Manchester City’s winning of the Football League yesterday was nail-biting stuff, their victory snatched, as it was, from their arch-rivals a few miles away.  Dramatic as it was, I am sure we are all quietly pleased at the breaking of United’s dominance of the so-called Beautiful Game.  At Dillington yesterday, our own little crowd celebrated with a roar of appreciation too when the Brodowski Quartet (plus two extras) played the final chord of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Souvenir de Florence’.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a reaction from an audience at Dillington before!   Their concert was a outstanding.  First a performance of Schulhoff’s Five Pieces followed by Haydn’s last quartet.   Tom Hankey (viola) and Oliver Coates (cello) joined the quartet after the interval for the Tchaik.  The work is most often heard in the version for string orchestra so it was excellent to hear it in its original form for string sextet.  Not that the smaller scale made any difference.  The richness of the writing and the panache of the players made the whole thing seem much grander than the head count would suggest.  Bravo, bravo to the Brodowskis and to Man City, I say.

I’ve just thought of the link. How about ‘nothing is ever simple’? Ulysses is certainly not simple and nor is playing the recorder properly and well. As for Easter Island, the enigmatic heads certainly don’t let go of their secrets easily. The abandonment of the island is thought to be a result of an environmental and human catastrophe brought about by the cutting down of all the trees. Getting to this remote island is not easy and deciphering the archaeological remains intellectually challenging.

On Wednesday there was another technology conference at Dillington.  The aim of the day was to advance the benefits to business in Devon and Somerset of social media and websites in all of their guises.  As it happens this week is also when my diary has gone digital.  Aided by a weekend purchase (with my own money) of an iPhone and a previous purchase of an iPad (also with my own money!), my old filofax tome has been ditched for the seductive beauty and efficiency of Apple technology about which I knew so little.  Working on my iMac at home (also bought with my own dosh) my diary was typed up on the desktop computer only to be instantaneously transferred to both portable devices.  It’s all a bit magical and clever beyond belief.  In this brave new world – for you need to brave to make the leap – it is going to be strange not having the permanent physical thing.  I have been keeping diaries since the early 1970s although for what purpose beyond knowing where I am supposed to be, I do not know.  Like my address book (aka the Dead Sea Scrolls) with its roll call of names belonging to friends (some forgotten) and colleagues (some deceased!), the physical object lugged about has been so much part of my life to date.  Digitizing everything leaves no physical trace, no prompt for remembrance.  Maybe we have been in the habit of archiving too much in the vain belief that the stuff could be useful.  Like letters replaced by telephone calls and e-mails, we have moved on.  Perhaps we flatter or delude ourselves that someone will be remotely interested in the tittle-tattle of our lives.  Who knows?  So Twitter and Facebook et al are here to stay for the time being in any case.  We clearly need to embrace the new technologies as previous generations had to cope with the telephone, motorcar, wireless and air travel.  Technology has always changed the ways in which we live and think – sometimes for the best and sometimes for the worse.  Already I think it has changed the way we access information and knowledge but somehow I don’t really think humans coming together to talk and share ideas will ever go out of fashion.  Let’s keep up the conversation about all the things which concern us and make for a better world and let the technology help us do that.

Mozart referred to the great man as Papa Haydn.  Alongside Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, Josef Haydn stands as one of the fathers of classical music.  This sobriquet is truly appropriate as it was Haydn who explored the form and set the standard symphony and string quartet writing.  He trained as a singer before entering the service of the great Esterhazy family of Austria.  Although his talent and success was prodigious, it was only later in life that he could risk working withour permanent patronage.  Mozart befriended him and Beethoven was his pupil.  He was feted throughout Europe and visited London twice. 

On Sunday during our documentary film weekend we were treated to a viewing of Phil Grabsky’s excellent and absorbing feature length film ‘In Search of Haydn’.  It is a wonderful and insightful portrait of the man and his music.  Catch it in a cinema near you or else buy it on DVD – although make sure you get the full-lengh version at 1 hour and 50 mins (approx).  A shorter version has been produced for showing in a 60 mins TV slot.

Wayne Bennett, Director for Dillington House

To celebrate Dillington’s special engagement with Spain you will now discover three ‘heraldic’ panels high up in the main hall.  It’s up to you to work out the references.  They also add some great colour as well! 

What a happy crowd!

Tuesday was mild and the leaden sky was brightening when a large coach arrived from Minehead.  It was the wonderfully named West Somerset National Trust Association.  Intrepid travellers from this distant part of the county; they were a happy group keen on having a good day out at Dillington.  Most had not been to us before so I was eager to ensure they did not leave underwhelmed particularly since their last visit to south Somerset (to a large house which I shall not name) was somewhat disappointing.  Eyes widened as they came into the House with its welcoming bright log fire and halberds arranged above.  After coffee, I gave a potted history of Dillington before a tour which included the Hyde and the Ice House.  The confident contemporary style of the Hyde was warmly appreciated. 

We made sure the group had an excellent lunch before two ‘taster’ talks on Spanish culture and the history of the Olympics.  Our excellent homemade cake and tea was taken before the group set off back to marvellous Minehead.  What was interesting about the visit was the fact that so many people had not heard of us, or if they had, hadn’t visited before.  Of course, one can see that as a failure of marketing but I think there is something more interesting behind it.  The retired generation today are very peripatetic often retiring into areas which need to be discovered and that requires a lot of effort.  It is also true that older people are very busy belonging to many groups and associations and like the convenience of others doing the organising.  Maybe the lesson is that we need to do more work with groups and organisers rather than try to reach individuals who can be a bit suspicious and need a lot of convincing!