Memoirs of the Brightside of the Moon

by Ginger Gilmour

  I was having lunch with a girlfriend, Ruth West, in Chelsea. She brought another friend. We were chatting about the event and its vision and our need. Her friend, Marion Board listened attentively until I had finished. Then she leaned overinto the conversation and said, "I can help." With my eyes wide open and filled with amazement and unexpected Joy, I exclaimed, "Really?" "Yes. I can do that for you." She was the PR for the Dalai Lama on his last visit to Britain. PLUS, she had some time off. (Another Miracle of Grace.) It was hard work, balancing its creation, with single motherhood and running our household, which was expanding with volunteers sleeping everywhere. David was living on Maida Avenue. However, he said he would help organize the "Rock 'n' Roll" section, which we called the "Christmas Carol Fantasy Band" and the "Celestial Orchestra." The band comprised of Paul Young, Vicki Brown, David, Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Mick Ralphs (Bad Company), Rick Wills (Foreigner) and Nicky Claird-Lowes (Dream Academy).

  They performed "Happy Christmas-The War is Over" and "Imagine,"as two of the last songs. Paul Young made a special appearance. The Celestial Orchestra included Raff Ravenscroft (sax), Jody Linscott (percussion), Jane Lister(harp) and the English Rose Quartet (strings).

  "Jingle Bells" played in our office for weeks. The children came in and out singing "Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer" afterschool. Miv was super and got a seamstress in Norfolk, Andrea Galer, to make the costumes and Sandra Kamen made our wings for our fairies. In addition, she knew the hair and make-up artist for Phantom of the Opera, who came on the night with her hair extensions, make-up and a full team of helpers. Our thirty-two fairies looked straight out of Midsummer's Night Dream. Gosh, they were gorgeous with their long tendrils of hair cascading down touching their wings! Their innocence and purity came alive as they pranced around back stage. Miv did so much more. She was indispensable. We were such a team. We both surrendered our heartache of broken marriages into the Joy of what we were creating for others. We surrendered to its Beauty and Love.

  We only had two days to rehearse, which also included the performance, due to limited funds. Nigel Gordon, co-director and producer, and I spent a lot of time at the mixer with our lighting and sound crew, Guy Fowler, Jon Vogel and Mike Lowe. Luke Gray, Barry Knight and his team, whom I knew from the Floyd, took on being my production assistants of our Fantasy, along with Tim Hain, Alan Lee-Dreamy, Daisy Gordon, and Tim Sweeney. Britannia Row Productions provided all the sound and lighting gear. Thank you Robbie Williams! - You are a saint. Langley Iddens who lived at David's floating studio, Astoria, took on the management of each act backstage. He was a trooper.

  Westminster Central Hall primarily hosted Classical Music. The stage was open for orchestras with no curtain you could close. So I had to come up with a way to change the scenery and stage props between each act. I didn't want to have them all in black T-shirts. Then one day I had a brainstorm! It came to me while I was watching a Christmas video with the kids. I needed to call on Santa's Little Helpers. "Yep, that is what I needed!" So I enlisted many of my gentleman friends to be Elves. I teased, I whimpered, "Please." They conceded, all Thirteen of them! There they were, men in tights and pointed hats. The lights would dim and the song "The Hall of the Mountain King,"from Peer Gynt, would play as they scurried in the dim light of the Christmas trees, across the stage removing the carpets putting in the new props. DoDoDo DoDoDo Doo doo Doo Doo doo Doo doo DoDoDo DoDoDo DoDoDoDoo.

  Legs Larry Smith, who I had met at Friar Park through George Harrison, was our Chief Elf. His jovial nature and ability to be a leader of Men in Tights kept our spirits High. I still see his smile as he led them across the stage during rehearsals. Our elves became a gang of jolly helpers. They said it was one of the best nights of their lives once they surrendered. The motley crew were Tony Howard, Jeff Dexter, Alan Lee, Charles Littledale, Greg Gordon, Michael Eccles, Tony Black, David Larcher, Willie Wilson, Nick Griffiths, Andrew Mornan and Phil May.

  Half way through the rehearsals, we had a disturbance. The fire alarm went off. "Goodness, what do we do?" turning to Nigel while all stood still. No elves. No Fairies. I was just on my way backstage when the production started again. Later, Langley related the story to me. "I was sitting there at my production desk with my headset on, surrounded by fairies waiting to go on. When I turned around to give them their cue, I was surrounded by lots of firemen!" David and his manager, Steve O'Rourke, happened to be backstage and somehow sorted it out. How, I still have no idea, except there was no fire and the rehearsal went on. Days later, we discovered that it had been a prank. Two crazy girls, actually women, thought it was funny. Gremlins had struck again as they seem to do when something of Love and Light is manifesting. But the show went on. At the last minute Liz and David Emmanuel, the designers of Lady Diana's wedding dress, asked for a favor. They were just creating a new idea for a television show. "Christmas Carol Fantasy" would be just perfect to film for one of their first shows. I said, "Yes,"not realizing that they would need different colors of lighting than what we had planned. In fact, they needed too much light. Simon Courtney-Taylor, our lighting designer, had his work cut out for him. What a hurdle that became to find a compromise. Two rehearsals and one performance is all we had. How could we resolve this? Usually there is a specific night for filming? We didn't have that as an option. In the end, we did it with the minimal creative disturbance.

  The Emmanuels interviewed everyone. Their first port of call was backstage where all the Rock Stars were hanging out. They asked David why he was doing the show. He said with a wry smile, "Well, my wife asked me to do it." Then they pulled me aside in the foyer. I still have the footage and I looked like a shy doe-eyed young girl and definitely not used to interviews. They helped me through it with ease. Liz and David Emmanuel, with an air of confidence and a smile, asked me their questions with my attention divided, holding my composure, still needing to direct the rehearsal, pulled in many directions.

  The world inside the road crew's headsets, shouting swear words, was a complete contrast to the sacred sounds of the choirs in the hall. "Come all ye faithful" was blended with "F***, can you get those bloody fairies on stage! Where are they! OMG the harpist is freaking out! Someone tried to move it. What a prima Donna!" Each act had unexpected problems we had to sort out. The string quartet had a problem. The Harp strings cast shadows of black lines from the lights across their sheet music. The harpist had a problem as the fairies plucked her strings with their wings as they passed by. The prima ballerina from the English National Ballet could not see the stage with the blue lights of the film crew and needed a spot on her. The film crew didn't want the pink one. Just when I thought everything would go well, we reached the Rock 'n' Roll section. They grumbled, "Why are the amps so far away?" Barry Knight, our stage manager, explained, "We were limited on space and it is a juggling act". Grumbling under their breath as they slung their guitars over their shoulders, Barry teased them, "Come on guys. Don't be little boys. You have been in this spot before." He could speak to them this way, because he knew them all. Throughout the day, Barry did a great job calming the waters with each act, with each ego. He was our diplomat extraordinaire, a natural with a smile and a sense of humor.

  So many wonderful people came forward and volunteered. There were artists and set designers, all helping in so many ways. Mona Wirtz covered my back and made sure I drank plenty of water. Mary Komoki and Rosland Titera organized all the graphic design of my drawing of an Angel including the printing of the brochure and posters. Josh Pinto did the printing. Annie Rowland organized the food for the crew served on a huge mirror. Ruth and David Einsenhart made our ten-foot "Tree of Life" for center stage. So much more was gratefully donated: advertising, the typesetting, the props, flowers, two large Christmas trees and the fairy lights. The list goes on and on, creating a union amongst the Hearts of all involved.

  The magic of the sacred built as each song progressed. Tamasin Gough's angelic voice touched our hearts with "Once in Royal David's City,"as we stood and rejoiced togethe
r. "For he is our childhood's pattern, Day by day like us He grew; And he feeleth for our sadness, and he shareth in our gladness." The Allegri Singers took us further along into the night as they sang "I saw three ships" and "Away in a Manager" as their voices called out, "Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray." The procession began after the Sugar Plum Fairy finished her dance. One hundred choir, dressed in ochre robes entered the hall from behind. Their faces lit dimly from the candles they were holding.

  "O Come all ye Faithful" brought us to the Christmas Story of the Happy Prince narrated by Robert Stephens directed by Simon Gough. Ed Shearmur created the music played by our Celestial Orchestra. The spirit of Christmas traveled from person to person uplifted by the harmonic sounds of the premier of John Tavener's new carol, "Today the Virgin." The Allegri Singers, conducted by Louis Halsey worked together with John, as they have done often in the past. His heart and his love of God spoke through all that he has written. I was honored to share this moment with him, grateful to share several of his compositions with everyone on the night.

  Raff Ravenscroft, the famous and wonderful saxophonist, composed and played "The Journey." He came through the mist from above the stage into the blue light on the stage. His hair full of the curls we knew so well, as he swayed in the melody of his music. Simon Ward read the Gospel of St John, Chapter One, Verse 1-14, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, And the Word was God.'"Tears came to our eyes as John Lord, Deep Purple, played the Song "Lady,"written by Andy Robson. Vicky Brown's voice called forth the Guardian Angels of Lily's Heart. She sat in the front row with tears touching her face, blushing and humbled, which was her nature. "As you sit and watch I can tell you now, your eyes, they sparkle and your hair's like snow. When you laugh, there is magic in the air, and my heart fills up 'Cause I know you care. Hey, Hey lady, lay your hands on me, tell me what it is you can see." The hall filled with a fine mist of smoke drifting over the stage into the audience. The Christmas Carol Fantasy Band and choir entered. Everyone stood holding hands swaying to John Lennon and Yoko Ono's song "Happy Christmas"(War is Over). Paul Young's crystal clear notes, unified in harmony with everyone brought the evening to a close as all the fairies and elves and performers and road crew entered the stage. We stood together in Love, when a surprise Sir Henry Cooper, an English heavyweight Boxer, descended from within the crowd as Father Christmas in satin red shorts, boxing gloves revealed as he joyfully opened his cape.

  One by one, the audience together in Christmas spirit left their seats entering the night air, back into the London traffic and decorated trees around Westminster Abbey. All our roadies began clearing and cleaning, restoring Westminster Central Hall ready for its next event. Miv, friends and I went on to the charity dinner in our finery and danced the night away. It was her birthday. A new cycle was beginning for both of us as we brought in the next day celebrating.

  CHAPTER 77

  DIVORCE

  FROM A DREAM

  1990

  Life was draining from my heart. The time had come for us to divorce, to face the Wall between us. Unfathomable tears flowed each day and into the night. I spoke to God for direction; must I soldier on in this emptiness, or do I let go and accept the loss. An Inner Call from my Heart ushered forth. "Please help me. What do you want me to do?" I sat at the desk, my head in my hands waiting for insight. Our children played in the garden as I looked at the papers from the lawyer to sign. Was there life after David Gilmour? Friends held me in their hearts comforting me as I faced the pain. How can I do this? The dream was not supposed to end. We had made a commitment until death do us part. The dream was to "Live Happily Ever After." Lily encouraged me to place a flower by my bed so the first thing I saw every morning was nature's beauty. But, I needed something more. Each day was a task to find a smile as I made the breakfast for the children before school. The heartache was like torture. How I wished for a miracle. I circled and circled in my mind. Panic gripped my heart. It was over. My Love, my Dream. What do we do now? Versha and Johnny Rae became one of my protectors, my first line of defense. I had helped them over the years and now they came to me. Johnny was a lawyer and offered to represent me. Without them, I would have faltered underneath the tide of emotion. In England, one needed to have a solicitor specifically for these matters plus a barrister. He found me an angel called Kathryn Peat who later found me my barrister. Together we walked the path to find a reasonable way forward. It was hard. Johnny became my trustee after the settlement. A man I could trust with our hearts.

  I decided that Monksbridge was no longer the place I wanted to raise the children. Plus, the memories were too difficult to transform there. So I began to search for another. Miv Watts continued to live with us after the event for Lily as her marriage had dissolved as well. She became a great help. Together we searched the nearby countryside and beyond. We held each other along the journey repairing our broken hearts.

  I had many variables to consider besides finding the house. I had to decide on the county, the schools, how far from London, cost of living, etc. My life had gone beyond the stability of buying avocados, packing of school lunches and doing things with a partner, I loved. I had to learn fast how to carry most of the load. Thank God, I had help.

  In England, the school system is such that sometimes one has to find a place in a school for your child years ahead. This I found difficult to understand as an American. So not only was it a task to find a suitable and affordable home, but there had to be a school locally that had to have places for the children. When we lived in Hook End, they had gone to a Montessori School called "Dolphin." When we moved, I wished for a Montessori School, but there wasn't one near us when we lived in Monksbridge.

  We moved them several times. Honestly, I searched and searched but did not find my heart's desire in our area. They were just not forward thinking or creative enough for me. I strongly felt that a school should draw out what lies innate in a child, not to just develop one's memory for accepted facts of what a society wanted. I wanted them to be in an environment, which encouraged them to really think from their soul purpose. Not much to ask? Seems it was.

  One day Miv came home smiling with a paper in her hand. It was a black and white description of a house called Brockhurst in East Grinstead, West Sussex. It was on the market but not opened to be viewed. England had experienced terrible storms and many trees were down on the property, especially around its lake. Even near us at Monksbridge, oak trees had fallen everywhere, especially along the main avenue up to Hampton Court.

  It was a very strange time. We had had a drought for years and all the tree roots were shallow looking for water. However, this rain passed over the dried surfaces. The strong hurricane like winds just toppled them over like bowling pins. It felt as though something was missing from nature. A feeling in the air as though Death had covered us with her cloak. All along the road laid these great beings, never to stand again. Traffic slowly inching along as the men cleared them away. It was so sad.

  One day Miv and I decided to go on an adventure into West Sussex to, at least, see what we could see of Brockhurst. She was good like that, always fearless, ready to have an adventure. So off we went like two explorers. We drove up the long drive and around the back. No one was home. It was like a fairy castle. I said, 'This is it! I want it!" Miv replied, "Ginge', you must see more houses!" "Miv I don't want to lose it. It is the one! I know it! Besides, there is a Steiner Waldorf school nearby. I checked and they have space for All of the children!" All the pieces were falling into place. We just had to sell Monksbridge and buy Brockhurst. David did advance me the money so it could go smoothly. He also came and approved of the school. So the next thing to do was redecorate, pack and move. I had my team. Miv helped me with my choices in decorating: from wallpaper, to curtains, to furniture. Warwick carried them out with the help of a project manager.

  We did have a few moments deciding whether to do French Provincial, Miv's love, or
Art Nouveaux, which I favor. She said, "Ginge' here is a chance to totally start new!" Interesting thought, but to make such a change was too much for me at the time, considering what other changes were occurring. I needed something familiar that I loved and felt like home. Therefore, Art Nouveaux it was and Fortuni fabrics from Venice. (Love, Love, Love.) During this time, I traveled with Lily to the States for she was speaking at a Seven Rays Conference in New Jersey. There I walked amongst a different group of people far away from Rock 'n' Roll. As I sat in the audience and listened to the speakers, I discovered that there is another type of man and woman in the world. Men who consciously seek to reveal their hearts without fear, but with dignity. Women who had the courage, who dared to stand for equality with compassion as bridges for humanity. The men stood tall in their masculine strength and wisdom, their edges softened by their hearts. The women walked radiant in their shining beauty. Love and Wisdom held hands. I remember thinking that if I am to have another relationship let it be more spiritually conscious.

  One morning I was walking together down the corridor with Lily and one of the principal organizers, Marianne Castleleno. As we turned a corner, the door to one of the classrooms was open and I noticed a man deep in thought placing something on the desk. He was tall, wearing black trousers and a black short jacket over a white tailored shirt. His long auburn hair tied back in a short ponytail to keep it from his eyes. I only saw him from the back, but I knew he was elegant, poised, and radiated such tenderness. As we walked, I listened to Marianne and Lily's conversation. They were discussing who, out of all the presenters, should be on the panel that evening to discuss "Sex in Relationships from an Esoteric point of view." I piped up and said, while pointing back to the classroom, "I think the man back there would be a good choice. Who is he?" They both looked and a little giggle appeared as Lily said, "Oh, yes. That is a good idea. Nico Thelman, he would be perfect amongst all the others." She often referred to him as her grandson. It was an interesting evening listening to and observing different viewpoints from all the speakers.