Sculptures - two heads, one mouth ...

 

These three sculptures fascinated me … then of course various tentacled rabbit holes appeared, let alone my own grey cells with lots of space between, which enjoy taking their time …

Sculpture of Oscar Wilde's head in
the format adopted by Eduardo Paolozzi,
the sculptor

I came across this posthumous sculpture by Paolozzi of Wilde's head. Did you know these are his names: Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (1854 – 1900) … I laughed and thought oh well … I'd better write them up for this post.

Wilde lived a great deal of his life in Chelsea – hence the positioning of this sculpture – which Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924 – 2005) was commissioned to produce … more on him anon in 2025 …

On the website there's a short video -
hence 'A Flying Visit ... '

Pangolin Editions, where this sculpture was crafted – there's a short video on its home page about The Foundry 'A flying visit to Pangolin'.

Pangolin Foundry, Stroud, England

I was pleased to learn that The Foundry has formed the Ruwenzoni foundation in the UK and in Western Uganda furthering the talent to be found …

… expressed on their home page 'The impetus driving the idea was a belief that 'good news also comes out of Africa' where so much talent can flourish if given an environment which allows it''.

Students learning in Uganda

It's worthwhile looking at the Trustees, and the Ugandan directors … rabbit holes with tentacles worth exploring … 

Head number two, the Apennine Colossus, has taken millennia to form … but was crafted by the Flemish sculptor Giambologna in the late 1500s …

Apennine Colossus
(by Giambologna)

… it is about 36 feet (11 metres) high and is meant as a personification of the Apennine Mountains … more information can be found in the link … it always amazes me at man's creativity.

Last but not least … the mouth of a river … a stack of slate … what to do … but create a hedge (usually a wall in town) in London – that's actually a pictogram of the river Thames as it twists and turns its way through London to the North Sea …

Can you envisage the River Thames
as it winds its way to the North Sea

This last creation is by Andy Goldsworthy – who we consider to be the founder of modern rock balancing … 

... this artwork is permanent, found in a side street just behind Buckingham Palace … being 'just some stacks of slate' …

I love what we can learn … I've just joined a TED group here … and I was able to bring up two subjects I'd posted about as part of this blogging fraternity … it's a learning environment.

One was about bees keeping elephants at bay in Kenya (2015) … and the other was relative to one of my favourite computers on the market – RaspberryPi (2020 x 2), linked to a robot … which we were discussing at the TED group.

I will try and recalibrate my brain to be more stable and methodical in its approach to humanity outside its own sphere … let me hope!

Pangolin Editions - their sculpture

Oscar Wilde sculpture - c/o Ian Visits 

Pangolin Editions - Foundry

Ruwenzorifoundation in Uganda - supported by Pangolin Foundry

Apennine Colossus - natural/crafted sculpture

Slate Wall - c/o Ian Visits ... Andy Goldsworthy

Bees and elephants in 2015 

(PS Lenny is a young lad, who has been extraordinary over his tough young life)

Raspberry Pi x 2 in 2020

     first Raspberry Pi                 second Raspberry Pi used by young engineer

Thanks for bearing with me …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

For Whom the Bell Tolls … it tolls for Elizabeth, our Queen : 1926 – 2022 …

 

It has all happened rather swiftly … where the death of our beloved Queen was announced less than 24 hours ago …

Queen Elizabeth
1926 - 2022

Preparations for the death of her Majesty were made as early as the 1960s, regularly updated each year … and more so during the pandemic years …

… as you'd expect where Kings and Queens have reigned for over 1,000 years these plans have been revised and amended as times have changed …

Royal Arms of Queen Elizabeth 
as used in England (NB Unicorn)

For the Queen – preparations were in place:

Operation Unicorn being the first should she die in Scotland, which as we know occurred;

The details are finalised through the various formal routes of Monarchy and Government … which will be acted upon in the coming days;

Platinum Jubilee event at 
Buckingham Palace for the public

We don't know all the specific details … but as the hours unfold – we, the public, will be informed.

There are many tributes being paid both from people in all walks of life … many being recorded on radio and tv …

She died here in Balmoral Castle yesterday
RIP Queen Elizabeth II

It is a huge shock that our Queen should have departed quite so quickly … but during Thursday it became fairly obvious that things were developing – until the announcement of her death was made at 6.30pm – : RIP Queen Elizabeth II.

The plans for the event of the Queen's death and funeral are occurring concurrently with plans for the accession of King Charles III to the throne.

The Royal Standard

The Royal Standard is never lowered … we always have a Monarch in place … other Union flags fly at half mast …

We are now at this point … the new King will be formally Accessed tomorrow … while other plans will arise as and when. Information is happening quite quickly.

Our new King as he was
back in 2017

The new King has arrived back in London, when he will meet the Prime Minister – herself only three days into the job …

Both houses of Parliament … the House of Lords and the Commons are sitting so that members may record their condolences – these operations will cease at about 6.00pm when the new King will address the nation.

David Austin rose -
Floribunda 'Queen Elizabeth'

There will be a service at St Paul's Cathedral this evening … 'The Service of Prayer and Reflection' – which will be broadcast to the nation ...

The bells tolled at mid-day … for our dear Queen, Elizabeth II, rest in peace after decades of Devotion to Duty … 'The Servant Queen'.

PS I will do an ABC type of post in due course ...   Change of plan - apologies ... I will not be doing a major post on her life.  Perhaps when the Coronation comes along ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Am I Allowed …

 

… to forget snippets I wanted to put into a post … to just to finish off the Commonwealth Games post in August and Bran Tub # 23 … and the 1972 Olympic Games … that I will write up more when the 2024 Paris Olympics comes along …

Foggy morning

Old age perhaps … brain fog … who knows – but I really do want to write this post …

Princess Anne with Precious -
he is a favourite with the Royals

I doubt you remember the Kenyan Julius Yego – learning how to improve his javelin throw via Youtube that I mentioned in my 2014 Commonwealth Games (3/3) – that year he won gold, but he was back this year coming third. Youtube – the best 'how to ….' ?!?! That's meant to be a positive!

Now we revert to 1972 the Munich Olympics … where a member of the British team was the diminutive (4' 9”) weightlifter Precious McKenzie … my job was to find clothes for him that matched the British Olympic team's style – also for the larger bods too …

Precious lifting Muhammad Ali

Such a gentle soul and so polite – I remember … Precious had come over from South Africa – as racial prejudice had prevailed … he subsequently left the UK for New Zealand where he now lives. His back story is interesting …

But though he was in the lowest weight category – his strength was stupendous for someone of his size … as you can see from the images …

Emily winning her gold this year

He'd come over for this year's Commonwealth Games in the UK – I guess he has many contacts here … and the New Zealanders were competing in many of the events … particularly the weightlifting categories … here he met …

Emily Campbell, 28, who only started weightlifting when she was 21 … now she's already Commonwealth Champion 2022 … having won silver at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Precious McKenzie congratulating
Emily on her success this year - and no doubt
some wise words passed on ... 

Nottingham Trent University, where she grew up … awarded her an honorary Doctor of Sports Degree … she now inspires youngsters to try all things – anything is possible if you are willing to pursue your dreams …

One last word on Muhammad Ali that I only came across today … I hadn't realised he had a major fear of flying … and only went to the 1960 Olympics with a parachute strapped to his back …

Paris in 2007

Well that really is my lot on these sorts of Games til they rock around again – in Paris 2024 … but how we can learn, how we can inspire and yet be terrified of jumping a continent …

Thanks for your patience in being here … 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Go … Fly a Kite … or 10,000 of them …#WATWB Hmb#4 ...

 

… or Come-Fly-a-Kite with 'me' … another wonderful uplifting story …

Alice Denny showing a kite - from
the Good Chance Theatre site

Master Afghan kite-maker and refugee Sanjar Qiam is celebrating the cultural history of kites by inspiring a festival of kite-flying across the UK and Europe on Saturday 20 August.

Many will gather for story telling, music, poetry and dance from Afghan artists and community groups to highlight the cultural significance of kites in Afghanistan's history …

Qiam Sanjir with his wife,
in their toy shop 'Rocket Science'

Some kites will be tethered to the ground through a single thread but fly free of the borders that define the land …

… and which are the embodiment of freedom and play … looked at collectively, on the stage of the sky, kites represent togetherness, our difference and our shared humanity.

Flying Kites ... 

With the Taliban in power … kites are banned, along with music, free journalism, theatre and dancing – all and any self-expression.

Qiam Sanjar, Master kite-maker, says:

Fly-With-Me is a reminder to the world:

Remember Afghanistan

… while in Afghanistan, kites occupy a unique space between national art form and national sport.

They are a universal symbol of expression, skill and cultural pride.

Sanjar was a successful business man in Kabul … but decided in 2011 to move away … having married a non-Muslim wife … he first went to India and then flew here to the UK … with his 10,000 kites!

This ad for the festival ... says it all ... 

He now has a toy shop in Brighton, along the coast from here, on the south coast … as well as establishing a centre for creative ideas …

… offering craft workshops, story-reading sessions in different languages, 'educative' toys from various countries … France, Australia, Russia, USA, Netherlands, China and of course his homeland … opening the doors to learning while playing …

With the Good Chance Theatre (link below)

The business concept can be rolled out for others to take up the mantle of helping new settlers in our country … combining work, with family time, while broadening their and our knowledge of life in another country …

Perhaps across our South Downs, Sussex

Go Fly A Kite … with friends, contacts and family is already opening so many doors for those looking to expand their horizons …

Funds raised will go to Afghanaid and its By-Her- Side campaign to support women in rural Afghan communities.

We are the World Blogfest

In Darkness, Be Light

BBC - Kabul to Brighton ... video ... 

Independent article - Escaping the Taliban and finding security in the UK ... Kite Flying

Good Chance Organisation had kite making packs for sale, but here they describe how to make a kite - simple details by the look of it ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Bran Tub # 21: Jiminy Cricket, another oddball post …

As I do, wherever I am, I seem to muse about blog posts … yesterday I was happily sitting outside having lunch up at a local hotel – with a croquet lawn to admire, the English Channel waves undulating a few hundred feet away …

Outlook from hotel

...an idyllic sunny day to spend a bit of time with a friend … soon after we first met we were having lunch … as we were enjoying ourselves … a mighty seagull powered its way from the roof and whipped my friend's piece of salmon off her plate! Yikes and yugh!

Seagulls scavenging ... I must say that looks
quite a good tasty pasty - better than some

We haven't been eating outside since … but the manager informed us - they had seagull scarers now – so we risked it …

… oh yes – we were safe! But no … a very pretty emerald golden spider was flitting around me … matching the thistles on my skirt … I managed to release him to the care of the earth …

He's quite pretty isn't he?

… looks like he might have been a Cucumber Spider – they seem quite common, but I've never noticed one before, though they appear at this time of year …

… but as I go to various group classes – history, memoir, life-science and music appreciation (today's class) and others … I ended up pondering humans … and how odd we all are … how our behaviours are all so varied … all good fillers for a blog post!

But I digress – I think! - and then remembered the Desert Rain Frog and my time in Namibia … that I'd intended to write about …

Desert Rain Frog

… he's a plump species with bulging eyes, short snout, short limbs, spade-like feet, and webbed toes … charming little fella, n'est pas?

Added to which he has an unusually high-pitched cry similar to that of a squeaky toy.

Another view of a Desert Rain Frog

Also he's unique as he develops directly from the egg into an adult – so no tadpole stage. He pads happily about on the sand, not requiring water in his habitat for survival.

Their habitat is a very small strip of land in the Cape Province of South Africa, and the coastal strand in southern Namibia … where the Skeleton Coast Desert can be found – an area stretching from Angola in the north, into the Cape Province further south …

The marked edge of southern Africa -
where this little frog si found

The Desert is magical … fog provides most moisture in an otherwise arid and dry region and it's amazing how much can survive in the coastal dunes – about 24 miles wide, and 310 miles in length …

… our little Desert Rain Frog is one of those incredible species … sadly its habitat is being lost to human 'needs' (mining and tourism) …

Namibian homelands 1978 - 
the Skeleton Coast is marked, as 
too the Desert

I'd like to think that we will realise what we have on this earth … and which we should be looking after for future generations …

My mother and I went there about 35 years ago … strange but true!

Thanks for visiting – another Bran Tub post … so many other subjects to get to: I'll get there …

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Bran Tub # 20: Wry Amusement … Act for Ukraine – renaming street addresses …

Street names – to be amused by, at least in my book – yes … this gently tickled me … soft ironic diplomacy …

Ironic diplomacy can be found ... 

I came across this online campaign … to amend addresses wherever there is a Russian embassy, consulate, or similar … trade mission …

I found the article here … and I'm afraid, in the appalling times of war the Ukrainians are going through, I found it lightly uplifting …

Surprisingly the first country to give the Russian embassy a new address was Albania … the Ukraine Embassy, that of Serbia, also of Kosovo, and so the Russian Embassy all now reside on 'Free Ukraine Street' … in its capital Tirana.

Free Ukraine Street in Tirana, Albania

Next came Norway … it changed an intersection address to Ukraine Square … and other countries/cities have followed …

It seems the NYT gave rise to an article on Danish MP, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen's drive for these name changes … and who was quoted as saying 'No Action is too Small' …

… a simple but significant act of symbolic support for the courageous Ukrainian people who defend the values of freedom and democracy from one of the strongest military powers in the world.

c/o Strange Maps

The campaign continues on … please see the link …

A rabbit hole I (logically! tba) went down – Mayakovsky Street has been renamed Boris Johnson Street (suits me ... if he's tucked away!) … renamed by the small town, population was about 6,000, to the east along the coast from Odessa ...

Mayakovsky Street

I will explain Vladimir Mayakovsky's connection … but this poster he created about 100 years ago … Agitprop – Communist propaganda – occurring in their Revolution 1917 – 1932.

Soviet Propaganda poster from
the Russian Revolution era
1917 - 1932

He was a Soviet poet, playwright, artist and actor … born in the Caucasus in Georgia, but after his father died they moved to Moscow.

Changing street names has occurred over the years … as you'll see in the article … but in today's age – these things can happen very quickly …

How frustrating to work for a Russian organisation and find you have to walk down, or across a Ukrainian street to get to work …

… I'm around, but have been involved doing rather a lot … I'll be back soon – so enjoy this bran tub alternative post with its links ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Life is to Treasure …

 

We are so lucky we live today and have lived as far as this period in history …

Treasure - of Villenna, Spain

Let's enjoy our world, regardless, we are living history … and here in the UK – we live in peace – which means we've had the opportunity to be sensible and realise how lucky we are …

Buses stuck in 1963

There have been a fair number of reflective programmes – reminding us of 'events' that have happened since WW2 – most of us were born since the war …

… some have lived through the Great Depression, all of us (most) will have family memories of times since 1900 or perhaps a little earlier.

Stonehenge with blue skies, which 
have been in short supply recently

I realise my parents, born after WW1, survived the War and privations, which we 'inherited' as we grew up … Winter of 1962/1963 – that time is 'iced' into my memory bank …

That's enough for this first post of 2022 – I'm going to see if I can do something about the layout of my blog postings* …

Hazel Dormouse

Happy New Year – life is ahead of us .. let's go – we have the intellect and education to cope, adjust and help others …

* Well I tried - to start it was ok - then I did some editing ... and ah well it's slipped off track again .... ne'er mind ... cheers!

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories