No Camera No Pics

I thought I could live without a camera in the pocket ... so to speak .. but I am missing it. 

It died!  So I have to start investigating a new one .. Blogging isn't quite so exciting without photos ... and I feel I need to breathe in some new life ... 

Progress for My Son and Bee

Hey, hey, they're moving along!  Well done! 

I have just borrowed the pic from my son's blog..Wendy Ann 2.

Neat work Sebs and Bee! 

I played for Laurie

Yeah, I did it with only a minor hiccough.  When  I think how nervous I used to get 30 years more or less ago about playing piano in public, I can't believe that this year I didn't have any stomach or head cramps before I performed.  I kept the breathing regular, because  NOW I KNOW that is what I have to do.... and I felt proud, yet quite unemotional that I had made a good contribution to my piano teacher's pupil's concert.  It was for her that I did my best!

It was for her that I knew I must not make a terrible error.

We played the first two movements of the Schubert Fantaisie and it was so wonderful to play with another human being and touch parts of my soul that as a solo pianist I do not touch. It is difficult to explain.   Of course, now I would like to learn the 3rd movement and continue to play with Laurie. She is so inspiring and motivatingly positive.  

After the Schubert I sat down , only to be invited to play "The Heart that Asks for Pleasure First" from the film THE PIANO.  Well, I can't believe how well I played it ... maybe it was a little fast to start with, but it settled down, and I think it was the best I have played it outside of my living room.  I could hold my head up high because I had not let myself down with nervousness nor let my piano teacher down. I think Mary Ash my original piano teacher and my college teacher, Mary Peppin  would also have felt proud.  Thankyou to Mary, Mary and Laurie my piano teachers who have all been 'top professionals'.  I have been very fortunate to have had such specialist teachers.  My very first music teacher was French (Mme Boucher I think)  and at primary school she taught me the little piano accordion, which I still have, ... and then I went to a well-renowned accordionist Martin Lukins for lessons and played in accordion groups and solo stage performances. 

Maybe with courage I will get the big 100 bass out again and hope it has not got too wheezy-squeezy!!

But for now I really am enjoying playing my piano... the fingers are so much stronger ... and if I type properly supporting my wrists, then I shouldn't get the wrist problems that I sometimes do, even without computer use.  

I am a lucky girl because I can immerse myself in just playing the piano if I want!!!  

Debussy next... here I am come with ' Dancing in the Rain'... in the last week, here in our corner of France, it has done nothing but rain!!!!!!!!!

Schubert Fantasie in F minor (4 hands) op. 103

At the pending  l'audition (lor - diss - ee - on)  when all the pupils of my  piano teacher give their annual end of academic year recital, my piano teacher and I will attempt to play the first two movements of this piece.   I am sad to say that I did not work hard enough to get the last movement up to spec and even the 2nd movement is 'touch and go'.  Still, there is one week left and I have to practise one hour each day to improve the hand /brain /eye co-ordination difficulties!!!  Here is one of the better 'youtube' recitals... it is performed at about our speed... but do ignore the breath intakes of the players!  It is in two parts  ... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2UcHJ4Q6jw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUjOQ2EcC_U&feature=related

Also, I may be required to play a solo. If so, I think I will choose to play "The Heart that Asks 

for Pleasure" from The Piano, one of my favourite films. When I first viewed this film, I had to 

leave the cinema, cry in the toilet cubicles, and only emerge when my daughter

became concerned for my emotional well-being!! The last time I watched the DVD I had my

eyes closed during a certain scary and physically unpleasant (to a pianist) passage!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dPS-EHl-FE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dVpd1CXYH8&feature=related

L'Ancien Théâtre

I was overawed to see this exquisitely preserved but fragile Italian renaissance theatre at the end of an exhibition  hall that we have been to many times.   We knew that it was the site of a former church and a theatre but we had no idea what was beyond the  closed doors. Veritable Magnificence!

I had my own personal tour!!  A former French physician very kindly provided me lots of information about the history of the theatre.  He worked there as a volunteer but explained that it is very hopeful that the theatre will arrive on the list of National French Monuments by next month and restoration will start.  We conversed in French and in English. He wanted to speak English and I ploughed on in French!!  Soon an American gentleman came to the discussion.  I was asking lots of questions about when it started and when it closed. We discussed the seating, the balconies, galleries, the paintings, the original fabric of the building, and how there were two theatres - one on stage and on in the audience because the people were finely dressed and used to participate with the actors on stage.  Of course when it opened Châtellerault was a rich town with the Arms  Factory and the Cutlery industry.  He showed me where the Maire would sit, below him were the Pompiers (firemen)  and on the opposite side of the stage would have sat the Sous-Prefet and below him the Police.  The theatre could also be transformed by the addition of a false floor installed above the seating ... Voila ... a dance floor!!

I collected a leaflet, declining for the moment to purchase the books and postcards. But I have just discovered this link:

http://www.ancien-theatre-chatellerault.fr/index.htm

Evidently the acoustics are brilliant and a 'chuchoter' can be heard distinctly.   Also there are about 50 Italian theatres in France, some of which are fully restored. 

I must go back again!

FOOTNOTE to Off we go to the Magic Wood

APRIL 15th 2009 Return to the posting 'Off we go to the Magic Wood' and find the asterisk to which this footnote belongs!

FOOTNOTE

HAHA just realised what I have written!!! The operation was about 5 weeks ago. Today I returned to the chirugien. We shake hands on arrival and shake hands on departure. He exclaimed that my foot was"tres jolie" and indeed it is and I am so very pleased with it that I thanked him but he owed the success to us working together. How very French! He speaks loudly and we talk about his workload because I refer to how much energy he has. He obviously loves his work. The foot is still swollen and I feel I have to be careful about shoes and socks but he is confident my foot will not present a problem next winter. Such positivity is again very French. At the moment I can only wear the TEVA walking sandals with socks so I don't feel terribly glamorous! The surgeon says that if I walk more the swelling will go down, so that is what I will now do and build my stamina back to the 12km walks I was used to doing about once a week. It's just a bit difficult to work in the garden with the wet soil and I am afraid of wearing wellies because that is what exacerbated the problem each year.

The other point I would like to make is that whilst I was waiting to collect my foot xray-image to take to the surgeon, I discovered that the post op recovery room is called the 'Salle de Reveil'. I was describing this again to Captain S and referring to the fact that several nurses male and female would all be attending to the patients one by one, making sure they woke up nicely, that the wound was good, that they were prepared for their recuperation ward. I described them as being like worker bees around the queen bee, or like worker ants, working in a team to help and protect their species. Isn't the human race a marvellous group when they work together to treat, help, administer love and care? Thank you to everyone who has cared for me in the complicated process of preparing me for the op and in the aftercare.

Easter Sunday - Joyeuses Pâques

The weather had outwitted the easter rabbit yet again. During the night 40mm of rain had fallen and so the outdoor treasure hunt was abandoned on account of the guests not having appropriate footwear to wander around on the wet lawn. Captain S had mowed the lawn on Friday and repaired the mower yesterday. However, half of the Easter quiz could be attempted on the gravelled area of the garden. The lovely Liz won by one point. Then in the Scotland Yard board game she escaped the detectives some of whom ran out of tickets. For the first time since I attended school cookery lessons I felt brave enough to make hot-water-crust pastry.  It was easy! Captain S spit roasted a leg of lamb and served it with rosemary jus / sauce, honey glazed carrots, and cabbage dotted with red peppers. We had a new course of Yorkshire puds just before the cheese course because we had forgotten to include them in the main course. Woops!
Following those courses we served what must now be my traditional dessert  -Paschka. But much later, at a late tea time, the simnel cake weighed rather heavily even though the tiniest of slices were served with earl grey tea.

maison à vendre dans la région poitou-charentes, département 86 house for sale in vienne, france

Cette charmante maison est située à la limite de la Vienne et de l' Indre et Loire, en voiture, à 20 minutes de la gare de Chatellerault, de l' autoroute A10, à 10 minutes de la réputée station thermale La Roche Posay et à une heure de l' aéroport de Poitiers ou de Tours, ainsi que de leur gare respective. Possibilité de recréer deux habitations distinctes avec entrées séparées.

This charming house is situated between La Roche Posay and Chatellerault.

Ici est le siteweb http://sites.google.com/site/maisonenvienne/francais

House Sale in Poitou-Charentes, Dept.86, France

Our very good French friends want to move nearer to Switzerland. This will be very sad for us because they have been instrumental in helping us to integrate, but they will be nearer their offspring in these difficult times and so that will make their family a happier one.

This website http://sites.google.com/site/maisonenvienne/was made by

Simple Elegant Websites to hopefully enable a sale. So if you know anyone who could afford to buy this beautiful 6 bedroom Village house then contact Huguette and Ernest via the site.

Pork and Egg Terrine

IF YOU LIKE PORK THEN THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.....

Take a cheap cut of pork and debone...... put about 250g pork meat in a blender or mincer, along with sliced or chopped onions and garlic, chicken livers if you can get them, sundried tomatoes or a spoonful of concentrated tomato puree, salt, pepper, allspice or green herbs. Whizz them about in the machine. Add oats if you have them .... or maybe real breadcrumbs ... both are optional ..... Meanwhile you have hard-boiled several eggs. De-shell the eggs under cold water.  Oil a loaf tin or an interesting container appropriate to the amount of meat you have.   Line it with rashers of cheap bacon if you wish and can afford it ... dollop in half of the meat, place the eggs on top in a neat row and cover with the rest of the meat. Cover the terrine with foil.  Bake in a bain-marie, that's a dish with water in it.... at  about 200 degrees Centigrade, for at least one hour to an hour and a half,  depending on the size of your terrine. Leave to cool. Turn out and wrap in greaseproof paper or foil. Place in the refrigerator. If you cook the terrine without any eggs you can freeze it.    Also you can make the same concoction but put the meat inside a pastry base and top!!!  Then it is somewhat like a French Pate de Paques  .... or an English Pork and Egg Pie.  As you wish!   This wonderful dish kept Captain Sensible happy for a few days and it was really really inexpensive!!!