Ab Fab and Bach, but not together.

A busy week with lots of socialising and far less Dutch revision than intended. An email from my teacher announcing that she has flu, was welcome to me to accommodate my lack of preparation, and, though I felt for her suffering, I secretly hope that it will last another week while I really begin to face up to learning again.

 Joanna Lumley

 Jennifer Saunders

There have been several highlights notably on Tuesday when around a dozen of the Wed morning coffee group assembled at Patricia's house for a New Year drink of bubbly and chat before removing upstairs to her Attic Cinema to see Absolutely Fabulous. This is not a film to recommend, lacking as it does, any coherent narrative [until, possibly, the final half hour], tight, clever script or great acting. It is notable only for its lush settings and extravagantly overblown portrayals of 'media people'. In fact, I guess the cast had the most tremendous fun in making it; the actors are a bunch of good friends with famous 'others', i.e. non-actors like singer Lulu and model Kate Moss, also part of the totally unbelievable so-called story line. It is all so extravagantly over-the-top that frequent guffaws from the audience demonstrated that we all love to be really silly.

In that spirit, the group had been instructed to dress as for Ab Fab and we heroically did our best. The sartorial effects were varied but valiant; colourful, sexy [occasionally], improbable and in one or two cases, impressive. Our hostess was, frankly, the only one there who could have effortlessly merged into the film without the joins showing. Startling pink, floor-length kaftan, with matching pink tights and some similarly in-your-face fuschia scarf on her head, plus lots of clunky jewellery everywhere. An example to the rest, it must be said. The whole enterprise was a tribute to Having Fun, as we agreed at the super tea afterwards; something we all aspire to.

I continued the week in that vein: nails done [now have Posh Nails on the basis of burnishing

declining assets]; tea with a lovely, elderly friend; my Thursday group which continues to amuse and amaze; marvellous concert at the Concertgebouw, part of the seventh Bach Academy Bruges led by Philippe Herreweghe. It was given by Collegium Vocale Gent and was a feast for the senses.

A programme for the entire five days' festival contained a preface from Philippe H. musing on Bach and his meanings. He wrote that Bach cantatas cannot beguile the listener unless he has a smattering at least of the Christian culture which produces empathy for the underlying religious ideas. He wrote the letter in India where the majority religion is Hindi. Hindus don't live in a world of guilt and punishment; they don't hope to have their sins redeemed by the martyrdom of Jesus. Instead, they strive for detachment and they are thus deemed, by Herreweghe, therefore unable to understand Bach cantatas. This is a huge assertion and I am now searching for a Hindu academic who can refute or accept that; that is, the inability to understand Bach cantatas, not about the pursuit of detachment. Interesting though.



 The birthday boy welcoming guests and
introducing Who was Who.



The week finished with a couple of friends to stay, to attend, with me, 60th birthday celebrations where we had lots of hugging and kissing, conversation, good food, wine and beer. The conversation I joined was in English and it witnessed my usual mute admiration for the cheerful ease with which people here jump from one language to another. If only Britain were more European! There seemed lots of little grandchildren among the guests; they remained immensely cheerful and active during the three plus hours, listening to the two guitarists, Alexander Makay and Simon de Cuyper, who sang Dire Straits and Sting, and otherwise running round smiling and occasionally good-naturedly punching each other. It was altogether a thoroughly satisfying occasion with the genial host, looking all of 50, beaming at friends and family from his wheelchair. Privately, I loved the atmosphere and the music and fancied both of the handsome guitarists!





Alexander Makey

 Simon de Cuyper