http://maximizeyourmindset.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/lock-on-lock-off-lolo.html
This webpage shows an image which can be seen in two ways. Either a young woman in a fur coat or an old hag with a white hat. It all depends how you look at it. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time, so we need to be careful what we focus on. Do we dwell on all the things that go wrong, or do we count our blessings?
Life is like that. Sometimes it seems as if we are trapped in a constant series of problems to solve. If we let them depress us it almost seems to become a self fulfilling prophecy. There are always different ways of looking at things though. What might seem a setback can often open new pathways which we hadn't thought of. The trick is to try to see the positive & be open to different ways of doing things.
I'm not for one minute saying this is easy when life deals you a dreadful blow. I think what I'm saying is that it is what it is, so accept it and move on. I'm not advocating being a fatalist. I only accept things I know I can't change. That doesn't mean I stop trying to influence change if I think I can. It's a delicate balance & it isn't easy. I can't make someone else think or do as I do, but I can try to influence them if I have the energy or think I'm right & might succeed.
As I get older though I'm no longer trying to change the world, right wrongs & reform things as I did. I realise my own limitations and the amount of time & effort I have available to me. Sometimes though you do have to stand up and be counted or else you are complicit in a wrong. Turning the other cheek isn't the answer.
If we could all only lock on to right thought & right action we would be a power to be reckoned with. But sadly human beings just aren't like that.
Tuesday 28 October 2014
Sunday 26 October 2014
A few days in Paris
I spent 4 days in Paris with my daughter last week. I hadn't been there since I was in my 20s & took a coach load of Primary children on a school trip. We had a wonderful, if exhausting, time. I'm really lucky that my daughter & I enjoy doing the same things.
We overdosed on art galleries - everything from the Musee du Moyen Age / Cluny with its wonderful tapestries, "La Dame a la Licorne", housed in a 16th C Renaissance mansion, to the Impressionists. The Orangerie, built to protect the Tuileries orange trees, houses eight of Monet's stunning giant waterlily paintings. The Pompidou Centre has the largest collection of modern art in Europe in a stunning modern building. The views as you ascend the escalators on the outside of the building are wonderful, as are the views form the restaurant on the top. However the price of a cup of watery tea is outrageous & the service by the sleek & sophisticated waiters leaves a lot to be desired. The Musee d'Orsay has a wonderful collection of Impressionists & Post Impressionists in what was a railway station.The restaurant here also had good views, which were very original from behind the huge clock faces of the station.
We also did the tourist thing visiting the Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite & the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre with it's wonderful views over Paris. We took the easy route ascending via the funicular. Then we came down via the place de L'Abbesses which has an Art Nouveau metro station & some interesting little shops on the way back to the Gare du Nord.
Paris is a wonderful city. I saw none of the supposed aloofness of the Parisians. They were unfailingly helpful and pleasant, especially those in our lovely hotel Lindbergh Saint Germain des Pres. The shops remind me what we have lost. Lots of small independant, interesting shops. We didn't go shopping in the big stores, apart from Le Bon Marche which is the worlds oldest department store. The luxurious Grande Epicerie is amazing and sells every food you can imagine. Probably even better than Harrods.
Speaking of eating we loved the Cojean chain selling really good home made food for lunch, particularly the soups. Our best meals were undoubtedly in La Petit Chaise, founded in 1680 & the oldest restaurant in Paris.
I didn't take a single photo. I just looked & absorbed everything. We didn't rush to tick things off a list, we ambled, allowed ourselves to be distracted & enjoyed. As I age I realise that it is memories & enjoying the moment which are important. The joy of travelling independently is that although there may be an overall structure & plan it is the unexpected which is the real bonus. Like the organ playing & the woman singing in the church of St Jean de Montmartre in the Place des Abbesses. Pure heaven & totally unexpected.
We overdosed on art galleries - everything from the Musee du Moyen Age / Cluny with its wonderful tapestries, "La Dame a la Licorne", housed in a 16th C Renaissance mansion, to the Impressionists. The Orangerie, built to protect the Tuileries orange trees, houses eight of Monet's stunning giant waterlily paintings. The Pompidou Centre has the largest collection of modern art in Europe in a stunning modern building. The views as you ascend the escalators on the outside of the building are wonderful, as are the views form the restaurant on the top. However the price of a cup of watery tea is outrageous & the service by the sleek & sophisticated waiters leaves a lot to be desired. The Musee d'Orsay has a wonderful collection of Impressionists & Post Impressionists in what was a railway station.The restaurant here also had good views, which were very original from behind the huge clock faces of the station.
We also did the tourist thing visiting the Notre Dame on the Ile de la Cite & the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre with it's wonderful views over Paris. We took the easy route ascending via the funicular. Then we came down via the place de L'Abbesses which has an Art Nouveau metro station & some interesting little shops on the way back to the Gare du Nord.
Paris is a wonderful city. I saw none of the supposed aloofness of the Parisians. They were unfailingly helpful and pleasant, especially those in our lovely hotel Lindbergh Saint Germain des Pres. The shops remind me what we have lost. Lots of small independant, interesting shops. We didn't go shopping in the big stores, apart from Le Bon Marche which is the worlds oldest department store. The luxurious Grande Epicerie is amazing and sells every food you can imagine. Probably even better than Harrods.
Speaking of eating we loved the Cojean chain selling really good home made food for lunch, particularly the soups. Our best meals were undoubtedly in La Petit Chaise, founded in 1680 & the oldest restaurant in Paris.
I didn't take a single photo. I just looked & absorbed everything. We didn't rush to tick things off a list, we ambled, allowed ourselves to be distracted & enjoyed. As I age I realise that it is memories & enjoying the moment which are important. The joy of travelling independently is that although there may be an overall structure & plan it is the unexpected which is the real bonus. Like the organ playing & the woman singing in the church of St Jean de Montmartre in the Place des Abbesses. Pure heaven & totally unexpected.
Saturday 18 October 2014
Equality & Equal Pay - Rights & Responsibilities
Are we all equal? Probably not. We are individuals & our talents, experience, skills, age, sex, abilitites & disabilitites vary enormously. Some people's lives seem blessed, while others struggle with difficulties we can only try to imagine.
Do we all have the same rights & responsibilities? Again, probably not. A mother or father caring for young children doesn't have the right to go off and work or enjoy themselves & leave the children alone. They are responsible for vulnerable young people.
The dilemma is do we all have a right to equal opportunities? Well, yes, up to a point. I for instance would love to drive a fork lift truck. Should I be given the opportunity to do that? Probably not. I have trouble driving a Nissan Micra & am rubbish at reversing as all my friends would agree. My concentration has been known to lapse too.
It seems to me that the crux of the matter is fairness and access. Everyone should be able to access good education and health care appropriate to their needs for instance. The fact that some can afford to pay for better quality services seems only to point up the fundamental unfairness & lack of access.
When it comes to work we all expect to be paid for the work we do for others. Most people get a sense of worth from the work they do, however humble that work is. I remember working my way through college in various shops & was inordinately proud of my weekly pay packet. I actually enjoyed the work & the people I worked with too. I was fortunate to become qualified for a profession & spend most of my working life doing a job I loved, (& got paid for).
Things have changed though. The world of work today is light years away from my experience. The unemployment statistics are massaged to a point where they bear little resemblance to reality. Enormous numbers of people are on temporary or zero hours contracts. Many have unpaid volunteer jobs or internships. Many work for the minimum wage or less. Many have had to become self employed in order to work. The Black Economy has always thrived. Statistically these people aren't unemployed.
We have to give as many people as possible opportunities. The working people who pay taxes are getting fewer, while the demands on taxation are increasing. We also have to balance all that with the needs of employers to keep their companies going & make a profit. Without them no one wins.
Being unemployed is demoralising & boring. It's a waste of human resources and a drain on the economy. We need to find a new way of creating opportunities for everyone - including the disabled & mentally handicapped. We need some real creative thinking rather than blind political point scoring.
Do we all have the same rights & responsibilities? Again, probably not. A mother or father caring for young children doesn't have the right to go off and work or enjoy themselves & leave the children alone. They are responsible for vulnerable young people.
The dilemma is do we all have a right to equal opportunities? Well, yes, up to a point. I for instance would love to drive a fork lift truck. Should I be given the opportunity to do that? Probably not. I have trouble driving a Nissan Micra & am rubbish at reversing as all my friends would agree. My concentration has been known to lapse too.
It seems to me that the crux of the matter is fairness and access. Everyone should be able to access good education and health care appropriate to their needs for instance. The fact that some can afford to pay for better quality services seems only to point up the fundamental unfairness & lack of access.
When it comes to work we all expect to be paid for the work we do for others. Most people get a sense of worth from the work they do, however humble that work is. I remember working my way through college in various shops & was inordinately proud of my weekly pay packet. I actually enjoyed the work & the people I worked with too. I was fortunate to become qualified for a profession & spend most of my working life doing a job I loved, (& got paid for).
Things have changed though. The world of work today is light years away from my experience. The unemployment statistics are massaged to a point where they bear little resemblance to reality. Enormous numbers of people are on temporary or zero hours contracts. Many have unpaid volunteer jobs or internships. Many work for the minimum wage or less. Many have had to become self employed in order to work. The Black Economy has always thrived. Statistically these people aren't unemployed.
We have to give as many people as possible opportunities. The working people who pay taxes are getting fewer, while the demands on taxation are increasing. We also have to balance all that with the needs of employers to keep their companies going & make a profit. Without them no one wins.
Being unemployed is demoralising & boring. It's a waste of human resources and a drain on the economy. We need to find a new way of creating opportunities for everyone - including the disabled & mentally handicapped. We need some real creative thinking rather than blind political point scoring.
Wednesday 15 October 2014
Opera & Soap Opera
I have just got back from seeing this live in the cinema. It was an assault on the senses. The lead singers were stunning, as was the chorus. The orchestra was wonderful & the sets were clever, but not intrusive. The costumes were beautiful & appropriate to the story. The wonderful music and the quality of the singing & acting transports you so that you become really involved in the tragedy which unfolds. It really is a classy production.
Opera has the power to transcend the hum drum & make you suspend disbelief. Some of the arias & duets are sublime. The chorus in Macbeth is probably the best I have ever heard. I can be moved to tears or laughter by the beauty of the music or the acting. The skill involved in memorising the music, & the libretto, often sung in an unfamiliar language, not to mention the acting, seems an impossible range of skills to me. Being able to see this in the local cinema has made opera accessible to most people, in a way that it isn't in the great opera houses of the world.
At the other end of the spectrum we have the modern soap opera, which supposedly reflects life in our society today. This is usually taped for distribution & so has none of the spontenaity or unpredictability of live theatre. Arguably it also doesn't require the same amount of skill due to multiple takes if something goes wrong. There is a need to suspend disbelief because of some of the plot lines, bodies strewn everywhere, disfunctional families - poor or wealthy, the dead coming to life, for example. It's probably quite cheap to produce whereas opera is very expensive.
I'm not precious. I watch Holby City & even used to watch Neighbours while cooking the supper. You do get hooked into the plots & the characters. That's the problem it seems to me. You get sucked in & then don't want to miss an episode. So you end up wasting a lot of time on something transient & inconsequential, which doesn't inform, transport you, challenge you or even represent great art in any form.
As my dad used to say - "It passes the time". But is that enough?
Sunday 12 October 2014
The Wallace Collection - Food for thought?
I took a party from the Ashmolean to the Wallace Collection in London on Friday. It has a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th centuries with lots of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, Sevres porcelain and Old Master paintings. The stunning Great gallery reopened in September after re-furbishment.
Trying to do the 25 galleries in one day is exhausting.There is a particular kind of weariness which comes with mooching round galleries & museums. You glaze over into sensory over stimulation. If you have a guide your brain ceases to process the reams of information. Really the only sensible way to "do" a gallery or museum is to cherry pick a few things you are most interested in and concentrate on those. However, if you know you probably won't go back, the temptation is to see it all. Then you end up not really seeing a lot of it.
In 2000 the inner courtyard was given a glass roof & a restaurant was started named "Cafe Bagatelle" after the Hertford's chateau Bagatelle. The Wallace Restaurant is now run by Peyton and Byrne as a French-style brasserie. It's a really nice space for a restaurant, which makes the fact that our experience there was appalling more than disappointing.
We arrived for pre booked & paid for coffee & biscuits which was fine. We were given menus & asked to make a selection for lunch in advance. When we arrived back exhausted after a 2 hour tour they weren't ready for us. There wasn't a designated area a for our group to sit together, so the waiters could concentrate on serving us as a group. There simply weren't enough waiters to cope.
No one seemed to know what people had ordered. The food simply didn't arrive - for a very long time. Over an hour in most cases. More than one person gave up & left because it was eating into our individual time to look round the gallery. You would have thought that with a couple of hours notice the cold food could have been plated up, covered & the customer identified. (They had taken our names).
People ordered wine to go with their food, several times. It didn't arrive until they had almost finished their meal. The waiter took one bottle away before the table had finished it. We had to ask for cutlery. One lady asked for some pepper & was told "you can see that it is s for salt" by a very harrassed waiter.
The portions were miniscule - Nouvelle Cuisine gone mad. Mains were more like starters. A "piggy terrine" was served in a small glass yogurt pot with no celery salad & a small slice of bread. The lady was told that they had run out of the salad when she complained. Nothing was offered in it's place. Presumabaly they hoped she wouldn't notice the absence. One lady had a smoked salmon salad which was less than I would give for a starter. Others had the soup which was cold and watery & served with no bread. When I spoke to the catering manager about how poor we thought the restaurant was, she said "well it's a set menu for ladies who lunch"!
By this time there were justified rumblings among the group. Fortunately a senior manager came to speak to me to ask what the problem was. As you can see from the length of this, it was quite a long converstaion. However, he was brilliant. He agreed that it wasn't acceptable & said the people I had been trying to help didn't need to pay, which I thought was generous. (The prices for what we had were outrageously high). How refreshing to have someone who is decisive & doesn't try to come up with pathetic excuses.
Having now looked on line I realise that our experience is far from unique. Another Friend of the Ashmolean who wasn't with us also told me that his NADFAS group had had very similar problems. It's such a shame. To have such a prestigious international museum & lovely venue totally let down by the catering is unforgivable. Goodness know what foreign visitors think.
Are the Wallace trying to make up for not charging an entrance fee, or trying to pay for the gallery refurbishment? Whatever the reason they need to address this, sooner rather than later.
Trying to do the 25 galleries in one day is exhausting.There is a particular kind of weariness which comes with mooching round galleries & museums. You glaze over into sensory over stimulation. If you have a guide your brain ceases to process the reams of information. Really the only sensible way to "do" a gallery or museum is to cherry pick a few things you are most interested in and concentrate on those. However, if you know you probably won't go back, the temptation is to see it all. Then you end up not really seeing a lot of it.
In 2000 the inner courtyard was given a glass roof & a restaurant was started named "Cafe Bagatelle" after the Hertford's chateau Bagatelle. The Wallace Restaurant is now run by Peyton and Byrne as a French-style brasserie. It's a really nice space for a restaurant, which makes the fact that our experience there was appalling more than disappointing.
We arrived for pre booked & paid for coffee & biscuits which was fine. We were given menus & asked to make a selection for lunch in advance. When we arrived back exhausted after a 2 hour tour they weren't ready for us. There wasn't a designated area a for our group to sit together, so the waiters could concentrate on serving us as a group. There simply weren't enough waiters to cope.
No one seemed to know what people had ordered. The food simply didn't arrive - for a very long time. Over an hour in most cases. More than one person gave up & left because it was eating into our individual time to look round the gallery. You would have thought that with a couple of hours notice the cold food could have been plated up, covered & the customer identified. (They had taken our names).
People ordered wine to go with their food, several times. It didn't arrive until they had almost finished their meal. The waiter took one bottle away before the table had finished it. We had to ask for cutlery. One lady asked for some pepper & was told "you can see that it is s for salt" by a very harrassed waiter.
The portions were miniscule - Nouvelle Cuisine gone mad. Mains were more like starters. A "piggy terrine" was served in a small glass yogurt pot with no celery salad & a small slice of bread. The lady was told that they had run out of the salad when she complained. Nothing was offered in it's place. Presumabaly they hoped she wouldn't notice the absence. One lady had a smoked salmon salad which was less than I would give for a starter. Others had the soup which was cold and watery & served with no bread. When I spoke to the catering manager about how poor we thought the restaurant was, she said "well it's a set menu for ladies who lunch"!
By this time there were justified rumblings among the group. Fortunately a senior manager came to speak to me to ask what the problem was. As you can see from the length of this, it was quite a long converstaion. However, he was brilliant. He agreed that it wasn't acceptable & said the people I had been trying to help didn't need to pay, which I thought was generous. (The prices for what we had were outrageously high). How refreshing to have someone who is decisive & doesn't try to come up with pathetic excuses.
Having now looked on line I realise that our experience is far from unique. Another Friend of the Ashmolean who wasn't with us also told me that his NADFAS group had had very similar problems. It's such a shame. To have such a prestigious international museum & lovely venue totally let down by the catering is unforgivable. Goodness know what foreign visitors think.
Are the Wallace trying to make up for not charging an entrance fee, or trying to pay for the gallery refurbishment? Whatever the reason they need to address this, sooner rather than later.
Tuesday 7 October 2014
Sods Law & Cleaning Carpets.
It's a good job I moved house when I did. Another couple of years & I wouldn't have been able to remain calm in the face of adversity! Just when I thought I was on the very final leg of the making the house my home another problem arises.
The carpets are good quality wool, but with some small mysterious black spots & a sort of pale turmeric coloured stain. (Did the tenants eat curry in all the bedrooms?) Having had a fitter in from a "trusted tradesman" website to advise on patching the worst stain we agreed a date for the work to be done. Then a second date when he didn't turn up. Then a third, which was last Friday afternoon. Yes, he failed to turn up again. No contact at all. I had to phone him each time.
T... the carpet cleaner came on Monday morning as arranged. So we agreed he would do his best with the stains. I now know more than I did about cleaning carpets. First you use a brushing in machine to put the first solution on - gets the carpet ready for the proper clean I think. Then you use the actual cleaning machine with a second solution, which to be fair was "Woolsafe".
All was going well so I popped round the corner to the shops. When I got back T... was a bit panicked. He had only done my bedroom & the small landing outside & the carpet was undulating! Something had gone drastically wrong & the machine had pulled the carpet into raised humps. I can only guess that the suction must have stretched the wet carpet.
Profuse apologies - it had apparently never happened before. T... is insured - thank goodness. So he contacted a carpet fitting & supply company he knows & they will hopefully come out & stretch the carpet to get rid of the humps. However not till next week sometime.
If it can't be stretched T... will have to replace the whole bedroom carpet, but obviously he doesn't really want to have to make a claim. However, unsurprisingly, he now isn't prepared to clean anymore of the carpets. So even if the carpet can be stretched I still need it to be cleaned.
Completely baffled as to why this has happened & what the solution will ultimately be. Hopefully the fitter will have a clue what the problem is & may be able to suggest an alternative method of cleaning. If not I suppose I may have to replace the whole of the first floor carpeting.
What a complete pain!
The carpets are good quality wool, but with some small mysterious black spots & a sort of pale turmeric coloured stain. (Did the tenants eat curry in all the bedrooms?) Having had a fitter in from a "trusted tradesman" website to advise on patching the worst stain we agreed a date for the work to be done. Then a second date when he didn't turn up. Then a third, which was last Friday afternoon. Yes, he failed to turn up again. No contact at all. I had to phone him each time.
T... the carpet cleaner came on Monday morning as arranged. So we agreed he would do his best with the stains. I now know more than I did about cleaning carpets. First you use a brushing in machine to put the first solution on - gets the carpet ready for the proper clean I think. Then you use the actual cleaning machine with a second solution, which to be fair was "Woolsafe".
All was going well so I popped round the corner to the shops. When I got back T... was a bit panicked. He had only done my bedroom & the small landing outside & the carpet was undulating! Something had gone drastically wrong & the machine had pulled the carpet into raised humps. I can only guess that the suction must have stretched the wet carpet.
Profuse apologies - it had apparently never happened before. T... is insured - thank goodness. So he contacted a carpet fitting & supply company he knows & they will hopefully come out & stretch the carpet to get rid of the humps. However not till next week sometime.
If it can't be stretched T... will have to replace the whole bedroom carpet, but obviously he doesn't really want to have to make a claim. However, unsurprisingly, he now isn't prepared to clean anymore of the carpets. So even if the carpet can be stretched I still need it to be cleaned.
Completely baffled as to why this has happened & what the solution will ultimately be. Hopefully the fitter will have a clue what the problem is & may be able to suggest an alternative method of cleaning. If not I suppose I may have to replace the whole of the first floor carpeting.
What a complete pain!
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