I begin to wonder if we are a nation of demanding, self absorbed, children. I'm undecided whether I think Cameron is a good, bad or indifferent Prime Minister. That isn't the point. Why should we expect a politician to be omnipotent & never make mistakes? At least he has had the guts to admit when he was wrong, which is a refreshing change. How dare we expect that he should have no life outside his role as Prime Minister? Doesn't the fact that he wants to spend time with his family make him a better man & politician?
Not only are our expectations infantile, we are also hypocrites. Do we really expect a politician to be any less human and fallible than we are? Yes, he has advisors, probably more than anyone would want, giving all sides of any question. Yes, hopefully they have a multitude of specialist skills and experience. But, at the end of the day he alone has to make very difficult decisions. He has a huge burden of responsibility & I credit him with the intelligence to realise that.
None of us, except people who have been Prime Minister, can really know the weight that is on his shoulders. Frankly I'm surprised he isn't knackered from sleepless nights. He deserves a bit of understanding & support. He doesn't deserve the vitriolic, back stabbing of his own colleagues. Nadine Dorries grabbed the headlines with her comments, but what do her glib words say about her?
Cameron is wealthy & privileged. But so were many philanthropists who have benefitted our society immensely. It didn't stop them & doesn't stop him from being able to understand at some level the problems faced by those less fortunate & try to do something about them. I've had a good education & a professional career. It doesn't stop me caring about the many people in our society who are disposessed & marginalised.
We, the people, the press, & the media should look to ourselves & our own behaviour before we slag off some unfortunate person in the public eye. It smacks of a 21st Century version of Roman gladitatorial contests. The masses baying for blood. How unappealing is that image?
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Saturday, 21 April 2012
King Edwards Grammar School Handsworth Reunion dinner
Nearly 50 years! How amazing to see a group of women I haven't seen since we all finished A Levels in Birmingham in 1963 & catch up with what they have done with their lives. I thoroughly enjoyed it. They are all such nice people, and there was something about each one which reminded me of the young girl I knew when I was an adolescent. An expression, a gesture, just a trace of each of us as we were then.
By definition we were all intelligent, we wouldn't have passed the 11+ if we hadn't been. Unsurprisingly many of us had gone into education - we weren't exactly spoiled for choice in 1963. The options & careers guidance for girls were quite limited then. We have all moved around, not only in the UK, one even came over from Australia. We have had quite diverse lives, but we all gelled very quickly & the conversation flowed.
I'm always impressed when people can remember so much about their past & when they have managed to keep tangible reminders of that past. Handwriting books - we all had to use italic pens. Hand written cookery recipe books - obviously we needed to be prepared to be wives & mothers. Prizegiving brochures - I wonder how many girls didn't get prizes? My memory seems to resemble Emmenthal cheese - full of big holes. I do wish I could remember more.
I was reminded of navy blue knickers, gym slips, (iced) bun breaks, sport - I was in the hockey team & spent every Saturday morning in term time freezing to death or soaking wet on some pitch or other. I also recall being a prefect, (enforcing silence on the stairs - oh, the power!), & house captain. We all remembered Miss Bamforth the Head & various of the subject teachers who remain indelibly in our brains. The German teacher who sat at her kneehole desk on a raised dais with her legs apart revealing knee length bloomers - Not a pretty sight. Miss Davis the lovely French teacher who had the patience of a saint with my lack of progress.
Although I was born and brought up in Birmingham & lived the first 18 years of my life there I still managed to get lost - The Brummies were unfailingly helpful & kind. It has changed hugely. There are still the major civic buildings, but the road system & the modern buildings managed to confuse me.
Maybe re-visiting your past is a good thing. Maybe it helps you to know who you really are & what shaped you into the person you are today. I shall be forever grateful that I had the opportunity a Grammar school education gave me.
By definition we were all intelligent, we wouldn't have passed the 11+ if we hadn't been. Unsurprisingly many of us had gone into education - we weren't exactly spoiled for choice in 1963. The options & careers guidance for girls were quite limited then. We have all moved around, not only in the UK, one even came over from Australia. We have had quite diverse lives, but we all gelled very quickly & the conversation flowed.
I'm always impressed when people can remember so much about their past & when they have managed to keep tangible reminders of that past. Handwriting books - we all had to use italic pens. Hand written cookery recipe books - obviously we needed to be prepared to be wives & mothers. Prizegiving brochures - I wonder how many girls didn't get prizes? My memory seems to resemble Emmenthal cheese - full of big holes. I do wish I could remember more.
I was reminded of navy blue knickers, gym slips, (iced) bun breaks, sport - I was in the hockey team & spent every Saturday morning in term time freezing to death or soaking wet on some pitch or other. I also recall being a prefect, (enforcing silence on the stairs - oh, the power!), & house captain. We all remembered Miss Bamforth the Head & various of the subject teachers who remain indelibly in our brains. The German teacher who sat at her kneehole desk on a raised dais with her legs apart revealing knee length bloomers - Not a pretty sight. Miss Davis the lovely French teacher who had the patience of a saint with my lack of progress.
Although I was born and brought up in Birmingham & lived the first 18 years of my life there I still managed to get lost - The Brummies were unfailingly helpful & kind. It has changed hugely. There are still the major civic buildings, but the road system & the modern buildings managed to confuse me.
Maybe re-visiting your past is a good thing. Maybe it helps you to know who you really are & what shaped you into the person you are today. I shall be forever grateful that I had the opportunity a Grammar school education gave me.
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
David Hockney - "A Bigger Picture"
I
went to the David Hockney exhibition with my daughter and enjoyed it
immensely. The sheer energy of producing so much new work to fill the
Royal Academy at his age is impressive. Hockney is skilled and creative.
I don't like all his work, but I admire his ability to adapt to new
media & interpret the world around him in new ways. To see the
possibilities in the iPad and adapt his technique to it makes me really
envious.
When you look at the brushwork scaled up to the size of the pictures & reflect that it was done on a small iPad screen you have to admire the mastery of the medium. It makes the art very instantaneous & each mark very important. I would love to watch him work. To have that amount of confidence in line & colour is a great skill. I just cannot conceive how he could draw in the scale of the iPad & envisage what that drawing would look like in the size of the prints which resulted. He has a wealth of experience behind him & has used many different mediums & subjects.
I liked seeing the same views done at different times of day & in different seasons. The importance of really seeing what you are looking at & creatively interpreting that is fascinating. I liked the repetitiveness & the inescapable conclusion that it is never the same.
He has produced such a wide range of pictures using various media, the latest foray into the iPad is just a natural extension of his earlier work with photo montages & multi faceted paintings. Breaking up one huge view such as the Grand Canyon or the wonderful Yorkshire landscape allows him to convey the hugeness of a landscape whilst focussing the eye inward to one small part of that landscape.
His obvious keen eye for detail is conveyed in the simplest of brush strokes. The speed of the drawing gives an immediacy of light & colour. Now I have to say I personally don't like some of the colour combinations, but I admire the confidence that allows him to do that.
An artists skill lies in making marks to represent living forms in a way which is meaningful to the audience. Hockney does that in spades. When you look back over an artists life & see the development of a very personal style & way of seeing, you can't help but be envious of the single minded dedication, talent & sheer hard work that has gone into that transformation.
I did enjoy the exhibition. Not necessarily all of the pictures, but the range & confidence of the work. I loved the use of colour, light & pattern. It must be wonderful to be that creative & to be able to devote your life to the fairly selfish pursuit of that creativity. I hope he has many years in him yet.
What a clever title, it means so many things, not just the size of the painting. I overheard someone say she couldn't decide whether Hockney is a genius or the biggest con artist of the 20th century! I think his sheer creativity & willingness to embrace new art forms makes him the former.
I'll never be able to be that combination of selfishness, drive & talent, but I can appreciate a man who is. What a huge legacy of creativity he has left, long may he continue. I wish I was one of the people he sends his pictures to!
When you look at the brushwork scaled up to the size of the pictures & reflect that it was done on a small iPad screen you have to admire the mastery of the medium. It makes the art very instantaneous & each mark very important. I would love to watch him work. To have that amount of confidence in line & colour is a great skill. I just cannot conceive how he could draw in the scale of the iPad & envisage what that drawing would look like in the size of the prints which resulted. He has a wealth of experience behind him & has used many different mediums & subjects.
I liked seeing the same views done at different times of day & in different seasons. The importance of really seeing what you are looking at & creatively interpreting that is fascinating. I liked the repetitiveness & the inescapable conclusion that it is never the same.
He has produced such a wide range of pictures using various media, the latest foray into the iPad is just a natural extension of his earlier work with photo montages & multi faceted paintings. Breaking up one huge view such as the Grand Canyon or the wonderful Yorkshire landscape allows him to convey the hugeness of a landscape whilst focussing the eye inward to one small part of that landscape.
His obvious keen eye for detail is conveyed in the simplest of brush strokes. The speed of the drawing gives an immediacy of light & colour. Now I have to say I personally don't like some of the colour combinations, but I admire the confidence that allows him to do that.
An artists skill lies in making marks to represent living forms in a way which is meaningful to the audience. Hockney does that in spades. When you look back over an artists life & see the development of a very personal style & way of seeing, you can't help but be envious of the single minded dedication, talent & sheer hard work that has gone into that transformation.
I did enjoy the exhibition. Not necessarily all of the pictures, but the range & confidence of the work. I loved the use of colour, light & pattern. It must be wonderful to be that creative & to be able to devote your life to the fairly selfish pursuit of that creativity. I hope he has many years in him yet.
What a clever title, it means so many things, not just the size of the painting. I overheard someone say she couldn't decide whether Hockney is a genius or the biggest con artist of the 20th century! I think his sheer creativity & willingness to embrace new art forms makes him the former.
I'll never be able to be that combination of selfishness, drive & talent, but I can appreciate a man who is. What a huge legacy of creativity he has left, long may he continue. I wish I was one of the people he sends his pictures to!
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Barcelona & Travel Insurance
I've just got back - completely exhausted after 5 days of exploring the city with Maryon. There is so much to see & do we tended to keep going & mealtimes moved to Spanish time straight away. There is an excellent transport system, but you still do a lot of walking. Getting a taxi to & from the airport was worth it though.
We were based in an apartment in the Barri Gotic which was just off Las Ramblas, so very convenient. Once we dumped our stuff we were off straight away to the Gothic cathedral La Seu & the Museo Picasso. I have seen too many Spanish churches & cathedrals, both in Spain & South America. Picasso is mostly known for his later work, so it was interesting to see how talented he was at a young age & how his very individual style developed.
My bag was stolen the first night from under a table in a restaurant between my leg & a wall. I still cannot comprehend how they did it, but they must have been very quick & skilled. The theft itself is a pain, but the hoops you have to go through afterwards to report it & get a "denuncia" for insurance wastes a lot of time. I lost, keys, money, debit & credit cards, my E111, a new camera & phone......I couldn't get into my suitcase because it was padlocked. So I had to go to an ironmongers on Tuesday & they kindly broke open the padlock.
All of this pales into insignificance compared to sorting out the Nationwide holiday insurance afterwards. I am really disgusted. They say I have to produce receipts for everything, which I don't necessarily have. They also say I wouldn't get the actual value of anything, only what the items are worth now. I really feel that I have been robbed twice. I will have to replace everything I lost which will cost a lot more than the insurers will pay & of course there is the excess. What is the point?
After spending Tuesday morning in the police station we took a bus to Parc Guell, Gaudi's fantasy park in the North of the city. On the way to the station we saw the outside of Palau Guell a mansion designed by Gaudi. It was a lovely day so the views from the park were good. We also took the metro to visit La Pedrera, his apartment building which is a work of art. Most of Gaudi's buildings are now World Heritage sites with very good reason - they are all stunning.
Wednesday we took the Montjuic funicular & the teleferic to the Castell de Montjuic which gave brilliant views over the city. Then we went down to the Fundacio Joan Miro. I have to say that I loved the building designed by Josep - Luis Sert but don't really "get" Miro. We managed to get to the main market, La Boqueria, before it closed. The range & quality of the food is amazing. Everything is displayed very artistically so you want to buy.
Thursday was the Sagrada Familiar which we reached by metro. You can't help be impressed by the vision of the Sagrada. Parts of it, such as the columns like a canopy of Plane trees, are stunning. I personally didn't particularly like the Cubist Passion facade with it's many "Darth Veda" statues. The Nativity facade is less stark. I loved the spires & the coloured baubles on top. The fact that work is still going on after Gaudi's early death in 1927, & will do for years to come, is quite amazing. Unfortunately we couldn't go up the tower to see the view, probably because of the weather which was windy & wet. The other treat on Thursday was Casa Batllo. Gaudi's extraordinary apartment building on the Passeig de Gracia. Gaudi took a dull building and gave it a sinuous face lift.
Friday was our last day & we had to be out of the apartment by 11. We took the cases to Locker Barcelona & made our way to the Museo de la Musica Catalana. Unfortunately we couldn't get in, you have to pre book, because it is another stunning building. I am glad we got to see the outside & a bit of the interior.
On each day we managed to wander the streets & do some shopping. Barcelona is a really good place to shop - shoes, bags, clothes & lots of small individual & interesting shops to browse. On Friday there were several small & interesting markets all over the city. We ended up at the seaside at the Mirador de Colon where we got a taxi to the airport. It really is a great city break & I feel we only scratched the surface.
We were based in an apartment in the Barri Gotic which was just off Las Ramblas, so very convenient. Once we dumped our stuff we were off straight away to the Gothic cathedral La Seu & the Museo Picasso. I have seen too many Spanish churches & cathedrals, both in Spain & South America. Picasso is mostly known for his later work, so it was interesting to see how talented he was at a young age & how his very individual style developed.
My bag was stolen the first night from under a table in a restaurant between my leg & a wall. I still cannot comprehend how they did it, but they must have been very quick & skilled. The theft itself is a pain, but the hoops you have to go through afterwards to report it & get a "denuncia" for insurance wastes a lot of time. I lost, keys, money, debit & credit cards, my E111, a new camera & phone......I couldn't get into my suitcase because it was padlocked. So I had to go to an ironmongers on Tuesday & they kindly broke open the padlock.
All of this pales into insignificance compared to sorting out the Nationwide holiday insurance afterwards. I am really disgusted. They say I have to produce receipts for everything, which I don't necessarily have. They also say I wouldn't get the actual value of anything, only what the items are worth now. I really feel that I have been robbed twice. I will have to replace everything I lost which will cost a lot more than the insurers will pay & of course there is the excess. What is the point?
After spending Tuesday morning in the police station we took a bus to Parc Guell, Gaudi's fantasy park in the North of the city. On the way to the station we saw the outside of Palau Guell a mansion designed by Gaudi. It was a lovely day so the views from the park were good. We also took the metro to visit La Pedrera, his apartment building which is a work of art. Most of Gaudi's buildings are now World Heritage sites with very good reason - they are all stunning.
Wednesday we took the Montjuic funicular & the teleferic to the Castell de Montjuic which gave brilliant views over the city. Then we went down to the Fundacio Joan Miro. I have to say that I loved the building designed by Josep - Luis Sert but don't really "get" Miro. We managed to get to the main market, La Boqueria, before it closed. The range & quality of the food is amazing. Everything is displayed very artistically so you want to buy.
Thursday was the Sagrada Familiar which we reached by metro. You can't help be impressed by the vision of the Sagrada. Parts of it, such as the columns like a canopy of Plane trees, are stunning. I personally didn't particularly like the Cubist Passion facade with it's many "Darth Veda" statues. The Nativity facade is less stark. I loved the spires & the coloured baubles on top. The fact that work is still going on after Gaudi's early death in 1927, & will do for years to come, is quite amazing. Unfortunately we couldn't go up the tower to see the view, probably because of the weather which was windy & wet. The other treat on Thursday was Casa Batllo. Gaudi's extraordinary apartment building on the Passeig de Gracia. Gaudi took a dull building and gave it a sinuous face lift.
Friday was our last day & we had to be out of the apartment by 11. We took the cases to Locker Barcelona & made our way to the Museo de la Musica Catalana. Unfortunately we couldn't get in, you have to pre book, because it is another stunning building. I am glad we got to see the outside & a bit of the interior.
On each day we managed to wander the streets & do some shopping. Barcelona is a really good place to shop - shoes, bags, clothes & lots of small individual & interesting shops to browse. On Friday there were several small & interesting markets all over the city. We ended up at the seaside at the Mirador de Colon where we got a taxi to the airport. It really is a great city break & I feel we only scratched the surface.
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Human Rights & Wrongs
A friend has just been to the Quaker Spring Conference - "Faith in Action". She sent me some of the interesting handouts on Climate, Tar Sands oil extraction & Israeli illegal settlements on Palestinian land. Quakers have always been at the forefront of action on ethical issues & aren't afraid to be political. They are prepared to take a moral stand on important issues in a quiet & purposeful way.
Having been to the West Bank & seen for myself the conditions Palestinian's live in I was particularly struck by the campaign to boycott Israeli dates. Look at www.inminds.com/boycott-israeli-dates.php All our major supermarkets sell Medjool dates year round now. They are expensive and delicious, a real treat. Now I know more about their production I won't be eating them any more, or any other dates produced by Israel. In fact I am seriously considering boycotting other Israeli products, which are surprisingly numerous & sold by some of our biggest retailers in many spheres.
I really had no idea of the clout Israel has with multinational companies & therefore with Western politics. I have increasingly become very unhappy with the methods they use to colonise illegally & repress the Palestinians. That doesn't mean I'm not aware of the wrongs committed by extreme Palestinian groups. I condemn them totally & equally.
Maybe we in the West need to stop sitting on the fence. Each of us can make a difference, however small, through our actions. The Israeli / Palestinian question needs to be resolved for us all to be safer. No one should be treated in the way many ordinary Palestinian people have been.
Having been to the West Bank & seen for myself the conditions Palestinian's live in I was particularly struck by the campaign to boycott Israeli dates. Look at www.inminds.com/boycott-israeli-dates.php All our major supermarkets sell Medjool dates year round now. They are expensive and delicious, a real treat. Now I know more about their production I won't be eating them any more, or any other dates produced by Israel. In fact I am seriously considering boycotting other Israeli products, which are surprisingly numerous & sold by some of our biggest retailers in many spheres.
I really had no idea of the clout Israel has with multinational companies & therefore with Western politics. I have increasingly become very unhappy with the methods they use to colonise illegally & repress the Palestinians. That doesn't mean I'm not aware of the wrongs committed by extreme Palestinian groups. I condemn them totally & equally.
Maybe we in the West need to stop sitting on the fence. Each of us can make a difference, however small, through our actions. The Israeli / Palestinian question needs to be resolved for us all to be safer. No one should be treated in the way many ordinary Palestinian people have been.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Moving On 3
OMG - I really wasn't prepared for the pace. Last week was really hectic - signed agents contract on Monday afternoon, first of 4 viewings on Tuesday, specialist overhead photos which I had to select, energy certificate inspection, edited draft brochure details, interior / garden photos today. All in a week when I was in Oxford with my daughter's family from Tuesday afternoon to Friday morning. Then, this evening, the agent phoned to say one of the previous viewers wants to come tomorrow for a second viewing! I think it's one who is a cash buyer too. All this & there are no details & the house hasn't even been marketed.
Fortunately I did send my purchasers spec' by email to Oxford agents & managed to find time to actually visit a few & get some details. I've also asked for conveyancing quotes from several specialist companies.
I know it's not a done deal till you sign on the dotted line & exchange, but I really wasn't expecting this. The whole process is completely different to when I was last involved in the market in 2003. It's so geared to the internet & 3G phones. Everything is instant. Communication with everyone is so speedy. I can actually envisage being homeless if I get an offer this soon! Not a good prospect.
So much for the Zen like state. Life changing decision making this important on the hoof & on your own is scary. I still see it as an opportunity for a completely new life, I just envisaged getting a buyer taking months in the current financial climate. It must be true - there are a lot of cash rich people out there.
Thank goodness I'm going to Barcelona next week. I need a holiday.
Fortunately I did send my purchasers spec' by email to Oxford agents & managed to find time to actually visit a few & get some details. I've also asked for conveyancing quotes from several specialist companies.
I know it's not a done deal till you sign on the dotted line & exchange, but I really wasn't expecting this. The whole process is completely different to when I was last involved in the market in 2003. It's so geared to the internet & 3G phones. Everything is instant. Communication with everyone is so speedy. I can actually envisage being homeless if I get an offer this soon! Not a good prospect.
So much for the Zen like state. Life changing decision making this important on the hoof & on your own is scary. I still see it as an opportunity for a completely new life, I just envisaged getting a buyer taking months in the current financial climate. It must be true - there are a lot of cash rich people out there.
Thank goodness I'm going to Barcelona next week. I need a holiday.
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