Birthday

Another year passes.
A day made special by those
Whose love surrounds me.
.....
....
It was my birthday ..... 
It's lovely to have presents, but the greatest gift is to have those you love close by.  Which they were.

Since I have been ill we didn't go for lunch or anything, but we did go out in the evening to the local Picture House to see a live recording of Showboat from San Francisco Opera being broadcast .... a fabulous production with some great singing.  I have always loved Showboat  right from seeing the old 1936 film of it years back.  It has some of my all time favourite songs in it: Ol' man river of course, Fish Gotta Swim, and of course, the heart wrenching  Just my Bill ... sung here by Helen Morgan from the 1936 film    .....  the same film which introduced the inimitable and wonderful Paul Robeson .

Ah well, another year begins .... back to work ...