Nottingham Choral event

Nov 28: We had a surprise invitation to go to the Albert Hall for a choral concert by Nottingham University choir and orchestra. It was enjoyable after we had found a way to get in - no disabled access!
turns out that one of my Tall Building students was playing violin in the orchestra and there were a few other DBE students in the audience.
The theme was 'Religious mysticism, nationalism, pantheism, doomed love and a celebration of the human thirst for discovery' - very eastern european with music by Novak, Szymanowski, Tchaikowski and Dvorak.

Caucasian Chalk Circle

Nov 21: We went to the last night of the 'Caucasian Chalk Circle' production at Nottingham Playhouse (joint production with Yorks Playhouse).

This was a remarkable evening, with the first half a bit like Les Miserables - the city burning, execution, fleeing, danger, human cruelty and some human goodness amongst it. The second half was brilliantly enjoyable and comedic, more like a pantomime with a wonderful performance from the Judge/Azdak - and a very happy ending.

As the whole thing is meant to be a play within a play, and played by the villagers not by professionals, so the actors have to ham it up a bit at the first, and gradually raise the professionalism as you get absorbed into the action.
A host of characters are played by a small number of actors, so there are constant costume changes - the only character to stay throughout is Grusha, the servant girl who becomes the mother of the child - brilliantly played by Matti Houghton, and a small puppet. The Singer, a character who starts out like a cruise liner crooner at the start becomes the centre of the action in the second half, as Azdak the Judge, and I kept thinking he must be Robert Lindsay, but he was too young for that.
The programme is actually a paperback book of the entire screenplay by Alistair Beaton, and the music for the song sections was composed specially for this production.
Guardian Review

Istanbul 2

Nov 8-9: Istanbul 2

More detail to be added.
Topkapi - getting there the wrong way.
Back to Hotel
Trams down to Galata
Ferry to Kadikoy
Shoe shine etc
Ferry back
Tram up
Can restaurant
Cay

Returning home:
Dolmus to Sabihe airport
Flight back
Drive back.

Sorry i havent written more. I will do, but the memories are so poignant now.
Here is a Video of our walk in Aya Sofia, Istanbul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY_IcrRBDtw

Istanbul 1

Nov 6-7: Istanbul 1
Creating a date entry.
Travel to Istanbul, via Luton.
Evening at the Grand Bazaar.
Dinner in Baran
Morning in the Aya Sophia
Afternoon in the Hippodrome and Blue Mosque
Evening in the Galata bridge. Baklava
Cay and Lokum
Dinner in Can

Leverets, in remote Derbyshire

Nov 1: The tutors of the A-R-M course were all invited to Steve Platt's dacha in northern Derbyshire for an extended lunch. On a very windy day, we (SNC+DNC) picked up Phil Oldfield from the Park, and Nina Hormazabal from the BASF Ecohouse. We drove up the M1 to Chesterfield and left it to TomTom to take us the rest of the way - led us through outer Sheffield and then right over the moors through rough windy rainswept areas that were far from human habitation (if I had mapread, I would have gone via Grindleford).
Steve (and wife Scharlie)'s house is a much extended timber structure that they used to visit for tea many years ago when walking in the Peak District, and then bought when the old man died. They have much improved it, with insulation, double glazing, reroofing, recladding, and extensions laterally and upwards. It is kept cosy with a woodburning stove.
They have also renovated a nearby barn, with dry lining, raised roof, new stair and floor, and a clever system of louvres on the south facade that make it look like the original barn when closed, but when open, allows sunlight into the upper floor. He also took us for a walk up the hill (not really a mountain, but in that strong wind it felt like climbing one) to a nearby rocky mini-peak, to enjoy the view over the valley below.

We tried a different route back, again, trying to confuse the TomTom, and then becoming very reliant on it as the weather continued to be so windy, dark and rainy.

Visit brother Des and family

 

We travelled down to Birmingham to see Des and Kathy in Birmingham. My sister Daphne was up for the weekend, so it was a bit of a reunion - we haven't been down to Poole nearly enough times frequently. Rupert was out (at a halloween party I guess). Flo is doing a gap year, working locally as a nursing auxiliary, good training for a future career in medicine.