Prime Minister and Pigeons

We went to Luxembourg for two quartet concerts this weekend, where we managed to attend a street party and wave to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. As well as two quartet performances, we managed to fit in shopping and watching the fireworks. I had my usual problem of not being able to shut my suitcase on the way back.. I loved the way the car 'drop-off' section in the car park at Luxembourg airport is called the 'kiss and fly'!! Avoiding unpacking my suicase, I went to watch Ida Haendel at the Wigmore on my return- she was really fantastic - I hope I'll still be playing at that age.

As well as seeing the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, I performed to the Prime Minister the last week. I was playing with my friend’s trio ‘Blue Topaz’ in Somerset House, on the Strand, and it turned out Gordon Brown was there, and David Cameron!

My Mum got a DVD in the post today - she wasn't well enough to come and watch a recital I did a few weeks ago with pianist Alison Farr, so Alison's Dad kindly made her a DVD of it. It was a good programme, because the concert organiser had had a great idea; he advertised a list of pieces we could play in the local paper and got the audience to ring or write in to vote for which ones they wanted to hear! We finished with an encore of Vieuxtemps' variations on Yankee Doodle, and got a standing ovation, so I hope Mum enjoys it!

Tomorrow, I am off to Paris with pop singer Adele, then the next day our Quartet is performing with All Angels in the Thaxted Festival. And I need to start practicing Piazolla's Four Seasons, as I am playing the solo part in a few weeks.

I think I have poisoned all the pigeons in West Hampstead, in the process of trying to change a violin string. My pegs keep getting stuck in the hot weather, and so as I am about to replace a string on my violin, I want to loosen up the peg. The best way to do this is with some old dried up soap. But I can’t find any – so I took a corner off our perfectly good brand new soap in the bathroom and stuck it on my windowsill to dry out. I checked the next day and it had gone. Then the same happened the next day, and the next. I have a horrible feeling that a pigeon is taking off with the soap thinking it is some food. I have probably poisoned at least 3 pigeons by now, and am still no closer to solving my sticky peg or changing my violin string.

I am about to give my niece a violin lesson over the phone as I haven’t had time to give her a lesson in person for ages. It works quite well; she plays a piece or scale and I tell her which notes she needs to flatten or sharpen! As for her bow technique, that will have to wait until I have worked out how to use my webcam…