BIRTHDAY CANDLES, RAINBOWS AND RACOONS

It  was Uncle Alastair's birthday at the weekend. Even though he wasn't here to join us I thought it would be good to mark the day at Sunday dinner.

Marks and Spencer sell catepillers which are little chocolate Swiss Rolls with faces on them.  As it happened I had some packages in because I keep a supply for 'currency' when necessary ... like trying to Ellie out the door to the waiting car.

We ended up lighting the candles over and over and making wishes after we sang Happy Birthday. It's amazing how a small amount of money can give prolonged pleasure (especially at a time when they never stay seated for more than 2 minutes!)  It also  gives an interesting insight into the things they wish for!

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Harriet comes to us on a Tuesday after school. We sit and draw after hearing all about her day.  I am sure that being the third of four in a family can be hard going especially when everyone is shouting for attention all the time!

I taught her to use a ruler; that is my old school ruler in the foreground. She drew a chocolate bar all marked out in squares.  But what really impressed me was, not just her dexterity for her age, but when she drew a rainbow she had the colours in the right order!  [If you struggle to remember Red, Orange, Yellow Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, there is the sentence "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain."  I wish I had been told that when I was at school!]

We had a go at some butterflies too. Again she made wings with pretty colours. And finally she drew the shape above... "That's the butterfly in its racoon."

THE DISCOVERY SHIP'S ORGAN (HARMONIUM)

We spent time on the Sailing Ship Discovery which is basically now a ship-museum in Dundee Harbour. We enjoyed going through the ship as we have read books about the voyages (Scott of the Antarctic etc) and are aware of the stories associated with these exploratory trips.

I felt in a bit of a time warp ... tea boxes for supplies, coal stores, cramped spaces for ordinary crew to sleep, signal flag box 'cupboard'.

They even had a harmonium on board!

"This piano-like was presented by the people of Christchurch New Zealand to the British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1904 for use on board the Discovery.  It was normallly played by Lieutenant Royds and was used both for entertainment and for the Sunday religious services.  It survives in remarkably good condition considering it frequently fell over in rough seas.  

Note that each pedal is marked as being 'mouse proof'."

The metal frame of the 2 pedals has the letters MOUSE PROOF PEDAL cast at the base.

DUNDEE TRIP No 2 of 2 - PICTISH STONE AT DUNNICHEN, ANGUS

We spent some time exploring the Angus countryside.  Near Forfar, at a place called Dunnichen. we found The Dunnichen Stone.  It is a Pictish Stone with carved symbols on it.

Wikipedia states the symbols are:  flower, double disc and z rod and a mirror and comb

M-m-m-m...  I took the circular shape with lines above it to be an eye.

It reminded me of carvings on totem poles of the Indian bands of the Pacific Northwest.

This shows carvings by Haida Indians in the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.  [Photo: Wikipedia]

On the mainland of British Columbia other tribes of Indians had similar artwork.  This box from UBC Anthropology Museum reminded me of the artwork on a carved ornamental paddle that my mother had from the days when she lived with her mother, father and siblings in Port Simpson, north of Prince Rupert. Her father was a minister there.  The Indian band were Tsimshian and this is an example of their artwork. 
[Photo: Wikipedia] 

[Carved paddle with similar artwork was about 10 inches long. We gave it to the museum in Victoria; never took a photo of it ... 'twas the days before iPhones!]

I wondered if the Easter Island stones had anything similar to the Pictish stones.

I had only ever read about the 'heads' on Easter Island.  They certainly did not have carved eyes in the manner of carved symbols.  These eyes are rather like 'hollows' in the stone surface.

However, when searching the internet for the topic I found:

(a) excavation has shown that these heads are part of a body which is buried 

and ....

 (b) they have carved symbols on the back.

Photos are from  UCLA archaeology publication photos  © Easter Island Statue Project

But are there any eyes?.....?

* * * * * * * * * * *   Permit me to go off at a tangent   * * * * * * * * * * *



I ran across this photo of   'Magnetic Stones, Ahu Te Pito Kura, Easter Island'

which ... again ... reminded me of the carved stones found in Scotland (in a variety of locations) which continue to be a mystery as to their function.

Photo above is mine: Hunterian Museum, Glasgow University.

DUNDEE TRIP: No 1 post of 2 - Dundee V&A Museum and Tannadice

John organised an Autumn Break last weekend as the children were off school. We stayed in a village called Tannadice which is north of Dundee about a 30 minute drive in farmland.

We stayed in a holiday let large house called Mill Cottage. Although located near a burn (small river) flowing into the River Esk (pictured) I could not find the actual mill nor any evidence of a millstone.

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 We spent Saturday visiting the new V&A museum in Dundee.  Impressive!

The waterfront.  Mairi with Harriet (5 yrs) and Ellie (3.5 yrs)

Ishie (11.80 yrs) drawing  at a desk at one of the 'hands on' displays in the large open public area.  The museum is about Design so we enjoyed looking at the exhibits and talking to some Design students about what is going on. It needs another trip to spend time in the room exhibits e.g. story of Cunard ships.

And who is this handsome fellow?!  Alastair, nearly 11 years old, was trying on the dress-up clothes at the (excellent) Jute Museum.

On the way home we visited our old neighbour Dot in Perth.  She just had her 88th birthday.  Dot still has lots of flowers (but no gnomes I noticed!).  She and Ishie in her new M&S dress that Mairi bought her posed for a photo on the back doorstep.

DANIEL CIOBANU: GLASGOW IS RICHER FOR HIS INPUT

The musical events are starting up again for the winter season.  This chap, Daniel Ciobanu, has to be the crème de la crème.

He was playing a mid-day concert in the city centre in a very fine setting for a small concert - the Merchant House, George Square, Glasgow.

He is from Romania and came to Scotland on a scholarship for one year to study at Stewart's Melville College in Edinburgh.  Then in 2010 he started at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow.

That is why, over the last few years, we have seen him in concerts large or small, including competitions. His website

http://www.danielpetricaciobanu.com/

shows how he is booked 'way into the future to play in major concert halls (as well small venues) all over the world! (He also played in Pollock House Sunday night. He had to rush off to catch a plane to Dubai then on to ??? in eastern Asia to stand in at the last minute for a concert pianist.)

I notice he is Artistic Director of the Neamt International Music Fest 

www.neamtpianofestival.ro

which is where is from i.e. Piatra Neamt, Romania  (above)' 

His website shows that next week on October 18th he is scheduled to give a debut performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.

We are so lucky to be able to enjoy him in our part of the world!

* * * * * *   off-at-a-tangent    * * * * * *

On the subject of Glasgow being richer for its citizens' input ....

I always enjoy concerts in this particular building because every time I climb the stairs from the street outside to the second floor I pass this sculpture in the stairwell. 

Kirkman Finlay

 A marble statue by John Gibson (1790–1866) is in the vestibule of the Merchants' House on George Square.

Kirkman Finlay (1773 – 1842) [was a Glasgow Merchant] who made strenuous efforts to capture lucrative Asian markets, successfully challenging the supremacy of the British East India Company in trade with India and the Far East. Under his leadership the business expanded, moving into cotton manufacturing with the purchase of the Ballindalloch Works in 1798, the Catrine Mills in 1801 and the Deanston Mills in 1806.

They became the largest textile concern in Scotland and the first British merchant to trade directly with India (1816).  

[Wikipedia] 

His knowledge of banking was considerable. He was an extraordinary director of The Royal Bank of Scotland;  he agitated for the retention of the Scottish one pound note in 1826.   His  financial success shows … the central importance of cotton textiles in Glasgow's domestic economy …. [He was one of many] who helped to make Glasgow.

He and others like him made loadsa money in the heyday of the Industrial Revolution.  These merchants put money aside for the poor and other worthy causes and the room in which the concert is held has many gold painted dark wooden boards noting them and their contributions.  

Iheir website [www.merchantshouse.org] states "From the beginning, the Merchants House supported members and their families who had become 'decayed and distressed', both within their hospital and outside it. 

The Merchants House is now a major charitable institution and donations of more than £700,000 are awarded each year to deserving charities and individuals in Glasgow and beyond. 

For over four hundred years after its foundation, it is part of the fabric of Glasgow and the city is richer for it."

 

GLASGOW TODAY

Queen Street Station is under construction.  One of His Lordships in George Square is taking it all in.

Parked outside Glasgow Royal Concert Hall were 2 of these trucks completely blocking the pedestrian area including the cross-walk waiting area.

AUTUMN - NATURE AND WILDLIFE

A fox in the garden at the corner of Clarence Drive and Hyndland Road today.  I think it is injured.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE PROUST

Saturday was lovely all day.  Every time Ellie (3.5 years) and Harriet (5 years) visit they head for the park at the back of our house.  

Ellie has very firm ideas about what she will wear.  In this autumn weather it is a ballerina outfit or a spring party dress.  I said to her when she shouted (she's always shouting) "I want to go the the park!" it was "No sweater; no park".   Without a blink she put it in and turned to me and said "M-m-m-m.... it's nice and cosy!"    She is right; it's a lovely hand-knitted sweater (not mine) I keep in a drawer handy for just occasions!

Harriet and I spend time colouring and practicing her letters.  She now knows  m, n, a, h, t and r.  At the end of a session my head is buzzing with:  "kicking k" and "curly c".   Such fun to see her coming along (as she has very good hand motor co-ordination).

In her school bag is her first reading book, i.e. books that have no words but have stories to be talked about. As we progressed through the story I started to notice the little details in the drawings.  The artist is Roderick Hunt.  He will never know the laughs I got as we turned the pages and talked about what mischief the characters were getting up to!

Here below is an example.... which I am going to be add to the Rogue's Gallery of photos on the kitchen wall.  It makes me laugh every time I look at it!

 

Mr Hunt, whoever you are, as a tribute to your wonderful artwork I am now been inspired to try making Madeleines (instead of my usual fare of Rice Crispie Cakes and Flapjacks!)

COLOUR IT RED

John took this wonderful photo of Ellie last week.  She is a real clothes horse!  She chooses what to wear and what coat to go with it.  The fact that it is autumn outside doesn't mean she is going to pass up wearing her Snow White ball gown or her ballerina outfit!

 

And that red chair in her other grandparents' apartment is just her colour!

It put me in mind of some other reds that I have had lurking in my computer 'colour' folders:

Wm Morris Strawberry Thief fabric or maybe it is wallpaper.

Wikipedia states that it is  one of his "most popular repeating designs for textiles. It takes as its subject the thrushes that Morris found stealing fruit in his kitchen garden of his countryside home, Kelmscott Manor, in Oxfordshire."

 

This petite point stitched chair cover is one made for Liz and covers a lovely armchair which sits in a bay window.