The front fell off

oh dear

(does it remind anyone else of John Bird and John Fortune? if you're not familiar with them, I'll be posting them next week... stay tuned.)

I will sing forever

"I will sing forever" sung by Christ Church College (and probably we could listen to I will sing forever, forever. I love the words and the whole idea of singing for your creator as your life's work. it's a great prayer. and this song makes me very happy and sad at the same time. Plus well, it's those chorister bell like voices that completely do you in. my nephew was a chorister once and of course it was completely hopeless. we spent most of the services not being able to see with the tears in our eyes.)

children again

The 16 snowflakes dance at the heart of the storm in The Nutcracker "At this and every point of this 'Nutcracker,' we’re children again. So much drama is about the loss of innocence or of paradise in some form, but here is an enthralling tale of innocence preserved and paradise discovered." Alastair MacCaulay in The Times. He also points out something interesting. Have you noticed how lately it's being referred to as "George Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker' TM"? Aside from the TM which is irritating, what about Tchaikovsky?

Annie Leibovitz - Monarchy

The most famous woman in the world photographed by the most famous photographer of the most famous in the world. Annie Leibovitz shoots the queen... very interesting stuff. you actually see the cultures clashing right in front of your very eyes. (And you can hardly blame the Queen. Is there, do you think, a more foolish thing to say to Her Majesty, dressed up in her full Imperial Royal Regalia?)