Janet has arrived safe and sound and almost awake ! We have had some dinner in a lovely Italian eatery, after which I gave her a complimentary conducted tour of USelect and Marks and Sparks so she has stocked up on some fridge basics and has, I imagine, fallen comatose into her bed. The jet lag is cruel and the time difference barbaric, but after a good long sleep I suspect she will be ready for tomorrow afternoon and the vocal finals !
Sods Law would have it that the day she was arriving I was posted to the Khyber Pass of Hong Kong. Yuen Long is about seven feet from China, a very long £40 each way taxi drive from the civilised world of Gloucester Road. We are in the Chinese Merchants Association Primary School, in a hall with a large pole for raising a flag…….make of that what you will. I arrived early as the friendly concierge chaps ( mostly young and handsome I might add) thought the traffic may be frightful at rush hour, so I was ensconced in the back of a modern family sized cab at 7.50am and rattled around in it for about an hour. Leaving the known world behind, though in fairness I have been quite a few times before, so largely knew what to expect, is never nice in a very alien place. I arrived at the school gates and stood for around 20 minutes during which time I was stared at with some suspicion by passers by. It was only after said 20 minutes I thought about loiterers outside a school playground !! Eek, thought I and moved swiftly on to a place where I couldn’t actually see the playing children. Jail time averted I hoped !
We had an indifferent 56 Molly Carew’s not catchy little fairy number, with lots of pianists accompanying as if they were Liberace on a more flamboyant day. Listening to some of the tiny 13 year old voices was like watching a mime show, I could barely hear a quaver being sung ! The best accompanist I heard all morning was a diminutive little boy of about 10 who played like an angel and almost breathed with the singer. I so wanted to give her the prize, but sense prevailed and she got a third place. He came to have his photo taken with me after the competition was all done and I told him how beautifully he had played for his partner. He twinkled a little smile at me and bowed….he walked away with the hint of a teeny tiny swagger, and well deserved it was indeed.
When I got home I met with Janet who was looking tired and hungry so we had the obligatory cup of builders tea, and none of this jasmine or gladiolus petal stuff which is undoubtedly full of healthy antioxidants and hair growth hormones, but unfortunately tastes like five year old compost. We then left for the very lovely Italian restaurant near the Star Ferry where we enjoyed a chicken salad (me) and a Fettuccini San Giovanna ( Janet) ! It was altogether delicious and Janet looked all the better for tasty sustenance as we arrived back at the hotel.
I have a very different morning tomorrow- the Special Needs Choirs classes and an Instrumental group as well !! It will be fun, laughter and much riotous goings on I think. Then I am coming back to the hotel to collect Janet for the Open Vocal Barbara Fei Championship Finals. I met this lady the first year I came to the festival, she was then a grand doyenne of Hong Kong opera society and a much respected and revered lady. She was also, like a lot of small singing teacher ladies of a certain age, quite scary. Naming no names !
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