African Sanctus - David Fanshawe

Advantages: Highly emotive choral work
Disadvantages: Better live

...A combination of traditional African music in a western choral set up sounds a little unusual but this piece is actually a modern masterpiece and a very poigniant tribute to world music. The piece's underlying theme is a trip Fanshawe made across Africa in the shape of a cross, recording native sound as he went. Having heard the piece live I must say it loses a little in recording but the power of the Kyrie and haunting rock-operatic Crucifixous are still something very unusual and beautiful. Thoses interested in world music should definately purchase a copy of the score to accompany the piece as it has some fascinating insights to the performance written by Fanshawe. The inside of the sleeve has a good history of the piece as well as detailed break downs of each movement's African music. An unusual and fascinating piece. I believe... Read review

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Advantages: A good house plant
Disadvantages: None

...Lets step back in time, maybe twenty years ago when African violets were the `in` plant and nearly every household had one sitting on their windowsill. An aunt of mine considered herself a specialist in the field! I used to be invited to share a pot of her strong tea and partake of an intellectual conversation about the life of an African Violet! In all fairness she grew beauties, she had the right colour fingers when it came down to it. Her windowsills were awash with pots of all shapes and sizes which were bursting with multi coloured blooms. Not only multi coloured but she loved to experiment, grafting leaves from different plants and growing them as one, she ended up with some marvellous Hybrids! African violets are fairly easy to propagate, make sure that you have a clean pot ( average sized) fill it with compost... Read review

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Advantages: Special friend for a life-time
Disadvantages: They need time and commitment and don't always get it

... AFRICAN GREY PARROTS... I for a time had a Yellow-Crowned Amazon and a Grey which my mum inherited when grandma died. I knew those birds virtually all my life and loved them to bits. I was gutted when my mum re-homed them after I moved out, but I was expecting little boy, no way could I have coped with a newborn and 2 parrots in the small place we had. Anyway this is mostly why I ended up taking on an African Grey about this time last year, and wouldn't be without him. When I got him the poor guy had plucked himself bald and was not a happy birdie. Woman who had him couldn't cope with him and wanted to find him a new home. She didn't like to let him out and he didn't have much of a life sitting in his cage 24-7 bored out of his mind. She had got him from a pub somewhere and that's all I know of his life before he came... Read review

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