Independence day

26th February, Saturday, 2 days after the independence day. Alarm goes off quite early and i think "Can I move?" Fortnately P had told me the day before that she has no time in the morning and M had not replied about his morning plans, so I texted his, saying tha I will not take the early train and will come by later one instead. A few exercises helped to know that my knee is OK. Why? Because it is March next week and we decided with E to go running from March, but because I do not really want to run, I decided to jump against the ice with my knee on Friday when we went skating with many people from the office. (It was an accident and for the first time I had to ask an ice rink worker to take me to the side, because I could not put weigt on my knee -- they had seen me falling before too and probably thought I am fine).

I had to wear a dress because black trousers would have needed me to wear heels, something that would be quite stupid to do!

Bus to the city centre and train to London, I was ready to find the place where I had to go. With the help of my phone and doing several rounds on one street, I found it, knew I was close because somebody said "Tere". Later, waiting for M and P in front of the hall, we said "Tere" to everybody going past, discussing how we know they are Estonians. Why not say "Tere", if they are not Estonians, they would not understand anyway and not react.

There were soooo many children, speaking Estonian! Estonian School in London sang two songs and also the Estonian mixed choir of London.

The London Estonia  mixed choir sang two songs, Laul põhjamaast (song about northern Land) ja Ärkamise aeg (Time of awakening).

Just confirming my friends' comments that all Estonian songs are sad. When I came to the UK, I did not have any sheet music, so everything I played was in my head and in my head, there were only sad songs and still are, not that I am sad.

Tunne Kelam, an Estonian member of the European Parliament and his wife, Mariann Kelam, member of Estonian Parliament were invited to the event. Mariann gave a nice speach, especially because it was so similar to Paul's letter to Tessalonians:) I think Tunne Kelam reinforced the point of loving our brothers by saying that when they moved to Estonia, the main party was the party of starers (Põrnitsejate partei). Of course, we still say that our national food is other Estonian. He talked about how he tried to fit into the parliament, about smiling and being trustworthy.

Some nice Estonians had prepared 600 sandwiches with small special fish, kilu! Sandwiches of course made of black bread. We had a non-Estonian with us and he said he likes the fish and bread!

After the formal part, two Estonian and our friend decided to go to the Estonian pub. Two Estonians, two quite clever phones told me that it is about 1.5 km. Of course the Estonians wnated to walk, no matter what our friend thought. He said "Oh well, you are Estonins". So we walked and found it, after missing some turns.

I ordered my drink and the Estonian behind the bar said: "You are not Estonian, are you?" Did he think that my sentence was well rehearsed? I said in clear Estonian that I am! P wanted to order a glass of water, but he did not understand why would anybody drink water on an independence day, so he convinced her to have wine instead. No seats, because it was full of Estonians. Finally we went upstairs and M, our non-Estonian found a friend, an Estonian. P has colourfully described the contrast of these two personalities, one Estonian, one not.

M asked how I know P, the Estonian. I said we have just met, the weekend before she came to Birmingham to visit me. He seemed puzzled. We had never met because I have been away for quite long time. I met her through another Estonian biologist, who wrote a blog with her. There was another writer (but her I met once before going to visit her far away), she gave me bread starter mix! And I wrote a blog, in Estonian, a more personal and detailed one.

Estonian visits Estonian: Malvern Hills, Cinderella and lots of walking

P has visited London 2 times before, but never I have  been in another country both times. his February she is in London again and could finally come to Birmingham! Her train was 23.00 on Friday. I do not know what I was doing at home, but I was late going to the station, so had cycle to uni, take train to the New Street and luckily was there before an Estonian stepped out from a train!

Train to uni and walk home, with her bag in the new basket of my bike!

We had decided to go to Malvern Hills on Saturday nad of course not looked at the weather forecast. English Drizzle on Saturday, but this could not stop us, especially because we want to walk the West Hishland Way in the summer and it might be raining all the time and we would need to carry tents and food too! So walk to uni, missed first train and had to wait (look around at uni). Next train took us to Malvern Link. it was foggy! Going up and up and up, finally a small electronic device told us that we wer eon 400 metres. But the highest peak is 425! After much looking around, we thought there was something behind the fog that might be a peak. Going towards it, there were people coming from there, so maybe correct direction! Finally on top, we could see great views of fog everywhere. Every direction we looked, it was white. All our pictures have white background. Despite the fog, we had a good lunch up there and good Estonian conversation. Decided to go to Great Malvern Station, we had to find it! OK, lets go down from somewhere. Map told us that we were slightly off the direction, but it was important to get down. Some zigzags and disappearing fog, we found a sigh for a car park, thinking that maybe there is also a road going to the station. There was! We found a village and decided to check for train time before heading to a cafe for a warm drink. Station was a bit far fro the main street and because there was a sign near the station "New cafe, 100 yards", we decided to sit there. What the two metric Estonians did not find was the cafe. We thought 100 yards must be a small distance, nobody would write a sign "Cafe, very far". So my phone told me that there is another one 600  metres away. Metres is good! WEnt there but it was closed, but we found another one!

Back at uni 4.30pm, we walked home, washed and ate and went to city centre. This means, walked to uni nad took train! We went to see Matthew Bourne' Cinderella.

When I was at school, once at the (spoken) exam of music history, I was asked to talk about theatre music. I talked about ballet, operetta, opera, musical in much detail. At the end the teacher said I have forgotten something very important. It was the orchestra! Yes, theatre music is both what happens on the stage and what happens in the hole under the stage!

In this production, there was no orchestra, the reason for being more surround sound and special effects. Fair enough, it was a dance preformance, but I found it really hard to enjoy Prokofjev's music as much as I would have enjoyed it if there had been an orchestra. Only a week ago I was at a jazz concert based on Mahler's music and there were special effects, in the form of including a DJ. If I could choose whether to have a cinema-like special sound with bombing effect of the bomb sounds played on a percussion, I think I would prefer the latter, if there was an orchestra. In the digital age, things can be done more and possibly better with technical tricks, but would I go to see a ballet if in addition to pre-recorded music there was also 3D recording of the dance, possibly with special additional effects, much like water splashing in the 3D cinema in the sea life centre. No. This would not be called ballet, it would be cinema. Even with super-special effects. The more real experience is what distingushes cinema from traditional theatre.

I knew there was no orchestra in Sadler's Wells, OK, it is a more dance-centered place with little space, but was hoping there would be an orchestra in Birmingham Hippodrome. At least I had not read any reviews mentioning no orchestra in here (but many about Sadler's Wells).

Apart from this, there is nothing I could complain about. Setting the fairytale in the middle of Second World War in London definitely went well with the music, especially as it was composed during the war. Some great dances and dancers, especially the godfather (as godmother in traditional Cinderella), the stepmother who looked like Cruella de Vil and the whole character of the whole family, especially the head movement! How much can body language tell! Or course I enjoyed beautiful dances of the Cinderella! The whole setting was very English-like, with tube station and Paddington station. Dancing was so amazing that at times I forgot there is no orchestra.

To P's surprise, not many people give their coats to the cloakroom when going to the theatre. Not long queue, maybe only 100 coats there (numbers were from 100 to 200). Compared to Estonian hundreds, because everybody gives them away and changes shoes. There are even special shoe bags. P went to theatre wearing wellies, because it was muddy and wanted to change. She gave her wellies to the cloakroom and they were the only ones there!

After this, we walked in the city centre, Victoria Square in light and canals and took the train back home and walked form the station. Hot chocolate with E and time to rest for next day!

Sunday was a day of walking again, this time home-uni-canal-city centre-my sister at Five Ways-city centre (because we had to see the bull made of candies in Selfridges, only thing)-my sister-Moor Street. In my sister's we made some food and talked Estonian to her and her flatmate and then from Moor Street, P took a train at 6. I ran to New street for 5.45 to get to church. My train was late and I was late, running and running and my phone battery died too, so had no idea of what time it was. Finally got there.

Student Plus and home.

Muscle pain is showing, we did 30 miles in 2 days, surprisingly most of it on the second day, because first was up and down and not much gain in distance. Now done some stratching, tomorrow will be interesting, but hopefully my cycling muscles are well-rested. Actually all the ache might not only be form the weekend but also from Thursday's skating, but all muscle ache is way better than other pain!

kevadv2simus

I am so tired, from nothing? In Estonia it would be the spring tiredness, from lack of sun. Yes it is gray and dark. No energy, I cannot cannot cannot wake up at 6! I have not been to any early morning (exercise, I mean the 7.30 ones) class this year (excuse that I go skating and live far from uni is not good). Some days I just feel not again, I don't want to leave work to go home in dark rain and wind. I need summer and sun! Or at least some snow. Extremes, not boring grey fog and drizzle. But at least my housemate gave me a lemon drizzle cake today.

Yesterday was C's birthday, nobody knows her age, but as she says, it is just a two-digit figure. True. We made good effort with cake and a picture. A special Chinese message on the cake was understood differently by her and another Chinese-speaker, but she knows what she read out of it and the rest does not matter.

The landlord is coming to visit tomorrow. And I need to wake up early enough to walk to the station, take train, go somewhere, get back and all this before work. Juhhuuu.

Yesterday I made the biggest mistake I blame the Brits for. Asked somebody "Are you OK?" and she said "Yes". I think she did not mean it. My foreign friend said that she thinks lots of people are sad and lonely, but nobody knows.

skating

I have been busy. Busy and kind of tired, I don't know why, I want spring! We went ice skating yesterday with bioinformatics people. Sadly only two. But they were good! I fell and have done damage to my knees again. Second time this week. On Wednesday, it was my first time to going to salsa this year (because I had a workshop the first week of the term and church meeting the second week.). I had missed it! But as the first thing we learnt a shine and with no warmup, it felt something in my knee, quite painful. The same knee that met a hole in the ice a few years ago and stopped me going to the gym for quite a long time.

Uri Caine meets Mahler

http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/uri-caine-meets-mahler
Went to this concert today. Actually I have been a frequent visitor of the Symphony Hall and Town Hall this year! A few weeks ago Australian Rock Show with J, C, A.

Todays concert was jazz based on Mahler's music. Mahler is good, jazz is good, two together is brilliant! There were a pianist (Uri Caine, the leader), violin, clarinet, trumpet, percussion, contrabase and a DJ. Of course I enhoyed the trumpet, I actually sometimes find myself browsing through the concert listings to see any trumpety concert! The percussion was unbelievable! And DJ played cat sound and baby crying. It actually blended in well with the music. One time the cry was playing with the violin and it was interesting, in a good way, not the English way of saying I did not like it. I liked! Of course Uri Caine was brilliant, at one time competing with the percussion, really amazing! In the second half, there was a man on the stage. He was looking at the violinist and the audience. Quite odd. I was wondering why is he there. He had a microphone, but very high. And then he sang.

I also met two Estonians. When going to the Town Hall, somebody said "Tere". I said "Hello", so surprised! Then I realised who it was.

Came home, made  a cake and decorated another for C's birhtday. And finished the cake E and N made yesterday. I got home after skating and they decided we need to test it and can make a new one today!