We’re just back from a fascinating hour at the Music Festival. Featuring two professors and several professional musicians, it was the first in the Sound Mind series that aimed to fuse together the Science and Music festivals. It asked the question Does music make you better? (as in less unwell).

Prof. Simon Lovestone kicked things off with a description of what dementias are (including Alzheimer’s), what interesting things are happening in scientific research, and the varied groups he’d worked with to help people understand the issues. The latest of these is the Opera The Lion’s Face. We also heard from musicians involved in the Music for Life collaboration between Dementia UK and the Wigmore Hall, which brings music therapy to dementia sufferers in care homes. It was affecting to hear of the connections that music can make with the otherwise most withdrawn and uncooperative people. And to hear how special this is for the musicians, and how it forces people to see the gift hidden inside dementia: always living in the present, with little or no past or worry about the future.

Finally we heard international violinist Paul Robertson, who apart from his work in the Medici Quartet, has been involved in educating medics about the “art of medicine”. His experience became hugely richer after being in a coma for more than a month, and losing the use of the left-hand side of his body. It seems that despite our higher brain function being lost (whilst unconscious) our music-appreciating core continues. It was particularly fascinating to hear him discuss his experience and views on humans as “the musical mammal”, plus then hearing him perform some J.S.Bach.

Their conclusion? Yes, music can definitely make us better. They think it won’t be long until GPs can no longer avoid prescribing music …

It was programmed and introduced by Prof. Ray Tallis; we could have listened and watched much more from the panel …

We recently decided as part of the re-decoration of our living room, to commission a piece of art from Worcester-based artist Sharon McSwiney. She creates wonderful decorative metalwork installations and jewellery, and we first caught sight of her work at a Saturday Cheltenham Craft Market.

On the way back from Iona we stopped in and picked up the finished artwork, having paused to take a pic of the artist in front of it in her little studio.

Here’s the overall effect on our newly painted ‘accent’ wall:

And here’s a close-up of a single piece, which is copper and brass mounted on painted wooden boards.

We worked on the general size and layout and colouring of the work, and the sorts of individual pieces we liked, but Sharon then did the rest as she saw fit. And we’re delighted with the result!

This is great: designers trying to improve the confusing and generally dreadful designs of boarding passes. The author’s original attempts aren’t nearly as great as the later offerings.

Now that we’ve got Monty-the-dog, we don’t have space for a big real tree. So we thought we’d create one to hang on the wall. After a week of making, it’s now hanging in the lounge …

If people are interested I’ll post a description of how I made it, including photos along the way. But, as a hint, the main parts are acrylic paint, a 30″x20″ canvas, a string of fairy lights, a cardboard box and half a roll of sellotape. Enjoy!

Looks strange so far, but see more pictures and the fully story at iconeye, and you’ll see its brilliance.

Time to try some more creative stuff with my camera, particularly some long-exposure night shots, with the help of a tripod. Here are the best 3:

Compare with this photo which I’ve since discovered on flickr, taken by Greenbelt official photographer Jonathon Watkins:

I don’t think I did too badly: firstly I thought of the same shot (just about), and I fiddled around to get about the same effect. He used a stepladder, or else he’s a giant, and used a shorter 1.3s exposure rather than my 3.2s one.