Trophy Day

Another day, another party ! We are still celebrating the 60 years of marriage, but it really does come to an end this evening, and I think my parents are delighted but exhausted! Their house is like a florists, they have received a wonderful array of every known flower from huge lilies, deep red roses, through to freesias via golden sunflowers. My mother is beside herself with pleasure and shock! Another cake, and a gathering of friends whom they both know well, so quite apart from being too exhausted to keep partying, at 10pm my father looked at me aghast when I asked if they were ready to go, and said firmly, No.

I collected my daughter from the airport today and that was a complete surprise for them, and I take her back at lunchtime tomorrow, so she will be back in 'sin-city' by 6pm in the evening. A fleeting but greatly appreciated visit to share their day. Thanks to all those who came and made their day.

I have not thought about a single crotchet, never mind a song, for the last 24 hours, but real life and work kicks back in on monday when the week begins again, At the end of the week I go once more to Yorkshire as two of my young starlets have been chosen for Awards from the Saltburn Music Festival and will sing at the Prize Winners Concert. They will perform a selection of the songs which gained them trophies. The lovely, and rather nostalgic element of this is that each award they won was presented to the Festival about 200 years ago by singers with whom I sang as a teenager - so I could tell them exactly who the presenter of the trophy was, and a little about them ! Actually, the tremendously talented young soprano who won so many of the Adult classes, I feel certain, will have won the Ann Lampard Award, and with any luck they may ask me to present it too her !

Normally the name on silver cups is that of some long dead and positively historical person of whom no one has any living memory ! Well, I am very much alive, and not even mildly doddery - except on a very bad day, when every teen I teach has driven me to the whiskey bottle - which is quite a feat as I don't even drink!

The songs my 12 and 18 year old will sing are, Foxgloves by Micheal Head, How Soft upon the Evening Air by Thomas Dunhill, and an unaccompanied Scottish folksong The Wild Mountain Thyme.

Should be a lovely weekend.

Well done guys!