The weekend passed very quickly and was most enjoyable.
On Saturday I went with Geoff and Julie and the kids, to Newcastle which is about a 40 minute drive from Durham. We went to the Northern Children's Book Festival Gala Day, at Newcastle Civic Centre . http://www.ncbf.co.uk/
The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the 10 library services in the region.
This free event is OPEN to all and is the largest annual reading celebration for young people in Europe. It gave children the opportunity to meet 10 of their favourite authors and illustrators, bringing the world of books to life via interactive sessions held throughout the day. The fabulous line up includes: Steve Barlow & Steve Skidmore, Steve Weatherill, Korky Paul, Debi Gliori, Julia Donaldson, Steve Cole, Julia Golding, Liz Million, Jeremy Strong, David Almond and Nick Butterworth.
It was a fantastic event and I talked with some of the librarians , took photos etc . the kids loved it, as each library service had a theme and there was a craft or activitiy associated with it.
After an hour os so here we headed to the main shopping street, in absolutely freezing weather and looked in Fenwick's Dept Store window at the Christmas display which is 'Oliver' this year. Absolutely magical for the children . Then we had an early dinner at Luigi's Italian restaurant and headed back to Durham . Temperature was zero degrees.
Woke up Sunday morning to SNOW covered houses, cars and gardens. Most picturesque.
Went to the 11a.m. service at St Oswald's and sang in the choir with Geoff. Back to their place for a quick lunch and then off to the school hall for a mini-fete , at which I helped on the bookstall (can't get away) Lot's of fun, but don't ask me how much I spent trying to win a bottle of wine - you had to choose three bottles for a pound and some were only filled with water. If you got one filled with wine - it was your's. Three goes later...
Barbara and I had dinner at home that night. she had driven to Barnsley for the day to visit a terminally ill friend and then she had more pupils in the evening, because of their exams the next day. Still very cold, but snow melting.
Monday was the worst day for weather, that I have encountered. Freezing winds and driving rain and sleet -yuk. I ventured out fro a couple of hours, but retreated and spent the rest of the day doing research from music magazines of Barbara's for my project.
In the evening I went along to listen to a rehearsal for the Durham singers which both Geoff and Barbara sing in. http://www.avfj47.dsl.pipex.com/ They are rehearsing for a Christmas program.
Today I have been to Newcastle by train (15 minutes) and wandered around by myself . Started off at the Lit and Phil http://www.litandphil.org.uk/html_pages/LP_home.html - such a truly British organization.
The music library at the Lit & Phil is one of the largest in the North East, with an extensive collection of classical, jazz and folk music, together with a good collection of spoken word (audio books). The collection includes:
Recorded music
7,000 CDs: classical, jazz, folk and spoken word (audio books)
Music DVDs and videos
CD-ROM sheet music
LPs and 78s
Printed music
5,500 scores
Miniature scores
Sheet music
Related material
Books on music
The Grade II* listed building was opened in 1825 and the magnificent reading rooms remain largely unchanged. Our collection is coupled with an extensive set of periodicals, providing an exceptional resource for both general reader and academic researcher.
In addition to the library, the Society hosts a wide range of events including book launches, concerts, lectures, readings and workshops that cover a variety of topics and issues. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend these events, which are mostly free.
After looking around St Nicholas Cathedral http://www.newcastle-ang-cathedral-stnicholas.org.uk/ , grabbing a sandwich and having a quick chat with the guys who were tuning the organ for the next day's national broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 I headed for the Quayside and walked across the Milennium Bridge to 'The Sage' and its library 'ExploreMusic' .
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday 21st
Have just spent a frustrating time trying to get my little blue machine to work, but...
Anyway, off out into the cold now to walk home . We had snow showers today, briefly.
slept in this morning and then went with Barbara to another church hall lunch and met some more interesting people. Then I've been in the library all afternoon !!!
Last night after dinner at the McIntyre's I went with Geoff to choir practice at St Oswald's. Similar standard to St Paul's so i felt quite at home. We did some of the Byrd 4 part mass , Tye'O come ye servants', Morely 'Out of the deep amongst' other things. Then it was off to the pub, as all good choirs do, for a well earned drink at 'The Duke of Wellington.'
Won't be updating over the weekend as too busy !
Anyway, off out into the cold now to walk home . We had snow showers today, briefly.
slept in this morning and then went with Barbara to another church hall lunch and met some more interesting people. Then I've been in the library all afternoon !!!
Last night after dinner at the McIntyre's I went with Geoff to choir practice at St Oswald's. Similar standard to St Paul's so i felt quite at home. We did some of the Byrd 4 part mass , Tye'O come ye servants', Morely 'Out of the deep amongst' other things. Then it was off to the pub, as all good choirs do, for a well earned drink at 'The Duke of Wellington.'
Won't be updating over the weekend as too busy !
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday 20th
I'm feeling very settled up here in Durham and have been blessed with fine weather foor the past three days. However, snow showers are forecast for the weekend!
Yesterday, I had a pleasant time writing postcards and letters in the morning and then set off walking with my friend , Barbara, to a lunch in a church hall which happens every Wednesday for just £2.50. there were some very interesting people there, including the OZ cricketer , Michael Slater's aunty. Then I walled to the library and did more emailing etc and had a bit more of a browse. The non-fiction collection is quite limited actually, which surprised me. Beleive it or not, I took a book out.
I went to the Cathedral for Evensong and the choir was excellent. They sang Watson in E and Howells ' Hymn to St Cecilia' which I had not encountered before and was absolutely magnificent. Then I walked back home - half an hour walk- and had an evening watching TV while Barbara taught her music students.
Today she has gone to a school to teach and I am back at the library and now off to a lunchtime Leider Recital at the Music School here which is part of the university.
Tonight I am going to my friends the McIntyres ( Geoff and Julie) for dinner and then to choir practice at St Oswalds , their church, where I am going to sing on Sunday. Am looking forward to spending time with their two delightful children- Millie nearly 7 and Oscar who is 4.
Yesterday, I had a pleasant time writing postcards and letters in the morning and then set off walking with my friend , Barbara, to a lunch in a church hall which happens every Wednesday for just £2.50. there were some very interesting people there, including the OZ cricketer , Michael Slater's aunty. Then I walled to the library and did more emailing etc and had a bit more of a browse. The non-fiction collection is quite limited actually, which surprised me. Beleive it or not, I took a book out.
I went to the Cathedral for Evensong and the choir was excellent. They sang Watson in E and Howells ' Hymn to St Cecilia' which I had not encountered before and was absolutely magnificent. Then I walked back home - half an hour walk- and had an evening watching TV while Barbara taught her music students.
Today she has gone to a school to teach and I am back at the library and now off to a lunchtime Leider Recital at the Music School here which is part of the university.
Tonight I am going to my friends the McIntyres ( Geoff and Julie) for dinner and then to choir practice at St Oswalds , their church, where I am going to sing on Sunday. Am looking forward to spending time with their two delightful children- Millie nearly 7 and Oscar who is 4.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday 18th
Am safely in Durham having negotiated the bus and two tubes across London to Kings Cross station with my heavy luggage. Not bad for an old lady, eh ! One of the advantages of my age is that people are actually offering to help me - there are gentlemen even in London- so I am accepting.
The train up here was very comfortable and they even have wireless internet access -plug in ! however, my little blue machine had decided to loose its LAN network connection and although I have tried for an hour an a half today to fix it I have not succeeded.
My friend Barbara , who I am staying with, does not have a PC so I am sitting in- yes, you guessed it- Durham Library using one of theirs. They actually let overseas people join and I got a choice of card colour- pink, green , blue or purple- I chose the latter.
It is a very nice library, which is quite new, about 5 years old. It is very quiet here on the Reference floor - there are three floors.
Durham is lovely and the weather is bright and sunny, but cold. Or , rather , it was today. It gets dark about 4p.m. so have to leave soon. I have explored some lovely shops today and now will go home for the evening.
The train up here was very comfortable and they even have wireless internet access -plug in ! however, my little blue machine had decided to loose its LAN network connection and although I have tried for an hour an a half today to fix it I have not succeeded.
My friend Barbara , who I am staying with, does not have a PC so I am sitting in- yes, you guessed it- Durham Library using one of theirs. They actually let overseas people join and I got a choice of card colour- pink, green , blue or purple- I chose the latter.
It is a very nice library, which is quite new, about 5 years old. It is very quiet here on the Reference floor - there are three floors.
Durham is lovely and the weather is bright and sunny, but cold. Or , rather , it was today. It gets dark about 4p.m. so have to leave soon. I have explored some lovely shops today and now will go home for the evening.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday
Well, I still had the headache this morning but did not let it stop me. (nor theweather which is not exactly exciting) Headed off for the Greenwich Early Music Festival http://www.earlymusicshop.com/More/Greenwich_International_Early_Music_Festival.aspx
Went to Festival Eucharist. Old Royal Naval College Choir and Consortium5, directed by Sean Farrell .Music by William Byrd and William Turner in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. Looked at the exhibitions and then completed my day at a harpsichord recital -Robin Bigwood plays new Italian & Flemish harpsichpords by Andrew Wooderson. Pieces by Fresobaldi, Purcell, J S Bach & Della Ciaja. Fantastic.
Off to Durham tomorrow.
Went to Festival Eucharist. Old Royal Naval College Choir and Consortium5, directed by Sean Farrell .Music by William Byrd and William Turner in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. Looked at the exhibitions and then completed my day at a harpsichord recital -Robin Bigwood plays new Italian & Flemish harpsichpords by Andrew Wooderson. Pieces by Fresobaldi, Purcell, J S Bach & Della Ciaja. Fantastic.
Off to Durham tomorrow.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday 15th
Still had a headache when I woke up , unfortunately and have had it all day. Liz Hart had rung and invited me to go to a concert this evening, but sadly, I decided it was better to stay home and regroup.
Caught the bus to Sainsbury's and did some grocery shopping and have just been catching up on my emails and blog etc. Just about to attack sorting all my paperwork, as I'm off up to Durham on Monday for nearly three weeks.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Greenwich Early Music Festival , which is not far from here, at the Old Royal Naval College.
Caught the bus to Sainsbury's and did some grocery shopping and have just been catching up on my emails and blog etc. Just about to attack sorting all my paperwork, as I'm off up to Durham on Monday for nearly three weeks.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Greenwich Early Music Festival , which is not far from here, at the Old Royal Naval College.
Friday, 14th November
The weather had considerably improved and I went up to the British Library and met with Richard Chesser , the Head of Music and was shown around by Dr Rupert Ridgewell Curator, Music Collections. Both had been in Sydney for the IAML Conference in 2007 , so were very interested in my project and knew where I was coming from. Although not directly relevant , as this is not a lending library , it was good for me to see their resources and to know what is accessible on line . It was an amazing place http://www.bl.uk/
This department (Music Collections) of about 12 staff has responsibility for manuscript and printed sheet music only. Much of this material is historic, and for research purposes, for reference only, therefore. There is no separate collection of music literature - either monographs or periodicals - which therefore simply forms part of the general literature storage areas. (This makes sense when you realise that virtually none of the collections are available in the reading rooms on open access. Because there's no ability to browse along the shelves there's no need to store similar material together.) The sheet music lending collection is held at Boston Spa, Yorkshire about 200 milesaway.
Music sound recordings form part of the Sound Archive,(25 staff) which is a separate department.
Rupert took me into the depths of the stacks and showed me examples of the collection -original manuscripts and material dating back centuries. I was mind-blown.
Then he took me to the reading room(s) and showed me how the public use the library itself. There is some general reference material on shelves around the wall for browsing however they mostly request items from the stacks which are found by library assistants and sent up on a conveyer belt .This takes about 40 mins , as a rule. There is a collection desk and also an information desk for reference enquiries. The music area has listening posts in small booths.
Then I looked at the exhibition areas which were stunning and showed some really valuable items.
Rupert and I also discussed digitisation and electronic resources which was most useful. I really appreciated the time he and Richard had spent with me.
I ended my afternoon in the BL shop and had to resist the tempation to buy anything other than postcards.
It was dark andwindy when I came out after 4.30, so decided to make my way home , rather than rushing through the London crowds to go to Evensong at St Paul's which had been my original plan. It was only the men singing ,(no boy choristers) so I felt I was not missing much. As it was the crowds for trains and buses were horrendous and while the tubes come every few minutes and the service is good , there are just so many people.
Had a quiet night at home (with a headache)
This department (Music Collections) of about 12 staff has responsibility for manuscript and printed sheet music only. Much of this material is historic, and for research purposes, for reference only, therefore. There is no separate collection of music literature - either monographs or periodicals - which therefore simply forms part of the general literature storage areas. (This makes sense when you realise that virtually none of the collections are available in the reading rooms on open access. Because there's no ability to browse along the shelves there's no need to store similar material together.) The sheet music lending collection is held at Boston Spa, Yorkshire about 200 milesaway.
Music sound recordings form part of the Sound Archive,(25 staff) which is a separate department.
Rupert took me into the depths of the stacks and showed me examples of the collection -original manuscripts and material dating back centuries. I was mind-blown.
Then he took me to the reading room(s) and showed me how the public use the library itself. There is some general reference material on shelves around the wall for browsing however they mostly request items from the stacks which are found by library assistants and sent up on a conveyer belt .This takes about 40 mins , as a rule. There is a collection desk and also an information desk for reference enquiries. The music area has listening posts in small booths.
Then I looked at the exhibition areas which were stunning and showed some really valuable items.
Rupert and I also discussed digitisation and electronic resources which was most useful. I really appreciated the time he and Richard had spent with me.
I ended my afternoon in the BL shop and had to resist the tempation to buy anything other than postcards.
It was dark andwindy when I came out after 4.30, so decided to make my way home , rather than rushing through the London crowds to go to Evensong at St Paul's which had been my original plan. It was only the men singing ,(no boy choristers) so I felt I was not missing much. As it was the crowds for trains and buses were horrendous and while the tubes come every few minutes and the service is good , there are just so many people.
Had a quiet night at home (with a headache)
Thursday, 13th November
Went up to London in the afternoon to go to Evensong at Westminster Abbey at 5p.m. Dark and cold and rainy weather. However, there were a lot of people at the service and it was very good. I was fortunate to get a seat on the end of the pew right next to the boy sopranos. The only disappointing thing was that James O'Donnell, (Organist and Master of the choristers) who I had met at an Adelaide RSCM Summer School , was not conducting. It was a rather earnest youngish man , whose style was a little peculiar (to me , anyway) , but he certainly got the sound, so that is all that matters. They sang 'O Praise the Lord' by Batten as the Introit and the Mag and Nunc were Purcell in B flat, accompanied on a chamber organ in the aisle between the two sides of the choir. Responses by Ayleward and the Anthem by John Blow 'God is our hope and strength'. So it was very lovely and I introduced myself to Fr Graham Napier , one of the priests, who used to be at Christ Church St Laurence , in Sydney for a number of years. He has been very good to Anna and Matt and they have sung at the Abbey several times in a substitute choir when the boys and men have been on holidays. He said they are probably spending Christmas and New Year with him and he wll take them up the top of the Abbey Tower to see the London fireworks!
Then I waited outside in almost gale force conditions and met Craig Jones, my friend from Surrey Libraries. There had been a Library conference on RFID at the conference Centre opposite the Abbey , so we had arranged to meet up with Fiona Emberton (and Ian Spence )http://www.cilip.org.uk/interests/rfid/rfid2007/fionaemberton.html who was one of the speakers. I met Fiona when she was working at Brisbane City Libraries and 'Scottish' Susan was on her exchange, as they worked together in Scotland. Fiona and Ian are co-directors of Embervision , an Australian and UK based business specialising in library transformation and culture change. www.embervision.cc . We went to a nearby pub for dinner, which as it happened was full of other librarians who had been at the conference. It was a very interesting evening as Fiona and Ian told us all about their work . Their Australian clients include the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle and various public libraries , including the Adelaide Hills and Caloundra. They have also worked in NZ for Auckland City Council and several others as well as many prominent local authorities in the UK, including Westminster , Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Hopefully they will get some more work in Sydney and I can treat them in the style they are accustomed .
Then I waited outside in almost gale force conditions and met Craig Jones, my friend from Surrey Libraries. There had been a Library conference on RFID at the conference Centre opposite the Abbey , so we had arranged to meet up with Fiona Emberton (and Ian Spence )http://www.cilip.org.uk/interests/rfid/rfid2007/fionaemberton.html who was one of the speakers. I met Fiona when she was working at Brisbane City Libraries and 'Scottish' Susan was on her exchange, as they worked together in Scotland. Fiona and Ian are co-directors of Embervision , an Australian and UK based business specialising in library transformation and culture change. www.embervision.cc . We went to a nearby pub for dinner, which as it happened was full of other librarians who had been at the conference. It was a very interesting evening as Fiona and Ian told us all about their work . Their Australian clients include the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle and various public libraries , including the Adelaide Hills and Caloundra. They have also worked in NZ for Auckland City Council and several others as well as many prominent local authorities in the UK, including Westminster , Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Hopefully they will get some more work in Sydney and I can treat them in the style they are accustomed .
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday 12th
Slept in and went for a walk along the river to the shops . Then spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on my blog amongst other things.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday 11th
What a day...
Set off mid-morning for Dorking and the Surrey Performing Arts Library where I had an appointment with Peter Baxter, the Senior Librarian , there.
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+Performing+Arts+Library?opendocument
The library is attached to a Winery (why not?) http://www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk/ and is situated about 15 minutes walk from Dorking station, in the countryside.
The premises are quite crowded and as they lend a lot of performance score sets to local groups and via ILL there was a lot of public space taken up for this. Sets can be ordered on line. There is a large collection of librettos for musicals, miniature scores and chamber music for groups.
The library covers not just music , but dance ,theatre and cinema as well. As well as music scores they lend play sets to groups and they charge for this service, so as to generate income. It is £20 per annum for Surrey Groups and £25 for those outside Surrey.
Choral TV and Radio programs have boosted the interest in choir singing and so choral scores are very popular , as are enquiries about individual song titles. They also provide Jazz packs for Jazz ensembles , children's music sets and orchestral sets for schools.
There is not the same volume of material published for enquiries on Dance , however. The library receives a lot of enquiries re social dancing enquiries .
The Library has to purchase material through their ordinary suppliers ,which is a pity as there are so many specialist suppliers in the UK. As a result, they often have to wait lengthy amounts of time and often miss out on some of the better material .
The staffing consists of the Senior Librarian, a Librarian, the Library Manager (who organises the front desk etc) and one and a half library asssistants. There should be two and a half assistants, so they are working with ne person less than they should have. They have several volunteers , including the former Senior Librarian.
Upstairs is the Vaughan Williams room with special collections and displays . There is also a practice piano with headphones. There is a special Shakespeare collection
Sadly they do not have a lot of electronic resources and the Library Service does not subscribe to Grove on-line. It was axed from the overall budget and the Performing Arts Library does not have the money to fund it.
The Library has a very active 'Friends' Group which organise talks etc and help with funding.
There is a basement with storage space and the IAML Library is there. They also have a stack in a local drill hall.
Their community information area is in the foyer and features predominantly local groups of which there are many. It is great to have all this info. collected in the one place. They also have a 'Clash' Diary book in the foyer which I thought was a fantastic idea. Individuals and Groups can write performance dates and details in the diary and this helps to prevent the same music etc being performed on the same date or around the same time. This would certainly help in Sydney !
All in all, considering budget and staffing limitations, it was my impression that this library is a wonderful service for the general public. This impression was born out by the famous trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins who I met later that night at a concert, and as he had been in the library that morning, I discussed it with him briefly.
So, I had a very worthwhile visit to Dorking and headed back for London about 4p.m. (It is dark by 4.30 ) and made my way to Barbican tube station to attend an organ and trumpet recital at a very quaint institution called 'Charterhouse' It is a home for elderly gentlemen and the site was a priory in 1371 and consists of Tudor buildings etc. A truly British Institution.
The organist was David Hill, conductor of the London Bach Choir and the BBC Singers and formerly Director of Music at Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals, and St John's College , Cambridge. David has been to Australia 11 times and I first got to know him in 1989 at a Brisbane RSCM Summer School and again in 2005 at the Sydney Summer School.
Crispian Steele-Perkins, the trumpeter, has also been to Australia and my goddaughter and her husband got to meet him when he performed with them in Australian Baroque Brass. Since they moved to London he has given them work , so I really wanted to meet him, which I did.
The audience was not huge and the chapel is quite intimate . The organ is a Walker organ and a very fine instrument, although not easy to play.
The concert was wonderful and afterwards I was invited for drinks with the residents and then when that finished David and I met at the pub to catch up on news etc. He was impressed with my research project and thought it a very worthwhile thing to be doing.
So it was a lovely evening and I got home after midnight!
Set off mid-morning for Dorking and the Surrey Performing Arts Library where I had an appointment with Peter Baxter, the Senior Librarian , there.
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+Performing+Arts+Library?opendocument
The library is attached to a Winery (why not?) http://www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk/ and is situated about 15 minutes walk from Dorking station, in the countryside.
The premises are quite crowded and as they lend a lot of performance score sets to local groups and via ILL there was a lot of public space taken up for this. Sets can be ordered on line. There is a large collection of librettos for musicals, miniature scores and chamber music for groups.
The library covers not just music , but dance ,theatre and cinema as well. As well as music scores they lend play sets to groups and they charge for this service, so as to generate income. It is £20 per annum for Surrey Groups and £25 for those outside Surrey.
Choral TV and Radio programs have boosted the interest in choir singing and so choral scores are very popular , as are enquiries about individual song titles. They also provide Jazz packs for Jazz ensembles , children's music sets and orchestral sets for schools.
There is not the same volume of material published for enquiries on Dance , however. The library receives a lot of enquiries re social dancing enquiries .
The Library has to purchase material through their ordinary suppliers ,which is a pity as there are so many specialist suppliers in the UK. As a result, they often have to wait lengthy amounts of time and often miss out on some of the better material .
The staffing consists of the Senior Librarian, a Librarian, the Library Manager (who organises the front desk etc) and one and a half library asssistants. There should be two and a half assistants, so they are working with ne person less than they should have. They have several volunteers , including the former Senior Librarian.
Upstairs is the Vaughan Williams room with special collections and displays . There is also a practice piano with headphones. There is a special Shakespeare collection
Sadly they do not have a lot of electronic resources and the Library Service does not subscribe to Grove on-line. It was axed from the overall budget and the Performing Arts Library does not have the money to fund it.
The Library has a very active 'Friends' Group which organise talks etc and help with funding.
There is a basement with storage space and the IAML Library is there. They also have a stack in a local drill hall.
Their community information area is in the foyer and features predominantly local groups of which there are many. It is great to have all this info. collected in the one place. They also have a 'Clash' Diary book in the foyer which I thought was a fantastic idea. Individuals and Groups can write performance dates and details in the diary and this helps to prevent the same music etc being performed on the same date or around the same time. This would certainly help in Sydney !
All in all, considering budget and staffing limitations, it was my impression that this library is a wonderful service for the general public. This impression was born out by the famous trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins who I met later that night at a concert, and as he had been in the library that morning, I discussed it with him briefly.
So, I had a very worthwhile visit to Dorking and headed back for London about 4p.m. (It is dark by 4.30 ) and made my way to Barbican tube station to attend an organ and trumpet recital at a very quaint institution called 'Charterhouse' It is a home for elderly gentlemen and the site was a priory in 1371 and consists of Tudor buildings etc. A truly British Institution.
The organist was David Hill, conductor of the London Bach Choir and the BBC Singers and formerly Director of Music at Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals, and St John's College , Cambridge. David has been to Australia 11 times and I first got to know him in 1989 at a Brisbane RSCM Summer School and again in 2005 at the Sydney Summer School.
Crispian Steele-Perkins, the trumpeter, has also been to Australia and my goddaughter and her husband got to meet him when he performed with them in Australian Baroque Brass. Since they moved to London he has given them work , so I really wanted to meet him, which I did.
The audience was not huge and the chapel is quite intimate . The organ is a Walker organ and a very fine instrument, although not easy to play.
The concert was wonderful and afterwards I was invited for drinks with the residents and then when that finished David and I met at the pub to catch up on news etc. He was impressed with my research project and thought it a very worthwhile thing to be doing.
So it was a lovely evening and I got home after midnight!
Monday 10th
Today I met 'Scottish Susan' who had come to London to see me and also catch up with her brother. Susan works in Keith in Scotland for The Moray Council Library Service http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_1472.html
She did an exchange in Australia several years ago at Wollongong Library. Originally she had wanted to swap with me at Glebe, but Leichhardt Council did not approve it. So we became friends, anyway and had a great time when she was 'down under'
She came back for a holiday in Dec. 2004/5 and went to the RSCM Summer School .
We met at 10a.m. and had a fantastic 10 hours together , despite atrocious weather. We went to Lodon Bridge station and from there walked along the Thames, past the restored 'Golden Hinde' and on to the Globe Theatre , where we did a tour.
Had planned to go to a lunchtime recital at the Royal College of Music , but by the time we got there in the pouring rain and blustery conditions , we were too late, so only caught the very end.
Discovered the Library http://www.rcm.ac.uk/default.aspx?pg=2005 and proceeded to spend a couple of hours there , luxuriating in the collections etc.
Had a late lunch, early dinner and a couple of drinks before heading home. Susan's brother lives on the same tube line, so that was good. Yet another goodbye...
She did an exchange in Australia several years ago at Wollongong Library. Originally she had wanted to swap with me at Glebe, but Leichhardt Council did not approve it. So we became friends, anyway and had a great time when she was 'down under'
She came back for a holiday in Dec. 2004/5 and went to the RSCM Summer School .
We met at 10a.m. and had a fantastic 10 hours together , despite atrocious weather. We went to Lodon Bridge station and from there walked along the Thames, past the restored 'Golden Hinde' and on to the Globe Theatre , where we did a tour.
Had planned to go to a lunchtime recital at the Royal College of Music , but by the time we got there in the pouring rain and blustery conditions , we were too late, so only caught the very end.
Discovered the Library http://www.rcm.ac.uk/default.aspx?pg=2005 and proceeded to spend a couple of hours there , luxuriating in the collections etc.
Had a late lunch, early dinner and a couple of drinks before heading home. Susan's brother lives on the same tube line, so that was good. Yet another goodbye...
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th.
Glyn and Gwynn drove me over to a village called Kingston near Cambridge (an hour from Harpenden) to where Eve and Ben and their two little boys live. Eve was on my staff at Glebe for a couple of years, before going to Mosman Library to work. Ben is here in the UK for his job. They have Timothy, who is 18 months old and now Matthew who was one week old. It was great to see them, but poor Eve was still very sore and restricted from Matthew's difficult birth.
however, we trooped into Cambridge, as they needed to get Matthew's passport photo taken (unsuccessful , I might add) and I was able to have a look around.
In the evening Ben, Timothy and I went to the next village for the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display , which was fun.
On Sunday morning Ben drove me back into Cambridge so I could go to Mattins for Remembrance Day at King's College. However, while it was very good, it was a bit disappointing in that there was no conductor, except for the lay clerk in the back row of each side who kept the beat. Stephen Cleobury must have been away and did not get a replacement. So they did Anglican chant except for the Te Deum which was by Ireland and the anthem 'Greater Love' also by Ireland.
Came back to Kingston and sat around chatting etc until it was time for me to get the bus back to London. Bus travel, while it takes longer, is much more economical than the train ,and I got a 'funfare' for £4.50.
Home here in Woolwich about 7p.m.
however, we trooped into Cambridge, as they needed to get Matthew's passport photo taken (unsuccessful , I might add) and I was able to have a look around.
In the evening Ben, Timothy and I went to the next village for the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display , which was fun.
On Sunday morning Ben drove me back into Cambridge so I could go to Mattins for Remembrance Day at King's College. However, while it was very good, it was a bit disappointing in that there was no conductor, except for the lay clerk in the back row of each side who kept the beat. Stephen Cleobury must have been away and did not get a replacement. So they did Anglican chant except for the Te Deum which was by Ireland and the anthem 'Greater Love' also by Ireland.
Came back to Kingston and sat around chatting etc until it was time for me to get the bus back to London. Bus travel, while it takes longer, is much more economical than the train ,and I got a 'funfare' for £4.50.
Home here in Woolwich about 7p.m.
Thursday 5th, Friday 6th
We had a quiet day , relaxing and a visit to the nearby local deli . Late afternoon Joan drove me over to Harpenden to stay with my friends Glyn and Gwynn for the next two nights. I was very sad to say goodbye to Joan and Bill .
However, Glyn and Gwynn their dog Ruby and two week old kitten, Sophie, made me very welcome. I went to school with Glyn at St George Girls High for about three months when we were 14 . She came to OZ from South Africa and as her parents did not seem to settle anywhere for long , moved around until coming to England , where she was when I was here in 1970-71.
I went to her wedding to Gwynn, who is Welsh . They have four children , all with Welsh names , but only the youngest, Bethan (23) is still at home. Glyn was a teacher and has just also had to retire , as a result of a case of the extreme bullying and harrassment of her ,by some of the staff at her school. Not a happy scene, but we had a great time catching up and went to a pub for lunch on Friday to celebrate our recent big 'O' birthdays and a nice walk around Harpenden which looked lovely with all the autumn leaves.
However, Glyn and Gwynn their dog Ruby and two week old kitten, Sophie, made me very welcome. I went to school with Glyn at St George Girls High for about three months when we were 14 . She came to OZ from South Africa and as her parents did not seem to settle anywhere for long , moved around until coming to England , where she was when I was here in 1970-71.
I went to her wedding to Gwynn, who is Welsh . They have four children , all with Welsh names , but only the youngest, Bethan (23) is still at home. Glyn was a teacher and has just also had to retire , as a result of a case of the extreme bullying and harrassment of her ,by some of the staff at her school. Not a happy scene, but we had a great time catching up and went to a pub for lunch on Friday to celebrate our recent big 'O' birthdays and a nice walk around Harpenden which looked lovely with all the autumn leaves.
Monday, 3rd November & Tuesday 4th
Came back from Surrey this morning and Ernie had left forAustralia the night before, so the flat was mine. Caught upon my washing and other chores and packed to go to Hertfordshire the next day.
Caught the train this morning to Luton Airport Parkway and was met by my firends Joan and Bill. I had worked with Joan in Brent in the early 70's and we have been riends ever since. she has recently retired from the University Library in Luton. Bill does some work from home- he was originally an interior designer. They live in a small village called Breachwood Green . We went to a pub in a nearby village (as you do) for lunch . the countryside is beautiful and it was great to be away from the hurly burly of London. We spent a quiet evening in and after a a splendid dinner cooked by Chef Bill we settled down to watchQuiz shows on TV. As I had not seen any television up to this point it was good, as it gives one a fell for the 'culture' of the country. Must admit, if you thought 'Deal or no deal' is puerile in Oz, you should see the British one. However, they made up for it in the high standard of some of their other programs , which could become addictive !
On Wednesday Joan and I went into St Alban's for a look around. The weather was cold and rainy , but we were not daunted. Had a look around the St Alban's Library
http://www.hertsdirect.org/libsleisure/libraries/where/libs/sta which was actually quite ordinary and a little shabby.
We looked in the shops and had a peep in the Abbey, which I had been to before ,several times and headed home after lunch for another of Bill's famous recipes for dinner (fish pie) and more quiz shows etc. A fishmonger comes to the village in a van each week and Bill is a good customer.
Caught the train this morning to Luton Airport Parkway and was met by my firends Joan and Bill. I had worked with Joan in Brent in the early 70's and we have been riends ever since. she has recently retired from the University Library in Luton. Bill does some work from home- he was originally an interior designer. They live in a small village called Breachwood Green . We went to a pub in a nearby village (as you do) for lunch . the countryside is beautiful and it was great to be away from the hurly burly of London. We spent a quiet evening in and after a a splendid dinner cooked by Chef Bill we settled down to watchQuiz shows on TV. As I had not seen any television up to this point it was good, as it gives one a fell for the 'culture' of the country. Must admit, if you thought 'Deal or no deal' is puerile in Oz, you should see the British one. However, they made up for it in the high standard of some of their other programs , which could become addictive !
On Wednesday Joan and I went into St Alban's for a look around. The weather was cold and rainy , but we were not daunted. Had a look around the St Alban's Library
http://www.hertsdirect.org/libsleisure/libraries/where/libs/sta which was actually quite ordinary and a little shabby.
We looked in the shops and had a peep in the Abbey, which I had been to before ,several times and headed home after lunch for another of Bill's famous recipes for dinner (fish pie) and more quiz shows etc. A fishmonger comes to the village in a van each week and Bill is a good customer.
Another weekend
In Surrey again and it was All Saints Day and then all Souls. Sang Victoria 'O Quam Gloriosum ' mass and motet. Then headed to Norwood , for a three choir festival for three Pearson churches . (Bornmouth, norwood and Croydon)
Again I was priveleged to be able to sing in the choir of about 35 and do a number of motets interspersed by readings of poetry and the Bible , in a very moving service. The standard was extremly high and I loved every minute of it. They had a lady vicar - very groovy and at the wine and refreshments afterward said she would have loved to kick on with us as we were party girls. However she had a sermon to write.
Sunday- Mass in the morning . Durufle Requiem- yet anothe challenging sight read, but...
Then home to Lynette' where Bob had cooked a roast dinner - beef this time. then back for Evensong - Byrd's second service.
Again I was priveleged to be able to sing in the choir of about 35 and do a number of motets interspersed by readings of poetry and the Bible , in a very moving service. The standard was extremly high and I loved every minute of it. They had a lady vicar - very groovy and at the wine and refreshments afterward said she would have loved to kick on with us as we were party girls. However she had a sermon to write.
Sunday- Mass in the morning . Durufle Requiem- yet anothe challenging sight read, but...
Then home to Lynette' where Bob had cooked a roast dinner - beef this time. then back for Evensong - Byrd's second service.
Monday 27th- Friday 31st
Monday I came back to London and Ernie took me to be a tourist at the nearby Docklands area.
Tuesday, and I headed off for another library visit, this time to the Barbican Centre Music Library which is a branch of London City Libraries. Was met by Liz Wells, the Librarian and was amazed at the quality and amount of service they provide to the general public , for their music needs. My goddaughter and her husband belong to this library and as borrowers are also suitably impressed. As classical musicians, who are looking for work, and are no longer studying at an institution, this library is a godsend for them to borrow music for auditions etc. Being situated in a concert venue and such a beautiful setting, also certainly gives this library a distinct advantage. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/City_of_London_libraries/barbican_lib.htm
Headed up to Haringey to see Anna and as she had fallen down the stairs she was nursing a cracked rib. Not good for a singer, especially one who is coming bac to OZ to sing with Cantillation in the Pinchgut Opera. Anyway, we ate spag. bol. and Ernie came and picked me up to take me back to Woolwich. There was snow on the front of the train !!!!
Wednesday was not a good day, as there were dificulties with our NY booking and some other issues with travel cards which took hours to solve on a not very well explained website. I was stressed out by this and also my diminishing supplies of money , owing to the exchange rate being very different from when I applied for the grant, to come here.
Pulled myself together and went up to London to meet Craig Jones , who works for Surrey Libraries and did an exchange when I was working at Bankstown . We had a lovely time and an amazing co-incidence occurred. In the restaurant, a man who works at the NSW State Library was sitting next to us. He is from Serbia originally and was dining with an older woman who knew his parents in the war. She heard myAussie accent- (who says I am loud? ) and it went from there. It turned out she lived in Sutton, five minutes from Craig. Can't believe it is such a small world.
Thursday I was feeling a bit better and Ernie very kindly bought tickets to see 'The Sixteen' at South Bank. They were very good , but seem to have changed their style to bigger soprano voices, which is not actually my preference. However David Hill's daughter, Alison , did a solo and her voice was lovely.
I got Harry Christopher's ( the conductor) autograph on my program , which was very exciting as this group has always been one of my favourites.
Friday - and I was off to Westminster Music Library right near Victoria Station. Met with the Librarian Ruth Walters, and spent a very profitable couple of hours with her. Looked at all the services they provide to the general public, as they are a branch of Westminster City Libraries. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/
She and Liz from the Barbican have a good professional working relationship , so co-operation is important.
Ernie met me and then we went up to Harrow to meet up with former colleagues from Brent Libraries, where we worked 37 years ago. Both David and Kevin are now retired and Kevin's wife, Bing, cooked a lovely meal over which we remembered times past .
Tuesday, and I headed off for another library visit, this time to the Barbican Centre Music Library which is a branch of London City Libraries. Was met by Liz Wells, the Librarian and was amazed at the quality and amount of service they provide to the general public , for their music needs. My goddaughter and her husband belong to this library and as borrowers are also suitably impressed. As classical musicians, who are looking for work, and are no longer studying at an institution, this library is a godsend for them to borrow music for auditions etc. Being situated in a concert venue and such a beautiful setting, also certainly gives this library a distinct advantage. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/City_of_London_libraries/barbican_lib.htm
Headed up to Haringey to see Anna and as she had fallen down the stairs she was nursing a cracked rib. Not good for a singer, especially one who is coming bac to OZ to sing with Cantillation in the Pinchgut Opera. Anyway, we ate spag. bol. and Ernie came and picked me up to take me back to Woolwich. There was snow on the front of the train !!!!
Wednesday was not a good day, as there were dificulties with our NY booking and some other issues with travel cards which took hours to solve on a not very well explained website. I was stressed out by this and also my diminishing supplies of money , owing to the exchange rate being very different from when I applied for the grant, to come here.
Pulled myself together and went up to London to meet Craig Jones , who works for Surrey Libraries and did an exchange when I was working at Bankstown . We had a lovely time and an amazing co-incidence occurred. In the restaurant, a man who works at the NSW State Library was sitting next to us. He is from Serbia originally and was dining with an older woman who knew his parents in the war. She heard myAussie accent- (who says I am loud? ) and it went from there. It turned out she lived in Sutton, five minutes from Craig. Can't believe it is such a small world.
Thursday I was feeling a bit better and Ernie very kindly bought tickets to see 'The Sixteen' at South Bank. They were very good , but seem to have changed their style to bigger soprano voices, which is not actually my preference. However David Hill's daughter, Alison , did a solo and her voice was lovely.
I got Harry Christopher's ( the conductor) autograph on my program , which was very exciting as this group has always been one of my favourites.
Friday - and I was off to Westminster Music Library right near Victoria Station. Met with the Librarian Ruth Walters, and spent a very profitable couple of hours with her. Looked at all the services they provide to the general public, as they are a branch of Westminster City Libraries. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/
She and Liz from the Barbican have a good professional working relationship , so co-operation is important.
Ernie met me and then we went up to Harrow to meet up with former colleagues from Brent Libraries, where we worked 37 years ago. Both David and Kevin are now retired and Kevin's wife, Bing, cooked a lovely meal over which we remembered times past .
The weekend
I went down to Surrey to stay with my friends , Lynette (Aussie) and her husband Bob (a pom!)
Bob's son i s the assistant organist at Rochester Cathedral and we drove down there to hear him play for Evensong with the 'Voluntary choir' ( it was half term and the boys were on holiday) It was very nice and the standard was that of Christ Church S. Laurence. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Rochester .
Sunday was an amazing day- Lynette sings in a very good choir at St Michael's Croydon( their director, Robert Sholl is Australian ) and I was priveleged to be allowed to be one of the sopranos for the day. My sight reading skills were sorely taxed for the Mozart 'Missa Brevis' in B but I actually surprised myself and managed. The anthem was by Bairstow 'I sat down under his shadow' which is in my repetoire so no worries there.
Then some of the choir went back to Anne Fleming's for lunch. Her husband Michael, who died about 3 years ago, was the former choir director , a brilliant musician and one of the stalwarts of RSCM who has nurtured and trained innumerable church musicians from all over the world. Had a beautiful English roast (pork) and amazing interaction with some very proficient musicians, including Nic Edwards who had lived in Sydney and worked for Opera Australia for 18 months.He sang at St JamesKing St and is now going to go freelance as a composer, next year.
Then, having been suitably fed and watered (or should I say , wined) we went back to church and sang Evensong - Howell's St Paul's Service (another sight read) and 'My eyes for Beauty pine' (another Burwood choir piece)
Bob's son i s the assistant organist at Rochester Cathedral and we drove down there to hear him play for Evensong with the 'Voluntary choir' ( it was half term and the boys were on holiday) It was very nice and the standard was that of Christ Church S. Laurence. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Rochester .
Sunday was an amazing day- Lynette sings in a very good choir at St Michael's Croydon( their director, Robert Sholl is Australian ) and I was priveleged to be allowed to be one of the sopranos for the day. My sight reading skills were sorely taxed for the Mozart 'Missa Brevis' in B but I actually surprised myself and managed. The anthem was by Bairstow 'I sat down under his shadow' which is in my repetoire so no worries there.
Then some of the choir went back to Anne Fleming's for lunch. Her husband Michael, who died about 3 years ago, was the former choir director , a brilliant musician and one of the stalwarts of RSCM who has nurtured and trained innumerable church musicians from all over the world. Had a beautiful English roast (pork) and amazing interaction with some very proficient musicians, including Nic Edwards who had lived in Sydney and worked for Opera Australia for 18 months.He sang at St JamesKing St and is now going to go freelance as a composer, next year.
Then, having been suitably fed and watered (or should I say , wined) we went back to church and sang Evensong - Howell's St Paul's Service (another sight read) and 'My eyes for Beauty pine' (another Burwood choir piece)
Friday , 24th October
Today Ernie took me up to the London Borough of Enfield Libraries, http://www.enfield.gov.uk/nav2/200062.asp where he works.
At the Palmers Green Branch I met up with Liz Hart , who I had gotten to know at the Sydney IAML conference. she had previously been the music librarian for Enfield , but this position had recently been abolished and she now works part-time as a Lending Services Librarian. The previously well-reputed music collection had been relegated to various store rooms and it was very sad to see this dispersement. They still provide a lending service for sets of scores etc, but other services had been scaled down. It appears to me ,that Local Authorities, supposedly for economic reasons, in London are no longer valuing libraries as much as they have done in the past, or as we do in Australia and Scandanavia. It will be interesting to see the USA libraries, but they have the advantage of 'benefactors' in a lot of cases.
I had a look around the rest of the branch, which did not particularly differ from ours, but yet again, it was old and not a purpose built library building so... The staff , however, seemed very committed and friendly..
Then we caught the bus to Edmonton Town Branch , where Ernie usually works and I had a good look around there. The library is in a shopping complex and the area is extremely multicultural . The bookstock seemed reasonable ,as did the music/audio collection, but the bank of free public PC's seemd to have overtaken things. They also have a shop across the aisle devoted specifically to internet access ,for which they charge a small fee,(20p) as it is a condition of renting the shop. Although some of the Pc's in this shop are available a majority of people will wait and wait to use the free ones in the actual library. There is a staff member rostered to the desk in the 'shop' so it is labour intensive.
At 5p.m. we retired to the nearby pub 'The Lamb' and were joined by several of Ernie's colleagues, including Liz Hart. We had a great night and as is almost always the case, social interaction with colleagues, provides valuable insight into our profession.
At the Palmers Green Branch I met up with Liz Hart , who I had gotten to know at the Sydney IAML conference. she had previously been the music librarian for Enfield , but this position had recently been abolished and she now works part-time as a Lending Services Librarian. The previously well-reputed music collection had been relegated to various store rooms and it was very sad to see this dispersement. They still provide a lending service for sets of scores etc, but other services had been scaled down. It appears to me ,that Local Authorities, supposedly for economic reasons, in London are no longer valuing libraries as much as they have done in the past, or as we do in Australia and Scandanavia. It will be interesting to see the USA libraries, but they have the advantage of 'benefactors' in a lot of cases.
I had a look around the rest of the branch, which did not particularly differ from ours, but yet again, it was old and not a purpose built library building so... The staff , however, seemed very committed and friendly..
Then we caught the bus to Edmonton Town Branch , where Ernie usually works and I had a good look around there. The library is in a shopping complex and the area is extremely multicultural . The bookstock seemed reasonable ,as did the music/audio collection, but the bank of free public PC's seemd to have overtaken things. They also have a shop across the aisle devoted specifically to internet access ,for which they charge a small fee,(20p) as it is a condition of renting the shop. Although some of the Pc's in this shop are available a majority of people will wait and wait to use the free ones in the actual library. There is a staff member rostered to the desk in the 'shop' so it is labour intensive.
At 5p.m. we retired to the nearby pub 'The Lamb' and were joined by several of Ernie's colleagues, including Liz Hart. We had a great night and as is almost always the case, social interaction with colleagues, provides valuable insight into our profession.
Wednesday, 22nd October & Thursday 23rd
As Ernie was at work spent the day orienting myself, doing some food shopping at Sainsbury's etc and then went up to London in the evening to meet my goddaughter, Anna, and her husband Matt. We went to a great pub called Mazy's near Leicester Square. Matt was coming to Oz the next day (and to my apartment) for his gigs (trumpet) with Australian Baroque Brass and the Brandenburg Orchestra.
Ernie was at work again on Thursday so I just did a bit of exploring around here and caught up on things a bit more.
Ernie was at work again on Thursday so I just did a bit of exploring around here and caught up on things a bit more.
Tuesday 21st October
I got up early and packed before heading off to the MUSIK ACADEMIE DER STADT BASEL where Tina had organised for me to meet with Bernhard Guldimann, one of the librarians there.
got a bit lost getting there, but finally made it and it was a most enjoyable visit. Beautiful setting and masses of music students of all nationalities were milling around. The library is currently very overcrowded , but a new purpose built library is being built nearby- most of it will be underground. I was able to view the plans and it will be amazing.
I spent a couple of hours with Bernhard and then he took me to the nearby public library, ALLEGMEINE BIBLIOTHEKEN der GGG BASEL, and left me there to look around by myself. I was very grateful for his help, as it was a bit tricky and my sense of direction seemed to be lacking. This was also an interesting experience, as although the library was run by local government , belonging incurs fees. (and there are no real branches in the suburbs) It is upstairs in a quaint building and consists of three floors. The first floor is a reading room with newspapers and magazines and a small reference collection. As everywhere, people here still seem to prefer to access hard copy newspapers. The next floor was for non-fiction and this was arranged in Dewey order , but only two numbers after the decimal point. The interesting thing was that all types of media were grouped in the subject area. Yet again, as in Sweden comics and graphic novels featured as a large separate section.
An extensive collection of music CDs grouped in subject areas was also on this floor. HIP-HOP seems the same in everyone's language and there was a separate section for this, as well as the usual categories everyone uses.
The top floor was for Adult fiction which was in alphabetical order by author except for a couple of special categories. The biography section- classified as 99, was also on this floor as was childrens fiction and picture books.
I chatted with one of the librarians on duty for a few minutes and she was saying how overcrowded the library was- the usual story, but I wish she could see our Haymarket Branch - she would think the Basel library was a palace.
I then headed for the KUNSTMUSEUM -the Art Gallery i.e. and after a pleasant lunch in the cafe there I spent the afternoon looking at the wonderful special Sill Life exhibition . Also enjoyed some impressionists and Hans Holbein works in the permanent collection.
It was then time for me to catch the number 8 tram for the last time and head back to the hotel to wait for Tina to pick me up and take me to the airport. It was really sad saying goodbye to her as we had such a nice time together.
However, I hopped on my smallish plane and arrived at London City Airport at 8p.m.where Ernie (my ex-husband) was waiting to meet me. We caught a taxi home to his flat here in Woolwich.
got a bit lost getting there, but finally made it and it was a most enjoyable visit. Beautiful setting and masses of music students of all nationalities were milling around. The library is currently very overcrowded , but a new purpose built library is being built nearby- most of it will be underground. I was able to view the plans and it will be amazing.
I spent a couple of hours with Bernhard and then he took me to the nearby public library, ALLEGMEINE BIBLIOTHEKEN der GGG BASEL, and left me there to look around by myself. I was very grateful for his help, as it was a bit tricky and my sense of direction seemed to be lacking. This was also an interesting experience, as although the library was run by local government , belonging incurs fees. (and there are no real branches in the suburbs) It is upstairs in a quaint building and consists of three floors. The first floor is a reading room with newspapers and magazines and a small reference collection. As everywhere, people here still seem to prefer to access hard copy newspapers. The next floor was for non-fiction and this was arranged in Dewey order , but only two numbers after the decimal point. The interesting thing was that all types of media were grouped in the subject area. Yet again, as in Sweden comics and graphic novels featured as a large separate section.
An extensive collection of music CDs grouped in subject areas was also on this floor. HIP-HOP seems the same in everyone's language and there was a separate section for this, as well as the usual categories everyone uses.
The top floor was for Adult fiction which was in alphabetical order by author except for a couple of special categories. The biography section- classified as 99, was also on this floor as was childrens fiction and picture books.
I chatted with one of the librarians on duty for a few minutes and she was saying how overcrowded the library was- the usual story, but I wish she could see our Haymarket Branch - she would think the Basel library was a palace.
I then headed for the KUNSTMUSEUM -the Art Gallery i.e. and after a pleasant lunch in the cafe there I spent the afternoon looking at the wonderful special Sill Life exhibition . Also enjoyed some impressionists and Hans Holbein works in the permanent collection.
It was then time for me to catch the number 8 tram for the last time and head back to the hotel to wait for Tina to pick me up and take me to the airport. It was really sad saying goodbye to her as we had such a nice time together.
However, I hopped on my smallish plane and arrived at London City Airport at 8p.m.where Ernie (my ex-husband) was waiting to meet me. We caught a taxi home to his flat here in Woolwich.
In London
I have not had a chance to update my blog since arriving here in London as it has all been quite overwhelming and other things have had to take priority. i.e. arranging Library visits and transport and accommodation etc. All this has taken an inordinate amount of time and energy.
I have felt quite stressed but am now much more relaxed and having a couple of days at 'home' to catch up on everything, so here goes...
I have felt quite stressed but am now much more relaxed and having a couple of days at 'home' to catch up on everything, so here goes...
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