One less regular hospital visit at least for now – hurrah and phew! Professor Cook and I discussed guitars, he has a bought a very posh one but has not told his wife, Scottish accents with speech recognition technology (he has one and uses it) hilariously bad – check this out https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sAz_UvnUeuU and my health prospects. The verdict is no transplant for now but it is to be held in reserve. I am very happy with this outcome. I thought it was now or never, but it seems not. They may harvest my stem cells while the going is good but that’s no big deal – I just involves laying still with your arms outstreched like Jesus for 4 hours, the transplant itself is a very big deal cos it can make you extremely ill and or dead, hence the year of deliberation and uncertainty. I am reminded that I have been keeping an opera DVD Charles sent me for my stay in hospital I can watch it now. Charles I have also gone back to the Thomas Pynchon but can barely manage a page without glazing over with frustration at the hip language – What are they on about??? I am so sorry. Did you ever watch the Peaky Blinders I sent you and did you fancy the lead cos I did? I sort of want to be him – a gypsy bandit bad guy with heart of gold and fab accent.
Happily I feel very well, probably better than poor Maria who has a slipped disk, currently slipped back in I am glad to say. She is seeing a brilliant sports physio who does not talk tofu sandals or yogurt knitting. I will continue to have this stuff called Zometa every month but other than that I am good to go for however long until it comes back – hoping a good while.
So I can focus on my big project which progresses very well indeed but remains secret for now. We will be down in London in August for yet another outing for my our little melodrama ‘My Voice and Me’ at the Tete a Tete festival. Paul the composer is either in Chile or in China at the moment – the legendary spell checker strikes again. Paul where are you?
Life is good, boys and girl well and happy, cats lazy, hens have been sunbathing – yes they lie down as if dead on their sides and sunbathe – how weird is that. I feed them bread so they are getting tamer and tamer and more and more pushy. Arthur tried feeding and one of then nicked all his bread and ran off. I also witnessed them mating – not a pleasant sight while nibbling a corn on the cob on the balcony (me not them) – strewth nature is brutal. I have my timetable for teaching next semester so – onwards and upwards toward reassuring hum drum.
Love to all
Chris! Great to hear from you again, and concomitant self-disappointment for not having written for so long. Glad to hear you’re marching towards the Adès DVD. I met the man a few months back and had an absolutely raging night out. Immediately broke all the rules and told him how much of a fan I am and how he’d conducted a much slower Totentanz with the NY Phil than he had at the Proms (he was somewhat taken aback that there was anyone alive who’d notice). Yes, and I suppose the Pynchon is rather irritating, much as I enjoyed it. I was going through a bit of a West Coast phase when I read it — listening to The Doors a lot, etc. I’m horrified and ashamed to confess I still haven’t tackled Peaky Blinders. My DVD player won’t play UK DVDs, but as it’s on Netflix I don’t really have an excuse. I WILL. All splendid over here. Just started marathon training again, which is both life-affirming and social-life-destroying. Can’t recommend it. Speak soon, I hope! X