One thing is I'm getting up earlier. My schedule is about 2 hours ahead of what it was in NY. Time will tell if this sticks. I kind of hope so because so far it's quite nice this way.
Made a large cup of French press coffee and breakfasted on an English muffin with apricot jam. Lovely way to start a relaxing Sunday.
For the second time this week, I proceeded to the "porch", a 4x8 foot perch off the front door. It was gloriously sunny and the sun was warm though the air still had a nice coolness about it. The spinning wheel came with me and I sat spinning for an hour basking in the yellow sunshine, peacefulness, and bird song while meditatively treddling and drafting. Oh, it was heaven. No blaring stereos driving me indoors as had been the case in NY these past few summers. It feels good to be back spinning. It's been over a month.
I concluded my front porch time with a bit of reading (Thich Nhat Hanh) and went in to sit with the cello for an hour and a half. I worked hard on Bach's Prelude from the First Cello Suite (or is it more accurate to say that the prelude worked hard on me?). It was shaping up to be a beautiful Bach day. The piano was next and I spent the entire time with Bach's first Partita.
How very satisfying this morning had turned out, and the afternoon unfurled as the perfect follow-up to this blissful a.m.. I drove into Plymouth (8-9 miles) to hear Bach's Mass in B Minor and let me say unequivocally that it was brilliant!! On a par with what I've seen and heard in NYC, and I've seen and heard a lot. How very encouraging. So happy. Man! What a piece of music! The NH Master Chorale put on a top-notch, exemplary performance. I was blown away. It was also nice to see a packed house. Two hours of this sublime music works on me and I had a bit of a release when I got back to the car. Practically bawled my eyes out. Don't listen to anyone who says Bach's music isn't emotional.
If you are not familiar with the Mass in B Minor, here's a clip of the Kyrie. There are several full versions of the Mass on Youtube.
I got home and baked a yummy vegetable pie. It's from a wonderful vegetarian cookbook: Babe's Country Cookbook. Look it up. Wonderful recipes. Tried out a few local micro brews while I was preparing dinner. The Pemi Pale Ale from the Woodstock Inn Brewery is definitely worth making note of. It's on my list.
A perfect day.
Ah,Bernard, how sweet it is! Just the perfect confirmation that you're in the right place. Not much that beats porch time. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat glorious music!!!!! Thanks.