I suppose it is only natural that those in the public eye consider their biographies to be of interest to us lesser mortals. No doubt many have led colourful and exciting lives, especially those whose careers were in travel or entertainment.
There’s a special type of people in this world that is most often difficult to understand. These people prefer to be single and tied up at the same time. They are free spirits, innocent lovers, they see the world as it should be and what it can be.
How often we relax to the quintessential melodies of Spain’s Isaac Albéniz (1860 – 1909). His Rapsodia Espanola, Sevilla and Granada, based on Catalan folk songs, are perhaps the better-known of his compositions. These exquisite heartrending melodies evoke the Spanish dream more than could any Goya painting but what of the man behind the music?
A popular truism is that you are known by the company you keep’. I pondered this when walking with my companion we attracted pitying glances. Whilst I was reasonably attired my companion looked like a down and out. Wearing ill-fitting jeans and a jumper that had seen better days my friend was also in desperate need of a shave and haircut.
In a letter dated October 1866, French composer Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) went straight to the point of opera: ‘As a musician, I tell you that if you were to suppress adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil, the supernatural, there would no longer be the means for writing one note.’
Where and when appropriate I greet a lady by the simple courtesy of raising the back of her hand to near my lips. For many, it is a first experience that has so far brought pleasure. I wonder how many women have had a hat raised in greeting or how many ladies have seen men rising from their seats on their entering a room.
It is reported that ‘organisations fighting for racial justice’ accuse Amazon book publishers of being distributors for ‘supremacist, racist and Nazi products’.
Would anyone be inspired to write books, compose music, or paint pictures if there was no one to enjoy them? Yes, I think they would. It is my belief that each of us is given a gift although many go through life without discovering their unknown ability; a great pity.
As it was a business trip I was without a companion when I visited Marbella. I imagine that all across the country there are tens of thousands of people who for many reasons travel alone.
There are some extraordinary women. The extraordinary is to be discovered on the inside of women. They are the women who feel, those who think deeply and passionately. Their inner world is so vast, it seems that this scope has no bottom. Their speech is beautiful as if reading a wonderful book, listening to Chopin, looking at Botticelli’s paintings… – filling up their hearts and intellect.
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
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