Hilary Robertson - writer, teacher and sax player

Today’s visit to Duxford’s Imperial War Museum was surprisingly enjoyable, especially as my parents discovered the type of plane that brought my Dad home from his National Service in Singapore.
    At 87, this was a great reminder for Dad of a significant part of his history, just before he met Mum in 1952.
    We had a pleasant day, wandering around the various displays at Duxford in the sunshine.
    It’s always good to explore new places and my parents are ticking off places they’ve always wanted to go and never made it.

It’s always a pleasure to appear on the Showbiz panel on our local BBC radio station. This time was live from The Galleria, Hatfield.

My first few shows on North Herts FM have all been recorded - getting used to the technology has been hard enough, without the added pressure of knowing people might actually be listening at the time. But this weekend, I went live as we covered Todd in the Hole Festival.
This was the view from the outside broadcast studio just before the event - and my show - began. It was a great experience once we actually went live and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
    In fact, I will be doing it again in August for the next festival we're covering.
    This wasn't my usual classical music programme, but great fun!

I'm still processing much of what I heard from Adam Phillips in a fascinating talk at Notting Hill's The Tabernacle.
    Phillips' new book - Attention Seeking - has already gripped my own attention and I particularly love what he has to say about finding inspiration in literature.
    He quoted Camus' The Fall with a definition of charisma - "When people say yes before you've asked anything". He has a lot to say about James Baldwin, which will take me back to my bookshelves and some of the American literature I studied 35 years ago.
    I particularly like his use of Freud's version of the Sufi proverb: "Don't learn, listen."

Telemann has never really featured in my musical education - until Trio Da Camera appeared at Benslow Music.
    In a concert full of humour and variety, this highly entertaining trio (Emma Murphy, recorders, Susanna Pell, viols and Steven Devine on harpsichord) took a full audience back to the 18th century.
    Telemann's trios were energetic and performed beautifully. As were two of his Fantasies for solo harpsichord. Devine has a skill and dexterity that is utterly musical and artistic.
    I'm looking forward to listening to Devine's CDs of Franz Danzi - another composer I know too little about.

Despite the intense heat, the Matchwomen's Festival in London's East End was a fascinating feminist experience.
    The day started with a walking tour of Bow, taking in the - now renovated as a residential area - match factory where women stood up for their rights in the late 19th century.
    Those women were prepared to take a stand and the rest of the day was dominated by others who are doing the same today. An inspiring day, if extraordinarily hot.