Flamenco at RWCMD

After a night of rain, lower temperature and disturbed sleep, followed by sunny autumnal morning. We had waffles for breakfast and then I slept again for over an hour. Today is the St Catherine's Autumn Fayre, but we had to miss it due to an afternoon concert at the Royal Welsh College, so Clare took the jars of crab apple and grape jelly we made a couple of weeks ago to the church hall. Fascinating to think that the grapes came from the yard of the Robin Hood pub, and the crab apples from the tree in the churchyard garden, within a hundred yards of each other. Food with a provenance, and zero food miles!

After an early lunch, I completed tomorrow's sermon, then we walked to the Royal Welsh College for  matinée performance of a show called 'Art of Believing' presented by a young Flamenco guitar virtuoso Daniel Martinez with an ensemble which of two singers, a dancer, a violinist, another guitarist and a cajón percussionist. It was an astounding performance mixing traditional forms and measures with compositions by Martinez himself, delivered with energy, embracing the joy and agony of cante jondo. 

The Dora Stutzker auditorium was almost full with a noticeably ageing audience expressing enthusiasm and delight for the music, with two standing ovations at the end. What a treat! On our way out we bought a CD of the music performed. Pleased to know they'll be returning with a new show next March. It seems the group are living and touring in Britain at the moment. This experience certainly awakened in me a sense of hiraeth - but for Spain, rather than my motherland. I do hope I get another opportunity for locum duty in Spain next year. I could do with a change of scene after such a long spell of vacancy duties here.

We returned home on the bus, and after a drink and a piece of choccy cake, I went for a walk in the park as the sun was setting. It's chilly tonight, seven degrees. So far the ambient temperature of the house hasn't dropped enough for us to need to use the central heating - thanks to the longer spell of warm weather since the end of August. 

After supper I watched another slow moving episode of 'The Fall', then printed tomorrow's sermon and headed for bed early. I've not had much of a reaction to yesterday's 'flu jab, except for feeling the need for more sleep, even though I'm not physically tired.