Answer 1 - 'Search & Ye Shall Find?': The famous British musician and great Elgarian who was neither buried nor cremated, nor given a memorial service, but was granted a memorial stone in the North Aisle of Westminster Abbey was Sir Adrian Boult, who died in his 95th year in 1983. All this was as he wished, so what happened to the body? Boult bequeathed it 'to medical science'.

Answer 2 - 'Here Comes Lean Jack!': The piece of which Edward was speaking when he said "I have, I think, enjoyed writing it more than any other music I have ever composed, and perhaps, for that reason, it may prove to be among my best efforts" was of course Falstaff, first performed at the Leeds festival of 1913. And Lean Jack? It is the young Prince Henry who jokingly comments of Falstaff: "Here comes lean Jack, here comes bare-bone. How now, my sweet creature of bombast! How long is't ago, Jack, since thou sawest thine own knee?" (Henry IV, Part I).

Answer 3 - 'When the Golden Mists are Born': The poem from which the verse beginning 'I love tranquil solitude...' is taken is by Shelley and simply called Song. But it is the first verse of the eight-verse poem, beginning 'Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of Delight!', which is far better known to Elgarians as an epigram to the full score of the composer's Symphony No.2. The verse continues: 'Wherefore hast thou left me now Many a day and night? Many a weary night and day 'Tis since thou art fled away.'

Answer 4 - 'Not a Jape but a Lark Lover': The author of the 1953 letter to Michael Kennedy which in part read: "1 fear I cannot sympathise with 'Dorabella's' effusions. She seems to think that hers is the only variation, and to my mind it is the worst and weakest of the lot" was Ralph Vaughan Williams.

It was some time towards the end of last year that I advised my good friend Ann Vernau that I had come to the conclusion that my Japes & Larks contribution to the Elgar Society NEWS had just about written itself out and that it was time for me to shut up shop!

My first contributions were prepared at the request of my close friend John Norris. At that time the Elgar website had just been created and J&L was born, as an internet offering, in May 1998. My favourite jape from that first offering gave the following clue: A photo shows a person, carrying a teddy bear, and handing two airline tickets to the booking officer. One of the tickets is in the name of 'Miss C Stradivarius'. What name is on the other ticket? Knowing the answer depended on how much you loved the Cello Concerto!

J&L first entered the real world in the Society NEWS of July 2002. A specially interesting jape there was based on an Elgarian character, new to me, Sgt Bob O'Reilly, and the star of my long-time favourite movie The Scarlet Pimpernel, with the incomparable Leslie Howard. Do you remember who Bob was and what war-time tragedy briefly and tragically brought these two men together?

In March of 2004 I linked together the oddest group of people: Harry Webb, Rudyard Kipling, Caroline Alice Roberts, May & Beatrice Harrison. I was careful to state that 'most' had links to Elgar, but then asked who Harry Webb was and what was their common link? Rather naughty of me - but doing a Google on the name easily solves the riddle - all of them were born in India.

In November 2005 I had been reading a fascinating history of the famous Queen's Hall, 1893-1941. The hall was destroyed by German bombers on 10-11 May 1941. However, a major discovery for me was the detail of the last concert ever given in the hall and, in particular, the famous singer who sang the part of Gerontius!

2006 was my last year of researching & writing J &L. The riddle I enjoyed best in that year was given in November and involved my personal discovery of a war-time autobiography written by one of the greatest violinists, Fritz Kreisler, who in 1915 had been called up as an Austrian soldier and had been almost killed in fighting against the Russians.

Japes & Larks will now be retired - but something of equal or more interest will be invented by another, eager Elgarian. For my part, my interests in things Elgarian are far from diminished and perhaps in the near future you will find other writings of mine in the JOURNAL or the NEWS. My best wishes to all the future workers in the vineyard.