Feeling French

We are in Montreal, in fact, it's our last evening here. I didn't blog from Ottawa, never got enough air-time. We loved Ottawa - not just because of certain friends who live there, but because it is a lovely, relaxed city with many things to see and do. It has beautiful old government buildings, and we were regular visitors to the Byward market, a place to unwind in pubs, cafes, and market stalls selling beautiful summer berries, flowers and vegetables. My favourite place to visit was the RCMP campus, where we got a tour of the RCMP museum, the stables, the training areas, and saw the wonderful horses! They're a cross between Hanoverians and thoroughbreds, between 15-17 hands high and have shining, dark chocolate colored coats. And I got to see the Van Gogh exhibition - wondering if it will come to Australia? The works were not very well known to me, many were still life paintings. It was interesting to see how his paintings changed with his mental status. Once he was out of the asylum, the paintings took on so much more complexity. As usual, I liked two of the paintings which did not 'rate' a postcard, but that's ok. Art is different for everybody. I also loved the Innuit art collection at the National Art Gallery, especially the carvings, they are so powerful! I love the Innuit sculptures, especially the 'dancing bear' and some of the owls, of course.
Montreal has been, shall we say, different! The French influence is, of course, unmistakable, and I had to dig deep for my vocabulary, although people happily switch to English when they see you're struggling. The city certainly has a different 'flavour' to other Canadian cities I've seen. The Vieux Port (old port) is beautiful, the Notre Dame cathedral an amazing work of art, the quartier Latin very quirky, vibrant and colourful. The students from the nearby Universite de Canada a Montreal look a lot less conventional than our lot at La Trobe! They're not afraid to be 'out there' in appearance! The students were protesting peacefully against increased student fees, and on the Grand Prix weekend, so the police was front and centre, the place was just crawling with them! I think they were probably spoiling for an excuse for a melee! Interesting how they all hung out near Dunkin' Donuts! The food is pretty good here too, one can actually find things other than hamburgers and fries! Can't fault the crepes, sweet or savoury. It's even fun watching TV here, all the US sitcoms are translated into French... I was watching a childrens' TV show - I could actually follow that! The French here is very different from the 'French' French I learned so many years ago.
Tomorrow we board the HAL "Maasdam" and head to Quebec.

Mennonite country

We picked up a car in Toronto this morning and headed to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, about an hour's drive west of Toronto. Driving was fairly easy once we got used to driving on the wrong side of the road again. The highways here are huge, 12 lanes across sometimes. But all is well signposted, and we found ourselves north of Waterloo, looking for a little town called St. Jacobs. My Canadian FB friends have often talked about this place, so I definitely wanted to see it. We were lucky with the weather; it rained on the way, but once we got to St. Jacobs, the storm had passed and it was even sunny at times. As soon as we drove through the farmlands, I was enchanted by the big Amish-style barns and grain silos. Would have loved to look inside one! As interesting as the big cities are, I just love countryside! St. Jacobs was just delightful, and no sooner had I left the visitor information store, did I see a black buggy with two proud horses and a Mennonite couple dash past! I was too gobsmacked to even get my camera out! I so much wanted to see that, and was lucky enough to see many such buggies drive past over the next hour. And when I discovered the quilt shops - well, my day could hardly get any better! I just want to live at the Mennonite quilt shop, and if not there, then at the First Nations art shop next door. Although I would not say no to a stay at the Christmas shop either. Had lunch under a huge maple tree, and made rather a mess of my credit card - but let's not go there.... Leaving beautiful St. Jacobs behind us, we powered up the highway, back via Toronto, and landed in a little place called Belleville (somewhat of a a misnomer, I'm afraid). Still, the culinary highlight was a pulled pork bun (delicious), an Alexander Keith light ale (my new favourite), and my first coffee at Tim Horton's. AND I found those gorgeous maple leaf cookies and maple-blueberry tea my friend Kathryn and I love so much.
DH has taken to photographing quirky signs. Found a good one  tonight: "Worms for sale. 24 hours". So, if you have a craving for worms at 11:30pm, that's the place for you!
Well, let's see what tomorrow brings...

Mother Nature delivers!

As I suspected, nature is more liable than folk to render me awestruck! But there's not much that beats Niagara Falls in that regard. Our tour began with a drive into wine & fruit growing country, and the beautiful landscapes between the lakes. While some people sampled the (liquid) produce, we admired the stately houses along the Niagara River. Just gorgeous! I loved the Amish-style barns, and even spotted a Mennonite lady in traditional garb. The drive up to the falls was mostly pleasant, there were some delightful guest houses and B&Bs, and a superb golf course, with a gaggle of Canadian geese to keep order. From there we entered the rather garish Niagara Falls proper (on the Canadian side), and were shown to the Sheraton Hotel's Falls View dining room for lunch. Now I challenge anybody to beat that for a lunch with a view! You get to look down on both major falls, and the weather was, of course, just peachy. Can't fault the food either, hot, fresh and delicious. The falls were just incredible, so powerful, and the "Maid of the Mist" boats were just little toyboats from that height, whereas in real life they're quite large. We made our way down to the water and donned the blue plastic coats. We all looked like oversized condoms having a suspiciously good time in a washing machine! The raincoats did help though, once the boats make their way under the falls, you're just soaked. It was wild, wet, and wonderful, and even a couple of little rainbows came out! The roar of the water is almost threatening; no wonder folks in the old days thought the sounds came from angry spirits. Our next stop was at the helipad, and Wayne and I thought this was too good to miss - so a few minutes later yours truly had her first chopper flight. All I can say is - FUN!! The flight took 12 minutes and made its way up the river, across the falls and back again. It was really worthwhile, fantastic to see the falls from above, but also the whole water system. Happy but exhausted, we stopped in Niagara-on-the-Lake for a fortifying maple-walnut ice cream and a short walk down the main street. It is a pretty, tree-lined, cutesy village, but a little too artificial-touristy for my taste. Still, a nice final stop on our tour, and well removed from the tacky horrors of Niagara. I mean, why does anybody need a Hard Rock cafe in one of the world's most beautiful nature reserves? Back in Toronto - with the sunset reflected in the city's skyscraper windows -  we opted for a dinner in Chinatown. We lucked out; stopped at a restaurant , in front of which a pretty white dog was sitting. I felt that was a good omen, and it was - great food, cheap, plenty of it, and good service. We couldn't remember the name of the place, so Wayne called it the "Lucky Dog diner"... In fact, it was the Gourmet Restaurant, and I do recommend it. The duck was divine! A strawberry daiquiri has given me enough 'mellow' to guarantee a decent sleep. And tomorrow, we're off to Kitchener, Waterloo & St. Jacobs, then heading north towards Kingston. More soon.

Toronto - the good, the bad , and the ugly...

Haven't blogged for a while, but I thought our trip might provide a good opportunity to get into the habit again. Well, we're happily in Canada again, one of our favourite holiday destinations. This time, we're starting in Toronto and exploring some of the east coast. After the wonderful weirdness of Los Angeles, coming here was almost a relief! After a relaxed flight on Air Canada - I watched 4 blissful hours non-stop of the latest "Downton Abbey" series - we arrived in a bit of a heat wave, it seems. Balmy mid-20s and going up to 33C tomorrow! The time difference meant we had a short-ish day, which I didn't mind, having woken at 5am to be at the airport at 8am! Enjoying a few quiet moments before bed, we were rudely jolted out of our jetlagged stupor by the hotel fire alarm. I knew we should have refused the room on the 22nd floor! So, down we trot, with a few likeminded zombies, into the lobby, which looked like a night club. Young folk in various state of undress and sobriety lolled about, madly texting, fire engines out the front, police on bikes cruising past. Nobody knew - or cared - if there really was a fire. Toronto's finest were present and seemed to be enjoying the party. After 20 minutes of aimless loitering, we were allowed back into our rooms. I still don't know if there was a fire, although I did smell something burning around the 11th floor, not that anybody seemed to be worried.
Today we made use of the hop-on, hop-off bus services and explored Toronto from a double-decker bus. Great way to see the city. I wasn't too sure what to expect from Toronto, so I was pleasantly surprised by the contrasts in neighbourhoods and architecture. All I saw from the bus into the city were skyscrapers and urban canyons. On today's excursion, it was gratifying to see some of the original architecture, the beautiful trees and parks, old churches, as well as the modern buildings, and the tranquil islands with swans, baby ducks, and people making the most of their weekend. And - I will have you know that we sampled Canada's national dish, poutine. I say sampled and mean it, a taste was quite enough, thank you. My arteries snapped shut upon entry. It was kind of the chef at the "Loose Moose" to let us try a bit, and I can see its potential as a comfort food. If you want to call poutine food, that is.
Our last stop was the Eaton Centre, where I wanted to see the flying geese sculpture. It's a nice, airy space, and I think I could spend a Canadian winter in there, only to emerge in spring, bear-like, but not with cubs.
Sadly, all the good impressions of this city came to an abrupt end at Dundas Place, a mad spot if I ever saw one. Some bloke, down in his luck, had decided to set himself up to make a buck, and had taken a small kitten along to serve as his way of generating income, by having people take photos and charging for it, presumably. Now, I have nothing against capitalist enterprise, and good luck to the fellow for dreaming up a way to raise revenue. However, I draw the line at animal cruelty, and making this poor little scap of a feline share his misery. In a forest of legs, assaulted by wayward children, and made a specatacle of by an uncaring owner, this traumatised creature's eyes will be what I remember about Toronto. I'm sure the kitten was not even 8 weeks old. Not being the sort to let such things pass, I looked for a police person, but of couse, when you need one, you dont see one. So I called the police department from the hotel, and guess what, they didn't want to know! They passed me on to the local SPCA. This being a Sunday, all one got was a recorded message. Very sad. Was it Gandhi who said that a civilisation is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable members?
But tomorrow is another day, and we're getting outta town to see Niagara Falls. I do prefer nature to so-called civilisation, it is much less cruel. So I'm hoping for a good day on the "Maid of the Mist".

Sternsinger

2012 has started and I'm just about getting used to writing the year without hesitating! My year began in wintry Germany, with colourful fireworks going off everywhere, but me not seeing much of them except for reflections on fog! Hopefully, the fogginess is not indicative of what lies ahead, although, so far, my head hasn't really cleared up, partly because of jet lag, and partly due to a head cold.

Every now and then I have a hankering for a German Christmas; an excuse to catch up with family for a fun occasion, and some vague nostalgia for Christmases past. No bah humbug for me! Once again, I wasn't disappointed in what the old country had to offer, except perhaps the lack of a decent layer of snow. It was unseasonally mild for winter, and I only saw snow fall twice, not lasting long enough to get the camera out. Magically, some white flakes appeared on Christmas eve, just when the 'Christkindl' was making its approach.

I've written before about Christmas traditions in Germany, however, there was one tradition I had forgotten all about, and one which I was reminded about while travelling just after New Year. There is, in Germany and I believe, several other European countries, a tradition of "Sternsinger" (Star singers), walking through the streets between Christmas and Epiphany (6th December). These are mostly children, dressed as the three kings, Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar, and singing a variety of carols. The impetus comes from the churches, who collect money this way for childrens charities. In 2011, the money went to support children in South America.

According to Wikipedia, this tradition goes back several hundred years. Children and young adults are sent out from the church, often after a Sunday mass, and knock on doors, offering to sing, pray, or recite a poem. Then the star singers convey a blessing, in the form of letters written on the door, in consecrated chalk. In Germany, the letters would likely be 20*C+M+B+12 ( the current year, a star symbolising the star of Bethlehem, three crosses symbolising the trinity, and CMB, which some believe stands for the 3 kings, others think they mean Christus mansionem benedicat/Christ bless this house). Different areas have different ways of writing the blessing.

I came across some star singers in a cafe, in a small town near Frankfurt. They were singing a song of the 3 kings, and people were happy for their song and their blessings, contributing to the collection quite handsomely! It was nice to see an old tradition kept alive, and I hope political correctness doesn't destroy this basically Christian event.

Shopping - love it, hate it

Haven't been here for a while, haven't had much to write about. Study and long service leave conspire to keep me around home a lot, which I don't mind. Especially as I'll be travelling soon enough, visiting friends in Singapore and my family in Germany over Christmas. Which means I need to organise my Christmas shopping, card writing, and general preparations RIGHT NOW!

So, armed with my little list, I headed off to Highpoint shopping centre yesterday, expecting to find at least half a dozen items on my list. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. And now I understand why people have changed their shopping habits so much in the recent years.

I was trying to find a particular DVD, and was confident I would find it in the ABC Shop, the DVD being a BBC production. Wrong. So I tootled off to JB Hifi, again, no luck. Ok, onto the next item. I was looking for a (branded) Tshirt. I had spotted them in a local shop, but was sure I could find one at a better price in one of the bigger stores. More stores, more competition, better prices, right? Wrong. The particular brand of tees was quite expensive, and I didn't see the point of paying $$$ for something mass produced in China, of flimsy material, just because it boasts a 'name'. So, tick that one off. The next item, not exactly on my list, were a pair of trousers. The shop didn't have the right colour in my size, "but we'll get them in later this week." Well, goodo, that's another trip into town. And so it went on. In the end, after about 3 hours of traipsing around, I returned home with one item.

I got onto the net, and within 1/2 hour had purchased most of the items I had been looking for, at reasonable prices, with no outlay on petrol, no frustration, no mind-numbing walking around a crowded shopping centre. So, now I understand why retailers who are not online will just not 'make the cut' in the future. Admittedly, some items will always be tricky to buy online, but I'm definitely a convert to internet shopping!

Night moves

Yesterday, we celebrated 29 years of wedded bliss. Well, wedded something...lol! Still, not a bad effort in this age of disposable relationships. I actually found a new German word that reflects a different attitude to the whole wedded bliss thing - you don't have a husband, wife, spouse, you have a "Lebensabschnittspartner" (ha! - pronounce that!). Roughly translated, you marry a "life stage partner", implying that once that particular stage is over, so is the relationship. The concept must have been invented by divorce lawyers as a revenue raiser.

Never mind, we decided to mark the happy occasion with a night in town, starting with dinner at the Left Bank restaurant, situated between Southgate and the casino. Lovely food, awesome cocktail list - yes, I did indulge in a mojito - and beautiful surroundings. The night was surprisingly balmy, spring has certainly sprung. We hadn't been in town after dark for a very long time, and I enjoyed the different appeal of the city at night. Walking along the river with the crowds, we watched art being made by the chalk painter, listened to an ageing busker play the saxophone - expertly, 'oooh-ed' and 'aahhh-ed' at the casino flues bursting into fire, and heard the thump-thump of the music in the bars. This is a time of change and renovation at Southgate, one of Melbourne's entertainment precincts. There are a number of new restaurants at Crown casino, and many of the shops have closed. It struck me that the new restaurants, Nobu, Spice Temple, Guillaume, and others, are virtually closed off from view. Now, for my part, I like to see what I'm getting into, and would much prefer to see an inviting dining space instead of a menu and closed doors. Is that their idea of exclusivity? Not for me, I'm afraid.

We're not into gambling, but took a shortcut through the casino, which was packed. So many people sitting alone in front of machines, looking bored or sad! The casino itself is looking more like a tired old dame these days, only sustained by clever lighting and delusions of self-importance. We agreed that the whole complex is actually quite boring! On the way back, we passed some more drinking holes, with groups of young folk hanging out. We stopped for a while, just watching people go by, and admiring the cityscape by night. Flinders Station glowed in the dark, the golden bee on the Eureka Tower cast a baleful eye at us, a small child allowed up past her bedtime was blowing bubbles, the river sparkled, and an evidently vision-impaired 30-something wavedat me, shouting "Hello gorgeous!", much to DH's amusement.

Yes, I felt at home in my city at night.

Spring night

Clouds drifting apart

reveal diamantine skies.

Frog symphonies surge.

Haiku fun

My friend Jean sent me this haiku. Thought it was quite clever -

Haikus are great fun

But sometimes they don't make sense

Refrigerator

Apparently it was on a t-shirt. I must search for a few more fun haikus. It's a serious art form, but who says one can't have a little fun!

In the meantime, if you see any good ones, keep sending them in (remember to attribute them to the author)!

Winter

Shivering crimson,

liquidambar leaves resist

bleak winter landscapes.

Good Vintage!

Spent a pleasant afternoon at the Melbourne inaugural "Love Vintage" show at the Royal Showgrounds yesterday. I saw the ad a couple of weeks ago and thought it might be a good place to see some fashion from my favourite period, the Art Deco era (approx. 1920s-1930s). Remember the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries on BBC? Well, Diana Rigg (of former 'Avengers' fame) embodied the style magnificently. As did the girls from 'The House of Elliott'!
Although I did see some nice pieces from that era, much of the period fashion available was really from the 1950s and 1960s, and I got the feeling quite a lot of it was more or less 'Op Shop Chic'. I wouldn't have been seen dead in some of the clobber in the 1950s either!
On a more positive note, the fashion show highlighted some of the better samples, especially some of the 'flapper' style dresses, which were often made of sheer fabric and heavily embroidered. They're really museum pieces and need to be treated with respect and care, so fragile are some of them. Looking through the racks, I did see some amazing fabrics, even if the dresses weren't all that stylish. There were lots of other paraphernalia, such as shoes, hats, gloves (actual kid gloves!), scarves, handbags, and jewellery. A couple of antique shops specialising in 'vintage' items had some exquisite pieces on show. I was glad to see a good assortment of Leah Stein brooches, even though they were somewhat overpriced. These very distinct Art Deco style brooches are made of a bakelite material, and are very collectable. I didn't have the money to spend on one, but I got myself a little black cat brooch which is in similar style.
One activity I really enjoyed watching was the 'vintage' hairdressing. Two hairdressers turned visitors into screen godesses before our eyes! Remember those elaborate hairdos of the 40s, with chignons, rolls, and piled-up curls? Some of the show's visitors had dressed up in period style, and the hairstyle just added that final touch! Even little girls, with long tresses, were turned into little 1940s poppets!
While rummaging through the garments, I noticed that most of them were for very small sizes; I guess not many people had much to eat after the wars, with rationing and all, and were of small build. Today's average women's size is a 14, in those days it looked more like a 10 to 12.
I had to restrain myself at one of the stands; they were selling a stack of 24 original 1930s hand pieced quilt blocks, enough to make up a queen-sized bed spread! Very tempting, but I remembered just in time the number of UFOs languishing on my sewing table! Instead, I found this adorable little Art Deco Dachshund, which, after taking its coat off, turns into a pocket comb!
And it was made in England!

Tut, Tut

Last week, we braved the weather and the crowds to see the Tut-ankh-amun exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. I was very much looking forward to this, having had an interest in this 'nerdy' sort of stuff since I was a kid in school. Archaeology has always fascinated me, and after a brief childhood period of wanting to be a nurse (whatever possessed me?), my career plans were firmly on the path to archeology, until a history teacher nearly bored me to death. I remember reading about Howard Carter's great discovery, read his correspondence with his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, and wondered about "the curse of the pharaohs"! I quickly got the archaeology bug out of my system, thank goodness, but the interest in Egyptology remained.
Our encounter with the boy king started with a 15-minute 3D movie about mummies, embalming, culture, and religion in 1300 BCE. I'm just a fan of 3D and it ended all too quickly! Then we stood in line for a while to enter the exhibition, with hundreds of others, including school classes. I'd never seen the museum so crowded! They did a good job with crowd control though, and let about 30 people at a time through the doors. Armed with audio equipment, we made our way into the dimly lit space, listening to Omar Sharif's dulcet voice explaining the exhibits. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet, but as soon as you walk in, the atmosphere becomes hushed. There's definitely a sense of awe and wonder as you walk around, slowly taking in the statues, jewellery, and artifacts. The craftsmanship is sublime, and I could weep for not being able to take photos. It's amazing how well preserved some of these items are, considering their age (over 3ooo years) and the way archeology was conducted back in the 1930s.
It struck me that the statues all had a timeless look about them, and I wondered, from an artistic point of view, how this was achieved. I noticed that they all looked straight ahead, the head at a 90degree angle. Usually, artists mark eyes with a small white dot, which makes the eye come alive. The eyes on the Egyptian artifacts were black, and had a large iris. The upper 1/3 of the iris was under the eyelid, leaving a small area of white above the lower lid. This makes the statue appear to look above or beyond the viewer, and, apart from their antiquity, appears to give them a timeless look.
Some of the items on display were quite whimsical, such as a beautifully worked dog collar. Obviously, Egyptians loved their dogs. The other items I liked were the little 'tool boxes', that accompanied the pharaoh's shabtis or helpers in the afterlife. There were some magnificent pieces on display, however, I would have loved to see the famous gold and blue mask of Tut-ankh-amun. Alas, it's in New York, so unless I get to the Cairo Museum, I doubt I'll get to see it in real life.
The museum did a great job with this exhibition, and since it's on until October, I might even go see it again.

Senor! The man and the legend

'Going to a rock concert' ist such a baby boomer thing to do! There we were, with a few thousand others of our generation, making our way to see a legend of rock music, Bob Dylan. I say rock music, but one could never really classify his music in any definite way. Blues, country, rock, ballads, his style would not be pinned down. Of course he's in my musical memory from way back in the 60s and 70s, with songs such as "Lay Lady Lay", "Hurricane", and "Blowing in the wind" popping into my head at random.
The warm-up act was Paul Kelly, with a young chap on guitar. Surprisingly, Paul sounded more like the quintessential Bob Dylan than the man himself! I hadn't seen Paul in concert, and enjoyed his powerful voice and the guitars. Paul entertained us for an hour, and then the excitement level went up noticeably, when Dylan's band came on stage.
When Dylan entered, the arena went wild, and I had a powerful flashback to the rock concerts of my youth; the whistles, screams, and atmosphere were electric, and I felt goosebumps! Dylan and the band launched into their program without further ado; three electric guitars, a drummer and a chap on keyboards, plus the main man singing, playing the keyboard, guitar, and harmonica. At 70, he's got enough energy to keep going with no more than a brief 5-minute break.
The band was spectacular; they played with a precision that was awe-inspiring, and the Rod Laver Arena sound system did them full justice. It was a visceral experience, the bass rattling my bones, and the guitars waaAAIIiiling, all the while with Dylan's raspy voice belting out the lyrics. The second song was the old 'Senor' (Tales of Yankee Power), and for me the highlight of the evening. Dylan's voice was just searing, a fierce new take on the old ballad. He sang a few new songs I hadn't heard before, and some old ones, some of which I had trouble recognising at first. I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed with his voice and new arrangements of some old songs. Much of the time, he used a raspy, gravelly, staccato voice, which became artificial and repetitive. Occasionally, his 'real' voice broke through for a while, and the old Dylan was there again. He's used a kind of 'speaking song' (a bit like Leonhard Cohen) from way back, but he does have a wonderful voice when he chooses to use it, only too rarely.
There were some great tunes, including a couple of blues, country, and even swing numbers, and he had us all rockin' along happily, until it all came to a sudden stop, after 2 hours of play.
As always, Dylan will have the critics in a tizz. For me, the music was brilliant, the man still a legend, and say what you may, GenY, the Lady Gaga's, Pinks and Katys won't still be inspiring a generation when they're 70!

Our new housemate

You're probably over reading about our new kitty, so you'll have to wait for the next post for something hopefully more interesting! For those who don't mind an update about our new feline housemate, read on.
We've already got a pet who's in our face 24/7 (Claude), and now Pretzel is shaping up as another one! The Pretzelator loves nothing more than attention, and being told he's the prince of cats, the most handsome, intelligent, sweetest, most interesting cat in the world... and he likes to be told about every five minutes, while being cuddled and patted. If he goes without attention for too long, boy, does he let you know! I've never had such a talkative cat, and worry sometimes if something's wrong, but the vet was happy with him. I've never heard such noises coming out of a cat! Especially in the evening, he starts what I call his 'cat song'. He likes to 'sing' in the bathroom - his voice reverberates so nicely in there! It reminds me of my father-in-law, who said he had a great voice, just a rough passage! Well, Pretzel might be the Pavarotti of cats, but his repertoire is quite limited. He and Mitzi are on howling terms at the moment. They've had two close encounters, I think Mitzi won the first, Pretzel the second. We still keep them apart to some degree; I'm happy if there are no fights. Noisy conversations are par for the course.
Pretzel walks quite nicely on a lead; we go for walks at least once a day. Half the time he sits and takes it all in, or winds around my legs, or watches Claude do silly dog things, but the little devil sure knows where the road and the fence are! I steer him away from that particular temptation, but I'm sure he'd hit the road in a flash if left unrestrained. I feel sorry for him being an indoor cat, but then he's safe, loved, and cared for, so it has its compensations. And he won't bother the wildlife! Claude likes his new little mate, he's very excited when he comes on cat-walks with us. Of course, Pretzel completely ignores him - the natural order of things...

Crossing the miles

I've found a new amusement: postcards! In fact, an old amusement, since I've collected postcards from way back. When I moved to Australia, I had to leave my old collection behind, and gave them to people who wanted them for the stamps. I started collecting again a while ago, and have just recently joined 'Postcrossings'. This is a website that arranges postcard swaps. You register and request an address, to which you send your card. The recipient, upon receipt of your card, registers it and can upload the picture. Once your card is registered, your address is given to someone else, who will send you a card. You can specify the kind of card you want or what your interests are via a profile page.
So far, I have sent 5 cards, and received 3. What I like about it is that I learn things from doing this. For example, I received my first postcard from Taiwan, and was told about an area famous for its hot springs and witches! Baffled, I googled it and apparently a local legend exists that the steam rising from the hot springs led people to believe they were witches' cauldrons boiling! I also learned that the state animal of Oregon is the American beaver, and about Jill Mansell, the author.
People are having all kinds of fun with this, such as the Postcrossings Postcard Art group, that specialises in arty postcards. I am going to turn some of my photos into postcards, and send them around the world. One of my addressees liked handmade postcards, so I quilted him one!
I think I shall have some fun with this.

Friends, cats and disasters

Everything always comes at once - great happiness and sadness, minor and major disasters, bills, and blessings true and mixed. This was one of those weeks! Right on top of the floods, Queensland is again hammered, this time by cyclone "Yasi". Followed by more floods, this time in Victoria, and fires, over in Western Australia. And not to forget the snowstorm wreaking havoc in the USA. Extreme can be fun, but extreme weather isn't, especially if it doesn't stop sometime!
This week, a friend had to evacuate after the unrelenting rain dumped nearly 200mm of rain in 2 days. It had invaded her house, and neither sandbagging nor pumping was able to stop the encroaching waters. Taking dog, cats, birds, and husband, she moved in with family, to wait until the water had receded. Now for the cleanup! I wish I lived closer, so that I could help her in this crazy time. My thoughts and love are with you, Chris!
While families are surveying what remains of their once beautiful homes, all over the country, some silly and naive souls are finding pleasure in the wet surroundings, digging out surfboards and blow-up lilos to play in the churning waters. Even though it's a pretty stupid thing to do, especially when rescue services are stretched to the max already, another part of me understands that impulse. Who can say they've surfed down the main street of XXX, when XXX is 400km away from the nearest surf beach?! However, some of them must be candidates for the Darwin Award, like the idiots riding jet skis all the way into the back of other cars....enough said!
Amidst all the mayhem, a cat found its way into our lives - seconds from being roadkill, her curiosity about a stranger (me) meant she was whisked into my car and to safety. Not that she appreciated it, in fact, she protested loudly! And has continued to do so. Now, this is not your average moggy, this is a pedigree chocolate-point Birman. At $750 a pop, these cats are not designed to be outdoors, on the loose. At the very least, one would expect her to have a micro-chip for identification. But no, whoever her owners were, they didn't bother to chip their pet. So, if nobody claims her within 8 days, she's ours. I'm afraid we're hers already. After another friends suggestion, we'll probably name her Yasi, after the cyclone. She blew in and wreaked havoc....

Storm at Sea

The seas and heavens have been stormy these past days, and made me think of this particular quilt block, called "Storm at sea". It is a slightly complex pattern that results in a wavy, secondary pattern in a quilt, even though there is no curved piecing (yay!). I plan to make one of these later in the year and have been collecting teal and cream fabrics for it.
As with many quilt blocks, there is some history attached to its provenance. "Storm at sea" is a biblical block, one of several used first by quilters in America. There are Old Testament blocks, e.g. Rose of Sharon, Jacob's Ladder, Joseph's Coat, and New Testament blocks, such as Crown of Thorns, Star of Bethlehem, Road to Damascus. "Storm at Sea" is a New Testament block, and is related to a verse in the bible:
"..and there arose a great storm of wind and the waves beat into the ship so that it was full." When Jesus awoke, he rebuked the wind, but he also rebuked the men for lacking faith. Why are we fearful? Mark 4: 36-41
Other interesting quilt blocks and their history can be seen on the website "Free Quilt Patterns from History" (http://www.patternsfromhistory.com/).
I for one, wouldn't mind being wrapped in a "Storm at Sea" quilt if I had to wait out a storm.
My thoughts are with the people in Queensland recovering from floods and cyclone Yasi.

Victoria 2011 (haiku)

Waters rising fast,

undercurrents of despair;

not the state to be.

Doing without

So the new year has arrived and Mother Nature once again reminds us who's boss. I feel helpless in the face of so much misery created by the floods in Queensland. I don't know which is worse, floods or fire; lives are lost in both cases, and not only human lives, but animal lives as well. At least humans can understand what is happening, and hopefully get themselves to safety, whereas animals just panic and look for their owners to rescue them. So sad.
Seeing scenes on TV, people 'rescuing' fridges, carpets etc., the current events again reminded me how much luggage we carry around throughout our lives, and I wonder how much we really need compared to what we want or have. I confess to being somewhat of a 'material girl', I like my 'stuff'. At the same time, it ties me down. I began to think what I would really need in an emergency situation, but then it occurred to me to consider what I really can't do without. So, what would I place in the car, boat or helicopter that would take me to safety?
Given that DH would look after his own emergency kit, and we would both look after the pets, we'd need some sturdy clothes/shoes to see us through the immediate emergency. Our passports, birth certificates, insurance policies. A couple of USB sticks with photos and PhD files. Medications, mobile phone & charger, wallet. What else does one really need, when all one can take needs to fit into a rucksack?
If I could take more, perhaps some food (incl. pet food), a pillow, a quilt, a book. Which book?
Hmm, something escapist, a Sheri Tepper novel perhaps. Or poetry, Walt Whitman maybe. My iPod, my fabric stash, quilts, photo albums.
Almost everything is replaceable. So, although disaster might befall me, could I do without? Of course, one must, in such circumstances. I hope my family, friends, and I are never tested in such a way, and that Mother Nature calms down again soon, so people in Queensland can start to rebuild their lives.
In the meantime, my new year's resolution is to reduce the amount of 'stuff' in my life, and recycle more. What would you put into your backpack?

Traditions

"A time-honored practice or set of such practices." I like traditions; in this fast-paced world, they provide constancy and a link to important events, people, and emotions from the past. Every family has its own traditions, and so do groups of friends, colleagues, and whole populations. It's Christmas time, which makes us remember Christmas traditions. I wanted to share a few of my Christmas traditions. These were established by the German and American members of my family, and continued by me, my sister and cousins.
The Christmas season in northern Europe starts will the first of four Sundays before Christmas Day, a period called "Advent". To mark the Sundays, most homes will light candles on a "Advent-Wreath", wound from pine branches and decorated with baubles and berries. Of course, each child must have an "Advent-Calendar"! Opening each little door and finding a chocolate or other surprise is a highlight of the day.
December 6th is St. Nicholas' Day. On this day, children wake up to find a"Rute" - a few tree branches tied together - at the end of their bed. If they've been 'good', the Rute has chocolates hanging from it; if they've been naughty, they just find the bare Rute, or a lump of coal.
All through December, towns have "Christkindl-Markets", and these are very much part of the Christmas tradition. Wrapped up against the cold, and fortified with some mulled wine, these markets are a great place to while away a few hours. The smells are amazing, from the spiced wine exuding smells of cinnamon and cloves, the gingerbread hearts, and of course, the hot chestnuts roasting in a large pan (they keep your fingers warm through your mittens). Not to be missed are the sausages on fresh bread rolls, and the roasted and caramelised nuts. Stand after stand tries to tempt you into buying Christmassy things, and let me tell you, they're quite successful! A typical item is one of the "Zwetschgen-Maenner" (prune men), little people made of prunes and dressed in a variety of costumes; they are local to the Frankfurt area.
In Germany, Christmas is celebrated mainly on 24th December, when the "Christkind" (Christ child) comes in the late afternoon or early evening, announced by the ringing of a bell. The Christmas tree is usually decorated in the afternoon of the 24th, while the children are distracted or baking cookies. Once the bell rang, all the family celebrated, with Christmas music playing, or singing, and the presents were opened. My sister and I always received a plate containing oranges, mandarines, dates, nuts, cookies, and chocolates. When we were little, there was also a doll's house and a little shop to play with. The shop was full of goodies, such as lollies and chocolate coins, which didn't last much past Christmas! Then Mum made dinner, usually a shrimp salad (Dad's favourite), a grilled pork roast with potato salad, and some home made cookies for afters. I still make the pork roast and potato salad on Christmas Eve. If my Grandmother was visiting, we went to midnight mass, well wrapped up because of the cold. In those days, mass was in Latin, and combined with the decorations, the late hour, and well known hymns, it was a special time. Often it snowed, and everybody was dressed in heavy woolen coats.
On Christmas Day, we kids played with our presents, and chatted to relatives on the phone, while Mum was busy making a turkey. This was the American Christmas tradition. Dad loved his turkey, and was happiest when Mum cooked the whole bird. It had all the trimmings, cranberry jelly, mash and gravy, peas and carrots, and little onions in white sauce. She never cooked stuffing, so that's a tradition I started. Other German families ate goose at Christmas, served with potato dumplings and red cabbage. In those days, turkey was not widely available in German shops, so duck or goose, or game was the meat of choice. In the afternoon, we often went for walks, to see how people decorated their home and trees. Before WW2, Christmas lights were unknown in Germany, trees were lit with real candles (resulting in quite a few fires!). Once the US forces were in Germany, they brought the Christmas lights along and so a new tradition was started.
My sister kept all my German grandmother's recipes for cookies and Stollen, a type of Christmas cake. She still uses the recipes to make cinnamon stars, bear paws, coconut macaroons, hazelnut and walnut cookies, butter cookies, and "Spitzbuben" ('rascals'), which are butter cookies baked with a layer of rose hip jam. The American contribution to our cookie collection were toll house cookies, still a favourite of mine. Other seasonal delicacies were "Domino-Steine" (little cookies made from layers of gingerbread, marzipan, and jam, then coated with chocolate. Gingerbread is very popular, and there are many varieties - all of which have to be sampled, of course!
When we were little, Dad got us a real Christmas tree, and it was just magical for us kids. The smell of fresh pine was wonderful. The tree was adorned with home-made decorations made by my sister and me in school, some glass baubles, and lots of tinsel. Can one still find old-fashioned tinsel? Now I have only one glass ornament left from our family tree, a little Santa in a yellow coat, and it always has pride of place on my tree.
Even though I don't have children, I love celebrating Christmas, decorating the house and tree, and finding things that remind me of my heritage. I still like to cook a turkey, complete with stuffing, even if it's just for the two of us (sometime a few 'orphans' come together to celebrate!). I'm not a baker, but might try my hand at baking a batch of butter cookies again this year. I still light candles on the Advent Sundays, no matter if it's 40C outside. I try and get together with as many friends as possible around Christmastime; it's more fun celebrating together. And occasionally, I just have to experience a real German Christmas - and fly off to the real Winter Wonderland! What's your Christmas tradition?
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY