PASSING AROUND TCHAIKOVSKY'S LETTERS TO BRODSKY

A lovely visit to the RNCM archive and musical instrument collection where archivist Heather showed such enthusiasm and allowed us such freedom with the material They have many gems which although restricted to material having a connection with the college and its two direct predecessors this leaves open an amazing roll call to music over the last two centuries. We were able to read and handle carefully a selection of letters from Tchaikovsky to Brodsky in Russian and German, some even retaining their envelopes and stamps. There was so much you could have looked at in great detail, when we discover how to get pictures off Mandy's phone I'll give you examples but I'd forgotten to replace the memory stick in my camera, nothing was out of bounds though and we had a demo of the very old violins from a student. In the afternoon we were at Clonter opera in Cheshire for another of their afternoon teas with music with two very talented young singers , a little crowded as it gets ever more popular. Tonight we are at Antrobus Gold Club about twenty minutes away, I'm doing a film show for the Jaguar club, wish me luck.

Tomorrow we are getting the recovered and repaired settee back so we can live in  comfort again and stretch out a bit more, then we have the branch polio fellowship agm meeting at Ellesmere port and beforehand errands in the Port run such as haircut and shopping. Friday we are off down to my sisters in Hampshire  and have a family birthday meal Saturday night. It is my birthday on Monday. We hope to get a little filming done on the way back and forth. Meanwhile some shots from my trip to Worcestershire yesterday featuring Kidderminster and then on to Bridgnorth. Masses of new electric Stagecoach buses on routes 43 and 111 in Manchester, spotted this morning on way to RNCM, I will try and get a day to film them plus film the roundabout at M6 Junction 19 at Knutsford before it becomes a huge building site.