Prima Ballerina Assoluta Maya Plisetskaya
I asked my Dad to come to the Ballet with me in Wellington in the late 1970s or early 1980s when the Prima Ballerina Assoluta Maya Plisetskya was performing as star of the touring Russian Ballet. I'm not sure how it came about as neither of us was really interested in ballet, nor did we often go out together as just the two of us. It was also really expensive as we had the best seats. It was teeming with rain and blowing a half gale in true Wellington fashion and by the time we had found parking and got settled in the Opera House we were wondering whether the performance would be worth the effort. Incredibly, this production turned out to be the most transportive experience either of us had undergone. We were totally mesmerised by the unbelievable grace and skill of Plisetskaya. We could barely credit that she was human. The positions she was able to assume and the dance performance should not have been possible for a person with bones - she was so pliant and agile and light and beautiful. We were so moved that we could barely speak all the way home. And then could not stop talking about it for many weeks on end. I kept the programme for decades. Look for some Youtube videos when you have a moment. I have just watched Navillera on Netflix. Do watch it unless you hate subtitles. It's a Korean mini-series for the sentimental, about family, ageing and dreams. It links to ballet and Plisetskaya is mentioned briefly for her performances into old age. With Covid-19 still impacting on us it makes one feel sad for our lovely performers and other creatives who are now having such a difficult time, and who always give us so much joy. Thank you to all artists and those whose skills enable us to see them. It feeds our spirits.
The age of smoking
I get seriously annoyed when I think of the damage the tobacco industry has done to millions of people. Back in the day, clever marketing strategies created the idea that it was smart to smoke and it was also glamorous. It became normal to smoke and we were surrounded by smoking-related objects, each more desirable than the last. Your coffee table would sport an attractive box full of cigarettes for your guest, probably with a matching table lighter. Every side table had an ashtray, or there was an ashtray stand at your elbow. In your pocket or bag was the latest fad in cigarette case and lighter. Birthdays and other celebrations called for a new pipe rack for grandpa or a crystal cigarette case for mum. Tobacco pouches, cigarette holders, humidors and ashtrays – the list goes on.
Peer pressure and the allure of the model on the Vogue advertising lured me into smoking when I was 20 – I hated it at first but I persevered. Stopping was a lot more difficult later.
Vaping is now being promoted as a safe alternative, although science has proved that to be untrue. Still legislation allows the misconception to prevail.
The way alcohol is portrayed as fun and sociable is the furthest thing from the truth, and is harming untold people. We could save millions of people from harm with better legislation, but there are too many rich and powerful people lobbying against it. Don’t get me started on that topic.
1934 Lagonda
This is an example of a 1934 Lagonda, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Derek owned a model like this just before I met him, so perhaps it was in 1959 or 1960. It was a darker colour, British Racing Green I think. He always loved a classic car.
At the time he was Manager of an hotel in the beautiful Vumba Mountains of Rhodesia, in the Eastern Highlands, not far from the Mozambique border. The road up to the Hotel was not exactly well surfaced. It was a strip road which in places was also very steep. (I still remember being driven up there for the first time through the mist.)
The Lagonda wasn’t in tip-top order, and it struggled on the steepest section – it simply could not climb the hill. Nothing daunted, Derek would just turn the Lagonda around and REVERSE up the steep part to reach a gentler incline.
The Kirkintilloch Junior choir
Rev John Roderick Macpherson, MBE was Minister of St Andrew’s UF Church in Kirkintilloch from 1936 to 1953. He founded the Kirkintilloch Junior Choir in 1938 along with his wife Meta.
What I remember about him most was his enthusiasm and energy. His catch cry when conducting a rousing song like the Uist Tramping Song was “Put some beef into it!” accompanied by fervent arm movements.
After Reverend Macpherson’s death in 1953, Meta Macpherson became choir leader. Mrs. Macpherson was lovely, but she was forthright. My abiding memory is her saying “Ebeth, you’re a problem to me. I don’t know whether to put you at the back, because you can’t sing, or at the front because you’re pretty.”
The choir was extremely successful, appearing regularly on the radio and at concerts all over Scotland, as well as touring abroad, in Holland (1947), Denmark (1950) and Canada (1953).
The photo is from 1956 and appeared in the Scottish Herald in 2018 in an article about Kirkintilloch by Russell Leadbetter.
They recorded several LPs for Parlophone. Famous members included Moira Anderson OBE who was educated at Lenzie Academy, Patricia Purcell, Scottish mezzo-soprano with the Scottish Opera Company and Joan Summers who also attended Lenzie Academy.
I only ever went on Scottish gigs and was never on any recording. We loved singing at some wonderful churches and halls all over the place, travelling by bus and enjoying the travel as much as the performance. When we boarded the bus after a concert and were being seen off by our hosts, we would sing our farewell “We’re no’ awa’ tae bide awa’ “and singing often continued on the bus on the homeward journey.
Sometimes we performed at an amazing venue like the Glasgow City Chambers. Once we were onstage with Kenneth McKellar. I remember some charity concert we were in (maybe in St Andrew’s Hall? There was a huge audience) along with some famous Russian dancers and singers, and the thrill of the final bow with the assembled cast. Another memorable occasion was when the choir sang from the top of St Mary’s Church at dusk – the most atmospheric engagement.
I am so lucky to have been able to participate and to have had great friends who could actually sing.