News from my little corner of the world in Surrey....
It has been a busy week. I have reached for pen and paper more than once to write a post only to find myself distracted by something else. This is what was fun and interesting in my little corner of the world this this week. I hope you will find something here that interests you too.
The Australian Women's Club and Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery....
New country, new home, new friends...the first thing to do is look for local groups to get involved with. I found The
Australian Women's Club and it has been a keeper. On Tuesday, I went along to Australia House to an International Coffee to hear Australian, Rebecca Hossack of
Rebecca Hossack Gallery speak on Aboriginal art. Being a keen collector of indigenous art I knew I was going to enjoy this lecture. I wasn't wrong. Rebecca is a great storyteller and knew many of the famous Aboriginal artists of our time. There she was in photos with
Emily Kngwarreye and
Clifford Possum with rich and entertaining stories to follow. She is a remarkable woman herself. I look forward to following her Gallery during our time in England. If you have the opportunity to visit, ask her how she managed to introduce Clifford to Queen Elizabeth. You are in for a treat with this one! Aussie girls...they never cease to amaze me!
British Guild of Travel Writers and Book Club Tours....
Funny how reading one article can set you on a wild path. Morning coffee in hand, I was reading
Elmbridge magazine and was struck by this photo and
Sarah Tucker's article on the 50th anniversary of the
British Guild of Travel Writers. This news was followed by a speech she gave at the
Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill. Her speech was about how to write travel within fiction. She mentions books such as
The Sheltering Sky,
Death in Venice and
A Room with a View and then an inside tip on
Book Club Tours. Yes, you too, can see the places used for the BBC adaptation of
Pride and Prejudice which includes the lake scene with Colin Firth. Well, I'll be! You can read the article by going
here. This of course led to one google search after another and another (you know how that works!). I enjoyed this visit into the world of travel journalism and photography. It was just what I needed following my recent trip to Israel and the West Bank. I have been stuck...at a loss for words and now I am back on track. If you like traveling, writing, photography or just learning about new places, have a look at this site and enjoy! It is a members only club (of which I am not) but do not be put off by that, there is plenty of information tucked away to discover.
BBC 2 Documentary: High Society Brides....
BBC produced a TV documentary around the women featured in the "girls in pearls" page in
Country Life Magazine. This magazine is an institution in itself. Each issue, one girl is selected for the coveted page. She is always from a family of good standing and supposedly lives the quintessential English country life. One photograph and many years later, we follow five women who are looking back at their lives. Did it hold the hopes and dreams they were in search of? The show provided an insight into a world that is foreign to me. Women born into privilege who needed a husband to carry it on. For, as we were told, for some, without a husband of title and land, their future looked bleak. Some of these women accomplished their goal, some did not. I can tell you it is not a fairytale picture, at least not in my mind. I do admire them for telling their story. It would not have been easy. It is worth the viewing. You can see it
here for the next 12 days on
BBC iPlayer.
Prince Charles writes about Harmony....
One thing that is hard not to miss whilst living in England, is Prince Charles campaign for a more balanced and sustainable world. Today's paper was not an exception. Front and center, an advertisement for his book 'Harmony'. You can read more at HarperCollins
here. Sounds intriguing and I think this will be worthy of my Christmas list. (Mr. H. take note). If you have the time, grab a cup of tea and watch this video clip. It is well done.
Boarding Schools and a tsunami warning...
Trial and tribulations of an expat....four children, two in University in the Southern Hemisphere and two with us up North. My # 3 has college in the USA in her sights and #4 needs a plan. Schools are all the talk amongst parents at the moment. Open days, tours, interviews,
one must have a plan...they say. It feels like a tsunami will be heading my way if I do not take action soon. We have decided to put our foot in two doors, one in the Southern Hemisphere and one in the Northern Hemisphere just to play it safe.
Serious discussions with Mr. H over this one. Wherever #4 ends up he will most likely want to call it home. Those teenage years have a way of binding heart and soul to a country. The other day, he called me Mummy. What happened to Mom?? He was teasing but I think the seed is being set. I have a feeling I am in for a wild ride!
Paris....
Last but not least, Paris awaits next week...or does it? Daughter #2 and I are off for a few days of exploration. We are packing our cameras and have our list and hope that we will be able to go. The Eurostar is booked, the hotel is booked but the strike in France is looming and I fear the French like to take their time in these matters. Fingers crossed we will be able to make it their and back.
image~me
Signing off from my little corner of the world...
Best wishes for a wonderful weekend, I hope a little adventure comes your way.
Jeanne
New country, new home, new friends...the first thing to do is look for local groups to get involved with. I found The Australian Women's Club and it has been a keeper. On Tuesday, I went along to Australia House to an International Coffee to hear Australian, Rebecca Hossack of Rebecca Hossack Gallery speak on Aboriginal art. Being a keen collector of indigenous art I knew I was going to enjoy this lecture. I wasn't wrong. Rebecca is a great storyteller and knew many of the famous Aboriginal artists of our time. There she was in photos with Emily Kngwarreye and Clifford Possum with rich and entertaining stories to follow. She is a remarkable woman herself. I look forward to following her Gallery during our time in England. If you have the opportunity to visit, ask her how she managed to introduce Clifford to Queen Elizabeth. You are in for a treat with this one! Aussie girls...they never cease to amaze me!
Funny how reading one article can set you on a wild path. Morning coffee in hand, I was reading Elmbridge magazine and was struck by this photo and Sarah Tucker's article on the 50th anniversary of the British Guild of Travel Writers. This news was followed by a speech she gave at the Travel Bookshop in Notting Hill. Her speech was about how to write travel within fiction. She mentions books such as The Sheltering Sky, Death in Venice and A Room with a View and then an inside tip on Book Club Tours. Yes, you too, can see the places used for the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice which includes the lake scene with Colin Firth. Well, I'll be! You can read the article by going here. This of course led to one google search after another and another (you know how that works!). I enjoyed this visit into the world of travel journalism and photography. It was just what I needed following my recent trip to Israel and the West Bank. I have been stuck...at a loss for words and now I am back on track. If you like traveling, writing, photography or just learning about new places, have a look at this site and enjoy! It is a members only club (of which I am not) but do not be put off by that, there is plenty of information tucked away to discover.
BBC produced a TV documentary around the women featured in the "girls in pearls" page in Country Life Magazine. This magazine is an institution in itself. Each issue, one girl is selected for the coveted page. She is always from a family of good standing and supposedly lives the quintessential English country life. One photograph and many years later, we follow five women who are looking back at their lives. Did it hold the hopes and dreams they were in search of? The show provided an insight into a world that is foreign to me. Women born into privilege who needed a husband to carry it on. For, as we were told, for some, without a husband of title and land, their future looked bleak. Some of these women accomplished their goal, some did not. I can tell you it is not a fairytale picture, at least not in my mind. I do admire them for telling their story. It would not have been easy. It is worth the viewing. You can see it here for the next 12 days on BBC iPlayer.
