I'll have the rioja
Hurrah! Red wine is healthy after all. Musicians of the world, rejoice.
Hurrah! Red wine is healthy after all. Musicians of the world, rejoice.
I have been giving a couple of recitals for the Smarden music festival. Smarden is a chocolate-box perfect village (oftentime winner of the "best kept village" placque) in Kent, and I gave a solo recital last night and a violin and harp recital today.
Despite the idyllic rural scene, country gigs are full of hazard. I put the harp in the church and skipped down the path to get other stuff from the car, marvelling at the lovely churchyard, neatly trimmed grass, gleaming hedgerows and traditional sixteenth century inn (where I was staying, in a four poster bed).
At this point I caught my hand on an overhanging rose tendril and ripped my right thumb impressively long and deep. 5mm further to the left and I wouldn't have been able to play at all. Fortunately it was just far enough away from where the harp string hits the pad of the thumb to tape it up tight and plough on more or less undetected, apart from the trail of blood along the rose-covered walk.
