Pandemic art and one astonishing photo

I’m fascinated by the creative stuff people are doing while in lockdown/during the pandemic. I love this project. 

And then there’s what’s happening as lockdowns are being lifted, as seen at Istanbul’s  aquarium. Isn’t this just extraordinary?

Photograph:
Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock. See this and other striking photos here.  

 

Posted in Daily | Leave a comment

The big discovery of the week

Paulus Berensohn. 

Dancer, potter, artist, teacher, “deep ecologist”.

Taught loads of people how to make beautiful personal journals.

Thanks to an online course I am taking (Notebook Journeys with Roxanne Evans Stout), I discovered him and this short film.

Now I am looking forward to watching the full documentary of his life. 

I am falling down so many rabbit holes during this pandemic! And discovering lots of creative inspirations. . . .

You?

Posted in Daily | Leave a comment

The new normal?

Such a discouraging day. Ran into brick walls wherever I turned. Alas!

Despite that, I discovered some good things: a newsletter with all kinds of interesting, uplifting things.

An Australian artist living a downsized life. Inspiring!

Who besides me is reading this? Enjoying it so far. I don’t live far from the gastronomic capital of France, so it’s interesting to compare notes. The cow snout salad there is surprisingly good . . . .

A bouchon meal begins with a variety of salads. Often you serve yourself from bowls on a long table.
LEAH LARKIN / SPECIAL TO STARS AND STRIPES. Original here; https://www.stripes.com. 

 

Posted in Daily | Leave a comment

First day of déconfinement in France! And a slice of Britishness

Today life is meant to start returning to something like normal in France. We can travel more than 100 km from our homes; restaurants are open; and I don’t know what all. I am not quite ready. Still very wary. Wearing a mask in public for the indefinite future. Dashing through all shopping and trying not to touch anything. Using loads of hand sanitizer and have sung the Doxology approximately 1 million times while washing my hands, with the prospect of countless gazillions more to come. We shall see.

I wake up early (for me) in these pandemic days–whether I’ve slept (unlikely) or not (highly, highly likely) and immediately turn on (who am I kidding? I make Alexa do it!) BBC Radio 4. Unfortunately, the segment I am most addicted to is the one most likely to send me back to sleep: the Shipping Forecast. Is there anything more mesmerizing than its mysterious monotones?

Copyright © Kevin Sheehan trading as Manuscript Maps – 2020. All Rights Reserved. Buy your own here! https://www.manuscriptmaps.com/

My friend Catherine knows all about it and why it is not in fact mysterious. Perhaps she will weigh in with a comment. And all of you closet Shipping Forecast addicts–weigh in!

 

 

 

Posted in Coronavirus chronicles, Daily | Leave a comment

Pandemic lockdown #15: a book and a look around the neighborhood

If you don’t know Slightly Foxed, the quarterly for book lovers, the publishers of (mostly) overlooked treasures and the home of an excellent podcast, correct the error of your ways immediately.

One of my favorite reads of the pandemic is a book they published, To War with Whitaker. Just to whet your appetite–as I will have more to say about this book later–did you know that, in the Second World War, you could take your valet with you to the war?!

The weather has continued to be simply glorious. My friend Richard Lane, who lives in what is normally cold, grey, rainy England, and I agreed that this pandemic, as bad as it is, would have been totally unbearable had the weather not been gobsmackingly beautiful.

A few photos of recent walks in the neighborhood.

 

Posted in Daily | 2 Comments

Pandemic lockdown #14: on (not) reading and writing

Lo, these many days and weeks of pandemic quarantine, I have promised myself to write about it all. But living through what we are living through AND writing about it has seemed overwhelming.

I thought I would turn to reading, but I have been too distracted until recently.

I did quickly finish the marvelous The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, by one of my favorites, Erik Larson.

Written in energetic short scenes, this book is as close to a thriller as you can get. Highly recommended.

The title is taken from the diaries of the famous father of a friend here. John Colville was Churchill’s private secretary and you can read his version of events in his diary The Fringes of Power.

More on reading to come.

I leave you with 2 lockdown recipes that we have greatly enjoyed. I used to love Shake Shack when I lived in New York. Thanks to Deb Perelman, I now know how to make a good copycat recipe. Alas, hamburger buns in France are stale and awful. Cousin Judy Dier McLellan put me on to this great and easy recipe. Takes some time but the results were amazing. Go forth and make them both!

Posted in Coronavirus chronicles | Leave a comment

Pandemic lockdown #13: Holy Saturday

Worked in the yard/garden today. Trying to think of a future with flowers and vegetables and herbs–eventually!

Scenes from recent walks.

The rapeseed fields are about to burst into bright yellow bloom. Those are the Jura mountains in the background.

I have always loved these houses in Ferney, mainly because of the wisteria.

And today, Mt Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe, was in beautiful view. Almost no planes in the air, virtually no pollution, just gorgeous. I took this photo my very own self, with my iPhone. #nofilter #noleftistpropagandamediatryingtoconvinceyouthatskiesareclearwhentheyarenot

I “walked” with Poppy, so Jane and Alice (and Mila and Ivy) were way, way, way ahead.

Fields of rapeseed and mountains.

And, finally, a glimpse of pandemic panic-buying. #gotabitmixedupontheAmazonorder

Well, at least there is a TRUCKLOAD of chocolate for the weekend!

Happy Easter to all! THE LORD IS RISEN!

Posted in Daily | 3 Comments

Pandemic lockdown #12: a quick walk with the girls

Still lots of work to do, today and tomorrow, but getting out for a short walk is becoming imperative. We went out into the fields and took in the splendor. This pandemic is completely unreal.

Posted in Daily | Leave a comment

Pandemic lockdown #11: in which we visit many more dead people

I have been doing some serious writing for work and am tired by the middle of the day and in need of a break in the outside air. The weather is still unbelievably beautiful here. Poppy and Ivy and I walked into Ferney and visited the local cemetery, next to Voltaire’s house.

Voltaire is not buried there, as there was a wee problem with taxes he owed and his body being stolen and similar. More on this later.

Everything is starting to burst into bloom, which makes our current situation slightly more bearable, but also so astonishingly odd.

The French are always celebrated for their sense of style and elegance, but I am here to tell you, their cemeteries are full of kitsch.

The cemetery is divided up into families, children, those killed in the wars, and other groups.

We paid homage to those who died for France, especially those in the Resistance.

My girls enjoyed the outing. I enjoyed being with them and those who went before us.

 

Posted in Daily | 2 Comments

Pandemic lockdown #10: photos along the route

No time to write today, as swamped with work. Managed to squeeze in a very short walk. Here were some scenes along the way.

Posted in Daily | Leave a comment