Tenby Arts Festival

The 21st Tenby Arts festival takes place this month. The opening day is the 22nd September with plenty of fabulous fun frolics going on in the harbour. The rest of the week is stuffed with many exciting events ranging from a jazz/blues concert to a harpsichord recital. We have two fascinating plays about Lloyd George and about Kathleen Scott wife of the Antarctic explorer as well as pint-sized plays in pubs around the town. There is an art trail to follow and many very interesting talks including one on the history of explosives. I myself will be giving a talk on Adelina Patti, Queen of Song and will be showing of some of her costumes and we will listen to a couple of her songs as recorded at Craig y Nos Castle on wax cylinders. The week culminates in a grand finale on 29th September, a concert from the exciting quartet Red Priest who as their name suggests specialise in the music of Vivaldi.
You can find out more on www.tenbyartsfest.co.uk

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PENfro Book festival

This Sunday 16th September at Rhosygilwen on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border the literary festival will take place for the second year running - our very own Hay-on Wye. I shall be there introducing my new book, "Adelina Patti, Queen of Song" and my last book "Battle in Iraq". I shall also be doing a workshop on writing a Mini Saga as part of the fringe activities. I hope to see lots of people there.


 Tweet: Josephine Hammond@JMAHammond

My favourite word

It's not that I'm an alcoholic but my motto is that "a meal without wine is like a day without sun." So I wrote this poem in  praise of my favourite word.

WINE

Wine
Sunshine
Fruit of the vine
Round fields of poles entwine
For I will pine this love of mine
With tears of brine
No time to dine
Or tow the line
Drink the cup of fine
Wine
White, pale, translucent wine
Golden sun-filled wine
Dark purple velvet wine
Incarnadine
Wine
Wine, fruit of the vine.

 Tweet: Josephine Hammond@JMAHammond

Hurray Murray

Andy Murray is truly great! I take it all back. An Olympic gold medal and a grand slam win! Wow!


Tweet: Josephine Hammond@JMAHammond

Leaving out the A

Writing Group exercise for today - we wrote descriptions of any landscape, thing, person or animal that we chose without using the letter A. It is more difficult than you might think but is a fun challenge. Here is my effort.

The British tennis competitor of the moment is not nice. His person is rude , not good-tempered. Long-legged of some height he is slim but well muscled of course. It goes with the job. His shock of reddish follicles, with the fluff round his chin is not designed to pull the girls ( or the boys). Like the renowned bible strong guy it could be the loss of the chin fluff which led to the loss of the Wimbledon title. His clothes, white of course do not enliven his look. Though possibly very expensive sporting outfits they droop round his body; they do not fit properly. His shoes however, shine in their whiteness doing the job of giving comfort, protection or support to his over-stretched, over-stressed big feet. It is still woeful for him not to win. He will go home wiser but more sorrowful.
His opponent the winner, Mr. Roger Foederer is the white knight of tennis. Mr. Nice Guy with delightful girl twins, lovely wife he enjoys the perfect life. His clothes fit well, he never perspires even one drop of moisture. In the end he lifts the trophy with style smiling to his public.

Now you have a go!

A Life of Song

Adelina Patti dedicated her life to music and had a most extraordinary voice but she also loved to party. Her life was full of glamour and excitement. Opera fans would love this book about the Maria Callas of her day.

Other Books

Before putting "Adelina Patti, Queen of Song" on Kindle, I published my first full length book "Battle in Iraq, Letters and Diaries of the First world War", available from Amazon in hard back. It tells the story of my grandfather as a pioneer of the fledgling oil industry and his exploits in the war against the background of the history of Iraq and its conflicts - the history that the politicians chose to ignore. It is a story of hardship, fear, endurance and survival.

Opera Star

The big day has dawned - my book "Adelina Patti, Queen of Song" has now gone out through Amazon and is available as a download version at the very reasonable price of £6.65.
Adelina was the highest paid singer ever, a celebrity before the word was coined, she had such fabulous jewellery that every performance was attended by bodyguards either side of the stage. She was a friend of many of the crowned heads of Europe and lived out her life against a backdrop of civil war, revolution and assassinations. She was a close friend of the greatest composers of her day and sang at the funeral of Rossini. Verdi, when asked who his three favourite soparanos were replied "La  première Patti, la deuxième Patti, la troisième Patti." A favourite with Queen Victoria, she shocked society and was ostracised by Her Majesty when she left her husband, the Marquis de Caux, for the tenor who sang opposite her in Romeo and Juliette. Later she toured America in her own private train and when her second husband died married a man nearly thirty years her junior.
I believe I have written this new biography of a very colourful character in a lively and creative way. All the facts, events, places and history are true, based on memoirs of those who knew and worked with her, newspaper articles, biographies and her own correspondence. I have invented conversations to illustrate these.www.swanseacityopera.com