Posts

Two days at Surrey university

Image
 For those of you who don't know, I've just registered as a student at Surrey University. It is based in Guildford which means it's not on the other side of the planet from Wantage! You just need to take the Oxford Bus Company X35 or X36 and go into Beauty (ie the countryside surrounding where I live) then arrive in Didcot. Take a train to Reading and change there. So yes really, not far! I plan to go there about once per month. It was only my second day of studies yesterday but I was given the chance to read some of my poems, so I said yes of course! I also heard the other students' work which was great. During the day, there was the Surrey New Writers Festival on campus and my mind (and bank account...) got blown away! I do admit that apart from Amy Key I didn't know anyone. Wow... came back home, around midnight, my bag full of books and I'm now trying to process all the fantastic comments I heard yesterday. It was the best literary festival I went to becau...

A nice surprise

Image
  Quand tu débarque à Oxford et la première personne que tu prends en photo est une travailliste au travail #AnnelieseDodds   La classe!  

Cowley Road Carnival 2024

Image
 Despite being very tired I had a lovely time at the Cowley Road Carnival. Here are a few pictures, hope you like them!

Magic Martha Argerich

Image
 At the moment, there is a fantastic programme about Martha Argerich's life on France Musique. Martha Argerich une pianiste libre in 7 episodes. I've been listening to it at work as I've been doing some recataloguing of collection. What a life she has had. I have been very lucky to have seen her a few times playing in Paris, I'm not sure playing what, I only knew it was not French otherwise I would have remembered (sorry!). A piano concerto -was it Brahms? Did he write concertos for piano?- and some chamber music, which I enjoyed more.  I'm not sure where it was either that chamber music, a modern place, and she was not playing then during the concert. We are seated towards the back of the room and listening to music sans Martha when I heard some footsteps behind me and then nothing. I turned and looked, it was her, seating on the steps and listening to her friends playing.  I had heard, perhaps it was from someone at the Conservatoire, that she used to live in a b...

In Jericho

Image
 After the pub and on my way back to South Oxfordshire, I bumped into a few dancers... here are some pictures... and of course, as often, monsieur Greenman

Copyright mon amour

Image
 I see today in the Guardian that the French court decides Ravel did not have help to compose Bolero . Oh well great, he wrote this on his own... but I can't help thinking, knowing and loving Maurice Ravel for so long, that so much of his music is coming from other influences... like other composers I suppose but still... why would the royalties monies just go to the Ravel heirs?  Why not??? Cuba for the Bolero , Spain for the Rhapsodie Espagnole and l'heure Espagnole , Madagascar for Les chansons madécasses , and the whole of the African American community for all the jazzy bits in his music? Le concerto en sol , le concerto pour la main gauche , bits of l'heure Espagnole and of la sonate pour violon et piano ... There are quite a few classical music composers inspired by jazz, Gershwin, Debussy, Bernstein , you name it     It's a bit like Disney taking from the folklore and making films out of it... only I don't feel that 'stealing' beauty and the be...

In memoriam Chris Weitz (1956-2024)

Image
  Glimpses of Chris working under the sun Digging a hole because that was fun A pond? No. It became a swimming pool And there were jumps into the cool   of OX4 parties his young Werther look with sorrow sometimes, sometimes not his chiselled jaws and square glasses and did he wear a wig once? Goethe am Oxford   The cheekiness of Chris… I remember us two gazing metaphorically in front of a neon he had just planted into the soil at an exhibition in the Botanic gardens and we quoted Derrida and Bourdieu yeah right or one of them anyway while the intelligentsia gathered near us to gasp and discuss this piece of ….    shit I forgot what I wanted to say, oh yeah, that’s it The seriousness of Chris always ordering The same chicken tikka dish at Dosa Till last time I saw him, it was different then,  A faraway look, and no meat