Books for the year

As one of my new year resolutions was to review my reading trends I got this bookmark form the library last week, a list of ten top Victorian Books, so decided to start there. slv.vic.gov.au/summer-read  

The pic might be hard to read so here is the listing 

2013 Summer Read titles

1. Currawalli Street by Christopher Morgan 
2. Deranged marriage by Sushi Das 
3. Horrible man: sinister secrets and truths untold: the Portland hair salon murders by Leonie Wallace 
4. In her blood by Annie Hauxwell 
5. Lola Bensky by Lily Brett 
6. Speechless: a year in my father's business by James Button 
7. The happiness show: a novel by Catherine Deveny 
8. The longing by Candice Bruce 
9. The memory of salt by Alice Melike Ulgezer
10. True north: the story of Mary and Elizabeth Durack by Brenda Niall 

Well it seems everyone in Footscray is doing the same, as none of the books were available despite multiple copies. However I have The Memory of Salt coming from West Footscray So that will  be number 1.
Ali’s father is a Turkish circus musician performing in Kabul when Ali’s mother, a young doctor from Melbourne, who has trained in Australia’s outback regions, meets him outside the circus tent. Their courtship takes them from Afghanistan across Iran to Turkey and London, where Ali is born, and then to Melbourne. Baba plays the trumpet, the saz, the flute, hears voices that urge him to violence, sees angels in the skies and jinns in the street, and inscribes lines from the Qur’an on the walls of his room, and across the suburb. Ülgezer offers a remarkable portrait of this tormented visionary, intoxicated with hashish and Sufism, who wrecks the family, but is also, for Ali, an enchanted being.

On the State Library website was a link to a Poetry Reading. I like some poetry but do not read anthologies of it,  rather there is poetry I like and re read it.

The masterpiece I read is the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, have a battered and annotated copy form school!

The Link was to Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam 

This reading is part of a series of excerpts from the romantic stories and lyrical verse written or inspired by some of the great Persian poets of the past, as showcased in the Love and devotion: from Persia and beyond exhibition. Actor Helen Morse reads from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward FitzGerald. It was only 2 minutes but lovely to listen. 

For those who don't know it

Here with a loaf of bread beneath the bough, 

A flask of wine, a book of Verse, and Thou 

beside me, singing in the wilderness, 

and the wilderness is Paradise, enow.

Not sure where I first came across it, but I have a copy from 30 years ago in pseudo red leather in a black box, Lovely!

A storage problem solved

I have been sorting the bungalow in stages, and while thinking about it at night, yesterday I went hunting for this shelf that had held some of Celia's million snow domes

I found it and a small can of cream paint. I gave it 2 coats letting them dry for an hour then drying overnight.
It's not perfect as I didn't have the best size brush so there are some drip marks on the inside edge of some rows, but the contents should detract from too much inspection!!

This is part of my collection of Japanese toys. Celia started to collect Kokeshi dolls as well  but that is another whole collection we have.

The figures on the top two rows and the edge figures on the 3rd are pottery: I particularly love the little horse and the monk in his blue robe

       These Kokeshi Dolls  represent the four seasons (L-R) Springs, Summer, Autumn, Winter 

Kokeshi dolls originate from the Tohoku region of Northern Japan, an area well-known for its onsen (hot spring) resorts. These handmade wooden dolls are thought to date back to the early 19th century when kijiya (woodworkers), accustomed to making bowls and trays, began using their woodworking skills and lathes to make simple dolls to sell as toys and souvenirs to the onsen visitors. 

Traditional kokeshi, produced only in the six prefectures of Tohoku, are very simple in their design with round heads and cylindrical limbless bodies. The floral and linear patterns painted on their kimonos have been developed and passed down through generations of kokeshi makers and are distinctive to the area where they are made.

Daruma Koma

These spinning tops ( KOMA) work a treat! You hold the ring and pull the string out then let go and put the top down. When it finishes spinning the cord has rewound.  

Next to the Koma on the lower shelf is a Kendama  a traditional Japanese toy composed of a handle and ball connected by a string. The handle has two cups and a spike and the purpose is to catch the ball with the cups or on the spike. They even have toyrnaments! (now that was a Freudian spelling slip!!) Tournaments I meant! 

The next challenge is working out how to fix it so it doesn't fall down!!

A lucky escape

I was preparing dinner tonight moving between the stove and the sink when I smelt something burning. Just a faint awareness.
I was struggling to place the smell, as it was more like hot somethings than food burning. I moved over to the kettle/toaster, then moved back to the stove thinking there might be something on the base of the pan.
Suddenly there was a huge BANG and a crash and behind me the kitchen light fitting had exploded and crashed to the floor.
I half turned at the bang and saw the glass coming down so it didn't break on the floor (well maybe some more)
My first thought was Spencer had knocked something off the bench (not that he can reach it!!) but then I registered what it was, and on closer inspection the dark parts of the glass were HOT
I've never heard of a fitting getting overheated!

The darker green bits were hot to touch.
It all fell in a neat pile! 

The Globe in tact. Nothing left. The whole thing came off 

And lucky I had moved back or I would have been showered with glass,

An outing

I had to go to the Chiropractor this morning (my foot) so as I was out I decided to go to the National gallery to see Radiance The Neo-impressionist movement that developed in France and Belgium from the 1880s through to the outbreak of the First World War.  A freebie with my renewed membership.

The poster is the Port of Saint Tropez by Max Luce (French),

Neo-Impressionism begins in 1884, when Georges Seurat (1859-1891) first met Paul Signac (1863-1935), 20-year-old Paul Signac being largely a self-taught painter. 

After seeing a Monet exhibition he decided to become a painter Oh if it was so easy!!!

Their work is renowned for it technique of dots but as Seurat said 

    The belief that the Neoimpressionists are painters who cover their canvases with multi-                coloured little dots is a very widespread error.....

     The Neo-impressionist does not dot, he divides 

There were works by many artists of the movement,

Pissaro, Seurat Signac, Van Rysselberghe, Luce Cross and Dubois -Pillet

Signac. Gasometers at Clichy

Seurat Study for the Bec du Hoc

 Luce,  Port du Saint Tropez  

My favourite was this by Theo Van Rysselberghe (Belgian) 

Canal in Flanders Gloomy weather 

A note said that he became a popular portrait painter But many people wanted him to paint in the old style,

 One person said to him 

"I adore what you do but want you to do something else!"

There was also an installation in the entrance court about speaking out in Indonesia. Bits of   it moved Flags started to wave the drum at the front banged out a few beats 

Side view shows it is heads and boots no bodies 

Walking back to the car on a lovely sunny day the fountains were sparkling in the sun.

Also a good spot to see the  Eureka Tower 

A Memory Book

I spent a pleasurable few hours this morning assembling a book of my letters to Maddy from Japan in 2008. She had kept them all with dates listed!
Pleasurable but also frustrating.
What could have taken half the time was extended as I printed things upside down, printed over an already printed text, had it too close to the margin, used the wrong paper, printed the same page back to back, lost a page entirely, (turned out to be under the print paper pile) did a page back to back to realise I had already done one of the pages.....etc
Cursing at intervals and stopping for a calming cup of tea!
I had various forms of letters to get together. Hand written ones before I got a printer: so those were photocopied, I added some pictures from admission tickets on the small pages etc.

Then those that were done on the computer and printed with pictures already on them, (as in the style Celia had done) I added some A4 Exhibition flyers, that I had collected during my stay,

A plastic document file. These were available at all exhibitions as a souvenir
Much more practical than a post card

and designed a cover (guess where the picture is copied from) and an explanatory introduction and end page.

But in the end I got it done and then took it to Office Works to get bound. The girl there was really helpful (no-one else waiting) as we worked out which binding would fit best with the margins.

I am really pleased with the result.

Gardening

Today I decided to do some gardening planting some veges I bought on the way back from the yacht Club last week.
When I got back from Spain and France I got sick the day I got home so have had limited opportunity to attack the garden.
The first order of business was to water the plants especially after the heat yesterday. Glad I was not in Adelaide 45 degrees
The wind and heat has dried off the Pom Pom tree flowers and they are in drifts everywhere. The downside of the beauty of December

But one day I did pull up the finished Sweet Peas that had looked magnificent (sorry no Pic) and saved the seeds. So I cleared that area to plant some snow peas, that feature high in my cooking Salads, stir fry,  steamed asian greens etc.

The other dayI also removed the remains of the stump of the Grevillea Robusta, chopped down 15-20 years ago. It was now crumbled like cork and came out easily.
I also tip pruned my tomatoes that have thrived  and are now ready to start picking

And I planted a Gaura for beauty !

'Butterfly"plant

After all this I had a serious NAP!!

In 2013

I  liked this list you did Celia so thought it might drive my planning for the coming year.

In 2013, I am going to do... Things I have promised myself .

In 2013, I am going to feel... well and active

In preparation, I am taking january off for more sick leave so I do not go back to work and fall in a heap 

In 2013, I am not going to... procrastinate!

Friends may not believe this but while I do things,  unbeknown to you I am doing it at the last minute!

This will mean I do not get into a panic or stressful state 

looking calm!!

In December 2013, I am going to look back and say... It all went well!!

Lots of plans for the year, with RCH retirement and Japan travel, and building private practice .