The blogging question

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I don’t know about you but sometimes when it comes to updating my blog, I simply don’t know what to write about. Sounds familiar? Maybe you are much better organised than me and work with a particular theme or an inspirational thought? I’m all for being organised and adhering to timelines and deadlines but sometimes it’s good to allow the creative juices to flow uninterrupted and without restraints to block the way. And that’s okay.

There are events which happen during the course of the day and the week and when they do I hear myself saying, “I must write about that”, but invariably what happens is that I get sidetracked and the creative thought disappears from whence it came. I could scribble it down, indeed on occasions I have done and my little moleskine notebook is full of such scribbles. But then when I read them back I sometimes leave my mind to pause on said scribbling and before I know where I am, I’m lost in a moment of meditation. I must confess it’s very therapeutic too!

Today has been one of those days. My little notebook sits open and I note the scribbles of inspirational thoughts, funny moments and words of wisdom. For another day I think.

My question for you today - who or what inspires you to blog?

What difference would a gift of education make?

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Today I learned that ‘Over 300 million children around the world do not have access to education and most likely will never learn to read or write’. This information was shared at a business breakfast meeting I attended in London. The event was organised by the charity Room to Read, a charity who believe that every child has a right to education irrespective of gender. Although I had heard of the charity previously through a friend of mine, I suppose until this morning I hadn’t really given a great deal of thought to the implications of not being able to read and write. For me, I love to read and write. I can often be found quite happily writing journals, short stories and letters, yes even in these times of speedier communication methods. I’m going to launch a ‘Polish up your penmanship’ campaign soon. Watch out for details!

I hadn’t really thought about it before now but having had the opportunity to be educated has really made a difference to me. It has allowed me to read and write and in turn improve my communication skills. The gift of education has allowed me to study, take on board additional learning and develop my career and enjoy the rewards over the years. This meant a better job and a better lifestyle. This gift of education has provided endless opportunities for me to develop my potential and that of others as I engaged with both adults and children through training programmes I’ve designed and delivered.

What difference would the gift of education make to a child who wouldn’t normally receive such a gift? What hopes and dreams might be fulfilled if we helped to make that happen?

Do you like magic with your music?

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Last night I attended an evening at our local Arts Centre to listen to the sweet and dulcet tones of Cara Dillon. Cara is a very talented folk singer from Ireland. I’ve listened to her albums and attended several of her performances over the years and with each performance she gets better and better. Her voice has a soothing, endearing and dare I say, magical quality about it. For me, her Gaelic songs are particularly haunting and beautiful. It’s as if she sings every song from her heart and soul. When she sang last night, the whole theatre seemed to embrace the magic of her words and music. I felt that we had been given a very precious gift to hold, we had, her beautiful singing voice! She sang and encouraged us to do so too. Her songs and music accompanied by her talented musician husband Sam Lakerman, told of joy, happiness and sadness too. She engaged her audience as she performed. I enjoyed how she shared something of herself through her stories, a truly authentic performer. This was Cara’s first visit to our local Arts Centre and somehow I don’t think it will be her last. If you have the opportunity to listen to Cara’s music, I encourage you to do so. I know you won’t be disappointed.

Who invites you to skip down memory lane?

Last week I was at school helping a class of eight year olds. We were learning all about the concepts of past, present and future. The teacher was explaining how the present became the past and how this became history. We talked about current events and happenings and how they would in turn become past times and history. She highlighted various events that the children could relate to and understand the nature of the lesson. She cited the local town festival that had now had a history of being fifty years old. Fifty years old! That’s quite a concept for an eight year old to grasp. This in turn generated discussion about how life was fifty years ago. What was school like then? Did children use computers? Did the children travel to school on the bus? What did they watch on television? Thanks to the internet we were able to access one or two children’s programmes of that time so long ago.

Remember Andy Pandy and Loobyloo or Bill and Ben the Flowerpot men? Like our eight year olds some of you won’t recall these delightful Watch with Mother programmes. (The short video is purely for educational purposes you understand!)

The class were rather bemused that the programmes were in black in white and not in colour. This was a novel experience for today’s eight year olds.

And when we watched together I could feel myself skipping down memory lane …

Ahhh … those were the days.

Who or what invited you to skip down memory lane recently?

A special kind of play

One of the many beautiful Oberammergau wood carvings taken by me. Artist unknown.

I’ve gone AWOL again, this time to the beautiful town of Pertisau in the Tyrol, Austria and a couple of days in the delightful village of Oberammergau in Germany. The trip was planned two years ago by my best friend and me. It seems like a long wait for a trip but this was due to the fact that the trip included a special theatre visit. We had organised to see the renowned Oberammergau Passion Play. There is a waiting list of two years for tickets to see this particular play. It is performed every ten years as per tradition and custom of the area. It had been on my ‘to see and do list’ for some time now and this year, 2010 was the year! I recall my parents going to Oberammergau some thirty years ago when I was a student at university.

The Oberammergau Passion Play originates from a vow made by the people of the village in the year 1633. It was during this time that many people in the region died as a result of the Black Death. The people vowed to portray the ‘Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ’ every ten years. Having made this particular pledge not one person in the village of Oberammergau died of the Black Death.

What’s so special about this play is that at least half the village (2500 people) are involved in the production, children as young as three and adults as old as ninety. Occasionally several members from one family may be involved in the production. All the actors are volunteers and prepare for the play at least a year before the season starts. Men will grow their hair long and acquire beards for their respective roles long before the season starts in the May. The season finishes in October and the play is performed five days a week. That’s a lot of rehearsals and performances.

To witness a production of the Oberammergau Passion Play is truly a wonderful experience. The choir, the music and the cast capture the drama, emotion and dignity of this story in the most fitting of ways. The setting, the ever changing scenes and the costumes capture the atmosphere of the event beautifully. Minutes into the performance I felt that I was no longer a spectator but someone caught up in the story of the time. The whole performance took us through varying levels of emotion. I was pleased that the two year wait for tickets was worth it. I would certainly recommend adding it to your ‘places to see’ list for 2020 and remember to book in plenty of time.

Ludwig Modl (theological advisor of the Oberammergau Passion Plays) wrote,

‘Once again they (the people) keep the vow of their ancestors in a way that remains true to the original promise. The play of redemption seeks to capture the fears and longings of the people of our times and gives them the kind of hope offered by faith. Consequently, the play is not a museum-like folk theatre, it is a theatre of the people for the people that reaches deep into life and seeks to convey hope.

All aboard for Raasay

I’ve done it again! I’ve been sidetracked. I’ve broken my blogging habit. Not on purpose you understand it just sort of happened and during this time there were lots of interesting events going on and I had planned to write about them and share with you but … well life and work overtook such events. Note to self - need be more disciplined with my writing.

So my blog is running not in front of time, nor in time but behind time. The blog has veered off the time line perhaps in need of some inspiration, deliberation and creativity. Yes, it’s out of sync. Quite frankly I’m not sure that it ever was in sync. I did try and keep it updated on a fairly regular basis but sometimes I get sidetracked like now and I have to say that it’s quite a challenge getting back into it again, blogging I mean so please forgive my feeble efforts.

Some bloggers blog daily and that’s impressive. I truly admire such discipline. One such example is Paul At the end of the Road. I just love how he manages to write daily and usually something witty that adds a little smile or chuckle to the reading of his blog. He is based on the Scottish island Raasay, an island between the Isle of Skye and Scotland and if you can’t manage a trip there soon consider a virtual trip there today. It can be a great way to see Raasay, and escape from the hustle and bustle of the city too.

The Valley Gardens

A couple of years ago I read 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron. It was recommended to me by a colleague I met on a training course. Strange how some books keep cropping up in conversation and 'The Artist's Way' was one of those. In turn, I bought the book and used it as a aid to 'recover my creativity'. I was encouraged to write 'morning pages' every day for several weeks and schedule an 'artist date' for myself every week.

the artist dates are times for receptivity, preplanned solitary hours of pleasurable activity aimed at nurturing the creative consciousness.

I do enjoy writing and always have loved writing ever since I was a little girl. At 5'2" I haven't grown very tall but I do believe that my writing has improved greatly. I must confess it was a challenge making a habit of writing at least three pages of A4 every day, however when I now look back and read it through at times it can be quite enlightening! Writing can be a very therapeutic exercise too, I've found. If you haven't already tried it out do so. It can work wonders if you've had a bad day at the office!

Anyway, the 'artist's date' was something I particularly enjoyed and I visited some delightful places in my quest to 'recover my creativity'. Last week armed with notepad, scribbling pen and picnic I went off to visit The Valley Gardens. I persuaded The Man and his camera to join me. The Valley Gardens is part of The Great Windsor Park and if you have the opportunity to schedule an 'artist date' there I encourage you to do so before all the blossom falls. For those of you unable to make a visit I hope you enjoy the pictures courtesy of The Man and his camera at frasersfotos.