A summer of hat tricks.

Detail of Colchester Castle.

This summer has been notable for it's hat tricks, the best being 3 reunions with long-lost friends. The first one I posted about here, which is where I met friends I'd gone to PCAD with. The next occurred when I went to see the Tempest at Cressing Temple Barns, and I was very happy to run into a friend I'd lost contact with. Paula & I went to school and then art college together. Over the years, despite us both moving around, we had infrequently ran into each other until around 15 years ago, when our paths stopped crossing. It is fabulous being back in contact and we've already been for a drink, had an afternoon sketching, and talked and talked and talked. Finally, today I met another school friend today who I have been in contact with, but have not physically met for about 5 years. The couple of hours over coffee flew past far too quickly and I was very sad to wave her goodbye just now. However, we talked about a revisit to Barcelona, where we went for a weekend way-back-when, next summer, which would be fabulous to do. Furthermore, if nothing else we will have a glass of wine, or two, next time I'm home.

Reunited and having a sketchday.

3 Sketch days - First, mid-August I met the talented artists Anita Davies and Joan Sandford-Cook (Anita's work is here and Joan's here) at the Five Miles Inn, in the Fens.
Beginning of September Sandra of Sandraws came up to Colchester for the day and we spent the time drinking tea, chatting, and doing a lot of sketching. The Colchester Castle pic at the top of the post was done then.
Finally, last week Paula & I spent the afternoon sketching around the Cressing Temple Barns site where her husband is the park ranger there (no sign of Yogi or Boo Boo though).
You can see the results and read about them on my other blog artofanomad.

3 Drawing classes - The drop-in life classes held in Prested Hall, Dr Sketchy's anti-artschool life drawing, and a watercolour workshop. Pictures and details also on artofanomad.

Now the biggest is I am about to start the third contract of the year in the third country this year. I am off to Qatar on Friday. inshallah

As you can see from the locator map, Qatar is back in the Middle East. It was the sensible decision as my flat and credit cards both need sorting out, but it is very difficult as my heart and soul want to be in Khartoum. Hopefully, in a year or so I can return there.

In some ways, I almost feel I could return to England to live too, I think this is due to reuniting with like-minded friends and also making new friends here. Also, because of the opportunities for art and culture but, it is soooo cold. Food for thought over the next year, I feel.

Three, two, one... Finally, this summer I've been to London 3 times, (not enough), twice to the theatre (also not enough), and one trip to Italy.

Flowers, friends & forgeries

Look at me!

On Saturday, I had a wonderful day in London. First stop was the National Portrait Gallery for the BP Portrait Awards, well after a breakie stop in one of my favourite cafés, Café in the Crypt, which is below St Martins in the Field church. Although dark, the café is wonderfully atmospheric, although I must confess I hate walking on the gravestones. At the exhibition, I discovered there seems to be a trend for producing a portrait that looks like a photo, whilst I appreciate the technical brilliance I can't really see the point. The winner's portrait was painted in a style reminiscent of Lucian Freud, but I found the subject matter rather grim,her dead mother. Overall, I liked the entries this year.

One of the gravestones underfoot. Café in the Crypt

Next door in the National Gallery's Sainsbury Wing I went and saw the exhibition Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes and Discoveries, which was interesting with x-rays of the paintings showing where/how they had been altered and paint samples proving they were fakes all next to the paintings. Moving into the main gallery, I had a quick stop by the Turners and saw an amazing Stubbs.

The reason for the trip was to go to a mini-reunion with some old-friends from art college. The 4 of us last met 25 years ago... I feel so old! We had a fabulous, albeit slight boozy afternoon, both catching up and talking about our distant past. It took place in a pub near Baker Street, so I headed over early and wandered into Regent's Park beforehand. I am totally flower obsessed this summer, so took lots of photos despite the showery day. 

Clarence Bridge 

 

 Finally, one last picture from the park:

Feeding geese under crazy umbrella

Gratitude Friday - a moment of peace

 

I wouldn't say I thrive on stress nor deliberately set out to have it, but I recognise that with my choice of job and its consequential lifestyle I certainly cause many stressful situations to occur in my life. For example, I started this year moving to a new country, away from friends and family, having to find my way in a new(ish) language & culture, as well as navigate trams & buses. I had a new job, new colleagues, and a lot of new materials & technology too. Now, despite fabulous people in Turin and great students, I cannot and will not put up with the working conditions the new company has and will be leaving soon. (I'm not alone as since I started, 2 people have already left & one other has handed in her notice). This means that the next few weeks will be full of changes and stress. Possibly the hardest part - more goodbyes. 

Therefore, in this chaos of my life, which is my choice, I was grateful to find a short respite of peace and beauty. I had a few hours before I needed to be at work so walking to the office I stopped at the Church of San Lorenzo is held; a magnificent building, but filled with school children on an outing. Walking on, I stopped at the imposing building of the church of San Francesco d'Assisi and entered. I am not particularly religious, rarely going to church or praying, although I do believe in God. There was something spiritually appealing in the beauty of the interior, combined with the silence in the huge church. I  sat in a pew a just Stopped. I stepping out of my life, the rushing around, the endless decision-making, and took this opportunity for a moment of peace. I am very thankful I found, and went in, this beautiful, quiet, old church.

Gratitude Friday - it's Friday!

I've just popped over to Diana's blog, and realised it is Gratitude Friday time... oops forgot again.

Today I am grateful that it's Friday, as it means tomorrow I am flying down to see some good friends in Calabria, who I can't wait to see and catch up on the gossip news. I will also check on my flat and do a few odds and ends there. The other reason that I'm grateful is that TOMORROW brings SketchCrawl #26 and it's the perfect motivation and chance to draw all day. On top of that, I love seeing all the results from around the world, which are posted afterwards. Also, my ego likes receiving comments from kind people who see my results too. Tomorrow will be my 3rd SketchCrawl and my least structured as I have to work around the travel I am doing, so I foretell pics of buses, planes, people & landscapes. Please pop over to my other blog later in the week to see what I did.

Finally, I am thankful today is a beautiful sunny day here in Turin, but a little sad in that the auction did not raise any money for Xmas Torch, although I think it raised some awareness of it, which must be good.

Gratitude Friday - 2 weeks of thanks

It was on Saturday afternoon that I realised I had missed Gratitude Friday, started by Diana at Creative Structures who you must check out, AGAIN! I was walking down the street with my new friend and colleague Sarah, so together we started taking count of things to be grateful for...

First for both of us was the fact that we had both started working for our company at the same time, and our friendship has made it easier to cope with the awful working conditions. Second, vicariously I'm thankful that she has got a new job in France, which is where she really wants to be, and I think she will be happier there. Although, I will miss her here, especially as we normally do something together on the weekend, if only to meet for a hot chocolate. Another thing to be grateful for is the lovely hot chocolate :D

I am also thankful for the cultural opportunities there are here. I continue to explore, although I didn't do anything last weekend, except visit the monthly antiques market in the sleet, snow &  rain, sometimes the weather was doing all three at the same time. I think I liked the table & chairs in the photo, but it was hard to tell. After the market I scuttled home and was definitely grateful for a warming cuppa. Monday was another concert, unfortunately apart from one, in which a poetry reading was part of the composition, I didn't really like the pieces they played. Still, I am very pleased and thankful for the opportunity to listen to more live music, and do some more sketching of the musicians. Finally, yesterday I went to a small private art collection and saw several, huge, magnificent Canalettos, TWO Picassos, Renoirs, and more WOW! It amazes me the way Canaletto captured light and I can always stand for ages just looking at his work. So I am very grateful this week for the chance to see some awesome art.

Lastly, sandwiched between the dreadful weather, the top photo was taken Thursday 11th February, and the torrential rain we've had today, Monday was lovely. I was fortunate in that I finished early and when I got off the first tram, I enjoyed returning home in daylight (I normally get home around 8/8.30) by walking the 4 or 5 blocks home. A very simple pleasure, but probably the most gratifying of the week.

Cultural catch-up

One of the reasons that I left Oman was my need for a bit more cultural stimulus. In the month that I have been in Turin I have certainly started rectifying that. So far, I have visited GAM (as I mentioned a few weeks ago). I have now visited the Antiquities museum, mainly because it was next to the Roman theatre and city gate, so I thought I'd pop in. Amazing Roman artefacts, as could be expected. On Saturday, a colleague and I visited Palazzo Madama, which is a real hotchpotch museum housed in a beautiful Savoy-era palace. Got a fabulous view from the tower over the city, but unfortunately it was reached by a glass elevator, which I hate.

Last night I went a concert billed as the "classical music of the future" at a venue near my flat. I find going to a concert alone a bit daunting, but as you can guess from the top picture I took along my sketchbook for company. After my pre-concert glass of red wine, I drew some of the instruments whilst waiting for the concert to start (above). I liked the double bass lying at the front of the stage, and was fascinated as he played. The second piece was played by four percussionists each with a xylophone plus drums, cymbals, whistles and other things. It was amazing! It was also it's première, so I wonder how it will do in the future... Will HM Qaboo's orchestra play it one day? After all he likes loud percussion pieces.

So that's 2 museums, an art gallery, and a concert so far In Italy, plus the ballet when I was home in UK. What next???

Gratitude Friday- attempt 2 RED

I'm still not overly inspired today, especially as I have to go out in the snow soon, and I know gratitude shouldn't be about things but...

I am grateful for the bottle of red wine a student gave me on Monday, which Sarah & I will open tomorrow.

Currently, I could not live with out my red kettle, (obviously combined with my Tetley's)...

nor the apartment's checked blanket.

I am also thankful for the glut of art that's in Turin. Below is an outside red sculpture I saw at GAM.

An emergency???!!!

 

Only in Italy...
Lunchtime today, the road & pavements were closed. The tram was stopped and 2 fire engines and a police car were on the scene... A fireman is dispatched up the ladder with...

a bucket & hammer????

There was plaster falling from the building & the performance was to knock down any more. ha ha

Gratitude Friday - The place of memorial

This week, on the 27th January, it was the Giorno della Memoria, a day for remembering the victims of the Holocaust, including survivors, and to honour of those who risked their lives to help those being persecuted.

In the square, near my new apartment, an installation ATMOSFERA by Davide Giglio was erected . At night, sounds and images were projected onto one of the balls of the war.(below right).

Whether it was day or night the installation caught the attention and made people, especially myself, reflect on the past horrors.  Furthermore, as this year marked the 65th year since the Auschwitz survivors were liberated, with fewer remaining survivors to remind us of what they endured, our generation and our children need to know and remember what happened in order to stop this type of atrocity occurring again.

Why am I writing this as my Gratitude Friday blog? Because I am grateful my family & I did not, and do not, have to live in such dreadful circumstances as there were in Nazi Europe. I am thankful that we are not afraid because of the colour of our eyes or size of our shoes, or some other random thing which makes us different. Strange examples? NO. Discrimination is not rational, which is why I used them, discrimination is about hating difference through ignorance. I am pleased we do not have to experience it.

I am thankful that in these times of mass media that people should not be able to ignore events such as the Holocaust again. I am hopeful that in this media age genocide of a people due to race or religion, as happened in Germany, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and is ongoing in Darfur, will stop occurring. Finally, I am grateful that people and nations choose to remember and mark events such as the liberation of Auschwitz, and the victims of the Holocaust.

Gratitude Friday - On Sunday

I know I am a bit late, and in fact this is my first gratitude post of 2010, but I have a lot of excuses of which the number one is a lack of internet accessibility. Excuse over, so today I am grateful for..

... the opportunities and choices I have. They may not necessarily turn out to be right in the long term, but at least I have options.

This new year sees me back in Europe, in the northern Italian city of Turin.This is my 3rd weekend here and I think it is a great cultural place to be with hundreds of museums and galleries to visit. Also, fabulous buildings to explore, and it is a beautiful city. So far, I have visited the the Galleria Civica D'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAM) and intend to see as many as possible over the coming weekends.

Now if only the sun would come out and allow me to take a few more pictures with blues skies, like the one above of the river Po, ... although below is one of my favourites this year... a tram in fog.

Wandering to Calabria?

If you are wandering down to Calabria,  check out this post I guest wrote for my cyber-buddy Lisa over at Travel Dreams & Moonbeams. Her blog is worth bookmarking as it's full of great travel articles.

Another year draws to a close.

I last wrote here on the 5th December my farewell to Oman, so here's a quick catch up...

From Oman I went to Italy for a lightning visit to the flat, and then an overnight stop in Pompeii. On my other blog I wrote that it was too cold to sketch, if I'd only known what would greet me in England a week later - I guess the pic above is a very big clue. Anyway, I was a bit disappointed in the site as it's been "restored" in so many parts it had lost a lot of what made it special (there are whole new complexes built Pompeii viva, roofs added, etc). I wandered around for an hour & half then had to retreat to a cafe for a warming cup of hot chocolate. The modern town is nice, and had an impressive array of Christmas lights (see below). From Italy I then fly into UK.

Five days later, it started to snow, & snow, & snow... The next day I had to get to London for an interview, so after waiting for a bus that didn't come, then borrowing dad's car, I finally got to the train station where I was surprised to find the trains running late, but all right. I made my interview on time and waited 30 minutes for the interviewer to arrive, as he'd got stuck with the snow. Due to my intrepid journey in the snow (or madness) I was accepted to work for the chain of language schools. I was interviewed and accepted to work at their Turin school on Monday - an early Christmas present. Consequently, in the new year I will be blogging from Italy.

On the 22nd, mum & I braved the snow & icy conditions to go to London. Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery off Trafalgar Square; one of my favourite London galleries. We viewed the exhibits from The Victorians up to date, which included a fabulous collection of the Bloomsbury set's paintings & drawings. Then we travelled up to North London to catch the matinee of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake - the contemporary version with the all male corps de ballet. It was fabulous!!! If you haven't seen it yet, GO!

Finally, although this year started full of hope with a wonderful man on holiday in South Africa, it turned into a very difficult year with that relationship ending, my dad's illness, the death of my uncle, and the difficult decision to leave my home, job & friends in Oman. However, I am finishing this year hopeful again, with my dad back to his normal cantankerous self, a new job and country a few weeks away, old friends keeping in touch and new friends to meet. Whatever 2009 brought you, I wish you health and happiness for the forthcoming year.

Adding airmiles.

Where does the time go? it's nearing 2 months since my last post. In my defence, I have been away for 3 weeks without my computer. Plus, to steal an idea from another blogger, I blame facebook as with regular status updates it's hard to remember what I've blogged and what I haven't.

Anyway what have I been up to???? Way back in June I had to do a visa run as my wonderful new college still hadn't organised my visa, so I day tripped to Dubai. As I was hoping to get a job back in Europe (I haven't yet), I thought I'd do some tourist things and take some photos. I went to Bur Dubai area and wandered around the old streets, nice car-free alleyways with old style buildings either side, visiting art galleries, the Dubai museum & the souq area. After several hours in the heat, I headed to the Dubai Mall to see the ski-slope in the desert, and to buy a suit. After the usual hassle with Barclaycard blocking my card for use in Dubai, despite them being told every time it's me using the card, I then caught a flight back to Muscat. My pics can viewed on flickr here.

A week later it was off on my holidays. I'd got a cheap flight to Italy via Amsterdam. I arrived there at 5am and headed off by train into Amsterdam for my first visit. With only a morning I aimed to wander around and take pics of the canals and bikes. On flickr Amsterdam's bikes and boats. I found it an interesting place, but apart from wishing to visit the galleries I will not hurry back. I took more photos on the return leg during an evening in Rome of L'arte romana. Not having a map or guidebook, and with the direct trains to Termini cancelled I hopped on a train, and got off where a fellow passenger said there was a tram stop. I was guided by this woman to purchase a tram ticket, and to get on the tram. She said the end was in the centre, and to get off with her, however... As I idly gazed out of the tram window watching the suburbs pass by I saw an interesting church, piazza, and old buildings and jumped off. I wonder if the woman noticed me missing from the tram? I later found out I was in an area called Trastevere, which is south of the river from the centre and unlike Amsterdam I certainly intend to return to. Unfortunately after a lovely evening meandering around, due to my cheap ticket I then joined the masses camped out at Rome airport waiting for a 4am checkin.

In the middle of the traveling, I drove to my flat in Calabria. It is really a pretty area of Italy, as my parents found out when they joined me a few days later. Together we did some tourist stuff, a few beach days, got caught out by a strike by petrol attendants (I was running the hire car on fumes so had a stop in a nice B&B Cirelli in Scalea), but mainly we ate HUGE Italian meals. A highlight for me was

Rifugio Montano escursioni Parco Nazionale del Pollino Orsomarso

which is down the valley from my flat. We went there via a waterfall in the park with 2 friends who live in the area year-round and we all had a great day & meal. Unfortunately during the whole holiday, being the only driver I didn't get to drink to much Prosecco, but have brought a bottle back with me to be opened soon. In fact the time has come to sign off and maybe visit the fridge :D Sx

Cavorting at carnival, admiring art, & fabulous food.

Wow I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. Most of the time has been spent in Europe (UK and Italy), and has been a time of mainly highs.

In UK, I finally went to Nottinghill carnival after years of it being on the "to-do" list. What a mad day, whistles, sound stages, friendly/helpful police, food stalls, thousands of people, processions... everything and far more that I had expected and a great day.

On another day in London, it was fantastic to watch J's reactions as he came face-to-face with old masters in the National Gallery, which previously he'd only seen bad reproductions of. His face was a mix of shock, wonder and amazement, especially at the Monets and Van Goghs. It was not only old masters that he liked, as we saw an exhibition in the new wing and there was a modern Spanish painting of a bull in a field that we both kept returning to look at.

We saw more art in Italy, when we went to the Vatican city, Rome. My 1st visit had been back in 2000. Although I remembered the Sistine Chapel and the Raphaels and it being a long walk, I hadn't remembered there being so many other works of art, including modern pieces. I was very surprised to see a Dali amongst the collection and some great sculptures. The afternoon before, J & I had revisited the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain & Spanish Steps etc. all on foot, though we caught metro back to hotel. Of course, we had many breaks for cakes, ice-cream, drinks and dinner.

I think we spent the whole time in Europe eating great food with fantastic wines, whether in expensive restaurants, roadside stalls, or riverside pubs. In UK alone, I had 3 lots of mussels, each time in a different sauce - the cider version at The Oyster Bar in West Mersea was one of my favourites. It was a restaurant I went to twice, once after walking the dog along the beach, when we sat outside overlooking the estuary to eat fish chowder then amazing dressed crab. Then, the second time almost a month later, we sat inside for mum's birthday lunch - mussels followed by Lemon Sole yum. Whilst in Italy, I experienced the spectrum of Italian cooking ranging from a typical Calabrian dinner, which came in many courses including TWO pasta dishes, to 3euro wood-oven pizzas. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all and I'm sure I'd get giggly if I wrote about Prosecco hic.

Finally, whilst in Italy J & I explored some lovely areas. We spent a lovely day walking along and picnicking by a river in the region of the Pollino National Park, which surrounds the village where I'm (hopefully) buying a flat. It really is quite beautiful and very tranquil. Although, as the flat sale still hasn't gone through, due to problems with the sellers, who knows if we will return. We also drove up the coast to Maratea, which is gorgeous, with it's picture-postcard port and its mountainous old town, and down to Diamante, which is a town covered in murals, fascinating.

Needless to say I did not want to return to Oman last Friday. However as it's Ramadan, which for us ex-pats that means a time of lots of house-parties and socialising, I'm quickly liking it again. More news soon.

Future home

I've just been looking through some blogs and found this link to The Independent and this article on Calabria - my future home, and where J & I'll be end of August for the local festa in Scalea. I love this quote:

"Calabria, with its 600 miles of Mediterranean coastline and a hilly, lush interior, still has a profound respect for a slower way of doing things. In its small, often tumble-down towns and villages, the four-hour lunch break is rigorously enforced. The hours between 12.30pm and 4.30pm are strictly reserved for sitting down for a glass of peppery wine and a plate of Calabria's hearty "national dish", pasta alla Norma – aubergines in tomato sauce with grated boiled egg, basil and ricotta cheese."

Sounds just perfect to me!