In need of a good Fairy

Most times I try to be a sensible, down to earth kind of person, but every now and then I like to believe in fairies and magic. I even have a lovely iPhone case featuring a sparkly Tinkerbell. I hoped she would be able to put some magic into my life, but since I have her I must say that I feel a bit comfused....However it is said that confusion is always the first step to something new. I can wait...

While waiting, I have come up with some wishes my fairy could make come true : First and foremost comes the wish to be the best possible wife for my Thomas. I wish for him to feel loved and safe, and I want to have our little house all warm and welcoming for him... I am afraid that my other wishes are more self centered....I wish deeply to be able to play a concert at home in South Africa. I know which piece , and I already have quite a clear idea as to the dress I would wear, as well as the shoes. I have not actually seen a dress like I want, so I take it that it still has to be designed, which is maybe the reason for the concert not yet having been scheduled. I would also very much like to see some of my friends from old times in person again. As one of my friends likes to put it, there is quite some unfinished business around...

My next big wish is to be able to lead a very good orchestra, playing Richard Strauss' 4 Last Songs. Especially the solo in the third of these songs is calling to me, wanting to be played by me on my violin with its sparkly fine tuner :-)

On a more somber note, once I am called away from this world, I would wish for a friend of mine, who currently leads two notable orchestras in the UK, to play the Strauss song "Morgen" at the funeral. I don't think anyone could play it more perfectly, with exception of myself of course ;-)

And I would wish for a little financial boost so that we can have our house renovated by some firm....it would be a relief to Thomas' nerves if he did not need to do it with only me and the cat to help.

I have other, more intimate wishes too, but, should someone actually read this, I find it prudent to keep these to myself :-)

Well, there they are, my wishes sent out to the universe, and I remain hopeful that some fairy picks them up and sets to work on them.

I hope you all have a happy, magical day

Do it yourself

My good friend from childhood days in South Africa organizes a tour through Europe for her students every two years. This year one of their stops will be here, in our little town. They are spending two days here, the first day will be devoted to sight seeing, and the second day to culture. So my friend asked me whether they could visit our theatre and whether I could arrange something. Not being brave by nature, I gathered all my courage and emailed the director of the theatre to ask him what he thought. He inmediately wrote back, assured me of his full support and said that the project was a wonderful idea. Naturally I was very excited and my mind was brimming with ideas about how we could organise a memorable day for the teenagers. So far so good. Then reality set in. I dutifully went up to the admin and spoke to a few people of whom I thought that they would help me. After all, I am only a musician in the orchestra, and in no position to order anyone to do anything. I got sent from one person to the next, all claiming how wonderful everything was, but sadly they are not responsible. Finally I got to one lady, who said that she would make it her thing. Again much happiness from my side. I did everything she assigned me to do and......nothing happened. So after two weeks of waiting I contacted the lady and asked her what she had come up with. She replied in quite a cheeky mail, the typical "oh...that person is not available, this will not be possible, they have no time, this will cost money...bla bla" In fact she had done nothing and left me feeling like a fool.

Time was running short and I found myself faced by two possibilities: I could sit down and cry, which is great to clean out the eyes so that they shine brightly again, but it did not really help my case and gets a bit boring after a while, or to get myself together and do my thing. Out of the blue I suddenly remembered the slogans of the two different high schools I attended : "Wees Uself" (be yourself) and "Aanhou Wen" (keep winning). And then my path became clear. I will be myself and continue planning the project and by doing just that, I will keep winning. I have learnt that, if I want to get something going, I am the only one to do it. After all, these are MY fellow South Africans and I will organise a lovely day for them. And, funnily, as soon as I made my decision, things started falling  into place.

Of course the cat won't much like it because she will have to spend the day alone, but I will find a way to make it up to her. On that note: AANHOU WEN !