Christmas Morning Early

My voice has survived the singing of Midnight Mass, though top Es were a struggle. Hopefully, by Epiphany I should be back on song, and even, with good fortune, back on dance by Saturday, 29th December for Wilson's final do of the year.

But five days since my last entry and, despite this mildly debilitating cold slowing me right down, life has been pleasantly varied and rewarding. For the first time on Friday, the last day of term, I covered for a history lesson. It was gratifying that, even at that stage the students were receptive to my tales, songs and DVD which related the effects on my family of the big, bad guys on their syllabus. Mussolini and Hitler were only just in their graves when I was born and Stalin had five more years to live, but for Y12 students, born in 1991, all three would be as remote as Queen Victoria is to me.

Amy Eftekari kindly invited me to a Christmas party at Isis to see her singing with her band. Her beautiful genuine smile is a great asset in that job. She engaged her audience, persuaded them to dance and her band maintained the momentum throughout. Olly, like me, has a rotten cold. We were both loafing and dozing early this evening before he went to town to meet his mates and I set off to Southwell. He has some reservations about leaving the security of the Marines for the vagaries of freelance entertaining; I am confident, however, that his determination will secure him, if not wealth and fame, at least an interesting and viable living. It would be great if his CD, due for release in 2008, were to sell well and come to wide, public and broadcast notice.

Were he to be in Afghanistan when it makes its impact that would certainly be a good 'story'.

On the subject of stories, Jonathan Coope sent me some extracts from his Ph. D. thesis and asked for my comments. I was able only to be honest, though it was pleasant to know that my opinion might be valued. His work has an unpleasant and rather weird air. He appears to assume that no historians understand that mankind is an integral part of the natural world; that we are not its master. My guess is, and it is now becoming a modestly well informed guess, is that his assumption arises from his disdaining to read any history books. He gravitates to anything which confirms his view that man is a vandal and a menace; that only a small elite really understand the depth of the looming ecological crisis, and that most of us fail to notice our relationship with other living creatures.

I look forward to putting him right; to explaining the benefits of global capitalism and industrial expansion.

My first known Christmas present is a book token. Thanks Olly. I have loads to read for the holiday period, but must sleep for afew hours now before setting off for Lorna's.