I passed the 13+ and went to the Grammar School. I cycled a mile each morning and then caught the bus to take me about ten miles to the school. After a while a new music teacher came to our school and he wanted to start an orchestra. I was able to learn the violin. We learnt in a group every dinner hour. The teacher was very enthusiastic and it was catching. I put the same enthusiasm into violin playing as I now put into learning the Russian language. If my teacher had known then that I would sell my violin to go on a Russian holiday he would not have been amused. I have not played my violin for several years, to start with because of cataracts. When thinking about if I wanted to play again I decided not. It's not much fun to play on one's own and not practical as I live in flats. Using a practice mute also makes the experience less enjoyable. I decided I do not want the stress of playing in a string quartet. Keeping in the right place can be difficult when you have a mind that wanders like mine does. Why would I want to put myself through that again? I have sold my violin to a nice man in his forties who has just taken up learning. I have always had a liking for adult beginners and he is so thrilled with the violin. I know he will look after it and enjoy it. If you have a possession just collecting dust because you are not using it and not likely to use it why not sell it or give it to someone who can make good use of it. I have also given away much of my music to a violin teacher. I have kept most of my piano music, which I can still use, as I have a digital piano and can use head phones. So I am practising what I am preaching.
I have written in previous posts about disasters. In the case of Concorde, decisions by people, plus other factors were directly to blame for the event. In the case of the Penlee disaster it may have been avoided if someone had made a better choice in the time beforehand and as a consequence brave men and the ship's crew and the captain and his family died. 9/11 was certainly the result of wicked men committing a terrorist act, but even in this there was heroism notably by another Cornish man, Rick Rescorla who helped many to safety and left it too late to help himself. In situations like this we see what the human spirit is capable of both good and evil. What of disasters that come on people because of the earth restless movement of tectonic plates. Often people live near volcanoes because the land is rich and fertile and they have the chance of a better life there when the volcano is resting. We cannot blame them for that but sometimes people become complacent...
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