June 3.
June 4
Here are a couple of examples of the score. Hard to read in places, and to remember the key signature!
I knew I didn’t have time to spend in Bath as the last bus back to Salisbury was at 3pm, so I opted to visit the Holburne Museum, originally a hotel which overlooked the Pleasure Gardens, where the upper crust met to promenade. The collection of fine and decorative arts of Sir William Holburne is housed in this building, and I was glad to visit the special exhibition of Dutch masterpieces from National Trust Houses. There are several galleries in the Museum, one with lots of silver objects in the original Ballroom together with a number of Gainsborough paintings, he is one of my favourite painters. I was fascinated by it all and was rather late walking into the city center not far away. However, by the time I found the Jane Austin Centre, there wasn’t time for me to get on a tour of the small museum. For anyone thinking of going, there are timed tours which you have to book ahead. My other choice was the Sally Lunn Museum and Eating house. For those who are not familiar with Sally Lunn Bath Buns, it’s a good place to learn all about it. The bun is made with a yeast dough including cream and eggs, similar to the sweet brioche breads of France. Also called a teacake, it is usually served warm, sliced with butter to the ladies who take afternoon tea. It was first recorded in 1780 in Bath, where afternoon tea was imperative in getting a foothold into society.
Alas, I couldn’t have my afternoon tea at either place in the time left, so instead, I bought a delicious brie and cranberry panini, eating it on a bench waiting for the bus and watching the world go by. Another lovely journey back to Salisbury, and a short walk to my log cabin! My Health app is telling me my daily average is between 8-13,000 steps, beats my Chapel Hill record between 2-5,000steps!
I went to Evensong at the Cathedral, but as the Cathedral choir was on half-term break, an invited choir, the Peterborough Chamber Choir, sang the beautiful service. Unfortunately the cathedral organ had suddenly given up the ghost, so the portatif organ was brought in to serve. The Cathedral Choir Master, David Halls, gave the Prelude and Postlude on the piano. Even before the disaster, an appeal for funds to restore the organ had begun, and now it's needed even more.
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The Saxophone band supporting the exhausted runners. |
June 4
I am working on the rest of my itinerary, lots of details that need to be arranged. Thank goodness for the iPhone which works better than the computer. Major issues with the Microsoft upgrade, but library staff are phenomenal. Broadband in this area is not as strong as in other places but is fine in the Library, so I go there during the day when I update my blog. In the cottage, Wifi seems to do better in the evenings.
I started work on the Rossini Petit Messe Solonelle. The edition is an old Italian one, difficult to read, and somewhat challenging. The Italians only put the key signature on the first line of music, and as sometimes they have 4 and 5 accidentals, it's hard to remember page after page. The overture is also by Rossini, “The Italian Girl in Algiers”. I’m so looking forward to this concert, especially as it is in the Cathedral.
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| The sweet cello waiting patiently! |
Here are a couple of examples of the score. Hard to read in places, and to remember the key signature!
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| Note the key signature is only written on the first stave. |
June 5th – Happy 93rd birthday to my dear sister-in-law Betty! Love the photos with her girls.
Today I took my free bus pass and went to Bournemouth on the South Coast. A good friend from Dartington came from there, and I remember visiting her at her parents’ home. My photographic memory of the location of the house let me down, but I did recognize a few places, mostly the gardens by the seafront. Bournemouth has 7 miles of sandy beach, rugged coastline, glorious rolling hills and lush forest. Some of the most stunning scenery in the country. I walked along the gardens and came upon the Russell-Cotes House, the last Victorian-era house built in 1901, the year Queen Victoria died. It was a happy home for a devoted couple and a present to his wife from her husband. I spent a fascinating two hours in the house and art galleries, finishing up with tea and a cream scone, of course. Will restrict myself to one a week! Then I strolled to the bus stop and returned to Salisbury. It’s so good to have the long daylight evenings to see the beautiful countryside from the bus.
Today I took my free bus pass and went to Bournemouth on the South Coast. A good friend from Dartington came from there, and I remember visiting her at her parents’ home. My photographic memory of the location of the house let me down, but I did recognize a few places, mostly the gardens by the seafront. Bournemouth has 7 miles of sandy beach, rugged coastline, glorious rolling hills and lush forest. Some of the most stunning scenery in the country. I walked along the gardens and came upon the Russell-Cotes House, the last Victorian-era house built in 1901, the year Queen Victoria died. It was a happy home for a devoted couple and a present to his wife from her husband. I spent a fascinating two hours in the house and art galleries, finishing up with tea and a cream scone, of course. Will restrict myself to one a week! Then I strolled to the bus stop and returned to Salisbury. It’s so good to have the long daylight evenings to see the beautiful countryside from the bus.
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| Gorgeous rhododendron bushes all through the seafront gardens. |
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| The Russell-Cote House, the last one built in the Victorian era. |
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And of course, there's the afternoon tea of scones, jam, and cream.
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| This is the Lily Langtry loo. She was a famous Edwardian actress and very much under the protection of one male royal. The Victorians knew how to design loos. |
Was spent mostly in the Library. Frustrated with computer problems, I was able to spend some time with a librarian assistant. I had upgraded Microsoft in the US and found there are so many problems. I still can't use Skype or Outlook. According to the UK Librarian, she said they all were having massive problems with Microsoft. All I wanted was to be able to sync my photos from my iPhone so I could add them to my blog.
However, everything changed when I got back to the cabin. My landlady who volunteers as a guide in the Cathedral came running over to tell me the Cathedral Choirmaster, David Halls, was giving a piano recital of Bach's works at 7:30pm that night as a fundraiser for the organ. It seems that the organist who was coming from Cambridge to give the recital, backed out as there was no organ for him to play, so David stepped in together with another pianist. Between them, they played the French Suites # 5 BWV 816, #1 BWV 812, Toccata BWV 912 and Italian Concerto BWV 97. David was also the conductor of the Salisbury Symphony when I was here before. A fabulous musician, he played his Bach pieces exquisitely with such clarity and articulation. So the evening ended on a high, and Microsoft was banished to the bowels of the earth.
However, everything changed when I got back to the cabin. My landlady who volunteers as a guide in the Cathedral came running over to tell me the Cathedral Choirmaster, David Halls, was giving a piano recital of Bach's works at 7:30pm that night as a fundraiser for the organ. It seems that the organist who was coming from Cambridge to give the recital, backed out as there was no organ for him to play, so David stepped in together with another pianist. Between them, they played the French Suites # 5 BWV 816, #1 BWV 812, Toccata BWV 912 and Italian Concerto BWV 97. David was also the conductor of the Salisbury Symphony when I was here before. A fabulous musician, he played his Bach pieces exquisitely with such clarity and articulation. So the evening ended on a high, and Microsoft was banished to the bowels of the earth.
June 7
Another bus trip, this time early to Bath in Somerset, about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Salisbury. The bus meandered through the narrow lanes to reach small villages. The most endearing view was seeing lambs cozily lying in a field of high grass, and in another field, a flock of shorn sheep.
Not far from Bath at Westbury is one of the chalk horses carved into a hillside in 1778, and can be seen for miles. There are eight White horses, perhaps more, around the county of Wiltshire dating back over 250 years.
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| Shorn sheep. |
Not far from Bath at Westbury is one of the chalk horses carved into a hillside in 1778, and can be seen for miles. There are eight White horses, perhaps more, around the county of Wiltshire dating back over 250 years.
I knew I didn’t have time to spend in Bath as the last bus back to Salisbury was at 3pm, so I opted to visit the Holburne Museum, originally a hotel which overlooked the Pleasure Gardens, where the upper crust met to promenade. The collection of fine and decorative arts of Sir William Holburne is housed in this building, and I was glad to visit the special exhibition of Dutch masterpieces from National Trust Houses. There are several galleries in the Museum, one with lots of silver objects in the original Ballroom together with a number of Gainsborough paintings, he is one of my favourite painters. I was fascinated by it all and was rather late walking into the city center not far away. However, by the time I found the Jane Austin Centre, there wasn’t time for me to get on a tour of the small museum. For anyone thinking of going, there are timed tours which you have to book ahead. My other choice was the Sally Lunn Museum and Eating house. For those who are not familiar with Sally Lunn Bath Buns, it’s a good place to learn all about it. The bun is made with a yeast dough including cream and eggs, similar to the sweet brioche breads of France. Also called a teacake, it is usually served warm, sliced with butter to the ladies who take afternoon tea. It was first recorded in 1780 in Bath, where afternoon tea was imperative in getting a foothold into society.
Alas, I couldn’t have my afternoon tea at either place in the time left, so instead, I bought a delicious brie and cranberry panini, eating it on a bench waiting for the bus and watching the world go by. Another lovely journey back to Salisbury, and a short walk to my log cabin! My Health app is telling me my daily average is between 8-13,000 steps, beats my Chapel Hill record between 2-5,000steps!
June 8
Excitement day! My first rehearsal with the Salisbury Symphony! The orchestra has already had a rehearsal before I arrived, and I will be doing some serious practicing over the next few days. It was great to see the players I knew and had remembered me. I feel so at home, it seems just a few weeks since I was living here.
Finally, I figured out the photo problem and won. Microsoft wanted me to use their Photo app, but I wanted to keep my Photo Gallery, which now I can sync with my iPhone. So then I could start on the blog, which is why it took me a while to get it up and running! A piece of cake now, but I know there are other issues with formatting etc that I need to tidy up. Please be patient!
June 9
Another musical highlight – a whole day of playing baroque trio sonatas with 2 violinists and harpsichordist, all fine players with whom I played while I was living in Salisbury, interrupted only by a delicious lunch prepared by the wife of the harpsichordist. All baroque instruments played at low pitch. I was lent a beautiful baroque cello and bow. Life is not much better than friends, music and good food!
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