We Are The World Blogfest # 17: Oxford Martin School – a visionary approach to improving the world …

I’ve spent quite a lot of my life in and around Oxford, so was surprised I had never heard of this ‘school’ or the founder – set up in 2005 by a visionary, who’d made a fortune writing books …

 This ‘school’ has over 30 institutes and projects concerned with different aspects of the future … each institute only functions when integrating multiple disciplines …

… all the 300+ post-doctorate scholars and professors work across the University of Oxford … collaborating world-wide.

Sir James Martin (1933 – 2013) wrote ‘The Wired Society’ forty years ago … which is still considered timely; he was a quiet man ‘foreseeing our future’ …

… in 2012 – he produced a short feature film (29 mins) called ‘Revolution in Oxford’ (link below) in which he talks to leading academics about the difference they are starting to make in Oxford and the world.  I hope you’ll take time out to watch and listen to it … so worthwhile.

I found out about the Oxford Martin School from a book our book club thought of reading (Age of Discovery) … some of us did – I know I scan read.   I made notes as I went … it is not an easy read – but very informative … and I’d never have found out about Sir James Martin – amazing man …

To leave you with one thought stated in the book:

‘Don’t just get an education.  Make one.’ …

… the book is about the developments of the Renaissance era (years 1300 – 1600) comparing them to what is happening now: the challenges and the opportunities …

For us the participants of #WAWTB … this short film is definitely an eye opener … if we can take cognisance of our own possibilities and encourage all, we will benefit so many more people in our societal spheres …

Dr James Martin in Oxford

I want to say we are the revolution … we are … and we can be … #WAWTB …

We Are The World - In Darkness Be Light

Oxford Martin School - the founder and site

Revolution in Oxford - video (29 minutes - excellent to watch)

James Martin in Wikipedia ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Abkhazi Gardens and Miss Willmott’s ghost …

Extraordinary things you can happen upon … Miss Willmott’s ghost being one of them … it is actually Eryngium Giganteum ‘Silver Ghost’ (per the RHS site) … isn’t it pretty … prickly, but pretty …

my iphone photo

The Ghost was on display at Abkhazi Gardens as a plant of interest with the note about Miss Willmott’s ghost – quite honestly wouldn’t you have been quizzy about this apparition let alone its owner …

A rough photo (in difficult light) of the
note appending the examples of the
3 plants on show at Abkhazi Gardens

Equally Ellen Willmott (1858 – 1934) is one of those real life characters of whom stories could be made … I’ve included some links … but aged 7 she found a cheque for one thousand pounds from her rich godmother … these sorts of cheques continued on, until in 1890, when she and her sister shared the inherited fortune (the equivalent of five million pounds each).

Both the Willmott parents were wealthy and doted on their daughters – Ellen’s sister, Ada sadly died, but Rose survived – marrying into the aristocratic Berkeley family, this branch lived at Spetchley Park, just outside Worcester … where Ellen extended her gardening influence …

… but back to the 7 year old Ellie and the family with a love of beautiful things … and an obvious candidate for a flourishing garden.  Her father moved them out to Warley Place, 24 miles commuting distance from Frederick Wilmott’s city life, bought another 22 acres over the road, built a cottage for the girls and life continued on!

Warley Place as painted by
Alfred Parsons

Ellie, a passionate horticulturist, who became an influential member of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), was said to have cultivated more than 100,000 plants, sponsored expeditions to discover new species … and has more than 60 plants named after her.

She inherited the 33 acres of Warley Place after her father’s death in 1892, and bought two more properties in France and Italy … she loved her plants and her life … and was a prodigious spender.

Rosa Willmottiae -
Ellen was a rose fundi

Due to her total immersion in all realms of horticulture she was very influential at the RHS, became a member of the Linnaean Society of London … was accorded all kinds of awards by organisations in Britain, France and Italy.

She was highly talented playing the violin and piano … she owned a Stradivarius … Queen Alexandra (Edward VII’s wife) and various princesses visited Ellen and Warley for musical soirees or to view the estate  … yet ‘my plants and my gardens come before anything in life … when I can no longer plant, as it is too dark, I read or write about them’ …

Spetchley Park Hall

Rose’s husband’s property Spetchley Park, near Worcester, looks like a wonderful place to visit … Edward Elgar was a regular visitor … they are reviving the gardens to their historical and horticultural best …

Ellen and Rose as children

… including the carriages, a melon yard, a horse pool, a root cellar and all the essentials of a modernised country mansion for the touristy visitors …

Sadly her own prodigious spending came home to roost – despite the fortunes – she had to sell her overseas properties, personal effects and then when the time came her death duties were settled by selling Warley Place.

Abkhazi Gardens - painted by Kmit,
see my post on Clearwater Studio

It had been neglected … and is now a nature reserve after the house had been demolished.  A sad end … but perhaps fitting to have a Silver Ghost appearing around the world in various gardens that Miss Willmott had wandered through quietly dropping seeds as she went.

The Essay:Miss Willmott’s Ghost … by Jane Brown appeared in The Independent in 1999 … about various gardeners …

Oxonian Gardener - article on Ellen Willmott

SpetchleyPark in Wikipedia

SpetchleyPark Gardens – the official website

Abkhazi Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia - my post 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Abkhazi Gardens, Victoria …

One of those extraordinary stories … of developing love … surviving World War II, despite both being captured – one in France and the other in Shanghai as an ‘enemy subject’ held captive by the Japanese  … somehow keeping in contact … eventually to marry and start a garden …

Abkhazia is orange, then Georgia is grey
c/o Wiki - to see the Ossetias

Romantic or what … an exiled Prince of Abkhazi … an orphan adopted by a rich couple… ‘the child’ eventually settling in Shanghai in 1938, the place of her birth.

Nicholas, the Prince in 1919 had fled the Bolshevik Revolution living in Paris with his mother … where he met Peggy during those years accompanying her domineering adoptive mother around Europe. 

The house peeping out

They enjoyed each other’s company and when in Paris did what cultured friends would do … walked, visited galleries, museums, listened to recitals and conversed in French, their common language.  When Peggy was travelling they corresponded through letters …

The summer house at the top of the property
from where they could survey, plan and design
their garden, prior to their home being built

War came … both survived … they found each other … married and came over to Vancouver Island, where Peggy had bought a small one acre plot … their love flourished, as too their home and garden – now preserved by The Land Conservancy.

It’s a tiny heritage property and I should have visited in the late Spring/early Summer, but next year I’ll go again … when the rhododendrons, azaleas and spring flowers are in bloom …

I did not have much time at all … but managed to fit in one of their special Silk Road teas … I enjoyed the tea … and must find out more about this brand.  

Looking across from the house

I was grateful for the tiny sandwich/ scone/ cake offerings on the cake stand … not because I ate them in situ … but from the box on the way home, as I was caught up in traffic on that dreaded Malahat road, curbing my rumbling tummy, as supper was distinctly late that night – eventually not needed.

I think these must be Garry Oaks leading
across to the summer house

I hope you can see the delight of the garden and its plantings … as too the layout of the land … a cascade of glaciated rocks – announcing its need for creative gardeners to foresee the opportunities for green fingers within this tiny space.

The terrace where tea can be served

There’s a hornbeam hedge at the front, the garden itself sits high above surrounding properties, native Garry oaks remain, Japanese maples and rhododendrons have matured … and there are now carpets of heather, irises and day lilies – all to be enjoyed next year …

Part two of this is a story about a plant … and more garden insights in another land …

The Land Conservancy – Abkhazi Garden ...

Abkhazi Teahouse …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories 

Write ... Edit ... Publish ... Bloghop: Change of Heart ...

Why on earth did she have to have that item to make a meal from … while the others had, to her mind, easier foods … but she had a plan … she would stuff hers ... so far she only had one to use.

A questioning eye ...
what change of heart ... 

Her fellow contestants – what a motley lot they were … uncouth, uncaring, unhelpful … she deserved to win … and she was doing all she could in that direction.  She just had to be careful and so clever.

Hearts make for good eating … and oh boy does she have an interesting one to eat … perhaps she’ll find a couple of smaller ones later on  – but that would take some effort … and set the cat amongst the pigeons giving away more than she intended … her secret had to remain hers …

For now – let’s think about the cooking … but what will she do … grill slices, skewer it whole, stuff the two larger chambers – she couldn’t be bothered to make four stuffings … two would be fine …

… or make a meatloaf … ah mix and hand-mush the finely chopped ingredients together … that would be fun … but would be cooked, or she could make heart-tartare … and then no-one would know what they were eating … and she’d have squelched the heart in her hands …

Dice some onion, celery, mushrooms finely chopped and lightly sautéed … add in salsa verde to flavour one of the stuffings and a few peas to brighten the ruby colour, while the other mix could have chimichurri combined with breadcrumbs … that’d make the heart tasty …

Then the pleasurable bit … massaging and manipulating that heart to clean it up … strip off the fat, all obvious squishy tissue, valves, papillary muscles and tendineae … her fellow opponents would know and appreciate the care she’d taken – but would they guess about Jonas …

Bleeding Heart Yard, London
A body was found here 1646 - torn limb from limb,
but the fresh heart still pumping blood ... 

Stuffed heart – that’s the idea … no need to Change that Heart … but perhaps she could have had a Change of Heart …

They would question her – where was Jonas … well couldn’t they see he was in front of their eyes … now it’s too late for a Change of Heart – her butchery skills had been tested …

The time had come to present the dish to the judges and other contestants … to see what they think … as they sample that heart …

… then she’d better disappear … her disguise and hiding place have been well established … should be a cinch …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Cherry Point Art – Clearwater Studio and farm …

A visit with a society I’m a temporary member of while I’m out here … took us to a member’s home – where her artist daughter and intrepid husband live …

Fire Lily - centre piece of art in her mother's house

The Times Colonist did a wonderful write up (see link below) on their home looking out towards the lower gulf islands in Satellite Channel …

Cherry Point area on Vancouver Island ... showing
some islands, inlets, ferry routes etc

I was talking to Kmit, the artist, as I do … and she offered to show me round their studio and home – so once again I had a private tour: very lucky me …

From the mother's home looking out to Salt Spring Island

… it’s an extraordinary home – as you can read from the article and from the notes and photos I took that match each other …

Kmit's giant easel ... for the large
art works she creates ... 

I suggested to one of my book club contacts they take visiting Colorado friends to the Gallery … they stayed two hours … I bet they engaged with Kmit and her husband … like–minded souls, I would think …

Blue bottle tree - I gather, they need two more

Anyway enough of my back story … and on with the tour … they are both so talented as you will see from the photos …

Some interesting facts taken from the Times Colonist article – but noted as I was shown round the building:

Butcher's block from recycled Maple

Industrial plant/barn converted to this amazing art, workshop, music space …

Once the building was surveyed … including the upstairs floor being of car deck strength (as in car ferry supports) …

One of Kmit's shire horses

... Kel, Kmit’s husband, conserved and utilised the various woods on the property … fir, maple, … and see article for other innovative places resources were found and put to good use …

Abkhazi Garden as painted by Kmit

The art … Kmit loves horses, particularly shire horses … and plants and gardens – you’ll be getting a post on the Abkhazi Garden shortly … but here’s Kmit’s stunning painting of it …

The barn/art/music studio's kitchen - where they live

Talk about luck at being shown around … and in the article (linked below) I love Kmit’s words ‘We hope never to retire’ … they’ve developed their small property into a self-contained and community friendly farm …

An art work Kmit made while at university ...
one I rather liked

Lots of photos here … and I know you’ll understand why I wanted to share with you all …

The Times Colonist's article - which gives more detail ... if you wish to read ... 

Clearwater Studio ... website here ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Blog Sandwich Update 14: Unintended and uninvited Vancouver lunch …

Today is British Columbia Day … and here’s their flag, which I saw at the Belkin Gallery on the BC campus as I wandered towards the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) on my recent short introductory visit to Vancouver.

Salt Spring Island is just off Vancouver Island, where
I am staying; the ferry line from the north is from
Nanaimo; while the straight line is the 49th parrallel

It’s a holiday – but life at the farm doesn’t stop … more updates anon … for now a Vancouver misadventure by me!

I’d set off earlyish (7.00 am) for a 45 minute drive to the Nanaimo ferry … I knew there were two – and assumed that they were in the same place … but no – anyway I walked onto the ferry to Twsawwassen – it was Vancouver way.

Inadvertently it was probably a wise mistake … it was longer, but less hassle … got off the ferry onto a bus, and onto the metro straight to my stop at City Hall.

This was day 2 ... not the best photo - but you can just see
the skyscrapers appearing from the coast, as Vancouver
is built in, around and above various waterways

When I’d booked my room I’d no idea about the layout of Vancouver … but it was the perfect place to stay.  I looked north over the city, not in the maelstrom of tourist/cruise ship life – yet was on the metro, the bus and foot to places I wanted to see or get to.

City Hall - art deco style

I was meeting friends the next day for lunch at a restaurant by City Hall …another post on that!  But that first day I dropped my bag at the B+B, thankful they were open.  Got the bus out to the BC campus …

Then had to walk across the campus to the MOA … it was quite a long walk … lots of building works going on and I’d no idea of the Uni’s layout – just knew I was aiming for Point Grey and the museum.

BC Campus - Rose Garden ... 'ocean' beyond ... 

I was directed towards the Rose Garden … and carried on walking past the Morris and Helen Belkin (contemporary) Art Gallery and various sculptures none of which I could do full justice too: I had a goal and it was late afternoon …

I got to the Rose Garden area and with relief saw a food set up … wandered across – I did notice there were no prices, or much advertising etc – but wasn’t stopped and was longing for a drink and a light snack.

Happily helped myself … a delicious fruit punch, a choice from lots of Mediterranean style dishes … I ‘ladled’ a few salady spoonfuls into my bowl … then looked up to ask how I pay … ah …

It does look good doesn't it ...?

… they looked at me, my eyes wandered along the four of them in the ‘cart’ above … found the boss looking one … he looked at me … I looked at them … ah! … are you part of the film crew?

That answered that problem … but I had a small dish of fodder, some delicious looking punch – none of which could be returned whence it came …

… oooh once again I was embarrassed – they said don’t worry … first I thanked them profusely … and then said I’d pay it forward … still to do that … something will turn up … I moved a distance away from the film area – it was another tv series I gather, but could see no set …

I'm sure architecturally it is interesting ... and when
well lit per media shots ... it looks stunning - but on 'my day' -
it was a little undaunting.  It is built on 'unceded Mesqueam
territory' ... (First Nations land)

I did get to the MOA eventually … nearly running down the Rose Garden steps … and didn’t have much time – still a reason for another visit in due course.  A quick tour around the grounds of the Museum and a very quick whizz through some of the exhibits … then it was closing time: 5.00 pm.

Definitely not my photo!

Back to the bus … where do I get off … I said Broadway – the driver said it’s here … so off I get start to walk – then ask how far to City Hall (the bit I’d forgotten to mention) … someone said about 20 blocks!  By then I was tired and waited for the slow bus … the wait was slow too! 

Vancouver skyline - not by me!

Still … I’d got back to where I recognised and had my bearings … now for supper as I was fair exhausted … but that is for another day … tales of Vancouver and some other places I’ve recently visited to follow …

This is becoming my 3^rd age misspent youth … a series of misadventures or perhaps good unintended consequences that can be written up about …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories