Hello Everyone,



Now and again life gets a little dull and it is good to expand the old horizons a bit. So, in my drive to become a modern Renaissance Woman, I have taken up a new, or rather disinterred an old..interest.



For more years than I care to remember, I have frozen in various church choirs. I have never been much of a one for church, but the singing made it bearable. Also there is a certain camaraderie in church choirs - you can catch up on the gossip, read the paper, tease the child singers (i have always found that a blast from one of those air computer cleaner thingies on the back of the neck is a bit of a grin), time the sermon and listen to the choir pervert who whispers in your ear that he is wearing nothing under his cassock and surplice. (Believe me, I have heard this!).



These diversions aside, singing in a good church choir is good training. You learn to sight read, chant and how to stand still without fidgeting.



Having suffered a religious crisis in mid life, I feel that church choir singing is no longer for me. However, this has opened up the delights of Oratorio which is church singing without the tiresomeness of actually having to do any praying.



I have joined up with a local Choir and trundle off on Wednesday nights to practice in a particularly cold local church. The pews are very hard, so I have to bring a cushion for my delicate (!!) backside. But, it is a lot of fun.



When you sing regularly, you have to pay attention to your health. Breathing is pretty important for volume and projection - so that has ruled out any ideas of a return to smoking. Also the singing has brought on my new-found commitment to dental care - after all, when you are hitting your wonderful top notes, you don't want the audience examining your metal fillings do you?



I am having to stretch my range a little, by singing full soprano, when actually I am really a mezzo. Today I had to do something I haven't done in years - buy HONEY! The local supermarket was quite impressed because my basket normally contains, cornflakes, noodles, chocolate and alcohol. Honey is good for the vocal chords, especially those that are being taxed rather heavily after a long break.



It's just a shame it tastes so disgusting. If God (if he/she exists) had meant us to eat honey, we would have had lovely soft stripy fur and wings that go buzzzzzzzzzzzz.







Portia, The Queen Bee

xxx