Greetings from London, where I have a brief overnight on my way to Finland. In any event, managed to meet up with blog friend Cathy (she who recently traveled with Grandmere Mimi around Scotland). Erika was also going to join us for lunch, but was called away by a friend's illness. Cathy and I just attended evensong at Westminster Abbey. Gibbons, Byrd, though too much Howells. But the Bruckner was lovely.
I posted this not remembering what day it was. There isn't any of the "9-11: where were you" here in England, obviously. But in retrospect, spending part of the afternoon beneath the soaring columns of Westminster with the ageless sound of the choir wrapping round the stone tracery was probably pretty appropriate.
Pic from Wikipedia
16 comments:
Blessings on your trip.
IT, I'm so pleased that you and Cathy got together. It's good to know that two of my friends have met one another. I envy you Evensong at the Abbey.
Travel mercies for the rest of your trip.
Yes, it was a lovely lunch (at my favourite French restaurant in the West End, surprisingly cheap and extremely good), and Evensong was just gorgeous. IT is lovely and I agree with her about the Bruckner. A really good afternoon. I forgot what day it was too, oddly enough.
thank YOU Cathy for the excellent company. Sharing a delightful meal and a beautiful musical experience with an intelligent and lively friend is so much more enriching than experiencing it alone. Art (culinary or musical) is meant to be shared!
(That would be Mon Plasir on Monmouth street, if anyone wants to check it out. TheAbbey speaks for itself)
Though BP is EXTREMELY envious (she didn't have enough vacation time from work to come with me... and is much missed).
Thanks james and Mimi for the blessings which are welcome. There are numerous flight connections to be got through and much complication if they are missed, so hopefully all will work. Finland, then Norway, then home to my love.
And the cat. ;-)
And the bird.
I don't miss the parrot.
[Re 9-11 and the UK: actually, Britain lost the second most people on 9-11. I think something close to 150 British citizens were killed in the World Trade Center.]
BP ain't the only jealous one, IT---and I don't just mean the itinerary! [Am I going to be the ONLY Yank Jake-r who doesn't get to meet Fair Cathy? {grumble, grumble} }:-/]
Have a safe (and enjoyable/effective) trip! (Finland, huh)
Dammit I forgot to ask IT to show me pics of the parrot!! I saw photos of her wedding to BP (they both looked gorgeous and now I have seen IT's legendary strapless dress :-D, the one that has gone down in song and story, and can confirm that everything you've heard is true, folks ...). IT, I agree with you absolutely on art and music being better shared and I am also going to keep an eye on the Abbey's music programme from now on for Tallis and Byrd. Safe journeying to Finland too, and back home.
JCF - I am planning a trip to the US probably next year to catch up with Mimi again, so maybe then, my friend? ... I'd love to meet you too ya know!
Just Google "White Capped Pionus". They all look alike.
Oh this is weird.... All my blogger alerts are in Finnish!
Just Google "White Capped Pionus". They all look alike.
Oh, but it wouldn't be your pionus, IT!! (PS Somehow I get the impression he's not such a popular bird :-) ...)
PS I've got pet parrots of course, and am extremely fond of them, so can't quite conceive of a parrot that doesn't inspire that level of fondness. But it sounds as if your pionus has managed it. Alas for him.
That'd be great, Cathy . . . but I'm not exactly "conveniently close" to Mimi (the US of A bothersomely spanning a continent, as you're probably aware).
I'm just up the coast---like ~12 hours by car ;-/ ---from IT however. (IT, whom *I* still haven't met, in the flesh! :-0)
Heh, IT, my mom and I used to have a joke: whenever we came upon a name that looked completely strange, we'd turn to each other and say, in unison, "Finnish!"
That is a Google thing, it reads the IP from which you are accessing anything Google related and it changes to the local language.
Yes, I know, Dahveed, but it's still funny. As JCF points out, Finnish is a very unusual language.
Cathy, it's a step-bird. We thought it was a she but now we think it's a he, based on behavior. It did belong to my stepdaughter but she is 20 now, out of the house and not interested in having it. It likes BP, and her wusband. Let fond of the rest of us, and over the last few months, particularly crabby towards everyone.
Apropos the pic of this post, a lil' funny:
As many of y'all may remember, I have a Peculiar Vice of watching Mother Angelica's Popoid channel, EWTN. They are predictably having an orgy of promos, for their "Pope Benedict in the UK!" coverage.
One of the upcoming events, is "See Pope Benedict celebrate mass in beautiful Westminster Cathedral!"
...which I'm sure he will---celebrate mass in London's Westminster Cathedral. Westminster, the Roman Catholic Cathedral (which, if memory serves, was built in the late 19th/early 20th century).
But the picture EWTN is showing, to illustrate?
Yup.
Same as this post.
Westminster Abbey . . . which, even if the Queen allowed him to celebrate mass there (she might, if asked nicely!), ol' Papa-Ratzi certainly wouldn't accept the invitation! (Cuz it's a "Royal Peculiar" of the Church of England, where his Popoid-ness "hath no jurisdiction"!)
Yeah, EWTN: y'all Popoids keep dreaming on, that Rome's overlordship ever WILL be reimposed on Westminster Abbey! *LOL*
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