November 12, 2018

London, UK

It’s been a lovely week at home. Getting back into the swing of a more normal life is rather nice. I absolutely love bright but cold autumn days, and the colours and light around Richmond are beautiful at this time of year. I’ve been catching up with some old university friends, both mine and Ellie’s.On Saturday, we were lucky enough to go along to the England vs. New Zealand rugby match at Twickenham stadium. The two sides haven’t played each other for a few years, so there was a palpable excitement in the air. The match was also pleasingly close-run — many had expected NZ to thrash us, but they really had to work very hard for their 1 point victory! Given the time of year, there was a 2 minute silence before the match to mark Remembrance; there was something quite magical about 80,000 people all standing totally silently. It’s as if the silence is electrified because of the potential for enormous amounts of noise to be made by those assembled. The phenomenon reminded me of the special atmosphere when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings really quietly, despite its large numbers. Tomorrow morning we’re off to Milan, from where we’re heading all over Europe on a week of concerts which mark the final non-Christmas concerts of the year. After that, it’ll be ‘jingle all the way’!