The Song Remains the Same. A journey to Oxford.

When in her 20s my wife Susan Evans, (then called Sue Vester) was one of the film editors on Led Zeppelin's motion picture "The Song Remains the Same ". Since then, she has travelled Asia, married and divorced twice, and raised two sons in Vancouver, Canada. In her 30s she returned to school to earn a Bachelor's degree in music from the University of British Columbia . That was followed by 30+ years of work as a very successful and respected piano teacher.

Last year, at age 79, Susan returned to UBC to do graduate work in Music Theory. Early on, she realized that it wasn't a good fit and began applying to other Music Faculties.

Now she has been accepted to do Graduate Studies at Oxford University in the UK.

Returning home to the UK was something that Susan never expected to come true. And, as a pub owner's daughter from Pontypool, Wales, attending Oxford seemed to be an even more unattainable dream.

Now she has the chance to make both dreams come true, and Susan can spend her 80th birthday as a student at the most prestigious university in the world.

The challenge for us is to cover the costs. Although we own a small home in Nova Scotia, and have pensions and savings, the reality is that as an international student Susan will be charged more than £ 40,000 in registration fees for each year. That is, simply, just beyond our reach.

We're asking anyone who had ever had a dream, has had help to get the education that they deserved, and has been willing to work long hours, every day of every week, to attain that success, to help support Susan in this last great project.

For those who might ask, as I write this Susan is working on a paper that examines the composer Olivier Messiaen, the specifics of the French organ, and the importance of timbre in his works. I have never seen her so happy, and so focused.

This money will be used to help pay Oxford's registration fees. We believe that we can manage accommodations and living expenses. While Susan is studying full-time, I'll be her support with cooking, cleaning, laundry, and writing on the side.

Finally, here is what Susan has been exploring this month. Olivier Messiaen's Messe de la Pentecôte. Please enjoy this glorious work.