Red Candle

I confess. Time was getting on and I needed to do a blip. Hence the red Christmas candle alight in the dark.

While I was setting up, BBC aired a film by George Michael at 10pm showing his last live performances from L'Opera in Paris in 2012. From the moment the orchestra began to play and he began to sing, you could feel that you were in the presence of a musical 'great.'

His voice was still warm, full and importantly, in tune! He seemed to have been moving to singing more 'swing' numbers. The musical arrangements were bare, yet lush. We sorrow for his passing, but had he finished his musical output? Was he ever going to perform again? Perhaps not after Paris, which was probably the acme of his career. He was the first pop star to be invited to perform at L'Opera.

Earlier, we'd sat through the second episode of 'Witness for the Prosecution,' based on a story by Agatha Christie. When the accused was freed and his mistress shamed in the dock, and the clock stood at 9.25 pm, it was obvious that the tale was not over. What else could it have been but a scam!? For which an innocent housemaid was executed. I felt that there were strong feminist undercurrents - for those acute enough to be aware of them.