Soledad's Journal

Right now it's 3°C outside. It seemed warmer from within because the weather was nice and sunny, so I almost left for choir practice with my lighter waistcoat. Fortunately, I told myself that I can always take off the thermal one if it proves too much - but I couldn't put on something else if the one I'm wearing doesn't prove enough. So I left wearing the thermal waistcoat and was grateful for my foresight. It was nice indeed but really chilly.

I still don't like our Christmas concert programme, even though I've got a small part of contralto solo in Coventry carol. The only piece I really really love is Panis Angelicus - that piece nearly makes me cry every single time. I miss German Christmas songs from our repertoire. Our school specifies in teaching German, so it would be only fitting, but for some reason our choir leader believes that German isn't a language fit for music. Eenie (who is also a German teacher) and I disagree but we don't make the decisions. Too bad; Maria durch ein Dornwald geht and Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, for example, are stunning in multivocal version. :(

Anyway, not much else happened today. Mum had a visit from the physiotherapist lady, I decorated my Ingwerkracher and put them out onto the balcony, so that the icing can harden before I put them into boxes... and that was basically it.

In other words: Dani's quiet book is all but finished. The only thing I still have to do is to fasten the clasps that will close it, and I'll be done. *wipes forehead* I hope to do that tomorrow, and then there will be a picture, honest!

Other than that, I made mushroom goulash for lunch, Mum had a visit from the physiotherapist and I went to choir practice. A busy day but a very good one.

PS: We are singing some 20th-century pieces right now, by Kodály, Daróczi Bárdos and other modern Hungarian componists, so it is exciting. Even though I prefer older music styles, with more harmonics in them.

One of the Oldies sent the link to the entire choir. Watch it, it's hilarious and very intelligent at the same time, I think. I for my part was in tears I laughed so hard.

I've made surprisingly good progress today; I'm beginning to hope that I actually might finish the whole project during this week. The photos of this batch aren't as good as the previous ones - I should have put the dolls in front of a light-coloured background - but you can see what they are like nonetheless. Even if the pictures aren't exactly true.

The outer layer:



The middle layer:



The inner layer:



In other news, we started choir practice with the main choir as well. Since the Russian-themed ball is less than a month away, it was Russian folk songs and choir pieces all along. It was very pleasant - I love Russian music very much.

I also translated more than two pages and hope to finish this chapter in a couple of days, too. So I'm fairly content with this day's accomplishments, even though I'm a bit tired.

My choir #2 (aka the Oldies) invited the children's choir of our school for a pre-Christmas get-together today. The kids were ecstatic, of course, as it meant they were allowed to leave school (and miss at least 3 lessons), not to mention lots and lots of home-made cakes and cookies. Even though they went right for the candy and the chips. *shakes head* Today's youth really doesn't know what's good for them.

In any case, it was a lovely morning. Both the kiddies and the Oldies sang a great number of Christmas carols, then we sang them together, as there were a lot of them both groups knew. Uncle Paul (one of the oldest of the Oldies) played his zither, to the great delight of the kiddos, and the lady who plays the piano when the kiddies sing brought her guitar and taught them some new songs, and there were small gifts exchanged... The Oldies really, really know how to throw a party.

Of course, since our choir leader had no idea how to get to the community house where the whole thing took place - people who drive a car can be amazingly clueless and unable to navigate when using public transportation - I had to go to the school first and pick them up, and then had to escort them back to school, so it was half past one when I finally got home, dead on my feet. Have you tried to board public transport with 37 kids, most of them under 10? Well... it is an adventure, even though they were really well-behaved... for kids.

Still, I was very happy that I had already baked my cakes for tomorrow's Christmas party (with choir #1 this time), so I could collapse on my bed for some more hand-stitching in front of the telly.

I'm working on the remaining Santa's socks, just for fun, since I had cut out twice as many pieces as I could finished before the fair. It is really relaxed work now; I finish as many as I can comfortably finish till Christmas Eve and put them on the tree. And if I can't finish them all (which is very likely at the moment), then they will go onto the tree later. We always keep the tree from Christmas Eve well into January, so there's no need to hurry.

BTW - can someone tell me how I could download videos from a shared Google drive? We have great records from both concerts, but I can't link them from there - or can I?

Namely the one with the school choir. It went very well. I got my shared solo parts and only messed up once, but it was a minor thing and nobody spotted it. I hope someone will put up a video to YouTube or whatnot that I can link for you, ladies. We sang beautiful pieces.

Many colleagues (inclusive retired ones) came to hear us. Mum came, too, of course; and we were lucky enough that one of the colleagues gave us a lift home afterwards.

Onward with the next concert tomorrow. *fingers crossed*

Addition:
Sorry for being behind with comments lately. The stress was getting at me, big time. I hope when the second concert is over, I'll be able to slow down a little and be a better friend.

Here is the link to the TV report made by the local channel about our concert last Sunday:

https://frissvideok.hu/regionalis/1229111-video-utravalo-korusmuvek-az-evangelikusoknal-20191202

There are interviews with our choir leader (the lady), the leader of the Chopin Choir (the guy) and the vicar of the church (recognizable by his clothing), as well as parts of the performance. We are the choir with the white tops, and I can sometimes be seen (not often, because the camera tends to show the conductor) on the far right; I'm the second one in the first row, next to the really short lady with the white bun.

wanderingmogwai, this one is for you!

First and foremost: a blessed pre-Christmas time to everyone!

We've broken out the Adventskranz and the Holzkrippe and lit the first candle with Mum today. I start feeling festive and nostalgic.

But actually, Advent started for us with the concert of the Oldies at local the Lutheran church. Another church from Békéscsaba, one of the larger country towns, was invited, and both choirs had a relatively short program of their own as well as two shared numbers. At the end we sang several traditional Christmas carols, together with the congregation, and had a cake and cookie orgy with the other choir in one of the adjoining rooms.

Mum came with me and enjoyed the concert very much. She was a bit frustrated, as she would have liked to try all the baked goodies but was afraid her weak stomach wouldn't agree with it, so she restricted herself to one sort. We then left fairly early after the concert, so that she wouldn't have to suffer in silence and I wouldn't over-indulge myself. *g*

We did have some of yesterday's disastrous shortbread cookies after coming home, though, so she could have some cookie fun, too.

I don't know if we'll have any records of the concert available - I hope so, since the local TV channel was there, but I don't know how public they'll be made online. If I can, I'll put up links later.

Okay, so we faced the finals with the Oldies and achieved second place. According to our choir leader it was to be expected: there is one choir with an insanely competitive leader who does everything to win, every single year. We, OTOH, just enjoy singing and the company. I'm totally okay with that.

Being Friday, we also had choir practice with my main choir. This is the day where always just a few are present, as the ones teaching in lower primary usually work at the time. But we did some quality work on the Messias chorus by Händel and the triumphal march from Verdi's Aida, so it was good. Sometimes it's nice to work with just a few people; you can achieve more.

In the afternoon, I worked a lot on the XL-sized Christmas Elves DeLuxe: I made their little pointy hats with the fur lining and the stars on it and the embroidery. I also figured out how to make fast and easy pine trees for the Advent desk decoration piece I've promised for A by the end of the month. And even managed to translate a bit more than a page from "The Sins of the Mother.

I'd say it was a successful day.

Because I've promised it to meathiel

From 2009 - I'm the second one in the first row on the far right. Recognizable by the enormous blouse collar. *g*


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