Requiem

I've been very tired today after all the excitement of yesterday, and having had a pretty late night - and I'm off out and about again tomorrow, so I thought it sensible to have a restful day. In other words, I've slouched in a chair for most of the day, apart from when I was preparing food for my menfolk. When I started to think that it might be time to take a photo or twenty seven, I reached no further for a subject than the glass dish on the dresser in which I put my jewellery at night.

Longer-established choirs than ours often have quite strict dress codes and other rules designed to create a uniformity of appearance - I've even read a set of choir rules in which it was specified that the women must wear no jewellery at all, and that each of the members must hold their music in their right hand while walking onto the stage, which seems a little draconian. But a certain uniformity of dress makes sense, because it avoids providing the audience with visual distractions, and emphasises the fact that the choir is a single entity. Our own choir was only established in 2013, and we're still very much a work in progress as far as the choir master is concerned; and at the moment he's much more interested in developing our sound than in the way we look. So our dress code is very simple: we all wear black, and the women are asked not to wear scarves or flamboyant jewellery.

I always wear black trousers and a black top, and I confine my jewellery to my usual rings and a pair of small earrings. However, I have a huge collection of earrings, and it amuses me to select a pair that I feel are appropriate to whatever music we're performing. Last night I wore these little studs, which are silver, decorated with black enamel and tiny gold hearts, which I bought several years ago as a memento of the day we finally sold my late mother's property and were able to wind up her estate. They seemed to me to be perfect Requiem earrings.

Many thanks for all the kindnesses you've bestowed on yesterday's Chipping Campden sunset, which I back-blipped this morning.