Music, organizing and food. . . . . .

. . . . . . . coping with another dreary Saturday.

I'm listening to Sir. Edward Elgar's beautiful, atmospheric Enigma Variations

 as I write on this dismal, rain-soaked day. 

Music that stirs the imagination, perhaps sad, but always thought provoking. 

The 'Nimrod: Lux Aeterna' is my favorite opus. 

This older orchestral version (Sir John Barbirolli : Hallé Orchestra) astounding

 of course, but I'm also listening, as I so often do, to the amazing vocal from

 VOCES8, the much-loved British a cappella group - do listen if you haven't

 heard this before, or even if you have.

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/elgar/news/voces8-nimrod/

Keeping busy indoors is perhaps the way to deal with weather such as we've

 been having most of this month. . . . . . . . . a lot of wet, dark days.

There were a couple of pleasant days, such as the ones I grabbed and ran with into

 the garden to prune the fig tree, and pick a bunch of the first blooming daffodils!

Here in the dining room, earlier today, working on re-doing my one of my
 filing boxes - the vintage rabbit cage being my catch-all sitting on the floor next
 to my desk upstairs. Found the package of dark blue 'Celestial' folders on the
 Sale shelf of World Market a few days ago.

Leftover from Christmas - packaging not opened until yesterday so still fresh - an
 Italian Panettone! 

 A warmed slice for Saturday breakfast alongside a coffee, then some baked into 

a 'comfort food', bread pudding, yum, and to heck with the carbs right now.

All is not lost though. Perhaps a bad hair day for the 

proverbial 'bluebird of happiness' as the rain tipples down, 

but the beautiful music plays on.

A movie to remember. . . . . . . .

DUNKIRK - THE MOVIE

If you haven't seen the movie, run don't walk to the cinema.

I will admit that it's the only movie where I've sat trying to hold

 back tears from the very first minute until the credits rolled. 

In between I did allow some to fall and was glad I had a stash

 of tissues handy. This movie is not for the the faint of heart,

but is one perhaps everyone should see.

Even Bob was having a hard time as the emotional, 

breath-holding story unfolded on that huge screen with 

throbbing sound and in your face horror of what 400,000 men,

many still just boys, had to endure during those days while

awaiting rescue.

If you are of my age group and are familiar with the sad, frightening days of WWII, 

and especially if you are of British and French descent, you will already know what

 occurred on that French beach at Dunkirk in 1940. For me, the story was often

 recounted by my parents both of whom were in the Royal Air Force at that time.

Because they lived on the south coast of England, in a town from which many

 of the small pleasure and fishing boats sailed from to take part in the huge

 rescue and evacuation of those hundreds of thousands troops waiting just
 26 miles across the English Channel, Dunkirk's story has always remained
 part of my hometown's history.

This amazing movie, the way it was filmed, the musical score, with no
 unnecessary dialogue, and great actors, just has to be an award winner.

But much more important than that, to me, and I'm certain to all who watch,

it truly brings war closer to our eyes than ever before and makes us realize
 how devastating, heartbreaking, and horrific those days were. 

Composer Sir Edward Elgar's beautiful music 'NIMROD: Lux Aeterna' from the
 Enigma Variations is played during some scenes, slow and elongated like I've
 never heard before. For me it was a tiny speck of beauty and hope that such
 terrible times like that will never, ever be repeated.