And a very Merry Christmas to all my readers! Can I ask anyone who drops by to add a comment PLEASE!!!!
I finally put up a tree in my window - so all the passing traffic on the A13 can see it, and there is a line of lights in the window too, the vast collection of cards are festooning my living room. Looking forward to watching all the Dickens films on TV and tomorrow there MUST be a showing of It's a Wonderful Life.....
blog -1900 have now clicked on my complete profile - why don't you do that and increase my numbers! Comments are always welcome to - and I like finding out about what other people have in their blogs.
The Proms have been a national institution for many many decades. The Last Night is a bizarre spectacular demonstration of national pride, flag waving and traditional British songs. One might have imagined that it would become stuck in the past, a gradually aging audience of no interest to the young and viewed from abroad as yet another example of eccentric British behaviour. However, ticket sales for the whole Proms Season reached a record high, and the spin off Last Night events - the Proms in the Park attract vast audiences, this year reaching a new venue - Middlesbrough. As these are outside, open air events it surprises me how many people want to attend in view of the unreliable weather. It deters no one. The standard of performances are amazingly high and every year a new range of pieces are added to the hard core of traditional Elgar and Arne, so beloved of Sir Malcolm Sargeant.
I was pleased to go to the performance of Vicky Malin in Trafalgar Square yesterday. She was there as part of a festival of disability - one of the many regular festivals held in the wonderful space that now surrounds Nelson's Column. Ken Livingstone certainly provides 'bread and circuses' for the masses - in this case both native Londoners and hordes of tourists. Since Ken has been Mayor this area has changed from being a giant roundabout isolated by the rush of speeding traffic, the domain of crowds of pigeons who seemed intent on whitening everything that doesn't move - and even some that don't! Now pigeons have been shifted to the periphery, much of the area is pedestrianised and the space is used by everybody and anyone.
Now there is a programme on ITV1 tonight where celebrities pick their favourite views in Britain. I have two contenders. One is Canary Wharf - seen at sunset, preferably in the autumn or winter travelling in a westerly direction from Gallions Reach. The sun hangs behind the highest tower and the sky is a brilliant orange colour. All the skyscrapers are back lit by this enormous disc. It just makes my heart miss a beat. Just by way of contrast my other choice is Blythburgh Church seen from the A12 travelling towards Lowestoft. This is a wonderful, almost mystical view at any time of day - but especially early in the morning with mist drifting from the river, or again at twilight. This has the atmosphere that is medieval and so satisfying.
