice food: dour staff. Broke away early to ensure I arrived home early. Off to see Beth and Mark in their college's (BHASVIC) production of Sweeney Todd, with Mark playing the eponymous antihero. Surprisingly I enjoyed this musical. Regular readers will know that musicals are in general Kryponite to Peter Kennys. But a musical about pies and murder is a sensible thing. Seeing the generally sweet natured Mark playing the murderous Sweeney was fun, and Beth was in most scenes, if not acting then being the force behind conducting the scenery changes. It was good though, the songs w...