5* Chef

Alastair Cook celebrates reaching 200 on the final day of the first Ashes Test at The Gabba, November 2010. Photograph: Dave Hunt/EPA via Guardian.co.uk

Alastair Cook's 235* in Brisbane was the third highest by an England batsman in Australia. Only R.E Foster, 287 in 1903 and Wally Hammond, 251 in 1928, have scored more.

A 'daddy' century and one mother of an innings...

'Alastair Cook was a natural at 13', says Derek Randall in The Guardian. Alastair's also a master of understatement himself in his articles in Metro newspaper: "After everything that has happened in the past year I hope to use the next two months to prove I can play..."

Telegraph.co.uk: 'A triumph for simplicity'.

St John's @ Harrow School

To Harrow School on Tue 2 Nov, to hear a concert by St John's College Choir from Cambridge. In the truly extraordinary setting of the Speech Room, built in 1873 by William Burgess, St John's gave of their best, with the trebles rising to the occasion as the evening drew to its conclusion. Their encore (and the St John's Gents' encore) were both wonderful displays of the choir's versatility. The concert finale, Hubert Parry's Hear My Words, Ye People, was a rousing rendition, ending as it does with Parry's hymn tune O Praise Ye The Lord. (Almost) all conducted in inimitable style by musical director Andrew Nethsingha.

Bogoroditse Dyevo - Rachmaninoff

Bogoridtse Dyevo - Part

Cantique de Jean Racine - Faure

Missa Brevis - Mozart

Prevent Us, O Lord - Byrd

This is the record of John - Gibbons

Rejoice in the Lord Alway - Purcell

Like as the Hart - Howells

Hear My Words, Ye People - Parry

plus Allegro from Vierne's Symphonie III (played by St John's senior organ scholar, John Challenger) and Church Sonatas 1 & 2 from The Enlightened Players (chamber quartet)

Photo below from St John's Choir Facebook page:

Hampton Hill Playhouse

Sang a concert, entitled Morning, Noon and Night, with Cantanti Camerati (of Richmond) choir to a full house at the Hampton Hill Playhouse last night. The inimitable, 74-year-old Geoffrey Bowyer arranged and conducted some lovely part-songs, madrigals, barbershop quartets and solos - all non-secular, for a change. 

My favourites included:
Sweet day so cool - Sir Edward German 
The birds that sing on autumn eves - Robin Milford
The Prince of Sleep - Sir Edward Elgar
Softly fall the shades of evening - J L Hatton
Night of stars and night of love (duet, from The Tales of Hoffmann) - Jacques Offenbach
A brown bird singing (soprano solo) - Haydn Wood
Hail, smiling morn (mens' voices only) - Reginald Spofforth
When at night I go to sleep (women's voices only, from Hansel and Gretel) - Engelbert Humperdinck
Draw on sweet night - John Wilbye
The Long day closes - Sir Arthur Sullivan
Good night, good night, beloved - Ciro Pinsutti

Nos Galan Gaeaf

I'm proud of my Welsh roots and feel sad when I realise that the Welsh language that my father spoke hasn't been carried over into my generation (or that of my children) in my side of our family. So, happy Nos Galan Gaeaf - celebrating the Celtic New Year's eve on Oct 31st.

Here's the best description of the legends around Galan Gaeaf and the transition into the first month of the calendar, Samhain, that marks the beginning of the dark half of the year: 


Nos Galan Gaeaf (All Hallow's Eve)
In addition to preserving the Eisteddfod, the Noson Lawen and the Cymanfa Ganu, Wales has also managed to keep alive other old traditions, though some of these are now confined to particular areas. Many are connected with the old New Year's Eve of Celtic tradition, transformed into the rites connected with the Christian celebration of All Hallow's Eve, or Halloween. In Wales, this night is called Nos Galan Gaeaf (the beginning of the new year), the night when spirits walk abroad. On stiles, or entrances to footpaths, ghosts of dead persons are said to appear at midnight. In some parts of Wales, the ghost was often the Ladi wen (white lady), but in the north, it was usually the more frightening Hwch ddu gwta (tail-less black sow) that appeared. Before dawn, huge bonfires were lit on the hillsides, often two or three within sight of each other. It was a great honor to have your bonfire burn longest and great pains were taken to keep them alight. While apples and potatoes were thrown into the fires for roasting, the watchers would dance around or leap through the flames for good luck. Stones were thrown into the fire; then, when the flames died down, everyone would run for home to escape the clutches of the Hwch ddu gwta.The next morning, at daybreak, searchers would try to find their stones. Those who succeeded would be guaranteed good luck for the coming year. If you could not find your stone, then bad luck or even death would follow.

On Nos Galan Gaeaf in Montgomeryshire, in many farmhouses, a mash was made of nine ingredients: potatoes, carrots, turnips, peas, parsnips, leeks, pepper, salt and new milk. In the mash was hidden a wedding ring. The young maidens of the local village would dig into the mash with their wooden spoons, anxious to learn their fate, for the one who found the ring would be first married. In Carmarthenshire, the mash of nine ingredients, stwmp naw rhyw, was not used to foretell the future, but nine girls used to meet to make a pancake containing nine ingredients. This was then divided among the girls and eaten. Before morning, each girl would have a vision of her future husband. In many parts of North Wales, where the custom of bundling was a very common practice (much frowned upon by the English judiciary) the young dreamers would often find their future husband in bed with them!! Along with the mash, or the pancakes, came the wassail bowl. The wassail was often put inside a puzzle jug, with many spouts, and the unsuspecting drinker would find himself doused with beer, wine, or cider by drinking from the wrong spout. Some of these puzzle jugs can now be seen at the National Folk Museum of Wales at St. Ffagan, near Cardiff. The custom is very similar to one observed by the author in southwest Germany, where participants in a contest drank out of a large glass boot that had to be handled a certain way to prevent spillage.

Apples always played a large part in Halloween festivities (they are the one fruit that grows prolifically in the temperamental Welsh climate and can be preserved throughout much of the early winter). The most popular game was apple bobbing, with six or eight perfectly round fruit placed in a large bowl of water set on the floor. Then, with both hands tied behind their backs, the young lads and lasses would try to pick up an apple with only their teeth. Usually they received a nose and mouth full of water for their pains, but no apple!! In some houses, the apples were tied on one end of a stick suspended from the ceiling with a candle tied to the other end. The stick was then rotated and the participants, again with their hands tied behind them, tried to catch the apple with their teeth as it spun around. They usually ended up with a mouth full of candle! Apples played a large part in many other customs, too. If you peeled an apple in one single piece and then threw the peel over your shoulder, the letter of the alphabet it most closely resembled when it hit the ground would be the initial letter of your future partner in marriage.

Other Halloween customs did not involve apples, but the unseen. In the Vale of Glamorgan, at night, when the spirits were roaming the churchyards, one of the braver villagers would put on his coat and vest inside out and recite the Lord's Prayer backwards as he walked around the church a number of times. Then the courageous lad would enter the porch and put his finger through the keyhole of the church door to prevent any spirits from escaping. It was believed that the apparitions of those who would soon die could be spied through the keyhole. In other areas of Wales, groups of youths would dress up in women's clothes with the girls in men's clothing. They would wander from house to house after dark, chanting verses and soliciting gifts of fruit or nuts, used to divine one's future. In other, more rural areas, young men used to dress up in sheepskins and old ragged clothes and disguise or blacken their faces. After chanting their weird rhymes, they would then be given gifts of apples or nuts, and sometimes beer. The groups would be known as the gwrachod (hags or witches). The visiting of these groups were always in fun, but were taken seriously as harbingers of good tidings for the forthcoming year and the expulsion of the bad spirits from the household.

Grove Park Music Festival

Sang the Bach B minor Mass at St Paul's Church in Grove Park, Chiswick, London last night.

Such a glorious piece, with a large Festival Chorus and period-instrument Canzona orchestra. The concert was the climax of the biannual Grove Park Music Festival and inspiringly conducted by former King's Singers member Brian Kay.

Evensong at Charterhouse

Sang choral evensong at The Chapel in Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse on the 18th Sunday after Trinity. More of us in the Fever Pitch choir than in the congregation, as seems usual these days, but it was a great opportunity to see the inside of Sutton's Hospital and take some pics (here) of this wonderful part of old, hidden London.

Charterhouse is a former Carthusian monastery in London, to the north of what is now Charterhouse Square. The building is formally known as Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse, and is a registered charity. Since the dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century the house has served as private mansion, a boys' school and an almshouse, which it remains to this day.

Hear my Prayer - Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Preces - Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656)
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis - Short Service by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Anthem: O Clap Your Hands - Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)

Mississippi McDowell's wise words

The lyrics to You Got To Move, a McDowell song covered by the Rolling Stones on their Sticky Fingers album in 1971 (here they are playing it live), are inscribed on the headstone of Mississippi Fred's grave in Panola County, Mississippi. McDowell was highly influential blues player and is considered the father of hill country blues.


Photo by 'joseph a' from Flickr.

The Shield

After watching 89 episodes of 7 seasons of US TV's The Shield DVD box set over the last 4 months, I finally reached the end the other day. It's 'the story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.'


An awesome made-for-TV series, engaging beyond the norm of television. Dating from 2002-08, it was shown on FiveUSA UK Channel at 11pm on Sunday nights, a time guaranteed not to hit the jackpot in our household.

Vic Mackey, the lead character played by Michael Chiklis, is so watchable as the bad-but-good detective who does everything his way. The sub-plots in each episode all wind cleverly around each other - both the writing and the editing are excellent. The visual work, done by two hand-held cameramen, is what is said to give The Shield its unique look and feel.


Forest Whitaker (who won an Oscar for The Last King of Africa) plays an internal investigator Jon Kavanaugh who Mackey consistently manages to stay one step ahead of,  and Glenn Close, who briefly takes over as the police station Captain; both feature in just a couple of the seasons.

IMDB 8.9/10 - and worth every decimal point above the 8. 


89 x 45min episodes (plus the voiceovers and deleted scenes) amount to nearly three days of my life - a sobering thought, but only lost sleep, really. To think I have never even watched a single episode of The Sopranos, yet. Only 5 more seasons to watch of West Wing, too... No wonder TV is so much more 'on demand' nowadays. No adverts, either, if you use the boxed DVD sets.

Fever Pitch in Fairlight

To Fairlight in East Sussex with Fever Pitch for a charity fund-raising choral concert. Right next to Hastings, the walk beforehand along the Firehills footpath overlooking the sea and the bay over to Dungeness marshes, wind farm and power station were glorious on this fine late summer afternoon. 

We came across an unusual wedding in a tiny chapel right by Pett Level seafront, where a bagpiper played in a Tam-o'-Shantered and bewhiskered groom and his glamorous wife.

After a trip up St Andrew's church tower, from where there are unexpectedly wonderful views, we sang a mixed programme of Bach to Beatles. The usual Fever Pitch eclectic mix included a Bach motet and English traditional folk song arrangements. 


Sadly, we missed the chance to celebrate Richard D'Oyly Carte (founder of the Savoy Theatre, Savoy Hotel, and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which produced the Gilbert and Sullivan light operas) and Anglican choral composer Thomas Attwood Walmisley, who are both buried in the churchyard.

Mark Who?

Mark Zuckerberg - if you've never heard of him then it's not surprising. But he is one of the co-founders of Facebook and The New Yorker magazine has an interesting interview with him here.

Not to be confused, of course, with Justin Timberlake (below), who is not playing Mr Zuckerberg in the upcoming movie, The Social Network. Jesse Eisenberg apparently has that privilege.

The Modern Pantry

To The Modern Pantry in a Georgian townhouse building in St John's Square (right by Bruno Loubet's Bistrot in the Zetter hotel), Clerkenwell for Sunday late brunch. A lovely day, with pre-prandial drinks high up on an urban-living terrace then on to this great little restaurant that gives 'fusion cooking' (Pacific Rim) a good name. Very New York in style (open all hours, no airs and graces, just great food and great service - at last!). 

Recognised by Michelin with a bib gourmand and the AA (2 stars), the prices reflect its popularity. However, when the food's this good then you never mind paying. Scallop sashimi with mustard seed, miso-marinated (or sugar-cured?) shrimp omelette with smoked chili sambal, tofu and sweetcorn fritters, onglet (skirt) steak cooked perfectly, casava chips with chili marmalade and creme fraiche, peach salsa, affogato made with great Caravan espresso coffee poured over Jude's hokey-pokey honeycomb 'ice-cream with soul', and much more...

Chef-owner Anna Hansen (UK New Zealander of the Year 2010) has a wealth of experience under her belt (she trained with London's originator of fusion cooking, Peter Gordon) and it clearly shows. When the food's this good it's time to push the boat out and I broke one of my main rules, by splashing out on a fine vino - but the company, location and food were too enjoyable to note the detail, just that it was a lovely, oaky 2006 Italian Barbera, worth every penny of the restaurant's mark-up. Service was excellent: friendly, generous and knowledgeable. Artwork ('A Visual Feast') from Selina Snow (see pics at bottom for a contrastingly arty take on British food). A joyful experience, bu wtf is umeboshi butter?

* Waitrose guest chef: Anna Hansen (link left to recipes, from Waitrose Food Illustrated Jan 2010 edition)

* Anna features in Coco (pub. Phaidon), a book showcasing 100 of the world's top up and coming chefs 

 

* Matthew Norman hits the nail on the head in his Guardian review:

"...Low expectations can distort the critical judgment, the relief luring you into inflating the competent into the outstanding, but by any standards the Modern Pantry is a gem."

Google homepage

Loved Google's interactive balls on their homepage today. Also love the idea of Google giving Apple a run for their money on the music front.

ICA - Death of Print?

Join the debate at the ICA over the death of print on 21 October. Link here.

Black Fleece for Men

Brooks Brothers' Black Fleece for men is described as 'tailored sophistication. The fragrance is an earthy aromatic style, the bright sparkling citrus and fresh spices invigorate, while hints of geranium bourbon and rosewood heart warm the fragrance and blend seamlessly. Rich undertones of patchouli, incense and vetiver complete the scent with a tailored elegance. The bottle is inspired by 1950's ceramic glass flacons in refined grey, with matching silver-trimmed glass caps. The packaging is fabricated with rigorous environmental sensibility, the Black Fleece falcon and carton establish a new aesthetic in fragrance design and packaging.From soy ink to plant-derived materials made without petroleum that are recyclable and biodegradable, the Black Fleece Fragrance collection has been fabricated with respect to the Earth.'


...so that's how they get 125 bucks out of you. Still, it seemed like a justifiable expense and a pleasurable indulgence in NYC in February.

Clocks

Trying to decide on a new wall clock - and it's harder than I thought, with so much choice. Found this great site for Newgate Clocks, though: www.newgateclocks.com - lovely site design and quite inspiring. 

Karl Ford, photographer

Great scenic (mainly around North Shore, Mass and Vermont) and creature photos from photographer Karl Ford, whose website is here. Pic below is of West Beach, Beverly Farms.

Edington Festival

Attended the final service of 2010 Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy last week, in Wiltshire. It was the last performance from Andrew Carwood, retiring musical director of the Schola Cantorum choir for many years.

Zena James @ SMITF

To St Martin-in-the-Fields Cafe in the Crypt, Trafalgar Square to hear Zena James and her jazz backing quartet.


Zena's new album, Captivated, is due out before Christmas and she previewed a few songs along with tunes from her first album, Tell Me More, and other jazz-pop standards.


Michael Jackson's Human Nature was a great choice for a crossover jazz singer and alto saxophonist Simon Allen's lyrical solos lifted it above pure copycatism.




* More details at www.zenajames.com and Splash Point Digital.
* Jazz listings and other concerts at St Martin-in-the-Fields at www.smitf.org.

Google acquired DoubleClick Apr 2007

Click image to see the whole graphic from www.scores.org, showing Google's acquisitions to August 2010.

V8 hotel for love bugs?

A hotel in Germany for motoring nutters. Pics here from Telegraph Online.

Herbie (bottom pic) of the Love Bug films would love it.

Creepy Advertising

New York Times gets the measure in this article of the latest trend in online advertising: retargeting. Criteo, a French company, are leading the charge in the UK and have been working with well-known retailers such as John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Watches.com, Asus and many more. Because they are the leaders in the field (at the moment) their dominance of retargeting in the 'remnant' space (ie when publisher cannot sell all their websites' advertising space at a premium price) means that the user experience is like feeling stalked by a rather creepy-like persistent salesman. I'm directly involved in this area of the online ad business day-to-day and even I don't like the current experience. There is certain reactive (and proactive) control given to consumers, but the amount of ads across many, many sites can be simply overwhelming, even creating a negative effect for the brands involved.

9-5 life

Pomaceous presentation

Cool design for invitations to Apple's yearly end-of-summer hype-up...