A...maz...ing

It's been a fantabulous day and a long one at that. After delivering intercessions at church (no organist) I made a delicious (though I say so myself) roast lunch for W and N and P arrived too.

Then we all piled into the car and drove down to London. After dropping their luggage into the Penn Club we moved on to the Barbican. We had coffee out in the courtyard where we had a giggle at some photography students doing a photo shoot around the fountains with a skinny girl model wearing only a see through white voile around her hips and an odd plaited rope thing covering her boobs! At one point the flash handbag prop blew into water which was hilarious and when the poor model stepped off her podium we all got a flash of her bits n pieces.... she really wasn't wearing any knickers!

We browsed a little exhibition on the history of violin making, then attended a workshop about getting through auditions for an orchestra. We thought P might appreciate that for the future. I think she got something from it.

Then was the main event, free tickets in the best seats in the house (courtesy of W's long association with various members of the LSO) to a fabulous LSO concert with Nicola Benedetti, soloing.

The conductor was a crazy, young Polish guy who was brilliant, but more brilliant was Nicola Benedetti. She's beautiful, tall, with the most amazing figure and was absolutely mesmerising. Just wondrous. You just couldn't take your eyes off her and the sound she wrung from her Stradivarius was completely, heartbreakingly, gorgeous. (So annoyed I didn't get a photo!)

Not only that but the LSO were on fire and I realised how good live classical music can be. I had my ears truly opened today. Almost like I was awoken from a dream. I think P was blown away too. The programme was Glinka, Szymanowski (so romantic and I simply got lost in the music, not something that often happens to me) and Mussorgsky.

The drive home was easy and P practised her French oral as she has her exam this week. She was way better than I was at A'level. I think she'll do well.

Note to self... make an effort to get out more and to go more of those concerts with these amazing soloists.