Wednesday 11 April 2007

I had this morning free to catch up with various admin tasks, but I spent most of it being domestic instead, probably inspired by the magpies who've successfully built their nest in the big old apple tree at the bottom of the garden. For the last couple of years a pair have made a half-hearted attempt at nest building in that spot, but they always gave up, leaving behind a sad scattering of abandoned sticks. They don't seem to have scared the smaller birds off yet (although a coal tit was looking nervously over its shoulder between pecks at the peanuts the other day): a pair of goldfinches made a very easygoing appearance this morning.

Can you tell I'm reluctant to get out of holiday mode?

Yesterday I listened to my playing of Bach two-part inventions as recorded in Gateshead in February and broadcast on Radio 3 last week. Most of the pieces came out a bit faster than I realised, and I sometimes seem to be in a hurry for no good reason. Some music breaks through from time to time, which is good in such potentially academic-sounding pieces, but I wish I'd set myself the discipline of recording myself at home and listening back first, before allowing professionals to record me playing. My sense of rhythm isn't quite what I would have liked it to be. Bob Deegan's little Vater instrument sounds really great though.