Christmas done and dusted. Happy New Year

Christmas done and dusted,

off to visit my Mother now.

One  downside of Christmas was that my pipes all froze again. But there were so many positives I didn’t really mind about the pipes.

The 23rd was spent with a friend of mine who sadly lost her husband exactly one year earlier. Last your we planned our Christmas meal out together on the 23rd because her husband was dying and she was going to be indoors on her own nursing him over Christmas, sadly he deteriorated at the start of Christmas week and actually died on the 23rd. We have had to wait a whole year for our Christmas meal but this year we had a great time out together. The restaurant overlooks the sea and we had wonderful views of the snow, the sea and the harbour while eating our Christmas meal. We are a whole year on and my friend is doing fine.

Christmas eve was spent with my grandchildren, they don’t worry about frozen pipes, the dangers of falling on ice or the biting cold. They just love to play in the snow.

They were so funny, we walked through the park, they played in the snow, we did a few bits of last minute Christmas shopping and then I took them to a café where they had the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever seen. It came in a huge cup, was piled high with whipped cream, had loads of marshmallow thrown over the top and was finished off with a thick chocolate flake bar balanced in the middle. I’m not sure how they managed to eat/ drink it all but they did.

Christmas day was spent with my eldest daughter in her country cottage sitting by her wood burning stoves ( yes.. plural she has two of then one at either end of the cottage). You do get the most amazing sunsets where she lives and the view out over the farmlands is wonderful, especially when covered in snow and ice. I spend the afternoon watching Avatar on her very large, wall mounted TV screen. WOW………….now I know what all the fuss has been about, I was so bowled over by that film, its more like a religious experience than an animated film. I’m going to get the DVD and watch it over and over again.

Boxing day was the day the entire family came to see me. I had three daughters plus partners, four grandchildren, and one young friend and her three young sons……………great family celebration. We ran out of wine twice and had to send reconnaissance teams out into the blizzard to buy more supplies. There was more food lying around than could possibly be eaten and I ended up packing two grocery bags full of unopened food for my daughter to take back to her family. I also saved a few boxes of chocolates, shortbread and mince pies to take to my mother. By Boxing day my pipes had been frozen solid for over a week and every one of those visitors had to remember not to empty waste water down the sinks for fear of flooding my downstairs neighbour, somehow we all managed and it didn’t detract from the pleasure of the day. My youngest daughter who lives away on the west coast came and stayed overnight on Boxing day.

Yesterday, Monday 27th came and went in a bit of a haze, my youngest daughters ever so obliging partner fixed all my leaking taps before they left and ….’we woke up to the thaw’ !! The ice in the pipes was gone and drainage worked perfectly. Maybe some of you remember the pictures of her dog in my garden back in the summer that I posted? I wrote at the time that her dog had died shortly after that photo was taken and my daughter was heartbroken. This is her new puppy. Her name is daisy and she will never replace Cody, (the dog who died) but this little one, is perfect. She is a bearded collie and was on best behaviour all day.

And here we are on the 28th, I’m feeling a little fragile, have defiantly over indulged and am now preparing for my journey tomorrow to visit my mother. My mother is 80, she lives 600 miles away and I don’t get to see her very often. She recently had a nasty fall and now needs a bed downstairs and nurses in twice a day. We think this is a temporary arrangement she should eventually recover well enough to manage without the nurses and use her upstairs bed again. But I’m very glad I’ve been able to organise tickets down to see her and very grateful that the snow is almost gone and the trains should be running without cancellations or delays.

And so………………..wishing you all the best new Year, enjoy the celebrations and hopefully in the new year I will be posting a whole heap of snow pictures I’ve not had time to post yet.

Happy New Year every one. 

Sunday 19.12..2010

The cloud formations were as stunning as the snow on this day. All the photos were taken between about 2.00pm and 3..30pm on the afternoon Sunday 19.12.2010

Winter Solstice 2010

The first picture was taken at about 3.15pm, the last one at about 4.15pm. Maybe I was out for a little longer than an hour I don't remember the exact time, I know sunset was supposed to happen at 3.45.
The very first picture is taken in daylight looking east. The next 9 are looking behind me S/W as the sun is setting.
After that the pictures are looking east again toward the rising moon.

November snow

We seem to have had this snow laying for ages now. I have cleared my path twice already only for it to be covered in fresh snow again.

Winter Solstice in the Snow

Winter Solstice in the snow.

I’ve not been around here for the last couple of months. I don’t need to bore you with the details of why; suffice to say it started with getting totally engrossed in a work project, working away at home into the early hours until the onset a flu virus that felt like the return of bubonic plague, closely followed by a mini ice age which left me housebound with no landline phone or internet and catastrophic plumbing problems.

Well I’m still living in the midst of snow, ice and sub- zero temperatures but at least all the other little problems seem to be sorted. And moving on………………………………………………

Today is two things, it’s the last day of term, school holidays are here again and of course it’s the Winter Solstice. School closed at noon today and about 30 of us headed into town for our Christmas lunch accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol. I didn’t do the evening drinking thing, I had lunch and a couple of drinks and headed home. Feeling very festive I took the scenic rout home and I’m so very glad I did. As I walked home the sun began to set behind me and the new moon rose in front of me. WOW…. What a wonderful sight.

Recently archaeological remains of an Iron Age settlement have been discovered on a building site half way between my house and this park. As the moon rose in front of me I couldn’t help looking around at this unspoilt, snow covered landscape and thinking of the people who lived here 2500 years ago.

There is something strangely comforting in the knowledge that 2500 years ago families came together in this very spot and watched the new moon rise over the horizon. The terrain and weather remain virtually unchanged since that time. There was probably snow on the ground then just as there is now. These ancient people who left no written records knew how to weave plaid and striped fabric from wool and flax and how to make clothes of woven cloth and animal hide to protect them from the freezing cold.

They knew how to work metal into the most intricate and delicate clasps and broaches to decorate their clothes. They produced mirrors of burnished metal decorated with patterns that remain familiar to us to day. I watched the moon rise and thought of the people who lived here all those years ago and felt very blessed by the unchanging, continuity of life.The sun set early today, about 3.45, by the time I reached the end of the park it was too dark to take any more photos. Sometimes things just happen, I didn’t plan on walking home via that rout, I didn’t plan on walking home as the sun was setting, the last day of term wasn’t planned to coincide with the winter solstice and no one planned on uncovering Iron Age remains so close by. All of these things were little coincidences that came together and gave me the most moving solstice experiences I’ve ever had.

Britain, France sign landmark defence pact http://www.globenews24.com/EN/news,britain-france-sign-landmark-defence-pact-afp2 Hopefully this will mean decreased American influence and increased European influence on all things military . France opposed the invasion of Iraq but at the time Britain was more inclined to follow America than listen to our European partners...............

Just watched a programme called ...''Tea Party America'' http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vv3pl wow.............kinda speechless, The lunatics are taking over, guess I now know what all the fuss is about.

My dream destination, where is it??

This is a cheap and not particularly good print on canvas of a photograph. I bought it in the supermarket with my groceries and it only cost £2.00 ( less than $5). I've noticed it sitting in a wire basket with a whole load of other cheap prints for the last couple of weeks. Every time I saw it I thought. ''yeah I want to be there''. This week it still sat in the basket but this time it was all on its own, so I bought it. I guess it's a bit of a dream for me, I'm pretty sure its one of the Greek Islands but I don't know which one, where ever it is...............it's where I want to be.

It looks a bit like Lindos, but its not, I've been to Lindos. Where is it?? I know someone will know, and then I can put a name to my dream destination.

Halloween Art Sunday; Goya.

For Halloween Art Sunday,

no one does it better than Goya.

‘’Francisco De Goya y Lucientes (b. March 30, 1746, Fuendetodos, Spain--d. April 16, 1828, Bordeaux, Fr.), consummately Spanish artist whose multifarious paintings, drawings, and engravings reflected contemporary historical upheavals and influenced important 19th- and 20th-century painters.

Like Velazquez, Goya was a Spanish court painter whose best work was done apart from his official duties. He is known for his scenes of violence, especially those prompted by the French invasion of Spain.

The series of etchings Los desastres de la guerra ("The Disasters of War", 1810-14) records the horrors of the Napoleonic invasion.

His masterpieces in painting include The Naked Maja and The Clothed Maja (c. 1800-05). He also painted charming portraits such as Senora Sabasa Garcia.’’

 more information

and the complete collection of Goya paintings go here.

http://www.franciscodegoya.net/

 

 

Song Saturday; Rod Stewart, Amy Belle and Chrissie Hynde

Rod Stewart, Amy Belle and Chrissie Hynde

Rod Stewart in his 'American Songbook' phase.  Amy Belle earned a living busking on the streets of Glasgow before she was spotted by a friend of Rod Stewart, and here she is performing live on stage with the man himself.

She was spotted by a friend of Rod Stewart's busking outside an underground station in Glasgow and within five days she was working alongside Rod and had been invited to appear at a special concert for the Prince's Trust.

The second video is Rod Stewart live on stage with his old friend  Chrissie Hynde

 

Beatles; Baby you're a rich man

Just about ready for my bed, it's very late, and this comes on the radio. OMG...........I think I was still at school when this was released ( recorded by The Beatles on 11 May 1967 at Olympic Sound Studios) and somehow all those years melt away and I'm right back there. Just had to share before going to bed :-)

 

Elton John and Leon Russell

Needs no introduction, this mans voice doesn't change over the years. So good to see these two guys together again after so long.

Art Sunday; Philippa Threlfall, public art.

The ceramic relief murals of
PHILIPPA THRELFALL

There is so much on this site its well worth a visit. I’m very lucky because I’ve visited a few local art exhibitions recently which set me thinking about how little art the average member of the public is exposed too.

For this reason I’ve always had a particular fondness for public art, commissioned public art is the only art many people get to see.

The public art of Philippa Threlfall is a particularly good example of art that is accessible to every one and it’s good to see that art of this quality is available to every one, all you need do to view it is to walk down the right street, work in the right office or go to the right school. I wish more public art was commissioned. 
All information and photographs taken from here.

http://www.philippathrelfall.com/

Philippa Threlfall has been making relief murals in ceramic since the 1960s. Together with her husband and partner Kennedy Collings she has completed over one hundred major works on sites all over the United Kingdom and overseas.

Some of these were made for private clients, but most were commissioned for display in public situations - shopping precincts, banks, building societies, an airport, hospital and office developments.

They lived and worked in Wells, Somerset, where they had a medieval cottage within the Liberty of Wells Cathedral. The property had been a cider house called Ye Blacke Dogge in the early seventeenth century, and Philippa and Kennedy named their business Black Dog after this medieval name.

The medium has always been terracotta and buff clays imprinted and textured and modelled in low relief.

The ceramic is fired right up at the top of the earthenware spectrum (over 1100°) with selectively applied glazes. Philippa always mixed her own glazes, using natural oxides producing soft rich colours which sink into the textured surface adding richness and detail. As well as ceramic, the murals often included natural stone, aggregate, pebbles and slate as in the detail shown here from Exploration Obelisk at Redcliffe Quay in Bristol.

The combination of stone and ceramic proved a vandal-proof surface, and the accessible subject matter and tactile qualities of the works has always seemed to attract a wide cross-section of people.

 

The Axe falls over Britain........cuts in public spending.

Does any one actually care what is happening in this country today??
Has anyone thought about the effect these spending cuts will have on the poorest people? Seems not, most people are too busy moralising about the ‘scroungers’ and benefit fraud and congratulating themselves on electing a government who is going to ‘crack down on cheats’.

Well here’s another way of looking at it, think about these statistics taken from the governments own statistics website;

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

01% population own 21% of wealth 
05% population own 40% of wealth
10% population own 53% of wealth
25% population own 72% of wealth
50% population own 93% of wealth.

And then consider this;
THE POOREST 50% OF POPULATION SHARE ONLY 7% OF THE WEALTH
AND IT’S THOSE 50% OF POPULATION WHO OWN ONLY 7% OF THE WEALTH WHO ARE BEING TARGETED BY THE MASSIVE PUBLIC SPENDING CUTS.
Undoubtedly some of 50% of the population (who own only 7% of the wealth) ARE actually defrauding the system. BUT………….what they gain still doesn’t take them out of the poorest wealth owning group. The amounts they are defrauding the system is PEANUTS compared to the vast wealth held in the hands of the few. One of the worse aspects of this whole scenario is the determination of our government to return to the Victorian distinctions between the  ‘deserving poor’ and the ‘undeserving poor’, our society left these attitudes behind 150 years ago and now we are being driven back there.

SO………..my question to our government and to those who support them is. Alongside these savage cuts, what are you going to do to ensure a more egalitarian society and a better distribution of wealth? AND………if the poor are going to have to sacrifice so much, where are the plans to claw back some of the deficit from the rich?

The government is not targeting the rich; they are targeting, specifically, the disabled;

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/postcards-from-the-edge-1.1062035##

Analysis: Tom Gordon,

Scottish Political Editor
17 Oct 2010
After months of speculation, the Chancellor will finally rise in the Commons this week to announce the Coalition’s Spending Review, lifting the lid on a Pandora’s box of brutal cuts unlike any seen in Britain since the 1920s…………………………………….
Already we know some £66bn will be cut from public services by 2016, and around £20bn extra raised in tax. It will be an unprecedented upheaval that will leave few untouched.
The recent furore over changes to child benefit revolved around savings of just £1bn. To find the other £65bn, Osborne will need to bulldoze the public sector landscape.
Swathes of benefits will be cut, new charges such as tuition fees imposed, quangos ignited, funding for beloved institutions slashed, the military shrunk, and thousands of public-sector jobs lost, with inevitable knock-on effects for the rest of the economy.

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/8068568/Spending-review-To-cut-with-principle-is-the-right-approach.html

Some of the biggest cuts are going to be to the welfare budget. It has already been announced that child benefit will cease to be universal. The benefit will no longer be paid for any child over 16. There will be a radical shake-up of social housing, including an end to the right to stay in the same council house for life.
The guiding principle behind them seems to be the reintroduction of the distinction between the “deserving” and the “undeserving” poor.
The Coalition is going to target Disability Allowance: the aim is to force 400,000 of those claiming that benefit back into paid employment.

http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/38941

The Government’s proposed welfare reforms will see 3.5 million disabled people lose over £9.2 billion of critical support by 2015 pushing them further into poverty and closer to the fringes of society, according to "Destination Unknown" - a new report published by the think tank Demos.
Plans to move disabled people onto Job Seekers Allowance will account for half (£4.87 billion) of these losses.
Although actual spending cut details would only be available after the government publishes its spending review later on this month, based on government announcements until now, Demos has calculated that:
• Families with disabled children to lose over £3,000 each by 2015
* Couples where one partner acts as a carer to their disabled partner will lose more than £3,000 as a couple each by 2015
* Individuals moved from Incapacity Benefit to Job Seekers Allowance will lose nearly £9,000 each by 2015

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4e7946a2-d2ff-11df-9ae9-00144feabdc0.html

People with disabilities will have lost a total of more than £9bn in income by the end of this parliament, even ahead of any further benefit cuts in the spending review, according to Demos, the think-tank, and Scope, the disabled people’s charity.
The loss of income – which adds up to more than £3,000 by 2015 for some families – is the result of the benefit cuts already made in the Budget, plus plans to move existing claimants on incapacity benefit to either the new employment and support allowance, or jobseeker’s allowance, which requires them to look for work.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/17/george-osborne-spending-review-cuts

Osborne is expected to outline £83bn of cuts, the most drastic reductions in state spending since the second world war. The detailed impact of the cuts became clearer today as the Observer revealed reductions of around 30% to the justice system, involving cuts to the legal aid budget and the closure of 150 courts.

 

 

Weekend music, Rolling Stones, She's like a Rainbow.

I heard this on the radio and it took me back.
This used to be one of my favourite songs and I havn't heard it for ages, I think its one of those songs that is so .. much of that time

art Sunday; Dan Colcer, Romanian artist in America.

DAN COLCER

Romanian artist, born in Hunedoara, Transylvania in 1976 and established in United States in since 2006.
1999-2000 - Cairo University, Department of Archaeology, Cairo - Egypt.
1994-1999 - University of Arts, Department of Ceramics, Cluj-Napoca - Romania.
He has exhibited in many  group shows in Romania, America and many other countries.
Exhibited in  Art Festivals, Art Camps around the world.
A Member of Romanian Artists Union since 2000
Work is hung in  museums and private collections in Sweden, Holland, Hungary, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Romania, France, United States...
This man is a prolific worker, he produces photography, ceramics, graphic arts, graphic design, web design, experience-performance arts, installation, murals, and of course PAINTINGS..............as shown here. These paintings are almost, but not quite, cartoonish, or have a comic book look about them. On the surface many of them seem bright, colourful and pleasing to they eye. On closer inspection they feel dark and brutal. I think this man is talented and produces work that is not easily defined.

See more of his collection of paintings, ceramics and photographs here
http://www.dancolcer.ro/