Following the spring equinox, we are into the season of Eostre, a time of renewal with the dawn in the East leading up to the Beltane fires of 1 May.
Before I start writing and à propos of nothing other than each year they provide a burst of beautiful flowers perfumed with a gorgeous sweet scent, here is some Bride's Blossom.
And here is the lithe torso of Dylan who has, as is his want, suddenly re-appeared once more, keen to offer himself up in return for monetary gain.
I thought momentarily and then I parted with ready money and, Reader, I shagged him.
I do like it when the sun's out and the nipple count soars. The more clement weather has meant that the young DILFs are out in force in both Tesco's and Sainsbury's. They've all discovered that last year's black jeans and black tee-shirts are fitting more snugly this year. Bless. Makes you proud to be British. I did wonder about suggesting salami to a few but I think they'd be expecting the wurst of me.
Eastertide usually brings one of the great choral classics to the stage of the Philharmonic Hall and so, when the season was announced, I knew straight away that I would be attending Bach's Mass in B minor under the stewardship of conductor, Nathalie Stutzmann.
Lots has been written about this work because it is, in many ways, an oddity - heavy duty Lutheran spirituality in a Roman Catholic guise - given Bach's world, his own beliefs and the politics of religion of the times.
But, as soon as the chorus proclaims the Kyrie in a four-bar choral introduction marked adagio and then the orchestra begins to unwind the sinewy lines of the ensuing largo, it is best to put all of that aside and simply give one's self up to one of the great meditations upon belief as just being "everything that is the case".
And something like one and three-quarter hours later, I was left transfixed and hardly able to offer up my thanks to the performers.
It was fabulous to walk up the hill to the Phil in broad daylight for the performance. Quite soon, after the hour change, it'll be light at the interval as well. Huzzah!!
Roland and I went over to Manchester for a Sunday afternoon treat. We prefaced high art with a pint of real ale at The Salutation.
I wish that Vaughan Williams' two great operas got more regular outings in this country. It's a long while since I caught Sir John in Love at ENO and I had never seen The Pilgrim's Progress until this performance at the Royal Northern College of Music.
It was a rare treat. The performances at RNCM are always full of exuberance and youthful commitment. They gave this work a terrific go.
The production was set during the First World War - the Pilgrim becoming a deserter who leaves behind his fellow soldiers to quest for a better life. The setting was incredibly inventive with the many challenges and temptations Pilgrim faces on his journey inventively captured and presented. I loved it and would happily sit through the whole thing again anytime soon.