O.R. Melling's Blog, page 4

Grand Canadian Tour/Grande Tournée Canadienne

 Shaping up beautifully! First stop Toronto where I will be in residence for two weeks at Massey College, a favourite place just opposite my alma mater, Trinity College. Will be doing interviews, library talks & book clubs as well as meeting family & friends. Then a week a-wandering between family & Navy buddies in Ottawa. Then off to Edmonton for one-night hotel stay before flying into the Great North at Fort Simpson to set off for river expedition on the Nahanni - a life-long dream! - with www.Nahanni.com,  then south to Vancouver to give a talk at the Theosophical Society & then ferry to Vancouver Island to stay at CFB Esquimalt where I was once stationed, in the Officers' Quarters (but alas no diving, that dream died, more anon), then east to Winnipeg for one night before flying into Cross Lake Reserve in Manitoba to give talks in First Nations schools, then 2-day road trip back across the Prairies to a holiday camp north of Edmonton for a 50th year reunion of Canada World Youth/Jeunesse Canada Monde. (You can learn more about the Navy & CWY/JCM Malaysia Year One at www.ormelling.com under Adventures: Canadian.) NOTE: huge thanks & go raibh míle maith agat to Culture Ireland/Cultúr Eireann for grant-aiding the working part of this trip.

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Back to Work!

Reviewing American version of a feature film script I wrote for The Hunter's Moon.  Irish-Canadian co-production has fallen through (life in the slow lane and developmental hell of the movie industry) so I'm going to draw up a bible for a TV series. Talking with manager in L.A. and agent in Ireland about it. Watch this space. 

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The Dream of Diving

First pic is rabbit-eared me in bygone days with fellow officer cadets in training at CFB Esquimalt, on board the HMCS Cape Breton - "the Fred" or "Building 100" - an old wartime maintenance ship permanently in the dockyard. It was our accommodation. The second pic is where she lies today, at the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island, an artificial reef for the exploration of divers. Same deck, same railing! (Photo credit: @roncaswell, TripAdvisor) Will I see her again? Watch this space.   

Bad Blogger!

 I can't believe how long it has taken me to do a post. I just deleted my old blog (saved favourite pics and also downloaded the lot). Time to do this properly. No excuses but still, I've been working away on my new website - www.ormelling.com - and have embarked on an intense strength-training and swimming programme to prepare myself for diving lessons in June and July. More about that anon. Today I am just making a commitment here to blog more often and maybe even regularly. Let's see if I stick to it.

A SUNNY DAY'S HIKE

We started with chocolate eclairs & tea from the Avoca Handweavers consumed outdoors under the giant cedar pendula. Then off we set up the Little Sugar Loaf to walk off the bajillion calories. It was a sunny day, crisp & cool, too lovely to be spent indoors working frantically on the renovation of my website & book edit deadline. Yes, there's a new book coming out in May 2022. More about that anon. For the moment let's just enjoy the beauty of the Irish landscape & the fairy path of mushrooms we met on the way.

Christmas Treat with Daughter

Off we went on a cold sunny day, digital certs in hand, to Powerscourt House for lunch; then a tour of the gardens; then on to the even posher five-star Powerscourt Hotel, for tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. The gingerbread castle is real! Their chefs are famous for making these huge, mouth-watering creations.
 

Coming Soon!

I've a few more pics from that fabulous Indian trip and will post them here soon. Then I returned to Ireland in time for the onset of the Covid pandemic. All plans to go to Japan end of 2020 and Canada this summer were scuppered. Plus I was seriously ill after my 1st shot of AstraZeneca, months of headaches, pain and fatigue. Death by vaccine. Refused the 2nd shot so spent the summer with chronic fatigue in semi-isolation waiting for Ireland to catch up with the science and allow me to have a different 2nd shot (both Canada and Germany recommended that you get a mRNA after one AstraZeneca). FINALLY got a Pfizer in September, hurrah, so now fully vaxxed and ready to travel to Spain for the Christmas season. New book coming out in 2022 and a few other exciting things happening. More anon.

I'll BE BACK!

I've a few more pics from that fabulous Indian trip and will post them here soon. Then I returned to Ireland in time for the onset of the Covid pandemic. All plans to go to Japan end of 2020 and Canada this summer were scuppered. Plus I was seriously ill after my 1st shot of AstraZeneca, months of headaches, pain and fatigue. Death by vaccine. Refused the 2nd shot so spent the summer with chronic fatigue in semi-isolation waiting for Ireland to catch up with the science and allow me to have a different 2nd shot (both Canada and Germany recommended that you get a mRNA after one AstraZeneca). FINALLY got a Pfizer in September, hurrah, so now fully vaxxed and ready to travel to Spain for the Christmas season. New book coming out in 2022 and a few other exciting things happening. More anon.

Talks, readings and Networking in India

Flying north from Bengaluru (old name Bangalore), I arrived in the ancient holy city of Varanasi (old names Benares, Kashi) for the week-long 144th International Convention of the Theosophical Society. There was also a cruise along the Ganges and a walk along the ghats. From there, I flew south to Chennai to visit Adyar, World Headquarters of the Theosophical Society and the Krishnamurti Foundation. And then further south again, to Pondicherry where I gave readings in schools in Auroville. Thanks go to Culture Ireland for grant support for this leg of the journey involving readings and networking.

Indiahhhhhh!

Not long back from a six-week magical mystery tour of India, my favourite country in the world. A mix of spiritual pleasure, research and writer's work, it began in Karnataka. Travelling with fellow Buddhists, I stayed in a Tibetan monastic guesthouse while attending the teachings of the Dalai Lama for two weeks. From there we spent Christmas in Mysuru (old name Mysore) and did some sight-seeing at Mysore Palace, St Philomena's Cathedral and Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop a high hill. Then off to Bangalore for two days rest.