Summer Beckons
The importance, and persistence, of community shines through in the events of late spring – stalls and competitions, bands and displays in village fetes https://tonyearnshaw.substack.com/p/summer-beckons
Reasons to be cheerful
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by uncertainty at the moment; by fear of infection; by a craving for closeness with family and friends who have become images on a computer screen. The fact that we simply don’t know how long this pandemic will last, the worry about a second wave, all compounded by a dawning […]
The power of music
I watched a documentary last night on Dame Janet Baker. An hour and a half of memories, insights and emotion. I grew up listening to Janet Baker singing and remember the sense of pride in her as well as the admiration of her voice, her craft and her dedication. She was a Yorkshire lass and […]
Cathedrals – why?
I was in Sweden a week or so ago and visited Uppsala cathedral. I tend to head for the nearest cathedral when I’m somewhere new. I’m not sure why. On the one hand, the art and architecture tends to be something special, and there are many treats in the side chapels, like the reredos pictured […]
Ankles, teeth and the nuclear threat
Image courtesy of Les Haines, Creative Commons Priorities I’ve been musing on the question of priorities. Just think of what we’re faced with. The newspapers are full of North Korea and the public posturing by TweedleTrump and TweedleKim. Bluster and bragging seem to have replaced reason and diplomacy. Threats serve to escalate the crisis and […]
Arts Alive
The brochures are here I’ve just picked up a supply of brochures for the annual Mole Valley arts festival – Arts Alive. The arrival of the brochures is a turning point in the summer for me. It reminds me that autumn is coming, it gives me key dates for the autumn diary, and it is an […]
Poems to Keep
image courtesy of bucaorg (Paul Burnett) and Flickr 1000 monkeys I went to a poetry event on Monday. Read some poems. In a pub. Nothing unusual in that, but this was a bit special as it was the launch of an anthology and all the readers were poets who had poems in the anthology. A wonderful mix […]
Looking forward – the planning conundrum
Photo courtesy of Yale Richmond; Creative Commons Spontaneous demonstrations A feature of some of the totalitarian societies which sprang up in the 20th century was the spontaneous demonstration in support of the leader, the party or the government. We were asked to believe that large numbers of people suddenly took into their heads to meet […]
Pianos, without which no house is complete?
Image courtesy of Iwan Gabrovitch and Flickr; Creative Commons Pianos and me I’ve been thinking about pianos. I’d hate to be without one, though admittedly the same applies to guitars and saxophones. The difference, I think, is that the piano sits in the main living room, or one of them, available for anyone to sit […]
Music, talent, and friendship
Music, friends, beer, barn… I spent an evening last week with friends at a private gig by Assembly Lane, an acoustic quartet positioned roughly where British folk music meets bluegrass. So we had renditions of Sir Patrick Spens and the Fair Flower of Northumberland among Appalachian fiddle tunes and more, all delivered with consummate musicianship […]