In case anyone's interested, it's Camden Green Fair in Regent's Park on Sunday. I shall probably be on the Green Party Stall at some point!

There's some info HERE.

Managed to do some planting this morning! The first thing I did was to transplant the jasmine - it smells SO GORGEOUS!! (this image is from the web)

I planted some courgette seeds, in the hope that eventually I will be able to harvest the FLOWERS and make one of my favourite recipes - STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS.:P

Then I planted some marigolds...
And finally harvested some lovely rocket (rucola) to have with my lunch.

Some wisteria to feast your eyes on...it's in our garden in Italy.

I decided to expand the blog to write about many of the other things that interest me, so I've changed the title as well. Is there some way to integrate all these interests, I wonder???!!

Oh well, in answer to my own question, I just found this blog called Gardening with the Arts!

Went to Chelsea Flower Show on Wednesday ....poured with rain the whole time!! :' I was struck by the irony of all the drought-resistant gardens threatened with flooding...
The graphics here are not mine, as I haven't got the photos back yet...they are from the RHS Webpage.
OK, the first thing I bought was an RHS T-Shirt!! Which turned out to be very useful when I got home, as I was literally soaked to the skin, and had to towel myself dry and find some clean dry clothes to put on...so I was glad I'd bought the T-Shirt!
During the short period when it wasn't raining, we took the opportunity to look at the Show Gardens.

(

Thomas Hampson prepares for last three stops on 11-city Library of Congress “Song of America” Tour
The widely acclaimed project, featuring song recitals, exhibits from Library, extensive community and educational outreach, concludes with performances in Chicago (May 28), Omaha (May 31), and San Jose (June 3)

“Mr. Hampson conveys the idea of an oral tradition that it is his mission to pass on, with the closed-eyed intensity of a blind poet when he is singing and the zeal of an evangelist when he is addressing the audience about its cultural heritage.”
– Anne Midgette/The New York Times

June 3: California Theatre, San Jose, California (Wolfram Rieger, piano)

The programme for the forthcoming season is available:
http://info.royaloperahouse.org/season/index.cfm?ccs=985

FRIENDS OF COVENT GARDEN booking opened yesterday - we lesser mortals have to wait till 13th. June
I am particularly pleased that there are to be further performances of LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK....conducted by ANTONIO PAPPANO, my absolutely favourite conductor!!

(Review of a recital in New York...wish I could have been there!)
A Big Voice Inaugurates a Smallish Concert Hall
By ANTHONY TOMMASINI
It's not often that concertgoers in New York can hear a singer of the renown of the baritone Thomas Hampson in a recital hall that seats only 280. But the Morgan Library and Museum, which this weekend opened the doors to a splendid new pavilion that unites its existing and expanded building, wanted to call attention to a special component of its new campus: Gilder Lehrman Hall, a new space for chamber music, recitals, lectures and readings. So the Morgan secured the services of Mr. Hampson, along with the pianist Craig Rutenberg, a noted accompanist and opera coach, and the Vermeer String Quartet, to inaugurate the hall with an engaging program on Tuesday night.

New York has few intimate and acoustically appealing halls in the 250-seat range. The Morgan is hoping that its handsome space — designed, like the pavilion, by the architect Renzo Piano — will become a valuable resource. It usually takes concertgoers (this one, at least) time to assess the acoustics and qualities of a new hall. But it's clear from the get-go that this one will be welcomed by the music lovers in the city.

It is located in the lower basement area of the new complex. You enter through the airy glass-enclosed pavilion and can either walk down an elegant winding staircase or take the roomy elevators. The hall is raked at a steep angle, which means that sightlines are excellent from every seat. The stage area can be reconfigured so that the hall can accommodate 240 to 280 people.

The walls are made of lovely cherry wood, and the cushioned seats are colored what could be called Roman Catholic Cardinal Red. Those who like their mattresses extra firm will be at home in these seats. The Morgan might have chosen to eliminate two or three rows to create a bit more legroom. At just over six feet, I was comfortable. But those who are as tall as, say, Mr. Hampson may feel cramped. Because of the significant slope of the raked floor, the back rows do feel somewhat far from the stage for such an essentially intimate space. Still, the hall is inviting and attractive.

So the big question, as always: How are the acoustics? In designing the hall Mr. Piano worked with Eckhard Kahle of Kahle Acoustics in Brussels. As in many modern halls, the acoustics are bright and resonant, rather than warm and rich. The Vermeer Quartet began the program with Schumann's String Quartet in A (Op. 41, No. 3). It is always involving to hear a string quartet up close, and the sound enveloped you the way it never can in a large recital hall.

Still, at times there was a strident quality to the string sound. How much of this was attributable to the playing of the Vermeer Quartet is hard to say. Its performance of this impetuous work had lots of character and energy. But the musicians may have been compensating for some shakiness in execution by digging in and playing with extra grit.

Mr. Hampson then joined the Vermeer for a performance of Samuel Barber's "Dover Beach," a ruminative 10-minute setting for baritone and string quartet of a Mathew Arnold poem. Mr. Hampson's virile voice easily filled the hall. No text was provided in the program, but none was needed, because Mr. Hampson, with his crisp enunciation, made every word clear.

Then he reappeared with Mr. Rutenberg for a group of German songs. In principle, there is no reason Mr. Hampson should not have sung out fully, as he did, and as he will next week, when he takes on the role of Amfortas in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Wagner's "Parsifal." He seldom gets to sing in spaces this intimate, and he seemed to be enjoying the chance the let his voice bounce off the walls.

On the other hand there is something to be said for scaling down your voice to suit a space. Too often, for my taste, Mr. Hampson oversang.

In the first offering, "Der Lindenbaum" from Schubert's "Winterreise," he shaped the phrases with subtlety and elegance. But he bellowed during "Das Irdische Leben" from Mahler's "Des Knaben Wunderhorn." The performance was terrifying in two senses. The song is a horrific tale of a starving child pleading with its mother for food, and Mr. Hampson conveyed the desperation in the music. But it was also terrifying to hear this essential baritone push his voice with such force.

Mr. Hampson showed why he is a respected Mahler singer in the poignant "Wo die Schönen Trompeten Blasen," which tells of a maiden and her lover parting as distant trumpets call the young man to war. Mr. Hampson sang tenderly, while at the piano Mr. Rutenberg voiced the pungent harmonies beautifully. He also brought a lovely touch to the rippling runs of Strauss's "Heimliche Aufforderung," which Mr. Hampson sang with fervent intensity.

Before turning to a group of American songs, Mr. Hampson paid tribute to the Morgan as an institution of immeasurable value and told the audience that the original manuscripts of the German songs he had just sung were all part of the Morgan's renowned collection.

Mr. Hampson has been touring the United States this season with a program of little-known American songs, a project sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution. Here he offered samplers with songs by Henry Thacker Burleigh, Edward MacDowell and Charles Ives, an arrangement of the traditional "Shenandoah" and one of Copland's "Old American Songs." Again, his singing was hardy and involving, though his earthy tones sometimes turned coarse as he sent fortissimo notes soaring.

There is great potential in Gilder Lehrman Hall. But as with a new instrument, a new hall must be broken in, and musicians have to learn how to play it.

I note the avid fascination with which you have all been following this!
nevertheless, I feel it incumbent upon me to mention that I did gain 278 votes in my ward (Belsize) and that we now have 2 Green Councillors in Highgate Ward!
And there are SIX Green councillors in Lewisham

(Reuters article, posted from Yahoo)

Eco-friendly, urban and full of bicycles – the city of Oxford might just be David Cameron's perfect target seat for this May's local elections. But, the Conservatives have managed to win just one seat on the city council in the last ten years, and the real battle next month is likely to be between Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and of course, the Greens.

Oxford is one of the Green party's strongholds – they hold six council seats, which may be less than Labour's 21 and the Lib Dems' 17, but a few years ago they managed to oust the Labour leader and now have high hopes for May 4th.
Given the history of social and environmental movements in Oxford , it is unsurprising that the Greens have done so well here, and council group leader Craig Simmons admits many voters "do feel close to us ideologically".

However, the 47-year-old believes local politics is more about issues on the ground, such as affordable housing and recycling schemes, and how councillors perform, rather than any idea about what the Greens stand for as a national party.
"The background of course gave us a foothold, but once we started to get elected, people realised we were good local councillors – we generated our own momentum," he told politics.co.uk.

"Young professionals and students do tend to vote on more national issues, but our core voters come from people concerned by local issues."

There is an argument that having such a strong Green party makes local politics a bit more exciting, giving people a chance to back policies that are not represented at a national level by the three main parties at Westminster.

However, Cllr Simmons insists the key to local democracy is engaging with the voters and taking decisions based on their experiences – a position the leader of the council, Labour's Alex Hollingsworth, supports.

"It isn't that existence of small parties that makes politics in Oxford vibrant – the two large parties are both fully active and engaged on the doorstep," the 37-year-old said.

Cllr Hollingsworth also questions whether the history of environmentalism in Oxford necessarily benefits the Greens – all councillors in the city, regardless of their party, are drawn out of that same history, he notes, and should reflect the community.

"The electorate to whom we are all speaking to are perhaps more aware of some issues – but parties draw their activists from that same background. It is an inevitable consequence of any community whose opinions skew from the normal," he argued.

So do local elections bear any resemblance to national politics, or are they purely based on voters' experiences of their local environment?

The Conservatives may have held just one seat in the last ten years in Oxford city – and then only for two years – but they control the county council, with the Greens holding just four seats. Then again, none of the Tory seats are in Oxford itself.

At a parliamentary level, the picture is also mixed - Lib Dem Evan Harris is the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, but the Tories came in second place in the last two general elections, with the Greens struggling to get more than four per cent of the vote.

Meanwhile, in Oxford East, where Labour's Andrew Smith is the MP, the Lib Dems have been in second place since 2001 but the Conservatives have each time polled at least four times as many votes as the Greens.

The Greens' success in Oxford may therefore be less to do with their appeal to eco-friendly voters, and more to do with an ability, like their Lib Dem and Labour council colleagues, to simply get the job done. Which is probably how it should be.

Election Message BoardsLocal elections - what's your big issue? Tue, 02 May 2006 12:52:55 GMT
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Hilarious story from the new Italian parliament;
ITALY'S TRANSGENDER MP FIGHTS TOILET "APARTHEID"
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/04052006/80-132/italy-s-transgender-mp-fights-toilet-apartheid.html#

I am waiting for the count in Somers Town Sports Centre - I stood for the Green Party.
Anyone else involved today?

Thought you might like to see this picture of the wisteria in the garden of our house near Livorno, in Tuscany.

Royal Opera House,Covent Garden
Richard Wagner, GOETTERDAEMMERUNG,
Saturday 30th. April 2006

************
Musically, this performance was something approaching a triumph for
Antonio Pappano, the orchestra and some of the singers. Visually it was
perhaps not quite so satisfactory, although there were some inspired
lighting effects and stage images.
Pappano adopted a leisurely, expansive tempo at the beginning, though not
too leisurely; well-paced is perhaps the best way of describing his
approach. After the Norns' scene, the Dawn starts almost tentatively,
building up to a burst of orchestral sunlight, and this was reflected on
the stage, as the darkness dissipates and a bird is seen hovering over the
stage; one of Wotan's ravens, perhaps?
What I especially love about Pappano's conducting is the detailed
attention to every nuance of orchestral shading and the emphasis on the
qualities of the individual instruments - never drowning out the singers
and never being overwhelmed by them - not even by the Brunnhilde, Lisa
Gasteen! I remember noting that in SIEGFRIED her voice sounded warm and
mellifluous; here the steely brightness is more in evidence, her high
notes in Act II really sliced the air! The Immolation Scene was one of the
most convincing I have seen. The statues of the gods have been present on
the stage since the Wedding Scene in Act II, and during the Immolation,
which culminated in a very satisfying conflagration, they are consumed in
the flames - except for the statue of Wotan, which Brunnhilde covers with
a veil as she sings "Ruhe, ruhe du Gott!" and weeps - so movingly that I
felt tears pricking my eyelids too!
The Siegfried, John Treleaven, was not really a match for Gasteen, but his
performance was quite satisfactory, without having any special features
that can be highlighted. I liked the way the opening scene for Siegfried
and Brunnhilde was staged, with a lot of embracing and kissing, so that we
can see how deeply in love they are.
John Tomlinson as Hagen was effortlessly dominating - he has such stage
presence that he just has to sit there for the audience to realise that
Hagen is the dominant one in the Gibichung family! His characterisation of
Hagen has a certain grim humour; he does actually laugh sarcastically at
the end of his monolgue. He is then present on the stage until the end of
Act I; he does not seem to pay any attention to Waltraute's Narration
(this was well performed by Mihoko Fujimura), but after the final scene,
when Siegfried removes the Tarnhelm and announces his intention to place
his sword between himself and Brunnhilde, Hagen gets up and lifts his
chair above his head in triumph.
This brings me to one of the points I very much disliked about the staging
(and everyone I spoke to during the interval agreed with me); Siegfried
comes back, not disguised as Gunther, but WITH GUNTHER. That is, Gunther
himself is present on stage, while Siegfried is ALSO there, wearing the
Tarnhelm. This of course makes nonsense, not only of this scene, but of
Act II; the whole point is that IT ISN'T REALLY GUNTHER! And if it IS
really Gunther, then HE has the Ring all along...no-one could see the
reasoning behind this. I gave up on it and watched Pappano in the pit
instead - a much more rewarding experience!
Another failure of the production was the horse's skull, which Brunnhilde
first hands to Siegfried as he sets off for his Rhine Journey, and which
he hands to Hagen - which produces a wave of giggles and titters in the
audience. Brunnhilde has it in her hands at the end, for "Grane, mein
Ross, sei mir gegruesst!" No-one could see the point of this either -
unless it was to provoke a cheap laugh, which it did.
But other aspects of the staging were much better - such as the curtain
covered with mathematical symbols and a swirling galaxy, before which the
Norns enacted their scene, and which also served as the backdrop for the
Hagen/Alberich scene. The lighting effects and projections were very
impressive, for instance for Siegfried's Rhine Journey, there was a
projection of the swirling waters of a river.
I am looking forward to seeing the whole Ring Cycle in 2007, but I think
some work still needs to be done on the actual staging. (PLEASE get rid of
the horse's skull!)
Dr. Jane Susanna ENNIS
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/wagner.html
http://members.fortunecity.co.uk/leonora/ring1.html