Some thoughhts about music, novel-writing, education and the influence of political comments.

Further to my remarks yesterday about listening to Ana Belén, here is a link to Ana Belén singing García Lorca’s “Pequeño vals vienés”. It was translated into English, set to music and recorded by Leonard Cohen. Ana Belén uses Leonard Cohen’s musical arrangement. And here is Leonard Cohen’s version, for comparison purposes. Leonard Cohen so admired García Lorca and his poetry that he named his daughter Lorca. Not used as a name in Spain, as far as I know, it works in the English-speaking world.

Lorca’s poetry lends itself to musical interpretation. I have been hunting through our CDs for my copy of Ana Belén’s “Lorquiana”, a collection of Lorca poems set to music. So far I have been unable to locate it. This is the problem with having too many CDs.

Is it truly possible to have too much music though?

Here's another question: is it ever too late to publish your first novel? I read yesterday that playwright Alan Ayckbourn, 83, has just published his. A novel set in a dystopian future, it began life as a six-hour two-part play, which was receieved with little enthusiasm by the critics. One of them suggested it would work better as a novel. And voilà! Next question: would just any old 80-year-old have received a publishing deal? Or do you have to be already established?

I have been in communication with one of my companions from the Italian conversation class, who is asking if I know when classes start again. I am unsure why I have become the fount if all knowledge but there we go. All I really know is that it is not this week as our teacher is still posting photos from Crete and other exotic places. As I pointed this out we had a further discussion about the security of posting your photos for potential burglars to see!! Hmmm!

No doubt our Italian teacher will be back in the UK this week, she also does some work at a high school and schools are due back later this week.

Out and about today I have seen lots of families clearly taking advantage of a last chance to get out and about together, walking the bridle paths and towpaths. All good stuff!

More back to school stuff. Some parents are finding the cost of school uniformas ridiculously prohibitive. Some state schools have a uniform list that runs to £250 before adding on shoes and coat! Having contributed to the cost of uniform for my daughter’s offspring I know that this is true! Crazy stuff!

About university-level education, here is a link to an article about a young lady who opted not to apply for Oxford, preferring instead to go to Leeds, where the Fine Arts course she wanted to study seemed better. Good for her! A young lady who knows her own mind! It was interesting that one of the reasons she gave for eschewing the advantages and connections an Oxford degree might have given her was that so many of the current government are Oxford-educated and she does not want to be associated with the likes of them.

Talking of Oxford-educated politicians, here is a link to an article which maintains that anti-Muslim attacks increased as a result of a certain Mr Johnson’s burqa comments.

 Enough said!