Before I forget – an addendum (or two) to the Bad Boys-Good Boys saga. Yes, you guessed it, Virgin Media again. This time they surpassed themselves. My monthly statement from them came an hour before I was due to leave for Germany. I made the mistake of opening it and checking it through. Should have left it till I got back. Too late. Discovered to my perplexity that the ‘balance carried forward’ column, which should have read ‘zero’ as I pay by direct debit, had a figure of £124 in it. PLUS I had been charged a LATE PAYMENT fee of £10. How can a direct debit payment be late???
Nothing for it but to pick up the phone again (‘Just so you know… arghhh!) Finally (after several minutes of loud pop music and getting cut off) was put through to a male voice (British). Blurted out my tale of woe in some agitation, as I didn’t want to miss my flight. The male voice hummed and ha’d then asked me if I’d moved house recently. ‘No,’ I told him. He hummed and ha’d a bit more then said ‘Are you sure you haven’t moved house?’
‘If I had moved house,’ I said trying to control my mounting rage, ‘I think I’d know it.’
At which point – get this – the fellow replied very haughtily, ‘there’s no need to use that tone with me,’ and HUNG UP ON ME!!!!
Well, I finally did get through to a sensible-sounding woman who immediately realised that Virgin Media had got it wrong (yet again) and promised to rectify it
immediatement (or at least on my next payment). I await my next statement with some trepidation and not a lot of hope…
A Bad Boy turned (temporarily, I’m sure) GOOD, is British Gas Home Care. After the sad tale of how they turned up a day late in Oxford, I now have to report that they have turned up a day EARLY to service my boiler. I should add that they didn’t just turn up – someone actually rang me to see if I was in before the man with a van arrived.
Utilities apart it’s been quite a musical week. Joe and I went up to the Royal Opera on Wednesday for a concert by three of the current stars performing there – Joyce DiDonato, Jose Calleja and the delectable Thomas Hampson. These brave souls were doing a last-minute stand-in for Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who met with ‘an accident to his vocal chords’, and who himself was supposed to be replacing Rolando Villazon, who was ill (We’d booked for Hvorostovsky, who is a dish with a dreamy voice - OK so he’s a tad pompous but I can live with that.)
The concert was very enjoyable, especially the Mahler song cycle
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, beautifully sung by Thomas Hampson.
On Sunday we had tickets for an all-Mendelssohn concert (Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall). Another lovely evening. And the view from the RFH is lovely too (though hard to photograph straight into the evening sun).
Tonight it’s a live transmission of Traviata from the ROH showing at the Odeon in Guildford. These opera transmissions are a wonderful innovation.
On the book front, thanks, Keith Parkin, for a review of
Darshan on Bookcrossing – here it is – at least part of it – it’s very long.
Keith’s Review
A Journey!
Saraswathi, an Indian student at Oxford, lost, lonely and far from home, is easy prey for a religious slime-ball and arsehole who seduces her into a religious sect. Although she has her initial reservations she loses all sense of reality when she is brainwashed into the sect. She finally comes to her senses when members of the sect try to gang rape her as part of an initiation ceremony.
That John/Ieuan is a religious nutter is illustrated by his comment 'You won't find God in a stained glass window and rousing music. It's all wrong.' Later we learn that Beethoven, or at least his music, is sinful.
How wrong could he be. Hildergard von Bingen spoke of being 'a feather on the breath of God'. There are those whose art seems to transcend the transition zone, are in communication with the Soul of the World.
Or to quote Paulo Coelho on art:
'Painting is an art. And art is a power that should be aimed at developing the soul. If art does not do this job, the abyss that separates us from God is left without a bridge.'
(Here I’ve left out a whole screed on Paul Coelho and other of Keith’s
causes célèbres – interesting but too much. Also left out less than flattering aside about Moon – accusing it of containing clichés (at least, I think that's what he means) – rubbish, they would never have got past me, not to mention the editors. I think he’s got the book confused with another! Or he has a weird idea of clichés)
Saraswathi decides to study in Oxford to get away from India. She also has another reason, she wants to find her estranged Welsh father who her mother will not talk about. She is also on a quest, although she does not know it yet. A spiritual quest to find her inner self. Very Paulo Coelho.
The discussion of darshan is very Paulo Coelho. Darshan is seeing God, and God seeing you. It is the Buddhist concept of enlightenment. It is the Jewish practice of Kaballah, of being as one with God. It is crossing the transition zone, of communicating with the Soul of the World. Knowing God and being known.
Darshan is a very powerful novel, part love story, part thriller, part spiritual quest.
Darshan opens with a beautiful and haunting poem.
A very interesting review – I’m glad
Darshan provokes such profound thoughts. And I see he has posted the
poem on the web too. Not sure if this is permissible – copyright etc. I don’t mind personally – it’s all grist to the mill.
And last but not least - if you are anywhere near Farnborough on Saturday 4th July between 1 -3 pm do drop in at Book Boyz, (16 Kingsmead Farnborough, GU14 7SL) where
Jackie Luben, Jennifer (Jay) Margrave and I will be signing copies of our books.