Friko's World

for now, anyway. Things are looking up. I have been putting in a few hours of hard work in the garden, on my own, sadly.  Handsome Hunk work...

my ornamental Japanese cherry tree in full autumnal splendour   This morning I woke up a little subdued - I don't want to make my mood s...

I've been struggling, the black dog came down for a visit and, as always when that happens, I felt unable to blog. You all appear so pos...

Did you know that? Do any of you live in or near one of the Stratfords mentioned here? Do these Stratfords have theatres similar to ...

I saw that  Prufrock at Prufrock’s Dilemma  has published a serious and learned guest post on the Art of Conducting. Those of you of an ...

Normally, I’d have had my head in a book these last two or three weeks of withdrawing from the world. True, I read. A dozen and more books, ...

Black dogs are everywhere. 'Be More Sociable', a University study says.  Another one says ‘Fake It ’Til You Make It’; or there’...

We had a whole day without rain yesterday; it blew and blustered, of course, but there were minutes when the sun pushed through a gap and...

Having stirred the hornet’s nest so late at night, naturally I couldn’t sleep. Busy minds are a sure way to keep the sleep angels away, you ...

Mud From A Scraper No. 6 In An Occasional Series An instrumental soloist is a musician who, by virtue of an over-developed ...

Sir Simon Rattle and The Berlin Philharmonic at the Royal Festival Hall Mud From A Scraper No. 5 in an Occasional Series As...

At Rehearsal Mud From A Scraper No. 4 in an Occasional Series "I say 'silver sound', because musicians sound for silver...

WILLOW'S MAGPIE No. 68 Reg Barker was the leader of the Percussion Section at the orchestra of the Royal Opera House.  It was part of...

Mud From A Scraper No. 3 in an occasional series. Musicians on Tour - between rehearsal and performance - One of the least popular featur...

Do you sometimes have a run of really good days? As weeks go, I wish last week could last a little longer, or come back for a repeat per...

Interior of Covent Garden Theater, London ca. 1808 Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827 British) Mud Gathered From A Scraper  -  Part 2 in...

WILLOW'S MAGPIE TALES No. 48 Every orchestral player, so scenario-writers would have you believe, carries a conductor's baton i...

Schubert At The Piano by Gustav Klimt To understand the post title you have to go to the last post. If you don't want to do th...

Sir Adrian' s Head  . . . . . . . . A young musician, a female clarinettist, having played in an orchestra for a few years, decided...

It's been on the cards for a while but now it's official: music will have to be locked in a box, never to see the light of day, ...