Today it was my turn to have to go to Stratford, for routine check-ups with my dentist and hygienist. To my genuine surprise, I passed both exams with flying colours – dedicated oral self-care having been pretty low on my list of priorities since I launched my failed attempt to remodel the patio flagstones using just my ribcage a couple of weeks back – and after a light scale and polish I was told to keep doing whatever it was I was doing (“Not much,” I managed to avoid saying), and sent on my way with an encouraging pat on the head. I thought of asking for a lollipop, but decided not to push my luck.
En route to meet R in town for coffee I stopped off in Holy Trinity churchyard to feed the birds, and was happy to see this handsome male Blackbird joining the usual suspects. I do love Blackbirds – allegedly, the nation’s favourite songbird is the Robin, but I prefer the mellifluous jazz of the Blackbird – and I thought this one looked splendid, tricked out in his fresh breeding plumage. He’ll need to employ both looks and song over the next few months if he’s going to charm a female: male Blackbirds are showy, and can be quite aggressive towards each other, but the females are bigger, and generally crosser, and it always seems to me that in this species they’re the ones who wear the trousers.
This evening the Campden Chorus began work on Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, which we’ll be performing at the end of March. It’s a huge work, and not easy, but I love it already and I very much enjoyed tonight’s rehearsal.
R: L2, C3, D20.
