Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Curious shoulders, writing delights and vintage Ayckbourn

Woke up this morning with a strange kind of shooting pain in my right shoulder and the usual (well, usual since the op) numbness in my left. All very odd. It’s as if my shoulders have decided that, rather than share the burden between them, they’re each going to go for opposite ends of the pain spectrum. So today I am distinctly lop-sided – hmm, so, once again, there’s no change there.

Had a lovely time on the way to work – I’d got bored with Radio Two (didn’t like the song – I’m never bored with Terry W!!) and switched to Classic FM. Still bored – I hate the morning presenter. So I went over to my usual third choice of Radio Three. It was piano music, which I’m not a particular fan of (I’m a big orchestra kind of girl, you know …), but I kept it on as it was relatively pleasant. A few minutes went by and I found that (whilst paying due attention to the road conditions of course!…), I was listening with great attention, and that in fact the piece I’d assessed as “relatively pleasant” was actually totally charming, beautifully understated and curiously gripping. As well as being played brilliantly. I loved it, but had no idea what it was. At the end, the presenter gave the composer and player, but really I was none the wiser, so I’ve looked it up on the Radio Three website. It’s Galuppi’s Sonata No 5 in C and it was played by pianist, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (a name to die for indeed). Wonderful stuff – and it’s now on my To Buy list. No doubt, my ignorance of both these good people shows how appallingly musically unaware I am, but hey what can you expect from an Essex Girl whose parents both hated music? Rush out and listen to it if you can – it’s extraordinary!

Meanwhile at work, I’ve been rushing around sorting out meeting papers, yet more timetable issues (my favourite!) and delivering handouts to strange and remote corners of the university. Ah, it’s good to get out, so they say. But today’s super-exciting news which has SERIOUSLY made my day is that one of my Writing Group people, Mick Finlay, has had his first two stories accepted for publication – one for Open Wide Magazine, and the other for the Frogmore Papers. I’m absolutely, utterly thrilled for him, and even more pleased that both of the stories were written as homework I gave the writing group, and read out as a first draft there! Ye gods, I might have a purpose to life after all – who could have guessed it?! Mind you, Mick is an incredibly good literary writer and I suspect he actually doesn’t need us to get on. Still, it doesn’t stop me preening in the limelight though, tee hee … (when does it ever??). Well done, Mick!

Had another easy stay-at-my-desk-and-slump lunch-hour, though I really ought to try doing some gentle exercise at some point. If I go on for much longer like this, I will be completely circular, you know. Scary thought.

Tonight, Lord H and I are out at the theatre to see Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular which I’m hugely looking forward to. I could do with a great night out. Lord H is also looking forward to it, though I do suspect that might have something to do with the fact that Honeysuckle Weeks is in it, and he’s always had a soft spot for her since she was in Foyle’s War …

Today’s nice things:

1. Odd shoulders comedy
2. Discovering Galuppi – and Michelangeli
3. Mick’s good writing news
4. A night at the theatre.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website

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