Wednesday 21 September 2011

ONE WEEK INTO BEING 50

Things are quite exciting at the moment.  I forgot to mention in my last post that at choir the day before my birthday everyone sang 'happy birthday' to me.   Now, this sounds like nothing particularly out of the ordinary except that our conductor/choir master had told us we were about to sing 'Adam Lay Ybounden' out of our orange carol books, the accompanist had played a chord (which I had thought sounded a bit strange) and I had taken a breath and got ready to sing... when they burst into 'happy birthday' instead.  It completely took me by surprise but I think will go down in my mental annals as one of the best times I have been sung that song, the other one being the time it was sung to me being underground in a cave in France.

Eldest Son's eye - oh for goodness' sake, I'm going to call them by their names - Alex's bruise from Tag Rugby is now the most lovely yellow colour and has spread to include his eye.  What an injury!  At least it hasn't put him off Tag Rugby, and he is keen to start going on Sundays, particularly as his best friend from school goes and his best friend from outside school is thinking of going.

The Baby, or the Chubster - i.e. Edward - went up a step - literally - today.  This is really good as I was wondering when he was going to begin to pull himself up to standing.  He's very interested in our stairs and if you help him up them thinks it's very exciting and funny: but today in Hayton Church at the after-school service he got himself up on to the step where communion is served (and then of course wanted to come back down head first).  He thought the whole after school service was very exciting and funny, but then recently he's found a lot of things exciting and funny.  It must be great just to think Life is exciting and funny.  There's so much for him to discover and I love watching his development, just as I did with the others at that age (and still do: their observations on life can be hilarious.  They come out with things which sound so mature, and wise, and profound: and which are often completely down to earth).  I'm intending to open an extra page for priceless quotations and priceless moments, if I can work out how to.

Hayton Church is significant not only as the place of Edward's first going-up-a-step but also because in just under two weeks' time it is going to be the location of my first paid solo singing engagement!!!  I'm singing at a wedding, thanks to Edward the vicar.  I'm going to sing Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck (I had considered Handel's Rejoice Greatly, but not only is the singing part more complicated but also the accompanist, and with hardly any time to go simple is better and more effective).  I'm very excited but also at the same time rather nervous as I very badly want to sing well and not wreck the bride and groom's special day, but to add to it.

I've got my aerobics certificate now so am starting to teach aerobics next Thursday - the Sands in Carlisle also needs instructors, so who knows.... meanwhile I need to get on with some writing.  I have a feeling that if I perservere with all these things then my level of activity and therefore income may snowball.  When I went on my TV presenting course they said that the people who give up are the ones who get nowhere.... maybe it really is 'goodbye surveying'.  Meanwhile I am rewriting my 'opera' programme for Radio 3, and if they don't want it perhaps I should try ClassicFM.

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