Busy

One of my faithful band of readers enquired what had happened after I had not blogged for a few days....I've been busy!

I am looking forward to sitting at home with my feet up - FEET UP! - this time next week, not doing anything in particular; for about 6 days....

Meanwhile at work I am finishing a report, and as I write it, one of our ministries changes, as it has been doing for the last 6 months - since we have to try and transfer some activities from another into this ministry, trying to pin down the places where they should go is literally a question of the moving target. I thought I had finished revising the report today, when, just as it was lying in the out-tray, ready to go, an email told me quite another story.... ho hum. In the former Soviet Union things always go in extremes - either 'it can't possibly be done, impossible, the Ministry of Finance will never allow it', or 'it was done yesterday' ('and we did not take into account your recommendations', though we are never told that).

At home I am trying hard to finish all my studying before I leave, so I won't have to take any of the books home this time - that'll make me about 2 months ahead of my colleagues - the great advantage of correspondence courses! Just finished a section on transcriptions/reductions which was a bit of a pain because it meant doing real work, like writing things down. I don't like writing itty-bitty notes! And especially with transcriptions it seems that you are not allowed to lose anything - you end up with pauses written all over the place.....The advantage is that after 10 years of playing the viola I've learnt to name the notes on the viola clef (correctly, I hope!)....Now I've got a week to finish the last bit of work, but I see that the assignment for this involves some listening skills - and I'm really bad at that. Should probably start now, to get it done.

Today the piano teacher cancelled due to sickness; a bit of a relief.....two lessons a week is quite intensive, and this week there would have just been two days between the lessons...talk about pressure! I see that one of my pieces, after about 2 months of lessons, is at grade 2 UK style, and another one, I suspect, is higher than that - it's even got some music (not sure that my playing has, quite yet). Being chucked in at the deep end and all that.... If my hands only learned to relax it would be even better.....