Kitchen aria

[smellingbottle]

I am writing this on my bed, in a bedroom which contains every movable item from the living room, including two sofas, a hat stand, several large plants, a dining table and chairs, a small cupboard full of glasses, and a set of botanical watercolours, plus the new cooker and washing machine. For lo, verily, it occurred to us that we should do the

Comments

[roomette]

If we are anything alike I'd be wishing the doughnut maker could develop a sentience and make doughnuts on its own. Then again,that might be a bit creepy and a bit messy in the bedroom.

It is a strange thing having other people work in your house like that. I hate the mess- at least there is the comfort of the personal opera seat to cushion it. I struggle to understand opera,I have come to a murky understanding that it is highly skilled musical theatre in languages other than English. I sound like a complete barbarian. Perhaps I am. Recently, in a fit of something, I checked out a set of opera discs from the library. I enjoy them but at climax points i find myself growing anxious.

I'm a bit stunned someone can actually spend that much on an opera seat. That's half my rent. I think I need to go into crime.

[smellingbottle]

I've gone way past any sense of what might be messy in the bedroom, honestly! A sentient doughnut-maker would fit right in.

I'm slightly confused myself about why I'm responding to opera when I never did before, really, (though I'd enjoyed some funny, inventive stagings of Monteverdi and Handel done by a touring group of very young singers that tours Ireland and plays out-of-the-way places for a single night.) There is something about seeing and hearing it live which is entirely different to recordings - particularly the overwhelmingness of a full orchestra a few feet away - and maybe being plunged at 11 am on a Tuesday morning into a world of arias about drinking poison, doomed love and eternally damned sailors is disarming. I do like that it's still a working rehearsal, and that from where I'm sitting I can overhear the conductor and the director and tech people conferring about the score. And also maybe I'm learning to listen differently.

[liseuse]

We once thought about refitting our kitchen, years ago now, took one cupboard down, saw a lot of wiring that looked highly unofficial, hastily put the cupboard back and started whistling innocently. Good luck with the project managing!

The silver-haired smugfest in the row behind is one of the reasons I am generally irritated when I see plays performed by the RSC, especially in Stratford.

[smellingbottle]

You were entirely correct to replace the cupboard. Unfortunately my cupboards are all gone. Would that I had them back. I discovered today that we also have 19th c gas pipes, pretty much. And possibly woodworm.