Returning with ‘gifts’

Mixing print and collage

Apologies for the absence of posts. It seems that writing requires a minimum level of time, energy, and freedom from anxiety - it feels as if one or other of these has been in short supply over the last few weeks.

Now things are calming down a little, I thought I’d come back with some gifts of online listening and watching that I’ve found fun or helpful or a delight.

BBC radio is available everywhere on their Sounds app. One programme that cheers me each week is This Classical Life . Jess Gillam talks to another young musician and they swap the music they love, talking about what each piece means to them. It’s lively and energising and insightful, and has pointed me to new pieces of music, including O What a World by Rufus Wainwright. I love the glorious melancholy of his voice against the instruments. And the whole of last week’s programme with trumpeter Ben Goldscheider made for good listening.

My interest in art history has been rekindled by a really excellent podcast from Waldemar Januszczak and Bendo Grosvenor. One of the podcast features had them choosing their favourite online art tours, and I was so pleased that I followed up their recommendation of this tour of the restored Ghent Altarpiece. - A great example of experts sharing their knowledge well.

Here in New Zealand we are fortunate to have art galleries open again, and it was so reviving to go to an artist talk by Judy Millar in front of the huge painting she has just launched at the Nadene Milne gallery in Christchurch. “It’s time to step up,” she says. “What can I do as an artist?” You can see what she did here…

A poetic life needs input. I hope you’ve been finding what you need in these difficult days. If you’d like to share with other readers, drop the web address in the Comments below.

Then I noticed my library reading was Wolf and Woolf…