AUGUST UPS AND DOWNS

Edinburgh Festival time....

 

Marc-André  Hamelin

[Photo: Rob McAlear at English Wikipedia]

Last week I went through to Edinburgh to a concert in the large Usher Hall where Marc-André Hamelin, Montreal born pianist, was playing with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The conductor was Jukka-Pekka Saraste.

It was a good concert.  Yes, he played beautifully but he did look pale and tired.  It finished at 9:30 pm which gave me comfortable time to walk to catch the Glasgow train at Haymarket Station.  That was the good news.  The bad news is that some of Glasgow's finest were also on their way home and were definitely the worse for having had too long in the wine bar.  A steady stream of foul language shouted throughout the journey until they finally got off ...

... and they were all girls. 

As it happens I had a completely different sort of bad luck last year for a similar concert. I had a ticket (not cheap!) to hear the Chinese pianist Lang-Lang.  Unfortunately he had to cancel because of illness. (Pierre-Laurent Aimard from France filled in at the last minute.)  It was fine but I was really keen to hear Lang-Lang.

Never mind, maybe I should stick to the excellent concerts on TV and YouTube, also on BBC iPlayer where the Proms are now in full swing.  Such high calibre camera work, e.g. zooming right in to the orchestra pit!

Thankfully I am able to forget about tiresome behaviour in public places by

... getting out and smelling the flowers...

 

or   ....   getting out the baking tins...

I made (another) Spiderman cake for the children.  Couldn't think what to put on top for a 'spider' so opted for a daisy from the garden.

... or having an unexpected visitor!

The other day the doorbell rang and a young lad I know presented me with a box in which there were 2 strawberry tarts!  He is a student who helps my next door neighbour with her garden and we often share a cup of tea or a wee blether over the fence.  For example, he told me about the flight tracker app [www.flightradar24.com]  so that I can identify the planes heading for Glasgow airport. 

Well I was really touched!  Iain, of course, doesn't eat such things but I was more than happy to tuck in.  It has been a long wet summer! That plus coming at the end of a long day really boosted my spirits!