Another wonderful day.
There are crows outside the window, flitting from roof to roof. A flock of fairly large parrots (!?) in the area. Time adjusting isn't too difficult, sleep patterns not too disrupted.
Yesterday was a long walk day.
We left the house around eleven and had brunch around the corner. We then walked our way to the downtown through Clapham Common, Clapham North, on and on till we reached the river.
Walking along the "River Walk" Tons of people. All kinds of activities going on. all of the Sunday amusement variety.
Amazing buildings, aquariums, Merry go Round. The Tate Museum of Modern art, in an old coal firing facility, is extraordinary building.I saw a part of an exhibit of early 20th century portraiture. We also had lunch, with a wonderful presentation of a slice of tart with squash pieces salad on the side. Toulie's was salmon presented in two ways.
There was a Christmas market going on just outside the gallery. There are actually Christmas markets everywhere right now. If you miss one, there's another just around the corner. We saw and walked the Millenium bridge,
saw St-Pauls, "The City" and more than I can remember without the map beside me. Iconic images that
we've all seen in photos, in the flesh, so to speak.
Automatons, I believe they are called.
We continued walking until our feet were tired, took a break by taking the "tube" down to the Albert Hall and had a sandwich before the concert. None of the food here has been ordinary. All beautifully made, presented and tasting so fresh. Wonderful combinations, like Wensleydale cheese and cranberries! Beautiful with sherry.
Well, I'll tell you, there is nothing like a choir of 3800 singers to blow the roof off a building!
The concert was called "The Messiah from Scratch", which is a way of calling it a sing along. This was the 40th anniversary of these recitals, so a special event. All were paying guests for this. The choirs were people who were organized into their "voices", soprano, alto, tenor and bass, wearing jersey in red, blue grey or black. They are all people who must sing in choirs somewhere in the country, or the world for that matter (they had groups come from Russia and, as they said, even Canada) who sat in the place and were as many as the audience.
Here is before the full choir was in place and then when most of it was in place. Also the ceiling sound system, since they say that the hall was pretty bad for accoustics before they were put in.
An organ , and orchestra, four professional singers, a very funny conductor were the only paid professionals. That hair raising sound of that many human voices, beautiful and powerful almost made me cry.
The Halleluiah chorus was sung twice, since one version was sold at auction (fundraising for heart research) for 3600 Pounds to a lady that did a very creditable job.
All over by 10pm, we hopped on the tube to get home and were coming in the door about 35 minutes later. In bed by 11pm. Dead to the world by 11:15.
A few tube station entrances.
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