Early Music Festival

Charles has decided he would like to come with me to York in December for the Early Music Festival. I’m so pleased! I went a few years ago, by myself, and got a bit lonely at that time. The music was lovely – beautiful 11th century religious songs sung in echoey, old churches, just as they were meant to be – and I was lucky enough to hear a choir in York Minster practising a Thomas Tallis piece as I wandered around the Minster doing my tourist bit. However, it was cold, snowy weather and there were lots of homeless people sitting about the pavements, shivering, and one tiny little homeless puppy with sad eyes really tugged at my heartstrings – so I ended up spending a good part of my holiday walking around York doling out hot pasties from the Cornish pasty shop to every homeless person I could find. In addition to that the owner of my guest house had an altercation with some people right outside my bedroom and I didn’t feel particularly safe in my room after that. Not a very happy holiday!

So this time around I will be glad to have Charles’ company. I have booked our first two nights in a 3* hotel with a good restaurant (ie, not a grimy guest house with a shouty, scary owner, but hopefully a more refined experience!) and I have also booked our first two concerts. We have The Clerks' Group with some 12th Century chant and polyphony to listen to (not to everybody’s taste I realise, but I like it!) and also the Rose Consort of Viols with Catherine King as soprano. I heard her sing the last time I was in York and she has a beautiful, piercing, clear voice, so I’m very much looking forward to that.

And, hey, that makes two holidays for me in December!