Eidelweiss

For some reason I've been thinking about "The Sound of Music" today. So this may well be a very cheesy post. See how it goes.

A few years ago I was watching the film with a friend - a very down-to-earth friend not given to leakages of sentimentality - and at one point, I cried. She was rather taken aback by this, having been lampooning almost the entire thing with me up until that point.

But there it was. I blubbed during "Eidelweiss". And even now, I clearly remember why.

Mr Von Trapp had started the song beautifully but not long into it, began to falter and his voice began to crack. As I recall, he came to an almost-standstill and then one by one, his fellow Von Trappers gathered round and began to sing with him. And as they joined him, he found his voice again and gradually it became stronger and even more beautiful than when he began.

I remember saying to my friend as the audience burst into applause, "We all need people to sing with us." And she didn't laugh, amazingly. She just looked a bit bemused and then raised a glass and said "Yep, I think we do."

And today I do again too.

It's easy to start here singing strong, knowing your song and being sure of the lyrics. But it can get tiring at times and a bit oooooer as things test and tax and try to trip you over your words.

So this week I've been grateful for the people I know who are singing with me. For friends here and friends elsewhere. For those who've sent me great emails, who've said the right thing at the right time and for those who've just smiled and raised the proverbial glass in Eidelweiss solidarity.

Tis appreciated x