I saw "Sand in the Sandwiches" at the Oxford Playhouse yesterday. I am a volunteer usher, so am lucky to be able to see lots of productions.
A good production draws you in, involves you, entertains you, makes you think - laugh - cry. This was a one man show, which I hadn't realised. There was no action or interaction - no plot. Edward Fox, who is 79 was on stage, alone, for the whole show, lasting the best part of 2 hours. As someone who realises that my memory is not what it was, I find that alone hugely impressing. I imagine that the fact that much of the dialogue is Betjemans rhyming poetry helps - but even so...
Fox has a very distinctive voice & way of speaking. He has a way of running words into one another whilst having very aristocratic "cut glass" diction. He is quite softly spoken. The problem with the performance was that I couldn't hear a lot of the script. (Yes I did have my hearing aid in).
This production is not the only one I have experienced the frustration of having to guess what has been said. It's also increasingly true of TV, where there seems to be a fashion for whispering - "The Fall", "Person of Interest" to name but two. The text is important. It isn't an adjunct to the acting.
I'm not sure where the blame lies. You would think that in this highly technical age, with sound systems only dreamt of 10 years ago, technicians would be able to get the sound levels right. You would imagine that directors would, at some point, put themselves in the situation of the audience in the back row, or their living rooms, to see if the message was getting through. You would think that actors were properly trained in voice projection or would wear today's unobtrusive microphones.
I know I'm a "grumpy old woman", but there are an awful lot of us who go to theatres & many people have hearing problems. Several times yesterday members of the audience left the auditorium to go & get a loop headset. Listening to comments as the audience left I know I was not alone in being irritated.
John Betjemans words deserved better.
Sunday, 30 October 2016
Sunday, 23 October 2016
Identity - Who am I?
Identity - Unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing, which make us recognisable individuals.
Fortunately I can still remember my own name, although I realise that might change because I can't say the same about other people's names! But there is so much more to identity.
I am a woman, a pensioner, a widow, British with a dash of German, white, heterosexual, reasonably intelligent & well informed, (although that might change along with failing memory).
I like lots of things - music, art, reading, friends, meeting people, travelling, dogs, the countryside...
I'm interested in lots of things - politics, justice, fairness, equal opportunity, Buddhism, ethics, different cultures...
I don't like - self absorbed people, (people who don't ask about me & listen, as well as talk about themselves = Drains), prejudice, racism, fundamentalist religion, bores, ....
I think I am - kind, thoughtful, generous, a good friend, outgoing....(I might also be deluded).
I know I can be - short tempered if stressed, too honest, intolerant of fools, organising, controlling, too conscientious, sometimes judgemental / too black & white...
The thing is we humans are highly complex beings. We have intellect & emotion. We have physical characteristics & traits of character, some of which are learned & some inherited. We are the product of our genes, our upbringing & our experience. We change over the years we live our lives. So how do we define ourselves & how well do we know ourselves?
Maybe we all need to ask ourselves "who am I" & think about the answer. I'm beginning to think that the whole point of life is to give ourselves time to reflect on this. Until we do we will be rats in a maze. We each have the software & the hardware - we just don't use them to their full capability.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-personal-identity-definition-philosophy-development.html
Fortunately I can still remember my own name, although I realise that might change because I can't say the same about other people's names! But there is so much more to identity.
I am a woman, a pensioner, a widow, British with a dash of German, white, heterosexual, reasonably intelligent & well informed, (although that might change along with failing memory).
I like lots of things - music, art, reading, friends, meeting people, travelling, dogs, the countryside...
I'm interested in lots of things - politics, justice, fairness, equal opportunity, Buddhism, ethics, different cultures...
I don't like - self absorbed people, (people who don't ask about me & listen, as well as talk about themselves = Drains), prejudice, racism, fundamentalist religion, bores, ....
I think I am - kind, thoughtful, generous, a good friend, outgoing....(I might also be deluded).
I know I can be - short tempered if stressed, too honest, intolerant of fools, organising, controlling, too conscientious, sometimes judgemental / too black & white...
The thing is we humans are highly complex beings. We have intellect & emotion. We have physical characteristics & traits of character, some of which are learned & some inherited. We are the product of our genes, our upbringing & our experience. We change over the years we live our lives. So how do we define ourselves & how well do we know ourselves?
Maybe we all need to ask ourselves "who am I" & think about the answer. I'm beginning to think that the whole point of life is to give ourselves time to reflect on this. Until we do we will be rats in a maze. We each have the software & the hardware - we just don't use them to their full capability.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-personal-identity-definition-philosophy-development.html
Friday, 21 October 2016
Christmas is Coming..
..and the goose is getting fat - But not everywhere.
The charities I support monthly with direct debits increase annually at Christmas. I don't send any cards. I don't give presents, other than to immediate family. I start a new charity instead. I've been doing it for years now. So the list of charities grows. I try to give to smaller niche charities which empower people in the developing world to be able to feed themselves, make an income & access education & healthcare.
I particularly like charities like Tree Aid www.treeaid.org.uk & Re-cycle www.re-cycle.org I also give to medical charities. Charities like the Micro loan Foundation https://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk & Camfed https://camfed.org help women to set up businesses & access education.
It doesn't really matter what the charity is, it's just really nice to feel that I am helping, in a very small way, to redress the imbalance between the haves & the have nots. It seems appropriate to think about this at a time when we spend ridiculous amounts of money. People who have very little can do an awful lot to become less dependent on aid with small amounts of money. It counterbalances my negative feelings about the excesses of Christmas in the UK.
People in the UK are really good about giving to charity when there are big disasters, or to something like Children in Need & Red Nose Day. People are generous & respond quickly. What we are not quite so good at is regular giving so that Charities know that they have money they can rely on to meet day to day need.
The charities I support monthly with direct debits increase annually at Christmas. I don't send any cards. I don't give presents, other than to immediate family. I start a new charity instead. I've been doing it for years now. So the list of charities grows. I try to give to smaller niche charities which empower people in the developing world to be able to feed themselves, make an income & access education & healthcare.
I particularly like charities like Tree Aid www.treeaid.org.uk & Re-cycle www.re-cycle.org I also give to medical charities. Charities like the Micro loan Foundation https://www.microloanfoundation.org.uk & Camfed https://camfed.org help women to set up businesses & access education.
It doesn't really matter what the charity is, it's just really nice to feel that I am helping, in a very small way, to redress the imbalance between the haves & the have nots. It seems appropriate to think about this at a time when we spend ridiculous amounts of money. People who have very little can do an awful lot to become less dependent on aid with small amounts of money. It counterbalances my negative feelings about the excesses of Christmas in the UK.
People in the UK are really good about giving to charity when there are big disasters, or to something like Children in Need & Red Nose Day. People are generous & respond quickly. What we are not quite so good at is regular giving so that Charities know that they have money they can rely on to meet day to day need.
Check out all the quotes on Google about giving. It's the best Christmas present you can give to yourself as well as others.
Thursday, 20 October 2016
A Night at the Opera - Glyndebourne's "Saul" by Handel
I went to my local "Picture House" yesterday to see the Glyndebourne production of Handel's "Saul". This is probably the earliest opera I have seen, written about a hundred years after Montiverdi began the operatic tradition.
Saul is a Baroque opera, nothing like the more familiar Romantic operas of Rossini & Donizetti, the Comedia operas of Mozart, the Verismo of Puccini for example. I really don't know enough about opera - I'm sure you could study it for years, so I'll stop there.
I do know that "Saul" was written as an Oratorio so directors can pretty much do as they wish with it because the production is not written down. This production was visually stunning from the outset. The vivid & beautiful costumes, the clever & eyecatching sets, the superb chorus & visually arresting dancing were all a joy & a delight. I did think that some of the dance movements were too modern for Handel, but that's probably nit picking. The singing from both the soloists & the wonderful chorus was bright & alive - As was the superb orchestra.
To be an opera star now you have to have more than a good voice. You have to be able to act well, the cameras are up close & personal. You can't get away with the woodenness of Pavarotti for example. You also have to be able to move well - Principals have to be able to dance & sing at the same time, just like pop stars.
What I didn't like was some of the more gratuitous elements. The introduction of Homo Erotic relationsghips & male kissing - the, for me very off putting, appearance of the male witch of Endor who is portayed as hermaphrodite with pendulous boobs which Saul suckles. Seeing milk dribbling from his mouth & then being expressed over his head really put me off. What on earth did that add to the story apart from inches of press coverage?
As a long time opera lover I am getting a bit p.....off by the seemingly increasing liberties taken with productions in the name of art. I'm sure some directors can justify themselves with pretentious drivel, but the bottom line seems to me to be exactly that - Generating prurient interest & bums on seats.
I wish they would just let the music & the story speak for themselves. I really don't mind innovation & new interpretations. I do mind rubbish.
Saul is a Baroque opera, nothing like the more familiar Romantic operas of Rossini & Donizetti, the Comedia operas of Mozart, the Verismo of Puccini for example. I really don't know enough about opera - I'm sure you could study it for years, so I'll stop there.
I do know that "Saul" was written as an Oratorio so directors can pretty much do as they wish with it because the production is not written down. This production was visually stunning from the outset. The vivid & beautiful costumes, the clever & eyecatching sets, the superb chorus & visually arresting dancing were all a joy & a delight. I did think that some of the dance movements were too modern for Handel, but that's probably nit picking. The singing from both the soloists & the wonderful chorus was bright & alive - As was the superb orchestra.
To be an opera star now you have to have more than a good voice. You have to be able to act well, the cameras are up close & personal. You can't get away with the woodenness of Pavarotti for example. You also have to be able to move well - Principals have to be able to dance & sing at the same time, just like pop stars.
What I didn't like was some of the more gratuitous elements. The introduction of Homo Erotic relationsghips & male kissing - the, for me very off putting, appearance of the male witch of Endor who is portayed as hermaphrodite with pendulous boobs which Saul suckles. Seeing milk dribbling from his mouth & then being expressed over his head really put me off. What on earth did that add to the story apart from inches of press coverage?
As a long time opera lover I am getting a bit p.....off by the seemingly increasing liberties taken with productions in the name of art. I'm sure some directors can justify themselves with pretentious drivel, but the bottom line seems to me to be exactly that - Generating prurient interest & bums on seats.
I wish they would just let the music & the story speak for themselves. I really don't mind innovation & new interpretations. I do mind rubbish.
Wednesday, 19 October 2016
A Dog is for Life - Finale
Having a pet appeals to a basic instinct in humans. Man socialised dogs, & vice versa, way back in history. It is thought dogs were first domesticated when man was a hunter gatherer. It's a symbiotic relationship, of mutual benefit.
We are drawn to small creatures with appealing eyes & winning ways. Look at how animals are portrayed on all the documentaries on TV.They are guaranteed to make anyone rush out & get a pet. Especially if the animals are in shelters & have had a troubled existance. Even the websites & publicity of rehoming charities ensure that the images make us want to take the animal home. Puppies are the extreme example. They are surrogate children.
It's undoubtedly true, & is backed up by evidence, that animals have a beneficial impact on people. Most people care for their pets, although ill treatment can be truly shocking. The problem is that the majority of people do not understand dog psychology & how to properly train & socialise a dog. It isn't enough to teach a dog to sit or shake a paw - (How anthropomorphised is that?)
A dog needs to learn his place in the family hierarchy & it should be at the bottom of the list. A dog's basic needs should be met & it should be secure & loved. It should not be allowed to do everything it wants & dictate a family lifestyle. It should not be overfed with treats & spoiled any more than a child should.
But we British are soft about our animals & we perhaps do not go into pet owning with enough knowledge & information. Hence the number of animals which are badly treated, abandoned, given up or even killed. At least we have animal charities, but they are inundated because of our thoughtlessness & ignorance.
I made a mistake with Bandit despite trying to be informed & logical. Both of us were lucky that Blue Cross would take him back again & he stands a good chance of being re-homed. I now wonder whether the whole area of pet ownership should be much more regulated. Should we just be able to look on sites such as Preloved & Gumtree to get a dog without any checks & balances being in place. That just suits the notorious puppy farmers everywhere & isn't in the interest of dogs or owners.
The root of it is that too often pet owning is a decision of the heart & not of the head. That way is bound to lead to mistakes & heartache.
PS
I've developed a chest infection overnight - How on earth did I think I would manage with something like that?
We are drawn to small creatures with appealing eyes & winning ways. Look at how animals are portrayed on all the documentaries on TV.They are guaranteed to make anyone rush out & get a pet. Especially if the animals are in shelters & have had a troubled existance. Even the websites & publicity of rehoming charities ensure that the images make us want to take the animal home. Puppies are the extreme example. They are surrogate children.
It's undoubtedly true, & is backed up by evidence, that animals have a beneficial impact on people. Most people care for their pets, although ill treatment can be truly shocking. The problem is that the majority of people do not understand dog psychology & how to properly train & socialise a dog. It isn't enough to teach a dog to sit or shake a paw - (How anthropomorphised is that?)
A dog needs to learn his place in the family hierarchy & it should be at the bottom of the list. A dog's basic needs should be met & it should be secure & loved. It should not be allowed to do everything it wants & dictate a family lifestyle. It should not be overfed with treats & spoiled any more than a child should.
But we British are soft about our animals & we perhaps do not go into pet owning with enough knowledge & information. Hence the number of animals which are badly treated, abandoned, given up or even killed. At least we have animal charities, but they are inundated because of our thoughtlessness & ignorance.
I made a mistake with Bandit despite trying to be informed & logical. Both of us were lucky that Blue Cross would take him back again & he stands a good chance of being re-homed. I now wonder whether the whole area of pet ownership should be much more regulated. Should we just be able to look on sites such as Preloved & Gumtree to get a dog without any checks & balances being in place. That just suits the notorious puppy farmers everywhere & isn't in the interest of dogs or owners.
The root of it is that too often pet owning is a decision of the heart & not of the head. That way is bound to lead to mistakes & heartache.
PS
I've developed a chest infection overnight - How on earth did I think I would manage with something like that?
Tuesday, 18 October 2016
A Dog is for Life - 4
I have just returned from taking Bandit back to the Blue Cross. Last night precipitated the decision.
I walked him at 10, just before I went to bed & put him down with a dental chew. I had just settled in bed myself when he started making noises which became whines & then barking. The last thing you should do is respond if a dog does this. You should leave them & hope it stops. Otherwise you are rewarding behaviour that you don't want. However I have neighbours with small children on both sides who would hear it as clearly as I did.
So I went down - again & again. I gave him a rawhide bone. I left the radio on. I left the radio & a light on. I gave him his ball to play with. Nothing worked & it went on for over 2 hours till after midnight. By this time I was quite stressed & having fibrillation problems. So I had to bring him upstairs & put him in my ensuite bathroom. That meant I could tell him to shut up every time he barked. Eventually we both got some sleep.
I have no idea what set him off after the first quiet night. But there had been a warning when I left him for 1 1/2 hours to go for a swim yesterday. He barked. So I waited in the hall till it stopped & left. I don't know if he barked for the whole time I was away.
You really can't subject neighbours to this on a regular basis & I woke up with a migraine feeling dreadful. So, sadly decision made.
In addition, although I put him out in my courtyard first thing to pee, he did nothing. Then when I went upstairs to get dressed to walk him I came back to find he had peed in the kitchen again. Just like yesterday when he peed after I had walked him before leaving to swim.
Bending down is a big issue for me - to clean up his mess, to put his harness & lead on, to towel him down when it's been raining, which it did this morning. I hadn't thought about the impact of having a small dog on my conditions. None of that is good for me.
It was emotional to leave him. It means that I have to accept that I can not have a dog at all. I felt a failure that I hadn't thought it through from my health perspective enough. Blue Cross were fine about it. Very sympathetic. I suppose it happens sometimes. I'm not looking forward to explaining to my grandsons why I have taken him back. I know they will be very disappointed.
I'm sure Bandit would make a lovely pet for someone with the time & patience to train him properly. I do think he needs a garden though. My courtyard isn't enough.
I walked him at 10, just before I went to bed & put him down with a dental chew. I had just settled in bed myself when he started making noises which became whines & then barking. The last thing you should do is respond if a dog does this. You should leave them & hope it stops. Otherwise you are rewarding behaviour that you don't want. However I have neighbours with small children on both sides who would hear it as clearly as I did.
So I went down - again & again. I gave him a rawhide bone. I left the radio on. I left the radio & a light on. I gave him his ball to play with. Nothing worked & it went on for over 2 hours till after midnight. By this time I was quite stressed & having fibrillation problems. So I had to bring him upstairs & put him in my ensuite bathroom. That meant I could tell him to shut up every time he barked. Eventually we both got some sleep.
I have no idea what set him off after the first quiet night. But there had been a warning when I left him for 1 1/2 hours to go for a swim yesterday. He barked. So I waited in the hall till it stopped & left. I don't know if he barked for the whole time I was away.
You really can't subject neighbours to this on a regular basis & I woke up with a migraine feeling dreadful. So, sadly decision made.
In addition, although I put him out in my courtyard first thing to pee, he did nothing. Then when I went upstairs to get dressed to walk him I came back to find he had peed in the kitchen again. Just like yesterday when he peed after I had walked him before leaving to swim.
Bending down is a big issue for me - to clean up his mess, to put his harness & lead on, to towel him down when it's been raining, which it did this morning. I hadn't thought about the impact of having a small dog on my conditions. None of that is good for me.
It was emotional to leave him. It means that I have to accept that I can not have a dog at all. I felt a failure that I hadn't thought it through from my health perspective enough. Blue Cross were fine about it. Very sympathetic. I suppose it happens sometimes. I'm not looking forward to explaining to my grandsons why I have taken him back. I know they will be very disappointed.
I'm sure Bandit would make a lovely pet for someone with the time & patience to train him properly. I do think he needs a garden though. My courtyard isn't enough.
Monday, 17 October 2016
A Dog is for Life - 3
The thing is that Bandit has Duracell batteries & I don't. I've got the cheap Ikea ones! It's quite a revelation. I knew that I have to pace myself & not overdo things & rest, but I wan't expecting this. I found it quite difficult to do my normal half mile swim today because of all the extra walking taking Bandit out for training & toileting.
Although he is a small dog, having him on a lead is having an impact on the Fibromyalgia in my arms. Bending down to put his lead on & take it off is not doing my heart problems any good. I'm having bad hot sweats & get breathless. I'm also finding it really difficult to unclip his collar or harness because my hands are bad.
None of this is what I was expecting. All the problems are because of my health, not his behaviour. The real problem is that all my health issues are chronic. None are going to improve, quite the opposite.
I still think I should give it a week. But I do need to make my mind up because I don't want him to be upset by another return to the Blue Cross when we have bonded. At the moment I could just be another foster owner.
Although he is a small dog, having him on a lead is having an impact on the Fibromyalgia in my arms. Bending down to put his lead on & take it off is not doing my heart problems any good. I'm having bad hot sweats & get breathless. I'm also finding it really difficult to unclip his collar or harness because my hands are bad.
None of this is what I was expecting. All the problems are because of my health, not his behaviour. The real problem is that all my health issues are chronic. None are going to improve, quite the opposite.
I still think I should give it a week. But I do need to make my mind up because I don't want him to be upset by another return to the Blue Cross when we have bonded. At the moment I could just be another foster owner.
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