Singing for my supper

We didn't go far out of town, but one of the beauties of Scotland is that from the major cities you can be away from the city and into rural countryside in a matter of minutes. Callander/Killin used to be one of my favorite "get away from it all" spots when I was working in Scotland and living with the family in Glasgow, and - thanks to the glorious weather (we're still marvelling at the 50+-degree temperatures and true sunshine that we had for 95% of our visit!) and a cousin with a car, we had a magical day out on this trip, including not only a quick stop by my former haunts, but also getting to see a couple of the minor lochs, a very castle-y castle and a celebrity Highland Cow - all within an hour's drive of central Glasgow. Bliss. Loch Earn Even in the depths of midwinter, the countryside is staggeringly beautiful. FWIW, this was about 3pm - may have been warm, but the sun still goes down early in the frozen north.... Doune Castle Edinburgh Castl...

(PSA: this post probably ought to come with a tilt-shift alert!! The camera I was using recreates the effect of these adjustable focal-plane lenses digitally and since I love it I may have... uh... indulged a little..... :) Duddingston Village (from Arthur's Seat) Towards the Lothian Coast (from Arthur's Seat) Duddingston Loch (from Arthur's Seat) Edinburgh from the Castle same view without the TS effect You can always find a muckle coo if you look... The Forth Railway Bridge

The University Yup, blue sky. In January. Kelvingrove Art Gallery (organ recitals - in the art gallery - most lunchtimes) The Burell Collection, in the idyllic grounds of Pollok Park Pollok House (The tilt-shift feature of my Canon s95 saw a lot of use this trip...!) One of the themes of the entire visit: Muckle Coos (aka Highland Cattle). The prizewinning herd at Pollok House are known around the world

... that until this week I didn't even know was there. Ok, so it's not exactly the Pacific (or even the Atlantic coast), but it's got sand, tides and saltwater, and is only about 15 minutes from home! We had a good time. (click image to see slideshow)

I admit it: I'm a closet geek. Ok, maybe not even a CLOSET geek - I loves me my technology and make no bones about it! Most gigs I give myself a little "treat" in that regard, and this one appears to be no exception :) So yesterday, when preparing to pick my husband up from a neighbouring city airport (he's flown in for a day to come and see the opening), I decided it was time to indulge in something I've been considering for months now (and even more so after my first week here where I spent much of the time getting lost): a simple GPS system. A bit of internet research and I decided on this . I can't BELIEVE that I have waited this long to jump on the GPS bandwagon - it's an amazing device, and has already justified the (modest) splurge by getting me safely to and from said neigbhouring city without so much as a single moment of "Aaack! I'm lost! What do I do NOW?" panic). And I will never again have to rely on ask my husband to navigate!...

Another day off today before our sitzprobe tomorrow (for the non-operatic, that's a rehearsal where the singers meet with the orchestra offstage simply to run the music without the distractions of staging in the way), and I decided to venture out and go exploring the local Museum of Art. The museum is housed in a purpose-built complex in what SHOULD be the heart of this city's downtown area, but to say that downtown is "quiet" would be an understatement which doesn't begin to describe just how deserted it is. As I walked to the front of the building - this is on THE non-interstate "main drag" through town, remember - it was empty. Oh, there were a few cars, but not a single person; it was like being on an empty movie set, or walking into an episode of The Prisoner I found this exhibit amusing (it's a Steinway grand, although obviously not the normal kind one would find in a concert hall!) This is a complete room from a French Chateau (there were a co...