Prairie

Oldelaf and Monsieur D

I must warn you - this is a tune that will stick in your mind like one of those unforgettable jingles.  Before you know it, you're humming it out loud over and over again and tapping your shoe on the floor.  I've heard that Oldelaf and Monsieur D  are performing a "farewell tour" - the last concert date being January 30th, 2010 in Paris. Their stage performance is quite lively - for example: animal costumes, super hero songs with googles and capes and instruments including guitars, ukulele and a dust bin-tub.  So the question is: how much coffee is too much ?  Watch the video. Be sure to check out their website - fun !

Gargoyles of Ely Cathedral

Although I've made several visits to  Ely Cathedral  this year, I would always take this shot - framing the entire church in the camera lens.  Thinking I had taken a nice photo, I then walked to the right of the building and followed the path into the High Street.  I had quite a small shock this time, when I wandered to the left path and discovered all of the gargoyles and chimeras, perched high on the ledges and windows. The very long, detailed history of this medieval building can be found on the link above.  Hundred of years ago, this area of England (flatland) was under water - Ely Cathedral was on a virtual island which could only be accessed by boat.  If I'm wrong about this (don't think I am though) - please correct me.  The land was drained and the city sprang up around this ancient structure.

These are not gargoyles - they are two lovely English ladies in their Sunday hats, enjoying the beautiful summer day.  They'd just ordered tea and scones and were waiting to be served. So English - this scene !

This cafe used to function as a rectory and the interior architecture is quite lovely.  I don't have a photo of it but will take one next time I have one of their delicious sandwiches.  We're having a bad year for wasps in this area of England and they were quite the little pests this day, wanting to sample everything on my plate.

 

The word "gargoyle" is derived from Old French: gargouille "throat" and also a latin word , meaning "to gargle."  The gargoyle's purpose, in addition to ornamentation, was to chiefly serve as a rain spout. Thus associating the name to the passing of water through the throat and mouth of the gargoyle/gargle.  

Not all of these ornaments are gargoyles - only the ones that are water spouts.  Otherwise, they're called "chimeras" - a mythical Greek monster made up of all different sorts of creatures.  The chimeras and gargoyles have roots as far back as Greece, Egypt, India and finally in France, where the demonic looking things then spread to the rest of Europe. 

Notice the sculpture on the left - how the elements and centuries have eroded it's surface.

Some of the sculptures are modern - replaced by contemporary artists. I guessed this to be one of them. Wonder what the significance would be - picking his nose ? 

 

The image below - these two also look contemporary to me.

This chimera below - reminds me of an illustration from the children's book: "Where the wild things are"

The headless water spout !

Do you see the little flecks on the image above ? A family of wasps have built a nest in the mouth of this sculpture. I found this one and the image below to be the most disturbing of all of them.  The demonic looking creatures are holding on to humans - is this to protect them ?  All of the research I did on gargoyles and chimeras were the opposite of what I believed.  I always thought they were put up to intimidate the uneducated populace - an image insinuating a torturous demise if they do not come to worship. Instead, they are meant to be signs of luck and protection. To the peasants, it planted the belief that buildings with gargoyles and chimeras were a safe haven, one where the sculptures warded off evil spirits. Very bizarre !

This posting was a bit disturbing and heavy - even for me ! Imagine that,  coming from someone who loves cemeteries and even has a book called from  "From Death To Dust" in her bookcase.  Whew ! Let's lighten this up and look at some lovely flowers from cathedral's gardens. 

The field next to the church had several small horses and this gigantic old tree.  The branches were so wide and long that they had wired the heavy limbs to keep them from breaking off.  It must have been several hundred years old.  The horses loved it's shade !

Thanks for reading Prairie !

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It's Complicated

I love the cinema !  I love great Academy Award productions as well as the rotten apples - like Mall Cop.  I can laugh at the lamest humor. I'm sick that way.  Most American productions never make it across the pond to UK theaters and so, I always make a list of what I want to watch and then get it when it's released on dvd.  I'm a list maker - I'm sick that way. 

"It's Complicated" -  is an uncomplicated, light-hearted comedy which premiers  in America in December. It stars three extremely good actors - Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Cute Trailer. 

Cimiteres de Nice

Whenever I'm in Nice, I love to spend a morning climbing the 92 metre high hilltop that leads to the lovely landscaped park of the Colline du Chateau. It's not the Chateau that brings tourists up the mountain, rather it's the spectacular, panoramic views of the ochre roof-tops of Nice, the endless sweep of the Promenade des Anglais and sparkling, azure waters of the Mediterranean. A remnant stone wall is all that's left of the antique Chateau now.  

Nearby on on one of the many paths are a dramatic, man-made waterfall and two of the most beautiful cemeteries I've ever seen. The Cimitière du Chateau, a Jewish cemetery, is regarded as one of the most beautiful resting grounds in the world.

Next to the Jewish Cemetery is another memorial park - burial home to other faiths as well.  I love the extraordinary, vibrant colours of this bell tower.   Since Nice is so close to Italy - I think there is Italian influence in the artisan's work.

When I walked through the gates of the next cemetery, I was awed by these beautiful angels rising up into the ether.

 

The Tombeau de Famille Francois Grasso - Monsieur  Grasso was a prominent civic leader in Nice and has a boulevard named in honour of him. The tomb shows the likeness of his two small children who died at a very young age.  I found this tomb to be most touching - the angel touching a finger to his lips, as if to say quiet.  Circa 1894

The artist painters, Raoul Duffy and Henri Matisse ended their days in Nice and are buried here. Another notable, sleeping resident is Roger Martin du Gard - winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Literature. I'm sure there are many other famous persons who lay sleeping in this memorial grounds - I welcome any comments from readers, if you might know of any other prominent souls. 

Whilst doing some research about these burial grounds, I came me across three wonderful blogs which are authored by Jilly Bennet. She's an incredible woman !

Riviera Dogs, Menton Daily Photo , Monte Carlo Daily Photo 

Thank you for reading Prairie !

Taproom Canvas Project

I have some exciting news to share with all of you. A while back,  I was commissioned to do a canvas for the local wine bar here in St. Ives. The Taproom on Bridge Street,  now features one of my images of Monte Carlo on their wall. If you happen to be in the area, please stop by, have a glass of wine and stare at it a bit !!

Hopefully - there will be a few more commissions for this local hotspot.

http://www.thetaproom.co.uk/home.html

Thanks for reading Prairie !

Bits and Pieces

I did it !  I've passed my "Life in the UK Test."  Can't tell you what a relief it is to have it out of the way and to be able to stop this incessant studying. I hated memorisation of statistics the most.  It drove me me to a coffee and muffin addiction. I'm sure my little face will be be sorely missed at Costa, now that I'm graduated and have my "pass" document.  

I had three statistical questions on the test.  One was this: In 1971, what was the population growth of England ? I knew the answer -  it's 7.7%  But how does knowing this,  teach me anything about England or acclimate me into my new life here ?  Will the fact that 65% of all children in the UK, live with both parents, ever factor into a daily conversation ?  I would have rather learned more about location of regions, cities, climate and geography of smaller islands that lie on the outer perimeters of UK.  And although it touched on government - I wanted more details on how parliament actually functions.  The fact that England has an "unwritten constitution"  is a very bizarre concept to me - why even mention it if it doesn't exist ?  By the time it was over, I looked a bit like I did in this photo below. Like I really did need to be medicated. 

The test was administered by two men, one very tall - like 6 foot 2 inches, whilst the other chap was 5 foot 4 inches, eyeball level to me. Both were wearing checked, short sleeve shirts, tucked in and belted up to their nipple line - just like Pee Wee Herman. And both wore glasses, like the type engineers wore in the 1950's.  I think they were engineers. Identical haircuts - flattop, jarhead style.  I could tell they loved their job. While explaining how to take the test on the computer, they would attempt to make jokey comments - which were not funny. After the test, the shorter man called me into the room to inform me,  I had passed. I was so surprised I blurted out "I could kiss you!" He took a step back, a look of horror on his face.  Next on my list: the UK driving exam. I see it's back to Costa for me.  

Now on to other things...

Fashionistas Rejoice ! This month sees the release of "Coco Avant Chanel" a film about the life of Coco Chanel.  It documents the rags to impeccably clad life of this fashion icon. The film stars  Audrey Tatou as Coco. Ms. Tatou happens to be  the new face promoting the Chanel line -  replacing Nicole Kidman. I love her look - mens' trousers, tie and waistcoat. The cinematography looks stunning. Can't wait!

Thanks for reading Prairie !