Normal service has resumed... Apologies, dear blog reader; have been snowed under with singing and stuff: Jenny Wheatley's wedding on Sunday (yes: Sunday) was wonderful -

such a joyful day and Jenny and Kevin looked so happy. She's now the latest Mrs Doyle, and her Dad as Father of the Bride is Father Ted. (Oh joy! Jesting makes you feel good...)

Hintlesham Hall where we had the wedding breakfast etc and most of us stayed the night, was beautiful and the standard of service was amazing. What food! What larks! What dancing! What music! Speaking of which, my Ave Maria performance back at the church service at St Mary's East Bergholt, seemed to go down very well and a few moist eyes to boot or so I was told by the all in wrestler/cage fighter I met called Paul. He did eventually confess to being a children's worker and restauranteur; in vino veritas... eventualia???

Dan Wheatley

Lovely Dan Wheatley, bride's brother and general super-pal to many, was keeping an eye on me over the weekend; we shared a room and there was much liftage given and laughter shared. What a lovely chap he is. One of the abiding mysteries of my friendships is why he is as yet unmarried. He's a keen Ba'hai so I guess that narrows down the field, but the qualities of that faith in his life, the strength of character and integrity and sense of the divine with thankfulness to the Creator can only be good surely? Ladies, I will pass on his details after a strict vetting procedure: applications should be made online (O;

Hintlesham Hall

Anyone so minded to listen to a great tune should google/youtube Katherine Wheatley and Hillside Hallelujah. I'm listening now to her sing (bride's cousin) and it's a real one for the replay button.

Actually I AM going to bother to embed a link so here it is http://youtu.be/9MjQjmNeWT0

Very good driving music by the way!

The opera went very well last week and some good feedback from the audience which was nice. I was rather gratified that Donna Elvira's boyfriend and brother both failed to recognise the Commendatore (me) when he came to chat to them after the show... maybe it was that miracle hair gro I used in the dressing room... (o;

Term gets back under way today (at 4pm). Please, dear blogreader, you could remember in prayer, if you're that way minded, my dear Mother and Father. Things have been tricky for them over the Summer and have come to a bit of bottleneck.

Leporello - Alex;
The only Old-Etonian bouncer I've ever met.

For any prayers you might have offered up for the author of this blog and his friends:

Molto Grazie!

Many the schemes of mice and men... gang agley!

And many's the slip twixt cup and lip and all that - yo git me?

Gentle friends and blog readers - if any of you are so minded I'm doing a few performances next week and some more support would be very welcome: I'm understudying the role of the Commendatore in Don Giovanni in our understudies performance next Friday 24th August at 2:30pm - NB time - at the John Mackintosh Theatre at London Oratory School, Seagrove Road with Co-Opera Co.http://co-opera-co.org. This 2:30pm performance will be just with a piano and without chorus and also in a cut version.

There are two full version performances with orchestra and chorus on Weds 22nd August and Friday 24th August at the same venue at 7:30pm - I am singing chorus in these 2 only (unless there's a mysterious accident etc on the day...)

PLEASE! If you are able, do come along - the musical standard is very high and it's all sounding excellent - we need to sell lots of tickets still so bring your friends if you can; as you can see below with David Menezes as Don Ottavio - it's 'wicked'!!!

The Don is fairly dastardly also, seen here with Lepperello and Don Elvira in a rare moment when he's keeping his hands to himself...

The theme is Damien Hurst inspired, hence formaldehyde tanks (dangerous...) and plinths etc. Aah me; the Art world...

We Gatesdene players enjoyed a wonderful audience and superb weather over the Saturday of our performance of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Thanks to Fathers Dominic and Michael for allowing us to use the space and extra special thanks and congrats to Hugh-Guy Lorriman who was both Director and George for this one-off showing.

  

Star of the show must be Peter Jones' dental work which was much on display as Slim the jerkline skinner and Prince of the Ranch... seen above 5th from left with a hand combing his black locks, or is it cupping his ear listening for a party invitation???

Fair Lizzie Ashfield our narrator is seen above in reflective mood, pondering the universe in a grain of sand and looking somewhat Guinevere-ish... Pia Padfield and Emily Towner seem happy with their £5 ticket price (BARGAIN!)

L-R, Tom, Pia, Em, Harper, Joanne and Beatrix pictured on the lawn of St Mary's Monastery, Clapham Common, where we were privileged to be allowed the run of the 160 year-old buildings.

Margaret Labongo and Elaine Murphy shown rehearsing a particularly difficult fight scene - (fighting the urge for a Lorriman home-made Pimms maybe?)

Joanne (Curley) is very valiantly putting up with my rainbow guitar strap here - most noble!

Charlie the 'old dog' is shown here passing the hat to HG and his owner Mrs Dee (Charlie's owner that's to say).

Alex Stewart Clark had bussed in the audience from Romania apparently - anyhow, Mattie Dwyer and family enjoyed a lift back after he'd dropped off the theatre-going asylum seekers at the sanctuary


It was such fun and huge thanks too to all a hundred and something of you who turned up - those who weren't able to, I'm really sorry to say you missed a treat.


For which,


Molto Grazie Signore!

BIG thanks also to the following: Mary Darby, Alex Stuart Clark, Michael Robinson, Sarah Keith, Mark Banks, Ros and Tom Bennett, Emily Towner, Pia Padfield, Pauline Maher, John Baird, Stuart and Mary Reid, Andrew Childs, Shannon Mills, Christopher Pryse Hawkins and daughter Josephine and daughter's boyfriend, James, Anuli Igboaka, Lucy Britton and Miles Blackley, Mattie Dwyer, Neneh Dwyer(?) and Flora(?): lovely to see you all there. For once there was more than enough room for everyone!

Oh my gosh! I totally flaked out on poor Berny (pictured above in our usual Starbucks meeting place) and have put this picture in as some sort of 'virtual' recompense for being an unreliable so-and-so: apols dear Bern and hope you can come to the opera as a vague treat instead of being niggled by Harper mucking you about...

Did manage to be on time for S's Mum's funeral this morning, which was at Holy Trinity, Tulse Hill. Quite a difficult time in some ways but the eulogy was very heartfelt and truthful. I chatted to a lovely chap called (forgets!) who was a visitor at the home where she was based for the last few months. The organ was lovely though - the instrument that is.

Last few days were with Kingle and Carol and Rophie and Tendai in Gloucester (as regular visitors to this blog will know): family life has it's problems... and it's blessings too of course: not forgetting those.

Of course Don Giovanni, like our fine figure of an Olympic diver Tom Daley with the audience in Gloucester, had his opportunities to explore certain aspects of family life. Here he is (above R) with the Commendatore about to proffer him a slender sliver of a chance at repentance: must get to confession some time - as it says 'whatever you do, in word or deed...' be decent when commenting on buff divers in the presence of ladies.

Otherwise there'll be a chorus (and soloists as above) singing round my 'formaldehyde tank...'

Isn't that right ladies...

Please no jokes!

Still as they say...

Grazie!

The epitaphs of Cirencester proclaim the glories of Creation - in a roundabout sort of way. Speaking of which...

Lovely Alex Stewart Clark hosted a wonderful dinner last Thursday which was much enjoyed. He has been shipping the guests in by the truckload...

Spot the unusual combo of cocktail dress and 2 ton lorry... one recent non-arrivant guest at Harper Hall whose dinner must have been brought by the sackload was Xena the warrior Princess/Neighbours cat/ feline wrestling Sumo gold medal winner...

This, rather attractive angle shows her attitude to the current Olympic athletes usually on the box these days, it being August and all that.

Unlike dear Susle's flatmate, Miss Emily Towner, here preparing for the power hour, on the couch with her coach, 'Dr' John Barran - pressing those remote control buttons takes a lot of training you know.

Bit like this enlarged, 18th century direct control style music system. Hey ho.

Meanwhile, here are the handy, outside water fountains at the office these days. Repeat: WATER fountains

Bless!

Here's to www.annaverey.com, providers of lampshades to the gentry and their distant, impoverished acquaintances...

for which...

The Orcs are in town... in fact I suspect they're in charge, and have been in charge for a little while...

Desperate times call for men of courage... men who can alternate between smoking a half ounce of old baccy with slaying a Balrog...

Watch out, watch out there's a Balrog about...

This is a case for a man who knows the difference between Orc hygiene and acceptable dishevelled

Stand aside Aragorn, the real hero of LOTR has a bigger pair of feet than you might expect...

No, not the fair elf lady, though she slay Dark Lords... oh hang on, I'm getting the plot confused now...

It is the chosen one who will win the hand of the loveliest in the Shire....

Let's hear it for the real hero of the Ring...

Friendship, Fellowship, the Love that is knowledge.

Oh, and Balrog-slaying Wizard-courage and wisdom.


Grazie

And not forgetting keeping walking uphill till the end of the day... the hard graft!

Flat: chaos.    Check

Bank account: chaos.   Check

Phone bill: chaos.    Check

To do: lots.    Check

Head: ok.    Check (Thank you God)

Heart: good, if a bit all over the place.    Check

Missing: friends.  Hmmm.

Enjoying: life. God. Music.   Check

Fun: yes.   Check

Needs: more peace. Wisdom.

Creating: QED.   Check

Spirits: Little bit anxious but ever hopeful.

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend...

(Christina Rossetti Up-Hill)

As featured in today's Times p44

I love this little shop: the Pollocks toy museum on Scala Street, near Charlotte Street W1. Wonderful, higgledy-piggledy displays on several floors of a fascinating, Harry Potter-esque building - very Diagon- Alley etc.

Haven't much time to type today but able to upload a few photos

Mum popped up to London for a rare Sunday off of looking after Dad - here she is at the Harp. That's quite a tan you've got there Mother Harmer!

Whereas this rather Yoda-ish shot in Brixton market with Aviary and Charlesters looks a bit pale I think... or is it green? Another charming photo of Aviary... that's Luisevery's former lodger, Alina, before the Hootenanny's 330am session - our man made his excuses and left before the coach turned into a pumpkin/nightbus 

L-R: Mary, Harper, Nazaret, Margaret Labongo - at LVPO in Dean Street on the occasion of Jane Higgs' birthday - 22 again it seems...

Jane and Mary. Not sure why you should be interested in all this dear blog-reader, unless these are your close personal celebrity friends...

I auditioned for a role with co-opera yesterday and was successful! Understudying (Covering) the Commendatore in Don Giovanni for their London production later this month and the tour that goes through to the Autumn. HUZZAH! In the Opera, I'm killed by Don G by being 'crowned' with a picture (a Titian actually) over the bonce - having come into the Art gallery in my wheelchair to discover my daughter and the Amorous one in media res...

This was my warm up room before the audition!