pumpkinstrokemarrow

Yesterday to QEH to hear the Tackacs Quartet do Beethoven quartets, a well known gang, quite up to the minute enough to sport their own web site at http://www.takacsquartet.com/. The hall was full, including some people near us who clearly knew their stuff, some loudly, some more discretely, and the quartet were on good form. 18.5 which I did not know, 18.4 which I had come across with much delight a few years ago and the rather grander 132 as the main course. All very impressive stuff; almost moved to the odd tear. I dare say some of the ladies were. Struck by a longish passage in the middle of 18.5 and a short passage towards the end of 18.4 where the composer seems to boil over. Slides - not lapses - temporarily into what I call village hop mode when everybody, especially the musicians (in the days when village hops had musicians) get a bit excited. Perhaps the Irish still do it. A release of tension, of which there was pots knocking about. Struck also by the feel they gave to the quieter passages: wonderful ensemble playing. They really were playing together in a way that I do not always hear. And the third movement of 132, the Lydian hymn, was worth every word that Huxley gives it in Point Counter Point. Maybe to the point where I will get it out of the library again. Although very much the better for being heard as part of the whole, rather than as a highlight, an approach to listening which does not work well for me.

Reading the programme on the way home, impressed to read the claim that they do 90 concerts a year - which struck me a very large number. Something like one every 4 days. Excluding their recording, teaching and other work. How long can one keep up that kind of schedule?

Today down to Epsom to visit the fish man - this being the Wednesday visit to Epsom of the man who is in Cheam on Fridays, as it seems that it will still be a week or two before I am pedalling that way. Fine piece of cod for lunch, with boiled potatoes and crinkly cabbage. Also to the library where I thought to reserve a book. The problem being that I seem to now have around a metre more books than I have shelves and do not think that BH would tolerate any more shelves. In any case, while it is nice to collect things and to have things, there comes a point when one has to recognise that one is not getting that much use out of the stuff - particularly in an age when if one suddenly finds one wants something that one has chucked the week before, it does not take long to get hold of another one, and failing that one can always ask Mr G. whatever it was one wanted to find out. Although not consume. Internet not that good yet at supplying free text of miscellaneous books. There is some out there but there is an awful lot which is missing.

So the order of the day is weeding. Every time a charity bag comes around, try and get rid of a couple more. So yesterday the Ben Okri went, back the charity world from whence it came. Interesting to read once for the African setting, but I doubt whether I will want to read them again. Today various books about dreadful deeds in the USA. Presidents being economical with the truth and big corporations cutting the odd corner in their drive to make a buck. Again, all good stuff which was comforting because it confirmed my prior opinions, but I am not going to need a second fix of the same.

In keeping with the weeding spirit, thought to ask the library today for a history of the Arabs by one Eugen Rogan, recently published by Allen Lane. Not an expensive book by TLS standards, but must try and stick with the New Year's resolution for a day or two yet. And it turns out that the Surrey Library system has 5 of them. So I have now reserved and await email. But then I thought that if Surrey has five of them, that means the country's libraries maybe have five hundred of them altogether. Not a very big number, although I suppose there are other English speaking countries where a few might be placed. But what proportion of the readership has that soaked up? Are libraries plugged into some copyright agreement so that authors and publishers get a share of the lending cake? Who will take a bet on how long it takes for me to turn up this particular book in a second hand book shop, a remainder place or a charity shop? Do authors stay out of such places so as not to have their feelings hurt by coming across their own book in a heap of remainders?

On the livestock front, pleased to report that the first flies of the year have appeared in the house. That the grey pin cushion mould in the compost heap is thriving. The stronger stuff maybe an inch tall now, the whole spreading over more than an irregular square foot. Watch this space. That the triffids which pop up in the broken ground on the patio are showing a bit. With there being a green variety and a much darker brown variety. And last but not least, a car down the road has had its fuel pipe eaten through by a rat. Maybe rats get a buzz out of petrol sniffing when they can't put their paws on any glue. People nearby having all sorts of interesting conversation about the habits and control of rats - which might be a problem given their proximity to the common. Maybe chopping down all the trees there is really a covert, and very badly informed, attempt to control the rat population.

On a more serious note, I had a very scary experience once when the hire car I was hammering down the fast lane of the M4 near Reading lost power. As it happened the cars around me worked out what was happening and I was able to drift across to the hard shoulder. But they might easily not have. What does one do when stuck on the central reservation? Without one's mobile phone? Which, as it happened, I actually had charged and on me on this particular occasion.