Saturday 19 July 2008

Happy returns, Tom, big two-seven today.

I didn't have time to write for two consecutive days. On Thursday evening my netball team played in the first division's end of season tournament and ended 5th out of 30 teams. We were missing two of our regular players, but their replacements were admirable. The whole event was so much fun.

Yesterday we went for a relaxing lunch at the north end of town. After work I took the bus straight to the west coast to rehearse for a concert at St. Matthew's church. The concert took place immediately after the rehearsal; some early bird members of the audience managed to catch both "performances". We played to a full and appreciative house. A friend who studies music in London played some unaccompanied Bach and it sounded beautiful in the church's acoustic. Along with that the highlight of the programme was the faultless vocal soloist who performed more Bach and also an excerpt from Handel's Messiah; (the entire programme was Baroque). On Monday evening we will play the same, plus Telemann's violin concerto for three violins, in one of the pubs at the end of my street. Eek! I will be one of the three violins.

After returning from the windy west I felt exhausted. When the wake-up call sounded at 8.15am this morning I felt even worse. Why is that? It is too hot to sleep for long at the moment, but that doesn't explain why most mornings I wake up feeling more tired than before I feel asleep the night before, does it?

Usually I'm up by 9am on a Saturday for ballet class. However ballet is suspended for the school summer holidays so I devoted my morning to helping at a children's soccer tournament instead. I'll forget the abusive Scottish gentleman from Alderney who swore at my enforcement of the health and safety rules. Instead I'll remember the sheer skill displayed by many of the young players and the enthusiasm of their supporters. We'll be helping out there tomorrow too, which means leaving the house at 7am. I hope we'll be rewarded with some dazzling dribbles and jaw-dropping goals from the football stars of the future. That would compensate more than adequately for the uncomfortably early start.

This afternoon I have forgotten to pay a visit to the fancy dress shop. It's the only one on the island and its opening hours are from 2pm to 4pm on a Saturday. I have well and truly missed out on buying fancy dress outfits for both of us for the "movie star" bus party on Friday evening. My colleague is leaving the island and has dreamed up this celebration in order to indulge in his passion for fancy dress. I'm a passable seamstress so if only inspiration will descend on my sleep-deprived brain then I may be able to create something right here at home. Otherwise I will search the internet for two inexpensive costumes that look like they will fit and that promise to arrive before Friday. If they're not totally embarrassing (Shrek and Princess Fiona?) that would be a bonus.

SC