Steampot

Usual(ish) Saturday: Acted as chauffeur for another music group member going to and coming back from today's session. Since last Tuesday was the 200th anniversary of the birth of Mendelssohn, this was Mendelssohn Day. We had a fascinating selection of not-so-often-heard music by this composer (apart from the Octet, nobody brought any of the really popular and well-known Mendelssohn like the Italian or Scottish symphonies or the Fingal's Cave overture or the Midsummer Night's Dream music or the Violin Concerto. Instead we mostly vocal and chamber music. All great stuff, and equally great to have an excuse to explore the byways rather than the highways.

One pint afterwards with a bit of pub grub passed enough time not to get caught in the crowds going to Croke Park for the Ireland-France Six Nations rugby match, but still left time to catch the end of the first half and all the second half at home. A good, exciting, fast-flowing game -- and an excellent result, of course, from an irish point of view.

I was due to go to a 100th Birthday party (both an ex-work-colleague and his wife celebrating a 50th birthday together), but didn't go in the end. There was no telling what the weather might do, and I didn't fancy getting stuck in town with buses not running. I stayed at home, cosily watching TV and listening to music instead. I also had a very nice microwave meal (Thai Chicken and Vegetables), one of these unusual ones which don't need piercing before going in the microwave because of a built-in steaming valve. Whatever the technology, the taste is certainly top notch.

Also, always on my mind was my friend Derek. My own mild angina which the doc gave me news about last Monday paled into insignificance compared to Derek's experience. He was suffering from pains in his chest and numbness down his arm and went to his doctor after a week of this. He was immediately sent for tests and booked in for an angiogram. He had the angio on Thursday, they found a couple of badly blocked arteries, and he had three stents inserted yesterday. He was transferred back to hospital from the clinic today, with word from his doctor that things couldn't have gone any better and that his heart was as good as new again. Still, it's been a worrying time. I'd been on call on Thursday in case I was needed to bring Rita on hospital visits, but wasn't needed after all the way the timing worked out.