Sun is shining in the sky

The sun shone brilliantly across London today. I found myself, at about 2pm, in Earl’s Court, walking across a canal bridge. Roy Harper was playing on my headphones. The sun was warming my face. The white art deco buildings were glowing yellow. I made a note to myself to remember how lovely that moment felt.  
I’ve done nothing today but listen to Roy Harper songs. Rehearsals begin tomorrow and I think it’s my duty both to him, and my dear friend Fiona (who did the arrangements for the gig) to know exactly what I’m doing and at any given moment. I’m also aware what big shoes I’m having to step into. The last person who sat behind Roy, and subtly waved his arms about, was the great David Bedford, who sadly died a few months ago. He did the orchestrations on more seminal albums than I’ve probably ever listened to! I think it’s going to be a very emotional concert, not just for Roy, but for all of his followers.

Speaking of Roy Harper songs, I'd love to bring your collective attention to this Peter Gabriel/ Kate Bush duet, which I didn't know existed until very recently. There's something about the wall of sound vocals in the second verse that makes me feel so excited I want to scream!

I went to the brand new offices at Decca today to talk about my Requiem. I very much liked the guy I met. He spoke candidly, which I appreciated. I can sense a bit of a chicken-and-egg scenario brewing, however, as it’s pretty clear that the requiem works much better if listened to with an awareness of the story behind it. Afterall, what's the use of a wonderful quote from a gravestone if you don't know it's from a gravestone. And that requires help from TV people, which ought to be my zone of expertise, but there’s so little money in telly right now, that I almost don't want to ask! Afterall, every time another TV exec says no, a little piece of hope in my soul splinters off and stabs whichever organ it is that sits beneath the soul!

I guess there was that slight sinking feeling as I left the offices. At the back of any creative person’s mind is the glimmer of hope that someone will scream; “Get the contract department up here. I wanna sign this genius before he walks out the building!” No such exclamations happened today, but I did go away with a genuine sense that the guy I met enjoyed my music and was captivated by the concept of the work. What else could he have said after listening to just three of the movements played on nasty computerised sounds? He urged me to develop the piece, so I'm sensing the need for a pared-down premier of the work in the new year. As ever, with these grand plans, there are many mountains to climb before Xanadu appears on the horizon!

I went back to Highgate via central London and met Nathan for a late lunch in a pizzeria. On top of my whooping cough, I now seem to have a cold. It’s a fairly grotesque irony to be tripping off my tits on anti-biotics whilst merrily developing a second illness. I now seem to have a bacterial infection AND a virus. Oh Jubuilate! I think 2011 has to be the year of great sickness. Everyone I know has been ill in some way at east five times!

Right. Back to the scores. Or maybe Glee. I’m tired and hungry. What do they say? Feed a cold, starve a fever? I was so delirious this afternoon as we walked to lunch that this particular quote dripped out of my mouth as “feed a cold, starve a pizza.”

Is it me, or does this blog have no flow to it?

The pumpkin that Nathan carved two days ago has entirely caved in and now looks like a Venus Fly Trap.

350 years ago, Pepys met Sir William Penn’s eldest son, who was also called William. He'd just finished his studies at Oxford and was invited to spend the evening with the two Sir Williams and Pepys at Pepys’ house. By all accounts they had a lot of fun. William Penn, the younger would soon leave London, and keep heading West until he reached America. More specifically, Pennsylvania... which was named after him!

The pumpkins in their prime!

Oh dear...