ON THE VALUE OF BREAKFAST

“All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.” - John Gunther

My grandfather used to say: “Breakfast as a king, lunch as a noble, dine as a pauper…” This was sound advice, especially in the times of long arduous days where hard labour was the lot of most people who worked on the land, cottage industries or even manufactories. One used to get up very early to greet the dawn and the table was set with a variety of nutrient-rich foods to “break the fast” of the night and prepare the body for the onslaught of the hard work of the day. This was followed by a lunch later in the day, which provided a much-needed respite from labour and a top-up of nourishment. The evening meal had to be only light, as the exertions of the day were over and everyone went to bed early, which needed to be done on a light stomach.

Our meal patterns have changed greatly over the last century as has our diet. In many countries around the world breakfast has been reduced to a token meal, which typically consists of coffee, tea or milk and toast, cereal or some fat-laden pastry. People may have too little time, may need to eat breakfast alone or may be a victim of a routine that started during their childhood. In any case, the majority of people fail to eat a proper breakfast, being content with a cup of coffee only! Breakfast should be the most valuable meal of the day, or at least one of the most valuable.

Both body and brain need refuelling
after the overnight fast. Yes, the derivation of the word breakfast is right! Energy reserves can be running low after an overnight fast, and doing the things that you need to do during in a busy morning takes energy. Traditional breakfast foods are nutritious
and can provide much stored energy. Grain products like bread and cereal provide carbohydrates for energy, B vitamins, and fibre. Many fruits are a rich source of vitamin C and/or vitamin A. Dairy products like milk, yogurt, and cheese are among the foods richest in calcium and vitamin D. Eggs are protein-rich and contain valuable brain foods. One should try and limit the amount of fats that one has at breakfast, so go easy on the bacon, lard, butter, oils and other fatty foods.

Having a good breakfast could help you control your other meals of the day. Studies have shown that those people who don’t eat a good breakfast typically eat more calories over the course of the day. Eating breakfast is not linked to gaining weight. People who eat breakfast tend to be fitter and less fat than those who skip breakfast. People who have lost weight and kept it off for many years report that they usually eat breakfast every day.

Even if you’re short on time, a healthy breakfast is easy to take with you. Nowadays, there many product options in single servings that can be had away from home. Ready-to-eat cereal in a bag with a tub of chilled yogurt with a piece of fruit is a good breakfast choice that travels well. Have it in a park close to your work, while enjoying nature! Heat a microwave breakfast and allow it to cool while you’re in the car or train. Prepare a breakfast smoothie and place in an insulated cup to have it as you are travelling on the train (personally I detest doing that, but there so many people that do it!).

Best of all of course is to get up earlier, and make a habit of preparing a proper family breakfast that you can have with everyone around the table, making it a good quality fun time, as well as a nutritious preparation for the toil of the day. However, one should remember my grandfather’s advice, wise as it is true. If you have a good breakfast, you will need to eat less during the day. Habitually, you should aim to have a light meal in the evening, which should be the lightest meal. All the more reason for having a formal family meal at breakfast-time.

What does a good breakfast consist of? One should avoid simple carbohydrates (e.g. sugar) and concentrate on consuming complex carbohydrates (e.g. starches in grains and rice), lean proteins and healthy fats (polyunsaturated, low cholesterol fats and fish oils). Whole wheat bread, cereals, white meats, eggs, low-fat dairy products, vegetables and fruits are excellent breakfast choices.

Eggs are one of the most popular breakfast foods and can be scrambled, made into an omelette, poached, boiled or fried. They are packed with protein, which “wakes up” the body more quickly. When eaten with starches and grains such as toast or potatoes, an egg breakfast becomes a hearty meal that will provide you with energy until lunch. Other protein-rich foods, such as cold meat cuts, are popular in Western Europe and South America. Usually accompanied by cheese and bread the protein is thus accompanied by carbohydrates for energy.

Dairy products are a great way to start the morning as they can be cool, refreshing, sometimes sweet and usually a good accompaniment to bread. Dairy products (especially the low-fat ones) are full of vitamins and minerals, helpful bacteria and protein. Yoghurts, cream cheeses, cottage cheese, cheese spreads and milk are great breakfast foods. If you have a sweet tooth, try using honey as a sweetener or use natural low calorie sweeteners like stevia.

Fruits and vegetables can be combined with other foods to complement the protein and carbohydrate with vitamin and micronutrient rich sources. Having an avocado instead of margarine or butter on toast is much healthier alternative. Avocados are packed with nutrients, protein and calories that will sustain you longer than just carbohydrate.

A variety of home-made whole grain muffins, nut breads, cereal and nut bars, scones, oatmeal-based foods can be incorporated into the breakfast menu and provide much-needed variety and interest to the breakfast table. Here is a recipe for some breakfast bars, especially suited to breakfast on the run.

HEALTHY OAT & NUT BARS
Ingredients
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/3 cups rolled, toasted breakfast oats
2/3 cup crushed toasted almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans
1/4 cup raisins

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. Coat an 20 cm square metal baking pan with cooking spray.
Whisk egg white, honey, oil, vanilla and cinnamon in a small bowl until blended. Combine oats, nuts and raisins in a mixing bowl. Stir in the wet mixture until well coated.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan with a wet rubber spatula.
Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into 12 bars.

ROSES FOR SEBASTIAN

“The archer shall not put him to flight, the stones of the sling are to him like stubble.” - Job 41:28; Old Testament

Today is St Sebastian’s Feast Day according to Roman Catholic heortology. Greek Orthodox Christians commemorate this saint on the 18th December. Remarkably little is known of St Sebastian’s life but his cult adoration was well entrenched by the 5th century AD. He is the patron saint of athletes, the patron saint of archers, and also a protector from the plague. The symbolology of archery and arrows as a protection from the plague hark back to Greek mythology, with Apollo destroying pestilence with his arrows.

St Sebastian was born in France of Italian parents in the 3rd century AD, dying about 288 AD. So as to help his fellow Christians who were dying as martyrs he went to Rome and enlisted as an officer, becoming a great favourite of the emperor Diocletian (244 –311 AD). He converted many to Christianity until he was betrayed to the emperor by a false friend. Diocletian tried to make him change his faith but Sebastian was not to be shaken. The emperor ordered his archers to execute the Saint. Although every part of his body was pierced by arrows and the soldiers left him for dead, Sebastian was alive. A kindly widow, Irene, nursed him back to health and Sebastian went back to the emperor, urging him to stop his persecution of the Christians. Diocletian was intransigent and ordered a new martyrdom for Sebastian. The Saint was clubbed to death in the amphitheatre (hence the connection with athletes).

St Sebastian was buried in the Roman catacombs, but his remains were transferred to a church in the 4th Century. The remains asserted to be those of Sebastian are currently housed in Rome in the Basilica Apostolorum, built by Pope Damasus I in 367 AD on the site of the provisional tomb of St Peter and St Paul. The church, today called San Sebastiano fuori le mura, was rebuilt in the 1610s under the patronage of Scipione Borghese.

St Sebastian is a great favourite of artists, depicted in numerous artworks, especially paintings. He is usually shown as a handsome young man who is being martyred by having arrows shot at him. The connection with the Greek god Apollo is an obvious one and may explain why the saint became so popular, his cult being a surrogate one for the cult of Apollo,  the archer sun god and the curer of pestilence.

A yellow rose, Rosa spp, is today’s birthday flower. It symbolises jealousy and infidelity.  In the language of flowers a yellow rose means: “Let us forget” and may be symbolic of dying love, especially if it is given full-blown.  A rose thorn is symbolic of sin, death and pain.  In the last few decades, the yellow rose has lost some of its old negative meaning and is now more associated with the positive symbolism of happiness, return to the good times and joy about to be fulfilled.

Today is also St Agnes’s Eve. On this eve, young women took their shoes, put a sprig of rosemary in one, a sprig of thyme in the other, sprinkled them with water, placed them one on each side of their bed and said:
    St Agnes, that’s to lovers kind,
    Come ease the trouble of my mind.
They would then dream of their future husband.

The word for the day is:

Heortology |hēôrˈtôl əjē| (noun)
• A term used to denote the study of religious festivals. The term was originally only used in respect of Christian festivals, but it now covers all religions, in particular those of Ancient Greece.
DERIVATIVES: Heortological (adjective)
ORIGIN: From Greek, from heorté, ‘festival, holiday’ and -logia, ‘discourse’.

ELECTRONIC POETRY

“Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry.” - W.B. Yeats

I use an Apple computer and I have been an avid fan of Macintoshes for decades now (gosh, that makes me feel so old! ;-). Apple Macintosh is a computer system that I have always related to well as it allows me to do what I want to do intuitively and with minimal concentration on the workings of the computer. The computer software and hardware are there in the background, while I concentrate on what I do in the foreground, being adequately supported “invisibly” by the technology. Whenever I try and use other computer systems they feel clunky and unintuitive and inhibitory.

The reason I talk about this today is because Apple has introduced into its desktop computer operating system an App Store, similar to what you have when you go into iTunes with an iPhone or an iPad. One may download Apps for the desktop computers as one may download them for an iPhone or an iPad. There are Apps both free and to buy. Once downloaded one runs these like other programs on one’s computer. I have downloaded several and they are exceedingly good. One of my favourites is a program called “SketchBookExpress”, which is a sketching and drawing application.

As it is Poetry Wednesday, I am highlighting another of these Apps, called “Desktop Poems”. It is based on the popular fridge magnet poem generator sets that one may purchase in bookshops and giftshops. In these a selection of words are printed individually on pieces of magnetised plastic and one places these on the fridge door, to rearrange at will into short poems… I’ve always thought this a wonderful idea, much romance and culture hidden in this simple word game that can insinuate its way into the routineness of our existence. Desktop poems does the same in an electronic format on the desktop. One generates lists of words and may then arrange the individual words into clusters, rows, columns, tiers, groups and be inspired by them.

The illustration above is a screenshot of my desktop where I have generated a pile of words and I have captured the moment where I am in the process of arranging them into clouds of meaning. The poem below is the final result:

The Quickest Cut

Evening wine drunk from a dark glass,
While on the far horizon, the orange moon peeks,
Rising slowly, soon to wax into silvern fullness.

I watch as short summer withers the garden
And autumn hidden in the piles of refuse and cuttings,
Lies in wait, soon to appear and paint all with rust.

Your eyes, purple as night – light as your spirit –
Watch as your heart heaves in your bosom,
And your whole being yearns for winter’s peace.

The hand holding a knife is ugly, we think,
Until we need a quick solution to slowly dying problems
And a deft, sharp cut is much the gentlest form of release.

My left shoe pinches my great toe, my right ear itches,
Morning will bring with it fatigue, the price of a sleepless night –
I too, yearn for winter, peace and the knife’s quick cut.

ON BECOMING STRONGER

“Sometimes in tragedy we find our life’s purpose - the eye sheds a tear to find its focus.” - Robert Brault

It is nearly three weeks into the New Year, and although as with every New Year, we expected that 2011 would come to us bearing promises of success, happiness and prosperity, instead it gave us some immediate misfortunes: The bushfires in Western Australia, the flood tragedy in Queensland and Brisbane’s inundation, quickly followed by the Victorian floods, which tested the best amongst us. Although our College campuses in Queensland were spared, many of our staff and students were victims of the disaster and we are experiencing some difficulties in returning to normal operations. The effects on our College and its community are considerably less than what the State of Queensland and the City of Brisbane will face in the near future. Northwestern Victoria is also reeling from flood-caused devastation. Longer-term repercussions of the disaster will affect us as a nation, as a community, as a financial entity in the international scene.

It is important in times like these to remember that within our own small community we are a microcosm, a reflection of the Nation at large, and also the whole world. We are reeling within our communities as we come to terms with our colleagues’ and students’ loss of loved ones and property. We are trying to maintain normality and our routine operations, even as several key areas of our infrastructure are suffering. To this end we are sticking together, gaining strength from each other and providing support where it is needed most. This is what is happening in Brisbane, in Queensland, in Victoria, nationwide, in fact.

The volunteer efforts in Queensland have been remarkable in the face of the flood tragedy, and similarly within our community we are seeing offers for help and support amongst our staff and student body. On the Melbourne Campus we already started a donation drive and many of our staff have made generous personal donations to the flood relief appeal. More fund-raising activities will follow. Strong leadership by the Queensland premier, Anna Bligh, has meant that flood-affected Queenslanders have been assured of open communication channels, good support, comfort and encouragement in their misfortune. Within our College, the leadership of our CEO has meant that we have also been able to overcome this crisis through her efforts.

A sense of perspective needs to temper our emotional response to tragedies such as those recently experienced by Australia. Immediately the Queensland floods and the Brisbane deluge started to claim lives and property, news broke of the terrible calamity in the Brazil floods and mudslides that claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed whole towns and villages. Our own catastrophe seemed to be easier to cope with, knowing that other people in the world were suffering in a similar way, and on a much greater scale. One’s own personal cross is harder to bear, of course, and it is little consolation that other people have to bear heavier crosses. Nevertheless, we should be consoled somewhat in the knowledge that we shall be able to overcome the crisis easier than other, harder hit communities.

Our college campuses survived intact, however, other institutions in Brisbane were flooded, and of course many residential properties were completely inundated. We are dealing with some post-flooding issues within our College, but this seems to be a small price to pay, with our staff and students showing a great deal of patience and understanding. By sticking together, helping each out as much as we can, providing support and encouragement where needed and acknowledging people’s best efforts during a stressful and difficult time we can overcome this crisis and look forward to better days.

In Japan, when an object is mended, the damaged part is highlighted by decorating it with precious metal. The presence of the flaw highlights the history of the object, with its value and beauty perceived as being greater than before. We too shall repair ourselves and wear proudly our scars, as if we are adorned with gold. We shall be whole again; stronger and more beautiful than before.

A RUINOUS FILM

“Let the credulous and the vulgar continue to believe that all mental woes can be cured by a daily application of old Greek myths to their private parts.” - Vladimir Nabokov

We recently watched the 2009 Donald Petrie move “My Life in Ruins”. This was the film that Nia Vardalos made on the wake of her widely successful “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” of 2002 and the 2004 “Connie and Carla”. This latest offering has Nia Vardalos only act (rather than write as well as act), and the screenplay in “My Life in Ruins” is by Mike Reiss. This was a bad move as the script is pure bathos and full of Hollywood clichés, chock full of cardboard cutout characters, predictable plotline and some stereotypical Greek jokes about the place, people and Greek “national traits”.

Nia Vardalos plays Georgia, an American academic in Athens, who has lost her university job. To tide herself over she has begun working as a tour guide, a job she dislikes as she wants the tourists to be as interested in Ancient Greek history, art and culture as she is. The (mainly American - but also Brit, Aussie, Spanish and Canadian) tourists are bored with history and they just want to shop and have a good time. The film takes us on a tour of Greek sites with a tourist group that has a shallow couple, a frat boy, an insufferable teen, a feuding couple, divorcées looking for a man, an Ocker couple, an uppity British family, some grey Canadians and a “funny guy”. There is also a sullen, bearded Greek coach driver in a bus without air conditioning and a competing tour guide who wants to scuttle Georgia’s chances of succeeding in her job for his own selfish reasons. Georgia’s journey becomes an odyssey but as one would expect in this extremely lightweight and barely amusing romp all will end well for everyone…

The “tall, dark and handsome” Greek bus driver is played by Alexis Georgoulis, an actor who has played in several Greek TV series and the odd movie. He looks distinctly uncomfortable in this film, with his character’s name (“Poupi Kakas”) being one of the objectionable scatological attempts at joking in the script. Richard Dreyfuss is another uncomfortable actor in the film, playing one of the American tourists. The only good choice I found was Alistair McGowan, the British actor who is quite successfully cast as the slimy, deceitful and conniving Nico, the competing Greek (sic!) tour guide.

This film is mildly amusing to boring (perhaps offensive, if you are a purist Greek) and unfortunately a waste of Ms Vardalos’ talent, who perhaps should have written the screen play herself and made a better job of it. The film had so much potential but it was really neither very funny nor terribly romantic. Some of the scenery is quite breathtaking (although the continuity is skewed!) and the terrible cast is always blocking the view of beautiful Greece! The idea behind the movie’s plot must have come from the less objectionable: “If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium”, but lacks its charm and relatively good script.

Georgia as played by Vardalos is a self-deprecating parody of  Toula in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and unfortunately she ends up being rather lacklustre and boring in this film. Her transformation in the end is unbelievable and hampered by the weakness of the plot. The tourists are a corny, one-dimensional lot that consistently ham it up and end up being extremely tedious. Richard Dreyfuss was frankly quite annoying (I don’t like him much as an actor in any case). There is also some New Age nonsense interspersed with cheap philosophy and attempts at poignancy that are like an elephant in a tutu trying to dance en pointe.

I don’t recommend this movie at all, unless you are stuck for something to watch and it must be this. In this case, sneak a peek at some nice Greek scenery and try having an occasional titter at the ridiculous goings-on, on screen. Don’t expect wit, don’t expect originality, don’t expect good acting and don’t expect a good plot or believable characters!

A DAY AT HEIDE ART MUSEUM

“What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art.” Augustus Saint-Gaudens

We visited the Heide Museum of Modern Art recently (most often simply referred to as “Heide”). This is only one of Melbourne’s public contemporary art museums and is located in Bulleen, east of Melbourne, only a few minutes drive from our house. It was established as a museum in 1981, and is made up of a number of detached buildings, with surrounding gardens and parklands, which go right up to the Yarra River flats. As well as being a wonderful museum, the site is of historical importance and the whole complex is used as gallery space to exhibit works in various media by contemporary Australian artists.

Heide occupies the site of a former dairy farm that was purchased by the prominent Melbourne art collectors John and Sunday Reed in 1934 and became home to a collective known as the Heide Circle, which included many of Australia’s best-known modernist painters, such as: Albert Tucker, Sidney Nolan, Laurence Hope Joy Hester and others, who lived and worked in the former farm house (Heide I).

Between 1964 and 1967, a new house was built (Heide II), and this is considered to be one of the finest examples of modernist architecture in Victoria, and was designed by acclaimed architects McGlashan and Everist. In 1981, the museum was established on the site, incorporating the existing buildings and surrounding gardens & parklands as exhibition and gallery spaces. The main gallery building (Heide III) was constructed in 1993 and the museum continued to broaden its collection of works to include all forms of contemporary Australian art, including some by contemporary indigenous artists.

The museum underwent major refurbishment in 2005-2006. Part of this renewal was the establishment of several sculptural and installation art pieces, landscaping and redesign of the gardens, construction of a new education centre and gallery space, extension of the Heide III building and various other works.   In 2009 after 19 months of redevelopment, the cafe reopened in November as Café Vue at Heide.

The picture shows the installation piece on the lawns to the north of the museum, entitled “Cows”, by Jeff Thomson, 1987 (photographed by J.Gollings, 2004). The cows are made of corrugated iron, which is integral part of outback Australia (and not only!), being used as a construction material, particularly of house and shed roofs. The rural connections of the material are extended by the subject matter, giving a particularly Australian flavor to the bucolic landscape installation. The piece is quite striking, especially when first seen. There are now many imitations of this piece, with all sorts of animals being up for sale in many a local garden centre so everyone can have a corrugated iron pet in their back yard!

As well as visiting the museum we always visit the wonderful kitchen garden, which was originally a ‘working garden’ supplying vegetables, herbs and fruit for meals prepared by Sunday Reed, an innovative cook. 

The garden is fully enclosed to protect it from rambling animals as well as the effects of extreme weather. Ravaged by floods, even during recent years, Heide’s gardeners have maintained the historical plantings in the garden as well as returning the lower section to rotating crops of vegetables, which are used to prepare meals in the Café Vue at Heide.

SATURDAY CHORES

“I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade.  It's amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.” - D.H. Lawrence

A routine Saturday at home – and how much I appreciated that! The ordinary things in life, the routine, the tiresome little nothings, the chores, the things that we do many times grudgingly, we tend to brush under the carpet and we so often bemoan them. However, it is only in adversity, when we lose them that we really appreciate them. All of these sweet little nothings make our everyday life what it is and it is those little routines, which can irritate us, that are the richness of which we are robbed when disaster strikes.

As Brisbane and Queensland take stock of the damage and clean up, I am sure they would rather have had a routine Saturday like me, full its little annoying chores and everyday tasks, the nothings that make us feel at home.

Here is a beautiful Adagio by Greek Composer Eleni Karaïndrou, well known for many of the wonderful film scores she has composed.

WORKING LUNCH IN CANBERRA

“If a man love the labour of any trade apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

I was in Canberra today for work. I’ve had two very productive and successful meetings, but it’s been very much a “fly-in; meet; fly-out” type of day! Canberra must be one of the most ‘interesting’ national capitals in the world, being very small, very utilitarian and completely artificial. As a consequence, not many Australians choose to live there if they can help it, including many of the politicians who come in do their bit of governing and then fly back to their preferred place of residence. It is very much a city of public servants, and its atmosphere as well as its everyday life is rather pedestrian. Definitely not cosmopolitan (despite the foreign presence of the embassies) and definitely not buzzing with life and excitement (despite its ‘capital’ status)!

Canberra has been the capital of Australia since parliament moved there in 1927. It is a city of about 350,000 people and is geographically 150 km from the ocean and 281km SW from Sydney. Canberra is thought to be an Australian Aboriginal name meaning “meeting place” from the Aboriginal word Kamberra. The site of Canberra was chosen as Australia’s capital city in 1908. In 1912, an international architectural design competition was held to design Canberra’s urban living space. Chicago architect, Sir Walter Burley Griffin won the competition.

His vision was to build a city that blended into the bushland and which was designed around several monumental ‘circuits’ with magnificent avenues and vistas allowing for uninterrupted views for kilometres on end. It is a very ‘natural’ city with quite a lot of vegetation, but most international visitors we have take there are rather disappointed, as the bushland is typically Australian and in summer especially, it can look very drab and khaki-coloured. Europeans and Americans are used to the deep green verdant shades of their forests and countryside – not so in Canberra! However, in Spring the city’s parks are transformed into blooming bulb flower gardens and the “Floriade” festival ensures that there are many visitors to enjoy these displays.

In 1963, the Molonglo River was dammed to create a vast artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, aptly named Lake Burley Griffin, in tribute to Canberra’s architect. This lake transformed the landscape and provided a focal point around key structures of the city. It is also a venue for recreational activities such as sailing and looks good in this inland (sometimes very hot!) city. The watersprout is a Canberra landmark as is the Carillon, which is situated on the lakefront and was donated to the people of Australia by Great Britain and dedicated in 1970.

One of the most important and iconic landmarks of the Capital is the Australian War Memorial (http://www.awm.gov.au/). It is a majestic building that looks like a cathedral, a temple, a museum, a mausoleum and a massive cenotaph all rolled into one (see picture above). Visiting this is quite an emotional experience as thousands of dead Australian soldiers are honoured within its shrine. Australia has fought bravely in many wars in distant countries and the toll has been a heavy one for such a fledgling nation. The War Memorial reserves a special place in every Australian’s heart.

The National Parliament (both old and new buildings) is also in Canberra and the new Parliament House is a highly controversial building. It was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola Architects and opened on 9 May 1988 by Elizabeth II, ‘Queen of Australia’. When it was constructed, it was the most expensive building in the Southern Hemisphere and cost over AU$1.1 billion to build. It has 4,700 rooms with many areas are open to the public. The House of Representatives chamber is decorated in green while the Senate chamber is decorated in red. Separating the two chambers is the Members’ Hall, which has a water feature and is not open to the public. The Ministerial Wing houses the office of the Prime Minister and other Ministers. It is definitely worth a visit.

One of my meetings today was a working lunch, which took place in the Verve Café and Bar in Manuka (read “Maá-naa-ka”), an inner suburb of Canberra. I had a chicken Caesar Salad, while my companion had the pumpkin risotto. The latter was apparently very good but the Caesar was definitely not up to Melbourne standards! The lettuce, dressing, ‘bacon’ (=strips of ham!) and croutons left much to be desired, while at least the chicken and the… egg were very nice. I did not mind overly much as the meeting went very well, as did my morning and afternoon meetings!

Nevertheless, it’s so good to be home for the weekend!

BRISBANE FLOODS - CLEAN-UP BEGINS

“Adversity is like a strong wind.  It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” - Arthur Golden

The situation in Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba is simply heartbreaking. The images and stories that are coming through are sad, distressing, moving, dismal. The plight of thousands of people who have lost everything is devastating. As most of these people have no flood insurance (most insurance companies not offering this type of cover for their properties – or having premiums that are exorbitant), they have literally lost everything. There are stories of people escaping with their lives and the clothes on their back, fullstop… All else was lost.

However, these are the fortunate ones. The official death toll now stands at 15 with 61 people still unaccounted for. There are grave fears held for the 12 people who were washed out of their homes when they were hit by a wall of water in the Lockyer Valley. This is a massive natural disaster and unfortunately, the death toll will climb further as the flood waters recede. A long and arduous clean-up and recovery process will take months, if not years. About 60,000 homes across southeast Queensland are still without power, and an emergency shelter has been set up in the RNA Stadium in Brisbane for people who have had to leave their homes because of the flood.

I am aware of three of our staff who have lost their homes to flood waters, and no doubt as communication channels are re-established there will be more sad stories from our extended family at my workplace. We already had the first donation round at our Melbourne campus where people put money in an envelope for an immediate donation. I am sure that other staff, similar to myself, have made personal donations also. We are also considering a fund raising event for February, which should raise some tens of thousands of dollars, as we raised for the Victorian Bushfire appeal.

As if all that weren’t enough, the Brazilian floods are another tragic occurrence that has claimed hundreds of lives and has caused massive devastation in Rio and São Paulo. Sri Lanka is also experiencing severe flooding and I have just heard on the news that flash flooding is also occurring in the northeastern part of our state, Victoria. It seems that there is “…water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink”! I say that because as the floodwaters recede, a filthy, sewage contaminated sludge is left behind. This not only stinks to high heaven, but also carries billions of bacteria and other pathogens that could cause serious disease in individuals or even the break out of epidemics.

The community spirit and the unity that has been shown buy Queenslanders has been extraordinary and in this they are being ably led by Anna Bligh, the Queensland Premier. Ms Bligh has shown tremendous leadership during the adverse times that her state is going through and with her coal-face approach, good communication strategy, genuine concern and empathy for the tragedy her fellow-Queenslanders are suffering, she is winning friends and providing much-needed support for all those who are going through some very tough times.

Word for the day today is:
adversity |adˈvərsitē| noun ( pl. -ties)
Difficulties; misfortune: Resilience in the face of adversity | She overcame many adversities.
ORIGIN Middle English: From Old French adversite, from Latin adversitas, from advertere ‘turn toward.’

THE WATERY GRAVE

“Are you upset little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry... I’m here. The floodwaters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.” - Charlie Brown to Snoopy

The flood situation in Brisbane is getting worse and most of today I spent communicating with our staff there, organising and strategising, developing all sorts of contingency plans, ensuring staff were contactable through alternative emails and personal phone numbers. Also,  overseeing our Melbourne staff to see that they were coping with our Brisbane phone calls and enquiries, as all of the phone lines from Brisbane had been routed to Melbourne from earlier this morning.

Fortunately it all went well, but unfortunately, the worse is yet to come. The flood waters are expected to peak in Brisbane by tomorrow afternoon and many more people will have to abandon their homes and possessions. I only hope that we do not have any more deaths. The graphic images of people stranded on top of cars and being swept away by floodwaters is enough to haunt even the most hardened amongst us.

The Watery Grave

And as the clouds gathered,
And as the lightning flashed,
As thunder roared,
The rains came…

The watery curtains cascaded down,
The rivers flowed and overflowed,
Became torrents; creeks turned to rivers
And the floods came…

And as the waters rushed,
And as the dams gushed,
The deluge broke the barriers
And the spate came…

The water covered all
In dirty brown slough;
Making lake of land
But the rains still came…

The might of surging waters
Overwhelmed man and beast,
Dragged down buildings, destroyed;
And death came…

Now as the waters still swell,
As displaced people shiver
From shock, fear, frustration,
Grim realisation came…

Silent, sunken, submerged,
What once was dry land and
Homes, cars, gardens, dreams,
All lie under a watery grave.

My thoughts and prayers with the people of Brisbane tonight, while here we are privileged enough to enjoy a warm dry bed.

Please help if you can: Donate your time, some spare much-needed goods or some money…
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html

FLOOD!

“In prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends” - John Churton Collins

The flood crisis in Queensland has worsened in the last 24 hours with many flash floods affecting more areas of Queensland that are already suffering, but also now causing havoc in Brisbane, a city with a population of two million. This afternoon we had to close our Brisbane Campus as a precautionary measure. There was no public transport, chaos on the roads, incessant rain, lightning, thunder, and many low-lying areas of the City near the river, already underwater. All the staff and students were sent home in view of the increasing risks, as well as the potential of flooding affecting the campus.

At this stage, nine people are dead and 66 still missing as a result of the flash floods that affected Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley. In the Brisbane CBD, the overflowing Brisbane River is in the process of converting some of the city streets to canals and residents are fleeing in a panic. The situation in Brisbane and Ipswich is very serious and residents are now facing their greatest threat and toughest test in more than 35 years. This is the worst flooding since both of these cities were devastated again in 1974. The Brisbane City Council predicted 6500 homes and businesses across 80 suburbs will be inundated over the next few days, and about 16,000 properties will be partially affected by floodwaters. Brisbane’s main dam, which had so far protected the city from flooding, was full and authorities now had to release water, which would send even more flood waters into Brisbane.

Rockhampton in the North of the State (about 612 km north of Brisbane) has already been hard hit, with flood waters having reached their peak about a week ago. The Fitzroy river that was slowly submerging the town peaked at just under 10 metres above its normal level, having inundated up to 40% of the town. This is the worst flood in the state of Queensland in 50 years, with floodwaters covering total areas equivalent to the areas of France and Germany together!

As Queensland is one of Australia’s prime exporters of coal and the floods have seriously hampered the operation of the coal mines, the Australian dollar has fallen to tits lowest level in the last few weeks, as there is expectation that the Australian economy will take a hiding and will require months to return to normal. Billions of dollars damage has already been caused by the floods and there is more damage expected.

The rest of the East coast of the country is also experiencing wet conditions and even here in Melbourne we have had rain, which will continue for the next few days. La Niña has a definitely hold over weather conditions in the Pacific rim. It seem strange than not too long ago we were suffering from the deadly bushfires here in Victoria and now in Queensland we have floods of biblical proportions.

Once again the Australian spirit has risen to the occasion and helping hands are being extended to the stricken areas from all over the country. Emergency services, volunteers, donations, industry support and neighbours helping each other in communities are all rising to the aid of affected people and doing the best a community can do in critical situations like this. Adversity generally brings out the best in people and here in Australia we are used to seeing great self-sacrifice, a soaring community spirit, altruism, charity, support and cooperation. One feels proud in moments like these to belong to a community such as this where the best of what being a human is being displayed.

Perhaps it is also apt at this stage to say “Thank you” to all of the volunteers and emergency personnel who are doing so much to help the affected areas and people. This is in keeping with “International Thank You Day” today.

If you wish to help the flood-ravaged communities please donate!

MOVIE MONDAY - ROBIN HOOD

“It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves - in finding themselves.” – André Gide

We had the opportunity to sit and watch Ridley Scott’s 2010 version of “Robin Hood” at the weekend. I hadn’t heard much about this film, but I rather winced when we sat to watch it, as I thought to myself: “Oh, no, not another ‘Robin Hood’ film!”. However, when I read the DVD jacket, I was interested. Firstly, the cast was rather stellar with Russell Crowe in the title role, Cate Blanchett as Marian, Max von Sydow as a Lord of the Realm, William Hurt as the King’s adviser and Mark Strong as the bad guy (no, not the Sheriff even though a weasely sheriff is well played in a minor role by Matthew Macfadyen!). Good actors do not necessarily make a good film, although they can salvage a mediocre one. The other thing that interested me was that this seemed to give a completely different slant to the Robin Hood legend (as perhaps best illustrated in the classic Errol Flynn film of 1938 “The Adventures of Robin Hood”).

The movie was definitely not disappointing and if you like big Hollywood epics in the mould of “Braveheart”, “Rob Roy”, “The New World”, etc, you will enjoy this movie. It is quite formulaic in many ways, but it done well in that genre, and I guess Ridley Scott’s direction is important in that respect. In period movies like this, I always look for details that will either make the look and feel of the movie convincing or not. For example, looking at the hands of people who are meant to be farmers – yes they are dirty and gnarled with broken, dirty fingernails; looking at the architectural and decoration details – farmhouses having trodden earth floors with no reeds strewn on, while a castle having flagstone-paved floors that are strewn with reeds or sweet flag; fabrics – no they did not have lurex in the middle ages!

The film is very much a prequel and this is immediately obvious form the very first few bits of introductory on-screen blurb. We are told in no uncertain terms that we will see how the legend of Robin Hood began. King Richard dies in a battle in France, and archer Robin Longstride, along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John, all make their way to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley, whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey, who hopes to lead a French invasion of England. Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. When Robin meets Walter and delivers his son’s sword, Lord Walter encourages him to impersonate his dead son to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown, and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife. The evil Godfrey worms his way into the king’s service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Robin is embroiled in curbing this treacherous plot and leading the defence against the French invasion.

Yes, it is all stirring stuff, but there is humour in it as well, and some pathos, as well as an interesting subplot concerning a group of poaching children living in Sherwood forest off the land and through petty theft (they reminded me of “The Lord of the Flies” somewhat). We liked the cinematography, the music and general look of the film. Blanchett did a good job of playing Marian, while Russell Crowe was a very earthy Robin Hood. An excellent performance by veteran Max von Sydow as the blind father-in-law of Marian.

The film has prepared the way for a sequel with the “proper” adventures of Robin Hood this time round. There are unsettled accounts between Robin and the Sheriff of Nottingham and there are also some loose ends left from this film to be resolved in the sequel. Overall, we enjoyed it and we recommend it as a good Saturday afternoon matinee movie!

THE SAND DANCER - NZ ARTIST PETER DONNELLY

“An artist never really finishes his work; he merely abandons it.” - Paul Valéry

Something unusual for Art Sunday today. An artist who creates ephemeral art on the sandy beaches of New Zealand. Part of the appeal is the extremely transient nature of his art, but also the way that he creates these graceful sand pictures. When the Sunday morning tide goes out, Peter Donnelly cycles down to the beach below New Brighton pier, and with a rake and stick for paintbrushes, sets about transferring his imagination’s vision onto the sand. Elaborate patterns integrate seamlessly with recognisable representational forms of faces, plants and objects as Donnelly’s works materialize beneath his seemingly dancing feet and the masterly strokes of his rake and stick.

The artist and “Sand Dancer”, Peter Donnelly, makes sand paintings at low tide most weekends. This is a piece of his in New Brighton beach near the pier, in the South Island City of Christchurch in New Zealand. His work can take four hours or more, and a piece of art that looks as though it might have taken days to create is there for all to see, before the tide rolls in and the work is destroyed. For Peter Donnelly, this is an essential part of the process: An ephemeral moment in which a gift is given, to himself, the onlookers, the sun and sand and the boundless ocean.

More about his work here:

ON WASTING OPPORTUNITIES

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’” - Erma Bombeck

Life is so short, and we waste so much of it… Petty squabbles, misunderstandings of our making, pointless intrigues, endless sulking over nothing, silly arguments, dead-end selfishness. One day we shall wake up to die and only then realise how much we have missed out on. On our deathbed we shall regret all that we have wasted. But then it will be too late.

Now is the time to seize the opportunities life is handing out to us most generously! Now is the time to live life fully. Enjoy what is offered you! Be generous to others and life will be generous to you. Give freely of yourself to others and others will do the same for you! Smile, do something for someone without expecting anything in return. Be kind rather than nasty – it really does take less effort and it feel a lot better too!

What else but the divine Bach today! Here is the second movement of his Concerto of Oboe in D Minor.

SUMMER SALAD DAY

“Prayer carries us half way to God, fasting brings us to the door of His palace, and alms-giving procures us admission.” – Prophet Muhammad

We have had a hot day here in Melbourne with the temperature climbing above 35˚C. As the summer has been very mild so far, we did not what hit us today and we had to have the air-conditioning on. The Christmas decorations have come down, the New Year festivities are well and truly over and today was the Feast Day of St John the Baptist. This has always been special in my family as it was the name day of my grandfather. I dreamt of him a couple of nights ago and it was a wonderful dream: We were both laughing and he was going to give me a New Year’s present. I kept saying to him, “No, grandpa, I don’t want a present it’s enough you are here visiting with us.” It’s been nearly 20 years since he died and this morning we went to church for part of the liturgy. We lit a candle each and one in Grandpa’s memory…

As the day was very hot today and as we had had a rather rich diet with the holidays, we decided to eat simply and lightly today. It is interesting that as well as observing fasts in the Greek Orthodox faith, one has to observe days of compulsory meat-eating. Yesterday, on the Epiphany, it is mandatory to consume some meat in one form or another. My grandmother used to say that even if some people were too poor to cook meat on that day, they were obliged to prick their finger and suck on the gout of blood, symbolic of a carnivorous meal! If one observes the fast and feast days of the Greek Orthodox faith, one ends up having a very balanced diet, with periods of fasting and cleansing the body, as well as periods of surfeit that prepare the body for the fasts and also for the vagaries of the weather. Very wise!

In any case, after yesterday’s meaty meal we decided that today we would have a salad, which was just the right thing for the hot weather. It was all the better, of course, as some of the ingredients were home-grown in our own backyard! Our cucumber and capsicum plants are doing very well and the tomatoes have just started to produce fruit. The eggplants are always very productive. Spring onions and all sorts of herbs, as well as nasturtiums are always growing and lettuce is usually available during the late winter, spring and early summer months.

MIXED SUMMER SALAD
Ingredients
    • 1 witlof
    • 1 small lettuce
    • 1 grated celeriac
    • 1 grated carrot
    • 1 bell capsicum
    • 3 Lebanese cucumbers
    • 2 tomatoes
    • 3 chopped spring onions
    • Sprouting shoots of nasturtiums (use only the very tender hearts)
    • Radish sprouts (to taste)
    • Capers to taste
    • 2 hard-boiled eggs
    • Shaved parmesan
    • Citronette sauce:
        - Juice of a lemon
        - Juice of one lime
        - Juice of half a small orange (all juices together totalling about 1/2 cup)
        - Equal quantity to juices, plus one tablespoon more of olive oil (Greek
          “agourelaio” is lovely)
        - 1 tablespoonful of mayonnaise

Method
Wash the vegetables thoroughly and drain very well.  Chop up the vegetables with a knife into bite size morsels. Cut the eggs into quarters lengthwise and add to the salad.  Shake the oil and citrus juices until emulsified and add the mayonnaise, shaking it in well.  Pour the citronette over the salad and season to taste with rock salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with some shaved parmesan. Serve with crusty bread

EPIPHANY - DIA DE LOS REYES

“A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.” - Joseph Addison

Today is the day of the Epiphany (or Theophany, as it is alternatively termed). In Hispanic and Latin culture, as well as some places in Europe, it is known as Three Kings’ Day (Dia de los Reyes) in honour of the Magi.

epiphany |iˈpifənē| noun ( pl. -nies) (also Epiphany)
The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12).
• The festival commemorating this on January 6.
• A manifestation of a divine or supernatural being.
• A moment of sudden revelation or insight.
DERIVATIVES
epiphanic |ˌepəˈfanik| adjective
ORIGIN Middle English: From Greek epiphainein ‘reveal.’ The sense relating to the Christian festival is via Old French epiphanie and ecclesiastical Latin epiphania.

This is an important Christian Festival, especially as observed by the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, representing the Eastern and Western Christian traditions respectively. The Feast Day is significant in a number of ways: In the East, where it originated, the Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. It also continues to celebrate Jesus’ birth (Christmas and Epiphany were only separated as different Feast Days in the fourth century AD, where Christmas was relegated to 25th December).

The Western Church began celebrating the Epiphany in the 4th century where it was, and still is, associated with the visit of the Magi (i.e. the wise men) to the infant Jesus when God revealed himself to the world through the incarnation of Jesus. For many Protestant church traditions, the season of Epiphany extends from 6 January until Ash Wednesday, which begins the season of Lent leading to Easter. Other traditions, including the Roman Catholic tradition, observe Epiphany as a single day, with the Sundays following Epiphany counted as Ordinary Time.

The term Theophany is particularly apt for the day as during the baptism of Christ, God spoke up from the heavens and revealed Christ as his Son, and the Holy Spirit descended and hovered above Christ’s head. This manifestation of the Trinity was recognised by John the Baptist and all the faithful present at the event.

theophany |θēˈäfənē| noun ( pl. -nies)
A visible manifestation to humankind of God or a god.
ORIGIN Old English , via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek theophaneia, from theos ‘god’ + phainein ‘to show.’

The Theophany is celebrated with particular magnificence in the Greek Orthodox Church where the baptism of Christ is symbolically recreated by casting a crucifix into the sea (or lake, or river, depending on the vagaries of geography!) and blessing of the waters. The crucifix is recovered by young people who dive after it and the successful one who presents it back to the priest receives a small cross and a special blessing. The faithful take back home holy water from the special liturgy and this is used to ritually cleanse and bless the home.

TWELFTH NIGHT

“Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.” - Henry Ward Beecher

Tonight is the Twelfth Night of Christmas, marking the coming of the Epiphany tomorrow and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas. This is formally the last day of the Christmas festivities and the Twelfth Night was observed in the past as a last chance for merrymaking, before the solemn Feast Day of the Epiphany. It was common for people to dress up (often cross-dressing) and for reversals to occur as part of the merry-making (for example, servants masquerading as masters, and vice-versa). Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” was written to be performed as a Twelfth Night entertainment. The play has many elements that are reversed, in the tradition of Twelfth Night, such as a woman, Viola, dressing as a man, and a servant, Malvolio, imagining that he can become a nobleman.

For most people nowadays the only practical aspect of the 5th January is that it is said to be the last day for taking down the Christmas decorations, or bad luck will follow. In the past Twelfth Night had its own traditions, which have largely been consigned to history. The Twelfth Night cake was made the centre of a particular custom, by which a King and Queen were chosen to rule over the festivities of the night. A bean and a pea were baked in the cake, and when slices were handed out to the company, whoever got the piece with the bean in it became King, while whoever got the pea was Queen. The custom was so well known that “The King of the Bean” was proverbial for someone temporarily in charge of celebratory fun.

In some cases, coins were used instead of beans and peas, while others adopted the more prosaic method of drawing names from a hat, which gave scope for widening the play-acting, by giving all people attending characters as well. This gave occasion for great mirth and merriment as stock characters were used, which were almost pantomime-like (for example, a comic Frenchman known as Monsieur François Parlez-Vous; the Irishman Patrick O’Tater; a tedious authoress - Lady Bluestocking; a dandy: Beau Whipper-Snapper; a young ingénue Nelly Violet, etc).

The drink for the night was often in the form of a ceremonial wassail bowl (similar to the modern punch bowl), from which everyone was served. It contained a special drink, often called “Lamb’s Wool”, made from roasted apples, sugar, and nutmeg in ale, or sometimes wine. By extension from the one Twelfth Night cake, the day had become by the 19th century a great one for cakes and pastries in general. Every London confectioner made a point of displaying a splendid windowful of cakes in all sorts of shapes and sizes for Twelfth Night in the 1800s.

In agricultural areas, two interrelated customs connected to Twelfth Night were wassailing, and the lighting of fires in the wheat fields, to ensure a good crop for the coming year. In some parts of England, twelve fires of straw, in a row were started. Around one fire, which was larger than the rest, the peasants and workers drank a glass of cider to their master’s health and success to the next harvest. Returning home they received carraway seed cakes and cider.

For Poetry Wednesday today, here is Robert Herrick’s poem about the Twelfth Night festivities, from his collection “Hesperides”:

TWELFTH NIGHT, OR, KING AND QUEEN
by Robert Herrick (1591 – 1674)
NOW, now the mirth comes
With the cake full of plums,
Where bean's the king of the sport here;
Beside we must know,
The pea also
Must revel, as queen, in the court here.

Begin then to choose,
This night as ye use,
Who shall for the present delight here,
Be a king by the lot,
And who shall not
Be Twelfth-day queen for the night here.

Which known, let us make
Joy-sops with the cake;
And let not a man then be seen here,
Who unurg’d will not drink
To the base from the brink
A health to the king and queen here.

Next crown a bowl full
With gentle lamb’s wool :
Add sugar, nutmeg, and ginger,
With store of ale too;
And thus ye must do
To make the wassail a swinger.

Give then to the king
And queen wassailing:
And though with ale ye be whet here,
Yet part from hence
As free from offence
As when ye innocent met here.

The pictures are Twelfth Night character illustrations from the Illustrated London News of January 1848, by Richard “Dicky” Doyle.

BOTANIC GARDENS - MELBOURNE

“How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence.” - Benjamin Disraeli

Today was a perfect summer’s day in Melbourne: Fine, sunny, not too hot, not too blowy and definitely too good a day to stay indoors! We decided to go and spend the day in the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. These Gardens were established in 1846 and extend over 36 hectares, with displays of more than 50,000 plants. The Botanic Gardens in Melbourne have a reputation as one of the world’s finest gardens, and thus it is rightly one of our City’s most popular tourist attractions.

The Gardens are situated within a stone’s throw from the CBD and are easily accessible by public transport, but there is also free parking for three hours on the edge of the Gardens along Anderson St, which runs parallel to Punt Rd on the Western side. Entry to the Gardens is free and there is always something worthwhile to see as there are extensive plant collections that are themed and located within specially landscaped parts of the Gardens.

The temperate climate of Melbourne allows the cultivation of an immense variety of beautiful plants, not only natives, but from all over the world. The following themed displays are on show: Arid Garden; Australian Forest Walk; California Garden; Camellia Collection; Cycad Collection; Eucalypt Lawn; Fern Gully; Grey Garden; Herb Garden; Lower Yarra River Habitat; New Caledonia Collection; New Zealand Collection; Oak Collection; Palm Collection; Perennial Border; Rare and Threatened Species Collection; Rose Collection; Southern Africa Collection; Southern China Collection; Terrestrial Orchids; The Children’s Garden; Tropical Display – Glasshouse; Viburnum Collection; Water Conservation Garden.

Particularly fascinating today was the cacti and succulents collection around the relatively newly constructed “Guilfoyle’s Volcano” area. This is a small-scale replica of a crater lake with a central water feature, planted with various water plants on specially constructed rafts. Around the rim there is a walkway and all around the slopes are planted various cacti and succulents that make for an environmentally friendly garden that conserves water, while looking quite amazing also. Some of the cacti were in bloom and they were spectacular.

We walked around for several hours and then ended up in the Observatory Café where we had a light lunch. It was delightful to sit in the sun and enjoy a glass of wine with our meal, while looking out over the ornamental lake and the verdant shores planted with a stunning variety of beautiful trees and bushes. The birds were chirping, while a harp and guitar duo were strumming along accompanying them, it seemed.

We decided to take the long walk around the lake after lunch past by the Temple of the Winds and then down through the Fern Gully towards our car. The Fern Gully is one of my favourite spots, especially on a warm and sunny day like today. The great tree ferns flourishing under the canopy of forest trees provide a lush oasis, which cools the body and refreshes the soul. I always feel as though I am reborn when I find myself amongst such magnificent surroundings. Nature is full of wonders and it is revitalising to stop, take it all in, appreciate it and glorify in it.

THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER

“They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea.” - Francis Bacon

was invited to go and see a film in 3D at the movies by a friend who had a spare ticket and so we went and saw Michael Apted’s 2010 “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. Firstly, I must say that I am a fan of the Narnia books by CS Lewis and that I have enjoyed the previous two movies of the books that have been brought to the big screen in the last five years –  that is, “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian”.

“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is a very satisfying book and there is much thinking and philosophising in it. CS Lewis was a deeply Christian man, but his books are never obscenely proselytising or laboriously evangelic. He uses analogy, exciting stories and emotionally charged writing power in order to expound his religious views, which are kept very much in the background. Subtlety is a wonderful tool in the right hands and CS Lewis was a great intellectual as well as a great theologian, thus using it most ably. However, having said all of that, one can be a complete atheist and still enjoy both his books and the movies that have been made of them.

I still have problems with the 3D technology and I much prefer to watch a movie in 2D. 3D is still in its infancy and it is there as a gimmick. Maybe in a couple of years time the technology will be there in the background and the 3D experience will be taken for granted, as part of the entertainment package, unobtrusively and without having to have scenes in movies that are there to utilise the effect, rather than being scenes essential to the plot.

If you are not a Narnia fan, let me say a few words about the basics of the plot. Narnia is a land in a parallel universe ruled over by a godly lion, Aslan, who is the creator and destroyer of that world. The Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are able to be drawn into Narnia when there is great need for their presence there. In the “Voyage” it is Edmund and Lucy only that are drawn into Narnia, together with their obnoxious cousin, Eustace. Eustace is played very well by Will Poulter and it is his character that undergoes the most amazing transformation in terms of character development and realignment of his personal credos.

The film has some amazing CGI and special effects, as well as a lot of action and a wealth of characters. The story revolves around the voyage of Caspian’s ship ‘The Dawn Treader’ and its search for the seven lost lords of Narnia. Reepicheep the valiant talking mouse also has a quest, to set sight on Aslan’s own land ‘at the end of the world’. The book is very much about personal quests and the discovery of one’s self. This is still a central theme in the movie, with Eustace having the most amazing journey of all characters. Lucy and Edmund have to do their own soul-searching and Reepicheep is the most idealistic “believer” who, unshaken, pursues his dream to its conclusion.

There is humour, psychological tension, good characterisation, excellent integration of the CGI into the live action and very good cinematography, all bringing the book to life in an amazing way. Some liberties and artistic license has been taken, because after all this is a movie and it has to obey the rules of the Box Office! If you want the real story, the true story, the intended subplot, read the book. However, as a film, it worked for me. Go and see it and don’t bother with the 3D…

SEA AIR

“I find myself at the extremity of a long beach.  How gladly does the spirit leap forth, and suddenly enlarge its sense of being to the full extent of the broad, blue, sunny deep! A greeting and a homage to the Sea! I descend over its margin, and dip my hand into the wave that meets me, and bathe my brow. That far-resounding roar is the Ocean's voice of welcome. His salt breath brings a blessing along with it.” - Nathaniel Hawthorne

We went to Port Melbourne and then to St Kilda today, which are always good places to take visitors. St Kilda was very busy, as always, with the Sunday Market in full swing, the Luna Park open, lots of sailing boats in the sea and people, people, people everywhere… We all enjoyed the day even though the weather was coolish. At least it was fine!

A painting by English artist Roger Desoutter (born 1923), who has been a regular exhibitor at The Royal Society of Marine Artists. Many of his works have been reproduced as cards and Fine Art prints. Adrian Vincent in 100 Years of Traditional British Painting, says: “He particularly enjoys depicting the areas around estuaries and coastal inlets; tranquil scenes painted at sunset or in the early morning, showing expanses of wet sand reflecting light, often with beached boats waiting for the tide.” Two of Desoutter’s paintings are illustrated in 20th Century British Marine Painting, and his paintings regularly sell in the middle four figures.

This painting of his of the "USS Rattlesnake" is typical of his oeuvre, with the sailing ship in morning light and the pastel shades of sea and sky creating a romantic, almost fantasy-like backdrop. A very nostalgic view of the sailing ship days of yore...