la mia estate

This whole Summer has been what seemed like a logistical nightmare... I wanted to fill it with every possible event and catch up with as many people as I could before I left the Country. This meant over 30 days worth of solid to-ing and fro-ing and sometimes a rest (though not really) filled with a lot of singing. I loved every second of it, even the seconds I spent crying in the car with my ever-supportive Dad as I psyched myself up for another few weeks away...

First up was a trip back to my favourite Geordie-filled City to sing for one last time at the Church that made my second year in Newcastle just that little bit more exciting, and to say as many goodbyes as possible and wish everyone else good luck as they all slowly start to move out to Montreal, Berlin, Utrecht, Perugia, Helsinki and Gothenburg.

Then, after a five hour train back from Newcastle, a quick two hour blitz-pack (eventually ending in everything imaginable being thrown into the suitcase until I could barely lift it), and a 20 hour coach trip, I was in Spain. Sunny Spain... until the forest fires started and the ash cloud became so great that the sun could hardly shine through it. I managed to snap this though, which was taken as the ash was still raining down right over this seaside town. The light was so beautiful.

We spent our time in Spain either rehearsing for Choir concerts or sat out by the pool or actually singing in beautiful locations in Catalonia when we weren't being evacuated from the town we stayed in just so we could escape the ash cloud!!

So after a much quicker drive back through Spain and France and a ferry back to England, my friends Gary , Hannah and I were dropped at Dover station at a respectable 6am after having seen the sun rise over the English Channel. There we waited for two-and-a-half hours for a train to London, Gary kindly be-friending my needs-superhuman-strength-to-lift-it suitcase, and off we went to a six hour rehearsal...

The highlight of my holidays for the past four years has to be the amazing opportunities presented to me by NYCGB. With no other group of people or organisation would I have been able to say I sang at the Royal Albert Hall twice this summer (going from Beethoven to Bob Chilcott in less than a week) and then at Salisbury Cathedral too. I feel truly privileged to not only have such an amazing time - despite some serious hard work - but also to have made some amazing friends too.

The last stop before home was up to Hexham - another six hour journey - to see my boyfriend play a recital at Hexham Abbey, which was truly spectacular. And they say men can't multi-task..! Perhaps I'm biased or perhaps it was the beautiful acoustic of such an old yet well-kept site, but I really was swept away by it. Especially his rendition of Flor Peeters' Concert Piece which, to me, showed off nearly every aspect of the Organ and its capabilities.

Oh and by the way, the B&B had a pet peacock named Charlie... life doesn't get much cooler than that!

All in all, having fit this into 30 days, I enjoyed the few days of rest which followed, and am slowly getting back into the swing of being busy, just in time for more adventures!

Ciao...