Everything is tickety-boo

Here's this week's list of things that made me realize that everything is tickety-boo:

- Enjoying an evening out listening to Jon Batiste and Stay Human  - and bumping into friends there
- Wonderful evening of art and music at Grace Cathedral - Seeing the Voice: State of Grace, by artist Anne Patterson, composer Paul Haas and the men and boys choir.  A beautiful evening for the senses.
- While on my walk, watching a white kite hover over its prey, then dive and successfully catch it
- Seeing 9 white pelicans on a small pond, busy fishing
- Having a meeting with a beautiful person
- Catching up with family on FaceTime
- Two good classes this week
- Getting a new book and loving it: Farmacology, by Daphne Miller
- Enjoying a new easy lunch recipe - a few times this week. I'll post it here this week
- Getting excited about our trip back to the UK in a few weeks


Hoping you are feeling tickety-boo.  If not - trying writing down good things about your week - however small.  Once you start, you'll think of lots!

Everything is tickety-boo

Here is a list of the good things in my week, that make me realize that everything is tickety-boo:

 -  I saw and heard Bryn Terfel last Sunday at the Green Music Center.      He sang so beautifully, it made me cry.
-  Back singing evensong at Grace cathedral, San Francisco this afternoon (that's where the stained glass window photo is from)
-  The lovely fall weather
-  Seeing a pileated woodpecker a few days in a row near our home
-  Getting back into my walking routine
-  Getting a new pedometer to accompany the above
-  Two good nutrition and cooking classes
-  Creating a new recipe and loving it
-  Good discussion at book club
-  Enjoying blue sweet potatoes!
-  Saw Macbeth from the National Theater live with Kenneth Branagh
-  Loved "Captain Philips" with Tom Hanks - very gripping, but I just wanted to give him a hug.

Hope you had a good one too.

Camerata Retreat

We had our choir retreat this Saturday - and the perfect weather for it.

It was a lovely day with it warm enough to eat both lunch and dinner outside  - and then time for a little snuggle under the blankets by the fire to watch the stars come out.

A lovely day and the food went down well. I'll be sharing some of those recipes in the next few days.

Now we are all ready to sing together  at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco on Thursday evening and a late night Easter Vigil service Saturday night.

PS Looking back at these photos - it looks like all we did was lounge around - but actually we did sing!!!  in between our social time :-D

White Christmas

My favorite Christmas song:





I'm off down to Grace cathedral in San Francisco to sing the service there now.  Shame we don't get to do this one - with reindeer!!! But some lovely other music instead. If you are in the city, do join us this evening.

And a Happy Christmas to you all.  Have a wonderful day.

Remembrance Day/Veterans Day

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If we break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders field

By John McCrae

When you go home

Tell them of us and say

for your tomorrow

we gave our today.

Kohima Epitaph

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon