It has been a fun few weeks, and I think that I have written at least four blog entries which have swiftly gone out of date, the latest as recently as yesterday morning but, if nothing else, it is a sign that things are moving along apace. This morning, though, I am catching up with various items, bits of administration and planning, so it seems that I should grasp the blogging nettle and get something new online, if only so that in years to come I can look back and remind myself that things did actually happen in this patch.

Professionally there have been some interesting moves of late. I was interviewed for a certain position and then ended up taking another that fell into my lap out of the blue, and in which I think I shall be very happy. It arrived with the satisfying sound of something falling into place, fits well with my current diary and should, I hope, make for some delightful music-making. It has meant a little bit of shuffling of the diary, but it will be worth it in the long run.

There have also been discussions about the expansion of a role elsewhere, and efforts to do the same with a third employer, so I am about as optimistic as somebody can be in the current day and age that things are going well and that I am in a position to be able to do some good work over the coming year. My initial intention when I sauntered off into the sunset for my six-month sabbatical that was swiftly swallowed up by Covid was to return to a less stressful way of work and of better quality, and that seems finally to be coming into focus.

Although the symphony was progressing very well up to a few weeks ago, the stresses and strains of the Advent season have since come into view, so I remain deep in the fourth movement, orchestrating away but occasionally getting a little bit frustrated with myself for having written so many semiquavers in the first place. Still, when it is all done and dusted I know that I shall forget the small frustrations, so I just need to keep pushing on through.

I had set myself a deadline of 15th December for completing the symphony, but now I think that will instead be the deadline for the first draft of the fully-orchestrated work. I would much rather take more time and get it absolutely right than rush it arbitrarily and be frustrated with the result. After all, there is no performance out there on the horizon, though that could well be an if you build it they will come situation, meaning that I need to be able to wave the piece under a musical nose or two and then see what transpires.

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