February 2021

Feeling a little like Robinson Crusoe here, having been all around the island and worked out who those footsteps belong to. That’s the effect on again, off again lock down is having, with so little change of environment we might as well be stuck on a deserted island.

But there are good points. Whether playing or listening, music is feeling better than ever, and I’m starting to get the itch for new instruments. At least it’s something to think about.

Outside of music, we are avidly waiting for weather warm enough to begin seed sowing, and to see if we can improve on last year’s crop, when we grew not a lot of but nevertheless very tasty food. When you pick your produce and eat it soon afterwards, even just a lettuce, the taste is beyond compare.

Having a hobby is really helpful, and a lot of you seem to be turning to jigsaw puzzles to ‘get away’ and de-stress. My thing is making the best possible coffee at home, and I have been making significant progress in this area. I find two such cups a day is a sensible limit.

What are you doing to help you get by? Whatever it is, I hope you are having fun. Congratulations to the many students who have confounded any difficulties of remote lessons to make really outstanding progress. It is a credit to our students that they have achieved so much.

Looking forward to when it is safe to get back together at the Academy again.

Darrell Priestley