"The Last Night of the Proms"

And now, on a much cheerier subject than my last post ...

The Saturday of The Last Night of the Proms is, to me, the real signal that summer is nearly over. This evening I shall spend my time innocently enough, watching the live transmission from The Royal Albert Hall, the first half on BBC2 and the second and more boisterous half on BBC1 (you can listen online, if you are not in the UK, by clicking on the link here), in the company of a bottle of champagne, a box of handmade chocolates and some other delicious bite-size edibles.

I am not a jingoistic person, few British people are, but I must admit that the final stages of 'The Last Night' see me coming over all patriotic, putting the stereo radio feed volume up quite high (I watch the TV, but listen to better quality sound through radio equipmnent), specially for the last five or so minutes, and lose myself in knowing just how wonderful it is to be British. Corny, yes, but who cares! Oh, and I'll be waving not just my little Union Flag, but several other little flags from various parts of the world. It's not an evening just for British people to 'let down their hair' (which I have very little of, anyway!), but for anyone else, here in the UK or elsewhere, to revel in the joy of being alive and listening to great music being made by skilled musicians before a lively and good-natured audience. Enjoy!

UPDATE: (Sunday 11SEP05 13.30 BST) Now I know why coverage from the 'Prom in the Park' from Belfast dried-up during the live broadcast last evening. Sigh ...