Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

A September baby who has long been one of my favourite composers is Gustav Holst. He was a third-generation Briton, his grandfather having migrated there from St Petersburg in the 18th Century. The paternal family was of mixed Swedish, Latvian and German ancestry, and on the maternal, principally English. When I was 11 and showing a strong interest in classical music, I was given my first-ever LP for my birthday... The Planets! I still have the disc, though nothing to play it on. Oh my word, how tempting it was to give you four movements from that incredible suite. 

But NO! Without doubt, that was his masterpiece, but Holst wrote lots of other music, all of easy listening and unchallenging to the ear. This could be taken as being a bit "muzak", and, perhaps, that's true. Nevertheless, it is that very inoffensiveness, the lyrical and undemanding quality, that can make these pieces worth having on one's playlists. Great for working to, like knitting, editing photos, writing blog posts........... Let's start with the shortest of my four choices for the month. A bittersweet love song. Watch how the different parts are providing offset lyrics, and only occasionally are all four voices in verbal unison.

Adventures Of Ducky 6939

Quackety-quack! Today I want to share with you a little of the visit YAM-aunty and I made to the Weaver's Cottage in Kilbarchan (as usual, Y will tell you more on Thursday). 

We were first directed into the upper living room, with its wee box bed and ancient chairs, where we sat and watched a video about the history of this place. Then we went down into the main loom room, where I got to sit on the smaller transportable loom... and Y went a bit weak at the knees looking at all that lovely yarn!

After that it was up into the garden for a breather... It's a long garden, and there were lots of lovely plants to do with not just eating but dyeing, as well. It had been raining, so there were also some good smells. At least that is what Y told me. I have to trust her on that.... plastic ducks are anosmic... jus' sayin'...

Finally, we went into the back room where a whole repository of tartans is held. Some of the name spelling was a bit suspect, but there's certainly an impressive range. That's all from me on this one, and I will be back for one more post next week.

Menonday Art Vibe; Slinky

Richard Goldsworthy has no relationship to Andy Goldsworthy, but his works echo something of the same principles of looking at what nature has to offer - and raising it to something else. Here is a conceptualised stream which I think is gorgeous. It is a delight to the eye, and I think this would be a gorgeous piece to adorn a garden room - or even in the garden itself, letting it mellow with the nature around it...