A Day of Culture

Yesterday, P and I went to the National Portrait Gallery with our new friends, the Historian and his Classy Bird. He is a teacher and knows just about anything worth knowing with regards to the Brringlish past. His wife is from my neck of the woods and is elegant and oh-so-beautiful.

The Historian gave us a tour of the museum, with paintings from the 1500s to today. You could just sense the richness of the past in the art, and the modern pieces were witty and attention-grabbing.

In the evening, all four of us went to listen to P's former flatmate Gobby (P nicknamed her!) sing. She is a soprano who has concerts every few months and it was the first time we had seen her perform.

The venue was the beautiful St James Church in Picadilly:


Unfortunately, our camera's night mode doesn't work very well so it is out of focus, but you can still see the beautiful stained glass and carvings.

Imagine sitting in a dimly lit, historical and atmospheric church, listening to an experienced soprano's rich voice, backed by a Baroque ensemble. Over the two-hour concert, Gobby sang selected pieces from Vivaldi and Handel. My favourite arias were 'Ombre Vane' and 'Se pieta di me non senti'. Gobby's voice and breath control was amazing (years of practice), especially as she did the, "Oh oh oh oh oh oh" part of the songs! If anyone knows what that type of singing is called, please let me know because I have no idea.


As I sat there appreciating this wonderful operatic singer, I thought to myself how lucky I was to be enjoying Gobby's amazing talent. I wouldn't have this intimate and unique experience on our Small Island. I came away from yesterday very grateful for where I am in life and the opportunities that being with P have given me.

Now if only the sun would shine today (it's drizzly and grey), then life would be perfect! ;-)