Ready for Sanrizuka

I've just been sorting out the 'batting order' for singing carols over at Sanrizuka on Wednesday. Goodness knows where that is all going to land. I think that the undercarriage is 'down' as we plummet towards the airfield but as to the wheels working or tyres being inflated, who knows? I'm rather hazy on several 'fundamentals' too, such as who exactly has the keyboard we are supposed to be taking for our pianist to use.

I was a bit doubtful about using a pianist at all, for as long as I can remember carols are for singing a cappella. But one of the group has turned up a real "good 'un", we had a 'run through' with her during the week. She's a proper musician, it just flows out of her finger tips and she can follow the singers like she was singing it herself instead of banging it out on a keyboard. I'm quite looking forward to it all now. I was feeling a bit low when our usual carol event at Narita fell through, the prospect of a Christmas without it seemed a bit glum. What is Christmas without carol singing?

Some months ago one of my oldest and closest friends got back in touch after forty years. The Internet can be amazing eh? In fact she sometimes reads this blog. Carol singing was an important part of senior school years for both of us, thanks to our music teacher. Graham Gooder, a man who influenced both our lives. He often comes into my mind when I'm involved in singing, and Christmas is certainly a time when I remember him. During this week before 'end of term' he would take twenty or thirty of us dressed up in duffel coats and school scarves out into the streets of Crawley to sing carols around the residential neighbourhoods under the street lights. He would give us the first note on a pitch pipe and then we would be airborne in four part harmony, running through two or three items sung from roneoed music clutched in our cold gloved fingers while a group of younger 'collectors' knocked on front doors within ear-shot of the choir. Our collection was on behalf of our usual school charity, the 'Save the Children Fund'. I'd hoped to add a photo of it here but it must be back in England; next year I promise.

Nothing quite like the magic of carol singing outdoors as teenagers, you never forget it. Silhouettes in the street on dark foggy nights, little knots of chattering and laughing friends walking together and then hurrying to catch up with the main group. Under the next street light 'Sir' already has his music out, the altos are on that side next to the hedge, the basses are here next to the telephone kiosk. And then the sweet sound of music, and the mystery of the words

"They looked up and saw a star
Shining in the East beyond them far"

And when you looked up as you sang you really could see the remote stars shimmering above your frozen breath suspended on the air, and feel the warmth and sincerity of those around you, and the moment spoke of something so timeless, timeless in the chilly dark.

And then everyone moved on around the corner and if you were even just a few steps behind suddenly they were gone as if they had never been there and you were alone on any foggy winter night in a suburban street