More Mayhem
4 June

You may have gathered from the somewhat skimpy nature of the previous entries that I was rapidly trying to catch up and cover ground. Dunno if I'll be more disciplined now but we'll see.

One thing about not making a regular post is that it bumps up the server side stats as readers keep checking to see if this day is the lucky one. *Big Grin*

In fact, Phil gave me pause for thought a couple of weeks back when he told me to hurry up and post as it gave him a good start to the day. I'm not sure that I want that responsibility. But then if I don't want it, I should stop sharing these ramblings with you.

Lowestoft Colin e-mailed me to wish me Happy Birthday - well, it's late but gratefully accepted - and tell me that I'm right and that he's gone all feline and pussy loving - he never thought he would see the day - he never thought he'd see the day - ha! - and the cat's called Harry. This may well turn into some sort of minor soap opera. Keep tuned in.

Meanwhile, Cyril has been disgracing himself by deciding that my CD collection is the ideal place for an ageing tom cat to mark his territory - if you catch my drift. The deal is this - if he does it again, you may find that I'm wearing a nice pair of pussy mitts next time you see me.

Anyhow, Monday was the last of the Bank Holidays for a while. Ross and I lazed and shagged through the day. Then off to the Festival Hall for a concert performance of Verdi's Un giorno di regno with Rod. As with previous seasons, the summer Verdi Festival throws up little heard works like Arnaldo in 1995, Alzira in 1996, Oberto in 1997 and I masnadieri and Luisa Miller in 1998. The work looks back to Donizetti (L'elisir d'amore was less than a decade old; Don Pasquale was still to come) and Rossini (still alive but not producing an opera since Guillaume Tell in 1829) rather than forward in those other Verdi works mentioned.

Not a great work to be sure but well executed by conductor Maurizio Benini. Donald Maxwell and John Del Carlo wiped the floor with the buffo passages. Suzanne Mentzer and Iano Tamar rose to the climaxes. Tenor, Carlo Scibelli, showed good breath and long line without too much excitement in the voice. Vladimir Chernov did what he could with a nothing of a rôle.

Tuesday/Wednesday night brought the mother of all thunderstorms and torrential rain. I slept better than I have done for a long time. I put it down to the ionisation of the atmosphere - that and the need for long, long sleep after a week of shepherding Americans and visiting dying aunts.

I slept well the well the following night as well and would have slept continuously had it not been for the interventions of the young folk next door. It's not that I mind them doing what young folk must do, it's just that I wish they wouldn't do it at 4:30am when I have work the following morning.

To explain, parents were away so an evening of partying and psychic mayhem ensued. The music was occasionally loud but not too bad. No, it was the trips into the back garden to chat loudly and the particular episode at 4:30am when it's just light and the dawn chorus is bellowing away which seemed to revolve around semi-naked young folk carrying lighted candles around saying "Oh, wow, that's so good", "Yeh, like, oh wow" and so on. And I know. I've been there and yes the effects are wonderful but please not at 4:30am. Luckily I got back to sleep quickly enough.

I've not said much about work recently. That's because I've just been getting on with things. I've found that a lot of people share my confusion about what is going on. So, I am not alone. I've also taken to working alone in our test area and glory be I've actually written three of the four papers I needed to write. Maybe I do need a change of scenery.

Thursday night I saw Margaret for more healing. Don't know where I am with that at the moment. But then I'm not sure where I am with a lot of things. It's like I've been working for over a year now at the yoga, the healing, the swimming, the Quaker silences and I am still not sure as to how far I have moved. I feel that the next step in my spiritual progression has something to do with learning how to be still and quiet and how to listen to that voice with comes from that which is bigger than I.

No doubt something will come to me.

The week ended on a sad note. Cyril went to the vet's and he confirmed my suspicions that the kidney failure really is progressing. He's becoming more raggedy and is losing weight and sleeping more. Anyhow, I'll keep him fed and warmed and safe and he'll know he is loved.