The world stops for Vienna

Little did Petronela's younger sister (RIP) know what she was starting when she insisted that I, then a volunteer teacher staying alone in the school hostel in 1999, be invited to spend New Year's Day with the family. We watched the Vienna New Year's concert together, P and I married about 18 months later, and we have watched the Vienna concert together every year since that first time.

The concert combines two of my great loves, so-called 'classical music' and classical ballet, a love affair probably begun when I was about 7 years old, being taken to live performances at Bradford's St. George's Hall and the Alhambra by my grandmother after years of listening on the 'steam radio' and wind-up gramophone.

I think there was less ballet this year but it was great to see flashbacks to earlier years in this year's concert, including 'our year', and to see students from the.Vienna State Opera Ballet Academy dancing among the audience.

Thankfully no CCTV in our flat to catch P and I dancing/clapping to the Rodetzsky March in our pyjamas (the concert did start as early as 11.15am!).