WEST SIDE STORY

I went for a blood test this morning. I don't mind blood tests, what I do mind is that in France we have to do them "à jeun", which means without eating anything beforehand. I hate getting up, washing, dressing and going out in the fairly early morning without anything in my stomach. I don't know why this is, I don't think that in England, for instance, you have to have an empty stomach.

Just routine, to get a prescription of my thyroid pill and see what my blood sugar levels and cholesterol are looking like.

It's so mild. I went out in a short sleeved t-shirt (to make the blood sample easier) and a light cardigan this morning, barefooted in thong sandals (Fitflop ones, you know? the ones that are meant to firm up your thighs? they do actually, I hardly ever wear anything else).

I'm keeping to my resolutions - my blog is up to date, the http://onefrenchword.wordpress.com one, and people seem to like it. I have lost over two kilos this week, and I've done some gardening. In fact, I'm going to clear a space tomorrow to plant a row of broad beans.

On Saturday I went to a performance of a version of West Side Story, done on percussion and xylophones, vibraphones etc, with four voices. The music was absolutely fantastic, I didn't realize that that sort of keyboard percussion was so versatile and attractive. And physical, the woman playing at the front of the stage certainly didn't need to go to the gym after her performance, she was all over the place. The whole thing took place behind a sort of metal mesh curtain, upon which was projected the story line in the form of sort of cartoons. It was excellent. What was NOT excellent, however, was the English of the singers, particularly one of the men, whose accent was laughable and spoilt the whole thing. If he's touring France doing an English-language show, shouldn't he have had coaching beforehand? Trouble is, he evidently thought his English was great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_SE6eaBpgDI

This is a video of the^percussion group, no singers, doing something else, Bach, or an arrangement, but it does show their virtuosity. I'm having no luck embedding it in my text, you'll just have to click on the link. I hope it works, I can't check it before publishing.

OLD FASHIONED HOT CHOCOLATE

It has been a beautiful Spring weekend, sunny but with a sometimes chilly north wind. I invited a small group of people to my house on Saturday to learn how to make scones. It's funny how much enthusiasm the French show for anything "teatimey" about English cuisine and reject all the rest! They were delighted, we ate lots of scones with Jersey cream (can't get clotted here) and raspberry jam and they went away with leftovers and the recipe.

Yesterday, late in the afternoon, I went to the second of the five theatre/concert events that the children gave me for my birthday. It was called "Concert au Chocolat n°5" and was a Chostakovitch and Tchaikowsky chamber concert (a trio of exteeeeemely talented young men, piano, violin and cello) and if one arrived half an hour early, it was preceded by a cup of chocolate made in the old fashioned way, by the most famous of Quimper's chocolatiers. It was absolutely delicious, I've never tasted anything like it. Well, it tasted like chocolate of course, but the texture was amazing, like drinking silk. Beautifully served in quite large, warmed cups, on a large oval saucer, with three beautiful little chocolates on the side. Quite a treat. And the concert was most excellent.

http://www.theatre-cornouaille.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=463&Itemid=59

It was quite surprising to come out of the theatre into the broad daylight of a sunny Spring evening!