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Oh I do like this cartoon one of my tenors GA sent me. He drew it after last month’s singing adventure by the sea in  Wales  organised by the marvellous Roxane Smith.  We were a mixed bag of singers from  all parts of Wales, Lancaster, Exmoor, London and other exotic places.

It was billed as a weekend of ‘pop,’ led by ‘yours truly’. A very small handful of people seemed a bit shocked that we were singing pop and not gregorian chants…strange – possibly not read the small print. Some great new friendships were made…some were not…ha ha. That’s me in the middle, waving my arms about, trying to be in charge, drawn to a ‘T’… with my regulation check shirt on…( note to all arm wavers, check and tartan are good patterns to wear – disguising  buckets of sweat in their multitude of colours and stripes. ) GA has possibly gone for a  little exaggeration in the ‘swooning’ of the sopranos over the basses, but there was a little going on, one particular bass  nearly got kidnapped and taken to Lancaster.

SONG OF THE DAY   Viva La Vida -Coldplay

We learned and  sung this in 4 part acapella during the weekend. For some reason a couple of men, closer to the age of Coldplay, took a dislike to this song. When I went back to London and I told a bunch of kids of about 8 and 9 olds from an inner city school that some people did not like this song, they were disgusted! How could anyone dislike ‘Viva La Vida!’? Ah!!!!

So 2 versions today. The original( 99 million hits on youtube!!) and the other by PS22, a bunch of fantastic inner city kids   in New York ( nearly 3 million hits)…well worth watching both as it gives you a focus on the song…..which is, in my humble opinion a great piece of writing.

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CBNC

For those of you who missed the campaign I started this time last year …CBNC…Chocolate Bunnies No Cruelty, I am just going to remind you, because this week thousands, nay millions of chocolate bunnies will have been   unecessarily eaten alive! Join me. Get a t-shirt, (though there are few left as so many people have joined me on the campaign) make a banner, protest anywhere where the bunnies are being savaged, particularly by the under fives.

Consuming bars of chocolate whole is one thing, but eating chocolate bunnies, I am sorry, it is a different thing all together!  This weekend, all over the world, if you listen hard enough you will hear their screams. I know, I know, I am not  a total innocent in  all this.

Just because I have had no chocolate for a year,  does not mean  that historically I am innocent of crimes against the chocolate bunny and I am aware that in the past I also created misery and pain for the ‘Cuniculus Theobroma Cacao’ family, and for that, I am sorry.

SONG OF THE DAY

April Showers -Mel Torme

Those were the days eh? No snow or tropical weather in April. You knew where you were with the old fashioned April shower.


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Wow! Dublin Zoo was so cool. Huge expanses of water everywhere make it seem like there are no animals in cages. They have elephants! Hurrah. I miss the hefalumps at London Zoo so it has been an age since I have been so close to one of my creased friends. Also it makes the Gorilla World at London Zoo look like a very small bedroom in comparison to a whole stately home. The gorillas live on a big island and look really relaxed. Here is a bit of  video  of what I think are some chimps just padding about a bit. The other cool thing about the zoo in Dublin was when I showed my London Zoo card and wondered if I might get a little discount, I got in free! yipee. I wonder if London Zoo is so hospitable to overseas visitors…….I will find out.

Song of the Day –Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

I was  the paint shop  again this morning as I am decorating my office, which is taking days as it was painted shades of purple and orange, which are a bucket to cover up with brilliant white…we are talking coats and coats. The young man who mixed my paint ( oh I am having a bit of yellow too) mentioned that he had this song in his head…I told him about the German word ‘earworm’ for a song that gets stuck going round and round your head. He told me he has had this song in his head for at least a month and the annoying thing is that he can only remember the first line…now that is annoying. He  knew the second line was something to do with red and that that it rhymed!