flemmings | (no subject)

Christmas eve was nothing much but a chance remark on FB led me to Google and YouTube, so I now know what a descant is. It's notes sung *above* the main melody and not, as I thought, something sung below. Or falling, or whatever. Requires a choir because you can't sing descant yourself unless you're Agnes Nitt-- though I vaguely recall some kind of singing where one person does sing two parts somehow.

The sun shone today, for a single interval in what has otherwise been a string of grey Dead Days. Slept in, took my time over breakfast and squaredle, then opened my presents. A marvellous knitted cowl from incandescens which will be greatly appreciated when I have to go out again, because my aging floppy hats no longer suffice to keep me warm. Also a Gladys Mitchell for my collection, for whichmany thanks. From Finder Jean, a year of the horse papier-maché horse and a canvas tote bag with Miyajima's torii on it. Aesthetic and useful both.

Cooked up my turkey roll with frozen veg and unfrozen potatoes, which turned into satisfying stodge. Turkey rolls don't naturally make gravy but with a little water can be induced to produce something like. Otherwise stayed tiddly on White Russians and may well do the same tomorrow if it snows as much as it says it will.

Put out my recycling for tomorrow's deferred pickup and that was that.

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Merry Christmas! Will be enjoying your chocolates later.

Excellent! Will be wearing your cowl later when I go to shovel the snow that's now falling.

I only regret that I didn’t have any of that yarn in pink.

It's ok. The scarlet running through the greys and greens reminds me of horizon sunsets in the woods. It's a very poetic cowl.

Excellent.

A knitted cowl is just the thing for winter. The weather had turned much colder here, so all my woolly hats and scarves will be in use.

Re harmonies, It's Mongolian throat singing where you can duet with yourself. It sounds both weird and amazing and I have no idea how they do it. Descant, on the other hand, is something I used to sing back in the days when I still could sing. But if one has never been in a choir or played in a recorder ensemble, there's no reason to know what it is.

Thank you, yes. It was the throat singing I was trying to remember. The term descant does show up in places so it's good to know what it means finally.