1 My Three Wise Monkeys sculpture, made in copper especially for me by the artist, Jeremy Beswick, some years ago, has today been put up on the wall by Mr S. I grew up with three carved wooden monkeys but they didn’t end up with me so I had some made! The Three Wise Monkeys “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”
‘Three Wise Monkeys’ by Jeremy Beswick, Artist
2 What a treat! Shakespeare’s Othello has been on BBC Radio 4 this afternoon and I’ve been planting up my monkey sculpture with the radio close by. Lenny Henry was brilliant as Othello in this Northern Broadsides production.
3 Beautiful bubbles have been blowing over the fence from next door’s 5 year old having fun. 🙂 Click on the photo to enlarge and see the bubbles clearly.
Bubbles, caught on camera!
Tags: BBC, bbc radio 4, beautiful bubbles, Bubbles, Copper Sculpture, Lenny Henry, literature, Northern Broadsides, Othello, Shakespeare, Three Wise Monkeys, writing
1 Saw this last magnolia blossom in North Finchley on our way to Woodside Park tube station.
Magnolia
2 The sun shone all the way home lighting up the amazingly yellow fields. The sheep and lambs seemed pleased to be drying out and I had four hours reading time! Almost finished ‘Restless’ by William Boyd.
Oil seed rape blossom
On a hill just before Truro
3 Babel was a surreal and amazing experience! It was promenade theatre where we walked through the tree lined paths of Caledonian Park – along which were individuals living their individual lives, playing the piano, peeling vegetables, knitting, typing – into the open space in front of the very beautiful Clock Tower built in 1855. In this space, tramping through chocolate thick mud, the people came together to build their city. There was music and fire and story telling. Very few photos worked (no flash allowed) but here’s a taster:
Knitting
Peeling vegetables
Playing the piano
Typing
Beautiful paper models, two of many
The Clock Tower, Caledonian Park
I don’t want to tell you more at this point -I want you to go and see it if you can and I don’t want to spoil it for you!
Tags: 'Restless' by William Boyd., Babel, Caledonian Park, Clock Tower, community, creativity, culture, magnolia, north finchley, train journey, Wildworks
Having a day out and won’t be home in time to post so…. in anticipation of Babel …….
Bill Mitchell, artistic director of Wildworks theatre company
A spectacular outdoor show created for a major London setting, BABEL is staged through a unique partnership between WildWorks and Battersea Arts Centre and will feature a cast of up to 300.
More tomorrow.
Tags: anticipation, Babel, Battersea Arts Centre, Bill Mitchell, London, Wildworks
Another day stomping around London, riding the underground and being glad we are just visitors and don’t have to travel like this every day!
1 At low tide there are occasional beaches on the Thames! We spotted this Frenchman creating a sand sculpture which would be gone in a few hours as the tide came back in.
Sand sculpture
2 I love The Globe! The matinee this afternoon, part of Globe to Globe: 37 Plays in 37 Languages at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, was ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’ in Shona! The production was amazing, so funny and so clever! Just two remarkable actors played all eleven characters including the dog. We laughed so much our faces ached! Incredibly, it’s still only a fiver to be a Groundling as it was when it opened in 1997. We met two beautiful Zimbabwean women who were enjoying hearing a play they knew well in English in their mother tongue.
Skakespeare’s Globe
Waiting in the rain for the second half
- Valerie and Chipo, Zimbabwean women in the audience
3 We walked to the tube via Southwark Cathedral with Guy’s Hospital in the background. Very mixed memories from 30+ years ago when Daniel was in Guy’s for two of his three heart operations – one at 13 days in Leeds followed by two at Guy’s, one at 6 months and one at 30 months. The beautiful thing about this is that he survived against all the odds and is the beautiful young man who just got married in Senegal.
Southwark Cathedral and Guy’s Hospital
Tags: Globe to Globe: 37 Plays in 37 Languages at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, groundling, Guy's Hospital, heart operation, River Thames, sand sculpture, Shakespeare's Globe, Shona, Southwark Cathedral, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean women
We’ve had a beautiful day! We’ve been tourists in London, visiting the amazing Cutty Sark and walking around Greenwich so I’m going to tell the story with photos – many more than 3 beautiful things today! Please click on any photo for an enlargement.
The Cutty Sark
- The very beautiful keel
The Cutty Sark was brought to Falmouth 1922 in and rescued by the Dowman family
From The Falmouth Times 1922 Catharine Dowman was a Suffragette, like my Great Granny!
Beautiful treads on the steps
They kept pigs on board for fresh meat!
Patched wood
- One Tree Hill, a viewpoint used by many artists including Turner
Squirrel in Greenwich Gardens
- A Triffid perhaps?
Ship in a Bottle at The National Maritime Museum
We’ve gone through The Greenwich Foot Tunnel (not beautiful but very efficient) to see this view of Greenwich from Island Gardens on the North of the river
Riding The Docklands Light Railway was amazing! Do you know, the trains have no drivers!!
Tags: 1922, artists, Catharine Dowman, cornwall, Cutty Sark, DLR, Docklands Light Railway, Falmouth., figureheads, Greenwich, Greenwich Foot Tunnel, Island Gardens, National Maritime Museum, Nelson's Ship in a Bottle, One Tree Hill, paintings, restoration, rustic sculpture, squirrel, Suffragette, tea chests, Turner, Yinka Shonibare MBE
1 The train journey from Cornwall to London is always a pleasure – lots of beautiful countryside to enjoy and lots of reading time. There seemed to be a strong tide and the boats were all lined up on the River Tamar.
Boats lined up on The River Tamar
2 The train took an unusual route today and I spotted these sheep on a hill and just managed to get this photo through the rain streaked window. Don’t you just love them? I’m tempted to try this at home!
Sheep mural
3 I love the London Underground where there are so many amazing musicians busking but so many people just walk by. The music really lifts my spirits in the bustle and crush of the Underground.
Tags: boats, cornwall, London, London Underground, mural, music, musicians, River Tamar, sheep, tide, train journey
1 Half way through my printing of today’s Wedding Ceremony, the black ink ran out! Possible disaster but no! I found my beautiful fountain pen and in my best handwriting ( which I have been complimented upon in the past) I copied out the first three pages from the draft (the rest was printed). It took a while but it looks lovely and it was easy to read for the Ceremony this afternoon….
2 ……..and that was so beautiful! There was a very cold wind blowing through the arch I showed you on Friday but the couple were so happy and just grinned at each other the whole time! They’ve been together for 16 years and have two children and are still so much in love – now that really is beautiful to see! Like our own wedding, almost 45 years ago, lots of things were homemade and quite delightful.
3 This Clematis was pointed out to me by Mr S this evening as I’ve been out most of the day. I just have to say here – I am so loved and very lucky to have this lovely man in my life.
Clematis in our garden
- The same clematis from underneath, quite gorgeous
and I have to add No 4 tonight because as I was writing this my lovely friend John phoned me from the pub where a Cornish Shout is happening but I can’t be there as we’re away to London very early in the morning. Over the phone I have just listened to one of my favourites, ‘Estren’ and my eyes have been full of tears at the sound and at his kindness.
Tags: black ink, clematis, cold wind, Cornish Shout, Estren, Fountain Pen, friend, friend john, handwriting, Happy Couple, homemade, kindness, London, love, man in my life, Mr S, wedding ceremony
1 Had a beautiful drive down a little Cornish lane lined with drifts of bluebells.
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2 Made a simple supper with beautiful purple sprouting broccoli a la Spring Simplicity but I left out the garlic because of tomorrow’s wedding and added some very crisply fried bacon – delicious! Thank you, Promenade Plantings for the inspiration.
Purple sprouting broccoli
3 The moon tonight is full and looks huge! I’m told that’s because it’s closer to the Earth than usual. It is certainly very beautiful.
Tags: bluebells, Cornish lane, dinner, Earth, food, garlic, moon, purple sprouting broccoli, simple supper, wedding
1 I spent the morning at a run-through of the Humanist Wedding I’m doing on Sunday. The whole Ceremony is going to be so beautiful – the vows written by the couple themselves, the readings they’ve chosen and the song, “Make you Feel my Love” – recently sung by Adele, but originally a Bob Dylan song – that a friend is singing for them and all in the most beautiful setting, Treassowe Manor, one of Cornwall’s Listed Buildings.
This is where the Ceremony will take place.
2 I’ve made a heap of compost and planted just one courgette plant and three seeds. I’m hoping the slugs will find the heap hard to climb!
Courgette protected from the wind
3 From the rubble our beautiful new wall is growing!
The old concrete is dug up and piled up
The new wall is growing – another new planting opportunity!
Tags: Adele, Bob Dylan, compost, cornwall, courgette, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, Listed building, Make you Feel my Love, nature, singing, slugs, Treassowe manor, wedding
1 I was reminded of this piece and its attitude to children by a beautiful post I SEE YOU by http://aleafinspringtime.wordpress.com
Children Learn What They Live By Dorothy Law Nolte, Ph.D.
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.
If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.
If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.
If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.
If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.
If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.
If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.
If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.
If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.
If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.
If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.
If children live with fairness, they learn justice.
If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.
If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.
If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a good place in which to live.
Copyright © 1972 by Dorothy Law Nolte
2 Lucy posted this delightful photo today. Tabitha must get the drumming gene from her Uncle Daniel!
Tabitha drumming! by Lucy
3 I learnt how to do “Hymn pedalling’ today which my piano teacher tells me is really difficult but that I am a natural! Now I have to remember what to do and to practise it a lot before my next lesson.
Tags: confidence, Daniel, Dorothy Nolte, drumming, encouragement, friendliness, Hymn Pedalling, kindness, patience, piano teacher, repect, security, Tabitha., tolerance
