Rachmaninov's 'Bogoroditsye Devo'

Another favourite choral piece of mine. There are several versions on YouTube, but I think this is the best - Melbourne University Choral Society singing in Melbourne Cathedral.

Alveston Parish Plan

If you live here in the parish of Alveston, you are being asked to complete a questionnaire. This is a project funded and managed independently of the Parish Council. I recommend it be completed as they are key inputs for the production of a plan that our community can follow to improve the way we live.

While searching, I have found this Alveston Parish walk which mentions White Cottage (an old dressmaker's workroom). This guide has some interesting local history, including the fact that Alveston is derived from ‘Alwihs Stone’, probably a neolithic stone.

Extreme Dreams

Have you been watching Ben Fogle and Extreme Dreams on BBC2 which is currently on every weekday evening at 6.30pm? You can watch the programmes on BBCi Player for 7 days after the programme. Although I find it irritating to watch/fast-forward 8 minutes of repeat at the beginning of each programme and several 'still to come...' previews, plus a preview of the following day, this week has been particularly interesting for me, having just been to Nepal myself! Highly recommended for the scenery but one wonders why the people (including a brave lady with lupus) are chosen to go and then I found an answer here, as I suspect! There is a thread on the newsgroup uk.rec.walking here. I have lost count the number of times that Ben is 'worried'.

Aerial flight over the Lake District

Found this YouTube video of a flight over the Lake District starting from Cark and flying over the Crake Valley, Coniston Water, Dow Crag and Goatswater, Wastwater, Great Gable, Scafell Pike and Helvellyn. Can you spot my holiday home (Lingmell)?

Pipedreams

Just discovered this site (internet radio station devoted to organ music). Worth a visit by all organists and anyone interested in organ music.

I was doing a search for Ian Tracey, Liverpool Cathedral to find this DVD which has been recommended to me. (Scroll down to PRDVD1.)

Royal Mail

Did you know you can buy and print stamps with address labels at home for letters and parcels? See here. You can also find a postcode here.

Classic FM Hall of Fame

Closing date for entries is midnight on Sunday 27 January. I put my entry in today as follows:

1 Beethoven - Violin Concerto

2 Mozart - Requiem

3 Handel - Messiah

NHS Blood and Transplant

You can sign up online here for National Blood Service and here for UK Transplant.

Eric Whitacre

Heard this piece ("Sleep") yesterday on ClassicFM, so searched for it on YouTube. There are a number of videos; here is one.

This reminds me that I heard his "Lux Aurumque" some time ago and made a note to buy it some day. (I think I may have ordered it from Britannia Music Club, but then they went bust.) Here is the composer conducting it in a recording session.

Both are on this CD:and can be bought here: Amazon or CastleClassics.

Save Windows XP

Are you happy that Microsoft are ceasing support of Windows XP in June?

Petrol prices

Have you a thing about petrol prices? Here is a useful site: Petrolprices.com, which you need to sign up to free of charge, but it gives you the cheapest fuel prices within a given radius of a given postcode. One day, this site http://www.pipelinecard.org/ may carry some clout.

It Pays to Watch

Did you see last week's programme on five? This is the first in a series. This website http://www.itpaystowatch.co.uk/ shows additional web only footage. The programme features Martin Lewis who has his own website http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/. You can also subscribe to the Moneysavingexpert YouTube channel .

Suffolk

Spent the New Year in Suffolk. Highlights were:

The Froize Inn

Orford Church & Castle

Aldeburgh
Here are the graves of Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears and Imogen Holst in the churchyard there:
The Golden Key in Snape

Internet CD shops

I have been a member of Britannia Music Club for many years and have had good terms as a result. However, they have now gone out of business, so I have had to look elsewhere. Before Christmas, I put in a large order with Castle Classics. They have been able to get all my requests, with good customer service, although there have been some delays.

John Tavener: The Lamb

This is my favourite carol; we sung it last night at our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Mary's Church, Thornbury.

Vodafone 2222

Received a text message from the Vodafone 2222 traffic service this morning warning me of the treacherous conditions on the roads. This is presumably because I use the service a lot. It is really good and I am surprised not more people know about it. I use it all the time when I am travelling long distances on the motorways to tell me where the hold-ups are. Highly recommended.

Classical music collection catalogue

I have just uploaded my music collection to http://www.racksandtags.com/mikeelcock/ using OrangeCD software. This can now be accessed from anywhere and by anyone.

Raul Prieto

Just found these fantastic YouTube videoclips of Raul Prieto playing Durufle's Toccata and Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens - a must-see for any organist! You can see his website here: www.raulprieto.net. I have an organ music playlist here which contains some of my favourite organ music.

Goldfinches

I saw the first pair of goldfinches in my garden today. This is months after putting the Nyjer feeder (see above - from the RSPB shop) in my garden several months ago. At last, they have got the message probably because it was frosty all day.

Successful 10th anniversary challenge

I can report on the successful completion of the 4 English 3000 footers last weekend on the tenth anniversary of the first annual leaders' weekend in 1997. The Saturday walk was up Skiddaw in force 12 (confirmed by anemometer reading!) winds. On Sunday we walked up Scafell Pike via Piers Gill and Scafell via Fox's Tarn. On Monday we climbed Helvellyn via Striding Edge and returned via Swirral Edge and Lanty's Tarn. On Tuesday, we split into two groups, one climbing Dow Crag and Coniston Old Man and the other christening the newly repaired boat "Second Wind". More photos can be seen here.

Everest Trekking Peaks

Just returned from Nepal having completed the Everest Trekking Peaks trek with KE (4 weeks).

Here are my YouTube videoclips from the top of the peaks I climbed:

Gokyo Ri


Pokalde



Kala Patthar


If you want to see more, here is my website page with selected photos. Steph's blog is here.

BBC Proms 19 August 2007

Did you see the proms on Sunday 19 August 2007? If not, you missed a treat. This was truly inspirational. Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Here are some reviews on the BBC website. Here are some YouTube extracts:

Shostakovich - Symphony Nº 10 2nd movement

The interval discussion

Interview with Gustavo Dudamel

Moncayo - "Huapango"

Márquez - Danzón Nº 2

Bernstein Symphonic Dances (West Side Story) Part I

Bernstein Symphonic Dances (West Side Story) Part II

Bernstein - Symphonic Dances (West Side Story) Part III

Encores in Venezuelan colours

Beacon Fell

Here is a picture of Mum's dog Daisy at the top of Beacon Fell! More photos can be seen here.

Second Wind

"Second Wind" is the name of our boat, chosen because it has been recovered from Coniston Water and repaired, having been vandalised earlier in the year.

Before

After

Krakow

Had a great week in Krakow with Cadence & Continuo. See my photos here.