Sitting by the fire, waiting for a late night skype call from doug… sam is draped across the back of the armchair in which I am sitting in front of the fire – not a bad life….he is turning into an outdoor kitty, spending hours a day outside – the mighty hunter… he’s managed to figure out how to get into my studio by himself (the door latch is funky) so if if gets too cold out in the snow… smart cat…
I had a 3-gig weekend – 2 different choirs and a short solo set… go figure… on Friday I sang carols on the grand staircase at the Bowes Museum (the french chateau in the heart of teesdale); on Sunday I sang at Reeth Methodist Chapel – gorgeous little building, a real gem, singing Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and much else… really good harpist…. and Saturday night I did a short solo set to end the first half of the Mickleton piano teacher’s pupil’s recital in the Village Hall – couldn’t help thinking of MTO playing in Milan at the same time, made me smile…
I took mum to david crane’s english class this morning – the first lecture on macbeth – good one… we’ll miss the second part next week as thursday is when she gets her next slice – 4 more tumors to be removed at durham hospital…. we were hoping to wait until after brendan’s visit in january, but Rubin the surgeon said better do it now, while they are still small and relatively simple to remove, so be it… he and Ann Irwin the nurse specialist have been wonderful, I am so grateful… mum is really very frail now… still game, still valiant (a 4 hour bridge tournament the other day, held here in aid of a cancer charity, that started at 10 a.m. – which translated into me getting up at 7am to get her started in time) but it is all a supreme effort for her – I think that was the last bridge day…. Just getting up and downstairs for breakfast is a major ordeal now, her breathing is terrible…. and the marbles are going, albeit very slowly.. she cannot prepare food for herself, and can barely eat it if I do – the trouble is that she has figured out she no longer has much sense of taste or smell left – just sense memory…. she is just a skeleton covered in skin… she still gets her own alcoholic beverages, but for how long? even those are getting fewer and weaker, a sure sign of the times….
yesterday was a respite in the ghastly weather and I took a long hike up Lunedale, along the north side of Selset reservoir, a first for me – so beautiful, so remote… up to wemmergil and stackholme, back along the deserted road, past a burnt-out church in the last of the light – beautiful sunset, which should have boded a lovely day following, but instead we got lots of snow and sleet and wind… we’re set to have snow every day for the next week – winter is upon us…. another great hike the week before, up in the high country toward Alston – cross fell in deep snow, the moor thick with frost…