Wooot! My music has finally arrived! Note to self: never be certain that paying more money will actually bring the goods home quicker! Ahhh 61 Folksong Arrangements for High Voice by Benjamin Britten - yummmy!!!

Meanwhile, the job of hunting down a suitable studio is on the cards yet again. Does anyone know of a good studio in Melbourne catering for artists in classical music? Since 3MBS studio has fallen through due to redevelopments I've had to start all over again. :( Surely there is more than one good studio in this city!

Mmm as autumn is now in full swing with the leaves of the deciduous trees turning to shades of warm red and orange and the weather is turning cooler, one of my favourite nuts has started popping up for sale again - the chestnut! I feel the cold a lot so don't particularly enjoy winter, but the thought of toasting my toes around a warm log fire, sipping a hot chocolate and nibbling on the warm sweet, creamy texture of roasted chestnuts cheers me up considerably. If you haven't tried a roasted chestnut before, I highly recommend you do so! ;)

Robert Schumann used a walnut tree as the title of one of 26 pieces of music in a cycle called "Myrthen" or Myrtles which he had written as a wedding gift for his wife Clara. As one of many pieces that has caught my fancy to learn, have a listen to "Der Nussbaum" and see what you think.

As I was hunting around for a good recording of "Der Nussbaum" I came this piano work by Enrique Granados of Spain and loved it so much I couldn't let you slip past and not share it either. ;) Enjoy!

Music dilemmas

Argh!!! Must. Have.Patience... my online music order was scheduled to arrive about a week ago and it still hasn't turned up in the post.  I am itching to start work on these new pieces and it's tough when you haven't got them. OH well. I've emailed the company to ask them what's happened to it so hopefully I'll get a reply soon - that, or it'll finally turn up in my mailbox! :D

Furthermore, I am in a serious dilemma! Should I work on a mixture of pieces for my CD or do I specialise in a particular area - say, English Art Music, for instance? Hrmmm. lol You may ask, why on earth does she feel this is a dilemma? Heh, call it "the woe of the perfectionist female" or whatever you will, but it's an important detail!!! ;) Decisions, decisions...

On another note, I made savoury breadsticks for Bible Study tonight with a new recipe I found off Pinterest - such a wonderful website! :) I find all sorts of wonderful things and ideas on it. It was nearly a flat disaster as I had forgotten that it was an American recipe with no symbols on the oven temperatures, so naturally I assumed that 170 degrees was in Celsius, not Fahrenheit! Fortunately, I discovered this error only minutes after sliding my bread into the oven so most of it was saved - Phew! :)

They are quite delicious if I may say so and if you're interested you can find the recipe here. I used Herbemare Seasoning instead of Johnny's Seasoning Salt, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese, sundried tomatoes and finely chopped, fresh basil. Mmmm!

That's all for tonight.

G'night folks!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Was reminded of this wonderful verse last night and thought I'd share it.

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well."

Psalm 139:14

This is a tremendously comforting and encouraging verse.  To think that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made, totally unique and made in God's own image (Gen 1:26). The whole psalm is worth reading.

On a different note, here's a video clip of one of my favourite English folksongs: The Last Rose of Summer, sung by up and coming new British soprano, Laura Wright.

Why am I blogging?

Well, this is my first blog post. Why am I even writing a blog? A few reasons:

1. To voice what I am thinking and learning about life and following Jesus

2. To share my passion for music - classical style in particular

3. To share my journey recording some of my favourite pieces and compile my first CD.

I'm normally a reserved person about what I think and feel, so my hope is that by writing here I may be able to learn to open up a bit more, put my thoughts into words and hopefully encourage/inspire someone else out there in some way.

lol well, that wasn't so hard, now was it, Fi!

Thanks for reading. :)

~Fi