Chasing Cezanne

Chasing Cezanne by Peter Mayle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So far really good and a quick read.  Is the Cezanne missing?  If yes, why?  Taken into the heart of the art world.  Mayle impresses the reader with his knowledge of various fields once again.

Quick read that kept me busy while lying in bed ill with all by body parts aching.  A photographer accidentally sees a Cezanne being moved from the home of a wealthy client into a van, and with his attempts to solve the mystery of this strange scene, he interacts with varied characters, encounters he wrath of several rich and influential people, and travels through France, Britain and the USA.  A fun read, especially if you want to read more about the wonderful food and wines found in Southern France.  I need to have one of those eating trips through France!


View all my reviews

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Twelve Drummers Drumming by C.C. Benison
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A well written read by a Winnipeg author, C.C. Benison.  I would give this book 3.5 stars but that is not an option.  A tale of a pastor who has moved from London, UK to the more remote and quiet village of Thornford Regis, until a body turns up murdered and hidden in a Japanese drum.  Bringing back recent memories of his own wife's murder in London, Father Tom Christmas becomes the recipient and hunter of information to try to solve this crime.  With the help of a host of interesting, unique and well developed characters, the mystery is solved after the village has been turned topsy-turvy by the events surrounding the murder.  I will be awaiting C.C. Benison's next murder mystery, Eleven Pipers Piping as well as seeking out his other mystery novels.  A delightful read that gives one a glimpse into a small village in England that also has its drama.


View all my reviews

French Lessons: Adventures with knife, fork, and corkscrew

French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful light read by Peter Mayle who again entertains the reader with the festivals and holidays that he visits all over France.  From eating contests, to a running marathon with wine tastings along the route, to upper class semi-nude lunches, to the muddy and calming spa, Mayle's writing will put a spontaneous smile on your face, cause you to roll your eyes in disbelief, and generally love France and its inhabitants just a little bit more.  He also explains the Michelin Food Guide (yes, of the large rubber tires) that started in the 1920's rating restaurants and their food, services and ambience bestowing stars on the deserving.  Now a controversial publication in some culinary circles, many people still reach for it to peruse as the head to France for some travels, and Mayle takes the time to explain what this book means to the country and to its foodie citizens.

Give it a read and enjoy a writer who is able to present the quirks of a culture that loves many things and appears to celebrate them all.

View all my reviews

Doral Pilling In London

I have just spent the last hour scanning parts of Doral Pilling's autobiography into a computer.  I am in the process of sending this information to Dr. Bruce Kidd who is a professor at University of Toronto and researcher the history of athletics, amongst other topics.  He was at the University of Manitoba several months ago and I went to his presentation then provided him with the family story of Doral (my maternal grandfather) helping Percy get through his Olympic events without throwing up etc.  When I read the account in his history (thanks Arta for all your transcribing and work on that book), I can't help but think that Grandpa Doral was using sport psychology techniques with Percy long before the term was even identified.  A forward thinker for sure.

Having just taken a peek at a website dedicated to Percy Williams created by Samuel Hawley, I came across several pictures of Grandpa Doral that I have not seen in any relatives houses.  Once again, I look at these pictures and wonder why my brother Trent is there (or several of the Wood's boys), give my head and shake and remind myself I am looking at Doral.  Here is my favourite shot mostly because many of us have now been in London and here is Doral in the same city long before the rest of us even existed in the flesh.

Taken from website:  http://www.samuelhawley.com/percy1928olympics2.html

From left to right: Doral Pilling, Percy Williams, Stanley Glover

I just love this shot!  Take a look at the website to find even more information and amazing pictures about Percy Williams, with Doral Pilling often hanging in the background.

An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Another travel book.  Looks like a person who does not like to travel is being forced to travel by two of his friends, one being Ricky Gervais and the other Stephen Merchant.  We shall see.


This book was OK.  I was a little mad that a person who did not really like traveling was visiting many of the Wonders of the World, and didn't appear to enjoy himself despite visiting 4 or 5 different continents.  This was part of the schtick to make the book and subsequent videos humorous and different than others, but I would have appreciated these visits more.  They should have picked me to go.  Then again, Pilkington did share many moments of deep honesty, and did learn more about other places even though he did not like many of them.  Perhaps the videos, in this case, would be better than the book.


Not my favourite travel book and not as funny as many reviewers stated, but it was an easy and interesting enough read to keep me on the tread mill or stationary bike at the gym longer than normal.


View all my reviews

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bryson returns to the mid-western states where he grew up and experienced many family vacations on a shoe-string budget.  Looking for the quintessential American town, so far in the book he is disappointed and his tone is on the bitter side.  Bryson does find a few intriguing places and spaces that cause him to wander in wonder.  His life in the UK however is the place where he belongs as he never seems to end the sarcastic comments and critiques of the places he visits all over the American mid-west.


View all my reviews

What to Wear to a Festival?

Winnipeg is the city of summer festivals.  It is not the only city that can brag as such, but it has the most summer festivals in Western Canada with Edmonton coming in a close second (I may have just made that up).  My goal is to volunteer for every festival possible in Winnipeg this summer.  The logic is that festivals cost money, volunteering saves me that money, I meet new people, enjoy live music, arts and comedy, and have a wonderful time soaking in the atmosphere.  So far I have volunteered at the Winnipeg Jazz Fest, Folklorama, Winnipeg Comedy Festival, with the Winnipeg Folk Fest and Winnipeg Fringe Festival in the wings awaiting my participation.  Most importantly as I attend these events I learn how homegrown so many of the artists, comedians, musicians and professionals involved in the creation of events truly are.  Perhaps the skill of music is in the earth, air and water as The Peg has an amazing and broad music scene that lasts all year long.

In order to continue trying to fit into the scene and in preparation of my first sleep-over/camping folk music festival this year, I was able to find these videos to assist all attending a summer camping festival in order to be prepared.  What to wear?  What to bring?  What to leave at home?  Watch and learn my friends, watch and learn:

For Everyone (well, perhaps more for dudes):

What to Wear to a Festival

For the Ladies:





If you are going to the Wychwood Festival or want any information about any other UK festival, try this.  Oh the UK, how I miss thee!

If you want to learn more via the medium of video, check out Videojug: Get A Good Life (available as an App as well).

Enjoy your festivals!

A Long Long Long Walk

While I was in London, UK I wandered in and out of delicious antiquarian bookstores by the dozen.  The best street for old books, creepy floored bookstores, dusty shelves and true collectors and ravagers of the written word is Charing Cross Road, at least if people keep shopping at these independent stores.  As I toured the shelves and softly stepped on the floors I kept seeing books by Bill Bryson, in the travel section, and loads of them.  Well, I am now in Winnipeg and I finally picked up on of these non-antiquarian books and will be reading many, many more of them.

A Walk In The Woods

Upon moving to New Hampshire, USA after living in the UK for twenty years, Bill Bryson and his family begin to settle into their New England environment.  Bryson learns of a walking trail that traverses thirteen states from Georgia in the south to Maine in the north, the Appalachian Trail (AT).  The U.S. National Park Service believes the trail is just over 2,000 miles but is not sure, thus begins the hilarity that is Bryson's AT experience.  Intermingling an incredible ability to present a series of interesting facts, with witty quips, and laugh-out-loud stories of he and his walking partner Stephen Katz, Bryson just made me want to keep reading more.  I did.  Finished the book in three days along with 7 meetings.  Was thinking about the adventures along the AT during a good portion of these meetings, sign of a good book.  With the fear of wild animals, scrambles that cause their bodies to ache, strange meetings with backcountry people, historical lessons about small desolate towns, the destruction of the eastern forests, deaths on the trail, hypothermia, descriptions of art, geological history lessons, and water always falling at the wrong times, it is evident that Bryson is an accomplished and entertaining author.  In the process of walking AT Bryson finds himself in a liminal world, between the silent soft forest and the rushing loudness of concrete progress.  Caught, he tries to continue his quest towards the end of the book only to find what was once found and lost is best left laid down.

From Bill Bryson's website

Bill and his family have returned to living in the UK and he has begun to support the CPRE, helping to save rural England.  I shall be reading more Bill Bryson soon.         

Motorcycles

Since I am student and strapped for cash, I have taking books out of the library breathing travel though other's words and making plans for my future adventures.

Lois on the Loose

A courageous biker woman from the United Kingdom is tired of her repetitive life in London in a small office at the BBC and longs for an adventure out in the world.  I long for more adventures IN London myself, but I digress.  Since she has written this book about travels one could assume she quit her job and began her adventurous travels.  'Tis true.  She did.  Her goal is to ride her motorcycle in the fresh, open expanse of the Americas from the top in Anchorage, Alaska, through British Columbia, Canada, through the United States, down the west coast of Central America, skipping Columbia to land by plane in Ecuador, on to Peru, peeking in on Bolivia, through Chile, down to the most southern city in the world Ushuaia, Argentina.  Through eight months of riding and many, many adventures she entertains the reader with an eclectic mix of stories and odd experiences.

Lois Pryce takes us on a bike ride of a lifetime, peppering her writing with brief details of the road, the scenery and on occasion the people she meets on her journey.  She shares her difficulties finding a complementary riding partner, decides she is not a fan of the leering men throughout most of Central America, makes us laugh at the outrageous cross border process in several countries, creates a reputation in the South American biker world which precedes her arrival, and reminds us that come snow, sleet, rain, dirt, gale, and scorching heat, a woman with a mission is a person who will succeed.  Pick it up.  Give it a thorough read.  My only critique is that I wished for more details of each country and its people.

Her partner Austin Vince is also a motorcyclist and traveler.

From Lois' website, Thomas Dunne Books, 2007

You Can Take the Woman Out of London but....

Yes I did it.  I watched the Royal Wedding.  After having danced and chatted with fellow graduates until midnight on Thursday at the end of year party, I woke up at 4 AM to head to a friend's house and watch the events unfold.  Here is why I watched:

After having lived in London every summer for 4 years and almost one year after that, 

I miss the vibrant, eclectic, pulsing city at least once per week.  

Changing of the Guard up the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.

I was able to hear the names of the places I visited, the streets I walked, the ones spaces that came to dwell in my heart as historical connections to the past that healed my reckless existence.  

Greenwich Village looking out from the Old Navy College.

Art installation at Trafalgar Square using the roots of trees from a
South American rainforest to increase awareness of the destruction of these forests.

On the London Eye with Marcia and Art, looking out over
Westminster Abbey and Houses of Parliament.

Almost 30 years ago my Aunts and Uncles woke all us Pilling kids up at 3 AM Shuwap, BC time and we watched Diana and Charles wed.  They had a long stretch of foam mats, blankets, pillows that we cuddled under wondering why we were so lucky to be up partying at this hour.  I  also remember a delicious selection of treats, although I cannot remember what they were.

My Grandpa Doral Pilling in the shores of Shuswap Lake in the 1980's.

To see an inner bird's eye view of a magnificent gothic abbey.  Having been on three tours during my stay with various groups I remember the six crystal chandeliers are 6 feet high but are dwarfed in comparison to the actual height of the 102 foot nave.  I believe 3,000 people have been buried or memorialized inside the building.  A juxtaposition of a new relationship budding from the surrounding lives that have ended. 

From Google Images, goingtolondon website.

Having attended Evensong on several occasions at the abbey, I wanted to hear the boys and men's choir one more time.  Mmmmm....love their soprano to bass voices intermingling and resonating of the stone of the Norman interior.

Thank you CBC for this shot!

Thank you CBC for the live coverage.  Thank you to my father who let me move back in with him while he was living in London and while I was in my late 30's.  Thank you mum my who was our part-time roommate and the one who took me to so many West End shows I lost track of how many times I have seen Billy Elliot, Wicked, Oliver, and Sister Act.

Greg and I on the top of a double decker bus,
just south of his flat on Regent Street.

Wyona, Marcia and I in Camden Town Market, North London.

My time in London was brief but will stay with me for years to come.  

You can take a woman out of London, but you can't take the London out of the woman.

Fleet of Hope

Love these lyrics:

The fisherman comes up
Puts his two poles in the sand
He stares out at the sea
Just exactly like me
But I've got a book in my hand
We will have caught on to something by the end of the day
But mostly we think about the one that got away.

(Chorus)

I've walked through the desert
Climbed over mountains so high
Through jungles and plains
I took buses and trains
And airplanes across the sky
But none as seductive as ocean before me alone
And now I know why
You layered your pockets with stones.

(Chorus)

When I was a girl
All of my fancy took flight
And I had this dream
Could outshine anything
Even the darkest night
Now I wait like a widow for someone to come back from sea
I've always known
I was waiting for me

Chorus
'Cause the fleet of hope is so pretty
When she's shining in the port
And the harbor clings to the jetty
For protection and support
Out in the choppy waters the sharks swim and play
You're all washed up when Poseidon has his day

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/indigo_girls/#share

When I saw them in London I would swear I had a moment with Emily Sailers and as she sang this song our eyes locked on the chorus and we both sang while watching each other.  Then the shivers down the body from a moment of human connection.  Even if I imagined it, I don't care, it was moving and magnificent.  The live version of the song is below.

Voices and Society

Edward Bruner has said, 'there are always feelings and lived experiences not fully encompassed by the dominant story.  Only after the new narrative becomes dominant is there a re-examination of the past.' - Canadian Journal of Traditional Music, 1986

Thoughts have been swirling around in my head for many weeks now.  It all started when I picked up a book that had been staring at me, calling out my name, and asking me why I had not yet purchased it yet every time I entered a UK bookstore.  After months of denial of desire, I purchased a copy, read it faster than a gazelle escaping a sharp toothed beast; purchased the second book and sped through it like a short track runner; pleaded with family to purchase the third and final book in the series in the UK as it had not been released in Canada.  When the last book landed in the city, was placed in my hands, and quickly consumed the series haunted my thoughts and still do.  Its messages very vivid and mentally an interesting to wrestle with as these books are not happy-go-lucky.  The heroine is an intricate mix of edgy, intellectually brilliant and emotionally complex.  All interesting people are.  

Steig Larsson, the talented writer whose life was cut short would be devastated to see how his life partner is now being treated due to the books he wrote about the corruption of some areas of government and their treatment of the marginalized.  As a CBC: The Current podcast shared, Eva Gabrielsson, Steig's partner of 32 years, did not receive any legal access to Steig's legacy because of Swedish law.  Interesting no?  His books include themes of women's experiences, injustice, cruelty, violence, sexual exploitation, power struggles, and using your own means for self-care, and here is his partner struggling as a woman for justice and equity under the law.

The experiences of Eva, the stories from Steig, combined with the student who made an appalling comment this week in class (after having spent nine weeks discussing and studying the voices of the marginalized) is prompting me to share books, people, news, views, pages and clips that have reminded me that the dominant voice is rarely faultless or representative of the majority of voices.  Follow what ever link you wish in hopes that it will help you remain a critical thinker and participant positively in the society we are all creating.

The Case of Russell William

Gentlemen Prefer Bones

$25 and Thank You

One week ago I found a iTunes $25 gift certificate that I purchased over one year ago.  The card made it into my packing supplies and appeared as I rambled about my various electronic gadgets once I unpacked.  What did I do with it?  I used it to buy the following and enjoy over and over.  Thank you artists and iTunes!

Broken Bells
- Songs Purchased: The Ghost Inside, The High Road, October, Vaporize
- a falsetto voice
- some fun electronics
- clap along!

(Copied from austintownhall.com)

Noisettes
- Songs Purchased: Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go), Wild Young Hearts
- French term, meaning 'nuts'.  As many words, it sounds better in French.
- a band I first heard in the UK
- sassy woman on lead vocals and bass
- retro hair
- danceable and fun!

Spain - Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza

I have spent the last two weeks in Spain.  My first trip to the country and I have one day left to enjoy the sun, 15 degree weather (which is very exciting for a Canadian in February), a lovely walk along the Sea, and more Menu of the Day (a.k.a. spoil me with a three course meal for all one price Catalan, Spanish food), brief conversations with people practicing their English, a restful perch on my hotel terrace looking out over the view (I think I am the only person staying at the hotel, it is down season here), and the usual normal late night 10 pm dinner of several courses.  Tomorrow back to London but I am not done yet.

I will write more when I have the time but it might not be until March.  From here I go back to London to pack my belongings of the last 9 months, head to Egypt for a 10 day pre-planned trip, then to Berlin to meet up with some friends for 48 hours, then back to London to say goodbye and pick up my sister, then back to Calgary.  Will my life ever be the same boring drudge it had become before I began travelling again (can´t find the question mark on the Spanish keyboard.)  I sure will work hard to ensure it does not!!!

If you want a small slice of what life is like for a foreigner to move to the Baeleric Islands from the UK, pick up A Lizard in My Luggage by Anna Nicholas.  I have been reading her saga of 3 books while I have been traveling Spain.  The writing is superbly funny and a delightful description of adventures and unique characters she and her family meets while adapting to a new way of life.  Her second book is A Cat on a Hot Tiled Roof, and the third in the series is Goats From a Small Island.

Anna Nicholas Website

 I am learning that traveling with a book about the region to which you are going, is a phenomenal way of appreciating the place you are in a little more.

Hugs and more writing in the future!

Hint of Mint

When one spends four years of life at an impressionable age in Belgium, chocolate snobbery becomes a way of life.  My palette prefers raspberry and chocolate, or strawberry and chocolate, but I am definitely a high quality chocolate person (Leonidas being a family favourite).  Brussels chocolatiers make some of the world's most decadent and pure chocolate on the planet.  Manon being their very special delectable invention.  As an adult, the thought of the common variety chocolate sold in middle class stores (or anything Hershey related) causes my gag reflex to kick in.  Chocolate snob, all the way through, and I am not the only one:

Chocolate Around the World:  

Canadians recently dealt with the international banking crisis by binging on chocolate imported from Europe and the US, as our consumption increased by 2.7% in 2009.  - Suite 101.com
Top Chocolate Loving Nations are (pounds per year consumed):

1)  Switzerland  22.36

2)  Austria  20.13

3)  Ireland  19.47

4)  Germany  18.04

5)  Norway  17.93

- World Atlas of Chocolate 

More Artsy Coolness

Part 1:
The History of the World with 100 Objects
I LOVE THE BBC!!!  Despite rumours of top-heavy overpaid brass, a yearly mandatory payment from each TV owner in the UK of 120 pounds, using the same comedians and celebrities over and over and over, I still love them.  Sites such as this, with a partnership to create such originality, necessitates an even deeper devotion.  (Let me know if this link functions.  At times, outsiders cannot connect to UK sites.)  Link your brain to the past!

Part 2:
Londoners enjoy a plethora of markets with delights to tempt every enthusiast (or simply a chance to purchase this weeks fruits and veg).  This weekend I ventured to a 50 year old market I had never visited, Bayswater Road Market.  This market runs on Sunday and boasts professional artists (mostly painters) from all over the United Kingdom, who venture forth to sell their works of art.  Oh the delights to my eyes, the ideas for the creative spirit, and the slow beat of my step as I inhaled the individuality of each artiste.  Below are the websites of my favourites:

The Studio Gallery
Michael R Reynolds and I had a discussion about his painting techniques with his swirling, landscape-esque pictures using oils.  The cavernous blues and ominous reds (MR 49, MR 57); so magnificent as 'one-off' works of art.  I may return to make a purchase in the next few weeks.

Lucien Simon
Dear Lucien,
I want to have your children...I mean...your surealist art made me giggle aloud, not because it was meant to, but sweetie the wasp, the carrot, the fungi...oh what dreams you must have!  Someday I will buy your piece...I mean a piece.  Those legs...how sleek...what a pleasure to observe...they make the eyes draw upwards to the top of your glass table!  Such blissful book perches!  Perchance could you mail a jagged-edged coffee table to Canada, and throw in an outdoor glass sculpture just because I blinked my pretty eyes and asked.
All my fanatical adoration,
Tonia

A Book of Silence

Subtitled: A Journey in Search of the Pleasures and Powers of Silence
By: Sara Maitland

Our world is full of noise.  Jingle bells, mp3 players, endless chatter, PSP songs, Nintento, animals barking/squawking/neighing, computers clicking, texting beeps, television, CD players, printers ejecting paper, movies with THX, teenagers acting crazy, vehicle noise...shall I go on?  As a teenager who used to remain plugged into my walkman / diskman as much as possible, but I began losing that addiction as an adult.  As an observer of people, there is a large number of children, teenagers and adults who, unlike me, are frequently plugged into their noise makers.  I enjoy many of these noise makers but I have learned to live with less noise over the past few years, which I why I picked up this book by Sara Maitland, as I exited Hatchard's Piccadilly book store two months ago: A Book of Silence. 


What do you think about the lack of sound?  When you experience it, do you try to fill it?  Do you ever revel in it?  Sara Maitland in her middle years of life went in search of the quiet and solitude because:

1)    I wanted to understand silence better.

2)    I wanted to explore my own spirituality and deepen my growing sense of the reality of God, and the possibility of being connected to that reality.

3)    I wanted to dig deeper into my writing.

4)    I wanted more silence because I enjoyed the small amount I was getting.

She went in search of it and ten years later she continues to reach towards her goal of a life with 80% silence.  Having moved to an isolated area in North East England, she currently spends two days unplugged from contact: telephones, internet, computer, and radio.  She is also working in a third day of complete silence.  “So the questions have really become about how much silence I can create, and how much of the intensity and beauty of Skye, I can bring into dailiness, into a continuing life that is both rich and sustainable” (p. 275).


Sara’s ten years began with a move to the Isle of Skye, a beautiful island in North West Scotland where she spent 6 weeks in complete isolation.  After documenting this experience, she returned to the southern United Kingdom and researched the history of people who had willingly lead quieter lives (Thoreau, St. Therese-a French Carmelite nun, Quakers, Thomas Merton, Virginia Woolf, Bernard Moitessier, and Franz Kafka to name a few), and unwillingly led lives in partial or complete silence (prisoners of war, isolated individuals, camp prisoners, etc).  She juxtaposes the experiences of all these individuals and shares with the reader their euphoric discoveries and deep caverns of lonely solitude.  In the end, Sara searches for a place to live which allows her enough work and noise to financially live, and enough silence to achieve her goals.


Her search for silence has developed her mind, sense of self, depth of prayer, and connection to the world around her.  In her words, “I wanted not absence or lack of sound, but to explore the positive power of silence; I wanted the fullness of the experience” (p. 30).  Silence is not something I want for 80% of my life; I enjoy talking, people, connection and the occasional intellectual grapple too much, all of which requires noise.  Sara does encourage the reader to think about silence and practice unplugging in order to enjoy it more often, something, as I stated above, I started doing a few years ago.  Maitland would like us to see silence not something that must be filled, but as a space in which we can linger to further our understanding of ourselves and the larger cosmos in which we exist. 


One last note, if you plan on taking a large chunk of time to remain silent, here are the documented side effects (or perhaps interesting bits) of such a venture.  Read Sara's book for further information regarding each side effect:

1)    An intensification of both physiological and psychological

2)    Disinhibition

3)    A sense of ‘giveness’ or connection

4)    Auditory hallucinations – voice hearing of a rather particular kind

5)    Boundary confusions

6)    An exhilarating consciousness of being at risk and in peril

7)    Ineffability and bliss

Do not be fearful of the quiet.  Embrace the opportunities you have to increase the moments of pause in your life.  Or as Depeche Mode has admonished us since the 1990's: Enjoy the Silence.

The Tale of the St. Albans, Tube, Battery and Heron

You visit a place and you want to see everything. Seeing is not always enough so you go with a group and a guide. The touristy fake places are obviously garbage, but some tours have guides that are deeply knowledgeable and make you think briefly about moving your life to this new, delightful place. This is the case with London Walks, the guides that bring London to life with their in-depth knowledge of architecture, historicity, famous connections and places of note. So I was off; off to see St. Albans, a town North West of London with the London Walks group. Then the weather turned sour, real sour. Alberta in February, cold, wind, wintery sky, things shut down and the streets are empty kind of sour. Well, cold, snowy, and icy; I was prepared; I am Albertan and I have handled -40 and survived! I checked the internet and there was no sign of cancellation. Went to bed early, woke up to an alarm, showered, dressed, double layered clothes, ate breakfast, gathered snacks and braced myself for a day of fabulous information with a winter chill.

The Tube in London tends to close or partially shut down on the weekends, but I headed to the busiest one in the area in case I needed to re-route. Good thing. The one Tube that could get me to the tour's meeting point was shut down. I read the sign, re-grouped, re-planned and headed for the replacement bus service. My excitement was mounting. I was going to be there despite the cold! Despite the snow! And despite the closure of the tube! All with 10 minutes to spare.

“I am just here waiting for a group,” I explained to the nice public transit man who was re-routing people away from the closed meeting point Tube station. As I rocked back and forth to keep warm I envisioned St. Albans under a snow; the fantastic shots I was going to take; the history I was about to absorb....”Excuse me,” interrupted a kind, taller, dog-on-a-leash man, “are you here for the London Walk to St. Albans?” “Yes I am. It is cancelled?” I enquired. “Yes it is and we are sorry but it is just shear ice out there and the guide was not able to make it into town to pick people up,” he replied. “I was thinking that the trip was not going to go but I thought I would come down anyway. Thank you for being here to let me know of the change.” And I was off. Back on the replacement bus home.

Should I go home, I wondered. I am Canadian, we are hearty people and it’s not -40 outside, only -3...I am in London at a historical time...the weather has not been this bad for 20 years...I should see it, experience it, enjoy it...I shall head to the park and take pictures, then go to some of the busier places and enjoy capturing these Brits manoeuvring through the snow! Brilliant!  Regent’s Park was the winning location. A delightful mixture of formal garden, sport pitches, fields, a small stream, water fowl, paths, benches, children’s playgrounds, buildings and fountains. What more could you fit into a park?

My SLR in hand I headed for the park. Turn on...nice shot there...click...the fountain is frozen, nice...this feels more like Alberta than I think it should...oh, it is the wind, that always makes it colder...it feels like -10 not -3...I wonder how long I will last...nice shot there...beep...oh, that is not good, the battery just changed. The green battery icon had just turned red which meant the juice in the battery was decreasing with every click, button turn and setting alteration. It should be OK for a few hours..might as well stay out while I have the time...and some battery...

As an amateur photographer, I did not realize that carrying an extra battery with me at all times is essential to capturing shots all day long; that is until my battery ran out at the top of Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps in August.

On the way to the top of Jungfraujoch.                     

At the top in August, just before my battery died.

Alas, obtaining a second battery has not occurred as of yet. I carried on, felt in the photography zone and was loving it!

Frozen fountain and formal gardens.

Tree, bench, snow and British Telecom Tower,

just to prove I was capturing London.

Closer to the beauty of frozen greenery.

Fantastic old looking bench and perspective.  Nice!  Off to the stream I go...perhaps a bird or two will provide an interesting shot...click...make sure I get a picture of snow that has fallen precariously on some interesting location...click...click...that tree looke like it is on fire...stunning...

Hey, the pond is frozen and the birds are hopping on it...excellent...

The birds continued to hop along the frozen water. I moved from one interesting shot to another.

“CAUWWWWWWW!!!”

Holy cow that was loud...stay focused...eye through the viewer...quick, flip to sport mode...done... eye through the finder...stay focused...push button...........NOTHING...........where is the click...where is the rapid click...what?.....I.....but. I removed the camera from my eye and saw this:

NO BATTERY CHARGE

“NOOOOO!!!” I yelled out in pain, out to the park, the city, the universe, “NOOOOO!!!!!!” 

It was a Heron....a grey one...full wing span out...landing on the frozen pond...through the middle of my view finder...bush on the right...smaller birds in the background...oh my crazy, crappy, horrible, DAMN!!!!

The battery died in the middle of the shot. It was gone!
I tried to regroup.  I am fine...I lived a beautiful moment...captured the scene with the synapse of my mind...lodged in my long term memory...a special moment...a memory that will last forev.....shit....I didn’t get the shot.  Arggg!!!  I hate batteries!!!

The shot was gone, and that is all that mattered.  It sucked large frozen dirty rocks! Shit!

A few days later I returned to the same place.  Stream still frozen.  Snow laying delicately around.  No swooping herons but I found some in and around a tree.

 

These will do until I have the chance to see another swooping heron and I shall be prepared.  Is 6 extra batteries too many? 

In order to become an expert at anything, it requires around 10,000 hours of practice, knowledge acquisition and work.  Only 9,884 hours to go!

Dadawa

My father’s co-worker from Cleveland was coming through London with his wife, and stayed in the flat for a few days. Unbeknownst to me, it turned into an informative and incredibly interesting visit. The co-worker told us of some of his events and travels as the Canadian Ambassador in North Korea, and his wife Dadawa shared with us her work as a well-known Han Chinese singer and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador.

Image from Weblo.com

Dadawa’s bio progresses in brief thusly: born in Guangzhou, China (where my father worked for 3 years), she went to university in her early 20’s, a professor ‘discovered’ her voice, and she released her first CD in 1995 with Tibetan influences titled Sister Drum which resulted in international acclaim. Her second CD was titled Voices from the Sky (1997), she began receiving awards, performing and travelling all over China and the world, released a CD in 2006 titled Seven Days, received more awards, then accepted a post as UN Goodwill Ambassador.

Here is where the story became fascinating for me, as my conversation with her focused on her Ambassadorship to document and preserve the traditional music and handicrafts of China. Joined by 9 other professionals driving four Jeeps; these experts in music, photography, video, research, and documentation, travelled to 6 different Chinese provinces to document the traditions in China’s lesser known regions. They created a 17 piece television series that documents communities who continue to follow ancient, local, music and handicraft traditions. Dadawa said that their work was well received in China and plans to translate the work are in progress.

The reason she agreed to complete this work, with UN support, is her concern over the influence of the Western world on the Chinese culture and the abandonment of many ancient Chinese traditions. She does not want her country to be solely known for making and exporting Western goods, nor does she want her country to become the IT capital of the world. For centuries the Chinese were a dominant world force, whose influence began waning when the Chinese emperor closed its borders to international trade in the early 1400’s. For the next 1,000 years any dominance on the world stage decreased rapidly due to several factors: lack of international trade, Opium Wars with Britain in the 1800’s, fear and execution of reformers in the 1800’s, civil unrest in the early 1900’s, the Japanese invasion in the 1900’s which resulted in political disorder, the Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s (see The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs). It was mentioned in our conversation that as part of the Cultural Revolution the Chinese government decided to promote a ‘New China’ and rid itself of its old heritage and reputation. In 1976 the Cultural Revolution died along with its leader, Mao Tse-tung. Since 1978 China has been the worlds’ most successful example of economic development and growth, but it not all been jolly walk down money lane (environmental and human rights issues, as well as division between the rich and destitute).

In 2009 Dadawa and others are still asking themselves, ‘what does New China mean?’ This led our discussion on to the historical influences of many Chinese inventions including paper, printing, compass and music theory.  That these incredible contributions to modern society and the country’s rise out of poverty, has become synonymous with the ‘Made in China’ stamp found on so many things in Western homes, seemed disappointing to us both.

The history of China is extensive and its brisk economic rise unmatched in the world, but is there a space for the preservation of thousands of years of history amongst its place on the stage of world economics?  Does one need to be forgotten in order for the other to evolve? Is there space for tradition and advancement in the same history?

Dadawa and her cohorts are one group trying to find a desirable mix and their work with the United Nations is a strong contribution to this process.  From the videos and stories Dadawa shared the people she met, these are my favourite:

Authentic Voices
The group of 10 entered one village and asked if there was a singing group in the community. There was, it was gathered and they began to sing. It became evident very quickly that this was the tourist version of their community. Dadawa explained who they were, their purpose and the villagers responded with authentic voices and songs. The group took everyone up into the mountains and began singing in fourths and fifths, then slurring notes up and down in droopy scales. I asked her what they were doing and she had learned that they sing in the mountains to allow their voices, which are imitating nature, to also flow out into nature. Once I knew this, the music and the group’s voices made more sense as they did sound like nature reverberating and echoing in the hills. Beautiful!

Authentic Clothing
One group had 7 women in it and I noticed they had buns on top of their head and with long, flat, horizontal pieces of gold through the top of the bun. On their necks they had large moon shaped necklaces with dangling pieces of gold and beads on each side. The choir wearing these pieces discussed the meaning of them for the documentary.

Where Are They?
Since the development of China’s own Industrial Revolution, many people have moved from rural locations to urban environments for work. Dadawa’s group noticed that there was an entire age range of people missing from the villages. There were children and the elderly present in towns, but the older teenagers and adults were missing. The provinces this group visited were in the Western and Northern parts of China and the industrial development has been along the Eastern and Southern portions of China, requiring wage earners to leave their communities (see The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs). Most of them had moved to the urban centres leaving grandparents to raise their grandchildren.

Knock Knock...Whose Your Uncle?
One village works in a Matriarchal society in which fatherhood is not as important and brotherhood. In the evenings after dinner, all the elders go to bed, and the women and men go back to their individual homes. After an acceptable period of time, the men get up and go in search of sex with a woman. A man approaches a female’s home and looks to see if there is an item on the door. If so this means the woman inside is already ‘busy’. The man then moves on to another home in search of sexual pleasure. Once a free home is found and the woman agrees, the woman and man enjoy an evening of lovin’ and the man returns home. If a baby is produced from the evening’s events, the father of the child is not identified or even important, as it is the woman’s brother who becomes the ‘father’ of her children. Sisters and brothers do not sleep together but they do remain connected through the birth of the sister’s children. Everyone knows what is going on, but the elders head to bed and pretend they don’t know what is happening. The question remains, do the elders reproduce?

Dadawa said that there were many interesting communities, all with their unique stories, histories and cultures and she is proud to be doing her part to document their existence. I was delighted about our conversation, learning about fascinating people who live differently than I. I am not interested in a world that conforms to one way of life or whose sole purpose is economic viability; our diversity is what makes us interesting and remarkable. Our depth as people, groups, cultures and communities remains strong when we learn to hold on to the good which forms us, as we move forward into new spaces.

I wish Dadawa and her group joy in their work as it was a pleasure to have met and talked with her and her husband.

Dadawa’s Blog (in Mandarin or Cantonese)

University of British Columbia Artist in Residence

Video: Balad of Lhasa

Video: Concert in New Zealand

Ugly Duckling or Swan

Which would you rather be?

Though one becomes the other, most would pick a swan and skip the ugly duckling part. After what I saw Tuesday night, as long as the swans move me to misty eyed awe, I don’t care which one I am.

Tchaikovsky wrote Swan Lake (1875) with a chorus of swans who all represented womanhood in its purest form (typically the ballet did not become well loved until after Tchaikovsky’s death). The swans are all disciplined, all beautiful, all desirable, all graceful but only one leader: Odette/Odile. Odette the queen swan and Odile, her evil twin (both danced by the same prima ballerina during the performances). She was the swan above all others who led the group and who won the heart of Prince Siegfried (insert heavily noted and delightful music, tragic love, and an ending of tears and sorrow here).

120 years later, Matthew Bourne demolishes the Russian ballet’s history, and changes the beautiful gaggle of tutu clad, adored, classical spinning female swans, into a swarming mass of muscular, beak pecking, modern moving, broad winged male swans. Including the lead role as the tallest of all the male swans (Bourne's lead swan role was used by the makers of the Billy Elliot movie in 2000). Bourne also modifies the plot and turns the heterosexual love story of the swan and Prince, into a two male lead with homosexual under and over tones.

I loved every movement, note, character, reference and minute of it!

The classical dance mixed with the modern movements; the hilarious potential girlfriend as they mock classical ballet; the sadness of a Prince’s desire to receive a physical manifestation of love from his frosty mother; this lack of love being transferred into a love dream for a beautiful swan; a swan who appears a second time as a seductive lady’s man, rejecting any familiarity with the Prince; the flailing wings and arms of the dancers; the moonlight beaming on the gaggle of swans; the pas de deux between two men; the reference to the 1970’s – 1980’s electric shock treatment given to men to ‘cure’ their homosexuality.  All so new, exciting and exhilarating!


Now that the swans have danced for me and I adore them, the question becomes, how many more times can I go to their performances before it all ends on January 24? 

(The pictures interspersed within the words

are pictures I have taken of swans in Europe,

July – December 2009.)