Bits and Pieces

Life is divided into bits and pieces that keep me busy, curious and sometimes a little overwhelmed!

I had a discussion with one of the library ladies, - most helpful, very friendly - the kind of library lady who doubles the pleasure of opening the door to that wonderful scent of paper and print and people bent over the reading tables or searching the stacks.

When we talked about obtaining up-to-date DVDs SHE said, and I listened intently, - 'just order all the 2014 issues from the Central Library and take them out as they come in'!

So I went home and opened up the Library site and was delighted with what I found, - all sorts of great books published in 2014 as well as a goodly supply of film and documentary on DVD.

I clicked here, and clicked there until I had a healthy list of orders - a VERY HEALTHY list, I must say.  In due time (about four days) they began to arrive!!  Twenty-three in the first delivery......!!

Astounded, I looked through the disks and the books, picking out the ones most delicious and tempting, and leaving the others to sit on the library shelves until the first batch had been devoured.

Did I tell you that at the same time I had downloaded Diana Gabaldon's latest book in the Outlander series on to my Kobo ?????  No?  Well, that's probably because I knew it was a foolish thing to do, - it is now 78% read.  Of the stack I brought home from the library I have watched one DVD and read part of Alexander McCall Smith's new book, 'The Forever Girl'.  I am enthralled with what is going on in the 18th century and the time travel back and forth between  the American Revolution time and the late 20th century, and Gabaldon's marvelous imagination.

Is reading and watching DVDs the only thing I have to do?  Well, not likely....

I am taking a small photography course online which requires me to follow along and submit pictures if I want to be serious about learning the ins and outs of Exposure and Aperture and ISO.

All those pots I so diligently and happily planted in May need watering at least once a day,- sometimes twice if the afternoon gets warmish....  And the climbing roses are stretching out, not only on our side of the fence but also into the neighbour's space where he has to cut his side lawn, and I know that attending to this will not only get approval from 'on high' but I felt a definite urging until the job was satisfactorily done.

And then of course there is the Church bulletin, and changing the hangings from Pentecost and Trinity to green for Ordinary Time, and family to visit (first wonderful priority)
 and music at various places.

And June is the month for farewell luncheons before we plunge into summer and pop up in September in a new year of meetings and get-togethers and renewed energies.

Sometimes I think I may just end up in Bits and Pieces before I relax completely into summer somnolence, in a comfy chair, with a stack of books, and some entertaining movies.

W is for Tom Waits

ABC Wednesday
June 18th, 2014


Tom Waits came into my life via my two younger sons who reached their wild and hairy adolescence about the same time Tom Waits started recording, and was captured into their hearts.

His raspy, gravelly voice was described by one critic thusly  “like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over by a car”…….. but both his voice and his lyrics held great appeal for them and their generation.

A mini biography here, begins as follows……

Described as one of the last beatniks of the contemporary music, Tom Waits - in fact - had two separate careers. From 1973 (LP "Closing Time") to 1983 ("One From The Heart" soundtrack), he recorded nine LPs for Asylum Records, writing songs mainly in the manner of Tin Pan Alley, mixing them with jazz and blues. Extraordinarily, he never produced a hit, but he earned a cult following all over the world. In 1983 he signed with Island Records, and released a series of albums that stunned the music world. Beginning with "Swordfishtrombones", he introduced a whole new orchestration, which included some of the instruments invented by Harry Partch. He found a new ground for his innovations, searching in sound fields that never before were searched. This second part of his career coincided with his marriage to Kathleen Brennan, a former writer for Francis Ford Coppola (Zoetrope (1999)). His LPs "Rain Dogs" (1985), "Big Time" (soundtrack) and "The Black Rider" are today what Kurt Weill's music was once. "The Black Rider" brings music written for the show directed by Bob Wilson and staged in Germany.

Leon Redbone is about as gravelly as I enjoy, but my boys adored Waits – still do!

Here he is in younger days….

and a Sesame Street Version of 'God's Away on Business'

For more wonderful Ws whisk yourself over to ABC Wednesday, here, with thanks to Roger, Denise and workers…..

The Garden in the middle of June 2014

 

The Abraham Darby and the White Delphinium are at their best, taking centre stage away from the peonies,

especially the beautiful white single which Sharon gave me,

which has outdone itself this year, covered in flamboyant fragrant blooms.

 

The Iris grew tall, – first the common variety and then the specialties, – the purple, the rust and the lovely yellows (which fell prey to the wind and rain and spent the last part of their life indoors, reflected on the mirrored table.

 

 

The Columbine, the Sweet William, the Shastas, the Oriental poppies, and the potted annuals have all been a lovely prelude to the roses

and the Clematis who/which are in full fragrant bloom in the back garden and at the front garden gate.

 

Frank brought me some wonderful light long handled clippers and yesterday I pruned back all the suckers on the trees along the side garden.

A big job, but I was quite conscious of approval from ‘on high’!