I said it in German and Greek*

Thought it was time for a quick check-in. January has been pretty busy, and all good fun but has whizzed by.

I was fortunate enough to perform at a gig showcasing some of the music of the rather wonderful Paul Ayres last Saturday. A choir of forty-odd and a programme with a mix of his arrangements of a wide range of music. Very enjoyable indeed, and with relatively minimal rehearsal time it was something I could fit in to the schedule.

Preparations continue for Voxcetera’s concert with the NLSO at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 28^th April which headlines with the Vivaldi Gloria. Had our first full sing through of that piece last night. As a bass it is lovely to have something with broadly predictable harmonies, so that you have a reasonable idea where the piece is going. Unlike the Poulence Exultate Deo which will be part of the first half, and where the next note at certain points is still a bit of a mystery. Then ‘Vox go mad in Dublin’ is scheduled for late May.

I wrote about my desire to try some new stuff this year, and that the first two would be something around meditation and a MOOC. I have borrowed a book on mindfulness and am currently required to contemplate a raisin. Domestic logistics mean I am contemplating a sultana instead, but I figure that any system of thought which is so prescribed as to specifics of dried fruit that it won’t work is probably not useful. I was described last week as being pretty ‘Zen’ over a kerfuffle with a train, so maybe it’s having an effect already.

MOOC wise I had decided on language learning. For various business reasons I would like to go back and work on my German (which was pretty good 25 years ago) but I have struggled to find a course that wasn't for beginners. So I am going with Spanish. As all the people I work with in Germany speak perfect English, and I would like to go and see some of Spain this year, that feels a much more useful option. I've chosen one which I can download as podcasts so that I can listen anywhere.

I also said I would keep a list of possible new stuff to do later on in the year. All that has been added to that so far definitively is ‘build a website’ but that’s one I definitely want to do. Not, you understand, because I need one for anything, just because I want to know how to do it. I think there may be something around cooking on it too – something I used to enjoy but had got out of the habit of doing anything other than that general one-pot thing that can by magic become a bolognese, chilli, curry or stew. With two under way though and setting myself six non-impossible things to do before Christmas* it will be after Easter before any of these need to be firmed up.

Anyway that’s it for now. I have Spanish to learn. Hasta luego.

* I've gone all Lewis Carroll this week

2014 and all that

On December 31^st 2013, I decided to try and blog my way through the coming year. Well, it sort of happened. In total 96 blog posts were achieved. There were a couple of month-long gaps in there when life got in the way but I'm actually quite proud that I managed quite as much as I did.

And I've decided to continue with the blog for the time-being anyway. Not least because on four months there will be a general election to get annoyed about. But I find it quite enjoyable to put finger to keyboard. A question I get asked quite often is ‘why?’. Why put stuff out there and let the world see it all? Why bother with things like Twitter? I'm not sure I have a great answer really. I enjoy it. I self-censor enough to ensure that I won’t share things that affect other people and which they might not want to be shared, and to ensure I don’t put anything out there that could be career-limiting. But other than that, this is no different to keeping a diary – just one that I let anybody read. I think that the knowledge that I am writing for an audience does prevent there being too much introspection, but it still has that cathartic effect.

So how has the year gone? Well – I've pulled up one of the early posts from 2014 and taken some of the headings from that – seems as good an idea as anything else.

Music - performance

Voxcetera continued to be a great source of pride for me – performing as I did at St Sepulchre in March, and then on tour in Edinburgh, before a ’home’ fixture in October and then a wonderful Christmas concert. This year promises a concert at St Martin’s in the Fields, and then Dublin.

But I also managed to sing in a Prom for the first time – with the Rachmaninov Choral Symphony (Crouch End Festival Chorus) being one of the most demanding pieces of music I have ever encountered. The sense of achievement was overwhelming.

Adding to that a Verdi Requiem, a (second) Mozart one, and six Albert Hall Christmas gigs (plus one at Birmingham Symphony Hall) made for a full year. And that is without adding in my involvement with Balham Ukulele Society – something I did not see in the tea leaves when looking ahead.

All the musical things I do have in common the opportunity to spend time with groups of people, from all walks of life, who are friendly, and who make my life a better place. I am grateful for all of them.

Music - In the audience

Two main words. Kate Bush. A dream fulfilled. But also Folk by the Oak – Richard Thompson, Seth Lakeman, and Keston Cobblers Club among others. James Taylor at the Albert Hall, Difford and Tilbrook at the Union Chapel and Chas’n’ Dave.

Add that to a range of smaller gigs, from solo guitarists to chamber and full choirs, and big bands, and it has been a busy year. I’d lost the habit of going to gigs and have gradually built it back up again. I am sure there will be more in 2015.

Holidays

Life got in the way a bit. The need to practice for a prom, and move house, mean that I didn't clock up the Air Miles this year. Mixed feelings about this. I don’t feel that I wasted my holiday entitlement, in that I look back and can see that I did plenty. But it would be nice to get away a little bit more in 2015. Pretty sure that the kids won’t want to come, so I can look to some more grown-up destinations.

Books

I've kept this one going – with a lot of Kindle stuff. Quite a bit of it has been fairly old and cheap sci-fi, but I've also read a bit of travel and some proper fiction. And I've read quite a lot of economics and social science-y stuff. But Thomas Piketty – just not had the drive to read him yet.

Media do overlap of course – I continue to be a great consumer of podcasts (one of the benefits of being a regular user of public transport). And I would heartily recommend Freakonomics, Planet Money, This American Life, No Such Thing as a Fish (the QI podcast) and Reply All. I greatly enjoyed ‘Serial’ too. Yes it is voyeuristic, and at times uncomfortable, but did have me on the edge of my seat – and we are all allowed one or two guilty pleasures, aren't we?

Work

I look back and (quoting directly from last year’s blog) ‘I do find myself thinking – worrying really, that I'm not sure I can, or want to, go at this pace for too much longer’. Wow. I think the pace has increased considerably. I have coped. In fact better than that, I feel more positive about my ability to do the job than I did then. I think that last year’s anxieties were a part of some more general malaise going on in my life, and that by correcting things elsewhere I had more reserves to devote to work. Of course, now that I look back I wonder whether I am pushing things too hard – just because I don’t see a problem at the moment doesn't mean I am not storing up issues. I'm currently very happy with what I do, but I suspect I should at least start to think about longer-term future options and prospects during the next year.

Health

THE major success story of 2014 for me. I managed to lose 30 pounds in the period from May/June to September. I have managed to put about 5 of them back on over Christmas, but am disgusted enough with myself over that to ensure they will not be sticking around. I found a level of will power I really didn't think I had, and (no surprise) that all you need to do is eat in a controlled way and do lots of exercise and it all comes good. Which makes me feel all the more stupid about the decade-long search for miracle ways of achieving it.

While dieting, I went almost entirely veggie for a couple of months. I've not stuck to that since I hit my target weight, but am eating much less meat that I have ever done – and I feel a lot better for it. At home, I could definitely do the veggie thing 100% of the time – it’s going out that kills it. Particularly it was three days away with work and the third consecutive mushroom risotto as the only choice on the menu that made me yearn for flesh. Does this go down as a fail? No. Because over all I am much much healthier. I have achieved something I knew I need and wanted to, but I think never really thought I would get to with weight etc. It would be better for me and the planet if I ate no meat, but eating it on a less frequent basis isn't a disaster for either.

Life

Big, big changes. Causing a lot of stress to me and to those around me (thank you to all those who gave me such support during what could have been a much trickier period without you). But I finally moved away from a situation that wasn't making me happy (and wasn't making anyone else happy either). With some time now elapsed between then and now, I know that I feel much better (and worry a little about where I would have been heading if I hadn't made the move – I think it would have been a pretty dark place). I've managed to keep what I valued most - my kids and the relationship I continue to have with them – whilst becoming (I hope) a much more balanced and centred individual.

So, there we go. Overall score? A few misses, a few definite hits, quite a few unexpected and unforeseen. A year of major change, and I feel very positive about it and about the future. So I have to put it down as a pretty good year. Of course, I now need to think about what challenges 2015 holds, and what I want to change or continue. More on that in future posts.

Concert Season

I have learned today that Christmas jumpers, especially of the cheap and cheerful* variety are rather too warm to wear in a heated office. How on earth have we got to December 12^th already? I only have three more days of work before Christmas, and rather more than three days’ work to do. (This blog is my lunch hour – I am typing whilst eating an (apparently) seasonal Brie and Grape sandwich.)

Concert season starts tomorrow, with Voxcetera’s Christmas concert in Tufnell Park – details here if you are a) interested and b) reading this within about 24 hours of publication. And my parents are coming down for the weekend. Largely to see me and the kids, but they have timed it to see Vox for the first time. I am sure they won’t be disappointed.

And then starting Monday evening I am into the Albert Hall run of Monday, Thursday, Saturday (twice) and Tuesday (23^rd) with a diversion via Birmingham Symphony Hall on Monday 22^nd. A very different animal from Voxcetera, but if you are going to see any of Jonathan Cohen’s 'Christmas Singalong's, do wave. I won’t have a hope in hell of seeing you, but it’s the thought that counts (in joke - see last blog).

In other news, I did wonder whether I should bother with a Christmas tree this year. But how can you not? There was a period in my life from about say 16 – 25 when I got very turned off by Christmas – the childhood magic had gone and it just seemed like commercialism etc. Having kids of my own rekindled it definitely – there are few better things than watching a three-year-old unwrap Christmas presents. Now they are all past the ‘magic’ stage – my youngest is 14, and although I've never had the difficult dad-son conversation with any of my three (the one about Father Christmas I mean) I don’t *think* he believes any more (and he’s lost all his milk teeth so the Tooth Fairy has passed into history too).

But I still feel that Christmas is something special. Yes, it is too commercial. No, I'm not religious so the Baby Jesus thing isn't a thing for me. But it is still a time when the country pauses and allows the work-life pendulum to swing decidedly too far in the ‘life’ direction for a week. I think that singing in front of 30,000-odd people (some very odd) who are out to enjoy themselves does engender the Christmas spirit. As do the parties and gatherings that happen at this time of the year.

For me it will be a nice mix – plenty of group stuff in the run up, and then some quiet time to recharge over the actual holiday (though I am being catered for on Christmas day). Might do a spot of busking as well I think… And then once the holiday is over I can get to thinking about what next year holds – am I going to carry on with blogging, is there another musical challenge ahead of me, should I write a book (or take to the stage)? [bonus point if you get that reference].

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. For now, Let’s enjoy the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

* i.e. £12 from Primark

The Ghost of Christmas Presents.

Apologies to any Dickens fans for that title...

Well, it's been a while. But, like the best of friendships I'm hoping we can be straight back to being comfortable with each other right away, as if the gap had never happened. Right?

Its a little over four weeks since I wrote and it's just been so busy that I haven't had the time. Am typing this on train to work, but imagine I will not finish it until lunchtime, but I've been busy enough that any time I've had with a clear diary I've either needed to do the shopping/washing etc, or I have needed to sleep.

So, what have I been doing you ask? Plenty of rehearsals - for gigs with Voxcetera - gig Saturday 13th - come along, Albert Hall gigs, and Ukulele gigs too (less rehearsing for these to be fair). Plus socialising, trying to make the most of the nice weather - which seems to be back today - by getting out and about and thinking about / planning Christmas things.

As ever, the thought of buying Christmas presents fills me with dread and panic. 'Oh, it's the thought that counts' is a phrase I have always viewed with as much suspicion as 'size isn't important', 'it's what's on the inside that counts' etc.

At least with kids you get a list - and adding a surprise or two to that isn't difficult. This year, not only have I got a list from one, he has helpfully (no irony intended - I mean this) linked it to the relevant Amazon entries. If only he could have done it as a wish list, he could have saved me six clicks, but pretty good. And the others just want money, which is a pretty dull present but I was the same as a teenager.

Parents (who have everything they need and dislike clutter etc, so don't want to have things they don't need) are a difficult one though. But easy compared to friends - I'm not going to get disinherited for a 4/10 Xmas gift...

Mind you, I can't be an easy person to buy for. A book or music you think? Yes, but a good chance I've got or borrowed it already. Unless it involves Russell Brand. But if you know me well enough to buy a present you would know not to buy that.

If somebody asks me what I would like, I honestly have no idea at all. It's not particularly that I want to be surprised, it's just that my mind is a blank in that area. And that is an area very adjacent to the 'good ideas for presents for others' and indeed seems to share the same tumbleweeds.

Given I'm not going down the route of The Voucher (other than perhaps for those who are geographically remote) my strategy is to walk up and down the aisles of shops until I receive some sort of divine inspiration. Which just, short term, exchanges the uncertainty over what to buy with one for whether I bought the right thing. Which will by 25/12 be itself replaced with the knowledge that I didn't, or an uncertainty as to whether it was really appreciated or they were just saying that.

Be honest - am I over-analysing here? I am, aren't I?

Right - first 20 minutes of lunchtime used up in posting this - off to wander the Whitgift centre now in search of ideas. Wish me luck.

What ever happened to plate-spinning acts?

It's been a fairly quiet weekend, for which I am quite grateful. Not sure if 'burning the candle at both ends' is the appropriate phrase, but I've had quite a few late nights in the last couple of weeks - a mixture of rehearsals, evenings in the pub that have gone on just a bit longer than they should have etc. So I took the opportunity Saturday and Sunday to recharge and do nothing more than have a wander around and a trip to the gym etc, and make use of my extra hour to sleep in a bit.

From here on in, weekends are starting to hot up with more rehearsals - this year I am doing a good number of gigs at the Albert Hall with London Concert Chorus, plus Voxcetera's Christmas concert on 13th (only one gig but lots of music to learn, plus at least one Xmas gig with Balham Ukulele Society - which will be songs I know, but do not know on the Uke. So there is a lot of practising to do as well. This may come across as a moan - it really isn't - I love doing this sort of stuff (otherwise why would I...) but put it on top of the usual social whirl and it all gets quite busy.

Other than that, work continues on apace. We've had a number of people out over the last month - a mixture of conferences and holidays and the colds and 'flu that are always around at this time of year. I'm hoping that now everyone is back I will be able to move things forward rather than just feel like one of those circus plate-spinning acts. (What happened to them - as a kid you couldn't go a fortnight without seeing one on TV - presumably they are all working in call centres or stacking shelves?)

And it's my birthday next week - which really isn't a big deal - I've reached the age where even the ones ending in a '5' aren't a big deal (this one doesn't) - it's pretty much only the decades you want to commemorate. But it's an excuse for a bit of a celebration if I want one, and to buy a nice book or similar (I need *no* excuse for the latter of course).

Anyway, that's a quick 'no news' that his filed my lunch break. Will write a little more later in the week.

The heat is on

The signs went up in my building yesterday to say that the communal heating system would be switched on at 8pm today, it being October 1^st. I don’t think this involves any kind of ceremony, by which perhaps resident Arthur Smith cuts a ribbon or pushes a big fake button. But it's an indication that winter is coming*.

Although it hasn't felt like that over the last couple of days. Coming back from a rehearsal late last night across London it was still warm as it approached midnight.

Coming up for me on Saturday is Voxcetera's autumn concert – please drop in if you happen to be in Muswell Hill at lunchtime – it’s a free one and has a wide variety of music so there is as they say something for everyone. And then next week I am going to see the legendary James Taylor at the Albert Hall. I have never seen him live, but am expecting the smooth rich voice and a tour through his high-quality back catalogue. If it turns out he is debuting his new thrash jazz album (a la Spinal Tap’s change of direction) I will be most disappointed!

And to complete the musical tour, I have my first rehearsal for Christmas things the week after. On the 12^th of October. I know this feels really early, but at least we have the excuse that we do need to rehearse stuff. It’s not like the shops merrily stacking up the baubles and Christmas chocolate for the next three months. Rest assured, I won’t be loading up my IPod Christmas playlists for a good couple of months.

I need to start thinking about Christmas I guess. It’s a time of the year that I love – concerts, presents, a decent rest and general peace and goodwill etc. Going to be a little different though this year given my change in domestic circumstances, and so I need to figure out what’s the best way of doing things. The kids are now firmly latched into the teen/young adult Christmas concept of excess and materialism, so magical present unwrapping hasn't been a thing for a while, but it’s these set piece things that are bound to feel a little odd.

And that’s pretty much the diary for the next week or so. I was planning to write something about the UK political party conferences, but even the headlines have been such a turn-off that I have completely failed to engage with them this year. And that goes for all of them. Nobody is really saying anything different. Rises in the minimum wage so that within five years people will be a little less close to starving, changes to complex pension regimes that I have no desire of trying to understand, and whatever it was the Lib Dems offered (was it to do with poodles or did I dream that?). It’s not exciting stuff is it? 

I love the fact that the Scots seem to have got real political excitement and engagement out of their referendum – but wonder that it will take for us to feel the same. 

*yes, this is a sneaky meta-data reference to try and get Game of Thrones traffic to my blog – sorry. 

Like a Motorway

I've been back at work for four days, and it’s been OK. Not going to bitch about it here anyway!

But this felt like the first “normal” week for literally months. So much has been going on (see blogs passim ad nauseam) and then when you have holiday coming up that tends to effect what you do. At present I have no more hols booked, so in theory have got the best part of four months until Christmas. Hard to put stuff off until then.

Amusing (and expensive, but also very pleasing) news this week. On Thursday I had the first sort of important meeting I've had in ages – for about six weeks. So, went to put a suit on. Not a tie – I mean, nobody died, but a suit. And none of them fit. And none of my belts fit either. I went and got measured on Friday. My 44L jacket size now needs to be a 40L. Trousers down from 36 to 32, and shirts from 16.5 to 15.5. The last time I wore a 15.5 collar shirt was when I first went to college in 1987. It was tight then...

I will admit (but don’t tell the others, they will tease me) that when the lady in M&S did these measurements, it made me feel really good. But then, when she said “and given your shape you should go for the slim fit shirts rather than the regular” she did actually bring me to tears.

So I have bought a suit, and a few other things, and will need to build up a new wardrobe as and when money permits. If anyone wants clothes in the sizes above – let me know!

Work has got in the way of me exercising this week, and I've really missed it. At least Thursday and Friday I could go to the gym after work, but I was out the other nights. At this rate I’m going to have to go first thing in the morning. There are worse things to be addicted to. Like any good addict, I managed two hits today - a decnet walk and a trip to the gym.

(Whilst typing this I am listening to Saint Etienne, and the majestic ‘Hobart Paving’ has just come on. If you don’t know it, YouTube it – a brilliant song, even if Sarah C is sometimes on the flat side.)

I went to see Avenue Q on Tuesday at Wimbledon. I’d seen it before, in the West End, but this production is just as strong. The woman playing Kate and Lucy is super-talented – actually, all of them are, but I thought her vocals were excellent. And any musical with a song called ‘Schadenfreude’ is worth checking out.

Dinner with some good friends on Wednesday and Friday made for a good week all in all. I do feel so balanced right now (I’m not sure that’s the right word – I am looking for something that says I feel on a really even keel and completely able to deal with anything the world throws at me, whether it be work crap or anything else). Doing lots, enjoying things, and feel that my confidence is higher than it has been for a while. In part this is weight/appearance-related but it’s also deeper than that. Maybe not – I might be a gibbering wreck by next weekend.

What else to say? Voxcetera start rehearsals again on Tuesday – with only a month before our concert on 4^th October. It’s a free one in North London at noon on a Saturday. Find us on the web or Facebook and come along if you like. There will be Gershwin, but no Kate Bush.

It's the magic number

During my blogging absence I managed to attend a range of concerts. Normally, I’d have mentioned them on the go, but here’s a catch up for you.

Barts Chamber Choir - Dixit Dominus (Handel) and the Vivaldi Gloria at St James Piccadilly

This is a fabulous venue with a great acoustic. The concert was on the night of the England Italy world cup match so with an English (nominally) first half and an Italian second half, there was something for the conductor to link in to. In art, as in real life, Italy won. I didn't know the Handel at all prior to the gig. It was a lot more intense than I associate with him generally – I know he does powerful stuff, but this had an urgency beyond what I had expected. 

On the other hand, I know the Vivaldi very well, and love it. Sitting in a beautiful church as the Cum Sancto Spirito fugues its way to the end was the highlight of the evening.

Barts Chamber Choir is probably about forty strong, and drawn from the wider Barts choir - clearly comprising some extremely talented singers. They got that balance/mix that smaller choirs can find (which is harder for the choral leviathans I guess). And one of the soloists - Grace Davidson I think, is just angelic. The most amazing voice, with seemingly no effort (or need to breathe). To balance the review, there was also some counter-tenor stuff in the Handel.

Crouch End Festival Chorus Tallis and Others at Southwark Cathedral

Bit of a last minute one for me this – having had a Voxcetera rehearsal cancelled at the last minute, I Facebooked something like “A free evening – what am I going to do?”, and this was suggested. The lead piece was Tallis’s Spem in Alium*.Which is in 40 parts – 8 five part choirs. 

Also performed, in an entirely unaccompanied programme was the Vaughan Williams G Minor mass, some Bruckner, a rendering of the Buddy Holly song “It doesn't matter anymore” by Orlando Gough and the premier of a “Salve Regina” by Hughes.

Crouch End is a very high quality choir, and I was impressed by what they did. I didn't quite 'get' the Buddy Holly thing, but liked the Salve. Vaughan –W is what it is. Which leaves the Tallis. I was near enough the front to have the choirs wrapped around me, so I got a placing effect in the music that you would miss from the back. And it was clever. But it left me feeling that it was done in 40 parts to impress, and that perhaps that got in the way of the music a little. Not my favourite.

Chas ‘n’ Dave – St George's Beckenham

Well – what is there to say? I don’t think CnD’s music particularly suits a traditional church setting – for me they will always be better hear in the low-ceilinged social club. Perhaps on a holiday camp in Camber Sands. And incongruous only begins to describe the dancing and drinking (strictly BYO – the communion wine was safely locked away).

If I was looking for words to describe Chas n Dave’s music, I would certainly go for ‘fun’ but also ‘efficiency’. You probably can’t be in the game and touring every five minutes for five decades without getting it down to a fine art. But they are a tight band, doing things well, but with real economy of effort – songs are incredibly well drilled, and I felt that if I had seen them any other night, the performance would have been the same. I don’t mean this as a criticism – but it’s as near to one end of the spontaneity continuum as it is possible to be without a backing track. (The other end – Dylan – about a mile further along than anyone else!).

My other key observation – Chas Hodges sits really high up to play the piano – if I invoke the spirit of Peter Hook here some of you will know what I mean. I don’t know why – but it interests me.

But it was tremendous fun anyway – how can you pass on Chas ’n’ Dave?

There’s a bit of a hole in my gig diary over the next month or two, so feel free to draw my attention to anything that is interesting.

*I know it’s silly, but Spem in Alium still sounds like a dish from a menu in a Monty Python sketch to me 

Like a room without a roof

I returned from Edinburgh with a suitcase full of soaking clothes. And I have brought the weather with me, because it has pretty much rained since. Sorry Londoners.

I came back from the Voxcetera tour in a fabulous frame of mind. A combination I think of a concert of (in my mind anyway) quite astonishing quality, some time away from the daily grind of work life and London, and being with a group of people who all get on so well.

And so, I've been generally enthusiastic about life, and feeling in a dynamic mode, and that I mustn't just let things slide. Life is there to be lived etc.* And, according to something on the web today, an astonishing number of people in this country have been prescribed antidepressants - One in three in Blackpool (which is pretty much where I grew up). Which says a lot about this country, but also shows what I have to be thankful for (and I don't mean leaving Blackpool!).

Voxcetera will finish in early July for a couple of months. So I have applied to do a couple of musical things over the summer to keep my had in, and which broaden my experience. One is big choral/classical, the other big and pop-based, so both things I've not done for a while. And I might have a couple of others on the go, you never know...

Plus I'm doing a scratch Mozart Requiem with the Bach choir this weekend just to try and embed it in my head.

Elsewhere I have ordered the parts to fix the two PCs that have been sitting at home needing it since before Christmas. Just about worth it I think, and it makes me feel good not to throw them away. (We've had a re-kit of IT at work - we have loads of quite old kit - but it all works and would be fine for internet and basic stuff. But it needs wiping of data and new software buying and therefore no-one will take it on a costs basis. Very wasteful.) And I'm started sorting out some other stuff that has been really festering (not literally). And I am kicking back into the gym and exercise mode.

Oh, and I haven't had any meat for a week now (see post here). I am eating fish at the moment, because having been away I was in so many places whether the true veggie choice was a cheese sandwich or a mushroom risotto, and I couldn't face that. Back at home now, I may scale that back too.I don't feel physically different not eating meat. Maybe it's too early to tell. But it does feel right, so I will stick with it for a while.

It will probably all have fallen flat by the weekend and I'll be back to watching Formula 1 in my dressing gown, eating bacon, but carpe diem and all that.

* this is not a self-help blog by the way.

Making plans for dealing with Nigel

I write this on a train from Edinburgh back to Kings Cross after a fabulous weekend with Voxcetera.

A good concert, a spot of clubbing, climbing Arthur's Seat in a hailstorm, and even a bit of culture. As I travel back the sun is shining and it feels that all is right with the world. 

Ah, yes, the European election. The cloud on my otherwise perfect horizon. The smug, Farage-shaped cloud. I do not understand why people have voted for UKIP because there is no chance I would ever do it. So I do not feel what those people feel.

As such, my "Why?" has to be speculation. But the lack of facts should never get in the way of a good blog, so here goes.

I don't think that the UKIP vote is borne of racism. Not for the vast majority. UKIP's best performances have not been in the area with the highest migration. London has performed much more as you would expect, with a drift to the official opposition.

And if a racially stronger policy was popular, we would not be celebrating the removal of the two BNP MEPs this morning, having lost 80% of their 2009 vote.

But I suspect the *fear* that jobs might be under threat to a surge of immigrants, no matter how far-fetched that actually is, is an issue. And the retired Colonels of Tunbridge Wells have always responded well to any call to raise the drawbridge.

More of an issue in my mind is that people do not see any real difference between the three major parties. There are no radical differences between them. If you want difference you either look to the Greens, or to Nige. And the Greens have done OK. Well, even. But they've never threatened a break through. Last time - in fact in my memory *every* other time there has been an alternative with the LibDems. Now they are part of government, so that one comes out. And their only chosen point of difference was Europe, more specifically the EU.

Ah yes, the EU. UKIP's rallying post. Author, if you believe Nige, of every problem this country has. The LibDems have struggled to say why the EU benefits us, just as both Con and Lab hint at the need to renegotiate treaties - which must mean they aren't the laws we should have. 

The first purpose of European union, back in the 50s, was to ensure coal and steel production was centrally controlled - with more than an eye on controlling rearmament. The Federalist goal has grown from there, and is still close to the heart of some Europeans, but of very few Brits. But Britain is a trading nation, and the Common Market was a serious attraction to us. Easier trade, breaking down of barriers, bigger markets - all good stuff. People don't see that in the EU. They see bureaucracy, and inefficiency, and perhaps corruption. 

Farage has played his hand on this well. Some of his claims are better supported than others. And of course no one significant* has left the EU, so we can't say that the world would end. He is saying "things are crap - do this and they will get better". 

So, do you** face a UKIP government in a year? Of course not. Will they fall back to a level of irrelevance as the Greens did after their big vote in the 1989 Euros? Perhaps, though not that far. Will they, horror of horrors, have enough seats to keep a Tory government in power at a disproportionate price? Yes, they might. But we have to find a way of engaging the UKIP voter with full-spectrum politics, and even more so the people who don't bother voting. And if we are serious about the EU we have to show the British people why it's a good thing. 

* Sorry Greenland, we love you, but you don't give me a working comparator here.

** I say you! because if it happens I'm off

Dancing the Night Away

I am sitting in a hotel in Leith, on a day when the title of the song and film can only be presumed to be ironic. If I stand on the table and peer out to the right I can just see the former-Royal Yacht Britannia sitting there attracting tourists.

Yesterday Voxcetera (the chamber choir I sing with) did a concert in Edinburgh with a local choir - Rudsambee (it's based on the Gaelic for 'anything at all'). They did the first half, with a programme ranging wildly in language - Welsh, Irish, Hungarian, Polish, and even a little English. And we debuted our  new Poulenc 8 French Folk songs, and ran some Britten too.

The audience seemed to love what we did; the Poulenc will be honed to perfection by the time we do it in London in October. And as for Britten's AMDG - which sets the poetry of Manley Hopkins to a range of accompaniments? It gets better and better I think. There were definitely a couple of moments last night where it took life beyond anything it has done before. In a good way, too.

A contrast. Two pretty accomplished choirs, but with a very different schtick. I think we blend better, and do stuff that is musically braver than them, but they interact better with the audience. Food for thought on where we might go next.

Of course, where I went next, post gig, was clubbing. Until 3:30 this morning. In a very pleasant establishment (no irony at all here) called the Jam House, with a live band and a good set of tunes - ancient and modern. But writing a blog at 9:30 (breakfast already done) reminds me of the benefits of not drinking. It is easy to have fun and dance the night away sober. Today, despite being from Edinburgh, I shall be doing the tourist thing

Some of you will be expecting comments on the election. Full thoughts can await the outcome of the Euro poll. In terms of the locals, Labour did well in London, but not nearly as well as they should have. Wandsworth remains Tory, but a little less so, with my ward having not split two Lab and one Tory. The greens have done well and UKIP has not, in London anyway - where in their own words the population is young, educated and culturally diverse. Spin that statement round and see what you could get as a UKIP strapline.

Elsewhere UKIP has done quite well, but I don't think it is all at the Tories expense, and you wonder how that will translate to a general election. One surefire prediction though. We are destined for an autumn of speculation about the Labour leadership. For me, Miliband looks finished. He doesn't attract outside the core, and doesn't seem to do well in it either. I'm imagining hushed discussions in corridors by friends of Yvette C and Andy Burnham.

Oh, and another prediction. Journalists everywhere will have been dispatched to dig up dirt on every councillor elected under the UKIP banner. They have a tough life, do journalists in these straitened times, so help them out. If you have taken coke with a new UKIP councillor, or helped him catalogue his Nazi memorabilia, do give The Mirror a ring and point them in the right direction.

On politics, holidays and snooker

Back to blogging.

We've had a major rewrite of our website going on at work, which has meant lots of rewriting of content and agonising over synonyms. I just haven't felt like writing in my time away from work in those circumstances.

Working for a business that is American in its parentage means that it is at these times that the "two nations divided by a common language" becomes most evident. Words that sound fine ("just fine", perhaps) from the mouths of my US colleagues sound "folksy" to British ears. Or, the fifth time you have to make the same change, they sound "shite".

So, having finished that job on Tuesday last, it's taken until today before I can face words again.  I am doing what one traditionally does on this Bank Holiday; watching snooker, trying to avoid watching snooker and moaning about our horribly asymmetrical distribution of bank holidays. The US seems to have a public holiday every six week or so. Aren't they fortunate that their big events occurred with such a distribution through the year?

They are helped by their comparative official atheism. First amendment issues mean Easter isn't a holiday, and Christmas is limited to one day, with Thanksgiving and Independence Day (which commemorates the US special effects industry) being the big ones. Whereas once May is out, we find ourselves thinking that August is the only one left in the year (given that the business year stops about December 20th).

The kids like this bank holiday though. Its the only one they notice - the rest all falling in a holiday week. (I guess it is the same for teachers though I had never thought about it - they get so much holiday they probably don't notice*).

Three weeks from today I will be on a train back from Edinburgh where I will have been doing some concerts with Voxcetera. If you are up there, look us up and come along. Which means I have two and a half weeks to learn some French lyrics, a task that would have been helped by not leaving my folder behind at the rehearsal venue last week. But that still leaves me time to blog and annoy you further.

And it's handy that the same timeframe will see the European and (for Londoners) local elections, to ensure I have plenty to blog about. If you are looking for frothy talk about the comparative public holidays of the US and UK, come back in June.

We are starting to get electoral leaflets through the door - though the Tories and Labour are only talking about local issues, whilst the Greens and UKIP have a more European focus. Of the Libdems, there has been only silence.

I don't really understand the appeal of UKIP, though I don't think many do in multicultural inner London. Farage went to school locally to me (at Dulwich College) but hasn't really made his presence felt here. So we are a bit bemused about why his party gets so much TV time, or how that squares with the BBC's institutional left-wing bias.

The European elections give us all a chance to vote tactically - voting for parties in a multi-member constituency means that a vote for a fringe party (like the Lib-Dems#) can have value. I'm not sure if that explains the relative quiet from the big two. They may just be embarrassed about Europe I guess.

So stay tuned for some feisty political blogging.








* A good friend, on reading a post I had made on Facebook said to me, "you do realise that some people don't always get humour?" If there is no set-up or pay-off (I think drum-rolls or a boom-tish) they assume you are being earnest. So here goes: that was not a serious comment - I do not think teachers get too much holiday, and think they deserve a medal, more money and lots of holidays. Educating the next generation is the most important task. Go on, hug a teacher.

# similar comments. Go on, hug Nick Clegg. Or Lembit Opek if you must. Mike Hancokc, hmm, not so sure.

I'm busy doing nothing

Am having a slightly extended Easter break even though kids are back - was supposed to be working today, but then had to be off tomorrow - tiresome domestic / medical stuff - so decided to make a weekend of it.

Which means I am free to write a blog at 4:15 in the afternoon, even if it's just a quick one.

I was delighted that the Trussell Trust exceeded its normal take by a couple of orders of magnitude, due to the reaction of right-thinking individuals to the Mail on Sunday's tricks (see last blog). So at least something good came of it.

And maintaining an Easter theme (very loosely) I was astonished by the BBC's Rev show last night. Really beautifully done - emotional and spiritual almost, though with plenty of comedy. Check it out.

I suppose there are lots of good comedies that have a semi-tragic element behind them. I don't just mean the biopic- friendly stuff on Tony Hancock or Kenneth Williams. It's simply that for us to relate to a character there usually needs to be something appealing about them; something human. It's why The Office really works because of Tim and Dawn (the painting set etc) and not because of David Brent.

Elsewhere, I'm not writing about football, other than to lodge my indignation that the first nine minutes of the BBC news at lunchtime was about David Moyes. Orwell had something to say about the proles, football and the lottery - uncomfortably close to the bone these days.

So, that's it. Despite being a Gentleman of Leisure today I have other stuff to do. Not least I have to figure out some more French in advance of a Voxcetera rehearsal tonight.

P.S. Break a leg to all those involved with Sweeney Todd tonight. I am going on Friday, and may I suspect need some time off pies thereafter.

Oh Well

The dog ate it. I was ill. The wi-fi was down.

None of those are true. I must admit I thought it had been two weeks since I wrote a blog. It's been four. That is really slack. And I don't have a great excuse, I just haven't got around to it. Sorry!

What have I missed? Well, some of you may have missed my Voxcetera concert which played to a packed St Sepulchre in London last week. It was fabulous to do, and I think those attending enjoyed it too. For the first time we really took ownership of some tricky Britten and, having now heard a recording, made it sound really good. Plus of course there are those spine-tingling moments - like the way the D minor fortissimo chord towards the end of the Esenvalds piece just hung in the air and never seemed to die away.

Back to earth with a bump, I watched "Mr Toad and the Sell-Out" on BBC last night (aka the Lib Dem and UKIP debate). Clegg is Mister Political Expediency - and has been so often that he's probably retained the trophy by now. But Farage - dear God help us. In the same way as creationism got clever by evolving (maybe a bad choice of word there) into intelligent design, UKIP is just a more respectable "we hate Jonny-foreigner" party isn't it.

Watching the debate over a grotty internet link and Twitter makes one smugly complacent that no-one's falling for that old shit again. But I fear that's not the case. UKIP is generally picking up support across the spectrum, from those who are disenchanted with the political class and with, generally "Them". It's Farage's affable pub-bore facade that makes him so credible with so many. They are going to do well in the Euro elections - it's not a question of whether they beat the Lib Dems for 3rd place. I'm afraid they will do a lot better than that. That is just so embarrassing. Farage is a French M. Le Ros-bif  caricature. And Stew Lee's brilliant dissection of UKIP a couple of weeks ago doesn't counter it - UKIP voter's aren't watching stuff like that.

In case you hadn't noticed, alongside getting fit, my 'don't get political' and 'don't get sweary' New Year's resolutions have gone by the board. If you keep coming back to the blog for its gentle humour and flights of fancy, you may be disappointed (though I've not written for four weeks, so on reflection probably no more than you have been already).

Anyway, back to work... more soon

Home comforts do not sit well with the wider world

I am enjoying a relaxed weekend with the kids. It's nice when the most demanding calls of the day are "tea or coffee?" and "shall we go out for dinner?"*.

Other than that, I am persevering with Flemish politico-crime drama "Salamander", trying hard to work on music for the forthcoming Voxcetera concert, and trying but failing not to care about the Six Nations.

More of the same this afternoon I think. With a little ironing, perhaps a visit to the gym and doing my accounts for the end of January (whoops). Actually, there is no way the last of those is going to happen.

I'm also watching the situation in Ukraine with a mixture of disappointment and worry. We seem to be at a point where the EU and Russia's influences are in the balance and I do not see it ending well. Ukraine is one of those places about which I am really ignorant. At school it wasn't a country so its distinct issues were not covered, and since then whilst I am aware of the Orange revolution, alleged Presidential poisoning etc, I don't know why the issues are the issues. And today's BBC News just doesn't give that sort of detail.

It also brings how how for all our apparent security in Europe, global stability is at best short-term if not completely illusory. Couple this with the economic situation and I do feel sorry for anyone growing up today.


* Coffee, and let's see what that new ribs place is like , if you were interested.

Family and Friends

Well, I said at the beginning of this I was going to avoid politics. I failed last time - miserably. And you lot reward me with the biggest readership figures I've had all year, and lots of positive messages. Thank you for this. Your feedback is important to us. And having caught a little wave of popularity, I'm going to ignore it and write about something completely different. But I will get back on the political hobby horse, you'll just have to wait.

Half Term begins - and an extended weekend break - I am off Monday, and will be spending time learning stuff for the next Voxcetera gig, catching up on admin and some reading (and writing) and attempting to play "Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear" on the piano. I suspect the last of these will prove the least successful, and the least entertaining for the neighbours (though the Britten I'm learning could run it close on that one).

I managed to catch up with a couple of friends today - one over lunch and one for a quick coffee later on. I don't do this kind of thing often enough - just catching up without it being at a rehearsal or seeing a band or watching a movie. I never really thought why this was*, until it came up over lunch.

My parents grew up in the small town of Coatbridge, close to Glasgow. They met at church I think when very young - but my father did the music for shows and my mother did the choreography (not much doubt which side I inherited). Everyone stayed local, met future spouses locally, and that was it. Everyone was always in and out of each other's houses - not just family, but neighbours too. And my parents were the first of the family to  move away - first to Edinburgh, and then to England. Now, or course, I moved too, as did many of my friends - growing up in Lytham St Annes there wasn't a lot of career choice if you stayed. But they did it in a much less connected world, and were the first. That takes courage. But it also meant of course that we didn't have that family support system.

In the first few years, I know my two grandfathers (both widowed) would come down regularly, but I suspect this was to have someone to look after them rather than to support my parents. By the time I was eight, they were dead too (life expectancy in Glasgow was as bad then as it is now). And there must have been a different friends dynamic too. If all your mates from school and college disappear to the ends of the earth, then you accept the need to travel to stay in touch. My parents' friends stayed put. Many in Scotland - one couple in Lancashire - with a young family. They were never going to stay close.

So we were on our own  The classic nuclear family. And the just dropping in and small talking didn't happen. I had a great upbringing - I wanted for nothing within reason and didn't miss other family because I never had any, but perhaps it does explain my tendency for self-reliance.


* to be honest, I assumed it was because that was just how I am - small talk is awkward, people, indeed, are awkward so why on earth put yourself through that when you can be reading a book or listening to some music.

Interval Training

Blog frequency has fallen to (about) alternate days. Sorry about that – I've just got quite a busy life at the moment – loads of kid related stuff to attend (one going into sixth form this year and one has GCSE options, so lots of school meetings) plus work and music.

I read something on the BBC website about High-Intensity Interval Training. Given I am time-poor and really don't enjoy exercising, I am happy to consider anything that offers better results. There is also a danger that gym routines get stale - so you either slack or "your body needs variety or the training doesn't work". And that last phrase highlights that fitness is one of the (many) areas in modern life which has rather too much mumbo jumbo surrounding it. As well as the spam for v1agra type drugs and dating agencies there isn't a day goes past when you get something offering an easy way to change your life through either health or fitness. Just what is a raspberry ketone anyway?

Last night I had my first go at HIIT. The idea is that you exercise as hard as you can for a minute, then rest a minute and repeat for the desired time (or until dead). The hardest I can exercise really isn't that hard, and after five repeats I had to drop to two minute breaks and then three. This is fine - apparently I can build up from there. The fat-burning benefits of this then continue for up to 12 hours afterwards though I do not know why.

And how did it feel? At one point I genuinely thought I might be sick if I carried on. Which is good, apparently. But other than that - pretty good. Right now I am putting that down to variety, but I shall give it another go on Wednesday and see how we get on.

That's it for today. Voxcetera tonight so likely no blog.

Crying

No post yesterday - I was having too much fun on my vocal weekend away with Voxcetera, up near Milton Keynes. When we took a break from socialising at about midnight and went out for a walk, it was a change to be able to see the stars - it's easy to forget how much light pollution there is in London.

But I'm sort of back in the real word now - home to do ironing, accounts etc, before being back to work tomorrow. Oh well.

I have always found music a very strong emotional trigger. There are still tracks or albums that I associate with a specific period of my life, and I can't listen to that music without bring back all those feelings, good or bad. Picking one at random - I listened to the album "April Moon " by Sam Brown (now singer with Jool's Holland's big band) a lot while revising for my finals - and if I put it on now I know I would be back in  that room.

And creating music is even more emotional. So having spent time over three days with some beautiful music (Esenvalds' "Long Road" here being an example - this version is a little recorder-heavy for my taste but the piece still stands listening), I've certainly been emotionally fragile today. How do I know? Because I started crying whilst doing the ironing. I was listening to something slightly soppy (not saying specifically - a bit too Country to own up to)  and out came the tears.

Is this a normal thing? I've always done it - when I've been emotional or tired so I see it as perfectly ordinary. But you know how blokes are - we don't really discuss emotions. So do others of you do this? Or are you all now whistling and edging slowly away from me?

I'm not getting into the clichéd "men should be more in touch with their feelings rubbish". Most men I know would get emotional about the big things in life - births deaths and marriages etc. (And look how emotional some blokes at a London football match got last week when a player chose to remind them of the score.) I'm specifically talking about irrelevant stuff. When was the last time a film, or a picture, or a sunset, moved any of you to tears?

Perchance to Dream

Miserably failed to post a blog yesterday. In fairness I have slept very little the last three nights, and I don't know why. Don't think there is anything on my mind.

I have these episodes about once a year - where for a week or two I can only get about 3 hours a night. Usually no reason, and they go as quickly as they come. As I get older I find it harder to deal with them though - I feel like death warmed up today. This is a pity because I am off this evening for a weekend of singing with Voxcetera - doing the groundwork for our concert on 20th March at St Sepulchre. I will get a lot more out of it if I am not yawning through it.

Plus got invited to do quite a bit of other singing stuff from March through to June yesterday. Have to see if the diary can take it!

Am not going to talk about last night's Question Time - with Dorries and some bloke called Nuttall from UKIP it was always going to be heavy on the irritation front. (I thought @fleetstreetfox was excellent though.) But staying tuned in for This Week only to find that the guest was Katie Hopkins was just too much to bear.

So, I will try to blog when mobile later while travelling; if not - well I will write them anyway - may just have to wait until Monday to post. Hope your weekend is as good as mine promises to be.

The Christmas cake is no more

Not sure if doing something twice, other than perhaps crystal meth, could be deemed a habit, but two lunchtimes back at work and two blogs written. Although Blogger does have an IPad App, I’m not confident in getting everything right with it, so I type the text into email, mail it to myself and then correct /format, tag and post on the desktop machine. At the weekend I shall be away from a computer for 48 hours so will be forced into posting direct – let’s see how it goes.

Yesterday I was both quasi-jet lagged (going from getting up about 9am and going to bed past midnight to having to be up at 6:30) and on day one of my 5:2 eating plan (not using the ‘D’ word). Result was that by about 7:30 I was really lacking in energy. This may need a rethink – how am I going to manage the gym and not eating? Obvious answer is to shift the two days to non-gym, so likely Tuesday and Thursday. But that feels unbalanced. My immediate concern with the 5:2 would be that I'd just go crazy on the next day and eat twice as much. It's early, but at the moment the desire to get a benefit in return for yesterday's hunger is holding sway.

Still, hot bath, in bed by 10, asleep not to long after, and a good night’s rest, followed by the last (small) piece of Christmas cake for breakfast, and I feel much brighter today. And that’s just as well, because I have my first Voxcetera rehearsal of the year tonight. We are starting to work for our March concert – the Mozart Requiem, Britten’s AMDG, Purcell and Essenvalds (no – I haven’t either). Can’t wait.