I know, I know.  I do apologise; I have indeed been Missing in Action for FAR too long, and I thank all those who've either called me out on it or wondered whether I was OK or just sent silly jokes!  Trouble is, here in Germany, and in fact pretty much across Europe, once the summer season starts, unless you are singing in something like Bayreuth (oh!  I went to Bayreuth, to hear a friend sing, and it just occurs to me that I failed to report on it - duh!  She was absolutely glorious, I have to report), there's not much to say.  I had all these plans to get a tan by spending all my days lazily lounging by the local (and wonderful) outdoor pool - those got a bit scuppered by the weather.  Which was NOT conducive to outdoor-pool lazing this summer.  There were of course lovely interludes.  Normally I'd take advantage of these by hopping on my bike and dragging my beach mat, bottle of Apfelschorle (apple juice and fizzy water mixture - great until it gets really warm, at which point it really can't be recommended) and book down on to "my private Rhine beach".  (I might have mentioned this one before.  Bit delusional calling it private; it is often also occupied by dogs and children and, erm, the occasional naked man - but it is about two minutes' bike ride from my house and has no facilities, just beach and river and peace.  Except this summer, when the Rhine hasn't budged more than a couple of centimetres from the high-tide mark.  No beach!

So there I am, unable to bask in the sunshine and unable (hopefully temporarily but who knows) to practise at the theatre, as has been my almost-daily habit for the last five years.  In the short term this was due to a failure of the loudspeaker system (therefore no-one could lurk in practice rooms as, in case of fire, it would be impossible to contact them).  What to do?

Well, one solution has been to meddle a little in other possible complementary careers.  Never hurts to branch out a little, maybe? (I do wish, however, that my talents ran to branching out into such artistically-fragile careers as, say, accountancy, or plumbing!).  I am enjoying myself immensely; I knew from the start that I hadn't enough talent as an artist to make it per se.  However, mural artistry is different, and I think I may even become good at it one day.  Definitely not as good as my sister, but then she takes at least 14 hours to paint a lifesize but absolutely perfect anchovy, for example (I know; we worked together, giggling, to "transform" together a downstairs loo for our parents a decade or so ago - huge fun, and a wonderful example of different aspects of talent working together, with her providing every scale and fin of the smallest fish, and me enjoying getting the feeling of the octopus leaping at you from behind the toilet door . . .), but this is fulfilling and enjoyable work which might be fun to incorporate with  my opera career. 

So this is basically an advertisement!!  Should you know of anyone who might be in need of a mural anywhere in Europe, please let me know! 

Obviously, with the proviso that my singing work comes first...

Apologies for the long hiatus.  I would love to report that I have been lazing on tropical islands, exploring long-lost cities in the jungle, wrestling alligators, overthrowing governments or pottering aimlessly along the Rhine; in fact I have been out of action due to a fractured knee.  First I came off my bike in order to avoid a small child in the road; then (evidently to make sure the knee was properly wrecked), I slithered and crashed on a suddenly-wet pavement, despite flat shoes (SO not me) and a crutch due to the earlier injury.

We shall pass quickly over the painful and inelegant stage immediately following the second splat (it involved ambulances, hospitalisation, more crutches - I stuck diamante on those, mind, just to give them a bit of je ne sais quoi, sad little changes of plan, helplessness and quite a bit of humiliation, including but not limited to being shoveled around in a wheelchair and crawling carefully up and down stairs on my bottom...).  Suffice it to say that I am at present in the totally frustrating state of being written off sick until the end of September, without a firm date upon which I shall be back to normal (apparently this is par for the course with knees, which are capricious things, but is not the easiest thing to convey to the Powers What Be at the theatre), and forced thereby to miss the première of Mefistofele, with my tigerlike role involving leaping around in vertiginous stilettos having been reluctantly handed over to another singer. Damn it.

I am very aware that Joyce di Donato went on as Rosina with a fractured leg, in a wheelchair - and I would have loved to work around this in a similar fashion - but she was the Star, and I am just a jobbing singer, and besides, the director's concept includes half the chorus dressing in identical costumes later in the opera, complete with silly shoes, all of which had already been bought and rehearsed in.  It just wasn't possible this time.

Not an awful lot more to say (for once, huh?).  Onwards and upwards, with a slight lean to one side and a state-of-the-art personalised knee brace providing that little extra something...  Come on, femur, you can do it.

I would be grateful, however, if in future, people could refrain from wishing me out on to stage with a hearty "break a leg!"...

Yes.  Sorry.  I ran away,,,

Well.  There were those unmistakeable signs of autumn in the air.  Woodsmoke, for example. A particular freshness in the atmosphere.  Definite lessening of the heat of the day.  At which point I thought, AARGH, this really shouldn't be happening without summer having had its say, and headed for Rome on impulse.  I was lucky enough to have a favourite auntie in place, catsitting in a flat in the suburbs, so bed and company were assured, and given that there were no immediate auditions in the offing, away I flew.  I'm so glad I did - a bit of sun, good food, speaking Italian, have really recharged my batteries and I'm ready for anything.  Yes, even the customary (with agents) "Um, no auditions, especially none for your fach" sort of telephone conversation.

In the meantime it has amused me to make a dress.  First one I ever did, and I have absolutely no idea how to make dresses.  I saw some fabric and liked it, bought a bit of contrasting stuff, and improvised.  Provided I can be bothered to hem a few bits I might well wear it to a premiere on Saturday (I'll try to photograph it, if so).  

Such things take me through the boredom/panic of not having any immediate employment.  Onward and upward, however - who knows what's around the corner?  And I am keeping up my audition arias so that any opportunity can be pounced upon straight away.  Whatever I can be accused of, not being ever-ready to audition will never be on that list!