and sunny - having avoided the storms of the previous week and the snow that followed our return. A relaxing break.

'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' by Gregory Maguire

26 March 2008

Some time in 2001 I heard someone on the radio talking about a novel that was going to tell the story of the childhood of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. Even though the book had not yet been published in the UK, I was hooked by the concept. During a trip to Seattle in 2002 I bought a copy of 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire at the wonderful Elliot Bay Book Company store and I loved it. It has since become a bestseller and spawned a Broadway musical. So it was with some expectationat the ball it is almost a surprise. It's a very neat and satisfying story and has a lot to say about appearances and transformations.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Eilís Kennedy and Pauline Scanlon

13 March 2008

Spellbinding session from the beautiful west of Ireland voices of Eilís Kennedy and Pauline Scanlon on Charlie Gillett's Radio 3 show this week. You can listen again here and hear the first few tracks from their forthcoming album at: http://www.myspace.com/dinglewhitefemales.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Milton Keynes City Orchestra concert

12 March 2008

On Sunday night we were at Milton Keynes Theatre to hear the Milton Keynes City Orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards. The first half of the concert was a performance of Beethoven's 'Triple Concerto' with Diana Cummings (violin), Nigel Clayton (piano) and the wonderful show-stealing Oleg Kogan ('cello)