Royal Tat

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

A collection of “God Save The Queen” tshirts, aprons, cushions and pillows.

Further fantasies

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

Every year on this singing tour I evolve a slightly new fantasy along the lines of what I’ll do “When I grow up”. There are, relative to the population as a whole, few people who know how to sing choral evensong. And there are a couple of hundred paid jobs in cathedrals, chapels and choral foundations up and down the land. I could sing for a living. I’d need to do rather a lot of work to get myself up to scratch musically speaking, but the jobs often come with accommodation. In return, you’d need to sing, what, 9 services a week in term time? Maybe I should keep an eye on the ads in the Church Times. Or maybe I could seek work as a verger – keeping clergy organised, and running a cathedral. Tend to be ex-choristers, ex-public schoolboys and ex-servicemen, and I don’t qualify!

The Cat of the Lay-Clerk of the Chapel of St George

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

Chapel staff, including the professional choir and vergers, get gorgeous if small housing within the walls of Windsor Castle. And some of them have cats: we’ve seen at least four various different cats lording it over the lawn in front of the houses. And on our way to the dungeon where we are rehearsing and robing, one of the 16th century windows has been pushed wide open and a new pane of glass rigged inside. The new pane is equipped with a catflap.

And we’re flagging a bit.  It’s a different feel this year: we’re about two thirds the choir we were last year in St Pauls.  The lower numbers give us a more focussed feel, and are actually appropriate for the smaller chapel.  But because of the lower numbers, we’re tackling a much easier programme of singing this year, with no music we’ve not sung before, and no major works.  And — thank goodness — very little Howells.
We have apparently been invited back to St Paul’s for a year in the future.  We’re in Hereford next year, which I’m looking forward to.  Durham and Salisbury feature.  We have tour dates set til 2010, and lots of suggestions to take us beyond that: we want to do Liverpool and Truro.

The car is returned to me.  But I think now the headlights have gone which meant I had to drive home on foglights last night. The manual has strictures on not trying to replace the headlights yourself.

My parents were here on Monday evening to hear the Chiropodist’s Anthem, How Beautiful Upon the Mountain Are the Feet (of them that bringeth glad tidings and publisheth peaceth.)

What a holiday!

Originally uploaded by nilexuk.

I have missed the first morning’s reheasal because driving down to Royal Holloway, the choir digs, last night, the car started playing up again. Exactly the same symptoms as last month: toxic fume filter light. Juddering. No acceleration.

I am not pleased.

It has taken me all morning to sort out a tow truck and a garage that can look at it before the end of the week when I have to drive to Hereford.

Grr.

Whole point of forking out obscene amounts of money was to try and get something a little more reliable. I’m not impressed.