beliefs, memes, music

Listography : Christmas Tunes

I haven’t done Kate’s Listography for a couple of weeks and this week it’s being hosted by Alma at These Precious Things. Getting into the spirit of the season Alma is asking us to nominate our five favourite Christmas Songs.

Hmmm …. Well I don’t do Christmas songs in the sense that is meant: those produced by the “popular music combo”. 🙂

But I do do Christmas music, so here are five nominations.

Carols. I like most carols, but the traditional ones are better. There are a few which I abhor: never bring me Away in a Manger, In the Bleak Midwinter, or anything made of modern concrete block music. But I’ll take most of the traditional carols for a good sing, or authentic renditions by groups like The York Waits.

Heinrich Schutz, Weihnachtshistorie. The Christmas Story as told by the 17th century German composer, contemporary of Monteverdi, who also worked in Venice. Which is brilliant as I recall it includes tropes where the singers are asked to perform in similitudine pastorum (in the likeness of shepherds).

Bach, Christmas Oratorio. Well it’s actually six short oratorios in total for the Christmas season, starting with Christmas Day. Great music, which you all probably know — although you probably don’t know that you do!

Handel, Messiah. The traditional Christmas concert piece. I still love it after all these years, largely because I sang it when still at school (over 40 years ago!) — and I still carry chunks of the bass and tenor parts in my head!

Church Bells. Until a few years ago, BBC Radio 3 or Radio 4 always used to start Christmas Day with a short programme (usually only 10-15 minutes) of a variety English church bells. Yes, that quintessentially English tradition of change ringing. What a glorious way to start Christmas Day. Sadly that programme is no more. It should be revived.

Now how do The Pogues beat any of this? 🙂

food+drink, natural history, personal, pleasures

Reasons to be Grateful 3

OK the experiment is into week three: this week’s five things which have made me happy or for which I’m grateful:

    Harry the Cat

  1. Cats. Harry the Cat has been especially friendly this week, which is nice. He’s resting next to me on my desk as I write this, just as in the photo. He’s not so welcome though is when he throws up on the bed at 6am!
  2. Lamb & Kidney Pie. This has become one of Noreen’s specialities. Make it like Steak and Kidney only with lamb neck fillet instead of beef: cheaper and tastier.
  3. Parrots. Or rather Ring-Neck Parakeets, which seem to be spreading rapidly around London. We regularly have them in the garden — fun and colourful. And yesterday driving out of central London at dusk we saw several groups, one of 100 birds, flying off to Wormwood Scrubs where there is a nightly roost of 2500 birds.
  4. Vegetables in Cheese Sauce. A much loved favourite of my childhood when it was usually either runner beans or butter beans, we recently resurrected this as a quick, simple and cheap meal. Cook the veg (anything of your choice, root veg works well as do beans, cauliflower, fennel, potato, Jerusalem artichokes etc.) and serve with a good thick cheese sauce. Real comfort food.
  5. Wild Boar Sausages. Eaten yesterday with red cabbage at the Queen’s Head & Artichoke in Albany Street.

A foodie week, then. And off shortly to eat a pork version of Osso Buco (known here as Osso Piggo). Mmmmm …

amusements

Who do they think I am?

1 Comment

A couple of days ago I was grubbing around in Stumbleupon and setting up a profile of interests. Based on what I had already flagged Stumbleupon suggested I might like to add the following of interests in just these juxtapositions:

  • Philosophy
  • Science Fiction
  • Neuroscience

  • Mythology
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Babies

Am I really that strange?

amusements, arts, food+drink, links, medical, natural history, science

Links of the Week

Here’s your usual selection of things which interested/amused me and which you may have missed. And do we have a bumper selection this week!

First something useful? There’s a view that “use by” dates on food are a myth which needs busting. So it’s American but I don’t see much being different in the UK. But I do worry whether people have enough common sense to safely abolish “use by” dates.

And now to the very unuseful. Why does the search for the Higgs Boson matter? Actually to most people it doesn’t matter; whether physicists find it or not it won’t change the lives of 99.9999% of the population. That doesn’t necessarily mean we shouldn’t look for it, but in the overall scheme of broken banks and countries it actually doesn’t matter.

Sociable wasps have an eye for faces. But not for caterpillars. And you just thought they were animated automatons sent by the Devil to annoy you!

And talking of the works of the Devil, pyjamas are another … The joys and benefits of sleeping naked. And no, it isn’t colder!

Think you’re good at sudoku? You’ll need a good night’s sleep before you try this! He-he!

A few weeks back we told of these strange paper sculptures left in libraries. Well the phantom has returned, for the last time.

Not got enough to do in the run-up to Christmas? Need a craft project? Make storybook paper roses (above).

And finally … Do you need an udder tug? Well who doesn’t? — Certainly no self-respecting mutt!

freedom of speech

Whatever Happened to Freedon of Speech?

So …

A certain Jeremy Clarkson has said that he thinks all striking public sector workers should be shot.

And judging from some of the comments being broadcast said public sector workers appear to be of the opinion that Clarkson should be shot. (Though GOK why they take Clarkson seriously; the man’s a bigger buffoon than the Mayor of London.)

Clarkson has subsequently apologised, although I don’t see he needed to because whichever side you agree with — and even if you don’t care one way or the other — both sides are allowed to have, and to voice, their opinions. It’s called freedom of speech and according to international law is an inalienable right.

The words “storm”, “teacup” and “childish” come to mind.

Can we just return to trying to get the asylum back on an even keel?