Skip to main content

MO, not FOMO

 Dear Reader

I have MO, which is a bit like FOMO, but when the fear is realised. I am missing out. 

I am currently on a train to Oxford as they are trying to keep the coach COVID free. Very sensible. After nearly four days of staying in a hotel room I am now transferring to another hotel room. Different city, likely to be same decor and layout. 

Dear Reader, you will need to admire the photos of my colleagues as I have not been out to take them. 

St George’s at Windsor was a real experience for our Choir. They were treated to a private tour, saw the graves of many royals, including Henry VIII and our own dear Queen Elizabeth II. I was grateful to Bella for paying respects to the late Queen on my behalf. I still find it hard to believe she is not the monarch any more. 

At Evensong the Choir sang Radcliffe Responses, the Martin St Paul’s Buffalo Canticles and Elsley’s Be Present, O merciful God. Sorry, I don’t know what the psalm was. 

There were no photos allowed at Windsor except for the Official post Evensong set shot. I attach several examples of this. And some outside shots. Photo credits David Heah, Didi Liu, Rose Callisto and Susie Robinson.





The Choir is currently at Blenheim Palace where our youngest Tag-a-long, Tommy Hunt, is having a great time. Photo Credit: his Dad. 


David found somewhere else to play at Blenheim. Photo Credit: Stephen Morton. 



I will try to get some information from others to fill in the major gaps, like how The Witches performance went last night, missing music details and what they saw and loved in London. Here are my pictures of London. Not much to see.





Signing off before I get to Oxford. But before I do I want to thank Dr Ritesh for his medical advice, David and Jasmin for practical arrangements, Christine M for shepherding me today as I have a bit of the brain fog, so many of you for reaching out via various electronic means from all over the planet, and especially Annabel Crompton who has been my lifesaver while I have been stuck in the basement in London. My gratitude is greater than my MO.


Cxx




    


Comments

  1. Speedy recovery Chrissie 🙏🏼 ❤️

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well done, choir, on looking after your Covid Colleague. So sorry you're MO. The blogs about the Tour have been invaluable for us at home following your journey and your music. You'll all be home soon, and at the end of our Walkerville sojourn, we shall see you all then.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a shame Chris, but I bet your heart and soul have been singing along. Enjoy the hotel views of Oxford - a remarkable city from almost any viewpoint. I love to think of all the amazing people who have walked the paths before we add ours, who have played and sung there before we add ours and the incredible discoveries and life changing creativity that this city has birthed. Stay safe and hope the brain fog lifts soon.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abbey on a Sunday

Dear Reader Today we sang at Westminster Abbey. It was a thrill five years ago, and again a thrill today. Musical Menu up front: The day belonged to Jonathan Dove, musically speaking.  For the Eucharist we sang the Dove Missa Brevis sans Kyrie, the psalm appointed, three hymns and for the motet, the beautiful Gjielo Ubi Caritas . We were well received.  We fronted up again after a short sandwich lunch with Evensong. Stanford in G canticles, with Luca Shin and Andrew Chatterton as soloists, the psalm appointed, which was really quite long, and for the anthem, Dove’s The Three Kings , with Maxwell, Archie, Crystal and Henry doing the honours. And Hunt responses.  Dear Reader, Anthony Hunt wrote these responses in 2006 for our first tour, and they hold up well. They also herald the exciting future, when Anthony succeeds our dear Leonie Hempton as Director of Music.  Now, the sandwich lunch was one of those occasions when your tour leaders n...

Trees

Dear Reader There is something beautiful about trees in the snow. My initial feeling was that every photograph looked the same. Tall, straight trees with snow on them. Was there any point in taking more than one? But when I took the time to look more closely I noticed the differences. The beautiful and important differences.  Most of them are straight and tall, but some are not.  Some are bent, some are incomplete, as they have been cut down or damaged by the weather in some way. Yet they remain as a reminder of what has been. I wish I had thought to take more photographs of these. Some are evergreen, which means their strong, ever present branches and leaves bear a heavy weight of snow. I think they are probably pine trees, and they remain constant throughout the year. Some are deciduous, so their branches hold a lighter weight of snow and their twigs are more apparent. They change with the seasons, but return again each year.  And...

The Big One, St Paul’s

  Dear Reader Today was the Big Event of tour. St Paul’s Cathedral, London. If you are observant, you will notice my absence from the photo above, along with several of my colleagues. Sadly, this happened.  After nearly four years and six vaccinations I finally succumbed to the dreaded Covid. At the worst possible time. My multiple vax status has meant I only feel a bit rotten, like a cold, but I do feel sad to have missed the day. And to miss Windsor tomorrow. I was grateful for the considered medical advice provided by Dr Ritesh, father of one of the trebles, who also updated my supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen.  So I am relying on others for the report about this special day.  The good bits started with four of the young Lay Clerks heading to St Paul’s for singing lessons with my friend Patrick Craig, who is an Alto Lay Vicar at St Paul. In have yet to hear from Nicholas, Marco, Charlie or James, but Patrick was very complimentary about their singing. This is w...