Summer concert

It all paid off. All the work, all the weeding and trimming, pruning and strimming, all the frantic activity of the recent weeks all came together for the evening of July 24th. The garden was looking gorgeous as were, might I add, myself and Ella. The borders of the lawn were straight, the plants had been well watered during the week to ensure they were looking their best and all dead heads were removed. Water was trickling through the newly built garden fountain, and the breeze was lightly drifting through the ornamental grasses. A little after 7.30pm the public started to arrive and were able to spend time wandering around the gardens, appreciating what is a very singular sight in the area, swathes of herbaceous borders. Chairs were scattered around the square garden and the musicians were carrying out last minute rehearsals from the apartment 'La Corona'.

But boy was it hot! One of the hottest days of the year. Daytime temperatures had reached 34 degrees and it was all we could do to stop ourselves from wilting.

The concert, though, was a delight. About 65 guests turned up to enjoy the music, and the programme itself was a well thought out mixture of Vaughn Williams, Bach, and Mozart along with traditional Spanish music. Performers were The Quintessential Quartet from England - Alistair Kennedy, Amanda Rowden-Martin, Graham Gillham and Cat Jary; Klaartje van Veldoven, international soprano from Holland; and her partner, Rembrandt Frerichs, famous Dutch jazz pianist; José Manuel Muñoz, clarinetist from Seville; and Pepe Milan, local banduria player. Click on the play symbol below to see a little of what the evening had to offer.

My only complaint is against the tall ones, William and Robert. Having done all we could to assist them in the preceding weeks and days, were we allowed to sit amongst the audience offering our heart felt appreciation for the performance? No we were not! Shortly before the concert started we were lured into the house with promise of some dried biscuit or other, then shut up in one of the rooms there. We had to content ourselves by enjoying the music as it glided in through the open window, but we made our appreciation known by barking along at times in support of the louder pieces and the applause of the other listeners. It was as though we had been removed to the upper tiers of the circle where the seats have restricted viewing. Our only consolation was to know that whilst clearing up later, William's Mother, who fortunately for us is staying here at the moment, would surely slip us some more tasty morsels to compensate us for our captivity.

That was our third summer concert and we hope to continue the tradition of inviting people to our garden to enjoy the space and culture on offer.

Yours, watching from the circle,

Fergus