Oo-er

And a very wide yawn. Up at 3.30 this-morning having only succumbed to sleep at about 1.30am (intended to stay up all night and ‘power through’ as elder sprog would say. Fail). Was walking down to Waverley Bridge by 4.20 in order to hop aboard airport bus. As a result of all this am feeling very slightly woozy and numb of brain. Was definitely at a choir rehearsal last night but not sure where or why or what we did. Also am using my dad’s lap-top with strangely small and curvy keyboard - most confusing. Hold out very little hope for this blog. Funny, isn’t it - and have meant to mention this many times before - how computers do not recognise the word ‘blog’ when it only exists because they do.

So - you may be pleasantly surprised by shortness of this update. Unless new burst of post-prandial energy kicks in and I start sp... - am unable to write the word I want as computer keeps changing it so will have to space out letters, sorry - s p r a f f i n g with typical over-volubility.

Computer wished me to write ‘strafing’. What on earth for?

A committee meeting was just coming to a conclusion when I arrived last night - I am not sure if anyone present was paying attention as most of them espied my arrival and waved at me through the window when I’m sure they should have been looking at whoever was talking and, at the very least, pretending to listen. I heard Anne bringing proceedings to a close sounding only a tiny little bit frustrated.

Through to the other room trooped the committee having done their duty and on we went.

Douglas was back with much improved eye but accompanied by Jean, ready, she said, to take him home at the first sign of weariness. She stayed in the kitchen reading a book so I presume she can see through doors - Douglas obviously doesn’t really need his eyesight with such a wife. He stayed until nearly the end of the evening and then, with no word from Jean it seems, slipped quietly away. Telepathy as well as x-ray vision at work? "Douglas, you have had enough, don’t over-do it. Douglas, you have had enough. Time to go home..." Hmm. I wonder. If she can see through wood...

Taught the new people Une Puce - oh, the memories of trying to read weirdy olde French words and music at the same time. I think they were picking it up very quickly, considering. I am a little vague (not unusual) about what else we did. Contre qui, Rose was one - pretty well remembered. Sang it very slowly. No breath. Blue in face. No one noticed. Ollie had the girls practise their over-toney,harmonics-y singing for Desh - every time I think I’ve got this it goes again but it’s much easier when everyone’s singing and you can just go for it underneath all the other noise. The altos are better at this than the sopranos. Lower voices come in handy now and again even if they’re not so show-boat-y in general. Once we’d done this for a bit we all got back together again and practised the whole thing, rather slowly because slowly is how we’ll have to perform it in St Giles in the summer and we might as well get used to it. The tenors have to start this piece and have often been in trouble for not looking up to take the beat and speed from the BW... the sight of Robin with his eyes out on stalks, almost falling over in his eagerness to be seen to be watching was one I will not soon forget. Priceless. Even Douglas was looking at Ol, with one eye at least...

At some point during or after the singing of this piece I turned to see Jenny yogically propped on one leg , with the fingers of her left hand resting on her knee, middle finger to thumb, eyes fixed and staring as if she were in a meditative trance. "Are you being a tree?" I asked (that is a yoga posture btw, one which inevitably causes me to fall over unless I have the right trousers on - long story, don’t ask). The tree was instantly felled and became hysterical. I can’t be certain but I’m not sure she knew she was doing whatever she was doing... should we worry?

Then we sang Leonardo all the way through and in the bits where it didn’t sound dreadful it sounded amazing. Really. And there were quite a few bits which didn’t sound dreadful. By George, I think we’ve almost got it. OK, OK - slightly optimistic assessment perhaps, but there are a fair few of us who think we should just go for it and try it out at the next concert - there’s got to be a first time and it’s not necessarily easier the longer it’s left. Kay, for one, is not so keen. She has missed a rehearsal or two (in San Francisco, don’t ask me to feel sorry for her!) and Tamsin is not going to be at the Reid Hall concert so that leaves just Harriet (she does know what she’s doing) and Kay herself on the Soprano 1 part which is very high and pretty tricky, but - quit yer moaning, Ms Russell and listen to yer mp3!!!!!!!!!! [The BW, btw, sent around carefully crafted recordings of each part to help people to rehearse. There is a suspicion that only two people have actually listened to theirs.]

All over and more yummy biscuits and that’s when I decided to stay up all night because tea and biscuits after 10pm do not make for an easy drift off nod-landwards. Had long conversations about lord knows what with heaven knows whom. And then, as we were getting ready to leave, Jenny was talking about son Josh’s temper. "I just don’t listen", she says, putting the middle fingers of both hands to corresponding thumbs, "I just do this and close my eyes". Ah-ha. Now we know what she was doing in rehearsal. Not doing. She was not listening. Obviously. Duh. Trees have no ears...

I bid you farewell from not-at-all-sunny Sussex. Oh, no, wait - there are shadows on the lawn. Can this mean...??????? Yey! I see blue sky. I go out under it.

Mwah.