I'm quoting Dickens from memory so I might be wrong. I believe they are the first few lines of "A Tale of Two Cities". So,in this period, I guess we're learning a lot, I think we'll have lost some of our fascination with social media by the time this is all over. Honestly, just how… Continue reading The Best of times, the Worst of times…
Tag: Diary
Conundrum
I have a bit of a problem. My worms. I buy them regularly at the garden exhibitions I go to and they reward me with a wonderful soft friable soil. I must admit that the first time I bought FIVE EUROS of worms and the man said: "Remember to feed them" I was shocked. "I've… Continue reading Conundrum
Come rain or shine
Let's start with the rain. A really cold, heavy rain driven by a blustery wind, managed to invade the usually safe haven of my patio and wet all my precious seed packets! I'd got stuff in envelopes saved from my own garden, little brown paper packets from the RHS gardens (these contained the more unusual… Continue reading Come rain or shine
Percussion
It was an interesting Friday for music. I was very excited about the first piece of the evening because it was the first time I had ever heard a concert for percussion. When we entered the auditorium the stage was ready with some instruments I can't name but they looked like xylophones or probably marimbas… Continue reading Percussion
Love
la Scala, for Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" . I'm not really used to the style of French opera ( here exemplified as Drame lyrique which avoids blatantly theatrical or grandiose effects) but I can't resist a good love story and apparently nor can a lot of other people.Shakespeare was the major leaguer in this tragic… Continue reading Love
Obstacle race to Beethoven
https://englishthatgrows.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/beethoven-9-chicago-symphony-orchestra-riccardo-muti-mp3cut.net_.mp3 I really don't mean to grumble all the time but needs must! This year my season ticket to the auditorium gave me the possibility to hear Beethoven's ninth on New Year's Eve. Lovely, until...I caught a glimpse out of the speeding train of the magic stop Duomo but we sped by! Where was the… Continue reading Obstacle race to Beethoven
Special Sunday.
cof There was the possibility to listen to some music this afternoon in Brugherio. I think it's really interesting when they offer free music, even though I'm not sure who "they" are. It was an organ recital held in San Bartholomew's a church standing on a site used for worship since the 13th century but… Continue reading Special Sunday.
An almost perfect day (or the art of making the most of what you’ve got)
I overslept, not you would think the best way to start a day but there it is. I decided to do something I'd been neglecting but which fills me with happiness, take a stroll around the garden and take photos. I started off in the far corner to admire my handiwork on the winter jasmin… Continue reading An almost perfect day (or the art of making the most of what you’ve got)
Bach Bliss
dav Tuesday: Bach's magnificent, monumental Christmas Oratorio, one of the recurring joys of the musical year. This one was particularly special because it was performed by the Amsterdam Baroque orchestra and choir directed by none other than Ton Koopman. A quick walk through Brera to the Basilica di San Marco, long queues in the pouring… Continue reading Bach Bliss
Chili con carne
How difficult can it be to eat? In Italy, very difficult indeed. It's a cult, it's a religion, it's an obsession. They have the same maniacal attitude to food as they do their clothes . You can tell an Italian at a hundred paces anywhere in the world because how he wears his jeans is… Continue reading Chili con carne
English that grows 