David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 42
June 29, 2016
Poetry Thursday 219 - A political epic
I would be remiss in failing to produce something on the momentous political decision made by the British people this week. Poetry was used by the Ancients to relate battles and other huge events. It follows that last week's events would also fit the form.
[image error]Carol Ann Duffy - poet laureate
I actually used the form that our poet laureate adopted when she wrote her poem History which I advise you to look up. It is superb.
[image error]
Referendum
Brexita made up wordcovering parturition, splitting, dividing,from what sort of body?A long membership contestedwith little love.
I was therewhen it all began,when we joined up, dragged inkicking and screaming – a reluctant teenforced to a party where they’drather not be seen.
An early questionwe were more certain then,it was a seven day market,a place to buy and sell,everyone doing well,not the farmers.
not the fishermen,quotas was an in word,a buzz word, then wine lakes,butter mountains and others.Strange geographical foods.
excesses given away,butter for your toast,off to the Russian breakfast table.All the time we railed, moaned,unpopular with the Frenchtoo liberal hearted.
federalismout of the bluetalk of MEPs and Commissionersnow it was paper mountainsthousands of words to sell cabbages,tens for the Lord’s Prayer.
Amenbut we no longer agreed.Tory fear of UKIP andan ill-conceived election promiseto stave off ignominious defeat,a cloudy crystal ball.
a European junketthe captain cruising capitalstwenty seven pointless visits making promiseshe couldn’t keep to peoplewho didn’t care. Thenthe actioned promise.
a bluff calledweeks of lies and counter liesvicious attitudes between former friendsstupid claims and counter claims,then a catastrophic event.Jo Cox RIP
Would it?She would’ve Remained.given the chance of seeing the enda force for goodlost to us
The votenone believed in a Leave outcome,those battling for that included,were shocked, astounded, it couldn’t bebut why, where had they gone right?What next?
No planscampaigners not leaders.So where have they all gone?a scarlet pimpernel epidemic,in lieu of positive action, happy French,leaving do.
© David L Atkinson June 2016
God Bless
[image error]Carol Ann Duffy - poet laureate
I actually used the form that our poet laureate adopted when she wrote her poem History which I advise you to look up. It is superb.
[image error]
Referendum
Brexita made up wordcovering parturition, splitting, dividing,from what sort of body?A long membership contestedwith little love.
I was therewhen it all began,when we joined up, dragged inkicking and screaming – a reluctant teenforced to a party where they’drather not be seen.
An early questionwe were more certain then,it was a seven day market,a place to buy and sell,everyone doing well,not the farmers.
not the fishermen,quotas was an in word,a buzz word, then wine lakes,butter mountains and others.Strange geographical foods.
excesses given away,butter for your toast,off to the Russian breakfast table.All the time we railed, moaned,unpopular with the Frenchtoo liberal hearted.
federalismout of the bluetalk of MEPs and Commissionersnow it was paper mountainsthousands of words to sell cabbages,tens for the Lord’s Prayer.
Amenbut we no longer agreed.Tory fear of UKIP andan ill-conceived election promiseto stave off ignominious defeat,a cloudy crystal ball.
a European junketthe captain cruising capitalstwenty seven pointless visits making promiseshe couldn’t keep to peoplewho didn’t care. Thenthe actioned promise.
a bluff calledweeks of lies and counter liesvicious attitudes between former friendsstupid claims and counter claims,then a catastrophic event.Jo Cox RIP
Would it?She would’ve Remained.given the chance of seeing the enda force for goodlost to us
The votenone believed in a Leave outcome,those battling for that included,were shocked, astounded, it couldn’t bebut why, where had they gone right?What next?
No planscampaigners not leaders.So where have they all gone?a scarlet pimpernel epidemic,in lieu of positive action, happy French,leaving do.
© David L Atkinson June 2016
God Bless
June 28, 2016
Writing - From the people
Following the exit from the EU, the England football team engineered its own exit from the Euros football championship last evening. It reminded me of the quality of the footballers that won in the World Cup competition of 1966. There were two very special players from the winning team that were from a village in the north east - Ashington - the Charlton brothers. It was also home to another footballing legend, Jackie Milburn and England cricketer Steve Harmison.
[image error]Bobby and Jack Charlton
However, Ashington is also famous for a very specific school of art.
[image error]
The Pitmen Painters, a celebrated group of miners-turned-artists, rose to prominence in the 1930s with their work chronicling life in the coal-mining town of Ashington, Northumberland. Now, inspired by their example, photographers are capturing the spirit of a community decimated by that industry's decline.
The movement began eighty years ago as a Workers Education Association created to give coal miners access to art.-The Pitmen paintings were inspired by the artists' own lives
-The group held its first exhibition in 1936 at the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle and many of the paintings are on permanent display at Woodhorn Museum in Ashington.
-Written by Billy Elliot creator Lee Hall, their story was turned into a play that was performed at the Royal National Theatre in London and on Broadway.
[image error]
Ashington is a large town, population around 30 000 people, and is in decline as an industrial area as it was in the early part of last century. The idea of recording the lives of ordinary people on camera is a step forward in technology from paintings but the intention is the same.
So the painting on the left is echoed in the photograph on the right.
George McLean Julian Germain
The painting by George McLean depicts a husband caring for his wife. In the 1930s there were no carers organisations and no NHS so the duty of caring for sick people fell on the family. The man sitting by his wife's bed was probably a miner, the house would have no central heating and he would be dog tired but there he sits next to his sick wife, fully dressed including flat cap, blanket round his shoulders, there if she needs him.
In today's photograph a carer wearing his latex gloves and probably in a comfortable environment provides the physical care that the man in the bed needs but the difference for me is the fact that there is something missing.
The man in the painting will have to provide the physical help but he is also providing love and making a sacrifice. The modern photograph is purely practical and the relationship between carer and patient will be purely centred around physical requirements. In fact the guy in bed may only have that carer for a short time before he has to become used to another. You can make your own choice as to which you prefer but the art has created questions in my mind. I know that when my mother was nearing the end of her life she had carers, and they were lovely with her but she wanted me, I was her only surviving relative, close which is natural. I was lucky in that the physical environment was comfortable.
Washing day
Monday was washing day in our house and it was a fairly steamy draughty sort of experience with lots of boiling water and red faces. People don't have to put up with that these days.
Ashington -One of the largest towns in Northumberland with a population of 28,000, it grew from a few farms in the early 19th Century -Its colliery opened in 1867 and shut in 1988-At one point, Ashington was the largest mining village in the world.
God Bless
[image error]Bobby and Jack Charlton
However, Ashington is also famous for a very specific school of art.
[image error]
The Pitmen Painters, a celebrated group of miners-turned-artists, rose to prominence in the 1930s with their work chronicling life in the coal-mining town of Ashington, Northumberland. Now, inspired by their example, photographers are capturing the spirit of a community decimated by that industry's decline.
The movement began eighty years ago as a Workers Education Association created to give coal miners access to art.-The Pitmen paintings were inspired by the artists' own lives
-The group held its first exhibition in 1936 at the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle and many of the paintings are on permanent display at Woodhorn Museum in Ashington.
-Written by Billy Elliot creator Lee Hall, their story was turned into a play that was performed at the Royal National Theatre in London and on Broadway.
[image error]
Ashington is a large town, population around 30 000 people, and is in decline as an industrial area as it was in the early part of last century. The idea of recording the lives of ordinary people on camera is a step forward in technology from paintings but the intention is the same.
So the painting on the left is echoed in the photograph on the right.
George McLean Julian Germain
The painting by George McLean depicts a husband caring for his wife. In the 1930s there were no carers organisations and no NHS so the duty of caring for sick people fell on the family. The man sitting by his wife's bed was probably a miner, the house would have no central heating and he would be dog tired but there he sits next to his sick wife, fully dressed including flat cap, blanket round his shoulders, there if she needs him.
In today's photograph a carer wearing his latex gloves and probably in a comfortable environment provides the physical care that the man in the bed needs but the difference for me is the fact that there is something missing.
The man in the painting will have to provide the physical help but he is also providing love and making a sacrifice. The modern photograph is purely practical and the relationship between carer and patient will be purely centred around physical requirements. In fact the guy in bed may only have that carer for a short time before he has to become used to another. You can make your own choice as to which you prefer but the art has created questions in my mind. I know that when my mother was nearing the end of her life she had carers, and they were lovely with her but she wanted me, I was her only surviving relative, close which is natural. I was lucky in that the physical environment was comfortable.
Washing day
Monday was washing day in our house and it was a fairly steamy draughty sort of experience with lots of boiling water and red faces. People don't have to put up with that these days.
Ashington -One of the largest towns in Northumberland with a population of 28,000, it grew from a few farms in the early 19th Century -Its colliery opened in 1867 and shut in 1988-At one point, Ashington was the largest mining village in the world.
God Bless
June 27, 2016
Tuesday Food Blog - Tuna steak, pak choi and fried rice
It may seem like more of the same but I have really taken to pak choi and I do love fish of any description. On top of that I also enjoy my version of egg fried rice.
Tuna steak, pak choi and fried rice
Now this is quite a healthy meal even though there is egg fried rice. The pak choi is simply steamed and the tuna is seared in olive oil for two minutes each side.
Until the summer of 1987 the only tuna I'd ever seen was the sort that came from a tin and then not very frequently as Mam preferred tinned salmon. Those with more culinary experience may be sneering right now but my background is seriously working class even though I've written ten books, oceans of poetry and have a degree. Life in the 50's, 60's and 70's was much simpler than in the 21st century. More of that later. Tuna was mixed with mayonnaise and dolloped on bread for sandwiches but while holidaying in France a friend bought and barbecued tuna steaks.
[image error]raw tuna steak
It doesn't look like fish in the form of a steak and when cooked it is quite meaty although unmistakably fish. It isn't cheap. I paid almost £5 for one steak although it served two meals.The recipe I followed suggested that the tuna be seared for two minutes on each side in oil. I seasoned both sides of the fish, made sure the oil was very hot in the pan, was brave and cooked as described. It was beautiful.
Egg fried rice
The simplest way to prepare this dish is to boil the rice and drain. Fry spring onions, sweet corn and peas in oil seasoning well, and when the onions have softened stir in the pre-cooked rice. Make a space at the side of the pan and break an egg into the space. Pull the rice and vegetable mixture through the egg stirring vigorously to ensure the rice etc is well mixed with the egg. Keep the heat on high and continue to stir.Serve and enjoy.
God Bless
Tuna steak, pak choi and fried rice
Now this is quite a healthy meal even though there is egg fried rice. The pak choi is simply steamed and the tuna is seared in olive oil for two minutes each side.
Until the summer of 1987 the only tuna I'd ever seen was the sort that came from a tin and then not very frequently as Mam preferred tinned salmon. Those with more culinary experience may be sneering right now but my background is seriously working class even though I've written ten books, oceans of poetry and have a degree. Life in the 50's, 60's and 70's was much simpler than in the 21st century. More of that later. Tuna was mixed with mayonnaise and dolloped on bread for sandwiches but while holidaying in France a friend bought and barbecued tuna steaks.
[image error]raw tuna steak
It doesn't look like fish in the form of a steak and when cooked it is quite meaty although unmistakably fish. It isn't cheap. I paid almost £5 for one steak although it served two meals.The recipe I followed suggested that the tuna be seared for two minutes on each side in oil. I seasoned both sides of the fish, made sure the oil was very hot in the pan, was brave and cooked as described. It was beautiful.
Egg fried rice
The simplest way to prepare this dish is to boil the rice and drain. Fry spring onions, sweet corn and peas in oil seasoning well, and when the onions have softened stir in the pre-cooked rice. Make a space at the side of the pan and break an egg into the space. Pull the rice and vegetable mixture through the egg stirring vigorously to ensure the rice etc is well mixed with the egg. Keep the heat on high and continue to stir.Serve and enjoy.
God Bless
June 26, 2016
Writing - Why have we always brewed?
It seems to be taboo to touch alcohol these days but we've been producing it for millennia! I often wonder why we as humans produce it if its so bad for us.
[image error]
The fact is that humans of all nations, colours and creeds have produced alcoholic drinks of one form or another. I wonder if your allowed to say that having a recreational drink is 'human nature'?
Chinese
Beer may have been brewed in China up to 5000 years ago. Researchers have discovered traces of barley and equipment used in fermentation dating from between 3400 and 2900 BC. The find suggests that the Chinese adopted the process around the same time as the Egyptians and Iranians.
Iran, Egypt and Mesopotamia
Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the fifth millennium BC and recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. As almost any cereal containing certain sugars can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to wild yeasts in the air, it is possible that beer-like beverages were independently developed throughout the world soon after a tribe or culture had domesticated cereal. Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars reveal that beer was produced as far back as about 7,000 years ago in what is today Iran. This discovery reveals one of the earliest known uses of fermentation and is the earliest evidence of brewing to date. In Mesopotamia, the oldest evidence of beer is believed to be a 6,000-year-old Sumerian tablet depicting people drinking a beverage through reed straws from a communal bowl. A 3900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing the production of beer from barley via bread.
[image error]
However, there is a story worth considering.
Here is how the story likely began -- a prehistoric human picked up some dropped fruit from the ground and popped it unsuspectingly into his or her mouth. The first effect was nothing more than an agreeably bittersweet flavor spreading across the palate. But as alcohol entered the bloodstream, the brain started sending out a new message -- whatever that was, I want more of it!
So it was probably a pleasant taste and experience that has generated a habit common across the world. No religious connotations, no health aspects just something that ancient man discovered accidentally - serendipity.
The fact that the word spread across tribes and peoples from all round the world was because of the intensity of the pleasure obtained from the alcohol.
[image error]
The main reason for the ubiquitous nature of alcohol is the fact that you can produce it from virtually every grain, fruit and vegetable. So there are few barriers to its production. In fact in parts of Africa I have heard of an alcoholic drink produced from fermented coconut milk. There is no barrier.
[image error]Home brewing
As a poor student and a newly qualified and underpaid teacher I brewed my own wine with varying degrees of success. The greatest disaster was 15 litres of beetroot wine which was supposed to be like a rich claret but came out tasting of soil!!!!
One of the nicest home-made wines I have sampled is banana.
God Bless
[image error]
The fact is that humans of all nations, colours and creeds have produced alcoholic drinks of one form or another. I wonder if your allowed to say that having a recreational drink is 'human nature'?
Chinese
Beer may have been brewed in China up to 5000 years ago. Researchers have discovered traces of barley and equipment used in fermentation dating from between 3400 and 2900 BC. The find suggests that the Chinese adopted the process around the same time as the Egyptians and Iranians.
Iran, Egypt and Mesopotamia
Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the fifth millennium BC and recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. As almost any cereal containing certain sugars can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to wild yeasts in the air, it is possible that beer-like beverages were independently developed throughout the world soon after a tribe or culture had domesticated cereal. Chemical tests of ancient pottery jars reveal that beer was produced as far back as about 7,000 years ago in what is today Iran. This discovery reveals one of the earliest known uses of fermentation and is the earliest evidence of brewing to date. In Mesopotamia, the oldest evidence of beer is believed to be a 6,000-year-old Sumerian tablet depicting people drinking a beverage through reed straws from a communal bowl. A 3900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing the production of beer from barley via bread.
[image error]
However, there is a story worth considering.
Here is how the story likely began -- a prehistoric human picked up some dropped fruit from the ground and popped it unsuspectingly into his or her mouth. The first effect was nothing more than an agreeably bittersweet flavor spreading across the palate. But as alcohol entered the bloodstream, the brain started sending out a new message -- whatever that was, I want more of it!
So it was probably a pleasant taste and experience that has generated a habit common across the world. No religious connotations, no health aspects just something that ancient man discovered accidentally - serendipity.
The fact that the word spread across tribes and peoples from all round the world was because of the intensity of the pleasure obtained from the alcohol.
[image error]
The main reason for the ubiquitous nature of alcohol is the fact that you can produce it from virtually every grain, fruit and vegetable. So there are few barriers to its production. In fact in parts of Africa I have heard of an alcoholic drink produced from fermented coconut milk. There is no barrier.
[image error]Home brewing
As a poor student and a newly qualified and underpaid teacher I brewed my own wine with varying degrees of success. The greatest disaster was 15 litres of beetroot wine which was supposed to be like a rich claret but came out tasting of soil!!!!
One of the nicest home-made wines I have sampled is banana.
God Bless
June 25, 2016
Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week
Bear behaviour, beer tokens and underwear stealing kites
[image error]
1. Listening to Mozart can lower blood pressure as much as cutting salt from your diet.
And is free!
----------------------------------
[image error]
2. Albania awards diplomatic passports to its international football players.
In preparation for joining the EU
----------------------------------
[image error]
3. The world's oldest pay cheque was a beer token.
I was always after being paid in beer tokens.
----------------------------------
[image error]
4. Some bears use humans as bodyguards.
I want one!
----------------------------------
[image error]
5. Heavy exposure to Disney princesses makes little boys more likely to share their toys and little girls more likely to have stereotypical attitudes about gender.
That's why!
----------------------------------
[image error]
6. Red kites in Scotland steal underwear to make nests.
Smelly man!
----------------------------------
[image error]
7. Trevor Nunn has directed every one of Shakespeare's plays
Well done Trevor.
----------------------------------
[image error]
8. Every sperm whale alive today descended from one, "Eve", from 80,000 years ago.
What she do to 'Adam'?
----------------------------------
[image error]
9. Elderly monkeys choose to have fewer friends.
I have old friends that look a little like this one.
----------------------------------
[image error]
10. Some genes carry on working after we die.
I know. I have to trap mine in the wardrobe at night to stop them patrolling my apartment.
----------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. Listening to Mozart can lower blood pressure as much as cutting salt from your diet.
And is free!
----------------------------------
[image error]
2. Albania awards diplomatic passports to its international football players.
In preparation for joining the EU
----------------------------------
[image error]
3. The world's oldest pay cheque was a beer token.
I was always after being paid in beer tokens.
----------------------------------
[image error]
4. Some bears use humans as bodyguards.
I want one!
----------------------------------
[image error]
5. Heavy exposure to Disney princesses makes little boys more likely to share their toys and little girls more likely to have stereotypical attitudes about gender.
That's why!
----------------------------------
[image error]
6. Red kites in Scotland steal underwear to make nests.
Smelly man!
----------------------------------
[image error]
7. Trevor Nunn has directed every one of Shakespeare's plays
Well done Trevor.
----------------------------------
[image error]
8. Every sperm whale alive today descended from one, "Eve", from 80,000 years ago.
What she do to 'Adam'?
----------------------------------
[image error]
9. Elderly monkeys choose to have fewer friends.
I have old friends that look a little like this one.
----------------------------------
[image error]
10. Some genes carry on working after we die.
I know. I have to trap mine in the wardrobe at night to stop them patrolling my apartment.
----------------------------------
God Bless
June 24, 2016
Writing - A momentous decision
The people of the UK voted to leave the European Union last night, however, the momentous decision to which I refer is the action of Poet Laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy to garner support for the survival of independent bookshops.
[image error]Dame Carol Ann Duffy
The number of independent bookstores in the UK is in decline and often those that prosper have worked to build a community based on reading groups and author visits. Britain's poet laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy has set off on a reading tour of 15 venues to support those shops, but she and her travelling band of bards are deliberately avoiding big cities in favour of Britain's towns and villages.
A Bardmobile
Dame Carol Ann has been poet laureate since 2009. "Whenever I do a reading, the local independent bookstore will almost always be there afterwards, selling poetry," she says.
"It's an act of love on their part and for years I've thought they should get something in return."
Venues for readings to come include the likes of Bridgnorth, Caernarfon, St Andrews and Carlisle Cathedral. The poets (plus musician John Sampson) are criss-crossing Britain in a people-carrier driven by the publicity team.
If the concept of a bardmobile isn't ambitious enough, in each location they will be joined by a fifth, local poet (who in Falmouth was Penelope Shuttle).
Each event lasts a couple of hours and ends with a book signing. Fans can pick up individual works but there's also a new anthology called 'Off the Shelf - A Celebration of Bookshops in Verse'.
An example of the poet laureate's work.
History
She woke up old at last, alone,
bones in a bed, not a tooth
in her head, half dead, shuffled
and limped downstairs
in the rag of her nightdress,
smelling of pee.
Slurped tea, stared
at her hand- twigs, stained gloves-
wheezed and coughed, pulled on
the coat that hung from a hook
on the door, lay on the sofa,
dozed, snored.
This is not the full poem but I use it as an illustration of the decision my country has made to leave the European 'club'. We may appear to have returned to history, perhaps taken a backward step, but we 'woke up' this morning and we will not be returning to 'doze'.
God Bless
[image error]Dame Carol Ann Duffy
The number of independent bookstores in the UK is in decline and often those that prosper have worked to build a community based on reading groups and author visits. Britain's poet laureate Dame Carol Ann Duffy has set off on a reading tour of 15 venues to support those shops, but she and her travelling band of bards are deliberately avoiding big cities in favour of Britain's towns and villages.
A BardmobileDame Carol Ann has been poet laureate since 2009. "Whenever I do a reading, the local independent bookstore will almost always be there afterwards, selling poetry," she says.
"It's an act of love on their part and for years I've thought they should get something in return."
Venues for readings to come include the likes of Bridgnorth, Caernarfon, St Andrews and Carlisle Cathedral. The poets (plus musician John Sampson) are criss-crossing Britain in a people-carrier driven by the publicity team.
If the concept of a bardmobile isn't ambitious enough, in each location they will be joined by a fifth, local poet (who in Falmouth was Penelope Shuttle).
Each event lasts a couple of hours and ends with a book signing. Fans can pick up individual works but there's also a new anthology called 'Off the Shelf - A Celebration of Bookshops in Verse'.
An example of the poet laureate's work.
History
She woke up old at last, alone,
bones in a bed, not a tooth
in her head, half dead, shuffled
and limped downstairs
in the rag of her nightdress,
smelling of pee.
Slurped tea, stared
at her hand- twigs, stained gloves-
wheezed and coughed, pulled on
the coat that hung from a hook
on the door, lay on the sofa,
dozed, snored.
This is not the full poem but I use it as an illustration of the decision my country has made to leave the European 'club'. We may appear to have returned to history, perhaps taken a backward step, but we 'woke up' this morning and we will not be returning to 'doze'.
God Bless
June 23, 2016
Writing - A modern spy buys art
I have read stories about theft in the art world and have even written a story with an element of art theft but this true tale is not about theft. It is about art works, it is about an undercover agent and dealings abroad.
Joseph Wright (1734 - 1797)
Joseph Wright of Derby, he was the first major English painter to be based outside London and sometimes referred to as an English Caravaggio
He was the first artist to depict industry and scientific experiments of the age.
However, it wasn't his early work that became the focus of attention of Derby Museum Trust, but two of his later works.
Derby Museum Trust surprised everyone when it unveiled the paintings of Sir Richard Arkwright's mills and Willersley Castle on Monday night.
The museum did not tell anyone it was interested in the auction at Christie's in New York and employed a secret agent who was under instruction to only bid if somebody else did.
Meanwhile, gallery staff back in Derby nervously watched the sale online.
Jonathan Wallis from Derby Museum said: "We were sat there with a beer not sure whether to open it and celebrate or open it and commiserate.
"It was quite nail biting. We were watching and the auctioneer said 'is that the final bid? It's with you madam on the telephone' and we knew our guy was in the room.
"It went right down to the wire. He just chipped in at the end and the auctioneer said 'new bidder in the room. Sold to you sir'."
[image error]Sir Richard Arkwright's Mills
Mr Wallis said if it was known the museum was interested in the pictures, art dealers would have tried to buy the paintings and sell them on to the gallery with an added premium.
After consulting with experts in London, the gallery hatched its plot and secured them for less than the guide price.
[image error]
This story has everything a tense thriller requires. There is a target, there is an undercover hero, there are wicked adversaries and a happy ending. If you are into this genre it is a great opportunity smacking of The Pink Panther, James Bond or even Patrick Steele. Add a bucket load of Le Carre of tension and you could have a prize winner which I'm sure the Derby Museum Trust would love to see on the shelves of book shops.
Inspiration can come from anywhere and as a writer goes about their daily business it is important to keep the senses awake and probe the surroundings for ideas.
God Bless
Joseph Wright (1734 - 1797)
Joseph Wright of Derby, he was the first major English painter to be based outside London and sometimes referred to as an English Caravaggio
He was the first artist to depict industry and scientific experiments of the age.
However, it wasn't his early work that became the focus of attention of Derby Museum Trust, but two of his later works.
Derby Museum Trust surprised everyone when it unveiled the paintings of Sir Richard Arkwright's mills and Willersley Castle on Monday night.
The museum did not tell anyone it was interested in the auction at Christie's in New York and employed a secret agent who was under instruction to only bid if somebody else did.
Meanwhile, gallery staff back in Derby nervously watched the sale online.
Jonathan Wallis from Derby Museum said: "We were sat there with a beer not sure whether to open it and celebrate or open it and commiserate.
"It was quite nail biting. We were watching and the auctioneer said 'is that the final bid? It's with you madam on the telephone' and we knew our guy was in the room.
"It went right down to the wire. He just chipped in at the end and the auctioneer said 'new bidder in the room. Sold to you sir'."
[image error]Sir Richard Arkwright's Mills
Mr Wallis said if it was known the museum was interested in the pictures, art dealers would have tried to buy the paintings and sell them on to the gallery with an added premium.
After consulting with experts in London, the gallery hatched its plot and secured them for less than the guide price.
[image error]
This story has everything a tense thriller requires. There is a target, there is an undercover hero, there are wicked adversaries and a happy ending. If you are into this genre it is a great opportunity smacking of The Pink Panther, James Bond or even Patrick Steele. Add a bucket load of Le Carre of tension and you could have a prize winner which I'm sure the Derby Museum Trust would love to see on the shelves of book shops.
Inspiration can come from anywhere and as a writer goes about their daily business it is important to keep the senses awake and probe the surroundings for ideas.
God Bless
June 22, 2016
Poetry Thursday 218 - Poetry old and new
More poetry has been given special status by UNESCO in the last twenty four hours.
[image error]The Exeter Book
The granting of such status elevates this collection of poetry and riddles to a similar level as The Book of Kells, The Diary of Anne Franck and Magna Carta. It has been housed in Exeter Cathedral's library for almost a millennium. The book was the gift of Exeter's first bishop, Leofric in the 11th century and contains forty poems. I include a sample riddle with no apology for the subject matter!
Riddle 44 - from the Exeter Book RiddlesA wondrous thing hangs by a man's thigh,
under its lord's clothing. In front there is a hole.
It stands stiff and hard. It has a good home.
When the servant raises his own garment
up over his knee, he wants to greet
with his dangling head that well-known hole,
of equal length, which he has often filled before.
Q. What am I?The answer is at the end of this blog.
Then of course we have had a celebration day for father's in the UK. It was amazingly good for me as I had all three children along with my grandson in attendance. A super day.
[image error]
Father’s Day
Here for a seasonGranted the gift of childrenEnough of a reasonFor life we are given © David L Atkinson June 2016
Then there was my healthy discovery which will figure in future meals that I prepare.
Pak Choi
A gracefully formed green frondatop a pale, lined support,wearing curving, balanced lines,a thing of beauty I had bought.
Yet not its true purpose,a piece of vegetable art.More serendipitous I supposewhen gladdening the eye in part.
The function of the gentle, pak choiis neither vulgar or rudebut an accompanying meal alloy,this beneficial food. © David L Atkinson June 2016
And finally your answer to the 1000 year old riddle.A. A key
[image error]The Exeter Book
The granting of such status elevates this collection of poetry and riddles to a similar level as The Book of Kells, The Diary of Anne Franck and Magna Carta. It has been housed in Exeter Cathedral's library for almost a millennium. The book was the gift of Exeter's first bishop, Leofric in the 11th century and contains forty poems. I include a sample riddle with no apology for the subject matter!
Riddle 44 - from the Exeter Book RiddlesA wondrous thing hangs by a man's thigh,
under its lord's clothing. In front there is a hole.
It stands stiff and hard. It has a good home.
When the servant raises his own garment
up over his knee, he wants to greet
with his dangling head that well-known hole,
of equal length, which he has often filled before.
Q. What am I?The answer is at the end of this blog.
Then of course we have had a celebration day for father's in the UK. It was amazingly good for me as I had all three children along with my grandson in attendance. A super day.
[image error]
Father’s Day
Here for a seasonGranted the gift of childrenEnough of a reasonFor life we are given © David L Atkinson June 2016
Then there was my healthy discovery which will figure in future meals that I prepare.
Pak Choi
A gracefully formed green frondatop a pale, lined support,wearing curving, balanced lines,a thing of beauty I had bought.
Yet not its true purpose,a piece of vegetable art.More serendipitous I supposewhen gladdening the eye in part.
The function of the gentle, pak choiis neither vulgar or rudebut an accompanying meal alloy,this beneficial food. © David L Atkinson June 2016
And finally your answer to the 1000 year old riddle.A. A key
June 21, 2016
Writing - A Voice for Poetry
Once again there has been an award given and the recipient has spoken up for the place of poetry in the world.
[image error]2016
Sarah Crossan has won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature for her book One which is about conjoined twins and is written completely in free verse.
[image error]
Accepting her prize at a ceremony at the British Library on Monday, teacher-turned-novelist Crossan said children inherently "trust poetry" as it is read to them from such a young age.
"And then we kill it for them by around Year Eight, with testing leaving no space for joy or performance," she added.
She said poetry was more powerful when performed. "No poet writes words so that they remain cold on the page to be scanned from left to right in black and white and then examined for GCSE.
"Poetry belongs to everyone, it doesn't necessarily belong in the classroom or university nor in the bookshop ghetto next to 18th century literary criticism."
Dublin-born Crossan, who was previously shortlisted for the Carnegie in 2013 for The Weight of Water and 2015 for Apple and Rain, also pledged support for the British library system, whose closures she said "infuriated" her.
Her winning novel features 16-year-old Grace and Tippi whose upper bodies are separate but are joined at the hip and share one pair of legs.
[image error]Sarah Crossan
On the day before I produce my weekly poetry blog I find her sentiments totally unquestionable. At no time were the Greek poet's, three thousand years ago, writing their stories in verse so that some poor child could be tested on them.
I write my poetry as part of my life. I write in ways that I find comfortable, using a variety of styles, but occasionally I have to admonish myself for worrying about whether or not I have written it correctly. In poetry there should be no correct or incorrect way. Poetry is a reflection of being a human being. It is a vehicle for the emotions and for expressing feelings about our world. Thinking back over my own education I remember being taught, in debate, that if you wish to weaken someone's viewpoint attack their methodology. In a sense those who criticise poetry are indulging in the same exercise which, in my opinion, in itself is a sign of weakness.Please don't judge writing by comparison with what are considered historically lauded writers, but by whether you like it or not. If you don't get it that's fine but it doesn't mean it isn't of value.
God Bless
[image error]2016
Sarah Crossan has won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature for her book One which is about conjoined twins and is written completely in free verse.
[image error]
Accepting her prize at a ceremony at the British Library on Monday, teacher-turned-novelist Crossan said children inherently "trust poetry" as it is read to them from such a young age.
"And then we kill it for them by around Year Eight, with testing leaving no space for joy or performance," she added.
She said poetry was more powerful when performed. "No poet writes words so that they remain cold on the page to be scanned from left to right in black and white and then examined for GCSE.
"Poetry belongs to everyone, it doesn't necessarily belong in the classroom or university nor in the bookshop ghetto next to 18th century literary criticism."
Dublin-born Crossan, who was previously shortlisted for the Carnegie in 2013 for The Weight of Water and 2015 for Apple and Rain, also pledged support for the British library system, whose closures she said "infuriated" her.
Her winning novel features 16-year-old Grace and Tippi whose upper bodies are separate but are joined at the hip and share one pair of legs.
[image error]Sarah Crossan
On the day before I produce my weekly poetry blog I find her sentiments totally unquestionable. At no time were the Greek poet's, three thousand years ago, writing their stories in verse so that some poor child could be tested on them.
I write my poetry as part of my life. I write in ways that I find comfortable, using a variety of styles, but occasionally I have to admonish myself for worrying about whether or not I have written it correctly. In poetry there should be no correct or incorrect way. Poetry is a reflection of being a human being. It is a vehicle for the emotions and for expressing feelings about our world. Thinking back over my own education I remember being taught, in debate, that if you wish to weaken someone's viewpoint attack their methodology. In a sense those who criticise poetry are indulging in the same exercise which, in my opinion, in itself is a sign of weakness.Please don't judge writing by comparison with what are considered historically lauded writers, but by whether you like it or not. If you don't get it that's fine but it doesn't mean it isn't of value.
God Bless
June 20, 2016
Tuesday Food Blog - Pak Choi, Belly Pork and Boulangere Potatoes
Don't you get fed up with being told what you can and can't eat? My dentist has an opinion, my optician advised me and of course doctors and nurses. I feel like leaping on to the nearest soap box and telling them all to go forth and increase their number.
The optician reckons I should eat dark greens which is like telling me to poke my eyes out with a sharpened stick, but I keep looking around for something that I don't find bitter and unappetising. Well this week I have come very close to success.
pak choi
Chinese cabbage apparently, but it tastes nothing like. There are a couple of types one which forms a head and the second which you see above that grows more like celery. It just looks beautiful.
Before I began cooking it I read up carefully and the recommended method is to steam for three minutes. It does suggest that the leaves and stalks can be cooked separately as the latter take a little longer. I didn't bother and the stalks were done in three minutes and the leaves resembled spinach - BUT NOT AS BITTER!
In fact the whole end result is a green veg that provides you, in a 100g, with 89% daily requirement of Vitamin A and 75% of Vitamin C plus a lot of other good things. On top of that it tastes mild and complements a number of different dishes.
Cod loin with sauteed potatoes and pak choi
Friday lunch was the above and the fish was well supported by the Chinese vegetable. The main weekend food was belly pork, pak choi and boulangere potatoes as below.
Belly pork, pak choi and boulangere potatoes
The belly pork was roasted with onions, the pak choi cooked as described above and the potatoes were a new departure for me but in fact quite simple and healthier than potatoes cooked with butter cream and the like.
Boulangere Potatoes
IngredientsNew potatoes sliced long waysHalf an onion finely choppedThymePint of chicken stockGarlicSeasoning
MethodButter the inside of an ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. My oven is fan assisted and you could probably cook the dish hotter and quicker but I was planning to slow cook the belly pork at the same time.Layer the potatoes onions, garlic and thyme, repeating until finishing with a layer of potatoes. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour until the potatoes are soft then remove the foil, dot with butter and turn the oven up to 200 degrees C and bake for a further 10 - 20 minutes or until the potatoes have browned on the top.
I have refrained from giving quantities and types of ingredients as that would be removing the space there is for creativity. Enjoy.
God Bless
The optician reckons I should eat dark greens which is like telling me to poke my eyes out with a sharpened stick, but I keep looking around for something that I don't find bitter and unappetising. Well this week I have come very close to success.
pak choi
Chinese cabbage apparently, but it tastes nothing like. There are a couple of types one which forms a head and the second which you see above that grows more like celery. It just looks beautiful.
Before I began cooking it I read up carefully and the recommended method is to steam for three minutes. It does suggest that the leaves and stalks can be cooked separately as the latter take a little longer. I didn't bother and the stalks were done in three minutes and the leaves resembled spinach - BUT NOT AS BITTER!
In fact the whole end result is a green veg that provides you, in a 100g, with 89% daily requirement of Vitamin A and 75% of Vitamin C plus a lot of other good things. On top of that it tastes mild and complements a number of different dishes.
Cod loin with sauteed potatoes and pak choi
Friday lunch was the above and the fish was well supported by the Chinese vegetable. The main weekend food was belly pork, pak choi and boulangere potatoes as below.
Belly pork, pak choi and boulangere potatoes
The belly pork was roasted with onions, the pak choi cooked as described above and the potatoes were a new departure for me but in fact quite simple and healthier than potatoes cooked with butter cream and the like.
Boulangere Potatoes
IngredientsNew potatoes sliced long waysHalf an onion finely choppedThymePint of chicken stockGarlicSeasoning
MethodButter the inside of an ovenproof dish and preheat the oven to 170 degrees C. My oven is fan assisted and you could probably cook the dish hotter and quicker but I was planning to slow cook the belly pork at the same time.Layer the potatoes onions, garlic and thyme, repeating until finishing with a layer of potatoes. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour until the potatoes are soft then remove the foil, dot with butter and turn the oven up to 200 degrees C and bake for a further 10 - 20 minutes or until the potatoes have browned on the top.
I have refrained from giving quantities and types of ingredients as that would be removing the space there is for creativity. Enjoy.
God Bless
