Liberating Jersey (again) to music...

When I decided I was fit to travel again, and started looking at possible, and neccessarily comfortable, itineraries, one of my first actions was to email Messrs Mews and Hopkin in St Helier and ask … when is the Jersey Festival this year?
Stupid Question. It always starts on Liberation Day. May 9. So May 9-13 became the first fixed date in my European season’s calendar. John booked my BMI Baby ticket and … well to cut a short story even shorter, here I am.
Parenthesis to say, I have had my battles and pouts with BMI Baby in the past, but this time they took the most perfect care of me (and my walking stick). Thank you, above all, Steve, who escorted me across the tarmac.
End of parenthesis.

I arrived here yesterday afternoon, and things (apart from the weather) went on going right! Signature buses (recommended) picked me up punctually at the airport and delivered me neatly to ... where? Of course, to my Jersey ‘home from home’, the Bayview Guest House, Havre du Pas, where Geoff and Carolyn were waiting to greet me with my usual pint of Guinness.
More! this year they have lodged me in the garden room. Well, I’d call it a flat. Last time my room was above it, and I looked enviously down over Jean-Pierre lolling in the garden. Well, this time I’m going to loll. This placing has had one effect though: if I had a wee flat like this, I could happily stay here in Jersey for much of the summer. Hmmmm.



Next, then they took me to their new restaurant for a welcome lunch. Well! Its been open all of three days … I have found a new local. Kurt review after tonight when I try to see if it can possibly be that good two days in a row.

So, it’s 36 hours to go before the Festival starts. It’s a lipsmacking programme: from the well-known (to me) to the unknown (to me, which means most things) … from the Mozart Requiem which I write about, but have never heard, to music by Gorecki (whom I know John likes) and more conventionally, Chopin and Saint-Saens. Sadly, there are only folksongs from the English repertoire, because this year is Poland year. Oh, and there’s another new fanfare. It had better be good: I loved the Jon Lord one. Anyway, I’ll be at every event except a handful: I’m skipping the film The Pianist because I’m not here to see movies and Wu Qian is playing Chopin in the concerts, I’m probably going to have to forego Gorey, because of the climbing, and well we’ll see how things go, but Strictly Come Dancing stars (even though we watch the show) aren’t really my thing. Oh, hang on, is Anton the Kiwi guy? He’s the one who plays ‘sulky’ (so boring) … well, we’ll see..

Today I ventured out to the boat show. Does it sell any boats? Last time, I discovered the Festival by visiting it, this time … well, I was reminded (if I needed reminding) why I love Jersey. They had a group playing Beach Boys music in a tent. Was it a brass band? ... why no. It was a string quartet!! Yay! I’m going to love it here all over again!