Away from the medically imposed world of dressing changes, chemo drips, phone consultations, drug schedules, PICC line flushes and district nurse visits I enter my own world, split neatly in two: hard work and day-dreams.
Yesterday the hard work consisted inter alia of improving my version of Franz Schubert’s song, Mein! from his Schöne Müllerin song cycle – V with her piano at one end of the Skype link, me with my elderly vocal chords at the other. Here’s how it starts, plus an English translation, both Bärenreiter copyrights.
Räder, stellt eu’r Brausen ein,
All ihr muntern Waldvögelein,
Gross und klein
Endet eure Melodein!
Durch den Hain
Aus und ein
Schalle heut ein Reim allein
Die geliebte Müllerin ist mein,
Mein.
Brook, cease your babbling
Wheels, stop your roaring!
All you merry woodbirds
Great and small,
End your warbling!
Throughout the wood,
Within it and beyond,
Let one rhyme alone ring out today;
My beloved, the maid of the mill, is mine!
Mine!
And here’s the late great Fritz Wunderlich singing the whole thing. V was satisfied with the way I handled the burbling technicalities, and I was pleased I was able to maintain resonance throughout.
After which, with the help of photos from daughter PB’s phone camera, I dreamed of the French holiday that may happen in July/August. It won’t be this villa but something similar. Thousands of pounds will be involved but what the Hell. Just to be away from mean-spirited England.
"Just to be away from mean-spirited England." - have you thought of emigration?
ReplyDeleteAvus: Given that the side-effects of house removal are second only to experiencing a death in the family, I think I'd be tempting fate. But in my time I have sort of semi-emigrated: six years in the USA, six months in Singapore, and ownership of a second house in France for a decade. I do have a sense of perspective.
DeleteBesides which I subscribe to the sentiments expressed by George C. Scott playing General Patton and doing the voice-over at the beginning of the movie: "Wars aren't won by young men laying down their lives on behalf of their country. They are won by young men causing other sunsabitches to lay down their lives for their country." President Zelensky please take note.
In short, if goodness is to prevail, an apocalypse must surely arrive that will punish the mendacious amateurs said to be presently "governing" us. For that I'd like to have a front seat in the congregation.
We argued about Brexit (These days the untrumpeting elephant in the room) and its prophets. Feebly you offered an excuse: "All politicians lie." Then the main lie was the almost unexceptional "£350m per day/week/month for the NHS once we're out." Now it's not just the Cuts-his-own-hair Leader who's at it, we have a chancellor so rich that hypocrite barely describes him. He didn't lie, he says. Quite possibly true. The truth of his existence made lying unnecessary
But never mind the public school beanfeast. Just try and imagine how we are seen by those at the other side of that stretch of water that so effectively cuts us off from political reality. Sees us shorn of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Battle of Britain since those are what has happened; sees us wrestling pitifully with what is to come. A government that performed an unexpected miracle - made me feel sorry for those poor misnamed "loyalists" of Northern Ireland.
Oh how we clapped the NHS and (in the HoC) the brave soldiers of Ukraine. We could afford to, clapping costs nothing. A decent rise for the NHS? Come on, that would cost money. Taking in Ukrainian refugees? We won't refuse them, that would make us seem like bastards. Just break their hearts with bureaucratic delay. Hey folks - forget Agincourt, we've replaced longbow skills with pettifogging bumph.
Since the government is the symbol by which we are identified in the rest of the world, I'm ashamed to be even the government's unwilling associate. Doesn't seem unreasonable, does it?
I hope the French holiday happens for all of you this summer. Looks wonderful. I believe retirement money is meant to be spent on family and happy times.
ReplyDeleteColette: If "retirement money is meant to be spent" I can assure you this is presently happening.
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