now boarding

Ash Wednesday and consummate professionalism

You have to hand it to these boys - such consummate professionalism.

Tom had been sick with a tummy bug the weekend before - and one or two other boys too - but all he could think of was singing Alegri's Miserere mei at the Ash Wednesday Eucharist.

They sang it during the imposition of the ashes. Absolutely awesome complete with the 4 soloists tramping up the stairs to sing from the whispering gallery.

Here's former Choir Master Barry Rose talking about the piece in 1987.

Unfortunately just as one of the boys was hitting the top note one of the other choristers down at floor level was taken ill and sat himself down, looking whiter than his surplice, poor lad. They seem to be falling like nine pins at the moment.

On a happier note, the day also happened to be tom's mum's birthday and after first seeking permission from the head of boarding, we all went off to the local Pizza Express for supper.

Only a few more days to go then half term. Only a shame it doesn't coincide with his sister's...

... and then a virus...

So I took Tom went back to school on the Sunday after his week off with tonsillitis, but then at about 20.30 on the Monday evening, we get a call from the school nurse that he's been sick and that we might want to come take him home.

I'm up in town so I jump a cab to the Cathedral, run in, scoop him up and take him home again. Déja vu all over again!

Clearly the tonsillitis left his defences very low and all he picked up a small bug which he ordinarily would have dealt with.

Poor chap.

This left Tom with just 2 weeks back at school before the end of term.

(this post posted some time after the event).

Oh dear - Tonsillitis!

After a couple of weeks of plain sailing, good hard work at school and lovely family time at the weekend, we get a call just after 10am on Monday from the nurse saying he's got a temperature, is in the 'sick bay'. She asks if we want to come collect him but it's fine if we're happy to leave him there (obviously for some parents. collecting their sick choristers is not an option)

I run up in the car and collect him, fearing that it's the scarlet fever his sister had 2-3 weeks before. He's tucked up in one of the 2 beds in the nurse's 'surgery', dressed in his school clothes and watching a DVD.

Now it turns out it's Tonsillitis - which you 'd think might be a bit nasty for someone who sings so much as singing or over-use of the vocal cords can be a cause.

The thing to watch out for here is that he's actually no longer on the books of the local doctor - he's signed up with a doctor local to the school - so if he needs a doctor at home - he needs to be seen as an 'emergency'.