Month: December 2025

A Christmas Classic

So we awoke with a snow lined vista. It is chilly and the heat pump is doing its job.

Bedroom window

Early opening of the Santa stockings for very large children and then out for a walk.

A lively chat with Joe last night. A beautiful warm sunny day for him in contrast.

Return to the Festival Hall

We found ourselves at the Royal Festival Hall last night for The Messiah. The last time we saw it was three years ago at the same venue but with a negative review.

This time it was a fabulous experience. The choir of 99 and the orchestra did a great job.

The choir sang so well, perfect timing and a great vocal range. The soloists all did a fine job. We thought they the female alto coped with great vocal demands.

The orchestra was not huge in number but provided a great sound. I did not the work of the female bass player. She stood for the whole performance. Her accompaniment for ‘My Redeemer Liveth’ to the singing soprano was great to admire.

The music particularly after the first act just got better and better. One the better Messiah events for us. Great.

And the views from the bar’s balcony:

Duomo in Florence

The day after the big athletic event was time to see some more fine architecture and art.

A climb to the top of the dome with EQ via a narrow staircase , some few hundred steps. The view was nice though not outstanding. The closer views of the painted dome were in the end no better than looking from the floor of the cathedral.

I think a representation of judgement day and a strong emphasis on the pain of hell.

The inside of the cathedral was relatively bland compared to the to some recent viewings. I appreciated the clock above the west door which shows the time since the last sunset. Clearly a measure of real local time!

The visit to the crypt was very interesting. As ever not easy to piece together the timeline of the changes but still good. Great mosaics and a partial fresco from the mid 14th century.

Mary at the side of Christ.

And part of the mosaic which was done by African migrants apparently.