Advent Calendar XXIV

 

It's Christmas eve, in many places I know this is in many ways the bigger day than Christmas day itself. The Germanic ideal of Christmas says that there should be snow, a log fire, a tree and lots of warming treats. Here in Malta we have none of those, as Pooh might have said here it is a blustery day!

It has been far too windy to follow our original plan and visit the old capital of Mdina, it is built on the highest point of the Island, and I fear we might have been blown away.

Being Christmas Eve we wanted to do more than sit in the hotel lobby playing Uno, so we braved the elements and had an excursion into Valletta. A visit to St. John's co-cathedral never disappoints and it was wonderful to be able to introduce somebody who'd never been here before to this baroque masterpiece. As you walk in through the rather austere entrance the sheer shock and awe of the interior hits you. 

I know of nowhere else that treads the boundary between magnificence and gaudy quite so delicately. I don't think there is a single surface that is not decorated, gold leaf is everywhere, polished marble abounds, paintings and sculptures are everywhere. Of course the major art work that brings people is the Caravaggio "Beheading of St. John the Baptist" but there is so much more that is magnificent, I often feel that the "Baptism of Christ" by Melchiorre Cafa is under rated, and maybe if it were anywhere else might get more attention. The only thing missing is stained glass. The only windows are small and set high, a reminder that this was also built as a defensive position.

As Christmas eve draws towards it's close it means tomorrow is Christmas, it also means that my Advent calendar only has one more post to go, it has been fun writing every day, it has of course also been a challenge, but I hope it has been worth it.

Advent Calendar XXIIV

We have settled in nicely now, the view from our room is pretty spectacular, but last night and this morning the wind was whistling round and we now have white horses on the sea ~ it's actually all rather wonderful!

At one point yesterday we were talking about "feeling like Christmas" and I realised that now coming to Malta at this time of year does feel to me "like Christmas". Going to an exhibition of crib scenes yesterday evening only helped. Here in Malta there is a great tradition of these crib scenes, they are major works of art and craft, whole landscapes, landscapes influenced by the Maltese countryside, buildings and culture. They can be truly wonderful, and most towns will have an exhibition of a few.

Not quite on the same scale as others, but even in our hotel room I think we are now ready!

Advent Calendar XXII

Today is the forth Sunday in Advent so it's time to light the forth candle on our advent crown. The fourth candle of Advent represents Love, the ultimate love of God that He might send His only Son for us. Called the “Angel's Candle,” the fourth candle of Advent is lit the Sunday before Christmas, and it is the color purple, leading us to eagerly await the new Kingdom of God on earth.

Our Advent crowns can take many forms, but the common factors are the five candles, one for each of the four Sundays and the fifth for Christmas day. The first candle for hope, the hope that Christ brings to the World at Christmas and fulfills at Easter. The second candle is for the faith that gives us strength, and the third for joy, then on Christmas day itself we light the fifth, white candle which represents Christ himself, the light of the World.

Unless you were brought up in a Church going family in UK there is a fair chance that your first introduction to an Advent Crown would have been on Blue Peter, each year they would make a crown out of wire coat hangers and tinsel, and light a candle each of the four weeks before Christmas, but I can't remember them ever explaining why, or what the significance was ~ maybe that's just a failure of my memory, that happens at my age!

Advent Calendar XXI

 

Friday night and Saturday morning!

I must learn to look up more often!

Last night was an odd one, Croydon Brass played at a community Christmas Concert, we played a short set of four pieces, and then at the end we accompanied the "mass choirs" in a rendition of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas ~ three out of the five pieces we played were my arrangements. In many ways the band played as well as I've heard them, and there was a tremendous atmosphere in the hall.

I had quite a few friends in the audience and some of the other groups, I get the definite impression that we did do as well as I thought! It was very gratifying to play so much, and finish with, my own arrangements in what I expect to be my final performance with Croydon Brass as MD. I am certainly very happy to have gone out with a bang, rather than a whimper. I was also very touched that the band bought me some flowers and a bottle to say thank you for the time I have been with them.

It was quite late when I got home but I was still buzzing, and hadn't eaten since a late brunch, by the time I had cooked myself something I was seriously considering not going to bed at all, but by about 2:30 I was beginning to drop off, so I called it a day and went to bed.  Which means I had about three hours sleep last night, as my taxi was scheduled for 05:45 to get me to the airport in time for a 10:30 flight. I am now enjoying a cold Cisk looking out over St Paul's Bay

Advent Calendar XX

 

Tomorrow I fly off to warmer climes for a few days, I don't know why but when ever I go away it seems to come as a surprise to me and I'm never prepared. This time I have actually thought about what I will want to wear while I'm away, and I've tried to make sure that it is all clean! That for me is a major achievement! On the other hand I find that I still have a well stocked fridge and just generally too much food. I hate waste, but at the same time there is no way I can eat all of what I have before leaving at silly O'clock tomorrow morning. I know I can put the bread in the freezer, the milk will have to go but the cheese should be OK until I get home. My next job is to try to find out if I can freeze eggs (not mine! unfertilised hens eggs), I've already frozen some home made soup and some sausages and had an interesting breakfast of mixed fried mushrooms, spring onions and bacon with toast.

After that the next challenge will be trying to get everything in my case, I know I will still forget something but I do want to take what I have remembered I want. As this holiday is a little different to others we have taken in Malta (we are staying in an hotel rather than self catering) I suspect I will want more outfits per day and definitely a couple more presentable outfits. I usually only take one nice dress as we will go out for a nice dinner at our favourite restaurant at least once - but this time I anticipate a few more "posh nosh" meals. I also suspect this may hit the old credit card a little harder. Then I will water my plants! Last time I went away I forgot and spent too much of my time away worrying about my plants, especially the asparagus fern, of course they were all OK, but I don't want to put myself through that again.

Then, and only then will I allow myself to start thinking about tonight's concert. It is a bit of a strange one in so many ways, we (Croydon Brass) are only one of a few "Community Groups" performing', we start the second half, and provide the main musical backbone of the communal finale. That musical finale is Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas" I have had to create an arrangement of this just for tonight, my starting point was a very poorly arranged Brass Quintet that would actually be impossible to play. I have spent so much time on this that I now plan to expand it into a full band arrangement, hopefully ready for next Christmas!

Advent Calendar IXX

 

It's all getting pretty close now! Only six sleeps left till Christmas, one more performance, one more flight!

This evening was my penultimate performance with Croydon Brass, we were booked for an hour to play carols and Christmas tunes for a Pub in the posh rural part of the Borough. To be honest I really didn't know what to expect of the evening, but it far exceeded any of my expectations, the band played well, very together and a nicely balanced sound. There was very a good audience who joined in with enthusiasm, and I was able to strike up a rapport with them quite easily; what more could I have asked for!

I like to consider myself something of a connoisseur of a good pub, and our Host had a lot to offer, a really nice location, cosy atmosphere, an excellent menu and a choice of live beers. I was driving and had my dinner prepared for when I got home, so I couldn't indulge myself too much. Maybe another day?

The friends I'm going on holiday with both appear to be much more prepared than I am, indeed I think they have both already packed, while some of the clothes I am planning on taking are still drying! At least I have the relevant Christmas present bought and wrapped ~ I delivered the others today ~ I hope my choices are approved of, I'm certainly not going to buy anything else now. We fly out on Saturday morning, while I still have my final gig tomorrow evening, and still have to pack, find my passport etc.

I may not be very well prepared for my holiday yet, but I am as prepared as possible for tomorrow evenings performance, but am I prepared for Christmas yet? Yes I've got the presents ready, and my little "travel decorations" but am I ready for the arrival of Christ? are any of us ever ready? maybe we just have to accept him when he choices to come.

Advent Calendar IIXX

 

I'm still working from my tablet as my WiFi is still out of commission. Last night I was watching TV, and it suddenly hit me that my TV runs through my internet! If I have a connection to the TV by lan cable then it must be the router, I tried turning it off and then on again, I tried using the reset button, still nothing, no land line, and no WiFi (and I don't have another cable to hand! I think it's time I contacted Vodafone!

Well despite my usual hate for on line "chat" text systems I have just spent about 45 minutes with Vodafone trying to sort out my problem, and after having my router reconfigured and pressing more buttons that I hadn't even found before I now have Wifi and am back on my laptop! The land line isn't working but since it's only one of my brothers and scammers who ever use it I'm not overly bothered just now. I love technology when it works, but these days I find I am often simply left behind. Not having worked for anyone else for the last twenty years I have not had the advantage of an IT department, and for the last ten years or so I have lived on my own as well, so the wisdom of my wife and daughter have also been missing. I suspect that in many ways I am very out of date, but to be honest I am increasing less and less concerned about that.

Today I have been feeling much better, my neck is nowhere near as stiff, and I am a bit more mobile. My rib still hurts, especially if I do something unwise, but as long as I take some pain killers I seem to be functioning much more. I have a quiz night to attend, so I think I'd better have a shower and get dressed ~ which is more than I managed yesterday!

Advent Calendar XVII

 

Yesterday I did manage my evening rehearsal, and to take in a Tesco delivery, after all that excitement today has been rather slow. My step counter tells me I have walked a whole, massive 429 steps! 

There is much that I would have liked to do, and there is plenty I should do before I go away in a few days, yet sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. I am working on the theory that that was my best policy today. I do feel a little better, and I hope that after a quiet day I feel a bit better again tomorrow. I suspect that I need to prioritise, get my laundry done ready for packing, presents to wrap, make sure I'm prepared for my remaining two performances ~ and currently most pressing, get my home network sorted out! Yesterday it was working fine, today I appear to be connected but have no WiFi so once again I am on my tablet!

It's all a bit frustrating but I am rather lacking in enthusiasm, as well as physical capacity.

I'm also not sure that it's really sunk in yet that I have taken my final rehearsal with Croydon Brass as MD. I made the decision many months ago but was persuaded to stay on untill the end of the year. I have been in post now for about eight years, and there was another three or four before that. I feel as though I have done what I can, and that it's time for someone new with new ideas. I also want to take on some new musical projects, I'm not quite sure what yet, but I do want to do more arranging, and work on my composition.

Whatever, I won't be changing anything else until the New Year at the earliest.

Advent Calendar XVI

 

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent, I had original planed to play Bass Trombone in my "home" band, but with this broken rib and stiff neck I decided I couldn't even hold a trombone never mind play it! Instead I stayed at home and did very little; and even the every little I could do was pretty exhausting.

Today I am a little better, so am feeling a bit more hopeful about being able to get away at the end of the week, In the mean time I still have plenty to get on with, but am beginning to feel a little more frustrated about the things I can't get on with.

Knowing I was not going to feel great today I ordered a groceries delivery for today, I've now heard that they are out of stock of the painkillers I ordered, and aren't providing a substitution, so now I have to go out (destroying the whole point of getting a delivery) and wait in for the delivery as well!

Advent Calendar XIV

Yesterday was my big concert with Phoenix Concert Band. It was not have the biggest band of my concerts this year, neither did it have the biggest audience. It was not in the most prestigious venue and we were not playing the most ambitious music. So how come it's the "Big One", well, maybe it's because we were playing two of my arrangements, that certainly adds a bit of pressure, but I think it is more that this band has found a special place in my heart, each year we get a little more ambitious, each year we get a little bit better, and each year we get a little bit bigger. At last week's night's we sounded fantastic ~ having three percussionists definitely helps!

It is a very happy and sociable band, the members mix outside of rehearsals and outside of their sections. Last night I was particularly sore with my broken rib, and a very stiff neck. It was lovely how everyone rallied around and helped, I did have a couple of "moments" because of the pain, but the band happily glossed over them. Then today we followed up with a smaller more intimate, performance. Again, the band played well, and again we had a very happy audience.

I should be playing the bass trombone tomorrow, but quite frankly I don't think I could hold it, never mind play it! Then next week I have two performances with Croydon Brass, with Phoenix I feel as though I am adding value, helping the band progress and have lots of plans for the future, with the Brass Band I feel as though I have done everything I can, and anything I do now will be repeating myself. It is rather sad but next Friday (the 20th) will be my final performance with Croydon Brass as M.D.