Only In My White Liberty Bodice

May 6, 2021 | Covid-19 Diary, Dead Water

I woke up briefly during the night. It was snowing. By the time I woke up again a few hours later it had gone, but it remained cold and unpleasant all day, with more hailstones, turning to heavy rain, this afternoon.

It wasn’t just us:

Snow in May: Lake District skiers ‘giddy’ in unseasonal weather
May snowfall brings disruption to Highlands

We did our democratic duty this morning on our way to an elderly relative’s house, to help him with an errand  and take him to vote also. It’s the only time I’ve been out of the house today. In terms of getting myself back to normal, it would be really helpful to get some fresh air, as being in the house just leaves my nose clogged up, and that kicks off a cycle of feeling crappy.

The democratic duty was conducted while wearing facemasks, on a day when, for the first time since the start of the second wave in September 2020, Scotland has gone seven consecutive days without a Covid death. We are by no means out of the woods, but that’s encouraging, even as the worldwide situation is appalling.

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Anyway, between writing those first few paragraphs and writing this one, I’ve slept for two hours and am about to go straight back to bed.

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Music : yesterday would have been Delia Derbyshire’s 84th birthday had she lived. The obvious piece to put here would be her 1963 realisation of the Dr Who theme, arguably the single most influential piece of musique concrète/electronic music ever recorded. Or possibly the remarkable Blue Veils and Golden Sands from 1968.

However, I have always been haunted by the Four Inventions For Radio she produced with Barry Bermange for the BBC Third Programme in 1964 and 1965 (The Dreams, Amor Dei, The Afterlife, The Evenings of Certain Lives), orchestrating voices against a wash of radiophonic sound. To the best of my knowledge they’ve never been properly remastered and issued. I have cleaned up, off-air recordings of them, and live in hope they’ll all get a proper release, though I believe there are lurking rights issues.

Below are two extracts from Amor Dei, which presents multiple viewpoints on the existence, or otherwise, of God. I’m fairly sure one of the voices on the second is Delia’s. The third is the complete first Invention, The Dreams. Best heard on headphones or through good speakers, though not if you’re feeling down.