I’ve often wondered what it must be like to hear a great piece of music the first time it is performed. What must the crowds have been thinking the first time they heard Handel’s “Messiah”, or Mozart’s “Requiem”, or Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” or “Carmen”? (Well, actually, in the latter case, the critics were so bad that they drove Bizet to an early grave. Yet another reason I take them all with a pinch of salt.) Tonight, I got to be in one of those crowds. The Royal Opera House is putting on a brand new opera call [View Full Entry]

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“I had always felt that the Devon School came into existence the day I entered it, was vibrantly real while I was a student there and then blinked out like a candle the day I left.” -- John Knowles, A Separate Peace For “Devon School”, read “Zurich Professional” and the “Aloha Camps” and you might have a sense of what I was feeling this weekend. On Friday, I went into the City to have drinks with some of the ZPro crew as one of our alumni was in town. We had a lovely evening laughing about the old days and telling [View Full Entry]

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“To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again.” -- Ancient Egyptian Belief It’s a Friday. Colin is in town and has decided that he is going to skive off. The weather is iffy. What to do? What to do? In London, one is spoiled for choice. We decided that the best of all the good possibilities was to go see the King Tut exhibit out at the O2. This actually killed two birds with one stone - we got to see a great exhibit and Colin had never been out to the O2. The exhibit was [View Full Entry]

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This morning, my new passport arrived. It is very fancy. Somebody somewhere thought that American passports would look better if they were filled with drawings and quotes that represent the true America. All I know is that it is new -- and I have to put the old one away forever. It is like saying goodbye to old friend. The cover of my passport is faded and bent. The gold leaf on the front is wearing off and the back is covered with various security stickers representing God knows how many airports and airlines. The photo isn't bad (the new one [View Full Entry]

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They say it’s good luck if it rains on a bride’s wedding day - but snow - in April?? Poor Helen, I thought as I rolled out of bed this morning. So much for her drinks in the garden. The snow was really coming down and looked as if it might hang around for a while. After spending a quiet morning writing and putting notes into my calendar about when I could travel, I had a long bath and dressed for the wedding. The dress I had brought was light and the jumper I had brought to wear with it was [View Full Entry]

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It’s amazing what an early night can do for one’s state of mind. I was up with the birds this morning. I treated myself to a room service pot of coffee and made my way through two dozen emails and updating the blog. I love keeping the blog, but it has completely changed the way I record my memories. I have kept a paper journal since I was nine. Now, I only use the paper journal to paste in the scrapbook elements of my life (I do tend to hang on to tickets and such like) and to write about things [View Full Entry]

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One of the coolest women I have ever known is called Jane Barnard. The mother of my friend Joe, she is one of the woman I aspire to be as I grow older. She raised four sons, one of whom was killed in a tragic accident. She has lived all over the world and she worked at Joe’s company until she was well into her 80’s. One night, years ago, I was in Dallas visiting Joe (he and I used to work together). After a day at the office, we all went out for drinks. I was debating what to order [View Full Entry]

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This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden - demi-paradise - This fortress built by nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house Against the envy of less happier lands; This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England. --William Shakespeare, “Richard II” As promised, I got through all the personal admin - but not [View Full Entry]

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On Monday, Jeremy did come to rescue me. We braved the horrific weather and went down to the local for drinks and then for pizza. It was weird to be out "on a school night" and not have to go to work the next day. I think this "lady of leisure" thing is going to take a while to sink in. On Tuesday, my friend Sarah and I went to see the Stuttgart Ballet do "Romeo and Juliet". Lovely. It was choreographed back in the early sixties by a guy called John Cranko. Turns out he is one of the pre-eminent [View Full Entry]

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GOOD FRIDAY I’m fast asleep in my little bed when all of a sudden I realise that the title tune from “Buffy” is playing. My first thought is, “how has the TV been turned on?” Then I realise it’s my mobile. Being an early bird, my second thought is “who, in his right mind, is ringing me this early?” I look at the phone. It’s Jeremy. What could he possibly want at the crack of dawn? “What?” I unceremoniously croak down the phone. “Bohner.” says he in his ‘we are not going to discuss this, let al [View Full Entry]

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