It has been brought to my attention that I have not blogged here for two months. Which means you have not heard about our pleasant wander round the British Museum, our visit to the Byzantium exhibition or our trip to see the photographs at the National Portrait Gallery.
Don't worry, I am well and keeping busy - I've simply been trying to take a break from this blog and my computer in general - however I am busy elsewhere on the web. Should try to write more here occasionally though!
Now on Easter holidays - however, I have a revision session tomorrow, so I should really go and get some sleep now!
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Snow Day!
There can hardly be two words that are as pleasant to a teacher's ear than the blessed, "Snow day"! Growing up in Scotland, we were lucky enough as pupils to have had a fair few; sometimes a few snow days would begin with an early closure, where we would all have to wait in the hall and would be called out a bus load at a time, "Those going to Auchinthingumbyjig, leave now." "The bus to Inverwhatjamacallit is about to depart." Sometimes we wouldn't even need snow; we were blessed in those days with a slightly dodgy boiler, which would occasionally break down and occasion the need to evacuate the school.
Nowadays I live in the slightly warmer parts of South East England, that is, London. Snow days are fair and few between. So it is quite exciting to have one today! Now, I realise that the weather conditions are making travel difficult for many people, and quite a few cars have been going (mostly slowly) along the road this morning. I don't envy those who have to make journeys today. However, I got the call just before I left the house at 7am, and I have spent an hour or so frollicking in the snow, taking photos and making snow angels. Highly recommended! I am sure that many of the photos will turn out to be blurry, because it's not really advisable to use the flash when the snow is falling, unless you like big white blobs all over your photos, and since it was quite dark, they need a longish exposure (and I wasn't going to frollick with a tripod). Anyway, it was fun!
Actually, the fun began last night, when H and I went to the ICA to see Mark Leckey give a talk about the Long Tail. I had no idea what to expect, and thought it would be some sort of pretty boring lecture; I was pleasantly surprised to discover a cross between a lecture and a performance, very entertainingly presented, with good use of multimedia (no powerpoints!!) including music and a gramaphone. Mark Leckey won the Turner Prize this year, which for once had sort of passed me by; I am now more interested in seeing some more of his art. It was also my first visit to the ICA; we are going back on Thursday to see Giles Foden talking to Tom Perotta.
Walking up the road round the corner from the Mall, taking photos in the snow, we passed a nice looking restaurant and decided to pop in. It was a Lebanese restaurant called Noura. Since we are in a credit crunch, I decided to try one of the cheaper main dishes on the menu, Musakaat Batenjan with rice, Baked seasoned aubergine cooked with tomato and chick peas, served with rice. H had the lamb skewers with salad. I have to say, I think I came out on top - particularly on such a cold, wintery night. The succulent aubergines, having soaked up the tomato juices, were just the right texture; soft and a bit gooey, not too oily or slimy. The chickpeas crumbled in my mouth, not like the hard little balls I have eaten before. And the rice, long and wild, each grain separate and special, was the ideal accompaniment.
On the home we took photos in the snow, before having a late night - all the more reason to appreciate a snow day! And, there, we're back to where we started. I'm going to go and catch up on that missing sleep now!
Nowadays I live in the slightly warmer parts of South East England, that is, London. Snow days are fair and few between. So it is quite exciting to have one today! Now, I realise that the weather conditions are making travel difficult for many people, and quite a few cars have been going (mostly slowly) along the road this morning. I don't envy those who have to make journeys today. However, I got the call just before I left the house at 7am, and I have spent an hour or so frollicking in the snow, taking photos and making snow angels. Highly recommended! I am sure that many of the photos will turn out to be blurry, because it's not really advisable to use the flash when the snow is falling, unless you like big white blobs all over your photos, and since it was quite dark, they need a longish exposure (and I wasn't going to frollick with a tripod). Anyway, it was fun!
Actually, the fun began last night, when H and I went to the ICA to see Mark Leckey give a talk about the Long Tail. I had no idea what to expect, and thought it would be some sort of pretty boring lecture; I was pleasantly surprised to discover a cross between a lecture and a performance, very entertainingly presented, with good use of multimedia (no powerpoints!!) including music and a gramaphone. Mark Leckey won the Turner Prize this year, which for once had sort of passed me by; I am now more interested in seeing some more of his art. It was also my first visit to the ICA; we are going back on Thursday to see Giles Foden talking to Tom Perotta.
Walking up the road round the corner from the Mall, taking photos in the snow, we passed a nice looking restaurant and decided to pop in. It was a Lebanese restaurant called Noura. Since we are in a credit crunch, I decided to try one of the cheaper main dishes on the menu, Musakaat Batenjan with rice, Baked seasoned aubergine cooked with tomato and chick peas, served with rice. H had the lamb skewers with salad. I have to say, I think I came out on top - particularly on such a cold, wintery night. The succulent aubergines, having soaked up the tomato juices, were just the right texture; soft and a bit gooey, not too oily or slimy. The chickpeas crumbled in my mouth, not like the hard little balls I have eaten before. And the rice, long and wild, each grain separate and special, was the ideal accompaniment.
On the home we took photos in the snow, before having a late night - all the more reason to appreciate a snow day! And, there, we're back to where we started. I'm going to go and catch up on that missing sleep now!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sociology in Hamleys
I thought it would be nice to buy something for my nephew from Hamleys. It was my first visit to that august London institution, and I have to confess that I was disappointed. It was also quite an intimidating experience ... so many people, noise, objects, crowds, a slightly tacky feel. I had expected it to have more of a Harrods or Fortnum and Mason's feel ...
Anyway, this all resulted in me thinking about the stereotypes that society has (ie us, ie me) of boys and girls. Ground floor ... lots of cuddly toys, very nice, gender neutral, I quite liked the colourful parrot hand puppet ... First floor, baby stuff and preschool colourful and noisy plastic ... Second floor ... oh, maybe that was the baby stuff, I wasn't really paying much attention to which floor it was ... third floor was pink, the girls' floor ... lots of nice arty crafty let's make cards and jewellery stuff ... fourth floor was called "hobbies" and I think had trains and cars and stuff (aha, trains, that's something that my nephew might like when he's older, I start to think) ... I begin to realise I am thinking completely stereotypically about boys at this point ... Then the top floor is the boys' floor ... it was about half the size of the other floors, and about one third of that space was taken up with a cafe. There were Power Rangers, cars, something to do with wrestling and - aha! I've got it! - Doctor Who stuff. Yes, I love Doctor Who, maybe N will love it too!
You see, our family has had very few boys, so we are all more used to girls, and I suppose I had some sort of idea in my head about the nice story telling, baking, dressing up as a princess activities that I could do with my little neice. However, she is a he, as mostly everybody else expected, and I - completely excited and madly in love! - have been a bit flummoxed about what to do with a boy! Anyway, as I started feeling much more comfortable with boy stuff while wandering around Hamleys - football, music, Doctor Who, cars, trains, trucks - I thought, poor wee N, he's only two and a half weeks old, he's an individual, he can do whatever he wants and be whoever he wants, and already here I am, putting him in a "boy" box.
Which may all support the idea that gender identity is a social construct rather than a genetic, "natural" one. I haven't really studied much sociology or pediatrics or whatever, so I don't really have much of interest to say in the matter, but I found it all quite curious as I was there.
And the present? Well, in the end there was nothing particularly appealing (unless you count the Dalek Electronic Voice Changer Mask, but I think at 17 days N could probably sit inside it rather than wear it and it might be rather uncomfortable for that), and I think my nephew would probably rather have a cuddle than yet another "thing", and he has quite enough cuddly toys to be getting on with for now since I think it's best to have one or two that you really love and hold on to rather than loads that you don't remember, so in the end I walked away empty handed. Which is probably quite the best option. But full of interest to know what he will eventually be interested in ...
Anyway, this all resulted in me thinking about the stereotypes that society has (ie us, ie me) of boys and girls. Ground floor ... lots of cuddly toys, very nice, gender neutral, I quite liked the colourful parrot hand puppet ... First floor, baby stuff and preschool colourful and noisy plastic ... Second floor ... oh, maybe that was the baby stuff, I wasn't really paying much attention to which floor it was ... third floor was pink, the girls' floor ... lots of nice arty crafty let's make cards and jewellery stuff ... fourth floor was called "hobbies" and I think had trains and cars and stuff (aha, trains, that's something that my nephew might like when he's older, I start to think) ... I begin to realise I am thinking completely stereotypically about boys at this point ... Then the top floor is the boys' floor ... it was about half the size of the other floors, and about one third of that space was taken up with a cafe. There were Power Rangers, cars, something to do with wrestling and - aha! I've got it! - Doctor Who stuff. Yes, I love Doctor Who, maybe N will love it too!
You see, our family has had very few boys, so we are all more used to girls, and I suppose I had some sort of idea in my head about the nice story telling, baking, dressing up as a princess activities that I could do with my little neice. However, she is a he, as mostly everybody else expected, and I - completely excited and madly in love! - have been a bit flummoxed about what to do with a boy! Anyway, as I started feeling much more comfortable with boy stuff while wandering around Hamleys - football, music, Doctor Who, cars, trains, trucks - I thought, poor wee N, he's only two and a half weeks old, he's an individual, he can do whatever he wants and be whoever he wants, and already here I am, putting him in a "boy" box.
Which may all support the idea that gender identity is a social construct rather than a genetic, "natural" one. I haven't really studied much sociology or pediatrics or whatever, so I don't really have much of interest to say in the matter, but I found it all quite curious as I was there.
And the present? Well, in the end there was nothing particularly appealing (unless you count the Dalek Electronic Voice Changer Mask, but I think at 17 days N could probably sit inside it rather than wear it and it might be rather uncomfortable for that), and I think my nephew would probably rather have a cuddle than yet another "thing", and he has quite enough cuddly toys to be getting on with for now since I think it's best to have one or two that you really love and hold on to rather than loads that you don't remember, so in the end I walked away empty handed. Which is probably quite the best option. But full of interest to know what he will eventually be interested in ...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
I'm an auntie!
My sister had her baby yesterday! How exciting! Can't wait to see him, my baby nephew!!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Happy New Year ...
So much has happened since I last left a message ...
We had a very packed Christmas holiday back with my family in Scotland. Here is a quick taster of what we got up to:
Tuesday 23 December
We drove 500 miles north. Arrived fairly late.
Wednesday 24 December
Got my hair cut and dyed, and bought a new outfit for Christmas. Delighted to get dress and shoes heavily reduced in sales. Went to the midnight Carol Singing and Watchnight Service, where I met up with an old school friends that I always swap presents with during this service.
Thursday 25 December
Christmas Day! Woke up earlier than necessary, but eventually got up anyway. Opened lots of lovely presents, including some great Covent Garden Sanctuary Spa stuff from H, a lasagne dish from S, and much needed clothes (and one of the books I asked for, Double Cross by Malorie Blackman) from M&D. We then went to my sister's for Christmas Dinner, made by her MIL. Very nice. It was really good to see S, especially as she is very pregnant, with a big bump, and I hadn't seen her for months, so it was very exciting! We ended the evening playing one of those fun brain games. Cranium.
Friday 26 December
It is a family tradition that we go to the home of a family friend on the morning of Boxing Day, where we have delicious vol-au-vents and sausage rolls, and today was no exception. In the afternoon, another old school friend came down with his sister, wife and daughter to see us. We last saw the family when their daughter was about a day or two old, and she is now about 18 months! Very sweet.
Saturday 27 December
S came through, and while M&D took Gran home, S and I went shopping for baby things. I also used some of the time to plan the Hogmanay party.
Sunday 28 December
I have to confess that I slept in, so no church this morning. However, once up, H and I visited a friend of his who was visiting his parents with his family. They live on a fairly nearby farm, and the scenery was amazing. Only the two men knew each other, but what a lovely family. We all got on well and it was a fun afternoon. He has three young boys, who were very friendly and polite. We drove home, decided to cook spaghetti bolognese for dinner, which we shared with a third old school friend of mine who came by. It's been a great holiday for catching up with old friends!
Monday 29 December
We drove through to Edinburgh to visit my other grandparents, and on the way dropped off to see my cousin who had a baby last year that we hadn't seen yet. That was a treat as well. She is very cute too. Then on to G&G's, picked up Mum's auntie, then popped by IKEA to collect some new baby furniture for S.
Tuesday 30 December
Dad and I went to my sister's with the furniture, where we managed to put up a chest of drawers and a cot. The wardrobe will have to wait for later. Dad went home when it was still light and I stayed with S, where we organised the new nursery. How exciting! Lots of little baby grows, hats and mittens. Can't wait to be an auntie!
Wednesday 31 December
This day was spent getting ready for the Hogmanay Party that we were hosting. This included buying costumes, ribbons, scarves etc, preparing all the quizzes and games for the evening, and getting all the food ready. Everyone mucked in, and I was still getting dressed when the guests arrived. We had a fun evening with a global theme. Lots of pitta breads, hummous, stews, rice, moussaka, stew, fruit salad and cranachan. Delicious. The best game was the Mummy game, where three people were wrapped up in toilet roll. New Year was celebrated throughout the evening, as different time lines were crossed, and with champagne at midnight. Everyone left around 3.30am.
Thursday 1 January 2009
We had a well deserved lie-in, but not for too long, before Auntie, Mum and I decided to go for a New Year walk up the hill. It was cold, so we wrapped up well, and wandered along a mile long circular route among the trees. Great. Then, in the afternoon, some friends of ours who have two young boys, came by. Again, we hadn't seen them for a couple of years, and how they have all grown! Lovely to see them again. We took loads of photos, and it was nice to catch up with the news.
Friday 2 January
Our family friend that we visit on Boxing Day traditionally comes to us on the second, and once again this year was no exception. Mum makes nice sausage rolls and rolls with salmon and egg, followed by tasty homemade mars bar cake and meringues. Delicious! In the afternoon my auntie and uncle brought my grandparents round for dinner. We had a lovely afternoon, which included S and I playing some traditional Scottish music, me on the fiddle, her on the guitar. Great afternoon and evening.
Saturday 3 January
H and I drove south, 500 miles, in lovely weather and on quiet roads.
Sunday 4 January
I got up, began to drive to work, and wrote off the car. So here we are. 2009.
We had a very packed Christmas holiday back with my family in Scotland. Here is a quick taster of what we got up to:
Tuesday 23 December
We drove 500 miles north. Arrived fairly late.
Wednesday 24 December
Got my hair cut and dyed, and bought a new outfit for Christmas. Delighted to get dress and shoes heavily reduced in sales. Went to the midnight Carol Singing and Watchnight Service, where I met up with an old school friends that I always swap presents with during this service.
Thursday 25 December
Christmas Day! Woke up earlier than necessary, but eventually got up anyway. Opened lots of lovely presents, including some great Covent Garden Sanctuary Spa stuff from H, a lasagne dish from S, and much needed clothes (and one of the books I asked for, Double Cross by Malorie Blackman) from M&D. We then went to my sister's for Christmas Dinner, made by her MIL. Very nice. It was really good to see S, especially as she is very pregnant, with a big bump, and I hadn't seen her for months, so it was very exciting! We ended the evening playing one of those fun brain games. Cranium.
Friday 26 December
It is a family tradition that we go to the home of a family friend on the morning of Boxing Day, where we have delicious vol-au-vents and sausage rolls, and today was no exception. In the afternoon, another old school friend came down with his sister, wife and daughter to see us. We last saw the family when their daughter was about a day or two old, and she is now about 18 months! Very sweet.
Saturday 27 December
S came through, and while M&D took Gran home, S and I went shopping for baby things. I also used some of the time to plan the Hogmanay party.
Sunday 28 December
I have to confess that I slept in, so no church this morning. However, once up, H and I visited a friend of his who was visiting his parents with his family. They live on a fairly nearby farm, and the scenery was amazing. Only the two men knew each other, but what a lovely family. We all got on well and it was a fun afternoon. He has three young boys, who were very friendly and polite. We drove home, decided to cook spaghetti bolognese for dinner, which we shared with a third old school friend of mine who came by. It's been a great holiday for catching up with old friends!
Monday 29 December
We drove through to Edinburgh to visit my other grandparents, and on the way dropped off to see my cousin who had a baby last year that we hadn't seen yet. That was a treat as well. She is very cute too. Then on to G&G's, picked up Mum's auntie, then popped by IKEA to collect some new baby furniture for S.
Tuesday 30 December
Dad and I went to my sister's with the furniture, where we managed to put up a chest of drawers and a cot. The wardrobe will have to wait for later. Dad went home when it was still light and I stayed with S, where we organised the new nursery. How exciting! Lots of little baby grows, hats and mittens. Can't wait to be an auntie!
Wednesday 31 December
This day was spent getting ready for the Hogmanay Party that we were hosting. This included buying costumes, ribbons, scarves etc, preparing all the quizzes and games for the evening, and getting all the food ready. Everyone mucked in, and I was still getting dressed when the guests arrived. We had a fun evening with a global theme. Lots of pitta breads, hummous, stews, rice, moussaka, stew, fruit salad and cranachan. Delicious. The best game was the Mummy game, where three people were wrapped up in toilet roll. New Year was celebrated throughout the evening, as different time lines were crossed, and with champagne at midnight. Everyone left around 3.30am.
Thursday 1 January 2009
We had a well deserved lie-in, but not for too long, before Auntie, Mum and I decided to go for a New Year walk up the hill. It was cold, so we wrapped up well, and wandered along a mile long circular route among the trees. Great. Then, in the afternoon, some friends of ours who have two young boys, came by. Again, we hadn't seen them for a couple of years, and how they have all grown! Lovely to see them again. We took loads of photos, and it was nice to catch up with the news.
Friday 2 January
Our family friend that we visit on Boxing Day traditionally comes to us on the second, and once again this year was no exception. Mum makes nice sausage rolls and rolls with salmon and egg, followed by tasty homemade mars bar cake and meringues. Delicious! In the afternoon my auntie and uncle brought my grandparents round for dinner. We had a lovely afternoon, which included S and I playing some traditional Scottish music, me on the fiddle, her on the guitar. Great afternoon and evening.
Saturday 3 January
H and I drove south, 500 miles, in lovely weather and on quiet roads.
Sunday 4 January
I got up, began to drive to work, and wrote off the car. So here we are. 2009.
Monday, December 22, 2008
To Do before going back to school ...
- Mark Year 11 exams (2 sets plus one third of two other sets)
- Mark 2 sets of Year 11 books
- Mark 2 sets of Year 10 books
- Plan A level lessons on Sex and Relationships
- Write Year 11 reports
- Write revision notes for A level students
- Produce homework booklets for Years 7 to 11
- Enjoy Christmas!
Added on Saturday 10 January: I didn't manage to get much done ... I am half way through marking the first set of Year 10 books, and I still have most of the Year 11 reports to get finished. They are due in on Monday. I have made homework booklets for Years 10 and 11.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Desert Island Discs
I thought that after the pictures yesterday, I should include some music, if possible, today. Also, I was inspired by listening to James Nesbitt on Radio 4 sharing his favourite music, and thought that I should try and think of what I would include. I have done some research, and see that I am allowed eight pieces of music. So, what would they be?
1. An Irish Lullaby (Too-ra loo-ra loo-ra). Preferably sung by my Mum or Dad, but I suppose I would have to go with Bing Crosby! This is probably one of the first songs I learnt (well, at least the chorus!), because one or other of my parents used to sing me to sleep with it. It's the lullaby I use if I'm ever faced with a child that needs to sleep. Although that's not often. Interestingly, my parents aren't Irish, and I'm not sure where they learnt it from ... The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen would make more sense, really ... another one of my favourites from childhood. Anyway, here's Bing ...
2. The Eighties were when I first started listening to contemporary music (along with a lot of older music from the forties, fifties and sixties, as well as Gilbert and Sullivan!) The first single I remember owning was probably KC and the Sunshine Band's Give It Up. I think it came as a sort of prize having bought a pair of Clarkes shoes or something like that. But then I think I would have to choose Uptown Girl by Billy Joel as the song that my friends across the road and I used to dance around to, and also one of the first music videos that I remember watching. However, the song I always used to dance around to at home was probably Madonna's Who's That Girl? (Strangely, the video on YouTube is not the one I remember watching ...). Then the two that I associate with singing and dancing to in the playground are Bananarama's Love in the First Degree and The Bangle's (original and best!) Eternal Flame. Hmmmmm. I think I'll go with ... Uptown Girl. (The only one I can't embed here!)
3. Now it gets more difficult. I have already decided on numbers 5 to 8, below, and only have two choices left. And I've just realised that I've been doing this for about three hours, which is a bit ridiculous really, especially since I have loads to do and have to tidy up before driving to Scotland! So ... two songs that will summarise my time at secondary school perhaps? Well, the one's that immediately came to mind were Del Amitri's The Last To Know and REM's Nightswimming. Or Everybody Hurts. Or The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. (Hadn't really realised how much REM had impacted on my life!) Listening to them is a bit depressing actually!! I think I'll choose Nightswimming.
4. I think I'd like to choose something Scottish for this song (which is actually the last one I've chosen ...). After all, a large proportion of my time was spent fiddling! I've decided on the Bonnie Lass o' Bon Accord by James Scott Skinner. I have to say that I play it a lot more slowly (on purpose!) that you hear in this recording. I love the minor key. Could also have chosen an eightsome reel of some description. Or the Hen's March to the Midden, as played by Grandad!
5. Then I met my husband ... There are three songs that I could include here. First of all, Celine Dion's Tell Him, which we played (although with the other songs on that Let's Talk About Love album) over and over. Then there is the Beatles' Blackbird, which H played on the guitar, much to the annoyance of a friend of ours', and to my pleasure. Finally, there is Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine, which H also used to play to me on his guitar. This is the one I'm going to choose, since this was the first time I'd ever heard that song, so I think part of me thought that H had written it for me, which made it extra special!
6. For our wedding waltz, we had song that I grew up with when I was young. True Love, lyrics by Cole Porter, here sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly (ignore the printed lyrics, listen to the song). It was a song I had in my head, but we still hadn't chosen our first dance, which tradition dictates should be a waltz (unless of course there is something else that you really want!). So I asked my grandad, fount of all musical knowledge, and this is the one he suggested. Which, since I knew it and liked it already, seemed like a good suggestion.
7. Still on the wedding theme ... our wedding video featured a few songs. But the one that always stands out is Elton John's Your Song. Not only are the words ideal, since I married a creative person, but every time I hear it, I see the clip from the wedding video which features the best bits from the day and finishes with a slow-motion first dance, where we both look so happy.
8. For the final piece of music, I'll end with the song that I'd like played at my funeral: Be Still My Soul, with the music from Finlandia by Sibelius. Preferably with a full orchestra. I first came across this hymn when at church on the last day of one Scripture Union camp. I'd made some good friends, one of whom I would go on to share a flat with and still see now, and the words seemed particularly meaningful as we parted: "Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last." We didn't know if we'd meet again in this life, but we had faith that we would meet again in the next at any rate. Later, at uni, I played Finlandia in the University Orchestra, and loved its soaring cadences, its rousing interludes. (Sorry, the midi file I've linked to does not do the tune justice!! I see The Priests have it on their CD ...) (Wow, I've also just learnt from Wiki that it was the short-lived national anthem for Biafra as well!) Okay, now we're talking ... I've just found Finlandia on YouTube ...
So, the definitive list is:
1. An Irish Lullaby, Bing Crosby.
2. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel.
3. Nightswimming, REM.
4. The Bonnie Lass o' Bon-Accord, James Scott Skinner.
5. Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers.
6. True Love, Cole Porter.
7. Your Song, Elton John.
8. Be Still My Soul (Finlandia), Sibelius.
And if I could only take one disc? Oooh, that's hard. Think I'll go for Your Song. But, then again, tomorrow I might change my top eight altogether!
My book (along with the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, both of which would already give me a lot to get my teeth into) would be ... I think it would have to be the Complete Works of Jane Austen. I'm sure I could read Pride and Prejudice and Emma a few more times ...
My luxury ... well, that's a bit more difficult ... actually, no, it's not! A digital camera with a BIG memory card, so I could hone my photography skills taking pictures of all those lovely palm trees, monkeys, fish, sand dunes and whatever else I might find on the desert island.
Right. I'm off to my desert island now ... well, that would be much warmer than here, and there might not be as much tidying up to do! Actually, I really ought to start trying to get ready to head north for Christmas, so I have lots to do, and I might not update this blog for a day or two, so, just in case I don't call back for a bit - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
1. An Irish Lullaby (Too-ra loo-ra loo-ra). Preferably sung by my Mum or Dad, but I suppose I would have to go with Bing Crosby! This is probably one of the first songs I learnt (well, at least the chorus!), because one or other of my parents used to sing me to sleep with it. It's the lullaby I use if I'm ever faced with a child that needs to sleep. Although that's not often. Interestingly, my parents aren't Irish, and I'm not sure where they learnt it from ... The Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen would make more sense, really ... another one of my favourites from childhood. Anyway, here's Bing ...
2. The Eighties were when I first started listening to contemporary music (along with a lot of older music from the forties, fifties and sixties, as well as Gilbert and Sullivan!) The first single I remember owning was probably KC and the Sunshine Band's Give It Up. I think it came as a sort of prize having bought a pair of Clarkes shoes or something like that. But then I think I would have to choose Uptown Girl by Billy Joel as the song that my friends across the road and I used to dance around to, and also one of the first music videos that I remember watching. However, the song I always used to dance around to at home was probably Madonna's Who's That Girl? (Strangely, the video on YouTube is not the one I remember watching ...). Then the two that I associate with singing and dancing to in the playground are Bananarama's Love in the First Degree and The Bangle's (original and best!) Eternal Flame. Hmmmmm. I think I'll go with ... Uptown Girl. (The only one I can't embed here!)
3. Now it gets more difficult. I have already decided on numbers 5 to 8, below, and only have two choices left. And I've just realised that I've been doing this for about three hours, which is a bit ridiculous really, especially since I have loads to do and have to tidy up before driving to Scotland! So ... two songs that will summarise my time at secondary school perhaps? Well, the one's that immediately came to mind were Del Amitri's The Last To Know and REM's Nightswimming. Or Everybody Hurts. Or The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. (Hadn't really realised how much REM had impacted on my life!) Listening to them is a bit depressing actually!! I think I'll choose Nightswimming.
4. I think I'd like to choose something Scottish for this song (which is actually the last one I've chosen ...). After all, a large proportion of my time was spent fiddling! I've decided on the Bonnie Lass o' Bon Accord by James Scott Skinner. I have to say that I play it a lot more slowly (on purpose!) that you hear in this recording. I love the minor key. Could also have chosen an eightsome reel of some description. Or the Hen's March to the Midden, as played by Grandad!
5. Then I met my husband ... There are three songs that I could include here. First of all, Celine Dion's Tell Him, which we played (although with the other songs on that Let's Talk About Love album) over and over. Then there is the Beatles' Blackbird, which H played on the guitar, much to the annoyance of a friend of ours', and to my pleasure. Finally, there is Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine, which H also used to play to me on his guitar. This is the one I'm going to choose, since this was the first time I'd ever heard that song, so I think part of me thought that H had written it for me, which made it extra special!
6. For our wedding waltz, we had song that I grew up with when I was young. True Love, lyrics by Cole Porter, here sung by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly (ignore the printed lyrics, listen to the song). It was a song I had in my head, but we still hadn't chosen our first dance, which tradition dictates should be a waltz (unless of course there is something else that you really want!). So I asked my grandad, fount of all musical knowledge, and this is the one he suggested. Which, since I knew it and liked it already, seemed like a good suggestion.
7. Still on the wedding theme ... our wedding video featured a few songs. But the one that always stands out is Elton John's Your Song. Not only are the words ideal, since I married a creative person, but every time I hear it, I see the clip from the wedding video which features the best bits from the day and finishes with a slow-motion first dance, where we both look so happy.
8. For the final piece of music, I'll end with the song that I'd like played at my funeral: Be Still My Soul, with the music from Finlandia by Sibelius. Preferably with a full orchestra. I first came across this hymn when at church on the last day of one Scripture Union camp. I'd made some good friends, one of whom I would go on to share a flat with and still see now, and the words seemed particularly meaningful as we parted: "Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last." We didn't know if we'd meet again in this life, but we had faith that we would meet again in the next at any rate. Later, at uni, I played Finlandia in the University Orchestra, and loved its soaring cadences, its rousing interludes. (Sorry, the midi file I've linked to does not do the tune justice!! I see The Priests have it on their CD ...) (Wow, I've also just learnt from Wiki that it was the short-lived national anthem for Biafra as well!) Okay, now we're talking ... I've just found Finlandia on YouTube ...
So, the definitive list is:
1. An Irish Lullaby, Bing Crosby.
2. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel.
3. Nightswimming, REM.
4. The Bonnie Lass o' Bon-Accord, James Scott Skinner.
5. Ain't No Sunshine, Bill Withers.
6. True Love, Cole Porter.
7. Your Song, Elton John.
8. Be Still My Soul (Finlandia), Sibelius.
And if I could only take one disc? Oooh, that's hard. Think I'll go for Your Song. But, then again, tomorrow I might change my top eight altogether!
My book (along with the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, both of which would already give me a lot to get my teeth into) would be ... I think it would have to be the Complete Works of Jane Austen. I'm sure I could read Pride and Prejudice and Emma a few more times ...
My luxury ... well, that's a bit more difficult ... actually, no, it's not! A digital camera with a BIG memory card, so I could hone my photography skills taking pictures of all those lovely palm trees, monkeys, fish, sand dunes and whatever else I might find on the desert island.
Right. I'm off to my desert island now ... well, that would be much warmer than here, and there might not be as much tidying up to do! Actually, I really ought to start trying to get ready to head north for Christmas, so I have lots to do, and I might not update this blog for a day or two, so, just in case I don't call back for a bit - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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