Sunday 21 February 2010

What a difference a day makes




What a difference a day makes. Saturday found me in Liverpool visiting my wonderful niece who lives on the edge of China town. We went down into the street itself and watched the people practising their dances for today's belated New Year Celebrations. They couldn't have their parade last week as it clashed with Valentine's Day. This is the year of the Tiger,the street was light with lanterns and flags and traditional Chinese motives. Incense was being burnt at the entrance to the gate at the foot of the Lions that guard the gate.

We went down Bold St to a wonderful cafe/bar called the Italian Club and my nephew joined us for a lovely lunch. Before the three of us went down to L1 searching out birthday presents for their mum and step dad.

Liverpool is just a wonderful place to visit, there is so much going on culturally with loads of art galleries, street artists and just life. It really buzzes. And wandering around with two people as wonderful as Ellie and Tom really makes me happy.




This morning I awoke to this, 6" of snow and it's still snowing now. I cannot remember a year since I was a child when there has been so much snow. This is the second time we've had 6" of the nasty stuff. We only usually get a ground covering once every winter, not this much- twice. I know that in comparison to the East Coast of America this is nothing, but it is all relative. As a country we are not equipped to deal with snow like this. And it's unlikely that will change as this is the worst winter since 1963, so what's the point of wasting loads of money in preparation if they only happen every 40 years?

On checking my emails this morning I had a circular one from Geli. It was a piece of music played whilst a Spanish poem came up on the screen with photographs of horses. It was a lovely circular, but not because of the poem, which was wonderful as she sent a translation as well, or the photos, but because the music transported me back to when I was 16.

I was on holiday with my parents, sister and her best friend in Minorca. I went to have my hair highlighted in the hotel hairdressers and met this beautiful young man called Raphael who did my hair. He asked me out and we spent our evenings together with my sis and her friend with the two Spanish men they had also met. It was my first serious holiday romance.

On the last night of the holiday he took me out by myself. We went in a taxi to the side of the island where there are steep cliffs. We got out at a small door. Taking me by the hand we entered the door and walked down this path hewn in the cliff face.
It suddenly opened out into this nightclub half in the cliffs and half jutting out over the sea. It was the most romantic place I think I have ever been to.

In that year the big piece of music was a song by a French man, who I think was called Mark Anthony called Mon Amour, it was sung to the backing track of Rodrigo's Conceirto De Aranjuez (Adagio) Which is the most soulful piece of music ever composed in my opinion. So hearing this wonderful music, under the stars, with the sea crashing on the rocks below, in the arms of this beautiful man was ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES of my life.

And I cannot hear Adagio now without going back to that magical time and that wonderful night. And I may have to listen to it again just to stay there for a little longer this morning, which given the weather outside was just what I needed to take me somewhere else in the world for a moment.

10 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

That's a wonderful thing to be transported by music to an entire time in the past. Glad to know you enjoyed your holiday.

Mel said...

Adagio's......*happy sigh* I'll put the CD in while I head off to the meeting.

Oh, what a great gift to pass on to you.....and now to me.
I have no tale of cliffside places, but I do have a spot in my heart for Adagio's.

Blessings to you and yours, ma'am.
And bunches of wishes for all good thing--stay warm and safe, eh?

Paula said...

I love this conceirto so very much. As you know I lived so long in Spain and visited Aranjuez only because of this adagio. "The fragrance of magnolias, the singing of birds, and the gushing of fountains in the gardens of Aranjuez." Joaquin's description of his conceirto. Glad you have so very happy memories too. :-))

Sorrow said...

oh, a little bit of warmth in heart at that memory, and the visual of you as a girl in the arms of some romantic man by the sea.. off to listen to Adagio !!!

Beatnheart said...

Thank you so much for your comment...I know cold winters..I am from Wisconsin(really cold!!)..my husband is English and I lived in Coventry for awhile(cold,miserable,lonely,grey)...California has great weather but if you live in the South you pay a high price for it..smog,crime,overcrowded hassle)..When you go North of here it is beautiful but no work so there you have it... Thanks for turning me on to new music etc..love your blog ..

Lyn said...

Wow Mandy -- sounds like you were transported away this weekend ... the perfect remedy for more snow. I can just imagine the cliffside spot ... and the romanticsm of the music ... glad you had a special weekend. Now get shovelling! : )

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Glad you enjoyed Liverpool Mandy. Did you ever see the film "The Leaving of Liverpool"?It was shown on BBC 1 in the UK in 2004. So powerful and moving, about two institutionalized child migrants from Liverpool forced to come to Australia, along with many other child migrants from England shipped out soon after WW2.They had a tough time of it.On a brighter note- it sounds wonderful your break, and as for the romantic Spanish holiday, oh my!... stars, music, sea crashing, all in the arms of a wonderful man. *sigh* We could all do with a bit more of that! Any more? I don't mind living vocariously!!

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Miss Robyn said...

I love Chinese New year celebrations! what is your favourite chinese dish?

and snow? I know you are all sick of it over there.. but oh how to have it just once to wake up to is a dream of mine :)