January and February have gone by in what seems to be the blink of an eye. I am currently producing the school musical, which is taking place in a professional theatre, and the amount of work involved has been far beyond my initial expectations. Rehearsals every night after school and on Saturday mornings, meetings at the theatre with the technical crew, hundreds of emails to parents, hundreds of emails to colleagues, lots of running around school looking for children and costumes and lost scripts and the finance administrator to please please pay my invoices…it’s been a full time job on top of a full time job, and I am almost ready to collapse. But it will soon be show time - by this time next week, the final curtain will have come down, the fabulous cast of students who have worked their absolute socks off would have had the time of their lives, and me and my amazing director will be able to get a proper night’s sleep for the first time in months. It’s amazing how your dreams get infiltrated with this sort of thing - I’ve had a lot of panicked 3am wake ups, after dreaming that a light has fallen down and hit a child on the head, or the lead is sick and I have to go on and sing her part, or the theatre can’t actually have us after all and we have to do the musical in the street…
But. It’s not all been stress and drama, of course. I had a wonderful few days in Copenhagen over half term, where one of my oldest and dearest friends now lives. We stayed together in a very fancy hotel in the centre of town with a spa - because I really needed one - and had a marvellous time wandering the beautiful streets, eating a lot of pastry, and seeing plenty of art. The last time I went to Copenhagen was ten years ago, so while some of it was familiar, most of it felt very new, and it was a very different experience to visit with a local. My friend took me to the incredible Louisiana modern art gallery in the suburbs of the city, which is a stunning 19th century mansion with attached 1960s gallery extension nestled in beautiful gardens overlooking the sea. The art work is magnificent, but so is the setting - the two in communication with one another makes for a truly unique experience. There is one double height room with an incredible view across a lake outside, in front of which is perched one of Louise Bourgeois’ huge spiders - it felt like this creature had just wandered in from the rugged landscape outside to get warm before wandering off again. We also had a lovely time at the National Art Museum, which is another fine piece of architecture with a beautiful glass atrium that makes the most of the lovely views outside and makes the city itself a work of art alongside the paintings on its walls. Aside from all the art, we enjoyed wandering in and out of lots of beautifully decorated, peaceful churches, shopping in numerous stylish boutiques and department stores filled with gorgeous stuff, eating lots of lovely cakes and the best pizza I’ve had in my life, and generally admiring the colourful and varied architecture of this charming city. Unfortunately it was very grey and damp and cold for my entire visit, which made it hard to take decent photos. But I was warmed and cheered by being with my friend, and seeing her happy in her new home. I shall be going back frequently, and look forward to sunshine and getting on (and perhaps in!) the water next time I go.
Reading-wise, over the past month I have very much enjoyed Elizabeth Fair’s The Native Heath - if you are a fan of Barbara Pym, you will love her novels and I strongly recommend you giving her a go. This witty tale of what happens when a woman inherits her old family home and inserts herself into the life of the village was just what I needed to switch off after my busy days at school. It’s not her best - that crown still belongs to Landscape in Sunlight, in my view - but still very worth a read. On an entirely different emotional plane, I took Chernobyl Prayer with me to Copenhagen, and it is a powerful, devastating read. An oral account from a multitude of people involved in some way with the disaster - local residents, government officials, children, clean up workers, wives of those men who died - it reveals the true human cost on the Belorussian people and is a fascinating insight into the role the Soviet mindset played in the response to the disaster. Despite the often distressing content, I couldn’t put it down. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
For a wider cultural hit, I loved watching All of Us Strangers at the cinema - a remarkable, beautiful, heartbreaking film, and seeing the Diva exhibition at the V&A - I really enjoyed the focus on female artistry and achievement. The Chanel exhibition at the V&A is also glorious, though very crowded - I could have stayed in there looking at the gorgeous clothes forever!
I hope your beginnings to the year have been less frenetic than mine. There is something to be said, however, to have an absorbing creative project to throw yourself into at this time of the year. I feel that I’ve missed those long, dark and depressing days I normally struggle with amidst all the hustle and bustle of school, and now as things slow down, I am emerging into blue skies and blossom and the delicate scent of life stirring in the air. I do love this transition from February into March, when warmth and colour and light begin to return. Soon - Spring.
Best of luck with your production! And thanks for the suggestions for wonderful museums (and delicious pizza) in Copenhagen. I sent them to my son, who is doing a fellowship at Cambridge and travels as much as he can.
Thank you once again for a stimulating post. You never fail to point me in a new direction and it is always rewarding. I had been vaguely interested in visiting Copenhagen for some time but you have really stirred me into to finding a date to visit. Although I’m still trying to fit in Ham house!
Best wishes Lesley