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 50^th 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 21^st 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 21^st 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!