Our world

This week we're in the 'Big Room'.

Play is hugely undervalued by that boring species, the groan up, but this delightful peace of work was spotted while I was out last Monday locally on our estate and was followed up by chalked hopscotch but when I came to take a picture there was a van over it.

A child, highly likely to be a young girl decided to make her home environment more colourful and fun for her and her friends to have fun and play.

Spring is here so the meadows are out and I spotted spotted this lovely patch of dandelions near some trees which really restful on the eyes.

Although you could technically call it an import, the cherry blossom tree is a huge favourite of mine, often featuring in animes and the local ones were out in full bloom, keeping the bees busy and adding something to our suburban life.

The garden is a staple of suburban life, my grandfather did a lot with his small garden in terraced street and this is one of my planters

Little thoughts

Sometimes you are so smol whatever the plans may of been you know that actually the only things that really work are the little ones especially if like me you are prone to running out of spoons.

You watch re-runs or dvds of your favourite tv shows even if they're young kids shows cos you feel a zillion times better for it.

You not only watch classic cartoons for fun but really need the values that they talk about like having fun, sharing, taking turns.

Your first instinct upon encountering the messed up groan up world is to say 'stuff it, I'm going back bed' and frankly you might as well as nothing good happens until you're ready to face it, getting into negative behavioural patterns stomping and pouting your way across the day.

Sometimes you just have to accept your life is different cos you are and that is that.

Classical Music sacd Round Up 18 - Mozart completed

 

One area where popular music and classical have things in common is sadly their composers and lyrists die leaving incomplete works or especially in popular music recordings too which tends to pose the question just what should we do with them?

For a long time the short answer would be nothing and yet some artists and composers are so popular that after death things are attributed to them that were not in an attempt to offer new material to satisfy demand.

This interesting release from a few weeks ago is more in the vein of what if we completed the score the composer had started and record it and here Timothy Jones, deputy director of the Royal Academy of Music has done just that keeping within the conventions of 1780 and this forms a bookend if you like to Ms Podger's 8 sacd set of Violin Sonatas from a few years back.

In this recording she is joined by Christopher Glynn on fortepiano, the original form of the modern concert piano and the results are highly enjoyable.

Easter Monday edition

Well it may be Monday but it's a different morning than most so we're mark it here a bit differently. 

It is Easter Monday, part of that whole really important set of days across the Easter weekend that some may send cards each other which may be religious in nature or more secular and this a vintage example that I like.

As this blog's author has age dysphoria, the eternal child of twelve has an easter just like she had back then first time around and that does include things like mini eggs and the Big 'Un.

Most of us love a unicorn and that plus chocolate from one of fine chocolate manufacturers here in the Midlands is just the ticket for me no doubt covered with sticky paws too afterwards.

Nom,nom,nom!

Paused Spring II

The follow up to last March's post in some ways  with temperatures down when I typed this to three degrees Celsius.

There's a few less restrictions like not being asked questions as you board the bus as to why you are out and the twitching of curtains as you go across the the village green and beyond all of which was permitted so long as you stayed local (and there was no official measure of that).

Whatever happens Spring does its thing in it's own time which was why these daffodil's were later coming out on the village green than those some people  had bought for their front gardens.

The woods are alive with the sounds of birds, birds flying with worms in their beaks to feed the young and those lovable scamps the squirrels playing climbing trees apart from the buzz from the park as children play after school and at weekends.

Paws crossed a few restrictions should be removed today which should help seeing a family member or two face to face and we'll see what Mid April brings.

Classical Music sacd Round up 17 - The Planets are sorted

This week one we may of found the answer to the great collecting chase of where is the best Super Audio cd of the one work you'd of thought there would of been.

Let's face it, Hifi types love to show off just how low their systems low notes go, the almost bat ear high notes matched by ink blank silent backgrounds  all brought by the latest recording and reproduction technology.

From those early days in the 50's with the new fangled lps that spawned the hobby with a high quality playback source rather than 78's and AM radio people had then, the explosion that followed stereophonic sound on being on record, radio and tape to the cd and the you are in the room feel multichannel sound can offer one work has always figured in demonstrations.

This just might be the Batastic super audio cd that matches the finest performances from the days of analogue tape with superb multichannel super high quality sound.

This does offer playing to equal my much loved imported Shm regular stereo cd of the 1971 Boston Symphony recording  by William Steinberg which was originally engineered for Quadraphonic multichannel sound just beating the previous sacd go to, the Andrew Davis recording which is part of his four sacd series of Holst's other sadly neglected works.

The Elgar is an enjoyable piece you do benefit from having a 'spare' version of too even if as a coupling another piece by Holst would of been ideal.

Mothering Sunday

Most of us probably knew someone who had a birthday near if not just a day either side of it so even if you did have separate presents they all blurred into one.

With me it's like no sooner that it has been my birthday which normally of involved people calling in and going out for lunch followed by the thank you letter writing and telephone calls than you're into Mothering Sunday which is about a week on.

Mothers do play a big part in both running the home even if Dad's like to think they do it all, looking after the domestic side, keeping an eye on older relatives and yes did (and in a good many instances still do) look after you, showing care and support no matter how old you are (in law).

You're still her daughter (or son).

Mothers also do things in the community, looking after people, being involved in community organizations, the Parent Staff Association and Girl Guides (and Scouts) and so on.

So it is right to take a day to think of their contribution and to your own mothers part in your life.