Big Bangs and Green Beans

Today has been fabulous in as much as nothing tremendously exciting happened. Sometimes the best days are ones in which there is nothing earth-shatteringly amazing going on, and you can just potter about gently getting bits and bobs done.

Due to the celebrations last night, my eyes didn't open till 10 this morning (and make no mistake - that's exceedingly late pour moi.) I then sat in my bed and read for an hour. My bedroom here isn't exactly a bedroom: My grandparents' house is a good size, but only has 2 bedrooms. Obviously, my g/parents sleep in the master, and my mum takes the second. This leaves me in a camp bed in the sun room, which, contrary to what you may think, I really enjoy. I think it suits me - a bedroom with triple aspect windows (hence why it's called a sun room) that is also adjacent to the kitchen. I like the whole getting up in the middle of the night for hot chocolate kind of thing going on. You notice I said I read for an hour this morning. Well, that's one New Year's Resolution that I've started keeping to religiously already.

The book that I'm reading presently is called "Big Bangs," and it's focused around the most important discoveries in musical history. I think I've talked about this before, but it really is an excellent book. Today I've been reading about Bartolomeo Cristofori's invention of the modern piano. My best instrument has a fascinating history, and it's only by luck that the piano as we know it today was even conceived. Indeed, if it had not been for the countless variations on the harpsichord, dulcimer, clavichord and so forth then keyboard instruments would not have got to a point whereby the pathway for a pianoforte became clear. But I digress. Sorry, but you are reading a blog by a music nerd...

After a late breakfast and an even later lunch we watched the Doctor Who Prom on telly! My mum and I were the only people in the room not to fall asleep, but I found it engrossing, if only from a composition point of view. I love watching live orchestras, even just on TV. It is much easier to see how each piece has been orchestrated when it's right in front of you. After that various people went off to bake, others to read. I myself found a dusty old John Rutter CD and put that on to listen to while completing my Media Coursework. ("How are teenagers represented in a range of teenage magazines?") The CD itself was incredible. Rutter writes mainly sacred music, because there is big money in church commisions, and he has a real knack of writing tunes that people want to listen to. My mum came in and started singing along to the "Pie Jesu" from his Requiem, which is always nice.

I got my coursework finished (Hooray!) so now all that I have to do schoolwise is a little art. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing various board games with my mum, aunty and cousin, and that was very fun. Tea was great (as always with my lovely grandma). We had chicken,roast potatoes and green beans. Green beans are my favourite ever vegetable. Honestly, you could give me a plate of green beans and nothing else and I would be more than happy.

I'm going to do an hour on my art now, before watching Jonathan Creek with everyone else at 9. I myself have never seen it, but my mum says it's amazing and that I would love it, and I trust her judgement on just about everything. Mums are always right. I like Alan Davies anyway!

That's all for now, dear readers. I hope the start to your 2009 was as pleasing and restful as mine. x