HORSES
Ingela showed an interest in horses early in life which was to develop into a passion. From the age of five she spent every evening after school at the stables. She came home to eat and sleep. Off to school the next day and then again to the stables.
WHY A CLUMBER SPANIEL ?
Early in our relationship Ingela and I decided that we would like a dog. Ingela liked the Briard, I liked the English Springer Spaniel. We mulled over this a while and then I remembered my love for the Clumber from childhood. My earlier days were spent in the south west of Ireland in an idyllic setting at the edge of the wild Atlantic. The local Protestant minister had boy twins. They also had two lovely slobbering Clumbers. I tried to paint a picture for Ingela of my memory of this family. As I was passing the rectory one day, an asthmatic old Austin car from the thirties, came wheezing out through the gates. The naughty twins had pressed their faces, tongues stuck out onto the windows. As the car groaned by I could now only see the split-back windows of the ancient vehicle. In each pane my young eyes lit upon a Clumber Spaniel bobbing up and own in unison with the old creaking suspension. This is all I remember from that time long ago. It would be ten years before I saw a Clumber again. This was at the Christmas champion show in Dublin 1961. I was so overwhelmed by the sight of this fabulous low, long and smug Spaniel that I couldn't wait to get home and beg my father to buy me a Clumber. Father, whose family had had many breeds as pets looked at me sternly and said, "We're not having a shitty, smelly Spaniel" I was crestfallen. Being the eldest in the family I had a special way with both my parents. After a few days my father told me to nip around to our neighbour and have a look at the recently born Kerry Blue Terrier puppies. Of course, as with anyone seeing little fluffy puppies, I was totally taken by these charming creatures. Frank Gilligan, our neighbour immediately asked me to choose a puppy from the litter. I didn't hesitate. The Clumber was put on the back burner. It would take another 27 years before I would own a Clumber. Now that's what I call patience. To be fair many things intervened, not least London "flower power" and my early days in Sweden, before Ingela came along to help me realise many dreams, not least the Clumber Spaniel, in 1988, when we bought Chester. Ingela was completely taken by my story and when I showed her some photos of two lovely English working Clumbers in a book, she was sold on the idea
MUSIC
Ingela was a modern girl when it came to music. She liked good quality pop with David Bowie as her all-time favourite. That last fateful morning on the way to the dog- show she had the radio on as usual. She asked me who was singing and I knew my answer had to be Bowie. It was, because she knew I didn't know very much about the stuff. My taste is more Tito Gobbi trying to ravish Maria Callas in act 2 of Puccini's Tosca. Ingela and I did however share some music together. Our favourite was "Some Enchanted Evening from South Pacific which I often sang around the house. As soon as I started she'd join in with her rather poor singing voice and a much exaggerated Irish brogue to boot, she was a bit of tease sometimes. This always made us laugh. The Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden and La Scala in Milan will be forever grateful that Ingela chose another career Another song we shared was "O Solo Mio". This she mercifully never attempted. It was my party piece. I first sang it for her and the guests at our wedding on June the 9th 1990 to great acclaim. From then on I would sing it ad nausiam at every party or dinner we went to but not before Ingela had checked that the great Briano Barnetti was in condition to carry it off. She had never forgotten the time, when against my better judgement and having taken one glass too many, my voice cracked at that famous last top note. I could see she was mortified so I raised my hand to the bemused assembly and said rashly that I'd give them the last verse again. I could see that Ingela, as my artistic adviser was very uncomfortable. I jumped in at the deep-end again and I, against all odds hit the note perfectly to "well-deserved" applause-of course. After that Ingela always made sure that the great smart ass knew what he was doing. Ingela, who wasn't that interested in classical or opera music had, all the same, a few favourites. One was "Nesun Dorma from Turandot sung by Pavarotti. At the great climax where he finishes on a wonderful high to great applause Ingela would get "that look in her eyes. I had to hide in the barn that night.She also liked "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes She had first interpreted it as a song about booze until she read the text Another song we shared was "Schlafe mein Prinzchen schlaf ein", in this case sung by Elizabeth Schumann . It's always sung in Sweden at Christmas-time. She'd go all soft after hearing it. And why not, it's beautiful.
