Happy New Year. The numbers are good – 0123… let’s hope for the best… and prepare for the worst…
We managed a pretty merry christmas, in spite of everything – I did the whole nine yards, stockings, tree, mistletoe, midnight mass, full xmas dinner for 8 with all the trimmings including home-made bread sauce with the clove-studded onion, grandma’s stuffing, the best gravy in the world (of course) and flaming pud and brandy butter – you name it… plus a really good Lafite from the cellar… always a silver lining… but by the day after Boxing Day I had a mini melt-down – sis wasn’t being much help (needing all her energies to take care of herself, and being mean to me in her spare time) and I could see no end in sight… all agreed I needed a break.
So first a night off in Swaledale, where I went for a christmas party… lovely old house made up of a row of miner’s cottages – 20-odd folk sitting around singing carols by the fire interspersed with readings, recitations (including Albert and the Lion) and songs… plus good food and drink. Lovely. And I had booked myself a room at a lovely Inn nearby, Low Rowleth – oh bliss, oh heaven… a real 24 hour holiday… I want to go back there…
And then to Belfast for the Tonk New Year’s Eve Banquet… 3 days of peace and controlled mayhem with old university friends – just what the doctor ordered… (barely made it out of the house in one piece – my sis had her meltdown that morning and it was not pretty…) The Tonk Banquet began in Belfast in 1969 (my first was 1973) and is held annually in celebration of the various and sundry exploits of Henry Tonk (brother of Ernest Tonk, maker of the Honky Tonk piano) – discovering oil, going to Hollywood, or the Psing Prawn Province, and this year the circus. Perfect. Traditionally 12 people (we were 16 this year, tho’ never more than 14 at any one time), 12 courses and 12 entertainments (each person responsible for one of each), starting at 8pm and ending at 8am in the old days – these days the attrition rate is pretty high, but a small group of us made it to 4.30… I made a merry-go-round for the hors d’oeuvres (with help) of which I was inordinately proud, and also a savoury course – someone bailed at the last minute and I cannot say no to Marcus. He said it was called “Frying Trapeze” – ?? – Isabelle came up with the brilliant notion of Trois Peas and I was away… 14 of them I made… John made a cannon that shot Henry to the balcony, along with a lot of fireworks… this year was remarkable for the number of edible courses, actually a problem… usually many are more show than blow, which makes it easier to work your way through…but it was vintage, and I had the most marvellous time… thanks, guys, for keeping it up all these years so I could be there this year…. that’s what friends are for….
Back to Cotherstone and into my studio with Sam (Brendan had arrived from CA for a week’s visit and was in the kids’ room – I’ve been doing the bouncing bedroom routine…) – lovely to be out on our own for a bit even if the family dynamic was extra complicated. Mum is really frail – can’t really leave her alone in the house unless she is in bed… but then she’s only up for about 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening…. it’s awful to see her struggling up the stairs, oh so slowly, one ghastly step at a time, but at least she can still do it (only bloody just…) We all went to Richmond to see Life of Pi – a great outing, and what a film – breathtaking… only blighted by the fact that Sam was at the vet’s under general anesthetic having a bunch of stitches in his right front leg…. I thought he’d been in a fight but the vet thinks he caught it on something – massive gash, but very clean, and luckily no tendons or ligaments ripped, only the skin… after a couple of rocky days he seems his old self pretty much – but oh my heart…. didn’t sleep much for a couple of nights…
Brendan left a couple of days ago and Diana left this morning, so now it’s just mum and me. My new year’s resolution is to recognise when I need help and ask for it. I have started this week to have a carer come in for a half hour 5 days a week – sometimes morning, sometimes lunchtime, and one evening – it’s going to take working out, but I cannot do this alone…. already I know I need more…
On a lighter note, a lovely sight one morning as I was walking down the Hagg to the river – on the crest of the hill opposite, up by Low Shipley Farm, first one horse with a red-coated rider galloped across, then 2, then the entire hunt – fabulous…
and Diana and I got a lovely day’s hike over cronkley fell…
Also I had a loaner mandola for a month – a beautiful Fylde Octavius – I want one… the perfect continuo instrument with which to conduct Orfeo…