At Long Last It's Summertime

So at long last we can say that it's now officially British Summertime. And what a long

wait it was this Winter, with a January that I'm never likely to forget.

I guess that the period from October to the end of the year is okay, what with the Autumn

season and the long build up to Christmas. But it's the two months of January and February

that I dislike so much.

So hopefully very soon things will warm up and then we can say Summer really is here.

The Beachside Plant Container All Lit Up

My newly made Beachside plant container looks a treat all lit up in the evening.

There's even a flashing light in the lighthouse.

Creating Another Beachside Plant Container

With the worst of the Winter out of the way and a January I won't easily forget,

I thought I'd cheer up the room with a new seaside plant container. I couldn't quite

find the right colour container so I bought a dull grey one, sanded it down and painted

it in a cheery seaside light blue.

Of course the few plants in it are artificial so no watering needed.

Verdi's Climatic Tragedy......Rigoletto

 

Written and composed in 1851, Rigoletto is a three part opera by the master of Grand

Italian Opera Giuseppe Verdi.

Set in the times of Renaissance Italy, it's a dramatic tale of love, betrayal and revenge.

And in the closing moments of the final act we see the Duke of Mantua's court jester

Rigoletto suffer the consequences of a failed cunning plan that not only affects himself,

but also brings about the loss of his innocent daughter Gilda.

In the short closing video clip above we see Italian Baritone Leo Nucci reacting to the

demise of his daughter in a barnstorming finish, and a typical climax that became Verdi's

trademark.

VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY

Giorgio Brenna

K-Pop Busking in Hongdae

It seems like Hongdae in the Mapo district of Seoul is the place to be for young K-Pop

fans as well as aspiring K-Pop artists. This whole area seems like a thriving place for

buskers, street musicians and K-Pop cover Bands.

And in the video above is popular street performers Team m_ocean covering Trouble Maker

while clearly throwing in a bit of fan servicing for the girls.

More on this new Hongdae phenomenon at

SEOUL KOREA ASIA.

Team m_ocean INSTAGRAM

Above video kindly uploaded to youtube by

METROBUSK

Meanwhile Seoul is preparing for a huge event tomorrow night, the return of

K-Pop Kings BTS in their first concert since 2022. And apparently it's going to be shown

Live on Netflix.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

No it's not Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walks. It is in fact John Conneely from

County Mayo in Ireland performing an Irish Reel on a tv show back in 1972.

And the amazing thing is that John had a terrible fall and broke his back as a young

man and was virtually bed bound for almost three years while recovering and being

aided and helped along by his Nurse, who he went on to marry.

Interestingly someone said in the video comments 'That's how we put wildfires out.' 

A little bit of Irish wit there.

VIDEO KINDLY UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY

CR'S VIDEO VAULT

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY

Verdi's Almighty Requiem and 'The Day of Wrath'

Above: The great American conductor Robert Trevino conducting The Malmo Symphony

Orchestra in a performance of Verdi's Requiem. It's often described as a sombre piece

of music, that is until we hear 'Dies Irae' when things soon liven up, as in the clip above.

ABOVE VIDEO UPLOADED TO YOUTUBE BY

THE MALMO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

What I like about conductor Robert Trevino is his passion and aggression. He seems to

have taken over where the great Riccardo Muti left off, with his passionate and similar

dramatic style. But then Muti is now 84.

Trevino who has a full busy diary this Summer was recently announced as the new

Principle Conductor for Romania's premier Orchestra The George Enescu

Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2026/27 Season. 

More news and information on Conductor

ROBERT TREVINO

Below: Robert Trevino in full flight

conducting Verdi's Don Carlo.

 

Below: My prized alabaster bust of The Maestro Giuseppe Verdi 

which I bought through e-bay last year.