The Goldmine.
  • Spy vs Spy
    • At Fox River
    • Patty and the Tet Offensive
    • Pale and Interesting >
      • More pale and interesting
      • Older, still pale, possibly only interesting to a couple of people
    • The Heckler and Koch Affair
    • Spy vs Spy
  • Peeling the Onion
  • Old unhappy far-off things
    • Wipers and the Ypres League
    • Fanny and Cobber.
    • In Memoriam
  • Slightly Saltirical
    • A Dexter Hand
    • The Boar-Worshippers
  • Taken by the Hand
    • Geranium Days
    • The Lockhart Papers
    • A Martial Aspect
    • O Perfect Love >
      • Sonnets Unplugged
      • Stout Cortez
    • Tea and an Ascot
  • Childe Harold
    • Monikers >
      • The Sandman and Sleipnir
    • Bos Indicus
    • Three things in a field >
      • Dance With A Bull
  • Eureka (Stockade)
    • Two for Joy
    • At the Bottom of the Garden >
      • Coins of the Realm
  • Superstitious Nonsense
    • Leaves of Tea
  • The Best of Times
    • The Space Race >
      • C.P.Snow
  • Sorry luv, I missed that.
  • Valley Girls
    • Britten, B et al >
      • Gammon and Spinach
      • The Blue Flowers >
        • The Beautiful People
        • The girls from 9DY Rangi Ruru >
          • The Fires of Hell and other Works of Art
        • The Cat's Paw and other Feline Fables
        • Flowers in Bloom
      • The Moon and Daisies
      • Snowmaiden Revelry
  • Sitting on Custard
  • The Long White Grass
    • Somewhere...
  • I have pictures
  • The Queen's Cake
  • A Portrait by Hoppner
  • The Iron Fist.
    • Slow twitching gams.
  • Whips and Whatnot
  • Showering with Friends

The gayest bones

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) has a spot in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. I have yet to get there. I sometimes wonder how many music rooms or similar are named for him. Who gathers the statistics on these things? Perhaps I need to set out with a clipboard and start making enquiries myself. 

Until the earthquake of the 22nd February 2011 I was quite happily ensconced in the Britten room on a more or less daily basis. Not a 'sceptred isle' but close. Of course a lot of people think that the Britten referred to is John Britten (of Superbike fame) but they would be wrong. People are fearfully ignorant these days, I'm afraid. It's nothing to be proud of.

The Jazzman

Picture
My colleague of the Britten room.
Taken at St Peters.

Picture
The chair at the end is mine.
The Britten room (also known as M4) doubles as an obstacle course on most days.
Picture
A handwritten index of songs.
Picture
c 1910. I think.




The Britten room is also a treasure trove of musical treats. I haven't discovered them all yet as it is also home to one of the most fiendishly complicated filing systems known to man. It will take patience.