There has been something
of a technical blip here, and this post was written some years ago and never
posted. So, it has been slightly
amended, however, some parts may not be as current as some of the sections
might suggest!!
Furthermore, the original
version that was misplaced tucked away in a computer file for all this time,
contained a different version of “Dolly Parton at The Birmingham Arena” and an
extra section entitled “Spotted on Holiday.” I have included these as “Extras” at the end!
A
Good memory is one you can give away!!
As uttered by Billy
Connelly in a recent television programme about his life, and as always with
him so very profound and true, therefore I’ve been delving through my scribbled
notes of ideas for future blogposts, observations and trivia, so here I’m
giving some of them away to you, my loyal readers!!! I’ve also been persuaded to put “pen to
paper” by at least one friend who assured me they read all my offerings! So if only that one person reads this, I’ll
have a following!, but it would be good to hear from others, who might have
read on, if only to say hi, or when you can come for dinner! See below.
A
bottle of wine for a white ribbon!
During the summer the
year before last, I was walking the dog through the edge of a nearby wood, as I
do at least once most days. Minding my
own business in the dappled sunshine but also minding my footing in the deeply
rutted track, from the previous wet winter, my eyes alighted on something out
of place and sticking out of the mud and remnants of fallen leaves. On closer examination I discovered a small
silver key on a similarly coloured ring, probably I thought the ignition key
from a small motorbike.
There being no houses for
some distance and deciding that anyone looking for the lost key would have
little chance of seeing it on the ground, I hung it in what seemed a prominent
position on an overhanging branch. There
it stayed for quite a few days, but was obviously not that easy to spot, as
several times I missed seeing it, only to discover it still there, the next
time I passed. So, I decided it needed
to be more conspicuous, and found a piece of white ribbon at home, which I
added to the ring. Now each time I
passed it couldn’t be missed, and there it stayed for quite a few weeks, before
it finally disappeared, shortly before we returned to the UK for a visit.
We were away several
weeks and then a short while after we returned, with the nights closing in we
had walked the dog and returned as darkness fell and were closing the living
room shutters, when a car pulled up and parked obviously outside our house,
certainly not a visitor for the neighbours.
I realise that the man who got out was the retired farmer from a farm I
regularly pass, the other side of the wood.
I often see him whilst walking, either with his rather large and not
always particularly friendly dog or driving his van and usually he stops and
winds down the window to exchange pleasantries about the weather and his dog
going berserk in the back of the van!
Despite, some language difficulties, we always greet each other like
long lost friends, particularly after I commented upon his splendid cows –
blonde Aquitaines. I only know that as
at the end of his drive is a photo of their prize bull from several years ago,
posing with his son who now runs the farm, advertising the farms blonde
Aquitaine herd! I later found out that
this particular bull had been crowned champion of the whole of France and would
have potentially been worth in excess of €150,000!
But why was he visiting
this dark, cold autumnal evening? It
became obvious that he was asking me a question, and then I realised it was
about the key that had been hanging in the woods on the white ribbon, and wondering
if I had put it there, as I walked there so often? Confirming, that I had, he went back to his
car took out a bottle of wine and gave it to me with profuse thanks, on behalf
of his grandson, who had all that time ago lost the key! I invited him in for a drink, which he
refused, leaving with more thanks, a cheery wave and an element of relief, not
simply that the mystery had been solved, but because for several weeks he had
been calling to ask about the key and present the bottle of wine, only to find
us not at home. Not only was I touched
and taken aback slightly at this generous gesture, but all the more so at his
perseverance, and a very pleasant bottle of Cote de Blaye it turned out to be!
And another pleasant
welcome home
More
recently, we returned home from spending the festive season in the UK. Having arrived back just after lunch and
unpacked the car, we spotted our neighbour Paul walking along from the new
chicken run he has been constructing. He
waved, but obviously wanted to talk so we went across to him and greeted him
appropriately with a handshake for me and a kiss on both cheeks from Linda,
whilst giving him the expected seasonal greeting of “Bonne année et bonne
santé” – Happy New Year and Good Health.
I then asked how he was to which he gave his normal somewhat
noncommittal reply of “slowly, slowly” but adding with a twinkle in his eye
French words to the effect of “all the better for seeing you!” I then enquired about Yvette his wife, who he
said was in the house, we preceded to go in and tell her we were back and
asking after her. She appeared and
seemed equally pleased to see us and amongst other things, asked us about
Linda’s sister, who sadly lost her husband just before Christmas, about how my
mother was and how Victoria, our daughter was, who she knew was expecting her
first child and had been suffering from all day “morning” sickness! She then presented us with a box of eggs,
from her soon to be re-housed chickens!, as a welcome home present.
Suffice
to say, we felt well and truly welcomed home and touched that they had bothered
to enquire about the family.
Mais bien sûr ~ But of
course
A couple of summers ago
there was a young family; mum, dad and three boys, about six, nine and twelve,
staying in a neighbouring gîte. Each evening, after tea, the whole family would
go for a walk along the tracks leading from our hamlet. This would often coincide with us taking the
dog for a walk, and although we didn’t always pass them, we could often see
them from across the fields, the children running happily ahead.
On one particular
evening, as we turned down the track heading towards the hamlet, the family
were just setting off, the two youngest boys were tearing animatedly ahead intent
on a race to the top of the slope. The parents followed sedately some way
behind, whilst
the eldest boy lagged behind having stopped to excitedly pick blackberries from
a particularly plentiful branch and happily supplementing his tea! As the younger two hurtled past us they
politely replied to our bonsoirs, as did the parents when they arrived. The eldest having had his fill and realising
that the rest of the family were some way off, and maybe also alarmed at the
strange looking Anglais bearing down on him, set off at a rapid run to catch up
with the rest of the family. Reaching us
and before we had a chance to speak, he greeted us with a cheery bonsoir, as he
raced by. On reaching his parents just a
little way past us, we heard him being quizzed as to whether he had remembered,
in his haste, to speak to the English people he had just passed! With a distinct hint of indignation, he
replied “Mais bien sûr!” (But of course) ….And that’s the crux of it, he was
quite put out, at 12, to even be
asked the question, as it is such a normal part of life to greet people as you
pass them, simple good manners instilled in all at a young age.
Dolly
Parton at The Birmingham Arena
I
read an article some time ago now about the singer Michael Ball, where he was
discussing some of his own favourite songs. In the article he recalls how when
he heard Dolly Parton sing Little Sparrow he bawled. This brought back to me a
very similar experience, but I bawled to Backwoods Barbie, In My Tennessee
Mountain Home and Coat of Many Colours, but allow me to explain!
I love the songs of Dolly
Parton, and for one so small she has a mighty big voice and an equally big
personality to go with it and her songs tell stories of everyday life, much of
it her own life, starting in very humble beginnings in that Tennessee Mountain
Home mentioned above. From this humble
and indeed extremely poor childhood, she has through hard work and
determination become a true global superstar but never lost sight of those
roots and given the world so much more than just a few good old country songs.
She has shown herself to be an astute and savvy businesswoman, although also
self-effacing often making fun of her looks.
In her own words; “Don’t judge me by the cover, cause I’m a real good
book,” and “I'm
not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I
also know that I'm not blonde!”
So, this love of Dolly Parton’s music, (including
a riotous evening of Dolly and others for a dear friend’s 50th
birthday, culminating in more weeping and wailing when discovering the song
“Little Andy”, but that’s a story for another time) was bound to have a
profound effect on my children! Daniel
vehemently shunned the bright lights and darker corners of Tennessee and
Nashville, but Victoria embraced the lilting notes and stories of life with a
similarly vehement passion! Indeed, by the time she was sixteen, name a Dolly
song and she would know all the words, and I’m sure was the first to blast them
out at university socials, given the chance, and probably still could now! Well, a Dolly tour of the UK, to promote her
Backwoods Barbie album, happened to coincide with her 21st birthday,
so tickets seemed an obvious birthday present, together with pink Stetsons for
the ladies, not really my colour, but mum was coming too!
As you will have gathered the concert
was at The Birmingham Arena, a vast performance space in the middle of
Birmingham, and our seats were upstairs, about two thirds of the way back,
stage right, so some distance from the stage.
When she first arrived, so small a
figure, she was almost lost in the enormity of the venue, until she sang in her
inimitable style, filling the auditorium right to the rafters. Her stage presence is immense, and when she
talks “Thank you all for coming tonight and spending your money on the tickets,
it takes a lot of money to look this cheap!” and sings it as almost as though
it’s just to you and the other thousands of people aren’t there!
So it was that the aforementioned songs,
interestingly all deeply routed in her childhood, just struck a chord, and the
tears flowed freely as her amazing voice slipped, flowed and cracked around the
rafters. I’m sure there is a proper
musical term for this, like “piano messo forte”, or something like that, but
I’m just an emotional uncultured soul at heart!
Sadly,
as I finish writing this it has just been announced that Dolly has just lost
her husband Dean, after nearly 60 years of marriage, a long time in anyone’s
book, despite early worries about Jolene!
Different
perspectives on Roadside Haiku project
In one of the many
cuttings I hoard, to read at my leisure later on, was a fascinating article
about “bandit signs” and a growing controversy in the city of Atlanta, Georgia,
USA. Bandit signs, for those of you who
don’t know, are those random signs, often measuring about 12 inches by 18
inches, that appear all over the place with eye catching headlines such as “Get
Cash Now” or “Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days”.
Well, Atlanta artist John
Moore decided to come up with a Roadside Haiku project positioning 500 of these
around the city, as a temporary exhibit for however long they lasted. His would indeed include catchy headlines
such as “Meet Local Singles” or “Lose Ugly Weight Fast” but as the first line
of a haiku poem, but with something more, indeed a message!
So, to complete the above
headlines you get:
Meet Local Singles!!
Easy: Stand Near Others
Hang up your Cell Phone
Lose Ugly Weight Fast
Feel Happier! Healthier!
Dump Your Bigotry
And
a particular favourite:
Build Personal Wealth
In the Comfort of Your Home
Read to Your Children
Well,
as often happens in these situations, the project has created a degree of
controversy, with those who love the signs and those, such as Peggy Denby, of
the “Keep Atlanta Beautiful” campaign who has described the project as “litter
on a stick”.
But
I’m with the former and prefer to think of these messages as “wisdom on a wand”
or “passion on a pole”!! How about you?
And
for Peggy Dandy, can I suggest a free advert, for an obviously worthy cause:
Please, Keep Atlanta
Beautiful, for everyone,
With respect for All!
Any
one for dinner?
In a recently read
article about the Faroe Islands, I was particularly taken by what one of the
islanders called Oli spoke about. Oli
was hosting a supper evening for a group of visiting Belgium artists and a
Swedish based Nigerian photographer and writer called Lola Akinmade Åkerström. One of the artists announced that they would
like to photograph Oli, on his green roof, as you do!, to which he
replied: “You know what? When you say yes to life, you open up
doors. That’s why we run these dinners
and invite strangers into our home. Who
knows how the evening ends!”
So, just let me know when
you are free and come prepared, there may be more than four courses, cheese
course included! However, if the wine
flows our roof is perhaps just a little too high for staging photographs,
although I do recall one instance when a visitor did pose reading a book on the
barn roof. His wife was also in the
photograph, climbing up a ladder to the roof.
The subsequent caption read something like – “(He) thought he had found
a quiet place to read, but (his wife) still found him!!
Late
night urge!
As many of you will know,
I’m something of a night owl, often not retiring to my bed until the morning
side of two o’clock! But that gives me
something of a dilemma, as when I let the dog out for a late night wee, before
bed, I often feel my most creative, but are often too knackered to let the
creativity flow, but not always. Here
are a couple of winter late-night haiku offerings, only short, but then it is
time for bed!
1.
Out from the
warmth 2. Chillier tonight
Cold
air took my breath away With the hoot of an owl
A
million stars A
stream from the dog!
That’s all
for now, and whilst not a New Year’s Resolution,
I never seem
to be able to keep them!, this will hopefully be the
return of
the monthly-ish blogpost for 2019!
So keep your
eye’s open and don’t forget
you’re
invited for dinner!!
P.S. I told you that this blogpost had been a long
time coming!
The
Extras, rather like the bonus tracks on a CD!
Spotted
on holiday
On holiday at a place
called Mataro, just north of Barcelona, I was very much taken by the name of a
second-hand bookshop, it was called:
“Re-Read”
Simple and to the point,
and surprisingly in English!
Dolly
Parton at The Birmingham Arena 2008
I recently read an
article about the singer Michael Ball, where he was discussing some of his
favourite fellow artists and their recent material. One of these artists was a particular
favourite of mine, the tiny, larger than life, Dolly Parton.
My admiration for Dolly,
and all she stands for, as she is far more than a simple country girl who is a
singer – songwriter, has perhaps rubbed off on my daughter Victoria, who has
the dubious talent of being able to animatedly sing along, word perfect, with
most of her songs!! So, it might come as no surprise, that we
took Victoria to the above concert for her 21st birthday. And what a concert it was, as part of her
Backwoods Barbie tour. For those of you
who don’t know The Birmingham Arena, it’s an enormous venue and it is a true
testament to Dolly, that despite her tiny height, she filled that vast space
with a truly memorable concert and I certainly felt every number was being sung
directly to me, albeit that Dolly was but a small dot on the distant
stage. Her passion for the songs and her
audience were certainly evident, the songs interspersed with lots of personal
anecdotes, and you could almost feel you were having a cosy chat with her over
a cup of tea in your front room!
But back to Michael Ball,
the interview was some years after this concert, and he admitted that the title
track Dolly’s earlier Little Sparrow album, had made him bawl! I can sympathise with him totally as, at the
Backwoods Barbie concert, the emotions were certainly well and truly running
high and the sentiments of the songs, the enormity of the event, the tangible
love and warmth of the “room” had me bawling and tears rolling down my cheeks
when she sang the title track; “Backwoods Barbie”, but also during “In My
Tennessee Mountain House” and the really heart-wrenching “Coat of Many Colours”
– but I wasn’t alone, as I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house!
