Chiara's piece is fantastic

Gave in this morning and had a full Guernsey Breakfast. Delicious it was too. Lorraine and I caught a bus into town and spent some happy time lurking in the lower gardens of Candie Gardens, which I'd never properly visited, and were quite lovely, and full of vibrant colours and plants. Lorraine and I are working ourselves into a frenzy planning what plants we will have in our new garden if the house sale goes though. 

Then walked down to the shops where we did a spot of shopping. Lorraine, appropriately enough, brought a leaf green shirt. Then we walked into the Town Church where the Guernsey Sinfonietta were rehearsing for tonight's concert. They sounded very accomplished. We'd arranged to meet Chiara afterwards, and she called me outside as I was standing next to her. Lorraine, Chiara and I then had a quick drink in a cafe nearby. It was nice to meet her properly, after having emailed and so on for many months. She introduced me to Sebastian Grand, who was conducting, before Lorraine and I melted away to leave them to their rehearsals.

Then Lorraine and I bought some food from Marks and Sparks, grabbed a bus and after changing in the hotel, went down to Moulin Huet. The tide was high, but we managed to do some paddling in water that was warmer than at Saints Bay, and ate our picnic on top of rocks looking down into the rockpools, and the shrimp and cabou lurking about in them. Lorraine loves it on Moulin Huet, which makes me feel very happy.

Then back to the hotel to get ready for the Premiere tonight. A passage of events in the evening that left me feeling very special. Got on the bus and there was Richard's poem, Exile, which he wrote with me in mind. This is enough to make you feel happy in itself, and felt like a good omen. Felt excited on the bus ride into town, and couldn't help but think of the 21 year old boy that wrote the poem A Return, which Chiara had found and set to music. What would he have made of tonight? Chiara of course wasn't even born when I wrote it. 

To the Albion next to the Church, curiously dead, except for members of the Guernsey Sinfonietta legging in to use the loos in their concert clothes. Richard joined us there too, which was great, and the three of us repaired to the Church where we found a pew and listened to the show. The Sinfonietta sounded fantastic in the Town Church, and started with a piece featuring a cellist called Noelle Casella Grand, playing the Erich Wolfgang Korngold Cello Concerto in C Major, Opus 37 which I'd never heard, but was pretty fine. Then a new and playful piece by Josh Cottam called Can you sing in your sleep?  

A Return to Sarnia was Chiara's piece. It seemed to capture and amplify every emotion I had put into the poem all those years ago, and I found it so beautiful that my hair was standing on end at one or two moments. It was sung beautifully by Casey-Joe Rumens.  I was invited to take a bow with Chiara afterwards, which as an attention seeking weasel I did. I am amazed at how talented Chiara is: her music was wonderful. And I will enlarge about this in my notebook site soon.

Afterwards a few photos, and Richard, Lorraine and I chatted with Chiara and her proud parents.Chiara's mother had given Richard Italian lessons a few years ago, such is island life.

Fond farewells to Chiara and Richard, and then Lorraine and I drifted happily through town and caught a cab back to La Barbarie. We rounded the evening off with a couple of drinks in the bar, chatting to Richard the barman who was asking about writing and poetry, so I gave him a copy of A Guernsey Double, too. 

All in all a lovely day, and a quite astonishing evening.

Below: me, me, me. Me standing at the top of Moulin Huet, outside La Bella Luce, me under Richard's poem about me, Lorraine's photo of me with Richard, Lorraine's photo of me with Chiara.