It was Epsom's day for engineering works on the Waterloo line and there was still talk of Southern disturbances on the Victoria line. The journey planner alleged that this added around half an hour to the journey to Waterloo and so, after some quite lengthy (but perfectly good tempered) discussion, we went with them, taking a rather bumpy bus from Epsom to Raynes Park, to entrain from there.
Oxford Circus was very busy. as was the Regent Street All-Bar-One, which last we sometimes use for tea, coffee and smarties on a Sunday morning. While the seats which used to be outside BHS failed us, courtesy of barrow boy Green, so we took our picnic on the north western corner of Cavendish Square, where there happens to be a park bench outside of the park perimeter.
Inside the three quarter filled hall, the team had the same red-trimmed jackets as last time, rather casual, while the the first violin had a new but equally flashy dress as last time. BH remained unimpressed. They were all playing from what looked like Apple notepads, still not something that we see very often. Not that they appeared to be making much use of them, playing largely from memory. Something which I have noticed perhaps two or three times before, but which I have failed to turn up this morning. Perhaps I will do better later.
Both the Schuberts were very good, with D.810 (death and the maiden) being as good as I recall hearing it. The first Penderecki was interesting, very modern, while the fourth was much more traditional. And it being the world première of this last, the great man turned out in person to hear it, sitting about ten rows back in the right hand aisle. Ascended the stage to take some applause. A neat looking, older gent.with a neat beard, not a floridly arty type with long waving hair at all.
Out to inspect the lights in Oxford Street, including a badger themed display at John Lewis. All very thoroughly done, very clever, with someone clearly having given it a lot of TLC; but at the same time rather overdone, a bit lifeless, not much spirit of Christmas about it. Furthermore, the someone concerned was perhaps unaware of the role of badgers in keeping down the hedgehog population and in keeping up the tuberculosis population. Not really very cuddly at all. But I share a snippet: it seems that badger setts can be very old, maybe hundreds of years old, and can spread over quite large areas. Maybe rivaling, in that regard at least, those very large fungi which spread out underground and which are sometimes described as being the largest living things on the planet.
On the way home, we tried the Wimbledon option, just missing a bus and having to wait half an hour. But the bus when it came was much grander than that we had caught into London and came complete with a very cheerful driver. A grand bus with configurable seats; that is to say they appeared to be fitted in tracks and could be moved up and down the bus, or removed altogether without much bother at all. Rearrange to suit the needs of an important football team or whatever. There was also a satnav, which the driver appeared to be using, probably never having driven this particular route before. A wheeze which I imagine makes it much easier to staff up these relief buses, moving as they do all over London. I though the satnav, which we could hear, did pretty well, with good directions at roundabouts and junctions - but I would have liked some reassuring noises on long stretches between. You are now passing a large red garage on your right sort of thing, just to provide some reassurance that one was still on course.
Overall, around an hour and a half was added to our outing. Rather a lot for an evening outing, not something one would want to make a habit of. But well worth it on this occasion.
PS: diligent search has revealed that the magic words are 'score ipad'. See references 2 and 3. I notice also that I said nothing about score or ipad at reference 1 - so presumably this quartet has seen the electric light, as it were, in the course of the year just past.
Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/ultimate-visit.html.
Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/old-favourite.html.
Reference 3: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/dorking-time-again.html.
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