Day Seventeen:

 

That slight reprieve may have given you a moment to gather your thoughts. To make you stop and count all the ways you could have avoided this and played out every scenario where you escape with most of your faculties intact. You're sitting there wishing, wishing, and a third time wishing. Hoping a Genie will appear.

 

This is not the place for Genies. There is no blinding light and something good will appear. This is darkness. This is land of the Djinn. Or rather it believes itself to be. These are not magical beings. These are the fractured pieces of a much larger beast. One merely believes itself to have the ability to grant your desires.

 

Though it would be wise to remember how twisted this place really is. A Djinn will hear what you ask but give you back what it wants. An ironic distortion at best, a horrific perversion if you wish a more honest expectation.

 

You can rely on no one but yourself here. That is the lesson of the day.

Model : Nazane

"Abandonnée"...

 

“A man had given all other bliss, And all his worldly worth for this, To waste his whole heart in one kiss Upon her perfect lips”~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

"And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."~Kahlil Gibran

 

Trying to really figure out which of these "spots" I portray are my most important. It is too difficult to prioritize them..as each I find to be of the most importance overall. I know it may be daunting for a man to look through all of these Spots and think I set the bar too high for anyone to meet them all. But truth be told is that they all are so simple. None require money or anything superficially. My Spots are more about who you are as a person..all of those great things I adore are already built into you...and the things I find most alluring and attractive.

I highlighted the hair and lips here because they are two very important Spots for me..To be kissed..I mean really kissed..that sweet gentle and sumptuous kiss that you never want to end..giving you sparks..making you so powered up yet so weak at the same time..Creating that deep seeded feeling that only can be equated with floating...that is the kiss I speak of.

 

And..the hair..another HUGE spot for me..running your fingertips through my hair..and even better to do so while you are kissing me...taking your whole hand and caressing down to my scalp..playing with the ends of my curls..looking at me and taking your fingers to push away the hair from my eyes so you can gaze at me..while I sleep..

Given a choice of any ZX this is the model I would choose.

For some reason basic spec cars seem to be more common in much of Europe than they are in the UK.

Gloucester's east window has a claim to be the largest of medieval windows, a title usually given to that at York as the stained glass there fills the entire window, whereas here it comprises about two thirds of the overall space; however the window itself does fill the entire wall! It is an architectural landmark, the first great expression of the Perpendicular style and built on the foundations of the former apse, hence its unusual curved shape with the outer lights slanted towards the centre. It was glazed c1350 and features remarkably little coloured glass with red and blue backgrounds to the otherwise white figures and canopies (coloured glass was more expensive as it had to be imported, white glass was locally made and therefore cheaper to use, which was especially significant when the proportion of glazing was on such an unprecedented scale!).

 

The design is treated as a display of images, with figures under canopies filling the entire width of the upper three tiers of the window with a shorter row of angels as the head of the window narrows above (one is missing and has been replaced with a later Madonna & Child from elsewhere in the cathedral). The central group features the entrhoned figures of Christ & Mary at her coronation (the design now slightly confused by the patching of Christ's lower half with part of another figure). The rest features various apostles, saints and kings, some figures (particularly towards the south side) are heavily patched and confused, a few others suffer from unfortunately crude replacement faces (the 'ghost heads') and a couple of figures which appear taller than the rest may not even have originally belonged to the window but are perhaps remnants of the lost original glazing of the adjacent clerestories.

 

The lower half of the window is partially obscured by the adjacent Lady Chapel (which is entered through it) and mainly consists of plain glazing with a few pieces of heraldry and roundels (including the famous 'golfer').

 

Gloucester Cathedral is one of England's finest churches, a masterpiece of medieval architecture consisting of a uniquely beautiful fusion of Norman Romanesque and Perpendicular Gothic from the mid 14th century onwards. Until the Reformation this was merely Gloucester's Abbey of St Peter, under Henry VIII it became one of six former monastic churches to be promoted to cathedral status, thus saving the great church from the ravages of the Dissolution.

 

The most obviously Norman part is the nave, immediately apparent on entering the building with it's round arches and thick columns (the exterior is the result of Gothic remodelling). Much of the remainder of the building is substantially the Norman structure also, but almost entirely modified in the later Middle Ages inside and out, the result of the great revenue brought to the abbey by pilgrims to the tomb of the murdered King Edward II in the choir. It was this transformation of the Norman church that is credited with launching the late gothic Perpendicular style in England.

 

The gothic choir is a unique and spectacular work, the walls so heavily panelled as to suggest a huge stone cage (disguising the Norman arches behind) crowned by a glorious net-like vault adorned with numerous bosses (those over the Altar with superb figures of Christ and angels) whilst the east wall is entirely glazing in delicate stone tracery, and still preserving most of it's original 14th century stained glass. The soaring central tower, also richly panelled with delicate pinnacles, is another testament to the abbey's increasing wealth at this time.

 

The latest medieval additions to the church are equally glorious, the Lady Chapel is entered through the enormous east window and is itself a largely glazed structure, though the original glass has been reduced to a few fragments in the east window, the remainder now contains beautiful Arts & Crafts stained glass by Christopher and Veronica Whall.

 

The early 16th century cloisters to the north of the nave are some of the most beautiful anywhere, being completely covered by exquisite fan vaulting, with a seperate lavatorium (washing room) attached to the north walk as a miniature version of the main passages.

 

There is much more of interest, from 14th century choir stalls with misericords to the comprehensive collection of tombs and monuments of various dates, including the elaborate tomb of Edward II and that of Robert Duke of Normandy, eldest son of William the Conqueror. The stained glass also represents all ages, from the 14th century to the striking contemporary windows by Tom Denny.

 

Further areas of the cathedral can be accessed at certain times, such as the Norman crypt under the choir and the triforium gallery above.

www.gloucestercathedral.org.uk/plan-your-visit

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I'm not Muslim myself, but I found it very fascinating to watch while I was there.

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Ṣalāt (Arabic: صلاة‎; pl. ṣalawāt) is the name given to the formal prayer of Islam. The prayer is one of the obligatory rites of the religion, to be performed five times a day by an obedient Muslim. Its supreme importance for Muslims is indicated by its status as one of the the Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and one of the ten Practices of the Religion of Twelver Shi'a Islam.

 

Prayer is performed five times a day: at dawn (fajr), noon (dhuhr), in the afternoon (asr), at sunset (maghrib) and nightfall (isha'a). It is obligatory for all Muslims once they have reached puberty.

  

Articles of Prayer:

 

[1] Reciting intention for prayer in the heart:

E.g.: I intend to offer 2 raka'ah obligatory prayer of Fajr for Allah Almighty ,add "Behind the Imam" if praying in a Mosque. It is done simultaneously with [2] Takbeeratul-Ihram (below).

 

[2] Takbeeratul-Ihram:

Saying الله أَكْبَر (God is The Greatest).

 

[3] Standing right:

For the able-bodied, leaning or not standing upright invalidates prayer. If one is incapable of standing, one may sit, lay on the right side, lay on the left side, lay on one's back or as one is able to do.

 

[4] Reciting Al-Fatiha:

Recitation of Al-Fatiha is obligated for every raka'ah. Reading another surah after Al-Fatiha is also obligatory for the first 2 raka'ah for all obligatory prayers, however it is required in all raka'ah of supererogatory.

 

[5] Ruku':

Ruku' is bowing the body until the palms is on the knees. Stopping means all major body parts including arms, wrists, head, legs stop - as long as saying "sub'han-Allah". If the body still moves, stopping is not done. An additional option is to read 3 times سبحان ربى العظيم و بحمده (Glory to my Lord, the Most Magnificent Most Praiseworthy).

 

[6] I'tidal and stopping:

I'tidal is standing again after ruku'. While the body is raising up, an additional option is to read سمع الله لمن حمده (Allah Listens to him who praises Him). During standing, an additional option is to read ربنا لك الحمد ملء السموات وملء الأرض وملء ما شئت من شئ بعد (Our Lord, to You is due all praise...). The body must stop as long as saying "subhanallah".

 

[7] Prostration [Sajdah]:

Prostration involves putting the following parts of the body - the bare forehead, both palms, both knees, the base of the toes of both feet - on the place of prostration. The forehead must be bare; a covered forehead invalidates prayer. An additional option is to read 3 times سبحان ربى الأعلى و بحمده (Glory to my Lord, the Most High Most Praiseworthy). There are 2 prostrations, the second is done after sitting between 2 prostrations (as [8] below).

 

[8] Sitting between 2 prostrations:

During the sitting between the two prostrations, an additional option is to recite: " Allahummaghfirli, warhamnii, wajburnii, wahdinii, warzuqnii, warfa'nii, wa'afinii, wa'fu'annii" Oh Allah Forgive Me, grate me, ...

 

[9] Final Tashahhud:

Reciting the final Tashahhud:

 

التحيات لله الزكيات لله الصالحات لله السلام عليك ايها النبي و رحمة الله و بركاته السلام عليكَ و على عبادك الصالحين أشهد أن لا اله الا الله و أن محمدا عبده و رسوله

 

All greetings, blessings and good acts are from You, my Lord. Greetings to you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be unto us, and unto the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

 

[10] Sitting for Final Tashahhud:

The final Tashahhud must be done while sitting.

 

[11] Greetings for Muhammad and for Abraham:

At least by saying اللهم صلى على محمد.

At best

اللهم صلى على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم

وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم

فى العالمين إنك حميد مجيد

 

O Allah, bless our Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you have blessed Abraham and the people of Abraham.

O Allah, be gracious unto Muhammad and the people of Muhammad; As you were gracious unto Abraham and the people of Abraham.

Surely you are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.

 

[12] First greeting:

Greeting "peace be upon you" to the right side. At least with السلام عليكم, at best السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 

[13] Second greeting:

Greeting "peace be upon you" to the left side. At least with السلام عليكم, at best السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 

[14] Following the Prayer Sequence:

Prayer not in its rightful sequence is invalidated.

 

From [3] standing right to the [8] second prostration makes one raka'ah. These are repeated for every raka'ah. At the last raka'ah, the rest [9] to [12] are completed. (Note: For more than 2 raka'ah prayers, an additional option is to sit for Tashahhud on the second raka'ah.)

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAvlimEYEpQ

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Given to the city's Polish community in 1911, became St Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic church

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tayloronhistory.com/2013/03/05/torontos-architectural-gem...

 

_DSC3872 Anx2 1200w Q90

Photograph by Sameul Bourne of Kalpakedar Temple Complex at Dharali. This picture was made in 1866. As per the descrption given below the photograph, He came to India in 1863 and founded a photo studio at Shimla. He visited to Kashmir in 1864, and in 1866 his greatest journey from Simla through Kulu, Lahaul Spiti and Kinnaur then over to the Gangotari and down to Ganges and back to Mussorie. This trip lasted from July to December 1866 and produced many of his first Himalayan photographs. His picture of Manirung Pass at Spiti (18,600ft) was at that time the highest altitude photograph ever taken. As per the locals there were about 208 such temples around Dharali on the bank of Bhagirathi. But, due to no care / maintenance from the Admin., etc. , they all have washed away in flood or submerged in the debris brought by the river during monsoon.

Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. This name is derived from the Ancient Greek name Strongulē which was given to it because of its round swelling form. The island's population is between 400 and 850. The volcano has erupted many times and is constantly active with minor eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea, giving rise to the island's nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean". The most recent major eruption was on 13 April 2009. Stromboli stands 926 m (3,034 ft) above sea level, and over 2,700 m (8,860 ft) on average above the sea floor.There are three active craters at the peak. A significant geological feature of the volcano is the Sciara del Fuoco ("Stream of fire"), a big horseshoe-shaped depression generated in the last 13,000 years by several collapses on the northwestern side of the cone. Two kilometers to the northeast lies Strombolicchio, the volcanic plug remnant of the original volcano.Mt. Stromboli has been in almost continuous eruption for the past 2,000 years. A pattern of eruption is maintained in which explosions occur at the summit craters, with mild to moderate eruptions of incandescent volcanic bombs, at intervals ranging from minutes to hours. This Strombolian eruption, as it is known, is also observed at other volcanoes worldwide. Eruptions from the summit craters typically result in a few short, mild, but energetic bursts, ranging up to a few hundred meters in height, containing ash, incandescent lava fragments and stone blocks. Mt. Stromboli's activity is almost exclusively explosive, but lava flows do occur at times when volcanic activity is high: an effusive eruption occurred in 2002, the first in 17 years, and again in 2003, 2007, and 2013-14.The two villages San Bartolo and San Vincenzo lie in the northeast while the smaller village Ginostra lies in the southwest. Administratively, they are one of the frazione of Lipari.In the early 1900s a few thousand people inhabited the island, but after several emigrations the population numbered a few hundred by the mid-1950s.

 

Stromboli è un'isola dell'Italia appartenente all'arcipelago delle isole Eolie, in Sicilia. Si tratta di un vulcano attivo facente parte dell'Arco Eoliano. Posta nel bacino Tirreno del mare Mediterraneo occidentale, l'isola è la più settentrionale delle Eolie e si estende su una superficie di 12,2 km².L'edificio vulcanico è alto 926 m s.l.m. e raggiunge una profondità compresa tra 1300 m e 2400 m al di sotto del livello del mare. Stromboli ha una persistente attività esplosiva ed è uno dei vulcani più attivi del mondo. A poche centinaia di metri a nord-est dell'isola di Stromboli si trova il neck di Strombolicchio, residuo di un antico camino vulcanico. L'isolotto ospita un faro della Marina, disabitato e automatizzato.Lo Stromboli è un vulcano esplosivo e le sue eruzioni avvengono con una frequenza media di circa una ogni ora. La sua attività "ordinaria" ha luogo ad una quota di 750 m s.l.m. dalle diverse bocche eruttive presenti nell'area craterica e allineate in direzione NE-SW. Tale attività consiste in esplosioni intermittenti di media energia, della durata di pochi secondi ad intervalli di 10–20 minuti, durante le quali vengono emesse piccole quantità di bombe scoriacee incandescenti, lapilli, cenere e blocchi, con velocità di uscita compresa tra 20 a 120 metri al secondo ed altezze comprese tra poche decine fino ad alcune centinaia di metri. L'attività eruttiva è associata ad un degassamento pressoché continuo dall'area craterica, il cui volume stimato è di 6000-12000 t/gi, e che consiste principalmente di H2O (3200-6300 t/g), CO2 (2900-5800 t/g), SO2 (400-800 t/g) e quantità minori di HCl e HF.Periodi di totale inattività, senza lanci di materiale, sono piuttosto rari. Il più lungo tra quelli registrati si è protratto per circa due anni, dal 1908 al 1910. Periodi di prolungata quiescenza, della durata di qualche mese, sono stati registrati più volte.

L'attività normale può essere periodicamente interrotta da esplosioni di maggiore energia, dette "esplosioni maggiori". Questi eventi consistono di brevi ma violente esplosioni, durante le quali vengono prodotti lanci balistici di blocchi e bombe di dimensioni anche metriche a distanze di alcune centinaia di metri, associati a piogge di lapilli e cenere; la distribuzione dei prodotti è solitamente confinata all'interno dell'area craterica. Sono distribuite non omogeneamente nel tempo, ma si tratta mediamente di 2,1 eventi ogni anno.

Le eruzioni stromboliane più violente mai accadute in tempi storici risalgono al 1919 e al 1930, ed entrambe (pare) furono causate da grandi infiltrazioni d'acqua marina nel camino vulcanico: il magma, a contatto con l'acqua, avrebbe causato violente esplosioni con grande emissione di vapori e scorie, accompagnate da violenti terremoti. Per la prima e finora unica volta nella storia del vulcano, delle colate laviche si riversarono anche al di fuori della Sciara del Fuoco, arrivando a lambire i centri abitati (Piscità fu sfiorata ad appena 20 metri), causando ingenti danni e numerose vittime, e causando un piccolo tsunami che generò un'onda di 2–3 m che arrivò a far danni fino a Capo Vaticano, in Calabria.I parossismi rappresentano le manifestazioni più energetiche del vulcano di Stromboli; consistono in violente ed improvvise esplosioni "tipo cannonata", durante le quali avviene l'emissione sostenuta di scorie incandescenti, ceneri, bombe e blocchi litici a distanze considerevoli, fino ad interessare le zone abitate dell'isola. Tali esplosioni possono produrre nubi convettive che raggiungono quote di 10 km. Durante i parossismi sono emessi volumi sensibilmente maggiori di materiali rispetto alle eruzioni normali e a quelle maggiori e frequentemente possono avvenire profonde modificazioni dell'area craterica. L'ultimo evento parossistico è avvenuto il 15 marzo 2007 all'interno dell'eruzione di febbraio-aprile 2007.Il 27 febbraio 2007, con un'iniziale effusione di lava dal cratere di NE, durata alcune ore e seguita dall'apertura di una bocca effusiva nella Sciara del Fuoco, a quota 400 m s.l.m. circa. Il 9 marzo 2007 si è aperta una seconda bocca sempre sulla Sciara del Fuoco, ma posizionata a circa 500 m s.l.m.; l'attività di questa bocca è stata comunque breve (circa 24 ore). Il 2 aprile 2007 è infine terminata anche l'effusione di lava dalla bocca di quota 400 m s.l.m. Il 4 maggio 2009 il vulcano ha ripreso l'attività eruttiva.

Nell'ultimo secolo sono riportati circa 26 episodi durante i quali si sono avute emissioni laviche. I prodotti emessi sono rappresentati principalmente da colate di spessore variabile; la morfologia del vulcano obbliga le colate di lava a riversarsi sul versante nord-occidentale, dove sono confinate all'interno della Sciara di Fuoco e quindi non rappresentano un pericolo per la popolazione dell'isola. Le colate fuoriescono generalmente attraverso fratture eruttive nella zona craterica o all'interno della Sciara del Fuoco, ma possono generarsi anche per tracimazione dal bordo craterico.La storia geologica dell'isola di Stromboli comincia circa 200.000 anni fa, quando un primo vulcano attivo di grandi dimensioni emerge dal mare, in posizione NE rispetto all'isola; di questo vulcano antico rimane soltanto il condotto solidificato (neck) rappresentato da Strombolicchio (vedi sotto).Il vero e proprio vulcano di Stromboli emerge dal mare circa 160.000 anni fa. Inizialmente i centri di emissione sono nella parte meridionale dell'isola, dove affiorano le unità più antiche appartenenti ai complessi del Paleostromboli I e II.Circa 35.000 anni fa il centro di emissione migra leggermente verso nord e le emissioni di lava e i depositi piroclastici legati a eruzioni esplosive danno origine ad un cono che raggiunge quota 700 m s.l.m. (Paleostromboli III).Le fasi successive della storia di Stromboli vedono la formazione ed il collasso calderico di vari edifici vulcanici. In particolare, a circa 34.600 anni fa risale il complesso eruttivo di Scari, osservabile presso Scari e a sud del paese sotto forma di spesse sequenze di bombe vulcaniche, lapilli e lahar. Mentre successivo (circa 26.000 anni fa) è il complesso del Vancori, caratterizzato da depositi piroclastici e basalti shoshonitici. In questa fase, la cima del vulcano era occupata probabilmente da una grande caldera. Il ciclo Scari-Vancori si conclude con il collasso laterale (una grande frana) del settore occidentale e nordoccidentale dell'edificio vulcanico.La fase successiva, a partire da circa 13.800 anni fa, vede la ricostruzione dell'edificio nel settore nordoccidentale. Il nuovo centro eruttivo, detto Neostromboli, è ubicato a nord del costone dei Vancori. Contemporaneamente, alcuni centri eruttivi secondari danno origine al "Timpone del Fuoco" presso Ginostra, alle lave di San Bartolo e di San Vincenzo.All'incirca tra 10000 e 5000 anni fa il settore nordoccidentale subisce nuovi collassi laterali (frane), lasciando una profonda depressione a forma di ferro di cavallo che si estende dalla cima fino ad una profondità di circa 2.000 m sotto il livello del mare: la Sciara del Fuoco. Lentamente la depressione viene riempita da materiale piroclastico e colate di lava. Il centro eruttivo attuale è rappresentato da un grande cono piroclastico che si trova nella parte sommitale della Sciara del Fuoco, a quota inferiore rispetto al Pizzo Sopra la Fossa, ed è caratterizzato, come detto sopra, dalla presenza di tre crateri allineati parallelamente alla Sciara, in direzione NE-SW.

Stromboli è nota, frequentata ed abitata fin dall'antichità remota, e la sua economia si è sempre fondata sulle produzioni agricole tipicamente mediterranee: olivo, vite (malvasia coltivato basso in giardini terrazzati), fichi - e poi sulla pesca e sulla marineria. Fino al XIX secolo questa economia fu fiorente e Stromboli arrivò a contare circa 2700 abitanti, precisamente nel 1891, secondo i dati ufficiali a disposizione (fonte Mastriani e ISTAT ).Il peggioramento delle condizioni economiche seguito all'unità d'Italia, il ripetersi di eruzioni e terremoti (in particolare l'eruzione del 1930) e infine l'attacco della peronospora che negli anni trenta sterminò la più redditizia coltura locale, quella della vite, fecero sì che una grandissima maggioranza degli strombolani prendesse la via dell'emigrazione, soprattutto verso l'Australia e l'America e l'isola rischiò seriamente di restare abbandonata.Venne riscoperta dopo la guerra da Roberto Rossellini che, con il film del 1949 Stromboli terra di Dio (con protagonista femminile la giovane Ingrid Bergman), portò l'isola e la sua straordinarietà all'attenzione del pubblico.Il vulcano è chiamato dai suoi abitanti (gli stombolani) Struògnoli, o anche Iddu (Lui in siciliano), in riferimento alla natura divina che un tempo era attribuita ai fenomeni naturali incontrollabili.Il nome proviene dal greco antico Στρογγύλη (rotondo) per via della sua forma. In siciliano strummulu significa trottola.Stromboli dà il nome a un tipo di vulcani caratterizzati da un'attività vulcanica effusiva detta Stromboliana.I principali borghi abitati sono San Vincenzo (o semplicemente il paese di Stromboli, anticamente era borgo degli agricoltori) con l'approdo storico di Scari, Piscità e Ficogrande, che anticamente era il borgo degli armatori.A sudovest, raggiungibile solo via mare, c'è Ginostra dove d'inverno restano circa 30 o 40 abitanti e dove l'unico mezzo di trasporto è il mulo.A Stromboli c'è una scuola elementare e media per i pochi ragazzi abitanti dell'isola. Dopo le scuole solitamente i ragazzi vanno a Lipari dove sono presenti alcune scuole secondarie di secondo grado.Da Napoli, Lipari, Milazzo e Messina Stromboli è raggiungibile col traghetto e, d'estate, anche in aliscafo da Messina, Reggio Calabria, Vibo Valentia e Tropea.Il flusso turistico verso l'isola, che costituisce la principale risorsa economica di Stromboli, fino agli anni settanta fu rappresentato soprattutto da persone alla ricerca di un ambiente particolare, naturale ed integro e non privo di scomodità come mancanza di elettricità, scarsità d'acqua. Nei decenni successivi le scomodità sono molto diminuite e il turismo è molto cresciuto, anche se resta limitato prevalentemente ai mesi centrali estivi.L'isola è meta di turisti in cerca di tranquillità: anche per questo nei locali dell'isola è vietato diffondere musica oltre le due di notte.Giornalmente, inoltre, si organizzano escursioni al vulcano con guide esperte, che portano ad oltre 900 metri sul livello del mare. Tramite imbarcazioni è inoltre possibile raggiungere nelle ore notturne la vicina e movimentata Panarea, lo scoglio di Strombolicchio e Ginostra, caratteristica località sull'isola di Stromboli dove l'unico mezzo di trasporto sono i muli (ne sono presenti una decina in tutto) e che è irraggiungibile per via terrestre dall'altra parte abitata dell'isola.Stromboli è anche meta, seppur in misura minore, di molti giovani, che si recano nei locali e nelle feste sulla spiaggia periodicamente organizzate nella stagione estiva.Caratteristica dell'isola, oltre alle stradine strette percorribili solo dal motocarro e dai motorini elettrici, che i turisti affittano sull'isola stessa, è la mancata illuminazione notturna nelle strade, che il Comune a cui l'isola fa riferimento, ovvero quello di Lipari, vuol mantenere come importante attrattiva turistica. Dall'Osservatorio, infine, si può vedere la lava del vulcano, l'unico delle Isole Eolie perennemente in attività e il cielo stellato evidenziato dalla mancanza di illuminazione.Durante la stagione turistica partono imbarcazioni per permettere ai turisti di fare il bagno presso lo scoglio di Strombolicchio.

 

Font : Wikipedia

 

Yet another colour variation given to the Realtoy Peugeot 206 WRC and this time looking super super clean thanks to its crisp all white flavour. Surprisingly this casting was never officially approved by Peugeot though quite why I have no idea as for the price it pretty much beat hands down all of its competitors in terms of outright accuracy and attention to detail both outside AND inside!

Harsh economics and a duty to buy from the British owned HTI has seen Realtoy systematically removed from our market with Tesco finally giving up on them back in 2017. A real shame!

Mint and boxed.

Given this bustling scene in this fascinating photo, you wouldn't know this was the dustbowl decade. This week's Saturday Timewatch features the downtown area of the small town of Rusk, TX, on June 12th 1934 when the population was around 4000, about 1000 less than the current population.

 

Established by an act of the Texas Legislature on April 11, 1846, Rusk was named after Thomas Jefferson Rusk. 10 years earlier he had signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.........from Mexico.

 

Other claims to fame?? Not too many but according to Wiki it does have the longest footbridge in the nation. I thought you'd like to know that.

 

PS : Can any of the vehicle aficionados identify the cars?

Bain News Service,, publisher.

 

Thelma Given

 

[between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]

 

1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.

 

Notes:

Title from unverified data provided by the Bain News Service on the negatives or caption cards.

Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).

 

Format: Glass negatives.

 

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

 

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

 

General information about the Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain

 

Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.26227

 

Call Number: LC-B2- 4499-1

  

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Photograph taken at an altitude of Two hundred and forty metres at 15.14pm on Tuesday May 7th 2024 off South Street in Rhayader, Mid-Wales from the Low level professional photography hide at Gigrin Farm feeding station.

  

The Red Kite (Milvus Milvus) is a medium sized bird of prey (Raptor) in the Accipitridae family, and was saved from national extinction by a long running protection programme. It has now been successfully re-introduced into England and Scotland, and Wales, and they are listed under schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside act, currently with a green status.

 

They can reach 66cms in length with up to a 195cms wingspan, and there around 4,600 breeding pairs in the UK in 2024.

   

Nikon D850 Single-lens reflex digital camera F Mount with FX CMOS 35.9mm x 23.9mm Image sensor 46.89 Million total pixels Hand held Focal length: 600mm Shutter speed: 1/5000s (Mechanical shutter) Aperture f/9.0 Auto iso800 Tamron Vibration Control set to position 1 Image area Full Frame FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L 45.4Million pixels (8256 x 5504) 14 Bit uncompressed Focus mode: AF-C Priority Selection: Release Nikon Back button focusing enabled AF-Focus area: 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points Exposure mode: Manual mode Metering mode: Centre weighted metering Active D-Lighting: Normal White balance on: Natural light auto, 0, 0 Colour space: Adobe RGB Picture control: (SD) Standard (Sharpening +3.00/Clarity +1.00)

  

Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2. Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup. Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag. Nikon EN-EL15a battery.

    

LATITUDE: N 52d 17m 49.50s

LONGITUDE: W 3d 29m 42.10s

ALTITUDE: 240.0m

  

RAW (TIFF) FILE: 130.00MB NEF: 93.4MB

PROCESSED (JPeg) FILE: 30.00MB

     

PROCESSING POWER:

 

Nikon D850 Firmware versions C 1.21 (8/12/2022) LD Distortion Data 2.018 (16/01/20) LF 1.00 Nikon Codec Full version 1.31.2 (09/11/2021)

 

HP 110-352na Desktop PC with Windows 10 Home edition AMD Quad-Core A6-5200 APU 64Bit processor. Radeon HD8400 graphics. 8 GB DDR3 Memory with 1TB Data storage. 64-bit Windows 10. My Passport USB 3.0 2TB portable desktop hard drive. Nikon NX STUDIO 64bit Version 1.2.2 (08/12/2022). Nikon Capture NX-D 64bit Version 1.6.2 (18/02/2020). Nikon Picture Control Utility 2 (Version 2.4.5 (18/02/2020). Nikon Transfer 2 Version 2.16.0 (08/12/2022). Adobe photoshop Elements 8 Version 8.0 64bit.

  

This radio was given to me many years ago. I didn’t think much of it initially and put it away - It appeared to be lates 70’s or early 80’s and that time period was not of much interest to me. Turns out it was released in 1979 in Japan as a model ICF-S5 and subsequently released in North America as the ICF-S5W in 1980. (the Japanese version has a different FM band)

 

A few days ago I decided to pull it out of storage and check it out. I put in 3 fresh ‘C’ cell batteries and was blown away! Remarkable to say the least. Firstly I was impressed with the tone, especially on vocals (AM radio is predominently talk radio these days)

Very warm and present for such a small speaker. Toronto’s AM 740 which plays oldies also sounded great. Next I cruised the dial all along the AM band and was impressed with the radios selectiviy and sensitivity. Located on the tuning indicator are three small LED lights which illminate from two green lights to one solid red light when optimun signal is reached. (If you look closely you will notice that the radio was playing when I took this picture. You can see the LED illuminated)

The FM band performed well too and the tone was an improvement from AM.

 

Click on the link below to get much more information on this great radio. Turns out it’s a popular radio with many DXers and is considered by some to be a “classic”

  

www.dxer.ca/11-news/the-dxerca-blog/63-blog-the-sony-icf-s5w

My second stay at this hotel. Anxious for my third. As I left, I was given a paper explaining the 522 year history of the hotel. I scanned it and corrected most typos. Here it is:

 

522 years of the Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel

 

Martin Luther, the Christian reformist, was only three years old and America had not even been discovered by Christopher Columbus when the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" (black goat hotel) in Wiesbaden was founded in the year 1486. The hotel is the oldest business in the city of Wiesbaden.

 

1800 years ago the Romans had their settlement, Aquae Mattiacorum, in the quarter where the health springs are located, stretching along the Langgasse from the Kranzplatz to the Mauritiusplatz. The Langgasse and the Kirchgasse are ancient Roman roads and the historical Roman bath system is still concealed under the Kranzplatz. Nowadays the curators of monuments regret that a lot of modern buildings have been constructed over these elegant baths.

 

Roman gravestones and bricks were also discovered during construction work in the cellar of the Hotel Schwarzer Bock. Ruins of a Hypocaustum, a Roman floor heating system, were unearthed as well.

 

The Romans were wise enough to make use of the hot springs, but in the times that followed during the conflicts between the Alemannic and the Frankish tribes in the 3rd century A.D., much was destroyed and partly forgotten. The luxurious bathing customs of the Romans cannot be compared to those of the Middle Ages. Life in the Roman baths took place on an entirely different level, while over 1000 years later landlords prepared hot baths from the spring water for their guests in order to earn a small extra income.

 

In those days, all the tiny houses around the Kranzplatz were probably very similar to each other in their appearance: One storey high and half-timbered, with gables, a yard, livestock,and gardens. The figure 1486, the earliest date the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" is mentioned, is inscribed in the door of the bar in today's Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel. Wiesbaden's bathhouses however were mentioned already in the 14th century.

 

And how did the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" get its name?

 

We want to avoid being too scientific, since the ingenious vernacular of the common people is usually correct in such cases: The first proprietor of the bathhouse was the mayor Phillip zu Bock. Because he had black hair, his house was referred to as the "Schwarzer Bock". In 1486, the year of its founding, Wiesbaden had a population of 36 citizens.

 

It was customary at that time to name the houses after their owners. Only since 1450 the landlords used so-called inn-signs carrying the appropriate emblem. Thus the "Schwarzer Bock" had a sign hanging over the street showing the head of a black goat.

Other bathhouses had eagles, stags, swans, lions, and the like on their signboards. Otherwise little is known of the bathhouses in Wiesbaden in those days.

 

Chronological point of-reference: At this time the Turks besieged Vienna.

 

In the 16th century the small town of Wiesbaden suffered great damage by fires which also destroyed the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock". It is mentioned in historical documents that Hermann Burg rebuilt the house in 1578. Then the Thirty Years' War came; during that time imperial troops as well as Swedes, French, and Spaniards passed through Wiesbaden and the officers were accommodated in the bathhouses. The "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" was a special favourite for the billeting of soldiers. Plundering, murder and incendiarism were the order of the day.

 

At the end of the war there were no more than 51 citizens in the small town of Wiesbaden. It is hard to imagine the poverty in those days.

 

For a long time thereafter, the surviving inhabitants were unable to recover from the terrors of the war. The properties lay vacant, bathhouses were no longer required; who of the 51 people should be interested in bathing? And foreigners were no longer coming to visit anyway. Not until Count Johann restored the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" along with other houses. But it was not until the year 1662 that we learn of the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" being in operation once again: It had even been provided with two baths for the public.

 

Chronological point of reference: At this time the English were buying New Amsterdam from the Dutch and renaming it New York.

 

Ten years later Wiesbaden had once again to suffer, this time under the movements of the French troops of Louis XIV. Because of this, Count Johannes was constantly concerned about the welfare of his possessions. The town was fortified with trenches, towers, and gates. When he died in 1677 the worst ravages of the Thirty Years War had been set to rights, and the Hotel Schwarzer Bock is found in the list of bathhouses.

 

The Hotel Schwarzer Bock was redecorated in 1712 and in the same year it was enlarged by the acquisition of a pub named Rindsfuss (cattle foot), next door facing the Spiegelgasse. The "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" flourished and in 1736 got awarded for the designation "Bathhouse of the first order." The hot spring supplied water for 8 houses. This also meant that the proprietors had to reach an agreement in all questions of organisation. This was mainly attended by the landlord of the "Hotel Rose" and the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock", Johann Phillip Schramm. The 8 bath house owners who had the rights to use the water began in 1726 to elect two masters of the spring who were in charge of the supervision, repair and cleaning of the hot spring.

The spring water was not only used for supplying water to the baths, but was also very often sold off to Mainz, Frankfurt and other cities. The hot spring water (149°F/65°C) was filled into double walled barrels, sent off in the afternoon on wagons, and arrived the next morning at its destination at the right temperature.

 

Johann Phillip Schramm, the owner of the Hotel Schwarzer Bock installed a bath for horses to make his house profitable. This was an attraction for the small town.

Here it becomes necessary to mention that in 1730 Reverend Hellmund wanted to connect his paupers’ bath to the hot spring. The 8 bath house proprietors refused him, whereupon he lodged a bitter complaint, because the thermal spring was used for horses.

 

After Schramm had died in 1749 the Hotel Schwarzer Bock passed into the hands of the surgeon and hospital supervisor Johann Daniel Freinsheim. His widow continued running the bath house until 1779. As a result of the following division of the inheritance house and inventory were rated of the town councillor, and this list gives exactly information concerning the furnishings and facilities of the bathhouse.

 

At the same time elsewhere in the world: Czar Peter the Great was ruling Russia, the French Revolution, USA gained independence. Birth of Napoleon. Wiesbaden was now one of the most elegant tourist attractions of Europe.

 

In writing up their marriage contracts, ladies of Frankfurt reserved the rights to take the water at Wiesbaden once a year - without their husbands, of course.

 

The Freinsheims do not appear to have managed the house for a very long time, for it was taken over at the end of the century by the owner of the bathhouse Spiegel (mirror), Ferdinand Daniel Bergmann. He closed down the horse bath and expanded his property and procured additional income through the sale of colonial products, wine, and the profits of a company employing a horse drawn carriage.

 

Each bath house proprietor retained his individual economic resources. Not only that there was fowl fluttering around the large yard, there were also pigs, cows, and horses in the stables. Only gradually the custom of bathing became important. And for a long time there were complaints that the baths were not up to the standards of the time.

 

Proprietor Bergmann passed away in 1818, after having achieved a dignified level of prosperity. His widow continued to run the enterprise for further 4 years and then relinquished it to her son-in-Iaw Christian Bauer. In addition to the bathhouse, Bauer also maintained the post office and a wine tavern. Here we see that the sale of wine always played an important part, which is not surprising considering the proximity of the Rhine wine growing district. Following the advice of the government of Nassau he rebuilt the horse bath with room for 2 horses.

At the same time elsewhere in the world: At this time the emperor Napoleon was

conducting wars in an attempt to gain power over Europe.

 

In 1834 the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" was sold to the Rudolphs, a married couple, who passed the bath house to their daughters in 1860/61. In the meantime the house had grown to 47 rooms and was capable of providing 50 baths daily. The guests in the bathhouse were supplied only with lodging and baths. They were responsible for their own victuals and had to cook their meals on the stoves in their rooms.

 

At the same time elsewhere in the world: Japan decided to open itself to the west, the term socialism appeared for the first time. In 1840 the first railway connected Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.

 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most famous guests in the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" who composed the following lines: "The primary duty of every bather - is not to sit and think but rather - to bend to a higher purpose his wit/and make a merry life of it". The popular writer Dostojewski wrote his novel 'The gambler"- the casino is right around the corner.

 

In 1865 the ownership of the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" was transferred to the merchant Theodor August Schäfer, who had presumably married one of Rudolph's daughters. The address book of the year shows Rudolph as the owner and Schäfer as the landlord of the baths.

 

In 1899 Schäfer acquired in addition the pub "Zur goldenen Kette" (golden chain) next door in the Langgasse.

 

All the bathhouses grouped around the Kranzplatz were of considerable age and were hardly able to meet the demands. Schäfer, too, was aware of this. So the bathhouses got replaced with a modern new building just before the First World War.

 

Once the "Zur goldenen Kette" had merged with the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock", the grounds of the "Schwarzer Bock bathhouse" were discovered to contain all the hot springs, and the owners considered about them being unified into a single spring and redefining it. This way they wanted to simplify the prevailing terms of possession and shares, and to effect an improvement in the hygienic conditions.

 

A proposal relating to this was approved by the town council. The city built the facilities and the cost was divided proportionally among the owners of the bathhouses. The new joint spring received the name "Drei Lilien Quelle" (spring of the three lilies) based on the three lilies found in the Wiesbaden coat of arms.

The new facilities were completed in 1906.

 

Untouched by world history, Wiesbaden was now a city of European format and an internationally cure city. The "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" now had baths with electric light, lifts, and 220 beds-room rate: 5 Mark (2,50 Euro). The Schäfer family continued to improve the house in the following years. In 1911/12 the roof was enlarged.

 

In 1927 the emblem of the black goat appeared for the first time on the letterhead of the hotel stationery. In 1929 the Hotel Schwarzer Bock had 260 rooms, all with running water and still for the price of only 5 Mark (2,50 Euro). Baths on the upper floors were built in addition to those on the ground floor.

 

Then the Second World War came along with bombs and occupation. In 1951 Karl Heinz Schäfer's damaged hotel was returned back to him. Bombs had destroyed the upper floors. The façade remained largely intact, but certain alterations were carried out which now give the house a much more sober look. The projections around the windows disappeared, as well as many other pretty decorations. The roof was completely restructured. On two floors in the Langgasse we can still see the magnificent old facades.

 

After the end of the Second World War the Americans occupied the hotel for another 12 years and left it in a sad state of repair. And once again it was necessary to make plans. In the autumn of 1957 the renovation work was completed and the family Schäfer was able to present a new, modern "Hotel Schwarzer Bock".

 

Nowadays you can still find old parts of the Roman foundations from the 3rd century in the cellar and the historical cellar door with the date 1486 inscribed, is today the entry to our Bar 1486.

 

In 1987 the family Schäfer sold the hotel. New proprietor was Winfried D.E. Völcker. He introduced the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" as the first German hotel in the Association of Distinguished Hotels of the World, whose most famous member is the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. Völcker had tried to preserve the European and German traditions in spite of all its undeniable risks. But Wiesbaden had been a well-known city within Europe since 1834 and became "Weltkurstadt" ("World Destination for Treatments and Cure") in 1852.

 

In 1995 Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts (now Rezidor SAS Hospitality) with headquarters in Brussels took over the management of the hotel and many issues have been solved since then. The oldest hotel in Germany that has received a certificate of the German Hotel Association, rating the hotel officially as a five star hotel, had been renovated for more than 20 million Deutsche Mark (approx. 10,2 million Euro). All 142 guest rooms offer air conditioning, ISDN telephones, modem connections, free WiFi, and marble bathrooms. The traditional bath house is still an attraction for young and elder people, seeking relaxation and well-being. The restaurant "Capricorne" spoils the guests with regional and international dishes, served in an exceptional atmosphere. Tradition blends with modern arts. The flair of the "Ingelheimer Zimmer" - the event room for special occasions - is created by precious wooden carvings from the 16th century.

 

More information to be obtained from:

 

Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel, Wiesbaden

Mr. Christian Hoffmann - Director of Sales & Marketing

Phone: +49 611 155 3610

E-Mail: christian.hoffmann@radissonsas.com

  

Yoko Ono’s own relationship and partnership with John Lennon have given her access and opportunities she might never have achieved on her own, but her status as a pop icon has largely obscured her own achievements as an artist. Now where is this more obvious than in the area of filmmaking. Between 1966 and 1971, Ono made substantial contribution to avant-garde cinema,

 

Most of which are now a vague memory, even for those generally cognizant of developments in this field. With few expectations, her films have been out of circulation for years, but fortunately this situation needs to be changing; in the spring of 1989 the Whitney Museum of American Art presented a film retrospective along with a small show of objects - eighties versions of conceptual objects Ono has exhibited in 1966 and 1967 – and the American Federation of Arts re-released Ono’s films in the spring of 1991.

Except as a film-goer, Ono was not involved with film until the 1960s, though by this time she began to make her own films, she was an established artist. At the end of the fifties, after studying poetry and music at Sarah Lawrence College, she became part of a circle of avant-garde musicians (including John Cage and Merce Cunningham): in fact the “Chambers Street Series.” An influential concert series organized by LaMonte Young, was held at Ono’s loft at 112 Chambers. Ono’s activities in music led to her first public concert, A Grapefruit in the World of Park (at the Village Gate, 1961) and later that same year to an evening of performance events in which Yvonne Rainer stood up and sat down before a table stacked with dishes for ten minutes, then smashed the dishes “accompanied by a rhythmic background of repeated syllables, a tape recording of moans and words spoken backwards, and by an aria of high-pitched wails sung by Ono” (Barbara Haskell’s description in Yoko Ono: Objects, Films, the catalogue for the 1989 Whitney Museum show).

 

In the early sixties Ono was part of what became known as Fluxus, an art movement with roots in Dada, in Marcel Duchamp and John Cage, and energised by George Maciunas. The Fluxus artists were dedicated to challenging conventional definitions in the fine arts, and conventional relationships between artwork and viewer. In the early sixties, Ono made such works as Painting to See the Room through (1961), a canvas with an almost invisible hole in the centre through which one peered to see the room, and Painting to Hammer the Nail in (1961), a white wood panel that “viewers” were instructed to hammer nails into with an attached hammer. Instructions for dozens of these early pieces, and for later ones, are reprinted in Ono’s Grapefruit, which has appeared several times in several different editions- most recently in a Simon and Schuster/ Touchstone paperback edition, reprinted in 1979.

 

By the mid sixties, Ono had become interested in film, as a writer of mini film scripts (sixteen are reprinted in the Fall 1989 Film Quarterly), and as a contributor of three films to the Fluxfilm Program coordinated by Maciunas in 1966: two one-shot films shot at 2000 frames per second, Eyeblink and Match, and No.4, a sequence of buttocks of walking males and females. Along with several other films in the Fluxfilm Program (and two 1966 films by Bruce Baillie), Eyeblink and No.4 are, so far as I know, the first instances of what was to become a mini-genre of avant-garde cinema: the single-shot film (films that are or appear to be precisely one shot long), No.4 (Bottoms) (1966).

 

For the eighty minutes of No.4 (Bottoms), all we see are human buttocks in the act of walking, filmed in black and white, in close-up, so that each buttocks fills the screen: the crack between the cheeks and the crease between hams and legs divide the frame into four approximately equal sectors: we cannot see around the edges of the walking bodies. Each buttocks is filmed for a few seconds (often for fifteen seconds or so; sometimes for less than ten seconds), and is then followed immediately by the next buttocks. The sound track consists of interviews with people whose buttocks we see and with other people considering whether to allow themselves to be filmed; they talk about the project in general, and they raise the issue of the film’s probable boredom, which becomes a comment on viewers’ actual experience of the film. The sound track also includes segments of television news coverage of the project (which had considerable visibility in London in 1966), including an interview with Ono, who discusses the conceptual design of the film.

 

No. 4 (Bottoms) is fascinating and entertaining, especially in its revelation of the human body. Because Ono’s structuring of the visuals is rigorously serial, No.4 (Bottoms) is reminiscent of Edward Muybridge’s motion studies, though in this instance the “grid” against which we measure the motion is temporal, as well as implicitly spatial: though there’s no literal grid behind the bottoms, each bottom is framed in precisely the same way. What we realize from seeing these bottoms, and inevitably comparing them with one another- and with our idea of “bottom”- is both obvious and startling. Not only are people’s bottoms remarkably varied in their shape, colouring, and texture, but no two bottoms move in the same way.

 

On a more formal level No.4 (Bottoms) is interesting both as an early instance of the serial structuring that was to become so common in avant-garde film by the end of the sixties (in Snow’s Wavelength and Ernie Gehr’s Serene Velocity, 1970; Hollis Frampton’s Zorns Lemma, 1970 and Robert Huot’s Rolls: 1971, 1972; J.J. Murphey’s Print Generation, 1974…) and because Ono’s editing makes the experience of No.4 (Bottoms) more complex than simple descriptions of the film seem to suggest. As the film develops, particular bottoms and comments on the sound track are sometimes repeated, often in new contexts; and a variety of subtle interconnections between image and sound occur.

 

Like No.4 (Bottoms), Ono’s next long film, Film No.5 (Smile) (1968, fifty-one minutes), was an extension of work included in the Fluxfilm Program. Like her Eyeblink and Match- and like Chieko Shiomi’s Disappearing Music for Face (in which Ono’s smile gradually “disappears”), also on the Fluxfilm Program- Film No.5 (Smile) was shot with a high-speed camera. Unlike these earlier films, all of which filmed simple actions in black and white, indoors, at 2000 frames per second, Film No.5 (Smile) reveals John Lennon’s face, recorded at 333 frames per second for an extended duration, outdoors, in colour, and accompanied by a sound track of outdoor sounds recorded at the same time the imagery was recorded. Film No.5 (Smile) divides roughly into two halves, one continuous shot each. During the first half, the film is a meditation on Lennon’s face, which is so still that on first viewing I wasn’t entirely sure for a while that the film was live action and not an optically printed photograph of Lennon smiling slightly. Though almost nothing happens in any conventional sense, the intersection of the high-speed filming and our extended gaze creates continuous, subtle transformations: it is as if we can see Lennon’s expression evolve in conjunction with the flow of his thoughts. Well into the first shot, Lennon forms his lips into an “O”- a kiss perhaps- and then slowly returns to the slight smile with which the shot opens. During the second shot of Film No.5 (Smile), which differs from the first in subtleties of colour and texture (both shots are lovely), Lennon’s face is more active; he blinks several times, sticks his tongue out, smiles broadly twice, and seems to say “Ah!” Of course, while the second shot is more active than the first, the amount of activity remains minimal by conventional standards (and unusually so even for avant-garde film.) It is as though those of us in the theatre and Lennon are meditating on each other from opposite sides of the cinematic apparatus, joined together by Ono in a lovely, hypnotic stasis.

 

The excitement Ono and Lennon were discovering living and working together fuelled Two Virgins (1968) and Bed-In (1969), both of which were collaborations. Two Virgins enacts two metaphors for the two artists’ interaction. First, we see a long passage of Ono’s and Lennon’s faces superimposed, often with a third layer of leaves, sky, and water; then we see an extended shot of Ono and Lennon looking at each other, then kissing. Bed-In is a relatively conventional record of the Montreal performance; it includes a number of remarkable moments, most noteworthy among them, perhaps, Al Capp’s blatantly mean-spirited, passive-aggressive visit, and the song “Give Peace a Chance.” Nearly all of Ono’s remaining films were collaborations with John Lennon.

 

When the Whitney Museum presented Ono’s films at its 1989 retrospective, Rape (1969) provoked the most extensive critical commentary. The relentless seventy-seven-minute feature elaborates the single action of a small filmmaking crew coming upon a woman in a London park and following her through the park, along streets, and into her apartment where she becomes increasingly isolated by her cinematic tormentors. (Her isolation is a theme from the beginning since the woman speaks German; because the film isn’t subtitled, even we don’t know what she’s saying in any detail.) The film was, according to Ono, a candid recording by cinematographer Nic Knowland of a woman who was not willingly a part of this project. When Rape was first released, it was widely seen as a comment on Ono’s experience on being in the media spotlight with Lennon. Two decades later, the films seems more a parable about the implicit victimization of women by the institution of cinema.

 

Fly (1970) has a number of historical precedents- Willard Maas’s Geography of the Body (1943), most obviously- but it remains powerful and fascinating. At first, a fly is seen, in extreme close-up, as it “explores” the body of a nude woman (she’s identified as “Virginia Lust” in the credits); later more and more flies are seen crawling on the body, which now looks more like a corpse; and at the end, the camera pans up and “flies” out the window of the room. The remarkable sound track is a combination of excerpts from Ono’s vocal piece, Fly, and music composed by Lennon.

 

Up Your Legs Forever (1970) is basically a remake of No.4 (Bottoms), using legs, rather than buttocks: the camera continually pans up from the feet to the upper thighs of hundreds of men and women, as we listen to the sound of the panning apparatus and a variety of conversations about the project. Though UP Your Legs Forever has some interesting moments, it doesn’t have the drama or the humour of No.4 (Bottoms).

 

Ono and Lennon also collaborated on two Lennon films (whether a film is a “Lennon film” or and “Ono film” depends on whose basic concept instigated the project). Apotheosis (1970) is one of the most ingenious single-shot films ever made. A camera pans up the cloaked bodies of Lennon and Ono, then on up into the sky above a village, higher and higher across snow-covered fields (the camera was mounted in a hot-air balloon, which we never see- though we hear the device that heats the air) and then up into the clouds; the screen remains completely white for several minutes, and finally, once many members of the audience have given up on the film, the camera rises out into the sunny skyscraper above the clouds. The film is a test and reward of viewer patience and serenity. For Erection, a camera was mounted so that we can watch the construction of a building, in time-lapse dissolves from one image to another, several hours or days later. The film is not so much about the action of constructing a building (as a pixellated film of such a subject might be), as it is about the subtle, sometimes magical changes that take place between the dissolves. Erection is more mystery than documentation.

 

Imagine (1971)- not to be confused with the recent Imagine: John Lennon (1988, directed by Andrew Solt)- was the final Ono/Lennon cinematic collaboration: it’s a series of sketches accompanied by their music. Since 1971 Ono has made no films, though she did make a seven minute video documenting the response to a conceptual event at the Museum of Modern Art: Museum of Modern Art Show (1971). She has also made several music videos that document her process of recovering from Lennon’s death- Walking on Thin Ice (1981), Woman (1981), Goodbye Sadness (1982)- as well as records and art objects.

 

Of course, she remains one of the world’s most visible public figures and the most widely known conceptual artist.

 

I spoke with Ono at her office at the Dakota in May 1989.

 

MacDonald: Were you a moviegoer as a child?

 

Ono: I was a movie buff, yes. In prep school in Tokyo you were supposed to go directly home after school. But most kids often went to the movies. We used to hide our school badges and sneak into the theatre.

 

MacDonald: Do you remember what you saw?

 

Ono: Yes, I mostly saw French films. There was a group of kids who like American films- Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn, Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby- and there was another crowd of girls who thought they were intellectuals, and went to French films. I was in the French film group. We would go to see The Children of Paradise (1945), that sort of thing. It was a very exciting time. I loved those films.

 

MacDonald: Did you see some of the early French surrealist films from the twenties?

 

Ono: Those things I saw much later. We’re talking about when I was in high school in the late forties. I saw the surrealist films in the sixties in New York and Paris.

 

The films I saw in high school that were closest to surrealism wee the Cocteau films, Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus (1950). Those films really gave me some ideas.

 

MacDonald: The earliest I know of you in connection with film is the sound track you did for Taka Iimura’s Love in 1963 by hanging the microphone out the window. I know the later Fluxfilm reels that were made in 1966, but did the Fluxus group get involved with film before that?

 

Ono: No. I think that one of the reasons why we couldn’t make films or didn’t think of making films was that we felt that it was an enormously expensive venture. At that time, I didn’t even have the money to buy canvas. I’d go to army surplus shops and get that canvas that’s rolled up. During that period, I felt that getting a camera to do a film was unrealistic.

 

MacDonald: Grapefruit includes three tiny descriptions of conceptual film projects that are identified as excerpts from “Six Film Scripts by Yoko Ono.” Were there others, or was the indication that there were six scripts a conceptual joke?

 

Ono: No, there were six at first; then later there were others. At the time I wrote those scripts, I sent most of them to Jones Mekas, to document them. Actually, that’s why I have copies of them now.

 

MacDonald: There seems to be confusion about the names and numbers of the films on the Fluxfilm Program, and about who did them. I assume you made the two slow-motion films, Eyeblink and Match, and the first film about buttocks, No.4.

 

Ono: Those are mine, yes.

 

MacDonald: Did people collaborate in making those films, or did everybody work individually and then just put the films onto those two Fluxus reels?

 

Ono: One day George (Maciunas) called me and said he’s got the use of a high-speed camera and it’s a good opportunity, so just come over (to Peter Moore’s apartment on East 36th St) and make some films. So I went there, and the high-speed camera was set up and he said, “Give me some ideas!” Think of some ideas for films!” There weren’t many people around, at the beginning just George and…

 

MacDonald: Peter Moore is credited on a lot of the slow-motion films.

 

Ono: Yeah, Peter Moore was there, and Barbara Moore came too. And other people were coming in- I forget who they were- but not many. When I arrived, I was the only person there, outside of George. I don’t know how George managed to get the high-speed camera. I don’t think he paid for it. But it was the kind of opportunity that if you can get it, you grab it. So I’m there, and I got the idea of Match and Eyeblink and we shot these. Eyeblink didn’t come out too well. It was my eye, and I didn’t like my eye.

 

MacDonald: I like that film a lot. Framed the way it is, the eye becomes erotic; it’s suggestive of body parts normally considered more erotic.

 

Ono: The one of those high-speed films I liked best was one you didn’t mention: Smoking.

 

MacDonald: The one by Joe Jones.

 

Ono: Yes. I thought that one was amazing, so beautiful; it was like frozen smoke.

 

MacDonald: There’s a film on that reel called Disappearing Music for Face…

 

Ono: Chieko Shiomi’s film, yeah.

 

MacDonald: I understand you were involved in that one too.

 

Ono: Well, that was my smile. That was me. What happened was that Chieko Shiomi was in Japan at the time. She was coming here often; it wasn’t like she was stationed in Japan all the time, but at the time I think she had just left to go to Japan. Then this high-speed camera idea came up, and when George was saying, “Quick, quick, ideas,” I said, “Well, how about smile”; and he said, “NO, that you can’t do, think of something else.” “But,” I said, “Smile is a very important one, I really want to do it,” because I always had that idea, but George keeps saying, “No you can’t do that one.” Finally, he said, “Well, OK , actually I wanted to save that for Chieko Shiomi because she had the same idea. But I will let you perform.” So that’s me smiling. Later I found out that her concept was totally different from what I wanted to do. Chieko Shiomi’s idea is beautiful; she catches the disappearance of a smile. At the time I didn’t know what her title was.

 

MacDonald: I assume No.4 was shot at a different time.

 

Ono: Yes. At the time I was living at 1 West 100th Street. It was shot in my apartment. My then husband Tony Cox and Jeff Perkins helped.

 

MacDonald: The long version of the buttocks film, No.4 (Bottoms), is still amazing.

 

Ono: I think that film had a social impact at the time because of what was going on in the world and also because of what was going on in the film world. It’s a pretty interesting film really.

 

Do you know the statement I wrote about taking any film and burying it underground for fifty years [see Grapefruit (New York; Simon and Schuster/ Touchstone, 1971), Section 9, “On Film No.4,” paragraph 3, and “On Film No.5 and Two Virgins,” paragraph 2]? It’s like wine. Any film, any cheap film, if you put it underground for fifty years, becomes interesting [laughter]. You just take a shot of people walking, and that’s enough: the weight of history is so incredible.

 

MacDonald: When No.4 (Bottoms) was made, the idea of showing a lot of asses was completely outrageous. Bottoms were less-respected, less-revealed part of the anatomy. These days things have changed. Now bottoms are OK- certain bottoms. What I found exhilarating about watching the film (maybe because I’ve always been insecure about my bottom!) is that after you see hundreds of bottoms, you realize that during the whole time you watched the film, you never saw the “correct,” marketable jean-ad bottom. You realize that nobody’s bottom is the way bottoms are supposed to be: the droop, or there are pimples- something is “wrong.” I think the film has almost as much impact now as it did then- though in a different way.

 

Ono: Well, you see, it’s not just to do with bottoms. For me the film is less about bottoms than about a certain bear, a beat you didn’t see in films, even in avant-garde films, then.

 

This is something else, but I remember one beautiful film where the stationary camera just keeps zooming toward a wall…

 

MacDonald: Wavelength? Michael Snow’s film?

 

Ono: Right, Michael Snow. That’s an incredibly beautiful film. A revolution in itself really. Bottoms film was a different thing, but just as revolutionary I think. It was about a beat, about movement. The beat in bottoms film is comparable to a rock beat. Even in the music world there wasn’t that beat until rock came. It’s the closest thing to the heartbeat. I tried to capture that again with Up Your Legs Forever. But in No.4 (Bottoms) it worked much better. Maybe it was the bottoms. That film has a basic energy. I couldn’t capture it in Up Your Legs Forever.

 

MacDonald: No.4 (Bottoms) plays with perceptions and memory in different ways. For a while it seems like a simple, serial structure, one bottom after another. Then at a certain point you realize, Oh I’ve seen that bottom before… but was it with this sound? No, I don’t think so. Later you may see another bottom a second time, clearly with the same sound. A new kind of viewing experience develops. Did you record all the bottoms and the spoken material for the track, and then later, using that material, develop a structure? It seems almost scored.

 

Ono: Yes. I spent a lot of hours editing. It wasn’t just put together. The sequence was important. A sympathetic studio said that I could come at midnight or whenever no one was using the facilities, to do the editing. I got a lot of editing time free; that’s how I was able to finish it.

 

MacDonald: On the sound track some of the participants talk about the process of getting people to show up to have their bottoms recorded, but I’m not completely sure what the process was. You put an ad in a theatrical paper apparently.

 

Ono: Well, we had an ad, yes, but most of the people were friends of friends. It became a fantastic event. You have to understand, the minute the announcement was made, there was a new joke about it in the newspapers everyday, and everybody was into it. We filmed at Victor Musgrave’s place; he was a very good friend who was very generous in letting me use his townhouse.

 

MacDonald: Did you select bottoms or did you use everybody that was filmed? Were there really 365 bottoms involved?

 

Ono: I didn’t select bottoms. There was not enough for 365 anyway. And the impact of the film as a happening was already getting lost from filming for so long. And there was the rental of the camera and the practical aspect of the shooting schedule. At a certain point I said, “Oh well, the number’s conceptual anyway, so who cares. It’s enough!”

 

MacDonald: I assume that when you did the early Fluxus version of No.4, you just followed people walking across an apartment. For the long film you’d built a machine to do the filming, which allowed you to film in more controlled close-up; we can’t see around the sides of the bodies the way we can in the earlier film.

 

Ono: Well, in the first No.4 I was pretty close too. But, as you say, it wasn’t really perfect. In London we did it almost perfect. In London we did it almost perfectly. My idea both times was very visual. All my films had very visual concepts behind them in the beginning. I mean No.4 (Bottoms) has many levels of impact- one being political- but originally I simply wanted to cover the screen with one object, with something that was moving constantly. There’s always a background. The closest you get to what I mean s like some macho guy, a cowboy or something, standing with his back to the screen, but you always see a little background. The screen is never covered; so I thought, if you don’t leave a background it might be like the whole screen is moving. I just wanted to have that experience. As you say, it didn’t work in the early version, but it was the first idea I had for the film actually.

 

And also, the juxtaposition of the movement of the four sections of the bottoms was fascinating, I thought.

 

MacDonald: No.4 (Bottoms) reminds me of Edward Muybridge’s motion photographs.

 

Ono: Oh I see, yeah.

 

MacDonald: Was the finished film shown a lot?

 

Ono: Well, I finally got an OK from the censor and we showed it in Charing Cross Road. Then some American Hollywood producer came and said he wanted to buy it and take it to the United States. Also, he wanted me to make 365 breasts, and I said, if we’re going to do breasts, then I will do a sequence of one breast, you know, fill the screen with a single breast over and over, but I don’t think that was erotic enough for him. He was thinking eroticism; I was thinking about visual, graphic concepts- a totally different thing. I was too proud to make two breasts [laughter]. I think there was an attempt to take the bottoms film to the United States, but it was promptly confiscated by the censor.

 

MacDonald: At customs?

 

Ono: Yes.

 

MacDonald: There’s a mention on the sound track that you were planning to do other versions of that film in other countries, and the film ends with the phrase, “To Be Continued.” Was that a concept for other films, or were there some specific plans for follow-ups?

 

Ono: Well you see, all my films do have a conceptual side. I have all these scripts, and I get excited just to show them to people because my hope is that maybe they will want to make some of them. That would be great. I mean most of my films are film instructions; they were never made actually. Just as film instructions, I think they are valid, but it wouldn’t be very good if somebody makes them. I don’t have to make them myself. And also, each film I made had a projection of future plans built into the idea. If somebody picks up on one of them, that’s great.

 

At the time I was making films, what I felt I was doing was similar to what The Rocky Horror Picture Show [1975] did later. I wanted to involve the audience directly in new ways.

 

MacDonald: How did Film No.5 (Smile) come about?

 

Ono: When I went to London, I still kept thinking about the idea of smile, so when I had the chance, I decided to do my version. Of course, until John and I got together, I could never have rented a high-speed camera. Well, maybe if I’d looked into it, I could have. I don’t know, but I thought it would be too expensive.

 

MacDonald: Did you know Lennon well at the point when you did Film No.5 (Smile)?

 

Ono: Yes.

 

MacDonald: Because I wondered whether you made the film because you wanted to capture a certain complexity in him, or whether the complexity that’s revealed in that seemingly simple image is a result of what the high-speed camera reveals, or creates, as it films,

 

Ono: Well, certainly I knew John was complex person. But the film wasn’t so much about his complexity as a person. I was trying to capture the complexity of a visual experience. What you see in that film is very similar to how you perceive somebody when you are on acid. We had done acid trips together, and that gave me the idea. I wondered how do you capture this?

 

MacDonald: It’s a beautiful film.

 

Ono: Well, of course, you know from the statements I made about Smile [see Ono, Grapefruit, “On Film No.5 & Two Virgins”] that my idea was really very different from the film I finally made. My idea was to do everybody’s smile. But when I met John, I thought, doing everybody’s smile is going to be impossible; and he can represent everybody’s smile.

 

MacDonald: What I find incredible about Smile is that as you watch John’s face, it’s almost as though you can see his mind working. I don’t know whether it’s an optical illusion, maybe it’s created by the way that the camera works. But it’s almost as though as you watch, the expression is changing every second.

 

Ono: I know. It’s incredible, isn’t it? Of course I didn’t know what exactly a high-speed camera would do. I knew in general, but I didn’t know what the exact effect would be. And, of course, I never would have known unless George Maciunas had rented a high-speed camera and called me up. George was a very interesting person. He had a very artistic mind. I never knew why he didn’t create his own art; he always wanted to take the role of helping create other people’s work. But that combination was very good; he not only executed what we wanted, he gave us the opportunity to look into the areas we would never have looked into. He had that kind of mind.

 

MacDonald: With Two Virgins you and John began collaborating on films and in the next few years there was a whole series of collaborations. Judging from the credits on the films, I assume that one or the other of you would get an idea and then both of you would work the idea out, and whoever had the original idea for a particular film- that film was theirs. Normally, the directorial credit is considered the most important one, but on these films there’s a more basic credit. It might be “Film by Yoko Ono,” then “Directed and produced by John and Yoko.” Am I correct: was it that whoever had the original concept for the film, that’s whose film it was?

 

Ono: Yes.

 

MacDonald: I remember reading years ago in a collection of Rolling Stone interviews that when you and John got involved with politics and in particular with the Bed-In, It was partly because Peter Watkins had written you a letter. Is that how you remember it?

 

Ono: Well, yes, Peter Watkin’s letter was a confrontation to us, and at the time we had a conversation about what we felt we had been doing politically: “Well, I was doing this, Yes I was doing that.” As a Beatle, John was always asked, “What is your position about the Vietnam War,” or something else; and I think that their manager, Brian Epstein, was very concerned that they wouldn’t make any statements, and so they didn’t make any direct statements. But a covert statement was made through an album cover that was censored, as you know. And I was standing in Trafalgar Square, in a bag, for peace and all that. So separately we had that awareness, and we were expressing it in the ways that we could. I was doing it more freely because it was easier for me. So we were comparing notes after getting the letter, and then we were saying, “Well what about doing something together,” which was the Bed-In (and the film Bed-In), so Peter Watkin’s letter definitely did mean something to us.

 

MacDonald: How much control did you (or you and John) have over the way Bed-In looks? You credit a large crew on that film. What was your part in the final film, other than as performers?

 

Ono: We always maintained careful control over the finished films. I was generally in charge of editing, which I did for that film, and for others, frame by frame. I mean I would have a film editor working with me- I don’t know the technology- but I would be very specific about what I wanted. When Jonas [Mekas] did the John and Yoko screenings at Anthology [Anthology Film Archives], I had three editing machines and editors brought into our hotel room, and I edited Bed-In there because of the deadline.

 

I enjoy the editing part of filmmaking most of all; that’s where the films really get made.

 

MacDonald: Rape is often talked about as a parable of the media intruding into your lives, but when I saw it again the other week, it struck me as very similar to pieces in Grapefruit.

 

Ono: Well, they keep saying that. I’ll tell you what happened. By the time that I actually got to make the film, John and I were together, and the reporters were hounding us, but the Rape concept was something I thought of before John and I got together.

 

MacDonald: In Grapefruit there’s “Black Piece II,” a part of which is “Walk behind a person for four hours.”

 

Ono: It was that kind of thing, right. But it was also a film script

 

[“Film No.5 (Rape or Chase)”]

 

MacDonald: How candid is the Rape footage? It no longer looks candid to me.

 

Ono: It was completely candid- except for the effects we did later in the editing. The girl in the film did not know what was happening. Her sister was in on it, so when she calls her sister on the phone, her sister is just laughing at her and the girl doesn’t understand why. Nic Knowland did the actual shooting. I wasn’t there. Everything was candid, but I kept pushing him to bring back better material. The type of material he brought back at first was something like he would be standing on the street, and when a group of girls passed by, he would direct the camera to them. The girls would just giggle and run away, and he wouldn’t follow. I kept saying he could do better than that, be he actually had a personal problem doing the film because he was a Buddhist and a peacenik: he didn’t want to intrude on people’s privacy. I remember John saying later that no actress could have given a performance that real.

 

I’ve done tons of work, and I don’t have time to check it all out, but I wish I could check about this strange thing, which is that a lot of my works have been a projection of my future fate. It frightens me. It simply frightens me. I don’t want to see Rape now. I haven’t seen the Rape film in a long time, but just thinking about the concept of it frightens me because now I’m in that position, the position of the woman in the film.

 

MacDonald: In the video Walking on Thin Ice, we see a similar scene, but with you.

 

Ono: I know. And why did I think of that song? After I wrote that song all sorts of trouble started to happen, all of which was somehow related to the song, that feeling of walking on thin ice. Sometimes I intentionally try to write something positive. But in a situation like that, art comes first. I really thought “Walking on Thin Ice” was a good song when it came to me. I had no qualms about recording it. The artistic desire of expressing something supersedes the worry, I suppose, and you think, ah it’s nothing, it’s fine, it’s just a nice song or something; and then it turns out that it becomes my life and I don’t want that.

 

Just recently I was in this film where I performed as a bag lady [Homeless, by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, unreleased at time of interview]. I was a bit concerned what it might mean to enact a bag lady, in terms of future projections. But I reasoned that there are actors who die many times in films, but live long lives, so actually enacting death makes their real lives longer. Well, in the first scene it was a beautiful April day, one of those I’m-glad-to-be-in-New-York days, and I’m wearing these rags and I’m pushing an empty baby carriage in this beautiful green environment. And as I was doing it, I remembered the song “Greenfield Morning” and the line, “I pushed an empty baby carriage all over the city.” That was the first song we recorded for Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band, and I think it’s in Grapefruit, too- I mean the instruction “Push an empty baby carriage” [See “City Piece: Walk all over the city with an empty baby carriage” (Winter, 1961) near the end of the first section (Music) of Grapefruit]. So I’m pushing the baby carriage and I’m thinking I don’t want to know about this. That aspect of projection is interesting, isn’t it?

 

MacDonald: Yes.

 

Ono: If you are somebody who makes films with a commercial concern or other concerns, other than just inspiration, maybe that sort of thing wouldn’t happen. I don’t know. But inspiration is very much connected with your life in past and future.

 

MacDonald: Apotheosis is a gorgeous film. It’s one of the collaborations that’s listed as John’s film, though the idea of stripping things away until you’ve got a white screen is very much like some of you work.

 

Ono: Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I think some of the instructions are already there in Grapefruit, or maybe not, maybe it’s one of the instructions that haven’t been published [Ono is referring to the second version of her film script, “Film No.1 (A Walk to the Taj Mahal)”]. There was a constant feeling of wanting to take an object that’s on the ground- not necessarily an object, could be a person- in fact the original idea was a drunken guy walking in a snowy field; you don’t see the drunken guy, but the camera suggests that he’s drunk because of the way it moves. So he walks and sways, and finally the camera goes up in the sky. When we did the cover for the “Two Virgins” album, where we were both naked, one of us said, “Why don’t we make a film where the camera moves from the ground up, shooting our naked bodies, and then just goes up in the air.” Later, John said, “Well, let’s make one where the camera goes up.” So the idea stemmed from that. What happened, of course, was that we didn’t expect the balloon film to be the way it was turned out. We went up in the balloon, and it happened to be a snowy day.

 

MacDonald: You were in the balloon with the camera?

 

Ono: Up to a certain point. The part where you go into the cloud, and then break out of the cloud, was taken later. The footage that came back from the lab was beautiful. It was just something that happened naturally, the dogs barking, everything that happened- it was an incredible experience. We didn’t expect it was going to be that beautiful. A lot of things just happen, you know.

 

MacDonald: If you allow them to, I guess.

 

Ono: Yes!

 

MacDonald: Fly seems almost the opposite of Apotheosis in a way; it seems…

 

Ono: Very much intentionally calculated?

 

MacDonald: Right.

 

Ono: It’s true

 

MacDonald: You did the sound [for the vocal piece Fly] before you did the film. Had you had the idea in mind then?

 

Ono: I was always thinking about the idea of fly. Actually, I was always fascinated with the pun “fly and “fly” in English. There was also a conceptual event about flies and where they fly to.

 

MacDonald: The piece you did for the Museum of Modern Art?

 

Ono: Yes. Did you see that Museum of Modern Art catalogue? [A 112-page, one foot by one foot catalogue- the title seems to be Museum of Modern FArt (Ono is carrying a shopping bag with the letter “F” directly beneath the Museum of Modern Art marquee)- which details her concept at length; the catalogue was designed by Ono and produced by Michael Gross.] At the end of that, I talk about how to fly,

 

MacDonald: I know the video with the sandwich-board guy in front of the Museum of Modern Art who interviews people about the Yoko Ono show that “isn’t there” [The Museum of Modern Art Show]. In the text for that piece, you explain how some flies were exposed to your perfume and let loose and that people are following those flies around to see where they land.

 

Ono: The catalogue was made for that event; it had all sorts of interesting stuff in it, about how to fly and all that. All the pages are postcards that you could mail, so the catalogue and Fly piece could fly all over the place.

 

MacDonald: So MoMA had this on sale?

 

Ono: No, no, no, no! MoMA would not do it. MoMA was busy saying to people, “There’s no Yoko Ono show here.” People would come in and ask, is there a Yoko Ono show, and they would say no. They were very upset; they didn’t know what was going on. I couldn’t sell the book anywhere. Nobody bought it, so I have piles of it.

 

MacDonald: Earlier, in the mid sixties, you did a number of descriptions of environmental boxes that the viewer would go inside of and images would be projected on the outside. Eyeblink was involved in a number of those descriptions, and another was called “Fly”. I guess the idea was that a viewer would go inside the box and on all sides you would project images that would create the sensation that the viewer was flying.

 

Ono: How do you know about those boxes?

 

MacDonald: I found the descriptions in the Fluxus Codex, in the Yoko Ono section [See John Hendricks, Fluxus Codex (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988), p.418 for the descriptions]. Was either piece ever built?

 

Ono: They were never built. I haven’t seen these ideas since I did them. Whenever I had an idea, I sent it to George Maciunas. He probably kept them. I don’t even have the originals for those. I’ll have to get this book. You know, I have this thing about reading about me. When something about me is in a book, I mostly don’t want to know about it.

 

MacDonald: One of the interesting things about watching the film Fly is that one’s sense of what the body we’re seeing is about, and what the film is about, is constantly changing.

 

Ono: A cartoon in a newspaper gave me the idea. There’s this woman with a low-cut dress, and a guy is looking at her, and the guy’s wife says, “What are you looking at!” and the guy says, “Oh, I’m looking at a fly on her.” I wanted the film to be an experience where you’re always wondering, am I following the movement of the fly or am I looking at the body? I think that life is full of that kind of thing. We’re always sort of deceiving ourselves about what we’re really seeing.

 

MacDonald: Do you know the Willard Maas film, Geography of the Body? It’s all close-ups of bodies, framed so that you can’t quite tell what body part you’re looking at- but they all look erotic. Eyeblink is a little like that, and Fly is full of the same effect. If you go close enough, every part of the body looks the same, and they’re all equally erotic.

 

Ono: Oh, there’s an incredible film instruction that has to do with that close-up idea. It’s a travelogue [“Film No.13 (Travelogue”]. You have a travelogue to Japan or somewhere, and you say, “Well, now I’m on Mount Fuji,” and there’s an incredible close-up of stones; and then, “We bathed in a mixed bath,” and you see just steam- you get it?- and then, “We ate noodles,” and you see an incredible close-up of noodles… so in effect you can make a travelogue of any country without going out of your apartment! “Then we saw geisha girls,” and you see an incredible close-up of hair [laughter]. I wanted to make that, but I just never got around it.

 

MacDonald: Freedom [1970], the little one-minute film of you trying to take your bra off, was made the same year as Fly.

 

Ono: Yeah, isn’t that a great little film?

 

MacDonald: It’s so paradoxical. You show freedom as the ability to try to break free, which implies that you’re never really free.

 

Ono: Right, exactly.

 

MacDonald: You mentioned earlier that you didn’t think Up Your Legs Forever worked as well as No.4 (Bottoms). I thought it was interesting to see that people’s one leg is very different from their other leg.

 

Ono: The best thing about that film is the title, I think. My first vision for that film was like going up all the legs, up, up, up, to eternity. [“Film No. 12 (Esstacy)”- the misspelling of “ecstasy” is left as it was in the original film script, at Ono’s request]. But in making it, that vision got lost because of what was necessary to film the legs. I don’t know how you can do what I originally had in mind.

 

MacDonald: Jonas and Adolfas Mekas are thanked at the end of Up Your Legs Forever.

 

Ono: Because they did the editing. That was one of the few films I didn’t edit myself.

 

MacDonald: Somebody mentioned to me the other day, and I assume it’s not true, that Erection was originally a film about John’s penis. Was there a film like that?

 

Ono: Yes, there was. But it wasn’t called Erection. I think it was called Self Portrait, and it wasn’t an erection, it was just a long shot of his penis. That was his idea. The funny thing was that Self Portrait was never questioned by customs because of it’s title, and Erection, which was about the erection of a building , was questioned.

 

MacDonald: Is there a relation between the 1971 version of Imagine and the recent Imagine: John Lennon?

 

Ono: There’s no relationship. We wanted to make surrealistic film in the tradition of Luis Bunuel and Jean Cocteau. It was John’s idea to say just one or two words at the beginning, and make the reset of the film silent, like silent movie. I liked that idea and we did it. I think that now it’s more or less known as a forefather of MTV. Each scene came from some idea John or I had. It was really a collaboration between John and me.

 

MacDonald: Are you involved in film now? Are you planning to make films? You made several videos in the early eighties, but it’s been a while since you’ve made a film.

 

Ono: I don’t know; it might get to that. I’m one of those people who can’t do something unless I’m totally motivated. That’s one of the reasons I jump from one medium to another. I did the Whitney Museum show, and suddenly all the inspiration is sculptural; and then last night or the night before, I went to the studio to do some music. But I’m not getting that feeling like I gotta make a film- except for The Tea Party [the film script “Film No.7 (Tea Party)”]: for years I’ve been wanting to make that one, but because of the technical difficulties I don’t seem to be able to get it together. I think one of the reasons I’m not making more films is that I’ve done so many film scripts. I’d like to see one of them made by somebody else. Maybe one day out of the blue I’ll feel it so strongly that I’ll make a film myself again.

 

Bhutan is not a country that is generally well known. If asked, most people might say that it lies somewhere in the Himalayas and is a bit hilly. If pressed, they might think of yaks and snow leopards and rhododendrons, or maybe know it as the land where development is measured in terms of Gross National Happiness rather than Gross Domestic Privation.

 

And in fact, this latter characteristic most fits with my experiences of this mountainous kingdom – the happiness of the people stands out a mile. In the short time that I was there I cannot recall a frown or a curse or even so much as a tiny disagreement. Even the use of the car horn is limited to polite little peeps or playful messages sent to pretty girls as they saunter along the pavement. It is such a gentle society.

 

It’s also an equal and an emancipated one. Women are first in line to inherit following the death of their parents; it is they who get the house and the property and the rights, not the son (whether he’s older or not). Women can have as many spouses as men. Women are very forthright when it comes to flirting: within a couple of hours at my first hotel I was invited to a dance that evening and asked if I wanted to marry one of the waitresses. I didn’t take advantage of either offer but, given the beauty of the women here, I was sorely tempted. They really are extremely lovely – slim and wiggly bodies, velvety black hair that never seems to grey, wonderful dimpled smiles, and eyes that just penetrate into the heart of you.

 

They seem to be a very sexually liberated lot (well, that’s one way of calling it). My guide, Kinlay, was forever talking about his girlfriends (even though he’s married with two sons), hanky-panky (but no spanky, perhaps that was pushing revelations a mite too far given that I’d only just met him), and jiggy-jiggy (or, in local parlance, ‘jeggy-jeggy’), or shouting, ‘Charimdumaray’ (‘You’re lovely’) through the window at any passing female. But then he’s very young, he’s in his thirties … Or maybe he’s just trying to live up to the reputation of his namesake, Lama Drukpa Kunley (1455-1529), aka ‘The Divine Madman’, a saint who had the MO of driving out demons by means of excessive drinking and fornication which sounds a perfectly valid and jolly method of exorcism to me. His signature, a big phallus , now adorns many buildings throughout the area – a sign to ward off evil and protect the household. I wonder how this would go down with the good citizens of Ayr?

 

Many people still revere His Mad Divineship / Holy Madness and consequently many people have been given his name (or that of the temple that was dedicated to him, ‘Chimey Lhakhang’). The first two people I met in Bhutan were called Kunley. Then the third (who was confusingly a woman ) turned out to be a Kunley too. And so was the fourth. I gave up asking after that.

 

Bhutan is now a constitutional monarchy since the present king relinquished absolute rule in 2008. Like a 21 year old with the keys to life, the new democracy is revelling in its liberation, independence and autonomy and is enjoying furnishing its own flat and buying its own clothes and food. But at the same time it looks up to the person who granted it its freedom, and the whole country remains loyal and truly affectionate towards the Royal Family.

 

The king (31, Pisces - they like such details here) married his young betrothed (21, Virgo ) on the 13th October. Every shop had photos of the couple posted outside and inside, decorated with ribbons in the colours of the Buddha – blue (for the sky), white (for the clouds), red (for fire), green (for water) and yellow (for the soil). Huge banners adorned hillsides and town gates. Radio programmes were filled with callers wishing the happy pair a long, fruitful, loving union. And as I watched the wedding in a restaurant in Paro , with the assembled masses in the crowds and in the organised dances that must have taken weeks to rehearse, and thought that there could not be a single person in the nation who was not either at the ceremony or who was not glued to the TV, it occurred to me that this was what it must have been like with QEII 50 years ago . How long will this state of innocent bliss last?

 

Maybe for a long time yet. Not only is this a peaceful society (I never once felt threatened) but it’s also relatively prosperous, well organised, and, crucially and in a real way, it actually is a society. It is not a collection of individuals out to benefit for themselves. This is one big nation of people (about 650 000 of them) who believe they are part of a larger community of family, friends and neighbours. The neighbours may be from the east of the country (300 miles away and effectively 2 days travelling) who speak another dialect and wear different clothes, but they are still part of the same community.

 

Free education for all plays an important role in levelling classes and bringing people together. The king (apparently) lives in a ‘cottage’ and he is certainly one who puts much effort in meeting and greeting. The ceremony he attended in Thimpu, after the wedding, lasted from 0900 to 1700 and for a lot of that time he was moving amongst the crowds, shaking hands and speaking with (not ‘to’ – I don’t think he’s a Charlie. ‘And what do you do?’ – probably isn’t his stock, opening gambit) virtually everyone there.

 

Communities work in unison to improve the environment and their own lives. They harvest the rice together, it’s a communal thing. Often I saw small congregations on the hillside, burning juniper as incense, intoning incantations, chanting with monks. Several times I saw parties of villagers or school children walking along the roadside picking up litter. The land is free of piles of rubbish. This is a clean country. The drains and rivers are not open sewers. Not once did I see a rat.

 

Smoking was banned recently. It’s an offence to smoke – you could be imprisoned. For grass it’s up to three years for possession and 9 years for dealing. This was the first country to outlaw plastic bags too. Unfortunately, however, for both fags and bags neither law is strictly enforced and both are commonly (if expensively for the former) available.

 

But Bhutan is not Shangri La. In 1999 TV was introduced for the first time. Now the two favourite programmes are World Federation Wrestling from the USA, and ‘Bhutan Idol’ (the third series) – it was this programme that Kinlay said would prevent me from watching any footie on TV in the bars. ‘Idol’ was that popular! Everyone now has a TV and there is a good link between the growth in its distribution and the incidence of crime in the country.

Mobile phones came in in 2003 (so my guide said) and they are now ubiquitous. Young people have adopted the global practice of meeting up and then spending all the time texting and / or phoning other friends elsewhere. That’s when they can stop blowing bubble gum for long enough to say anything. One person I met had a sophisticated ring tone system that alerted him to whoever was trying to contact him: his wife’s ring tone was his young son’s crying and gurgling; his mate’s tone was an extract from his favourite blue movie accompanied by the obligatory image of a busty brunette.

 

The people like to dress up for occasions (like the festival – Tseschu – in Thimpu) with their finest national gear: beautiful, iridescent, brightly coloured silk dresses for the women; rather more subdued but still unique skirts and knee-high stockings for the men. When visiting national monuments (such as museums, temples, dzongs ) or events they have to dress in national costume. But these days, for normal everyday wear, they tend far more towards the boring western norm of t-shirts and jeans and track-suits (usually with ‘Man Utd’ written on them. Damn their souls!). There was a great contrast between the clothes worn to the formal Tseschu festival and the far less formal singalong in Thimpu town square – colourful, vibrant, exciting of the exotic compared with the dull, drab, grey and black of the mundane (and the future).

 

Traditional sports seem to be holding their own against the overwhelming and inexorable influence of football . Archery is something the Bhutanese are especially good at having won medals of all colours at recent Olympics. These days they employ carbon composite bows for main competitions. Traditional bows of bamboo are still found and used but mainly to simply maintain the tradition. The target is a wooden board about 40cm high and usually 140m from the archer. No wonder they’re good at it.

 

Darts (not the UK variety) – about 15cm long consisting of a 3cm metal point, a wooden shaft and 5cm feathers – is also played at weekends. The ‘court’ is longer than a cricket pitch and the target is a 30cm wooden board with a bulls-eye near the top. A wall of earth or concrete backdrops the target, really just a sop to health and safety. They are not overly concerned with H&S, which is healthy.

 

For both archery and darts, the opposing team (all wearing fine traditional skirts ) line up alongside the target and watch intently as the projectile is released and heads towards them. The observers’ reaction time for the darts is far less than that for archery. I think I was happier watching the archery. When a dart or arrow actually hits the board it triggers a mediaeval ritual of chanting and dancing by both of the teams, in praise of the gods for such a blessing. If only our supporters and ‘sportsmen’ took win and loss in the same spirit.

 

There are cars in Bhutan as well. Not many of them because there aren’t that many people. They are in good condition and few of them send out blasts of poisonous black smoke. I saw my first privately-owned electric car here. They are generally new (the favourites being Hyundais and Toyota) and without any dents. Motorbikes are rare and tuc-tucs are entirely absent (which is such a relief!). Roads (maintained and built by Indians, and funded by the RoI government) are largely pothole-free and gloriously smooth. It still takes a long time to get anywhere because of the winding nature of the terrain, but at least it’s almost painless.

 

But, of course, this road system comes at a cost. Gangs of Indians, thousands of them, have been imported and have set up semi-permanent residence in Bhutan (without citizen rights, of course) and their sole employment, occupation and raison d’etre is road building and repair. They work very long hours (0600 to 1600 hrs) for a pittance. Their tools are mainly their hands: hauling large stones over cliffs or onto lorries. Primitive implements are provided: back bent double as they use pathetic brushes to sweep the road; women shovelling sand and gravel and throwing it through sieves. Some (men as well as women) actually break rocks with hammers, all day long, like a work detail from a ‘40s state penitentiary, a modern day chain-gang. These gangs have their own settlements and schools; they are separate from mainstream Bhutanese society. But they don’t seem to be discriminated or prejudiced against. There is, at least, no bigotry in Bhutan.

 

Except perhaps against the Nepalese. This is not talked about, but many Bhutanese who originated in Nepal (two or three or more generations back) were forcibly deported in the ‘90s (?) and now reside in refugee camps in Nepal. I met only one person whose ancestors came from Nepal but he seemed contented and calm. He might have said more but we’d been caught up in a delay caused by a landslide and the obstruction had just been removed so we had to move on. 11 days is not enough in Bhutan.

 

You might think that a Buddhist democracy consisting of less than three quarters of a million people might not need or, especially, want an army. How could they justify killing? And anyway, what could their paltry population hope to accomplish against the might of the Indians or Chinese if they chose to invade ? But it’s a career path to some (Kinlay considered it after university (in Chennai) if tourism didn’t work out), and for others the army really is a necessity.

 

Earlier in the noughties there was some trouble with Assamese rebels. They had occupied some of the forests of the duars in Bhutan (just across the border) and were causing problems (not with the locals – the Assamese were generous with their payment for goods – but with the (Indian?) politicians). Negotiations with the rebels were not successful and so the Bhutanese government sent in the troops. This resulted in the insurgents being ousted but at the cost of 12 Bhutanese soldiers being killed. The effects of this battle / war seems to have become deeply embedded within the psyche of the Bhutanese; a large memorial (at Dochu La consisting of 108 chortens) was established to commemorate the conflict and one of the on-going repercussions is that the army are more popular than ever. Not that it would ever sink to the depths of the Burmese army and become a junta. That would be unthinkable.

 

So the army is needed . But what about religious or moral objections, after all Costa Rica doesn’t have a standing army so surely a strict Buddhist nation could do without one? But then the Bhutanese love meat. They are devout devourers of pork and beef and, to a slightly lesser extent, chicken? So long as they don’t have to kill the animals themselves they are happy to consume flesh.

 

Do I hear calls of ‘Hypocracy’? Well, I’m not going to shout them down.

 

But all religions are institutionally hypocritical and Buddhism is no worse than any other. An army of a Buddhist nation sounds contradictory but religion has always been political, nations are essentially political beasts with artificial boundaries, politicians need to maintain and protect those boundaries as well as they can given limited resources, and armies are the main way of providing protection.

 

At least this army is not there to violate other nations or supress the population or support an unauthorised government. It provides comfort and a sense of security, a source of pride, and a life for many people. Who am I to criticise it?

 

The trekking in Bhutan was far better than in Nepal (although Nepal was good). Here it was proper camping, there it was in Guesthouses. Nepal is over-populated, there is no getting away from people; waves of trekkers (ramblers) met you head on along the Poon Hill circuit; football crowds gathered to catch the dawn view of Annapurna; dogs, locals, cows, agricultural terraces … they all swarm and cover the slopes of Nepal.

 

But in Bhutan … ah, it’s different. I met perhaps 10 other trekkers on my 5 day stint. Yes, there were monks and the occasional dog, but mainly it was me in the wild, in untouched, blue pine forests and stands of huge or dwarf rhodies and junipers and alpine meadows of the highest hills. Alongside the soft beats of the wings of the goshawk, and ‘glowps’ of ravens, and cheeky cawings of choughs there was the whisper of winds and ripple of drying leaves. No sounds of machinery. No barking . No drunken laughter . It was heaven.

 

Of course I was spoilt. Apart from the landscape, and the views, and the sky and the clouds, and the wildlife and the vegetation, I had a platoon of (for wont of a better word ) servants to look after my every needs. I had my own chef, and he had a helper. I had a guide who made sure I didn’t fall down a cliff or take the wrong path. I had a horseman who looked after the seven ponies that accompanied our small expedition. The only person I lacked was a masseur (which, incidentally, was what I really needed).

 

They erected my tent and decamped for me. They cooked me three meals a day and washed up after me. I was served at my table and they even ran off to buy beer for me . They set up my own private lav, provided loo paper, and filled the hole in after me. My guide even carried my water bottle. They did everything for me except tuck me in at night (for which I was grateful).

 

It was hard walking, some of the slopes were steep, and it was bloody cold at night. I met a couple of Aussies on the second day and, after I remarked how bloody cold it was the previous night (not that I was fixated or anything), they said, ‘Well, it gets colder. There was frost on the ground two nights ago.’ I said, ‘Great. Good job my sleeping bag isn’t as good as I thought it was (and the zip’s broken), and that I forgot my socks.’ They said, ‘You forgot your socks?! Are you mad?’ I didn’t say anything. ‘But you’re from Scotland, right?’ ‘Aye,’ I said, ‘You’ll be fine then.’ They were nice people but they could afford to be because they’d survived the ordeal and were now heading back to civilisation. They had had socks. Smug bastards. Nice people though.

 

Ten minutes later, as I was watching a huge thanka being unfolded by the Phajoding monks, the lady (to my shame I never did get to know her name) ran up to me and offered, like a true Buddhist using both hands, a pair of socks. ‘They’re a day and a half old,’ she said, ‘but they’ll save your life!’ I didn’t know what to say so I kept repeating, like the simpleton John Miles played in ‘Ryan’s Daughter’, ‘Thank you, thank you.’ I refrained from saying ‘God bless’, but I was genuinely touched (in more ways than one) and didn’t even have the sense to ask for their address so that I could send them back to Oz. Which was just as well. But I would have had them washed.

 

And the socks really were a Godsend. Never before have I held so much regard for footware. They (along with the extra blanket supplied by chef) actually made the next three nights bearable (just. There was still the issue of the bells and the thin mattress). Thanks Australia ;-)

 

Overall, you might think that a minimum of $200 a day to visit and exist in Bhutan is a lot of money. And it is. No argument. But … this money covers everything apart from incidentals such as snacks and souvenirs , and so, although it’s expensive, it’s not that expensive and is, actually, when it comes down to it, damned good value for money. Outside of Bhutan, how much would it cost to have what they provided me? A personal guide (just for little old me) who answers most of the inane and arcane questions I usually pose to myself or strangers (who aren’t good at responding. Either of them) and panders to almost my every whim My own transport (so I can say, ‘Why don’t we go down this wee road?’, ‘Can we just stop here for a minute to take a photo’, and ‘STOP! There’s a bird I haven’t seen, I’m sure of it. Might be new to science too. Come on, we’ll be famous!’ ) My your own private expeditionary force to conquer the Himalayas? The chance to stay in top class hotels (with clean, unstained sheets and electrics that work. Luxury). To have all your meals provided for you (most of them excellent). And to have the flexibility to be able to change itinerary and venues / hotels depending on how you feel … and all this amongst the beauty, serenity and unspoilt splendour of a country which is Bhutan …

 

Well, what can I say? It’s not a perfect country, but it comes damned close to it.

 

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The Verona Arena (Arena di Verona) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy, which is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind. Amphitheatre

The building itself was built in AD 30 on a site which was then beyond the city walls. The ludi (shows and games) staged there were so famous that spectators came from many other places, often far away, to witness them. The amphitheatre could host more than 30,000 spectators in ancient times.

 

The round façade of the building was originally composed of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella, but after a major earthquake in 1117, which almost completely destroyed the structure's outer ring, except for the so-called "ala", the stone was quarried for re-use in other buildings. Nevertheless it impressed medieval visitors to the city, one of whom considered it to have been a labyrinth, without ingress or egress. Ciriaco d'Ancona was filled with admiration for the way it had been built and Giovanni Antonio Panteo's civic panegyric De laudibus veronae, 1483, remarked that it struck the viewer as a construction that was more than human. Musical theatre

The first interventions to recover the arena's function as a theatre began during the Renaissance. Some operatic performances were later mounted in the building during the 1850s, owing to its outstanding acoustics.

 

And in 1913, operatic performances in the arena commenced in earnest due to the zeal and initiative of the Italian opera tenor Giovanni Zenatello and the impresario Ottone Rovato. The first 20th-century operatic production at the arena, a staging of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, took place on 10 August of that year, to mark the birth of Verdi 100 years before in 1813. Musical luminaries such as Puccini and Mascagni were in attendance. Since then, summer seasons of opera have been mounted continually at the arena, except in 1915â18 and 1940â45, when Europe was convulsed in war.

 

Nowadays, at least four productions (sometimes up to six) are mounted each year between June and August. During the winter months, the local opera and ballet companies perform at the L'Accademia Filarmonica.

 

Modern-day travellers are advised that admission tickets to sit on the arena's stone steps are much cheaper to buy than tickets giving access to the padded chairs available on lower levels. Candles are distributed to the audience and lit after sunset around the arena.

 

Every year over 500,000 people see productions of the popular operas in this arena.[3] Once capable of housing 20,000 patrons per performance (now limited to 15,000 because of safety reasons), the arena has featured many of world's most notable opera singers. In the post-World War II era, they have included Giuseppe Di Stefano, Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi and Renata Tebaldi among other names. A number of conductors have appeared there, too. The official arena shop has historical recordings made by some of them available for sale.

 

The opera productions in the Verona Arena had not used any microphones or loudspeakers until an electronic sound reinforcement system was installed in 2011.

 

In recent times, the arena has also hosted several concerts of international rock and pop bands, among which Laura Pausini, Pink Floyd, Alicia Keys, One Direction, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, Deep Purple, The Who, Dire Straits, Mike Oldfield, Rod Stewart, Sting, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Peter Gabriel, Björk, Muse, Paul McCartney, Jamiroquai, and Whitney Houston.

 

In 1981, 1984 and 2010 it hosted the podium and presentation of the Giro d'Italia with thousands packing the arena to watch the prizes being handed out.

 

The 2011 Bollywood film Rockstar directed by Imtiaz Ali starring Ranbir Kapoor with music composed by Academy Award winner A.R.Rahman opens and closes with musical concerts shot here.

 

On 26 March 2013, Paul McCartney confirmed a show at the venue as part of his 2013 Tour. The show is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 25 June 2013.

British-Irish boy band One Direction performed on 19 May 2013 as part of their Take Me Home Tour

Piazza Bra , or simply the Bra (a name derived from a corruption of the term "Braida", which in turn derives from the Lombard breit , or "off"), is the largest square in Verona , located in its center historian .

 

The square of Piazza Bra began to turn into only the first half of the sixteenth century , when the architect Michele San Micheli concluded the palace of Honorij : this building was to delimit the western side of the square of the future, as well as to establish a correct outlook on the ' Arena . The first attempt to transform the clearing dirt road instead of walking, however, was the mayor Alvise Mocenigo, who wanted to create a meeting place for the rising bourgeoisie Verona: he was able to inaugurate the first part of the Liston , a paved sidewalk that lines connecting the Bra Corso Porta Nuova in Via Mazzini , in 1770. La Gran Guardia , begun by the Venetians in the seventeenth century and completed by the Austrians in the ' Nineteenth Century , went to delimit the southern side of the square, while in 1836 the architect Giuseppe Barbieri designed the eastern edge, where a hospital were demolished, some houses and a church, which was built in place of the Gran Guardia Nuova , better known as Palazzo Barbieri. This, initially used as a barracks by the Austrians, became, as a result of ' annexation of Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy , the seat of the municipality of the City of Verona.

 

History

Origins

In Roman times , the place where you would then open the Bra was outside the city and yet away from the main roads. It is only since the first century AD, when it was built the ' amphitheater in the Roman Empire, better known as the Arena of Verona , who came to define the northern edge of what centuries later would become one of the main squares of Verona. In 305 the Emperor Galerius , during a short stay in the city, he opened a door along the walls which was built in 265 by the Emperor Gallienus , which surrounded the Arena went thus creating a first connection between the city and the place where later would be born Bra.

 

The square, however, began to abbozzarsi only in the Middle Ages: the walls of the city was enlarged at that point between 1130 and 1153, going to close so that piece of land that later would become, coming to have the size of a square. Those areas between the walls and the Roman city walls were called braide, from the Lombard breit ; the braida that could match the current Bra in the twelfth century was far more extensive than at the edge of the square today.

 

A door that the Braida along the city walls is already mentioned in a document dated 1257, but later his place was taken by the gates of the Bra , probably due to the Visconti and to the Venetians : the first arch is dated to the late fourteenth century and the second to the second half of the fifteenth century. The clock that is located between the two arches of the gates of the Bra was a gift of Count Antonio Nogarola made ââin 1871: it was installed with the dials is visible from one side on the other walls. The clock was inaugurated on June 2, 1872 and refurbished in 1879 because of its vagueness.

 

Development

Piazza Bra after the arrangement of the central gardens

Piazza Bra in the mid-twentieth century.

The Bra began to be defined as a square only in the first decade of the seventeenth century, when they started on the south side of the factories Gran Guardia and the seat of the ' Accademia Filarmonica of Verona . In conjunction with the factory della Gran Guardia became the leveling the square as possible, and also create some gradients to regulate the flow of stormwater, operation up to that time never practiced because the space was used by stonemasons, that here, as well as work, abandoning the resulting material, and because the clearing was used for the discharge of material from construction in progress in the area.

 

For others, one hundred and fifty years the space was in clay, in fact, only in 1770 the foundations were laid of Liston will of the mayor Alvise Mocenigo. On March 13, 1782 Francis Menegatti presented a project to the final lastricamento of Liston that the City Council approved and, after this surgery, the bra became the favorite place for afternoon walks in place of Piazza dei Signori . Goethe , in his essay Journey to Italy , describes enjoyed the arrival carriage with ladies and gentlemen, and said that the sunset loitered along the rim of the amphitheater enjoying the most beautiful views of the city. I insole and down on the pavement off the Bra 'walked a multitude of people .

 

The square was smoothed more times: in 1808 he was entrusted with the task of remaking the Liston architect Luigi Trezza and in 1820 excavations were carried out along the Arena, in order to bring to light the basis of the same, as it was buried about two feet because of the sediments that were deposited after the numerous floods that had undergone the city. He also opted for a lowering of the average level of Bra about 70 centimeters along a line slightly inclined from the Gran Guardia At Arena, lowering the share of Liston.

 

Plan of Bra in a drawing by Giuseppe Barbieri

As for the lighting, until the eighteenth century the bra at night was totally immersed in the dark; only in the nineteenth century were installed lights in oil and gas lighting in 1845, so that the Liston also became a place for evening strolls. Then important for the conformation of the square today, is the accommodation in the central part of the garden Bra occurred in 1873: the central gardens were created with three circles forming a triangle with a central fountain.

Between 1884 and 1951 the square was affected by the rails of the tramway town .

 

Events

It is interesting to read the description of Liston of an astonished reporter of the magazine Esperia in an article of 1837:

 

" ... the audience is walking the plank of 'Veronesi, extended space, which is located in a few cities: here business people are dining and comforting conversation, idleness is recreated, and the beautiful flock there to get tributes of glances and sighs of their worshipers ... and many cafes offer brilliant and sufficient acceptance to the numerous meetings that there agree. Street musicians and improvisers, unpleasant indeed, but the liveliness of the inhabitants always well received, breaking the monotony of chatter; and the music of the military garrison increase much fun. Very pleasing to the eye is in the summer thousands of people of both sexes, and before sitting under the porch; and a more active crowd by constantly prowling the paths formed by the rows of seats, and now dispense with a bow, and now dwell near some nice, vibrate envious compliments and words of hope and voting ... while the beautiful turn cautious gaze looking at the confused teeming with ill-concealed impatience, greeting or stop most expensive among the happy meeting ... "

In the past, however, the Bra was used for uses other than those described well by this reporter: in particular, after the twelfth century it was included in the city walls it was used for the wood, hay, straw and cattle, so that in ancient documents is called the Bra cattle market. More often is cited as the parade ground, as was the case here the review of the troops from the beginning of the Venetian rule, which is why this was one of the points of conflict between the French and Venetian soldiers during the Veronese Easters in 1797 . Starting from 1633, after the approval of the Venetian Senate for the creation of an exhibition of goods in the city, there were held two annual fairs fifteen days each, which continued to be held until one of them was destroyed by fire October 28, 1712, and then restored in another place, it was established only in 1822, a new exhibition, which would last in Piazza Bra for twenty years.

 

Fair in very old custom is instead to Saint Lucia : it takes place every year from 11 to 13 December, but do not know its origins. Legend has it that, probably in the communal, an epidemic broke out in the city that struck my eyes, it was so that the Veronese decided to make a pilgrimage to the church of Saint Lucia (no longer exists): the children, who did not want to participate , were persuaded to return with the promise that they would find the shoes filled with gifts. The miracle occurred, and since then the fair is held to coincide with the feast of Saint Lucia.

 

The comet of Verona during a night snowfall

During the Christmas season takes place within the Arena arches dell ' Arena, the International Festival of the Nativity , an event born in 1984 from the mind of Alfredo Troisi , along with the comet symbol of the event, from the reservoir from the Arena, go to dive in Bra. Over the years the star has taken on meanings and values ââare independent of the review of the nativity, as to be appreciated by itself. This architecture-sculpture was designed by architect and designer Rinaldo Olivieri : his intuition came to looking at a map of the city, characterized by two large voids, one of the auditorium and that of the square in front of the Arena. It was from this impression that he was born an ideal line, a huge arch that connects the Arena with the urban space, an arc of light and steel from the Temple of the music goes to fall and explode among citizens.

You already have limits, boundaries, desires and preferences that are givens when you have sex. Think of safety as another piece of that pie.

 

Let’s say a limit and desire you have is that sex can only happen in ways safe for you. You then present that to partners in a firm, but relaxed way: If sex is going to happen, it needs to be safer.

 

Someone can say yes to what you need and have sex with you, or they can say no, and that’s fine, but will just mean no sex with you.

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.......***** All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ......

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.....item 1)... Ms. Magazine blog ... msmagazine.com/blog ...

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Safer Sex After 50

September 21, 2011 by Heather Corinna

 

msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/09/21/safe-sex-after-50/

 

A new study finds women over 50 want help negotiating safer sex and need better conversations about sex with healthcare providers. This follows reports of increases in STIs amongst those over 45 over the last few years.

 

Gasp! Women over 50 have sex! And not just inside decades-long marriages! (Figured I’d get that out of the way for those who think this is news.)

 

So what does sex ed look like after 50? Most older women have heard of sexually transmitted infections and know safer sex can radically reduce the risk of them. The big missing pieces tend to be comfort and assertiveness talking about sex and sexual health. Here are a few tips to get you started:

 

You already have limits, boundaries, desires and preferences that are givens when you have sex. Think of safety as another piece of that pie. Let’s say a limit and desire you have is that sex can only happen in ways safe for you. You then present that to partners in a firm, but relaxed way: If sex is going to happen, it needs to be safer. Someone can say yes to what you need and have sex with you, or they can say no, and that’s fine, but will just mean no sex with you.

 

---2).....Being assertive and relaxed about safer sex will tend to get the best reception. For instance, if you slide a condom or glove over as if it’s the most normal thing in the world–and for some of us, it is–a partner is more likely to cheerfully use it than if you’re apologetic and make it sound like you’re asking them to make a great sacrifice (it isn’t) or do something horribly unpleasant (it’s not).

 

---3).....Get informed. Unfortunately, some healthcare providers can be less than helpful: Like anyone, they may have biases or outdated education, or be twitchy about sex. If the provider you have isn’t serving you or you don’t feel comfortable talking with them, ask for or seek out another. You can get good information on the Internet or in books; Pepper Schwartz and Joan Price are two educators who focus on senior sex.

Our Bodies, Ourselves addresses sexual health for all ages. Independent, women-friendly sex toy stores often offer workshops and classes, too.

 

---4).....It’s okay to wear water wings. Just because you had some kinds of sex in the past doesn’t mean they’ll be right for you now. If you don’t feel “there yet” with negotiating safer sex, stick to kinds of sex with lower or no STI risks while you learn to swim in this new pool.

 

---5).....Do you really want a partner who isn’t invested in basic ways of caring for your health and theirs? Some bonuses of being past our teens and twenties are that we’re usually more confident in what we want, more capable of asserting ourselves, more aware that a sexual partner who isn’t a good fit for us is not better than none at all. You want an awesome sexual life, which includes valuing your health. Put that goal in front of fears of rejection or conflict, and you’re much more likely to get it.

 

Stay tuned for more from Heather, founder and editor of Scarleteen.com, who will be writing regular, candid, feminist sex advice for the Ms. Blog–and not a moment too soon!

 

Photo from Scarleteen.com.

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.....item 2).... COSMOPOLITAN ... www.cosmopolitan.com/food ... Homepage | Food/Cocktails | Cocktail Recipes ...

 

16 Yummy Cocktails Made With Wine ...

 

Love wine? Don't limit yourself to pouring straight from the bottle—experts swear you can make yummy cocktails using wine. We love these tasty recipes.

 

BY DARA ADEEYO

 

www.cosmopolitan.com/food/cocktails/cocktails-made-with-w...

 

----- Thin Ice

 

1 oz. Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine

2 oz. vodka

 

Combine all ingredients in a glass and stir.

 

Source: Karin Stanley, Mixologist

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----- Just Keep Swimming

 

1 oz. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

1 oz. vodka

1 oz. watermelon juice

1 oz. simple syrup

½ oz. lemon

1½ oz. soda water

 

To make simple syrup, mix equal parts hot water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Combine all ingredients except soda water in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass filled with ice. Top with soda water.

 

Source: The Raleigh

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----- French 75

 

1½ oz. Pucker Grape Gone Wild Vodka

¾ oz. lemon juice

¼ oz. simple syrup

1½ oz. sparkling wine

 

To make simple syrup, mix equal parts hot water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Combine all ingredients except wine in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with sparkling wine.

 

Source: Pucker Vodka

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----- The Summer Cup

 

2 oz. sparkling white wine

1 oz. The King's Ginger Liqueur

2 oz. cranberry juice

2 oz. lemonade

 

Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice and stir.

 

Source: The King's Ginger

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----- The Star Gazer

 

2 oz. chardonnay

1 oz. dark rum

½ oz. vanilla bean extract

½ oz. pineapple juice

Garnish: lime wedge

 

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

 

Source: H. Joseph Ehrmann, Proprietor of Elixir

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----- Red Splash

 

1½ oz. Camarena Tequila Silver

1½ oz. pinot noir

½ oz. lime juice

½ oz. agave nectar

2 oz. grapefruit soda

Garnish: lime wedge

 

Combine all ingredients except soda in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with soda. Garnish with a lime wedge.

 

Source: Shaher Misif, Mixologist

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----- Cherry Jam

 

1 spoon cherry jam

1/3 oz. lemon juice

1/3 oz. vodka

3 oz. Chandon Brut Classic

 

Combine all ingredients except brut in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Top with brut.

 

Source: Chandon

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----- San Francisco Sangaree

 

4 cherries

¼ oz. simple syrup

1½ oz. merlot

1 oz. bourbon

1 lemon slice

 

To make simple syrup, mix equal parts hot water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Muddle cherries in a cocktail shaker. Add ice, simple syrup, wine, bourbon, and lemon slice. Shake and strain into a glass.

 

Source: H. Joseph Ehrmann, Proprietor of Elixir

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----- Apple & Pink Julep

 

10 mint leaves

4 oz. Croft Pink Port

1 oz. apple juice

Garnish: mint sprig

 

Muddle mint leaves and apple juice in a cocktail shake. Add wine and ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with a mint sprig.

 

Source: Kobrand

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----- Red Hot Summer

 

¾ c. red wine

¼ c. lemon-lime soda

Ice

Garnish: lime wheel

 

Combine all ingredients in a glass filled with ice. Stir and garnish with a lime wheel.

 

Source: velvetpalate.com

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.....item 3).... youtube video ... Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here [Full Album] ... 44:20 minutes ...

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_vByFLHuKo&list=FLhbu28jvf-Q...

  

Tracklist;

 

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5)

2. Welcome To The Machine

3. Have A Cigar

4. Wish You Were Here

5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)

 

"Wish You Were Here" is the ninth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released in September 1975. The album explores themes of absence, the music business, and former band-mate Syd Barrett's mental decline. It was inspired by material the band composed while performing across Europe, and was recorded over numerous sessions at London's Abbey Road Studios. Early sessions were a difficult and arduous process but it was Roger Waters' idea to split the centrepiece track "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" in two, and join each half with three new compositions. "Shine On" was a tribute to Barrett, who, coincidentally, made an impromptu visit to the studio while it was being recorded. The band initially failed to recognise Barrett, who had gained weight and changed in appearance.

 

As with their previous album, The Dark Side of the Moon, the band made use of studio effects and synthesisers. Roy Harper was a guest vocalist on "Have a Cigar". The album's packaging, again designed by Storm Thorgerson, featured an opaque black sleeve which hid the album artwork. Wish You Were Here was released in September 1975 to instant success; record company EMI was unable to print enough copies to satisfy demand. Although it initially received mixed reviews, the album has since been acclaimed by critics, and appears, in 2012, Wish You Were Here was voted 211th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Band members Richard Wright and David Gilmour have each declared Wish You Were Here their favourite Pink Floyd album.

 

Category:

Music

 

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Given that most of the Enviro 300s are in the new livery now, I don't know what the plan is for 27637 since it has Beachball under its poppy wrap. Here it is in Lincoln bus station with a 6 on 19.4.21

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Myanmar, previously known as Burma, what a surprisingly amazing place. We booked this holiday to get out of our comfort zone of easy beach holidays in the Maldives. There were several times when we wondered why we did it, travel in Myanmar consists mainly of long, sometimes tedious journeys on outdated transport systems. But now, in hindsight, we realise that this was the only way to truly get a feel of how the country and people are living day to day. And by far, more so than any other holiday we have had, the people are the most memorable thing we brought back with us. They are totally charming, polite, honest, resilient, hard working and most of all truly happy people. Their sincerely happy smiles, some of which we thankfully managed to capture in our photo's, are what we mostly remember and will stay with us forever.

 

We all know, or think we know, about the bad old days of the Burmese regime, so we obviously had a few reservations about what we were letting ourselves in for, but as it turned out, Myanmar must be the safest place we have ever been to. There is zero crime here, 85% of the country are buddhists and all the people seem to be true to Buddha's teachings of compassion, honesty, right mindedness, right living and non-harming to any living thing. Admittedly, although the country is now a democracy, the military still retains a certain amount of power, so I guess there is still an undercurrent going on albeit out of sight of the regular tourist. However, all the people we spoke to are so much happier now, they are more or less free to speak openly, without fear of reprisals and they all feel positive about the path the country is on now.

 

As for the landscape, what can I say, there is nowhere like it on earth! Outside the cities the whole country seems to be in some sort of 200 year old time warp. The people are mostly farmers on small plots of land using ox carts to plough the fields and living in houses made of bamboo, wood and matting. The wierdest thing is most of them have solar power, mainly for a bit of light and to charge their mobile phones! Everyone is on their phone here.....just like the rest of the world I guess. Also, there are temples, pagodas and stupas everywhere you look, especially in Bagan, which is like the Mecca of Myanmar. We were there for the Full Moon Festival where thousands of Burmese monks and Myanmar people gather from all over the country to celebrate for three days at the Ananda Pagoda in Bagan. After possibly days travelling they stay awake for most of the three days and nights watching entertainment which includes dance, theatre, chants, recitations and singing as well as stand up comedy. Amazing belief.

 

A word about One Stop Travel & Tours the Myanmar company we booked with. We found them via recommendations on Tripadvisor and so glad we used them. They never asked for a deposit, they booked all our hotels, train & boat journeys, balloon ride and one internal flight all on an email handshake! We just paid them in US Dollars on arrival, saving us thousands on UK travel brochure rates, and they never let us down once. The guides were all good guys and always there to greet us at the various destinations on our tour/trek, sometimes waiting hours when the transport was late. A special thanks to Leo our Yangon guide and Eaint at the One Stop office. After leaving our Nikon Coolpix A camera charger at home we trawled the shops of Yangon eventually finding a replacement.......only to leave it plugged in the wall at our next hotel in Mandalay! We were now a ten hour boat journey away in Bagan, but a call to Eaint at the One Stop office and they got it to us two days later just before we moved on! A huge thank you to all at One Stop as this holiday produced without doubt our most amazing photographs ever!

 

Myanmar has been open to mainstream tourism for five years now, a lot of the people speak English now so it is relatively easy to holiday there. We are so glad we went there before it really changes, there is still a huge amount of charm and old worldliness about the place that you will not find in any other country. If you are prepared to switch off from the 21st century and just accept it for what it is you will be richly rewarded with amazing memories of a landscape like no other and a fascinating people who are genuinely happy to see you.

 

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To view the rest of my Photography Collection click on Link below:

www.flickr.com/photos/nevillewootton/albums

 

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Photography & Equipment sponsored by my web business:

www.inlinefilters.co.uk

 

We are UK's leading Filter Specialists, selling online to the Plant, Agricultural, Commercial Vehicle and Marine Industries.

 

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PLEASE NOTE: I take Photographs purely as a hobby these days so am happy to share them with anyone who enjoys them or has a use for them. If you do use them an accreditation would be nice and if you benefit from them financially a donation to www.sightsavers.org would be really nice.

 

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Colossal Statue of the God Min

 

Holding his erect phallus in his left hand, with a socket in the right fist for attaching a flail. The sash down the right leg is carved with symbols, including two plumes on poles (emblems of Min), plant fronds or sawfish saws, two Lambis shells, a harpoon and a hyena. The oval depressions on the body were probably produced by grinding to obtain limestone dust for its supposed magical properties.

 

The temple of Minm Koptos

Late Predynastic Period, about 3300 BC

 

Given by Flinders Petrie and H. Martyn Kennard.

AN1894.105e

 

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Bibliography

 

W.M. Flinders Petrie, "Koptos" (London: Bernard Quaritch, 1896)

 

Pg. 7-9

"12. Turning now to another subject, we find an entirely different style or styles of stone-carving, quite apart from anything known in Egyptian work. The forming of these figures is entirely done by hammer-work, without any trace of chiselling or of metal tools. And in style they stand outside of any line of development to or from the Egyptian statuary. Two classes of these figures are known at Koptos — a class of animals, comprising a bird (V, 6) and three lions (V, 5) (Oxford), and a class comprising parts of three colossi of the local god Min...

 

13. But it is a different case with the figures of Min (at Ghizeh Museum and O.xford). The style of these differs much from the New Race sculptures. It is far better and more anatomical, and the animals figured on them in surface-reliefs are more correct and spirited than any carvings known of the New Race. The positions in which these figures were found unfortunately shew nothing, except that they are earlier than the Ptolemaic times, as they lay beneath the thick sand bed of the Ptolemaic temple. How much earlier we cannot prove, but only infer.

 

"The rudest of the three figures is broken off at the knees and the chest, only the legs and waist remaining. This fragment is 69 inches long, and implies a statue 13 feet high, which would weigh nearly two tons. The type is the same in all of these figures. The legs are parallel and joined together, with merely a groove down between them, on front and back. The knees are very roughly indicated. The arms are rudely formed, about half projecting from the surface of the figure. The left hand is in the usual attitude of Min ; the right hand is not raised with a whip, as in the figures of historic times, but hangs down the side ; the fingers are clenched, and a hole is drilled through the hand, as if for hanging something to it. Down the right thigh hangs a flap of some material in low relief ; this is seen to depend from the girdle. There is no other clothing or dress indicated, and this flap may represent a pouch or bag, especially as it bears figures

on it, which may imitate embroidery. On the rudest statue (III, I ; IV, l) these figures are : a stag's head, mouth down, with four tines on each horn, and from the mouth a long projection, which appears as if it were a stake, on which the head is spitted through the mouth ; below the stag's head are two pteroceras shells, upright, each with mouth to the right. The work is remarkably natural, and as artistic and exact as could be expected, working in such a rough manner. The whole of the figure is hammer-dressed ; and the objects upon the flap are indicated by hammering the outline as a slight hollow around the figures.

 

"The next of the three figures remains from the arm-pits to the knees. This portion is rather longer than the first one, being 77 inches long, but the original height was about the same, 13 feet. The attitude is precisely the same. The girdle is clearly shewn here, and consists of eight turns of material around the stomach. A girdle similarly composed of a large number of strips of leather, is now worn by the men in this region, not only by the desert-dwellers, the Ababdeh, but also

generally among the fellahin. The knees are better indicated, and the whole shews more desire for finish. But the surface-sculptures on the flap (III, 2 ; IV, 2) are less precisely natural and explicit, more conventional, and just what might be expected as a later development. The subjects are — two tall poles with a similar emblem on the top of each, two saws of

saw-fish of the Red Sea, and two pteroceras shells [Pg. 8] below. The emblem on the pole is manifestly an archaic form of the regular hieroglyph for the god Min, with the addition of a feather on the top. This form with the feather is only known on Egyptian work in one case, a coffin of the Vlth dynasty in the Ghizeh Museum. The feather also occurs above a Min sign, which is set on the top of a tall pole (rather more conventional than this, and nearer to the hieroglyphic form), carved on one of the mysterious slate slabs with archaic figures and hieroglyphs found at Abydos (see Louvre).

 

"The third and apparently latest figure is broken at the ancles and fork, only leaving the legs, which are 66 inches long. The work is more finished, the line dividing the legs is deeper, the knee-marking is more elaborated, and there is a fine tense curve in the thighs, though no anatomical distinctions of muscles are shewn. The attitude and arrangement appear to have been like the other statues. The surface-carvings, however, are more numerous ; but they are less carefully natural, and more conventional (III, 3 ; IV, 3). In place of the saw of the saw-fish being scrupulously hammered in outline, it is merely scored with incised lines cut by a flint. The whole group consists of the two poles, with Min emblems and feathers ; an additional pole with knobs on it between them ; the two saws of saw-fish ; an ostrich below one pole ; the two ptcroccras shells, mouths to right ; the forepart of an elephant, with its feet resting on conical hills ; a flying bird (?) ; and below all, a hyaena chasing a young bull, the feet of both being on conical mounds. The style of the animals is spirited, and shews a good idea of form and expression, though disproportionate and archaic. Beside these, the head of the last one was found

(V, 10). It is a rounded lump, without any face, the front being flattened, apparently to have a carved face attached — perhaps of wood. Down the sides is shewn the ribbing for whiskers, but no other hair is indicated ; the ears are large and prominent.

 

"14. The question now arises as to the date and origin of these figures of the great god of that region. Of parallels to the type of the Min emblem we have already noted two, one of the Vlth dynasty, the other on the slates of unknown age. These slates with relief figures shew many traces of being of prehistoric times, especially the very pictorial and unconventional hieroglyphs, on a piece from Abydos at the Ghizeh Museum. Another instance of this Min sign occurs, on a pole exactly similar with feather and side pendants, as the ensign of galleys on painted pottery from Nagada. This pottery is found in graves of the New Race, who are now believed to be Libyans. But this ware, as well as some other varieties, appears to have been imported and not made by the invaders. The whole case will be seen argued in the description of it ; suffice to

say here, that the conclusion is that it was probably made on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, by a people with whom the Libyans traded, but certainly not by the Libyan invaders of Egypt them-selves. Thus, of the three instances of such an arrangement of the Min emblem, one is of the Vlth, one of the VI Ith-VI I Ith dynasties, and one apparently before the IVth dynasty. As in all later Egyptian representation the Min hieroglyph became more and more formal, and farther from any resemblance to its earlier type, it does not seem likely that any sudden reversion to an unconventional original would be likely to arise after that was apparently quite forgotten. The mode of working also shews an ignorance of metal tools, and a dependence upon hammering and bruising the stone, which would be very unlikely to be the case after metals were in familiar use in that part of the world. There is, then, a presumption for a prehistoric date for these sculptures.

 

"It may be needful to clear away any supposition that these figures belong to the New Race, whose rude hammer-dressed animal carvings were also found in the temple. The style and subjects of the work preclude our supposing any such connection. No figure of Min is found in all the New Race remains ; nor is there among those any instance of the pteroceras shell, the saw-fish, the hyaena, or the ox with crescent horns. On the other hand, among the several objects on the Min figures there are none of the sacred animals of the New Race, the couchant lion, the hawk, the dog, or the goat. The styles of work are also very difterent. The best of the New Race figures has none of the spirit and fidelity shewn in the Min carvings ; and in no instance are the feet of animals figured as upon hillocks. While on the Min figures there is no trace of the cross-line hatching which was regularly used by the New Race to cover the bodies of animals. In short both in subjects and in style there is no resemblance between the New Race carvings and the Min statues.

 

"15. Whence, then, came the workers of the Min statues? The objects shewn are all African. The elephant and the ostrich are common to North Africa ; for the former, compare the Carthaginian elephants [Pg. 9] of Hannibal. But the saw-fish and the ptcroceras shell imply a people from the sea ; and that the Red Sea, rather than the Mediterranean. And, moreover, there is no trace of anything characteristic of the Nile ; no crocodile or lotus, as on the primitive pottery, no hippopotamus, no hawk. We are led then to look to the Red Sea, and to suppose that the people from thence had formed their religious ideas and emblems before they entered Egypt. That they resided a long time at Koptos is shewn by the three Min statues varying in style of art and details. Such differences of work in a very early stage imply a considerable difference in time. And the presence of three such colossi, so large that any one would be a notable centre for worship, makes it unlikely that all were used at once ; they rather seem to have been each substituted in succession, as the earlier ones became injured.

 

"We are led then to suppose that the statues were wrought by a people ignorant of metals ; who resided for several generations at Koptos ; who came from the Red Sea as strangers to the Nile, but who had the same worship as the people of Koptos, without borrowing from the Nile ; whose Min emblem was in a more primitive and pictorial form than any known in Egyptian carvings, though like some of the earliest examples ; and who had real artistic taste and feeling which was steadily developing. These characteristics will, so far as we can at present imagine, only agree in one race, that supposed people from Punt, whom by portraiture and other considerations I have already stated to be probably the founders of the dynastic Egyptian race, the last immigrants who came in before the historic period. If so, a considerable time must have passed for them to adopt Egyptian emblems, as the crocodile, lotus, and hunting dog, upon the primitive pottery ; and for the further development of modelling, up to the highest pottery level, which is equal to the fine archaic stone carving of the IIIrd and IVth dynasty. If we suppose some centuries to have elapsed between the earliest Min statue and the finest pottery modelling, it would not be improbable.

 

"16. The nature of the Min emblem we have not yet noted, as it does not bear directly on the age. In historic times we find it a ball between two wedges, in earlier times it was more like a bolt with two rings or shanks on either side of a central ball, on the slate carving it is thicker in proportion, on the boat and ostrich pottery — which is probably Mediterranean — it is like the form on the Min figures, though roughly painted. As it is represented as being on the top of a tall pole, it cannot be a heavy object ; and the form is most like the early mode of shewing a garland upon statues. It seems then most likely that it was a garland of flowers and a feather, on the top of a tall pole, round which hung saws of saw-fish and pteroceras shells : in fact, much such a derwish pole as the southern tribes carry about at the present day. The questions of how the same emblem comes to be connected with a people from the Red Sea, and again with a sea-going people in the Mediterranean (on the pottery), we shall discuss when dealing with the New-Race in the volume on Naqada."

 

PLs. III & IV

Slimbridge War Memorial

 

The memorial was dedicated in May 1921. An account of the dedication was published in the Gloucester Citizen of 25 May 1921, p. 2. The version in the British Newspaper Archive has been digitised from microfilm, so is quite difficult to decipher (although the general meaning is clear).

 

Slimbridge.

WAR MEMORIAL DEDICATION.

In the presence of a very large gathering of parishioners and visitors, the memorial [erected?] in Slimbridge Parish Churchyard by [its?] parishioners, in memory of the 22 [?] men from the parish who fell in the war was dedicated on Sunday evening. The ex-Service men of the parish, headed by the Halmore Brass Band walked in procession to the church, where a short service was held, which was conducted by the Rev. A. S. Crawley, M.C., Diocesan Organising Secretary to the C.E.M.S. [the Church of England Men’s Society]. A procession was formed, headed by the choir, [illegible] the singing of the hymn, “O God, our help in ages past,” this proceeded to the [memorial?]. The memorial was unveiled by Mrs. [illegible] mother of one of the fallen men, and the [Rev.?] A. S. Crawley formally dedicated it. An appropriate address was given by the Rev. A. S. Crawley, and the impressive service was [illegible] with “Last Post.” A muffled peal was afterwards rung on the bells. Many [illegible] wreaths were placed on the memorial by [relatives?] of the fallen soldiers. The Rector of Slimbridge (the Rev. J. O. H. Carter) who [lost a?] son in the war was unable to attend [due to?] illness.

 

The Rev. Arthur Stafford Crawley (1876-1948) was the son of George Baden and Inez Crawley, and was educated at Harrow and Magdalen College, Oxford. He afterwards went to Cuddesdon and was ordained, serving in London parishes before moving to Benenden, Kent. In 1903, he married Anstice (Nancy) Gibbs, one of the children of Antony and Janet Gibbs of Tyntesfield. In 1915, Stafford Crawley volunteered to become an Army Chaplain, and served with the Guards Division on the Western Front and in Italy, being awarded the MC in 1916 for rescuing wounded soldiers while under fire. After the war he worked for the Church of England Men’s Society, then as vicar at East Meon, before taking up mainly administrative posts in York, Canterbury and St. Albans. He was appointed a canon of St George’s Chapel, Windsor in 1934, becoming a chaplain-in-ordinary to the King (George VI) in 1944. See: apps.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/lists/GB-0260-M.126.htm

 

The Panels (reading anticlockwise from front of memorial)

 

Panel 1:

 

In loving memory of the men from this parish who gave their lives for their country in the Great War, 1914-1918

 

Panel 2:

 

Albert C Brading -- Private Albert Brading (Service No: 8183), 1st Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment; died 16 September 1914; name recorded on the La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial, Seine-et-Marne, France; [the Cheltenham Chronicle, 31 October 1914, p. 3, under “Berkeley Vale Gleanings”: “News has reached Halmore of the death of Private Albert Brading of the 1st Gloucesters, son of Mr. George Brading, of Halmore, who was killed in action in France. He was an Army Reservist, and had been married about a year. He resided at Slimbridge, and was in the employ of Mr. John Burnett, of Old Hurst Farm. A memorial service was held in the Slimbridge Parish Church, and was largely attended.” The Cheltenham Chronicle, 29 May 1915, p. 2, also reported on the death of his brother: “Two brothers from Rendcomb, near Cirencester, have lost their lives in the war. Private Albert Brading of the 1st Gloucesters, was killed in action at the battle of the Aisne on Sept. 16, and Corporal Henry Brading, of the 2nd Gloucesters, was killed in action on May 9 while helping a wounded comrade. They were brothers of Mrs. Taylor, of 34 Rendcomb-buildings, Rendcomb.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/877826/BRADING,%20ALBERT

 

Richard Brindle -- Private R. W. C. Brindle (Service No: 34657), 2nd Bn., Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry; died 1 October 1918; buried in Anneux British Cemetery, Nord, France (III. D. 12.): www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/187753/BRINDLE,%20R%2...

 

Walter G Browning -- Serjeant Walter G. Browning (Service No: 8001), 1st/6th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment; died 9 October 1917, aged 33; name recorded on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen (Panel 72 to 75.); son of George and Elizabeth Browning, of Old Hurst, Slimbridge, Glos.; husband of Emma E. Browning, of Jasmine Cottage, Tilsdown, Dursley, Glos.; [Sergeant Browning was previously reported wounded in the Gloucester Journal, 24 June 1916; the Cheltenham Chronicle, 10 November 1917, p. 3, under Berkeley Vale Gleanings: “The local roll of honour is increased this week by the names of three more gallant soldiers, all killed on the Western Front. News reached Cam on Saturday of the loss of Sergeant Walter Browning. He belonged to the Regular Army, and had seen service on two battle fronts.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/843432/BROWNING,%20WA...

 

William J. Burnett -- Flight Sub-Lieutenant William Josiah Burnett, No. 1 Sqdn., Royal Naval Air Service; died 26 September 1917, aged 26; name recorded on the Arras Flying Services Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France; son of John Francis Burnett, of Hampton House, Hardwicke, Gloucester; [From the Cheltenham Chronicle, 20 October 1917, p. 3, under Berkley Vale Gleanings: “The sacrifices in this war are not confined to one class; all classes are sharing in the sorrow which is resulting from the fighting. So far as our local Roll of Honour is concerned, it has grown rapidly during the past six months, and it is a melancholy task recording week after week some of the bravest and best of our young manhood. I mentioned last week that Flight Sub-Lieutenant W. J. Burnett, of the R.N.A.S., son of Mr. John Burnett , of Hurst Farm, Slimbridge, one of the best known farmers in the Vale, had been reported missing, and news has since come to hand which leaves no doubt that he has laid down his life for his country. He is another of the many Wycliffe College “old boys” who have died during the war, and will be remembered by many Stroud people as a former employee at Dudbridge Iron Works. “Willy” Burnett was a nice young fellow, and he will be mourned by many friends. “; the Gloucester Journal, 22 December 1917, p. 6: “KILLED OVER GERMAN LINES. Mr J. F. Bennett [sic], of Slimbridge, has received information from a German source to the effect that his son, Lieut. W. J. Bennett [sic], was killed whilst flying over the German lines. Some months ago he was reported missing. Deceased was a Wycliffe College boy, and prior to the war was engaged at Dudbridge Iron Works.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/743086/BURNETT,%20WIL...

 

Bernard R. H. Carter -- Second Lieutenant Bernard Robert Hadow Carter, Royal Flying Corps; died 7 November 1917, aged 19; buried in Slimbridge (St John the Evangelist) Churchyard; Son of the Rev. J. H. Carter and Mrs. Beatrice Helen Carter of Knowle Rd., Boscombe, Hants.; [a bellringer at Slimbridge; the Gloucester Journal, 24 November 1917, p. 6: “THE LATE SEC.-LIEUT. B. R. H. CARTER. Second-Lieutenant Bernard Robert Hadow Carter, R.F.C., third son of the Rev. J. O. H. and Mrs. Carter, of Slimbridge Rectory, Glos., who was killed on November 7th, was educated at Magdalen College School, where he was a chorister, and at St. Edward’s School, Oxford, where he was a Prefect, Captain of the Boats, and Sergeant in the O.T.C. He was also a very good swimmer. He attested while still at school, and at the earliest opportunity entered the Inns of Court O.T.C. From this he was transferred to the R.F.C. and had just earned his “wings.” Writing of his death the Captain of his squadron says: ‘He was engaged on special duty; having been selected as one of my best pilots to go on this special mission. It is of great grief to myself and to everyone in the squadron. Personally I had a very high opinion of your son, so much so that I had asked him to be posted to my squadron as an assistant instructor, and he had just been posted in that capacity.’”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/358543/CARTER,%20BERN...

 

Panel 3:

 

Percy C Cuff – Private Percy C. Cuff (Service No: 26302), 14th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment; died 22 October 1917, aged 21; name recorded on the Tyne Cot Memorial, West-Vlaanderen (Panel 72 to 75.); son of William and Fanny Cuff, of Whitney Cottages, Cambridge; [also a bellringer at Slimbridge; the Cheltenham Chronicle, 10 November 1917, p. 3, under Berkeley Vale Gleanings: “The local roll of honour is increased this week by the names of three more gallant soldiers, all killed on the Western Front. […] Private Percy Cuff, of Slimbridge, another of the fallen, had previously served in Mesopotamia. From there he was invalided home, and afterwards sent to France. His major speaks of him as “a splendid fellow, always willing and energetic.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/842028/CUFF,%20PERCY%20C

 

Charles Fryer – Private C. W. Fryer (Service No: 18922), "B" Coy., 10th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment ; died 4 April 1916, aged 26; buried in Maroc British Cemetery, Grenay, Pas-de-Calais, France (I. A. 21.); son of Edwin Henry and Elizabeth Ann Fryer; husband of Margaret Hill (formerly Fryer), of Slymbridge St., Cambridge, Stonehouse, Glos.; [there is another Charles Fryer (26921 Private Charles Christopher Fryer, 12th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment), from nearby Frampton on Severn; there seems to be no report of Private Fryer’s death, but there is this curious account of a serious family dispute in the Gloucester Citizen, 11 April 1910, p. 6, under “Petty Sessions”: “Charles Fryer, a young man of Slimbridge, pleaded ‘guilty under great provocation’ to an assault upon his father-in-law, Edward Theyers. Complainant, answering the Clerk, said that he didn’t know that he was any relation to defendant, but “he married my daughter, that’s all!” (Laughter.) His account of the assault was that defendant came along on a bicycle, and, without any altercation, knocked him on the side of the head. The blow stunned him and he fell to the ground, injuring his arm. Some time ago they had “afew [sic] words” and complainant told Fryer he could leave his house – in which he lived with his wife. They left the same night. The row was over an accusation which defendant made concerning his conduct towards his (Fryer’s) wife. This complainant declared was untrue. He had not seen his daughter since she left the house two months ago – “nor don’t want to,” added Theyers. He had not spoken to Fryer since the night of the row until the assault. – Defendant questioned complainant as to his conduct towards his daughter, and Theyers denied the serious allegation made, or that his wife accused him in his (defendant’s) presence. Fryer told the magistrates that Theyers offered him a sovereign to settle the matter, but (indignantly added defendant) “if I dared I would tar and feather him for what he has done.” – P.C. White spoke to receiving a complaint from Fryer and his wife on February 14th concerning alleged indecent behaviour on the part of Theyers towards his daughter (defendant’s wife). – George Fryer also spoke on the same matter. – Defendant stated that he was married to complainant’s daughter in September of last year, and they lived comfortably at his father-in-law’s house at Cambridge until January last, when he had reason to complain of the conduct of Theyers towards his (Fryer’s) wife. Later he watched certain happenings through a window, and later his wife told him what had occurred on several occasions, and that she had been afraid to tell him before. He spoke to Theyers about it, and the latter ordered him to leave the house in a week. Witness said he would no stay there another night with him, and left at once. He promised complainant a thrashing, and considered he was justified in striking him. -- The Bench dismissed the case under the Probation of Offenders’ Act, but told defendant he must not take advantage of the lenient treatment to commit a further assault. Fryer said he would not strike him again.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/523057/FRYER,%20C%20W

 

Frederick C Hobbs – Private F. C. Hobbs (Service No: 57806), 2nd/7th Bn., Royal Warwickshire Regiment; died 9 August 1918, aged 18; buried in Aire Communal Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France (IV. A. 9.); additional Information:Son of Caleb and Susannah Hobbs, of Cambridge, Stonehouse, Glos.; [the Gloucester Journal , 7 September 1918, p. 6: “Private F. C. Hobbs, of Slimbridge, attached to the Warwickshire Regiment, has been killed in action in France. He was only 18 years old. He joined up last December, and formerly was employed at Cam Mills. He died in hospital following severe wounds.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/467090/HOBBS,%20F%20C

 

Frederick Medcroft – Lance Corporal Frederick Medcroft (Service No: 355878), 25th (Montgomeryshire and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Bn., Royal Welsh Fusiliers; died 21 September 1918; name recorded on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial, Pas-de-Calais, France (Panel 6.): www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1746695/MEDCROFT,%20F...

 

Edward S Morgan – Lieutenant E. S. Morgan, Royal Air Force, 211th Sqdn.; died 7 September 1918; buried in Dunkirk Town Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France (IV. C. 16.); [At the time of the 1911 Census, Edward Stanley Morgan was living at Churchend, Slimbridge with his widowed mother (Elizabeth Florence Morgan), three siblings, an aunt and a servant. The census describes him as an 18-year old auctioneer, and he had been born at Hambrook, Gloucestershire. Lieutenant Edward Stanley Morgan of 211 Squadron, Royal Air Force died on 7 September 1918 flying a D.H.9 with Lieut. R. Simpson as 2nd Observer on a bombing raid, being shot down and crashing into the sea north of Gravelines. Morgan’s part in a previous raid had resulted in the award of a Distinguished Flying Cross: Supplement to the London Gazette, 2nd November 1918, p. 12970; Flight, 7th November 1918, p. 1250: “Lieut. Edward Stanley Morgan. -- On August 16th this officer took part in a bomb raid on enemy docks--a well-guarded objective. The weather conditions were most unfavourable. A strong wind compelled the machines to move slowly, and high white clouds made them an easy target for anti-aircraft fire. On nearing the objective the flight leader was shot down and Lieut. Morgan assumed command. He was met by an intense barrage. A second machine was seen to fall, and the pilot of a third was severely wounded, but Lieut. Morgan, persisting in his attack, reached and successfully bombed the objective. The cool determination and gallantry displayed by this officer deserves high praise.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/617341/MORGAN,%20E%20S

 

Arthur Noad – Private A. Noad (Service No: 16052), 10th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment; died 13 October 1915, aged 22; buried in Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos, Pas-de-Calais, France ; [a bellringer at Slimbridge; Arthur Noad’s enlistment in “Lord Kitchener’s Army” on 21st November 1914 was recorded in the Gloucester Journal, 28 November 1914, p. 6, listing his residence as Gossington, near Stonehouse.]:

  

Panel 4:

 

Samuel Redding -- Private Samuel Redding, Labour Corps

 

Joseph Robins – Corporal Joseph Robins (Service No: RMA/4190), R.M.H.Q. (Eastney), Royal Marine Artillery; died 31 January 1915, aged 41; buried in Slimbridge (St. John the Evangelist) Churchyard, Gloucestershire (new Ground); husband of Eliza Catherine Robins, of Cambridge, Gloucester: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/358544/ROBINS,%20JOSEPH

 

Charles J Savage -- Lance Corporal Charles John Savage, 14th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment

 

Frederick Simmons -- Corporal Frederick Mahone Simmons, 2nd Bn., Royal Berkshire Regiment

 

William Smart -- Driver William Smart, Army Service Corps

 

Frederick Tudor -- Private Frederick Henry Tudor, 7th Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment

 

Panel 5:

 

Alfred M Underwood -- Private Alfred M. S. Underwood (Service No: 6641), 1st Bn., Gloucestershire Regiment; died 23 October 1914, aged 30; name recorded on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen (Panel 22 and 34.); son of the late John Underwood, of Westend, Stonehouse; husband of Mary Louisa Underwood, of Cossington, Slimbridge, Stonehouse, Glos.: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1627280/UNDERWOOD,%20...

 

George E P Watts -- Private George Edward Watts, Army Veterinary Corps

 

Frederick A Wherrett – Private F. A. Wherrett (Service No: 40200), Worcestershire Regiment; died 20 June 1917, aged 22; buried in Slimbridge (St. John the Evangelist) Churchyard, Gloucestershire (new Ground); [The Cheltenham Chronicle, 30 June 1917, p. 3, under “Berkeley Vale Gleanings”: “The toll of the brave continues. Scarcely a day passes without the sad news, “Killed in action,” being recorded. Here in the Vale, as elsewhere throughout the land, there is a heavy toll being exacted of the best of our young manhood, and citizens generally will have a sympathetic thought for those who mourn husband, or son, or brother. […] Private Joseph Wherrett [sic?], son of the late Mr. Joseph Wherrett, of Hope House Farm, Slimbridge, died in a London hospital from wounds received in action in the Somme last November. In civil life he was a popular young farmer in the Vale, and a host of friends lament his death. The remains were brought to his native village on Saturday, and buried with full military honours. The family mourners included a brother who is at home receiving treatment for wounds received in action on the Somme.”]: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/358545/WHERRETT,%20F%20A

 

Joseph Wherrett -- Private Joseph Wherrett, Royal Defence Corps; died 6 June 1920

 

James Williams

 

George Shipway -- Lance Corporal George Shipway, Labour Corps

 

Panel 6:

 

True love by life, True love by death is tried; Live thou for England, We for England died

 

Panel 7:

 

William D Porter

 

Henry J Granger

 

Ronald Brown

 

Arthur Wall

 

William J Workman

 

1939-1945

 

Panel 8: [Quotation from John 15:13]

 

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends

 

The 'Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot'

 

Memorial and graves of resistance heroes and martyrs - brave Jews, brave Christians, dissidents, anti-fascists, socialists, rebels, samizdat journalists and organisers - those who dared to question and fight oppression, and the evil Powers That Be.

 

Here you see the faces of my brothers, my own dear family, my partners in fighting sheer political evil - resting in their graves here, in perhaps the most poignant place in all of Brussels, Belgium. Here lie those in Belgium who were shot fighting the Nazis of the 1940s - as I myself have nearly been killed fighting the more recent fascists, some of the 'new Nazis' of the 21st century.

 

Shortly after I arrived in Brussels as a political refugee from the US, under threat of murder by far-right political figures, this is one of the first places I visited. I came here to weep some tears amid the companionship of my anti-fascist comrades, who also looked death in the eye as they tried to speak and act for what is right.

 

The camera used here, and the chance to make these photos, are gifts of the brave dissident US Jewish physician, Dr Moshe 'Moss' David Posner, who risked and gambled his own life, to support me and help keep me alive in the face of threats by neo-Nazi assassins.

 

These are photos from the daily life of writer and political refugee from the US, Dr Les (Leslie) Sachs - photos documenting my new beloved home city of Brussels, Belgium, my life among the people and Kingdom who have given me safety in the face of the threats to destroy me. Brussels has a noble history of providing a safe haven to other dissident refugee writers, such as Victor Hugo, Karl Marx, Charles Baudelaire, and Alexandre Dumas, and I shall forever be grateful that Brussels and Belgium have helped to protect my own life as well.

 

(To read about the efforts to silence me and my journalism, the attacks on me, the smears and the threats, see the website by European journalists "About Les Sachs" linked in my Flickr profile, and press articles such as "Two EU Writers Under Threat of Murder: Roberto Saviano and Dr Les Sachs".)

 

This extremely moving memorial and gravesite, is known locally as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusillerden (Brussels is bi-lingual French- and Dutch-speaking, so place names are given in both languages here.) - In English, the name is perhaps best rendered as the "Park of Honour of Those Who Were Shot".

 

The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden includes many martyrs of the Belgian resistance of World War II, being both their gravesite and also the place where many of them were shot to death by a Nazi firing squad. - And it is also a memorial and the place of death, of other heroic figures who were shot to death in the previous German occupation of Belgium during World War I. One heroine from the First World War who was shot by the Germans and is now commemorated here, is the famous British nurse Edith Cavell.

 

The reason that this was a convenient place of execution by firing squad, is that it was originally part of a Belgian military training area and rifle range that existed here once upon a time, and you still see here the tall hillside that served as an earthen 'backstop' to safely absorb high-powered rifle bullets. The hillside was thus ready-made for the German commandants who occupied Brussels in both wars, to carry out their firing-squad executions.

 

Nowadays, the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden appears quite 'central' in urban Brussels, as it lies in the Schaerbeek - Schaarbeek commune, directly in the path from the EU institution area toward the roads that lead to the airport, and very near to the 90-metre high VRT-RTBF communications tower that has long been a major Brussels landmark.

 

The Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden is walking distance from the eastern Brussels 'prémétro', which is a grouping of tram lines that run underground for several stops on both the eastern and western sides of the Brussels city centre, supplementing the regular métro underground system with a similarly high frequency of service and also underground. If you continue along the prémétro lines south from the Diamant stop which is near the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you shortly arrive at the elaborate 19th-century military barracks buildings which once housed the soldiers who used the rifle range and parade grounds, which later become the place of martyrdom for members of the anti-Nazi resistance.

 

This is a place of great emotion for me personally, because the resistance martyrs who lie in these graves - a number of them socialists, journalists and with Jewish-heritage, critics of corruption just like myself - are my comrades in my own ordeal. I barely escaped alive out of the USA, nearly murdered by neo-Nazi-linked thugs, who themselves spoke favourably of Hitler as they moved toward killing me, as well as trying to ban my ability to write and speak.

 

It is sad that this place, Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is very little visited nowadays. Most of the time when I come here to contemplate and shed a few tears amid my comrades, and also to gain strength from their brave spirits, I am alone. Many of the family members and children of those who died or are buried here, have now themselves often passed away.

 

But on occasion there are people visiting, and on one day I was privileged to meet the daughter of one of the resistance martyrs who is buried here. She spoke to me of being a little girl, and seeing the Nazis arrest her father inside their home. She spoke about how they tied his hands behind his back, and yet how bravely he looked at her one last time. - She never saw her father alive again, and she is now in her seventies. - But when she spoke of her father, her voice grew energised and strong. She said she remembered the day of her father's arrest like if it was yesterday. And as she spoke, I could feel it and almost see it, as if I had been there myself.

 

The heroes in these graves are quite alive for me still. I am a religious man, a person of faith, and I believe in the life hereafter. - Many people have been afraid to help me, abandoning me to be murdered by the powerful forces of the American government - people too frightened to dare oppose the deadly US power of global assassination, the vicious US global media slandering of a dissident's reputation - Yet when I walk here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, I feel myself amid a powerful throng of comrades, among brave people who understand me, people who know what it is like to be menaced with murder and to look death straight in the eye. - I feel the spirits in these graves support me and sustain me, that they welcome me as one among themselves.

 

It is my privilege now to honour these brave companions of mine, giving their memory some further renown and support. And I have wanted very much to do so, as the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden still is in need of expanded documentation on the Web, before some of what can be seen here fades away much further.

 

One of the most powerful aspects of visiting this tree-lined and grassy cemetery and memorial, is that you see on a number of the grave markers, not only names and comments from loved ones, but in some cases actual pictures of these brave people, pictures rendered into sepia-type photos on porcelain. Though efforts were made to make these photographs permanent, the elements and the years and decades have taken their toll. Many of the pictures are now faded, or cracked, or broken, or fallen on the ground from their mountings. In one case I held a cracked porcelain image together with one hand, while taking the photo with the other hand. The years are passing, and I have wanted to document the faces of these brave heroes before they disappear, before time takes a greater toll on this place of sacred honour.

 

You look into the eyes of these brave people, and you see and feel the spirit of true bravery, of genuine resistance of oppression, resistance to the point of death, their hope that sacrificing one's own life in the fight, will yet do some good for others in the world. Look into their eyes, and you see their faces, faces of real people, quite like anyone in some ways, but in other ways very special, with a light in them that carries far beyond their own death - people who yet had the fire of faith in that Greater than mere earthly existence.

 

In this hillside that you see in the photos - the hillside in front of which many of these heroes stood in the moment as they were shot to death - in that hillside is a large memorial marker to the heroes of World War I who died here. On that marker it says:

 

Ici tomberent

sous les balles allemandes

35 héros victimes de leur

attachement à la patrie

 

Hier vielen

onder de duitse kogels

35 helden ten offer

aan hun liefde voor het vaderland

 

Here fell 35 heroes

who offered their lives

for their country

shot by the Germans

 

You'll notice that the 4th name down on the marker is that of Edith Louisa Cavell (1865-1915), with just her initial and last name and the date of her death here, on 12 October 1915:

 

Cavell E. 12-10-1915

 

The banners that you see here, in the colours of red, yellow, and black, are in the three colours of the national flag of Belgium

 

There are 17 rows of graves here at the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, 12 on the upper level closer to the hillside, and then five on the lower level below. Between the upper and lower levels is an obelisk serving as a kind of centre for the memorial as a whole. On the obelisk it says, on one side in Dutch, on the other side in French:

 

Opgericht door de Verbroedering van de Vriendenkringen der Nazikampenen Gevangenissen

XXVe Verjaring

April 1970

 

Erigé par le Fraternelle des Amicales de Camps et Prisons Nazis

XXVe Anniversaire

April 1970

 

In English this would be:

Constructed by the Association of Friends of Those in the Nazi Camps and Prisons

25th Anniversary

April 1970

 

Around this obelisk lay some faded but still visibly grand wreaths, placed here by the highest figures of Belgian public life. One great wreath at the centre, placed here by the King of the Belgians, Albert II, and his wife Paola, whose royal household has very quietly but effectively supplied some of the protection for me in Belgium, that has so far prevented me from being murdered here by foreign powers. - You see the ribbon say simply 'Albert - Paola'.

 

And another large wreath has a ribbon saying 'la Gouvernement - de Regering', from the government of Belgium.

 

Though many of the resistance martyrs buried here, were shot by firing squad right on this spot, a number of these martyrs died in other places, most especially in the Belgian concentration camp at Breendonk (Breendonck), which due to its stone structure is one of the best-preserved Nazi concentration camps. Breendonk can be visited today, about 40 kilometres north of Brussels in the direction of Antwerp, very near the Willebroek train station.

 

Among the graves here, a number are of heroes of the anti-Nazi resistance whose names are unknown: 'Inconnu - Onbekend' say the grave markers in French and in Dutch. In one row, there are six unknowns side-by-side; and then the entire final last row of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, is all the resting place of unknown heroes, 21 altogether.

 

In any struggle against oppressive government, there are often unknown heroes. - And as I myself am a victim of brutal deceptive media smear campaigns, as well as the US regime ordering search engines to suppress my own websites, I can testify as to how hard the evil powers work, to try to see that those who fight the system, remain unknown, or else smeared and slandered with propaganda and lies.

 

There are perhaps yet other heroes of the World War II resistance, whose anonymous graves somewhere, may yet one day be found. One of the photos here is of a maintenance area by the side, where fresh grave markers are ready, some with crosses, some with a star of David, awaiting use for some other hero whose remains are yet to be discovered.

 

In addition to the photographs on the grave markers, which speak for themselves, a number of the graves are also marked with heartfelt statements by those who loved and honoured them. Most are in French, and with photos where there are such engraved statements, there are transcriptions of what you find, along with a translation.

 

Many of these resistance martyrs to the Nazis who lie here, are of course Jewish. The majority are Christians of Belgium, but a significant proportion of the heroes who lie here, are Jewish resistance martyrs of the Holocaust. And even more than one from the same family - the Livchitz brothers who lie here. Moreover, some of the Christians who are buried here, are of Jewish heritage as well - as I am myself, a unitarian Christian.

 

My own heritage on my mother's side is Jewish, and it was my commitment to honour the memory of relatives and other Jews who died in the Holocaust, that led to my being forced to become a political refugee from the United States. - Back when living in the US, I received a letter threatening the book-burning of the books of this Jewish-heritage writer, and I responded strongly. A few weeks later my freedom to speak and write was banned, and threats to extort and murder me were put in motion. This story has been told in other places (see link to press articles in my profile), but suffice it to say here, that it was my honouring the memory of murdered Jews, which led me to be a Jewish-heritage political refugee today in Brussels.

 

Though I am unitarian Christian by faith, the old Jewish sites of Brussels and Belgium strike deep chords within me, as I very much feel the spirit of the Jews who suffered and died under the kind of racist threats I have also suffered.

 

One of the things I am often-asked, as a Jewish-heritage political refugee, is why the Jewish groups and Jewish leaders, do not say or do more to defend me, against the threats to have me murdered, against the lies and hoaxes spread about me, against the blocking of my own journalism sites from the internet search engines. - For example, in my efforts to stay alive these last few years, I have received much more comfort and assistance and support from brave Muslims, than from the Jewish people who share my own heritage.

 

There are two main reasons for this kind of neglect of someone like myself by Jewish leaders. One is that I am not a political Zionist - I favour peace and justice for all the residents of the ancient holy lands of Palestine. - A second reason, is that there is a sad heritage among Jewish people, to stand by and do nothing while other Jews are attacked by the dominant power of the day. - It was that way in the old pogroms of Eastern Europe, it was that way under the Nazi-era exterminations, and it is that way today regarding the case of the United States. - Since it is the US regime which has been attacking me and forcing me to be a refugee here, Jewish 'leadership' simply does not want to confront the USA. Given that I am a non-Zionist, and a unitarian Christian in faith, well, that settles it as far as Jewish leaders are concerned, and they turn away and say nothing.

 

There are still some brave Jews, however, like one brave Orthodox Jewish physician in America, a friend who has helped me to be able to be here now, supplying these photographs of the Jewish and other martyrs of anti-Nazi resistance.

 

And the Jewish heritage is there in me, and I am glad I honoured the memory of the Holocaust dead, even though it led me into terrible sufferings at the hands of US political figures and the US regime.

 

There is a sense of profound spiritual achievement that I have, as I place on-line this historical record of the martyrs of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden. It is perhaps only by the grace of God that I was able to escape the US alive, from the clutches of the people menacing to illegally jail me and murder me in a US jail cell. - My now being able to honour the memory of my fellow anti-fascist figures in Belgium, who were shot dead by the Nazis of an earlier era, feels to me to be one of the important purposes, for which I was kept alive by divine hands.

 

To visit the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden, you can walk about 600 metres from the Diamant 'prémétro' or underground tram stop which includes tram lines 23, 24, and 25. If you wish to get even closer by bus, you can take buses number 12, 21, or 79 the two stops from Diamant to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg bus shelter sign. Alternatively, if you are in the EU area, you can take these same buses 12, 21 or 79 directly from the Schuman métro station by the EU's main Berlaymont building. Another route is that bus 80 from the Mérode metro station will also take you directly to the Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourg stop. A few tens of metres west of where the bus halts, along the rue Colonel Bourg - Kolonel Bourgstraat, you see the sign directing to the entrance of the Enclos des Fusillés - Ereperk der Gefusilleerden.

 

Farting around with the macro mode on my Lumix.

Processed with VSCOcam with k3 preset

given to me by cy, with kind permission to be published.

Center portion of the inscription on the breech of the south mortar at the USS Maine Mast Memorial. Two Spanish mortars, a flagstone plaza, and an American anchor with a memorial plaque make up the western part of the memorial. There is a great deal of confusion that's been printed about just what is here.

 

Some sources say the bronze mortars (they are mortars, not cannon per se) were captured in Cuba, while others say they were taken from Spanish warshipr or are American guns. Well, here's the documentary proof: They are both Spanish, and they were both at Cavite Arsenal in the Philippines.

 

There's widespread confusion about the anchor, too. The USS Maine carried two anchors -- and neither is at Arlington National Cemetery. One anchor was given to the United Spanish War Veterans, who melted it down and made insignia for its members. The other anchor is in City Park in Reading, Pennsylvania. Representative John H. Rothermel used political connections to obtain the anchor from the Washington Navy Yard, which had possession of it. The anchor was dedicated on August 1, 1914, by then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt in front of a crowd of about 13,000 people. If one looks carefully at photos of the USS Maine, it's blatantly obvious that the ship's anchors look nothing like the one at the memorial.

 

Just where the USS Maine Mast Memorial anchor comes from is unclear. That is was manufactured is clear. The plaque makes no claim that this anchor came from the USS Maine. Arlington National Cemetery (which cannot be relied on for accuracy) claims it came from the Boston Navy Yard. Whether it was manufactured for the memorial, or for some other purpose, is unclear.

 

---------------------

 

The USS Maine Mast Memorial is located on Sigsbee Drive in Arlington National Cemetery. The monument is due west of Arlington Memorial Amphitheater.

 

An insurrection began in Cuba in 1892 against Spanish coloniel rule. The Spanish response was brutal, involving prison camps in which hundreds of thousands of Cubans died. Anti-independence riots in Havana were fomented by Spanish Army officers in January, and the USS Maine sent there on a "goodwill tour" to help protect American lives and property. The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing about 266 of its 354 crew. The keel of the front third of the ship was obliterated. Its upper deck flew into the air, twisted upside down, and landed on the deck of the middle third. Amazingly, the rear third of the ship was almost completely intact, and most of the survivors (nearly all of them officers) were back there. The Maine settled into the bottom of the harbor, its upper decks just barely below the water at low tide.

 

In the month before war broke out, 166 bodies (or pieces of bodies) were found floating had been buried at Colon. Another 25 bodies were buried in Key West.

 

What caused the explosion is unclear, but the American press believed it was a naval mine laid by the Spanish. The U.S. went to war with Spain, liberting Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island. The war lasted just 10 weeks.

 

After the war, pressure built to "bring home the dead of the Maine". In December 1899, amid much pomp and press coverage, the 166 bodies in Havana were disinterred and brought by battleship to the United States. These bodies were buried in a field just north of other other Spanish-American War dead, just west of a gravel pit. (That gravel pit is the Memorial Amphitheater today.) President William McKinley, his Cabinet, and most Army and Navy leaders attended the funeral along with 25,000 citizens.

 

The first memorial to the Maine dead was constructed in the first six months of 1900. Near the field of the Maine dead a concrete base was poured. Two Spanish mortars — taken by Admiral George Dewey from Cavite Arsenal in Manila, The Philippines, at the end of the Spanish-American War — were placed on brick piers on either side of this base. In the center of the concrete pad was an anchor. The anchor was manufactured specifically for the site. The 2-short-ton (1.8-long-ton) anchor was hand-welded using rough iron to give it a unique look. A slightly worm-eaten wooden crossbar was inserted into the top of the anchor. The crossbar was painted black to protect it, and on the crossbar a brass tablet was riveted to the crossbar on which was written:

 

U. S. S. MAINE

Blown Up February Fifteenth, 1898.

Here Lie the Remains of One-Hundred Sixty-three Men of

'The Maine's' Crew Brought From Havana, Cuba.

Reinterred at Arlington, December Twenty-eight, 1899.

 

The Maine memorial mimicked a similar memorial of four captured guns erected previously that year in the Santiago campaign burial field. (These guns formed the basis for the Spanish-American War Memorial, erected in 1902.)

 

In 1910, Congress enacted legislation to raise the wreck of the Maine and recover the remaining 76 bodies. A cofferdam began to be built around the wreck on December 6, 1910, and the ship began to be revealed by May 1911. Partial remains of a number of bodies, many of them burned, were recovered. Most of the foreward third of the Maine was mangled metal and quietly dumped at sea (although some was too heavy to lift from the mud, and was destroyed by dynamite and left there). The middle third was cut away, and also dumped at sea. The rear third was refloated, and on March 16, 1912, it was towed two miles out to sea and sunk with full military honors and battleship gun salutes. On March 22, 1912, President William Howard Taft oversaw the burial of what were believed to be the remains of 67 sailors.

 

The legislation authorizing the raising of the USS Maine also authorized a memorial to be built at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

The memorial consists of the main mast of the USS Maine set upright into the center of a circular, stylized mausoleum shaped to look like a battleship gun turret. The structure is 90 feet (27 m) in diameter and 15 feet (4.6 m) high. The mast pierces the roof the memorial, and is sunk into the floor inside. The mausoleum is constructed of reinforced concrete, sheathed in tan granite on the outside and white marble on the interior. The names and ranks of those who died aboard the Maine are carved into the exterior of the mausoleum, organized into 23 panels. There are 11 slit windows with bronze grills in the wall of structure. The interior roof is a shallow dome, and the interior floor is lined with mosaic tile. The single entry to the mausoleum has two doors. The inner door is made of wood, and half the ship's bell (retrieved from the ocean floor in 1911) is attached to the outer side of this door. The outer door is a bronze gate decorated with metal rope and anchors. Ceremonial stone funeral urns stand on either side of the entryway. Above the door is carved the following: "Erected in memory of the officers and men who lost their lives in the destruction of the U.S.S. Maine, Habana, Cuba, February 15, 1898".

 

Sigsbee Drive encircles the memorial. On the east side of the memorial is a concrete pad on which the anchor manufactured in 1900 sits. Two bronze Spanish mortars, cast in the 1700s and captured during the Spanish-American War by Admiral George Dewey at Cavite Arsenal in the Philippines, flank the anchor. Originally, these mortars were placed atop brick piers with concrete caps. But when the anchor and mortars were incorporated into the new memorial, two granite balustrades were added along the roadway near the mortars.

 

My second stay at this hotel. Anxious for my third. As I left, I was given a paper explaining the 522 year history of the hotel. I scanned it and corrected most typos. Here it is:

 

522 years of the Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel

 

Martin Luther, the Christian reformist, was only three years old and America had not even been discovered by Christopher Columbus when the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" (black goat hotel) in Wiesbaden was founded in the year 1486. The hotel is the oldest business in the city of Wiesbaden.

 

1800 years ago the Romans had their settlement, Aquae Mattiacorum, in the quarter where the health springs are located, stretching along the Langgasse from the Kranzplatz to the Mauritiusplatz. The Langgasse and the Kirchgasse are ancient Roman roads and the historical Roman bath system is still concealed under the Kranzplatz. Nowadays the curators of monuments regret that a lot of modern buildings have been constructed over these elegant baths.

 

Roman gravestones and bricks were also discovered during construction work in the cellar of the Hotel Schwarzer Bock. Ruins of a Hypocaustum, a Roman floor heating system, were unearthed as well.

 

The Romans were wise enough to make use of the hot springs, but in the times that followed during the conflicts between the Alemannic and the Frankish tribes in the 3rd century A.D., much was destroyed and partly forgotten. The luxurious bathing customs of the Romans cannot be compared to those of the Middle Ages. Life in the Roman baths took place on an entirely different level, while over 1000 years later landlords prepared hot baths from the spring water for their guests in order to earn a small extra income.

 

In those days, all the tiny houses around the Kranzplatz were probably very similar to each other in their appearance: One storey high and half-timbered, with gables, a yard, livestock,and gardens. The figure 1486, the earliest date the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" is mentioned, is inscribed in the door of the bar in today's Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel. Wiesbaden's bathhouses however were mentioned already in the 14th century.

 

And how did the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" get its name?

 

We want to avoid being too scientific, since the ingenious vernacular of the common people is usually correct in such cases: The first proprietor of the bathhouse was the mayor Phillip zu Bock. Because he had black hair, his house was referred to as the "Schwarzer Bock". In 1486, the year of its founding, Wiesbaden had a population of 36 citizens.

 

It was customary at that time to name the houses after their owners. Only since 1450 the landlords used so-called inn-signs carrying the appropriate emblem. Thus the "Schwarzer Bock" had a sign hanging over the street showing the head of a black goat.

Other bathhouses had eagles, stags, swans, lions, and the like on their signboards. Otherwise little is known of the bathhouses in Wiesbaden in those days.

 

Chronological point of-reference: At this time the Turks besieged Vienna.

 

In the 16th century the small town of Wiesbaden suffered great damage by fires which also destroyed the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock". It is mentioned in historical documents that Hermann Burg rebuilt the house in 1578. Then the Thirty Years' War came; during that time imperial troops as well as Swedes, French, and Spaniards passed through Wiesbaden and the officers were accommodated in the bathhouses. The "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" was a special favourite for the billeting of soldiers. Plundering, murder and incendiarism were the order of the day.

 

At the end of the war there were no more than 51 citizens in the small town of Wiesbaden. It is hard to imagine the poverty in those days.

 

For a long time thereafter, the surviving inhabitants were unable to recover from the terrors of the war. The properties lay vacant, bathhouses were no longer required; who of the 51 people should be interested in bathing? And foreigners were no longer coming to visit anyway. Not until Count Johann restored the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" along with other houses. But it was not until the year 1662 that we learn of the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" being in operation once again: It had even been provided with two baths for the public.

 

Chronological point of reference: At this time the English were buying New Amsterdam from the Dutch and renaming it New York.

 

Ten years later Wiesbaden had once again to suffer, this time under the movements of the French troops of Louis XIV. Because of this, Count Johannes was constantly concerned about the welfare of his possessions. The town was fortified with trenches, towers, and gates. When he died in 1677 the worst ravages of the Thirty Years War had been set to rights, and the Hotel Schwarzer Bock is found in the list of bathhouses.

 

The Hotel Schwarzer Bock was redecorated in 1712 and in the same year it was enlarged by the acquisition of a pub named Rindsfuss (cattle foot), next door facing the Spiegelgasse. The "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" flourished and in 1736 got awarded for the designation "Bathhouse of the first order." The hot spring supplied water for 8 houses. This also meant that the proprietors had to reach an agreement in all questions of organisation. This was mainly attended by the landlord of the "Hotel Rose" and the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock", Johann Phillip Schramm. The 8 bath house owners who had the rights to use the water began in 1726 to elect two masters of the spring who were in charge of the supervision, repair and cleaning of the hot spring.

The spring water was not only used for supplying water to the baths, but was also very often sold off to Mainz, Frankfurt and other cities. The hot spring water (149°F/65°C) was filled into double walled barrels, sent off in the afternoon on wagons, and arrived the next morning at its destination at the right temperature.

 

Johann Phillip Schramm, the owner of the Hotel Schwarzer Bock installed a bath for horses to make his house profitable. This was an attraction for the small town.

Here it becomes necessary to mention that in 1730 Reverend Hellmund wanted to connect his paupers’ bath to the hot spring. The 8 bath house proprietors refused him, whereupon he lodged a bitter complaint, because the thermal spring was used for horses.

 

After Schramm had died in 1749 the Hotel Schwarzer Bock passed into the hands of the surgeon and hospital supervisor Johann Daniel Freinsheim. His widow continued running the bath house until 1779. As a result of the following division of the inheritance house and inventory were rated of the town councillor, and this list gives exactly information concerning the furnishings and facilities of the bathhouse.

 

At the same time elsewhere in the world: Czar Peter the Great was ruling Russia, the French Revolution, USA gained independence. Birth of Napoleon. Wiesbaden was now one of the most elegant tourist attractions of Europe.

 

In writing up their marriage contracts, ladies of Frankfurt reserved the rights to take the water at Wiesbaden once a year - without their husbands, of course.

 

The Freinsheims do not appear to have managed the house for a very long time, for it was taken over at the end of the century by the owner of the bathhouse Spiegel (mirror), Ferdinand Daniel Bergmann. He closed down the horse bath and expanded his property and procured additional income through the sale of colonial products, wine, and the profits of a company employing a horse drawn carriage.

 

Each bath house proprietor retained his individual economic resources. Not only that there was fowl fluttering around the large yard, there were also pigs, cows, and horses in the stables. Only gradually the custom of bathing became important. And for a long time there were complaints that the baths were not up to the standards of the time.

 

Proprietor Bergmann passed away in 1818, after having achieved a dignified level of prosperity. His widow continued to run the enterprise for further 4 years and then relinquished it to her son-in-Iaw Christian Bauer. In addition to the bathhouse, Bauer also maintained the post office and a wine tavern. Here we see that the sale of wine always played an important part, which is not surprising considering the proximity of the Rhine wine growing district. Following the advice of the government of Nassau he rebuilt the horse bath with room for 2 horses.

At the same time elsewhere in the world: At this time the emperor Napoleon was

conducting wars in an attempt to gain power over Europe.

 

In 1834 the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" was sold to the Rudolphs, a married couple, who passed the bath house to their daughters in 1860/61. In the meantime the house had grown to 47 rooms and was capable of providing 50 baths daily. The guests in the bathhouse were supplied only with lodging and baths. They were responsible for their own victuals and had to cook their meals on the stoves in their rooms.

 

At the same time elsewhere in the world: Japan decided to open itself to the west, the term socialism appeared for the first time. In 1840 the first railway connected Frankfurt and Wiesbaden.

 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was one of the most famous guests in the "Schwarzer Bock Hotel" who composed the following lines: "The primary duty of every bather - is not to sit and think but rather - to bend to a higher purpose his wit/and make a merry life of it". The popular writer Dostojewski wrote his novel 'The gambler"- the casino is right around the corner.

 

In 1865 the ownership of the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" was transferred to the merchant Theodor August Schäfer, who had presumably married one of Rudolph's daughters. The address book of the year shows Rudolph as the owner and Schäfer as the landlord of the baths.

 

In 1899 Schäfer acquired in addition the pub "Zur goldenen Kette" (golden chain) next door in the Langgasse.

 

All the bathhouses grouped around the Kranzplatz were of considerable age and were hardly able to meet the demands. Schäfer, too, was aware of this. So the bathhouses got replaced with a modern new building just before the First World War.

 

Once the "Zur goldenen Kette" had merged with the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock", the grounds of the "Schwarzer Bock bathhouse" were discovered to contain all the hot springs, and the owners considered about them being unified into a single spring and redefining it. This way they wanted to simplify the prevailing terms of possession and shares, and to effect an improvement in the hygienic conditions.

 

A proposal relating to this was approved by the town council. The city built the facilities and the cost was divided proportionally among the owners of the bathhouses. The new joint spring received the name "Drei Lilien Quelle" (spring of the three lilies) based on the three lilies found in the Wiesbaden coat of arms.

The new facilities were completed in 1906.

 

Untouched by world history, Wiesbaden was now a city of European format and an internationally cure city. The "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" now had baths with electric light, lifts, and 220 beds-room rate: 5 Mark (2,50 Euro). The Schäfer family continued to improve the house in the following years. In 1911/12 the roof was enlarged.

 

In 1927 the emblem of the black goat appeared for the first time on the letterhead of the hotel stationery. In 1929 the Hotel Schwarzer Bock had 260 rooms, all with running water and still for the price of only 5 Mark (2,50 Euro). Baths on the upper floors were built in addition to those on the ground floor.

 

Then the Second World War came along with bombs and occupation. In 1951 Karl Heinz Schäfer's damaged hotel was returned back to him. Bombs had destroyed the upper floors. The façade remained largely intact, but certain alterations were carried out which now give the house a much more sober look. The projections around the windows disappeared, as well as many other pretty decorations. The roof was completely restructured. On two floors in the Langgasse we can still see the magnificent old facades.

 

After the end of the Second World War the Americans occupied the hotel for another 12 years and left it in a sad state of repair. And once again it was necessary to make plans. In the autumn of 1957 the renovation work was completed and the family Schäfer was able to present a new, modern "Hotel Schwarzer Bock".

 

Nowadays you can still find old parts of the Roman foundations from the 3rd century in the cellar and the historical cellar door with the date 1486 inscribed, is today the entry to our Bar 1486.

 

In 1987 the family Schäfer sold the hotel. New proprietor was Winfried D.E. Völcker. He introduced the "Hotel Schwarzer Bock" as the first German hotel in the Association of Distinguished Hotels of the World, whose most famous member is the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok. Völcker had tried to preserve the European and German traditions in spite of all its undeniable risks. But Wiesbaden had been a well-known city within Europe since 1834 and became "Weltkurstadt" ("World Destination for Treatments and Cure") in 1852.

 

In 1995 Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts (now Rezidor SAS Hospitality) with headquarters in Brussels took over the management of the hotel and many issues have been solved since then. The oldest hotel in Germany that has received a certificate of the German Hotel Association, rating the hotel officially as a five star hotel, had been renovated for more than 20 million Deutsche Mark (approx. 10,2 million Euro). All 142 guest rooms offer air conditioning, ISDN telephones, modem connections, free WiFi, and marble bathrooms. The traditional bath house is still an attraction for young and elder people, seeking relaxation and well-being. The restaurant "Capricorne" spoils the guests with regional and international dishes, served in an exceptional atmosphere. Tradition blends with modern arts. The flair of the "Ingelheimer Zimmer" - the event room for special occasions - is created by precious wooden carvings from the 16th century.

 

More information to be obtained from:

 

Radisson SAS Schwarzer Bock Hotel, Wiesbaden

Mr. Christian Hoffmann - Director of Sales & Marketing

Phone: +49 611 155 3610

E-Mail: christian.hoffmann@radissonsas.com

 

The Sherry-Netherland

781 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10022

 

The 59th Street side of the hotel.

-----------------

 

The Early Years

 

The hotel site at the corner of Fifth Avenue and East 59th Street in Manhattan had been occupied by the New Netherland, built by William Waldorf Astor. The chateau like apartment tower facing Fifth Avenue was designed by William H. Hume. Its name came from New Netherland - the name given to a portion of the East Coast of North America by the Dutch Republic. The New Netherland's provincial capital was New Amsterdam which was located at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan.

 

The New Netherland was completed in 1892. The neo-Romanesque steel-framed building was 17 stories (234 feet) and claimed to be the "tallest hotel structure in the world" when it opened.

 

Developer Samuel Keller Jacobs began demolition of the New Netherland in 1926. Replacing it was a new tower apartment hotel occupying the same footprint and frontage on Fifth Avenue. Jacobs contracted with the architect firm Schultze & Weaver to work with high-rise specialist Buchman & Kahn.

 

Originally it was to be a 36-story transient hotel to have the same name - New Netherland. The Grand Army Plaza area was becoming a fashionable area. The Fifth Avenue mansions were giving way to high rise apartment hotels. It was decided to have Schultze & Weaver design a building to insure the wealthy residents of the area could continue their grand life style - but in a high rise apartment. During the construction Jacobs sold the hotel to Louis Sherry, Inc., a subsidiary of Boomer-duPont Properties Corporation. Lucius Boomer was a noted hotel operator and was also affiliated with the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Boomer was one of the early endowers to the Cornell Hotel School who made its establishment possible.

 

Louis Sherry (1855-1926) owned Sherry's an extremely successful and regaled restaurant and caterer located at Forty Third Street and Fifth Avenue. Sherry thought it best to close his restaurant business due to prohibition (which commenced in 1920) and what Sherry described as "war-born Bolshevism". The NY Times quoted Sherry "I am not at the point where I cannot increase my staff of waiters without admitting Bolsheviki, but I will not submit my patrons to have their food thrown at them."

 

Sherry and Lucius M. Boomer formed a new corporation (Louis Sherry, Inc.) with the intent to continue the ice cream, candy and catering business and also provide catering services for the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Boomer was the chairman of the board for the original Waldorf-Astoria at Fifth Avenue and was also the original owner of Boston's Lenox Hotel.

 

Lucius Boomer renamed the hotel - The Sherry-Netherland - in anticipation of cashing in on the Sherry name known for its high standards of food and service. Louis Sherry died shortly before his name became associated with the new venture. An early brochure for the hotel states: "The Sherry tradition of perfection is drilled into every member of the personnel."

 

Also taking its name from Louis Sherry is the Sherry-Lehmann Wine and Spirits company. Their first store was in the Louis Sherry Building on Madison at 62nd. The store took its name from the name of the building - not the fortified wine of Spain.

 

During construction the hotel's upper floors suffered a fire that was visible from as far away as Long Island. The $10 million 165 apartment hotel was finished in 1927 and at 38-storys was known for a while as the tallest apartment hotel in New York City and the world.

 

At the time of the hotel's construction, the Vanderbilt mansion on Fifth Avenue (now the site of Bergdorf Goodman) was being demolished. Two limestone reliefs from that mansion were installed in the Sherry's entrance vestibule. The ornamental friezes by sculptor Karl Bitter depict a group of girls.

 

Because of Prohibition, the Sherry was designed with smaller public restaurant square footage than other pre-War hotels. Its lobby also designed small - which allowed for maximum street side store rentals. It was reported by the NY Times that a single apartment in 1927 at the Sherry-Netherland rented for a low of $1,600 per month and up to $6,500 per month.

 

The Architects: Schultz & Weaver together with Buchman and Kahn

 

Schultz & Weaver were best known for design work on hotels, including the Hotel Lexington, Hotel Pierre and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The firm’s first completed hotel was the Los Angeles Biltmore now known as the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles.

 

The hotel's design is noted for its high peaked roof topped with an elaborate Gothic minaret, or fleche. The spire top houses the water tank and even has an observation balcony. Gargoyles protrude from its crown.

 

According to the 1981 Upper East Side Historic District Designation Report the architecture style contains elements of neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic styles. It is a 38-story hotel with stone and dark brown brick facing. The first four floors are travertine marble with three two-story monumental arched windows facing Fifth Avenue. The cornice and balustrade sit over the third floor. The building setbacks begin on the seventeenth leading to a slender tower crowned with a fleche. The setbacks allowed for spacious outdoor private terraces beginning on the eighteenth floor. Single apartments occupied the entire floors from the 24th floor to the 37th floor.

 

The minaret distinguishes the building as one of the most recognized hotel profiles in New York City.

 

Little of the building's architecture has changed since the Sherry-Netherland opened its doors in 1927. The canopy entrance, adorned with the hotel's famous landmark clock and four Italianate lanterns, is guarded by gargoyles on the 37-story Baroque tower. The recently restored vaulted lobby was modeled after the Vatican library. Striking features include sculptured panels from the Vanderbilt Mansion, Louis XV chairs, lavish chandeliers and elaborately designed marble floors with French carpets.

 

The Sherry Netherland’s frontage is elegant, adorned with griffins holding four hanging lanterns on the façade and a sidewalk clock that is gilded in genuine gold leaf.

 

Two Big Hotel Hold-ups - 1974 and 1977

 

On December 9, 1974 a team of five bandits took over the Sherry Netherland hotel for two hours and looted safety deposit boxes of more than $900,000 in cash and valuables. The robbers entered the hotel at 3.25AM and handcuffed 11 employees and 2 hotel guests. General Manager Philip Landau described the heist as "a gentlemen's robbery". The robbers used crowbars and screwdrivers to force open about 40 safe deposit boxes. The police reported the robbers seemed to know which drawers would contain the most bounty.

 

On October 10, 1977 four men walked into the Sherry Netherland's lobby, pulled guns, handcuffed four employees and made off with cash and gems (some belonging to super star Diana Ross) from the hotel' vaults. The haul could have been worth up to $1 million. The robbery was the second in less than three years at the Sherry Netherland.

 

No one was injured in the holdup before dawn Monday at the Fifth Avenue hotel, which was the scene of a similar stickup in 1974 that netted some $900,000 from the safe deposit boxes containing valuables of the hotel's wealthy clientele.

 

According to police reports the hotel lobby was empty when the four heavyset men, dressed in business suits and wearing wigs and false mustaches, entered about 4:30 a.m. They walked up to the desk, pulled handguns and herded night manager Robert Clancey and three other employees into a storage room where they were handcuffed and left inside. As the night security man was "making his rounds on the upper floors, the bandits spent the next 45 minutes prying open more than 100 of the 154 small safety deposit boxes in the vault room.

 

Hotel general manager Philip Landau said after the robbers finished, they went back to the storage room where Clancey, bellman Steve McPartland, night auditor William Farragher and porter Jay Morton were handcuffed and told them not to move for 10 minutes.

 

Professional burglars Samuel Nalo and Robert Comfort were the significant ring leaders for several New York City hotel heists in the 1970's.

 

The Later Years

 

In 1949 The Sherry Netherland was offered to two financiers, Floyd Odlum and Boyd Hatch at an attractive price. They named Serge Obolensky president of the holding company, hiring him away from Hilton which operated the Plaza across the street at that time.

 

During the early 1950's Serge Obolensky focused on the Sherry's profitability and the Carnaval Room- the hotel's supper club. As the talent buyer he contracted with night club performers such as Helene Francis and James Symington (a future U.S Senator from Missouri).

 

Childs Restaurants acquired 90% of the stock in Louis Sherry, Inc. (but not the hotel) from Mrs. Lucius M. Boomer in 1950 for more than $2,000,000.

 

In 1954 the Sherry Netherland's 165 apartments were converted to cooperatives. Today the hotel has approximately 97 co-op residences and 53 hotel room/suites. Co-op owners have the option of putting their apartment in the hotel rental pool while not in use or, “opt out” and use as full-time home. According to hausfitzgerald.com residents of the Sherry-Netherland over the years include Jack Warner, the head of Warner Brothers, Claire Boothe Luce, Diana Ross, Francis Ford Coppola and more recently Judith Sheindlin (Judge Judy).

 

The Sherry Netherland shares the block with the luxury cooperative apartment building, Park V at 785 Fifth Avenue. Usually called the Park Cinq, the eighteen-story building was constructed by the Fisher Brothers developers in 1960.

 

From 1965 to 1972 Jerry Brody (Club Caterers) operated the L’Etoile and the Cafe Bar at the Sherry-Netherland. Jerry Brody was Restaurant Associates founding president and recruited Joe Baum in 1953 to work the Newarker, the white table cloth restaurant at the Newark Airport.

 

In October 1968, the exclusive disco Raffles opened in the basement of the Sherry-Netherland. Jerry Brody was the club's owner and Earl Blackwell managed the membership. Raffles occupied the space known as the Carnaval Room where Sere Obolensky had presided.

 

In 1975 real estate developer Joe Norban (a co-op owner) took over the nightclub hidden away in the belly of the Sherry-Netherland hotel. He named it Doubles and envisioned a private club - with backgammon games, dining and dancing. Daughter Wendy Carduner took over in 1982 and has sustained her father’s vision and grown the non-profit private club to 2,500 members. Doubles' longevity is attributed to being consistent, never being snobbish, and having all kinds of members. Doubles' Executive Chef is Steven Mellina who previously served at The Manhattan Ocean Club and The Helmsley Palace Hotel.

 

In 1985, Lord Charles Forte, with Trusthouse Forte wanted to open a restaurant on the ground floor of New York’s Sherry-Netherland Hotel. Forte and his son, Rocco, thought a Harry’s Bar–style restaurant in the building would persuade the owners to let their company, Trusthouse Forte, take over the management of the hotel. The Fortes flew Arrigo Cipriani to New York to check out the Fifth Avenue location. As soon as Arrigo saw the existing restaurant, called Le Petit Café, with its windows facing Central Park, he knew it was the perfect spot for what would be called Harry Cipriani.

 

So, at the former site of Le Petit Cafe, Giuseppe Cipriani, who founded Harry's Bar in Venice in 1931, opened the street side Harry's Bar at the Sherry Netherland in 1985. Following a brief eviction the family returned to the hotel in 1987 with the restaurant - Harry Cipriani. This restaurant is almost an exact duplicate of the original Harry's Bar in Venice. It’s the sky-high prices that keep this jet setter’s restaurant so exclusive. In 2011 its house drink, The Bellini, costs $19.95. In 2007 the NY Times food critic Frank Bruni said the only thing compelling about Harry Cipriani's is the prices.

 

Philip Landau was the general manager of the Sherry Netherland for 35 years - 1957 to 1982.

 

Louis N. Ventresca was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Sherry Netherland for over 20 years. He died at the age of 58 in 2003. He joined the Sherry Netherland Hotel in 1980 following stints at with PKF and Princess Hotels International.

 

In February, 2004 Michael Littler was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Sherry-Netherland. Littler was the General Manager of the Four Seasons Philadelphia and for eleven year the general manager at the Millennium Broadway.

 

Michael Ullman was appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Sherry Netherland Hotel in April, 2010. Previously he was the Managing Director of the La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, California from 1995 to 2008. Ullman has served as General Manager at the Ihilani in Hawaii and the Beverly Hills Hotel.

 

Theresa Nocerino has been the Sherry Netherland's Managing Director and Licensed Real Estate Agent from 1985 to present.

 

Text and photos compiled by Dick Johnson

December 2011

richardlloydjohnson@hotmail.com

 

Turn of a Friendly Card

************************************************************

Based on a true adventures of a rogue active in the waning years of the 1930’s as discovered in the criminal archives of Chatwick University.

 

Act 1

I begin my tale in the present…

 

That afternoon a soiree was given as part of the purchase price of the tickets for the annual Autumn Charity Ball to be presented later that evening at the manor’s great house. Since I was alone, I just went mainly for the free food and to rub my elbows with the wealthy guests who would be in happy attendance there, and at the Ball. I was alone, but certainly not bored. There was a game I enjoyed playing to pass the time at these affairs that entailed scoping out by their dress and day jewels worn, those ladies whom would be most likely to be wearing the better costumes and sparklers that evening. It often proved to be a most beneficial insight into the actions and mannerisms of the very rich. I walked amongst the cheerful guests, eying one here ( a lady in satin and pearls) and another there( a high spirited girl with a diamond pin at the throat of her frilly silken blouse). It was as I was passing the latter that the friend she had been talking too (dressed like a vamp), bumped up against me. I caught her, steadying her as they both giggled. I didn’t mind, for the lassie’s too tight satin sheath tea dress had been an enticement to hold, and the gold bracelet that had been dangling from her gloved wrist had been a pleasure to observe. I kissed her gloved hand, rings glittering, as I apologized gallantly for my clumsiness. Her eyes were bright, almost as bright as the twin necklaces of gold that hung swaying down pleasantly from between her ample bosom. I left them, moving on to greener pastures, and it was very green, all of it….

 

It was then that I detected another pretty lassie. It was her long fiery red hair with falling wispy curls that first captured my attention. She was wearing a fetchingly smart white chiffon party dress that commanded me to acquire a closer examination. She appeared to be a blithe spirit, seemingly content with just being by herself and roaming about with casual elegance, the extensive grounds of the manor proper. I began to discreetly follow her at a distance. Although she did not wear any jewelry, her manner and the eloquent way she moved is what attracted me the most. It would be very interesting to seek her out later that evening and she what she would have chosen to decorate herself with. I followed her as she sojourned into the depths of a traditional English garden with a maze of lushly green trimmed 8 foot high hedges

 

As I strolled through the hedgerows in her wake I allowed my mind to wander its own course. Suddenly I straightened up, my reverie broken by an epiphany of sorts. I allowed myself to grin and the lady whose enchantment I was swollen up in, at that moment turned, and seeing my beaming smile assumed it was for her and gave me a rather cute nod of her head. I answered in same, as I headed en route to a nearby stone garden bench to allow my thoughts to think through themselves.

 

But before I go on, allow me the pleasure to sojourn and reminisce about an incident that occurred several years prior:

*******************

I was still working unaided in those days, travelling on to a new next quest that would take me just outside of Surrey.

I had just purchased my train ticket and had seen my luggage safe on board when I decided to rest in the lounge, it being some 45 minutes before allowed to enter personally aboard. Being so early the lounge was almost deserted, only one other occupant. I assumed she was waiting for someone on an incoming train due to the fact she carried no luggage. She was obviously well off, well dressed in satins and lace, and her jewels shone magnificently in the dim lights. Especially one of her rings, noticeably lying loosely around a finger, it sparkled with an expensive brilliance. I had seen one like it in a tiffanies store, worth almost 250 pounds. But she did not appreciate the show her jewelry was putting on under the lounge lights, for she was fast asleep.

 

I circled around her, aiming for a seat next to her, eyeing her and her possessions carefully. I noticed her purse had fallen off her lap and lay on the floor. An idea popped into my head, and I picked the purse up, and looked around carefully, before placing my plan into action. But I was thwarted as an older, matronly lady was spotted heading our way. I slipped the purse into my jacket and moved off before I was noticed. Of course she came in and took the empty seat across form the sleeping princess, and soon busied herself with knitting. As the older lady had sat down, not quietly, the wealthy lady stirred waking up at the noise. I went into a corner and sat, waiting. The two ladies soon fell into conversation; the minute’s ticked by excruciatingly slow. Soon I noticed we even had more company.

He was a lad of only fourteen, but with a devilish look about him that marked him a kindred spirit to meself, and his quick eyes were darting about taking it all in as he stood outside the paned glass window.

 

It was as the first announcement of boarding the train that I saw a chance for opportunity to strike.

The older lady folded up her knitting and clinching her bag, bid adieu to her new friend,( befuddled a little by the old ladies constant stream of gossip), and headed to the train. I was twenty steps ahead of her and was standing behind the youth as she left the lounge. I tapped him on the shoulder; he looked around at me suspiciously, and then caught sight of the shilling I was holding in front of his nose. I quickly whispered a few words into his ear on how he could earn it, and his grin spread as he bought into my story. I still held onto the shilling as he darted around and inside the lounge. I watched as he ran up behind the lady, circling her, then running in front of her he tripped over her leg, as she helped him up, her hand with the ring reaching down, he turned and spat onto the wrist and sleeve of that hand, than standing he ran away. Running alongside me, I handed him the shilling in passing as he ran off, disappearing in to the street.

 

I went inside and approached the astonished lady, as she was looking for her purse to get a handkerchief, confused as to its absence, while she held up her soiled hand( ring glittering furiously) in utter disbelief. I approached, catching her attention by the soothing words I uttered to her. I took her hand, unbelieving with her at just had happened, and I as I apologized for the youth of today I produced my own silk handkerchief and starting with her silky sleeve, began to wipe it off, continuing my tirade of displeasure and contempt at what had just occurred to the dear lady as I did so. As I finishing wiping her down, ending with her warm slender fingers, I kissed them, just as the last boarding announcement came over (perfect timing!) I let her go, explaining that I must catch my train. I turned and without looking back made the train just as it was letting off steam before chugging off.

 

I gained my private carriage just as the train began to lurch away. It wasn’t until after the train began its journey that I casually removed my silk handkerchief from my pocket and unwrapped it carefully, admiring up close the shimmering, valuable tiffany ring that was lying inside. I pocketed it, and then remembered the purse. I took it out and examined its contents: coin and notes equaling a handsome amount, a gold (gilded) case, embroidered lacy handkerchief, small silver flask of perfume, and ( of all things)a large shimmering prism , like one that would have dangled from a fancy crystal chandelier. A prism?, I questioned with interest as I examined it. It was pretty thing, about the circumference of a cricket ball, but shaped like a pendulum, it shimmered and glittered like the most precious of jewels. Why she had it in her purse? I couldn’t guess, and I saw no value in it, so I pocketed it and allowed it to leave my mind.

 

As I settled into my seat I began to think of the lad I had just met, I had been right on the money as far as his eagerness for mischief. Actually he reminded me of myself at that age, and I wondered if that lad with the shifty eyes would also turn out to follow the same course I had explored.

 

Which Begs the question, what had I turned out to become. And since I’m still reminiscing

I’ll give little background material about me, hopefully I don’t come across as being too conceited about my self-taught skills..

 

I had never been one to take the hard road, and even at a young age I was always looking for angles, or short cuts to make some money.

Once, while watching for some time a street magician and his acts. I observed a pick pocket working the crowd. He approached a pair of well-dressed ladies in shiny clothes, and standing behind them bided his time and then lifted a small pouch from one velvet purse, and a fat wallet from a silken one, then he moved on. Now both ladies were wearing shiny bracelets, one with jewels. I thought that he could have realized a greater profit if he had nicked one or both of the bracelets first, than try for the contents of their purses. The bracelets’ alone would have realized a far greater profit than what he lifted from their purses. It further occurred to me that by mimicking some of the sleight of hand tricks and misdirection that the magician was using on his audience, it could be accomplished. A hand placed on the right shoulder and as the lady turned right, whisk off the bracelet from her left wrist, and excuse oneself, that sort of thing.

 

So, I practiced (on my sisters, who proved to be willing accomplices to “my game”) and learned to pick their purses and pockets. I than moved onto their jewelry, starting by lifting bracelets and slipping away rings, before advancing to the brooches, necklaces and earrings they were wearing. After I was satisfied at my skill level, I went out and worked the streets. Sometimes using my one sister who was also hooked on what I was doing as a willing partner.

But I found myself still not being satisfied, in the back of my mind I thought there had to be a more lucrative way to turn a profit.

 

I’d found my answer when an attractive lady in a rustling satin gown zeroed in on me while I was “visiting” a ballroom. She was jeweled like a princess right up to the diamond band she wore holding up her piles of soft locks like a glimmering crown. The more she drank, the closer she got and I decided that her necklace would definitely help pay my expenses more than the contents of her purse (although I had already lifted the fat wallet from her small purse), and I did have very expensive tastes to pay for. So I took her onto the dance floor.

 

I was amazed at how easily I had been able to open the necklace’s clasp , slipping it over her satiny shoulder, lifting it off and placing it safely in my pocket with almost no effort. Then she decided to be playful once the song ended and brushed up against me. She felt the necklace in my pocket and before I could act she had her hand in and pulled it out.

 

The silly naive twit thought I was teasing her and told me that for my penance I had to go up to her suite in order to put it back on for her. I kept up the charade as best as I could.

 

And that’s where we ended up. A little bit of light fondling began as I placed the necklace back around her throat. I began to tease her, plied her with more and more alcohol as I tried to keep my distance, and virginity. Finally she passed out in a drunken stupor, but not before I had learned where she hid her valuables by suggesting she should lock her jewels up for the night..

 

With her safely unconscious, I began to strip her clean off all her jewels, reclaiming the necklace first. Then I visited all her jewelry casket and began looting it. I even took her small rhinestone clutch with the diamond clasp; of course I already had liberated its small wallet.

 

When I’d left her lying happily asleep in bed, still in her satin gown( the only item left to her that shined), I knew I had found a much more profitable line of “work”

 

So I began making circuits around to the haunts of the very rich, I still kept may hand in pickpocketing, so to speak, but centered only on those “pockets” containing mainly jewelry. I also began to carefully explore new ways of acquiring jewels” in masse”, so to speak.

 

Soon I had accumulated many tricks and tools, having them at my disposal to put into action once required, and for the remaining years up till the present had managed to live quite comfortably off of the ill-gotten gains using them allowed me to acquire.

 

Which brings me back to the train ride, my prism, and the rest of my background story before I retun to the present tale. Please be patient.

*****

So, anyway, I reached Surry without any further incident and disembarking, made my way out to the large country house where I would be staying to take a short rest, vacation if you will. But, pardon the play on words, for there is never any rest for the wicked, is there?

 

I had become acquainted with a servant of the old mansion ( almost a small castle, really) , that was about a mile off. I managed to learn a great deal, and soon found myself, on the pretense of visiting her, exploring the grounds. There was to be a grand ball taking place a couple of weekends away , and the maid had filled my ears with the riches that would be displayed by the multitude of regal ladies making an appearance. I began to think about trying to make a little bit of profit from my vacation. I am not sure how the idea developed, but the prism that I still had in my possession, came up centrally into my plans.

 

Late on the evening of the regal affair, I snuck over, covered head to toe in black, with my small satchel off tools by my side. I set up a candle behind an old stone ivy covered wall in a far corner of the rather large and intricate English garden that surrounded the inner circle around the mansion. I than strung the jewel-like prism in front of it. Standing behind the wall, I would strike the prism with a long stick I was holding whenever I observed sparkles emanating from silkily gowned ladies walking in the distance, solitary or in pairs. The prism would flash fire, sort of like a showy lure being used when fishing in a crooked trout stream. Only I was fishing for far sweeter game than trout. My objective was to trick certain types of jeweled ladies (scatterbrains some may call them) by luring them down onto the path beyond the wall, using their natural curiosity to my advantage.

 

I had at least two strikes rise up to my lure in the second hour.

On was a pretty lady in flowing green satin number, decorated with plenty of emeralds, which, hidden in the shadows, I observed were probably paste. I let her wonder about; as she looked and played with the shiny toy, remaining hidden until she grew bored and wandered off.

The second was a slender maiden wearing a long sleek black gown with long ivory silk gloves. I had never before seen a lady so decked out in jewels, literally head to toe. With the exception of the rhinestones adorning her heels, the rest of the lot was real, so valuably real that I could feel my mouth salivating at the thoughts of acquiring her riches. Now in Edwardian times only older, married ladies would be allowed the privilege of wearing a diamond Tiara. But in these modern times, it had become culturally acceptable for any well-to do lady, single or otherwise, to wear one out in society. Even so, they were still rarely worn, and seldom seen outside the safety of large gatherings. But there it was, a small, delicately slender piece of intricate art that glistened from the top of her head like some elegant beacon. That piece alone was probably worth more than I had made all the last four months combined!

I began to skirt around in the shadows, placing myself in position to cut off her retreat. Her diamonds blazed as she approached, eyeing the swinging prism with total concentration. Which was unfortunate, because as I was about to leave the shadows, she walked into the thorns of a rose bush, screeching out, and attracting the notice of a pair of gentlemen who had just crossed the path quite a ways off, called out when they heard the commotion. She started to become chatty with them, obviously coming on to her rescuers, my prism all but forgotten. Than before I knew it, in a swishing of her long gown, she was gone, “swimming” off before I was able to set me ”hook”.

 

Which I was able to do on the third strike, almost an hour later, just as I was beginning to ponder wither I should call it off and head back home..

 

They were a pair of young damsels in their young twenties. They may have been sisters, or cousins at the least. I still remember how my heart leapt into my throat as they observed my colourful prism and turned down the old flagstone path. I had not seen anyone out and about for some time, so I knew they would be no would be rescuers around to come to their aid

And, best of all, they were both dressed for the kill!

One, the blonde, was clad in a black velvet number that one could cannily describe as quite form fitting. As were the small ropes of pearls that hung from all points of interest, pretty with a matching pricelessness.

But her cousin, as I will refer to her, out shone black velvet quite literally.

This one, a stunning raven haired beauty, wore a long streaming gown of liquid ivory satin. A diamond brooch sparkled as it held up a fold of the gown to her waist. The fold allowed her to show a rather daring amount of a slender bare calf. The brooch was not paste, but a real jewel that had been added for the nights festivities ( To be successful, one learns to read these signs accurately) Her ears and neckline were home to a matching set of pure white diamonds. A wide diamond bracelet graced a bare right wrist ,so she must be left handed I instinctively thought, an observation that would have aided me if I were planning on having a go for slipping the bracelet from her wrist, but tonight I was planning a much more daring attempt to empty the entire jewel casket, so to speak.

 

They went to the prism, playing with it a bit, I had begun to circle around, when I noticed black velvet pointing out with multiple ringed fingers, to something further down the path past the wall.

 

With a clicking of heels I let the pair pass, they apparently wanted to see what was on the other side of the wall. I followed; it was not hard, because the necklace the raven haired one wore, diamonds fully encircling her throat, rippled and sparkled from their perch, caught in the full harvest moon’s cast, giving me more than enough light to shadow them quietly .

 

After a while they caught on that something/someone was following them, but as they turned they could see nothing. I was in black, and hooded, invisible to them in the shadows of the trees. They whispered amongst themselves, now worried, realizing that there were dangers lurking beyond the pale, in their case, the safety of the gardens , especially for ones decked out as they were. They then turned and headed right back from where they had come, right into my waiting arms.

 

It is interesting what good breeding does for young, poised ladies. For, as I stepped out of the shadows, a finger of my right hand to my lips, my Fairborn in my left hand, its black blade glinting wickedly in the moonlight , they did not scream out or shout for help. Instead the pair merely let out small gasps, and then they both, in a quite charming synchronized display of disbelief, place each one hand over their open mouths, and the other upon their perspective necklaces.

 

And as I flourished my wicked looking Fairbairn–Sykes blade in their direction, they unquestioningly reached around and undid those pretty necklaces, tremblingly handing them out to me, like actresses following a well-read script. I took the little pretties and after stuffing them into my satchel, held out again my free hand, my fingers beckoning. Not a word was spoken between us, as the frightened pair of young ladies began removing their shimmering jewels and added them in a neat little growing pile along my open palm. The raven haired girl even undid her brooch without me having to command her to do so. Once I had stashed it all away, I motioned for them to turn back around, than with a little helpful prodding on my part, they began moving forward back down the hill, away from the garden. The one in white hobbling a little now as she kept tripping over the hem of her dress, now no longer held up by the stolen brooch.

 

After we had traveled about 200 meters I had them stop, and take off their high heels. Then picking the pretty things up, I motioned them to turn back around and made them walk back the way we had come in their bare feet, watching the pair awkwardly hobble barefooted down the wooded path. They would be quite a while on their journey back, allowing me more than ample time to make me escape. I threw their shoes off to the side and went briskly the other way, reaching the place was staying at , gaining my room without notice. But not before I had hidden the jewels inside an old stump to retrieve them at a later date. I never really heard so much as a whisper of the incident, other than from the pretty lips of my friendly maiden. The wee hours of the morning before my early departure for the train station found me revisiting the stump and retrieving my satchel and its precious cargo. After hiding it all in a false bottom of my case I laid my head on the pillow and drifted off to sleep as I wondered what had happened to the little prism, marveling at how useful it had ended up proving to be.

 

So, how does this story (journey rather) relate to the one I had already started? Please read on, and enrich your curiosity… my dear readers.

****************************************************************************

Act 2

 

So, with apologies for my lengthy elucidation, but I now return you back to the garden party I was now attending on that warm fall day. But, as you will see, my prism story needed to be told in order to add a bit of flavor to what was about to unfold.

 

As I sat on the garden bench I formulated my plans. I should be able to acquire the main piece tonight at the Ball, I would have time this afternoon to retrieve my ever handy satchel and its array of tools and have it hidden at the spot I had already selected. It was perfect, located at the end of the path I had found, or rather the charming lady in the smart chiffon dress had found for me. A gas lamp would provide adequate light for my “lure”, and it led to a back wood where I could lead any victims away and liberate them of their valuables before making my escape. I rose, just enough time to walk my escape route, before setting up and then be dressed for the evening’s festivities. I looked around, I was alone now, my lady in white had disappeared, following her own course, whatever it may have been.

 

The Autumn Ball that evening was in full swing by the time I arrived. Being a cool fall day, most of the women were wearing long gowns and dresses, and that, for whatever the reason, usually meant they were decked out with more layers of jewelry than say , if it had been the middle of summer. In order to put my plan in action I need and intrinsic piece of the trap, a prism. The one I had once had was long ago lost, a minor pawn in a game to take a pair of princesses.

 

I knew exactly the type of prism required for my plan, and so began mingling amongst the guests with that in mind.

 

I started out by walking through to the chamber like ballroom where a full orchestra was starting to play. The first person I saw from the garden party was the little tramp who had been wearing the too tight satin tea dress. That dress had been replaced with a long silky gown, her gold jewelry replaced with emeralds; including a thin bracelet that had taken the place of the gold one that she had so obligingly dangled in my larcenous path. I decided to avoid her In principle, and in doing so spied someone quite interesting.

 

That someone was a pretty lady in a long velvet gown standing off to one side, idly watching the many dancers out on the floor. The dancing couples were forming an imagery of a rainbow coloured sea of slinky swirling gowns and with erupting fireworks of sparkling jewels, ignited by pair of immensely large chandeliers that hung over the dance floor, setting them off. I made my way, skirting the dance floor to reach her, my eyes on her jewels, which were making pretty fireworks of their own. I happened to walk up just as a waiter with a tray of drinks was passing by. Plucking off a drink I offered it to the lady with one hand, my other hand placed on her back as If to steady myself. She laughed prettily, and taking the drink I met her eyes, as she was focused on reaching and holding the glass in her slippery gloved hand, mine was on the ruby and diamond necklace. My hand behind her had flicked open the simple hook and eye clasp of the antique piece and was in the process of lifting it up and whisking it away from her throat. As I said a few words to her, I pocketed it, while also taking in the rest of her lovely figure and its shiny decorations, before biding adieu. She smiled, her pale bare neckline now quite glaringly extinguished of its fire.

 

It was about an hour later, after spotting, but unable to make inroads with several likely candidates, that I finally struck gold (figuratively). It came in the form of a young couple arguing between themselves in a far corner of the chamber. She was lecturing a rather handsome man in a tux, her jeweled fingers flying in his face. If she hadn’t been moving about in such an animated fashion as she lectured, I may not have even noticed her. But as it happened I did, especially noticeable was the sanctimonious lady’s wide jeweled bracelet that was bursting out in a rainbow of colorful flickers as her hand was emphatically waving, as her long gown of silk swished around with every movement she made. Perfect. I watched for a bit, and sure enough they moved off, the man heading for the patio leading outside, the wealthy girl following him, still giving him lashes with her tongue. I moved and managed to have her bump into me simply by stepping on the hemline of her long gown. For a few seconds I was the one on the receiving end of her wrath, but I took it like a man, I could see in the eyes of her tongue lashed husband, that he was grateful for the respite. I was also grateful; grateful for the quite wide, very shimmering, bracelet that I had removed from her wrist and now was residing in my pocket.

 

I began to leave the patio, but was stopped by a matronly lady in ruffles, laces and pearls, her breath heavy with alcohol. She started to question me on what the couple had been on about. Then without waiting for an answer she launched herself into a tirade of her own, her gem encrusted, silken gloved fingers, waving in my face for emphasis. It was almost ten minutes before I was able to make my escape. Which I did, but not before slipping off one of the lecturing ladies vulgarly large cocktail rings.

 

I headed onto the patio; the time was getting ripe for my plan, which I was now ready to put into motion, now having acquired its most essential piece. I went to the end of the large patio, weaving in and out of the by now well liquored guests whom had assembled there. Across the way I saw a lady tripping over her own gown. By the time I reached her she had fallen down, giggling merrily. Two of us rushed to her aid, she was busy gushed her thanks to the rescuer she knew, while ignoring the one she didn’t! Which was unfortunate on her part, for by ignoring me, she also was ignorant of the fact that I was busy lifting the small stands of black pearls from her wrist. I left unnoticed, much like a shadow fading out of the light, or at least that’s how it seemed. Finally I reached the patios outer edge without further incident, or gain. I went on the grass and turned a corner with the intention of going, post haste around the house to reach the gardens by the long way, hoping not to be seen by anyone. But I no sooner turned the corner, when I realized that it was not to be the case.

 

It was my blithe spirit in white chiffon from the garden party, pardon me, soiree. She was unescorted, looking up at the moon above a stone turret with one lit window, so intently that my presence had not been noticed. I had been absolutely correct in my observation of her as far as what she would be wearing for the evening. For what she had lacked in ornaments at the soiree, she had more than made up for in the evening festivities. She was absolutely gorgeous, resplendent in as beautiful a silvery satin gown that I had ever witness. It was just pouring down, shimmering along her delightful figure. Her long blazing red hair was still curling down and free, but now a pair of long chandelier earrings cascading down from her earlobes, were peeking out every now and then as they swayed with her every movement. Her blazingly rippling necklace was all diamonds, dripping down the front of her tightly satin covered bosom, twinkling iridescently like an intensively glimmering waterfall. Her slender gloved wrists were home to a pair of dangling diamond bracelets that were almost outshone by her many glistening rings. All in all she was quite a lure all too herself

 

I came up to her, starling her from her reverie. Taking up her hand, I looked into her startled, suddenly blushing face. I complimented her on the fine gown she wore. She thanked me, and I could see I that she suddenly remembered she me as the chap who she thought smiled to her in the garden. She seemed to accept my compliment quite readily. I chanced it( although Lord knows I was short on time) and asked her to a dance. I did not think she would agree, so it was with a little bit of surprise, hoping she would politely decline and walk off, leaving me free to go about my business unobserved. But she accepted, and I will admit that my heart leapt as she agreed (although in the back of my mind I knew I should be off if my plan was to work). The music had stopped so we made small talk as we slowly walked back to the ballroom. Her name was Katrina. It seems she was waiting for someone, which suited my plans, but he was late and so she had time. Which may have sounded dismissive, but from the apologetic way she said it, it was anything but the sort.

 

The orchestra started to tune back up as we entered, and taking her offered hand up, was soon lost in the elegance of my appealing partner. It was a long dance, and a formal one, but I could tell she was subtly anxious to be off on her meeting, as I was to be off to my own adventure. But Katrina did not really allow it to show, which was very uncharacteristic of her someone with her obvious breeding. So I was ready when the by the end of the music she begged her condolences and took flight. I watched her as she fluidly moved away, her jewels sparkling, all of them. On her mission to meet Mr. X I thought, for whom I was already harboring a quite jealous dislike. I should be off I thought to meself.

 

But I stood, still as stone; totally mesmerized by the way Katrina’s swirling silvery satin gown was playing out along her petite, jewel sparkling figure. It wasn’t till the last of her gown swished around a corner out of sight that I moved, but not without having to shake my head to clear the thoughts of her out of it. Well old son, focus. For by now the guests were starting to wander a bit afield in the waning hours of the Autumn Ball, and my small window of opportunity was closing fast. If my little plan was going to have any chance of success it would have to be now.

 

I walked out and made my way to one of the outside exist of the garden wall. Reaching into my pocket as I did so, fingering the bracelet, now cold, that had belonged to the quarrelsome lady,and soon would be playing another role, far from one its former mistress would ever have dreamed off. I also felt my new acquisition, still warm from my dance partner’s body. I will admit that I had felt a twinge of regret for taking it from a lady I had found to be most charmingly captivating. But slipping off the diamonds up and away from her throat had been as temptingly easy as it had been automatic. I had advantageously made use of the sleekness of her scintillatingly silky gown, and with the distractions created by the movements of the dance, successfully managed to keep Katrina’s attention safely diverted from the reality of why my fingers were ever so gently, caressingly sliding along her slippery gowns neckline. The truth was I had originally placed my hand there because it had felt so right, and I was a little startled when my fingers had subconsciously started playing with her necklaces clasp. Before I knew it, they had flicked open the gemstone clasp of her obviously expensive diamond necklace, and had lifted up. As I watched out of the corner of my eye, almost like I was a spectator, as opposed to being the perpetrator, I saw the chain move up and over her shoulder; its diamonds sparkling with is as the necklace disappeared from view behind her back.

It was a favored technique that I had perfected to the point that by this stage of my career I nearly always acquired my objective. But, as odd as it sounds, I was not happy with myself on this occasion.

 

But I did not long dwell on my mixed feelings on taking the charming lass’s diamonds, for by now I had reached my place of ambush. It was in one of the farthest reaches of the garden, at a bend on the end of a long path that, with a gas lamp at its beginning just off the patio, would allow me to see from some distance off. Behind me was a break in the hedge wide enough for a person to walk through comfortably. It was here, off a tree limb, underneath a second ornate cast iron gas lamp, which was now lit, that I hung the shimmering bracelet that I had sought out and acquired for just that reason

 

I walked around and saw that it could be seen flickered off in the distance from the woods, Perfect! Earlier I had hidden my satchel with a hood and knife and bit of rope in the hollow of an old tree. I now retrieved them, and after getting ready, found my position and waited. At 10 minutes past the first hour of my wait, with nary a single glimpse of anyone, I started to fidget. My corner may be just a bit too desolated I was beginning to admit to myself. It seemed that most of the guests were staying by the patio. I was starting to think that I should pack it in, possibly rejoining the guests for one last parting( of someone from her Jewelry). I was just reaching down to pick up my satchel when I suddenly saw something flash under the gas lamp at the beginning of the path, and my senses immediately perked up. I watched as the wisps of rich shimmery satin moved closer, I stiffened, drooling with anticipation, the game was afoot.

  

I could see clearly the flickering jewels she wore, and by their blazing sparkles of rippling fire, I knew that my long vigil would not have been in vain. As the lady drew I recognized her gown of silvery satin! I knew who was making those tantalizing flashes of appealing treasures. Katrina!

 

I watched as she approached, in all her glittering elegance. My heart and conscious was in turmoil, but I knew I probably would not get a second chance. I could not let her get away unscathed. Beside, from the shock of being confronted with a masked scoundrel wielding a wicked blade, she would be in no shape to recognize her assailant. She stopped, apprehensively looking back towards the bright lights of the Manor, Then turning back I saw she had a self-satisfied smile creeping upon her face. She reached up, and undoing her hair, shook it down, curls of softness cascading down, hanging loosely down. It was as she performed this provocative act, that I saw her eyes open wide in curiosity; she had spied my pretty little “prism”. The charming fish was hooked.

 

I waited, watching her approaching ever closer to fate, and from my concealment, I basked in her glow. My heart beating fast, my adrenaline pumping, for the remaining jewels (I thought of her necklace in my custody) that she possessed I already had witnessed were quite valuable. She passed my hiding spot and went to the hanging, shimmering object. As she reached up, looking around, she failed to see me approaching in the shadows. I came up from behind, jabbing a finger in her back as I reached her, I gruffly in no uncertain terms, snarled for her to freeze and make no sound. She stiffened under my touch, but made no move or outcry. I went around; pointing my knife in her direction, looking into her sad doe wide eyes as she realized what was going to happen next. She was trembling; from fear I guessed, and knew I had her right where I wanted. As I made my demands upon her, gimme them jewels sister, she, not surprisingly, was very compliant in giving them up to me. She reached for her necklace last, and looked entirely shocked to find her throat bare, as she searched the neckline of her gown I saw her look into my hand, now dripping with her precious jewelry, almost as if to see if she had not already removed it. She looked apologetically into my eyes, startled; almost pleading that she didn’t know what had happened to it. I just played dump. She than spoke for the first time, sir, may I ask to keep my purse? Her words would have instantly melted even the coldest chunk of ice, I looked down at the little silvery clutch hanging from her arm on its rhinestone chain, I nodded, indicating that she could, and saw relief wash over her face. I told her she now needed to turn around and walk off into the woods ahead of me. She hesitated, and I told her no harm would befall her, I had no intentions along those lines.

 

About 5 meters in I stopped her, and had her remove her shoes, as she bent over to undo the high heels rhinestone clasps I watched her gown tightly outlining her figure. She tripped on the hem of her gown, and as she attempted to keep her balance, accidently let her purse slip off her shoulder. Without thinking I reached down to pick it up for her as she tried reached for it simultaneously

 

The small purse was far heavier than it should have been. Curious I opened it, finding that it contained a rather extensive array of mismatched jewelry, glittering in unbelievably expensive fire . I looked into Katrina’s horror struck eyes dumb founded, as she looked guiltily into mine. The gig was up. The jewels belonged to the lady of the manor, my muse in silver was a thief, a female version of me very self.

 

Aye, what’s this than luv? I questioned her as she looked into my eyes, hers large with a mixture of fright and disbelief. She melted before me, fainting, I caught her in my arms, and it was no ruse. I held her as she came to, holding her warm, silky figure lovingly to mine. I did not know what to think. Nor could I ever explain what possessed me to do what I did next. As she came to, her eyes opened, and I removed my mask, looking back into them deeply.

 

Oh, she gasped, I’m glad it was you, startled that she had said the words out loud. She than started to coyly blushes, quite demurely. Something sparked in me, and unless she was an incredibly good actress, it did also for Katrina. Our eyes both looked into the others, melting away in the lust of the moment. We embraced, deeply, and I held her squirming warm slick figure tight in my enveloping arms. I looked over her shoulder, eyeing the glistening bracelet hanging from its branch. To catch a thief, the thought suddenly opened in my mind, what a great title for a novel I thought to myself, as I buried my nose into Katrina’s luxuriously soft hair.

 

We talked for a bit, walking off into the woods, then she looked into my eyes again, a coy, look that melted me on the spot, and that was the end of it, we embraced again, and wholly gave ourselves to one another. What about your man I asked suddenly remembering, my man she questioned , than oh, you mean the Lord, I was waiting for him to come down from smoking in his tower study, that’s where the lady’s jewels are kept. She broke into an Irish brogue as she said the last bit, and that I guessed was her natural tongue. she laid a hand on the side of my face, thanks for being jealous though, me lad.

I should collect my lure I said, which made her smile; it was such an enticing smile at that. We started to head back and watched as it dangled in front of us flickering. With a far off look in her green eyes, Katrina spoke as if in deep though.

 

The daughter of the house, she has a bracelet on like the one you have dangling, a bracelet of diamonds that I had taken a fancy to, wishing it had been in the safe along with the rest of the ladies of manors jewelry. I knew who she was talking about. The one in green taffeta I asked? Aye lad, that’s the one. Actually her necklace would be just as easy, and worth more I said. Just then her bright green eyes gleamed, Give me about a half an hour, she told me, we will put your little lure to use again. She noticed my hesitation, don’t worry luv she said soothingly placing a gloved hand to my cheek, no longer was it sparkly with its stolen bracelet and rings. I’ll leave my purse with you, can’t very well be carrying it around now can I? I nodded my consent, my mind burning with the thoughts she had alluringly placed there.

  

She turned, and then hesitated; turning back she said I probably should not go back in naked luv. I smiled, reaching in I pulled out her necklace and placed it around her throat. With a little gasp she blurted, so it was you, I was wondering who and when it had happened. It’s not the first time I’ve had me jewels lifted, but it’s a bloody annoyance to have to let them get away with it, crawls under my skin to have pretend not to notice so that I don’t draw any attention to me self before making my move to steal the posh ones jewels.

 

But you, mister, I never felt as much as a prickling. I was ready to assume my pretties had been a victim of a broken clasp this time. I gave a little nod in acceptance. That wasn’t exactly a compliment lad, she said in what I hopped was a subtle jest. Just last summer some clumsy bugger slipped of me earrings, my favorite pearls, as we were danc… she stopped, seeing the guilt in my eyes. Men! As thieves you are all of the same skin she spat out angrily, or attempted to sound angry, for the look in her eyes to me she wasn’t. I best be off, before I change me mind about out little endeavor.

 

With that she swirled around on her heels, and started off, but not before turning and giving me an extremely coy look of interest. As she swirled back around I heard her say loud enough for my ears, I’ll learn me self to be a picker of pockets, see how males like to be taken advantage of in their vulnerabilities! She nodded to herself as she said it. Then suddenly she stopped, than twirled on her heels, her gown swirling enticingly along her figure. Looking me dead in the eye she said, “Vie ne est pas d'attendre que la tempête , mais d'apprendre à danser sous la pluie” !

 

What does that mean? I questioned in a low voice, perplexed.

 

Maybe, Mon Cheri, someday I will tell you… And with that she turned on her heel, her gown once again swirling about, and went, determinedly, swishing her way back up the path. I just watched. I had never heard anyone speak French with an Irish Brogue and I had found it to be rather provocative!

 

I watched as she swished and swayed her way back through the hedge and regained the path leading back to the manor. Her plan was simple; she would lead the daughter of the house to my corner and as she had done, go out with her to look at the swinging charm. I would then make my appearance, rob both ladies of their finery, and telling the daughter to wait until I released her friend, walk off with Katrina as a hostage, and we would both take off and make good our escape. A simple plan, so simple it should actually work.

 

So, there I was. Holding a purse with a small fortune in jewels, my pocket full of more jewels worth an additional pretty farthing, and her charms were wearing off by her leaving. And my thieving nature coming back, reawakened from the spell they had been under!

 

The devil of my conscious crept out on my shoulder, the angel markedly absent from the other.

 

Look mate, she may not be all she seems, and possibly has some other game in mind. Maybe she does have a male confidante helping her out… and was actually on her way to fetch him. He said in my inner ear. And, after all, you took her diamonds twice, didn’t ye now? Do you really think shell forgive you of that me lad?

 

And there is no honor amongst thieves, as the saying goes, he added as a closing argument...

 

I rolled it over in my mind…I could leave, absconding with it all, book a cruise to the states or down under where there lay untried fertile grounds to ply my trade. Not to mention working over my fellow passengers aboard the cruise ship while they attended the fancy affairs that were always going on, or so the brochures always seemed to show……

 

Then In the distance I caught a wisp of Katrina’s long silvery gown. She was coming, and not only with the daughter of the manor, but also with a spare. For I could see a purple coloured gown swishing alongside with the prey in rustling green taffeta.. I watched as all three ladies, resplendent with the rippling fiery gems they all possessed, came up the path, gowns sweeping out , shimmery from the now misty distance.

 

The thought of making my escape with all the loot continued to haunt me, there was still time now to take off without notice, or I could rob all three, and leave with purple silk as my hostage, Katrina would not be able to say anything on chance of giving up her part of the game, or I could just be a good lad and sty with the script that Katrina had written. Take a chance, roll the dice and believe that she was all she had me believing she could ever be.

 

As they came closer I knew my time was running out. The thoughts of just looking out for myself kept coming up playing the devil with my conscience as the precious seconds ticked away…

 

No honor amongst thieves…

What will it be, old boy I challenged myself,

What will you have it be?........

To see what his decision ultimately was, and the eventual path it led to, see the album question answered)

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Life is not about waiting out the storm, but about learning to dance in the rain.

Vie ne est pas d'attendre que la tempête , mais d'apprendre à danser sous la pluie .

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Courtesy of Chatwick University Archives

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The purpose of these chronological photos and accompanying stories, articles is to educate, teach, instruct, and generally increase the awareness level of the general public as to the nature and intent of the underlying criminal elements that have historically plagued humankind.

 

No Part of this can reprinted, duplicated, or copied be without the express written permission and approval of Chatwick University.

 

These photos and stories are works of fiction. Any resemblance to people, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.

As with any work of fiction or fantasy the purpose is for entertainment and/or educational purposes only, and should never be attempted in real life.

We accept no responsibility for any events occurring outside this website.

 

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Given the distance we were away from the clay lick, it was tough to get the focus on these guys. I was happy to get some keepers, and this is one of my favorites. We watched the macaws for a few hours and I could have stayed all day (unfortunately they do not, they have better things to do!).

A picture from a group of Smithsonian Institution, National Anthropological Archives listed as “Philippine schools and other subjects, 1900”. No other identification or location is given with the individual pictures. The scanned resolution is poor where many of the signs cannot be read. I do believe but not entirely sure that the pictures are all from the Manila area.

 

Smithsonian Institution, National Anthropological Archives

 

There are multiple awards being given out at our 2022 Michigan Municipal League Convention happening Oct. 19-21 in Muskegon. The biggest award is our Community Excellence Award and it will be selected by Convention attendees through a vote during the event.

 

This year’s winner will be decided by the entire Convention delegation. Our

four nominees will make presentations on Wednesday, October 19, immediately

following the opening general session.

Voting will take place at the Community Excellence Award voting booth in the

Delta Hotel pre-function space from Wednesday, October 19, from 11:30 am to

5:45 pm and again on Thursday, October 20, from 8:00 am to 3:45 pm. Voting

will also be available via the Convention mobile app on-demand.

Our official auditors, Plante Moran PLLC, will oversee the voting booth and

count the ballots. The Community Excellence Award Cup will be presented on

Friday, October 21, at the closing General Session.

The 2022 finalists are:

Cassopolis – Imagine Cass Project Village of Cassopolis:

Small, Rural, and Exceptional

Farmington Hills – City of Farmington Hills Community Center –

The Hawk

Royal Oak – Centennial Commons: Reimagining a Parking Lot

into a Green Gathering Space

Traverse City – Traverse City Boardman Lake Loop Trail

Thank you to everyone who submitted projects!

 

We also will be recognizing several individual award winners during Convention. Those being honored are:

-Robert La Fave, village manager for the Village of L’Anse in the Upper Peninsula. Bob received our Community Builder Award that goes to individuals whose leadership creates positive community change

-Westland Mayor William Wild. Bill received the Michael A. Guido Leadership and Public Service Award for his professionalism and leadership, and his dedication to the residents in his own community and to people throughout our state.

-Our Jim Sinclair Exceptional Service Award celebrates a person dedicated to public service who has shown passion and commitment to the League, enthusiastically supporting its mission, and promoting its purpose. This year, we have three recipients of the Sinclair Award. They are:

- Huntington Woods Commissioner Jeff Jenks

- Deanna Koski, the longest serving councilperson in Sterling Heights

- And Fenton Mayor Pro Tem Pat Lockwood

-And lastly, the highest individual honor we celebrate is the Honorary Life Membership Award. This year we have two worthy recipients of this award. They are:

- Former East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett

- Former Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly

The interfaith EarthKeepers II Team held a strategy meeting on April 5, 2013 at the Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast in Big Bay, Michigan to plan the 30 faith community gardens.

 

EarthKeepers II is an Interfaith Energy Conservation and Community Garden Initiative across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

 

Over the next two years, at least 30 interfaith community gardens will be planted that include vegetables (some fresh produce will be given to food banks) - plus native species plants.

 

EarthKeepers II has representatives from 10 faith communities involving 250 churches/temples in northern Michigan: Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, United Methodist, Bahá'í, Unitarian Universalist and Zen Buddhist.

 

These gardens will serve as a pollinator central for all plants in the area.

 

Native species plants are pollinator friendly - and that is important as one-third of America's pollinators have died in the past 7 years.

 

The reasons for the pollinator disappearances (bees, butterflies) are varied but most of which are human related especially a new and deadly pesticide/fertilizer powder that is used to coat seeds.

 

Humans cannot live without pollinators.

 

A presentation on native species plants and pollinators was given by U.S. Forest Service Midwest Botanist Jan Schultz.

 

Schultz is the Head Botanist at the USFS Eastern Region (R-9) Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and we are fortunate she is the EarthKeepers II Technical Advisor for Community Gardens

 

EarthKeepers II Project Coordinator Kyra Fillmore Ziomkowski explained the community garden plans at churches and temples across the U.P.

 

Funded by the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, EarthKeepers II has a major goal of reducing toxins in the Great Lakes including airborne mercury - through energy conservation audits and grants for churches/temples - and educating their congregations on ways to reduce energy consumption at home - while getting financial incentives to do so.

 

An EarthKeepers II contractor has completed 17 of the 40 energy audits at churches/temples in the U.P. - and all will be completed by this fall, according to Delta Green Ex. Dir. Doug Russell, Executive Director, EarthKeepers II Energy Conservation Consultant.

 

Grants of up to $500 (in a few cases more) will be offered to these congregations to help make energy conservations repairs at the houses of worship

 

Those attending the Big Bay meeting included faith leaders and representatives, project organizers and the EarthKeepers II Student Team from Northern Michigan University.

 

Attendees included:

 

Longtime EarthKeeper Rev. Tesshin Paul Lehmberg of the Lake Superior Zendo, a Zen Buddhist temple located at 2222 Longyear Ave, in Marquette, MI.

906-226-6407

plehmber@nmu.edu

 

Guest speaker the Rev. Stephen Gauger of Calvary Lutheran Church

Rapid River, Michigan - representing the Northern Great Lakes Synod (NGLS) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) - and NGLS Bishop Thomas Skrenes.

www.elca.org

www.nglsynod.org

 

Helen Grossman, representing Jewish Temple Beth Sholom in Ishpeming, MI

www.templebethsholom-ishpeming.org

 

Rev. Christine Bergquist of the Bark River United Methodist Church (UMC) and the First UMC of Hermansville - and representing the United Methodist Church Marquette District - and Rev Elbert P Dulworth, District Superintendent.

www.mqtdistrict.com

 

(EarthKeepers II also thanks Grant Lobb, former Mqt. Dist. Supt. (who has taken another position) and a longtime supporter of U.P. EarthKeepers projects - and we remember the late Episcopal "Earth Bishop" - Bishop James "Jim" Kelsey - who was with the EarthKeepers from our humble beginnings in 2005 - and now watches over us from above.)

 

Rev. Albert Valentine II of the Manistique Presbyterian Church of the Redeemer and the Gould City Community Presbyterian Church - and representing the Presbytery of Mackinac.

www.presbymac.org

www.pcusa.org

 

Rev. Pete Andersen, a retired ELCA pastor from Marquette.

 

Rev. Elisabeth Zant of the NGLS ELCA Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church in Munising, MI.

www.edenevangelical.org

 

Heidi Gould of

Marquette representing the Marquette Unitarian Universalist Congregation, a liberal religious community for the Marquette community

www.mqtuu.org

twitter.com/Heidi_Gould

www.uua.org

 

Check out the EarthKeepers II social sites (see links below) including our videos - that include beautiful pollinator and nature photos in videos by environmentalist Nancy Parker Hill.

www.nancyhillphoto.com

 

And vegetable garden photos by Carol Michel, a garden blogger, garden writer, eccentric gardener in the Indianapolis, IN area.

Indygardener at gmail.com

 

May Dreams Gardens:

www.maydreamsgardens.com

www.maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com

twitter.com/Indygardener

www.facebook.com/MayDreamsGardens

 

Among those involved in the project but not mentioned above are:

 

Rev. Jon Magnuson, Executive Director

Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute

EarthKeepers II Project Director

Marquette, Michigan

Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute projects include Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project, the Manitou Project and the Zaagkii Wings and Seeds Project

www.wingsandseeds.org

 

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC)

Baraga, Michigan

 

KBIC Natural Resources Department

KBIC Solar-Powered Green House

L'Anse, Michigan

 

Borealis Seed Company

Judy Keast, Suzanne Rabitaille

Big Bay, Michigan

 

NMU EarthKeepers II Student Team:

Katelin Bingner

Tom Merkel

Adam Magnuson

 

10 Faith Communities:

Roman Catholic

Episcopal

Jewish

Lutheran

Presbyterian

United Methodist

Bahá'í

Unitarian Universalist

Zen Buddhist

 

Rev. Charlie West

EarthKeepers II Religious Communications

 

Obadiah Metivier

EarthKeepers II Webmaster

Owner & Creative Director of Middle Ear Media

Marquette, Michigan

 

Videography, Editor, Producer, and Project Volunteer Media Advisor:

Greg Peterson

EarthKeepersII@gmail.com

906-401-0109

 

Special thanks to the Marquette Community Gardens

www.marquettecommunitygardens.org

www.facebook.com/pages/Marquette-Community-Gardens/277739...

 

EarthKeepers II thanks everyone named and unnamed for their loving help with this project:

 

An Interfaith Energy Conservation and Community Garden Initiative Across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Restore Native Plants and Protect the Great Lakes from Toxins like Airborne Mercury in cooperation with the EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, U.S. Forest Service, 10 faith traditions and Native American tribes like the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

 

Official EarthKeepers II website

EarthKeepersUP.org

 

Nonprofit Cedar Tree Institute in Marquette, MI

www.CedarTreeInstitute.org

 

EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

www.greatlakesrestoration.us

 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

www.epa.gov

 

Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS)

 

Deborah Lamberty

Program Analyst

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Great Lakes National Program Office

77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL

60604-3590

 

Lamberty.Deborah@epa.gov

312-886-6681 (wk)

312-692-2974 (fax)

 

Elizabeth 'Liz' LaPlante, senior manager for the EPA Great Lakes National Programs Office in Chicago, Ill

 

EarthKeepers II social sites:

 

www.youtube.com/EarthKeepersII

 

EarthKeepersII.blogspot.com

 

EarthKeepersII.wordpress.com

 

www.facebook.com/EarthKeepersII

 

vimeo.com/EarthKeepersII

 

www.twitter.com/EarthKeeperTeam

 

pinterest.com/EarthKeepersII/

 

pinterest.com/EarthKeepersII/EarthKeepers-II-and-the-EPA-...

 

pinterest.com/EarthKeepersII/Great-Lakes-Restoration-Init...

 

Google youtube page for EKII:

 

plus.google.com/u/0/b/104404714072685272630/1044047140726...

 

www.linkedin.com/in/gregpetersonyoopernewsman

 

www.facebook.com/GregJohnPeterson

 

www.facebook.com/EarthKeepersII

 

fyi:

 

EarthKeeper II Energy Conservation Audits finished as of 6-12-13

 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Marquette, MI

 

St. Matthais Episcopal Church

Pickford, MI

 

St. James Episcopal Church

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

 

Temple Beth Sholom

Jewish Synagogue

Ishpeming, MI

 

Messiah Lutheran Church

Marquette, MI

 

St. Mark's Church

Marquette, MI

 

Grace Lutheran Church

Pembine, WI

 

Trinity Lutheran Church

Rhinelander, WI

 

Emmanuel Lutheran Church

Skandia, MI

 

St. James Lutheran Church

Rudyard, MI

 

Pickford United Methodist Church (UMC)

Pickford, MI

 

First UMC

Marquette, MI

 

Newberry UMC

Newberry, MI

 

Paradise UMC

Paradise, MI

 

Hulbert/Taquamenon UMC

Hulbert, MI

 

Marquette Unitarian Universalist Congregation

Marquette, MI

 

Lake Superior Zendo

Zen Buddhist

Aurora Dharma Temple

Marquette, MI

 

Thanks to our friends at the Big Bay lighthouse:

 

Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast

#3 Lighthouse Road

Big Bay, Michigan

49808

 

906-345-9957 (office)

keepers@BigBayLighthouse.com

www.bigbaylighthouse.com

Bournemouth Corporation Daimler Fleetline open top bus running the number 12 Coastal Service to Hengistbury Head via Boscombe Pier in the summer of 1965.

These buses were given the names of English counties and this particular vehicle, CRU 182C was named 'Warwickshire'.

This photo was taken at West Cliff, Alum Chine.

 

The TRAFALGAR WAY is the name given to the historic route used to carry dispatches with the news of the Battle of Trafalgar overland from Falmouth to the Admiralty in London. The first messenger in November 1805 was Lieutenant John Richards Lapenotière, of HMS Pickle, who reached Falmouth on 4 November after a hard voyage in bad weather. He then raced to London bearing the dispatches containing the momentous news of Lord Nelson's victory and death in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805.

Following the death in action of the Commander in Chief, Admiral Lord Nelson, his deputy, Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, took command of the British Fleet. Because his ship, the Royal Sovereign, had been dismasted, Collingwood transferred to the undamaged frigate HMS Euryalus to control operations. Shortly after the battle a severe storm blew up and lasted for several days. Collingwood was faced with the challenge of ensuring the safety and survival of his own and the captured ships: at the same time, he needed to report the outcome of the battle to the Admiralty in London as soon as possible.

The first dispatch. Collingwood entrusted the safe delivery of his first reports of the battle to Lapenotière, but could not spare him at once owing to the storm. On Saturday 26 October, the Pickle was finally detached: Lapenotière carried Collingwood’s first dispatch, written on 22 October, containing his initial report of the battle, and a second, written on 24th, describing the effects of the storm on the ships that had survived. He also carried copies of two General Orders addressed to the Fleet. Pickle reached Falmouth on Monday 4 November and Lapenotière then travelled overland to London. He rode "express in a post chaise and four." Edited versions of Collingwood’s four documents that Lapenotière delivered were published in The London Gazette on 6 November and subsequently in most papers. The first report contained the words "I fear the numbers that have fallen will be found very great, when the returns come to me; but it having blown a gale of wind ever since the action, I have not yet had it in my power to collect any reports from the ships". This news triggered understandable anxiety, particularly amongst the families of the 18,465 men who had been with Nelson at Trafalgar, to learn the details of the casualty lists, or "butcher’s bill" as they were commonly known.

Lapenotière's journey was about 271 miles, taking 38 hours and costing £46. There were 21 stops to change horses on the way from Falmouth to London and his "account of expenses", which was carefully saved for posterity in Admiralty records, shows his route, where he changed horses and his costs. The route he took was the main Falmouth to London coaching road of 1805 so each stage was between 10 and 15 miles at a speed of just over 7 mph. The expenses involved for each leg were:-

Falmouth to Truro, £ 1 : 2 : 6 ........continued To Blandford £ 2 : 10 : 6

To the Blue Anchor £ 2 : 17 : To Woodyates

£ 2 : 5 :

To Bodmin £ 1 : 19 : To Salisbury £ 1 : 17 : 6

To Launceston £ 3 : 6 : 6 To Andover £ 2 : 15 :

To Oakhampton £ 3 : 4 : To Overton £ 1 : 13 :

To Crockernwell £ 1 : 16 : 6 To Basingstoke £ 1 : 14 :

To Exeter £ 1 : 17 : 6 To Hertford-bridge £ 1 : 15 : 6

To Honiton £ 2 : 14 : To Bagshot £ 1 : 12 :

To Axminster £ 1 : 11 : 7 To Staines £ 1 : 17 : 6

To Bridport £ 1 : 16 : 6 To Hounslow £ 1 : 14 : 6

To Dorchester £ 2 : 14 : 6 To Admiralty £ 2 : 5 :

Total £46 : 19 : 1

To date no record has been found to show exactly where he obtained fresh horses, although in some of the smaller places there was probably only one stable or coaching inn available.

The "race". Nelson had ordered Commander John Sykes of the 18-gun sloop HMS Nautilus to patrol off Cape St. Vincent in southwest Portugal. He met Pickle as she sped homewards on 28 October and, having heard Lapenotière’s news of the battle, he appears to have elected to abandon his ordered station and escort Pickle for her safety, but they lost sight of each other in very heavy weather. When Nautilus arrived at Plymouth late on 4 November Sykes reported to Admiral William Young, who feared that Pickle might be missing.

As a precaution the Admiral therefore ordered Sykes to travel to the Admiralty to report the sketchy details of the battle that he had learnt from Lapenotière at sea. As Sykes reached Exeter, neither Lapenotière nor Sykes were aware that they were now only a few miles apart on the same road in an involuntary race for London. By the time they reached Dorchester, documented accounts reported the two officers as being only one hour apart. Sykes reached the Admiralty at 2 a.m. on Wednesday 6 November, about an hour behind Lapenotière.

Given the PSE 8 treatment

Given myself an alphabet soup game. Two new photos and another two from my photostream or archives, when possible.

 

This was the queue for the outdoor swimming pool in Etampes. I'm sure as it was also taken quite late in the afternoon, so whether or not these people ever got in, is a mystery! Taken in September 2011.

 

Thank you for your favourites. :O)

The groom was my husband's cousin brother Rahul.I have given a brief description of each shot for those of my friends who are interested.

1.For 2-3 days prior to the wedding a paste of raw turmeric is applied on the hands/face of the bride and groom.This ceremony soon tranforms into playful bantering between the ladies and gents of the family.Here my husband Sanjay is caught by one of the ladies of the family.:-)

2.The groom dances with his friends,sword in hand on the way to the family temple.

3.The groom makes a spectacular entry flanked by his pretty sister and friends.

4.A pair of hennaed hands.Mine in fact shot by my son.:-)

5.Pretty ladies dancing in the Baraat or wedding procession.

6.The bride and groom surrounded by dancing relatives.

7.Me having fun with a cousin.I am the lady in green.:-)

The sewing machines given to the villages (like in the previous picture) become sources of income for their owners. Taking orders and making repairs for their neighbours, some have even started small businesses in their villages and reached out to neighbouring ones.

 

These lines and linkages not only help the person making the clothes, but keep money within the village and develop community bonds. In a disaster, this social fabric - difficult to measure and difficult to create - can be the difference between life and death.

 

To see why I was in Bangladesh click here, or take a look at the previous or next photo in the series.

 

If you are interested, please view the series to see what I found and what I learned in my few weeks in Bangladesh, visiting some of the most vulnerable people anywhere on our planet.

Min al Jinnati wa Naas

(From the Jinn and Mankind)

 

Part II – The Cure

 

And what did it encompass; a warning!

 

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ

مَلِكِ النَّاسِ

إِلَٰهِ النَّاسِ

مِن شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ

الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ

مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ

 

Say, O Beloved (peace be upon you), "I seek refuge in (the) Lord (of) Mankind,

 

The King of Mankind,

 

The God of Mankind,

 

from the evil (of) The Whisperer, the one who withdraws (after his whisper),

 

who whispers in the hearts of Mankind,

 

from the Jinn and Mankind.” – Surah An-Naas, Verse 1-6

 

“Introduction: Let it not be hidden upon the one for whom the secrets and Oneness have been opened. And for whom have been disclosed the world of the secrets of faith and Sirat e Mustaqeem (The Right Path), the one who holds on to the rope of ability from God and remains steadfast with his grip; It is necessary tha protect his nafs from the satanic fitna (temptations which causes adversity, affliction, ordeal) of Nafs e Ammara, which always inserts doubt (waswase) in the heart of Man.

 

The Nafs e Ammara traps him in different states of tightness and false thoughts (waham), until the hearts become crooked and then astray. That is why Allah has given advice by providing training to the Mo’min so that they can be warned and granted to them guidance.”

 

Uzair said once told me that nothing in the Quran repeats itself. Even when the words are the same the meaning is different. The Tafseer e Jilani was the most spectacular evidence of that fact. For each surah in the Quran, Ghaus Pak (ra) gives a completely different tafseer (exegesis) for the repeating verse, Bismillah Ar Rahman Ar Rahim, which was entirely related to the content and context of the specific body of text that was to follow. 114 different meanings of the words, “In the Name of Allah, The Entirely Merciful, The Especially Merciful!”

 

Bismillah: In the name of Allah who is the Planner of the rightness of His Servants because His Blessings and Forgiveness warrant that.

 

Ar-Rahman: He protects them with the most special veils of His Protection.

 

Ar-Rahim: He warns them against the one, Satan, which gives them pain and tempts them as a well-wisher so that they may remain steadfast on the Right Path.

 

Min Sharr al-Waswase: From the doubts that rise in the hearts of Mankind and cause them to feel strife.

 

Al-Khannas: The one who runs away and then returns to the people because he sits in the hearts of Man. When they are conscious of God (in zikr Allah), he runs away and feels base.

And when Man is ghaafil (forgetful of God), he takes possession of their heart.

 

Thus the adversity, the unrest, the turmoil, the strife leaves and returns to the heart. For that is the nature of Iblis, to enter and leave and enter and leave.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) continues:

 

Between the zikr of Allah and the doubts from Satan lies a veil such as there is between light and darkness. When one appears, the other disappears, like waham about that which is about to happen. When the result comes and it actually happens, the fear, the paranoia disappears. In the state of remembrance of God there is light. In its absence, there is darkness. So goes back and forth, the heart of man.

 

And then the last line:

 

Min al Jinnate wa Naas: The waswase, the doubts from Khannas want us to believe that Jinn and Man have the ability to affect by giving benefit or harm and that their effect is independent of God’s Will. So we place our hopes and wants with them, Jinn and Man, instead of Allah. And if we do that we fall into a state of eternal regret and an abyss of loss.

 

At the end of the Surah he closes with: “Be warned, be warned, O desirer of sincerity! Don’t run after desires and temptation. Satan’s tactic is to heighten the heart’s consciousness of the world, zikr ad-duniya, and the ways to attain it. That is what gives him the opportunity to enter the waswase that results in hell right here. But when a person stays away from desire to the best of their ability and is obedient to Allah to the best of their ability, angels whisper into their hearts and guide them away from the traps.”

 

(End Excerpt “The Softest Heart”)

 

And finally all the pieces of puzzle fit!

 

قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا مِن دُونِهِم ۖ بَلْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ الْجِنَّ ۖ أَكْثَرُهُم بِهِم مُّؤْمِنُونَ

 

When asked by God on the Day of Judgement if they were worshipped by Man, the angels replied, “They, in fact, worshiped the Jinns, not us. It was in them that most of them believed – Surah As-Saba, Verse 41

 

I decided to look up a more recent video of Sheikh Nurjan post virus. Technology wasn’t going anywhere. People had already established that their first love was their phone. It used to make me laugh how the Shiekh would, in the middle of his speech, sometimes with a smile, raise his own smart phone and wave it around, as if pointing to the demon in his device. The other noticeable element about his speech was that, unlike me who was jumping and down name calling, he never named any human, any organization or corporation. Nothing and no one!

 

I guess I knew why. For people like him the world holds zero significance. What others are doing and why was immaterial. He was following the Sunnah of the Prophets. No judgement of another, no matter who they are and what they do! That was left only to God. I made a mental note to be clearer about my own intention behind calling people out in my writing. I think I was telling myself it was to inform others but really it was contempt.

 

Funnily enough he did mention movies, Viper for one which I have not seen. Throughout his videos there were flashes of clips from various Hollywood flicks of the summer blockbuster variety. He was totally unfazed by demonic presence of Jinns anywhere. And why not? He knew exactly what they were up to and why. What was their mode of attack and how it could be repelled.

 

وَقَدْ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِندَ اللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ

 

And they devise that false imagery of theirs - and all their false imagery is within God's knowledge, even if their false imagery were so (well devised and so powerful] that mountains could be moved thereby – Surah Ibrahim, Verse 46

 

Sheikh Nurjan’s message only reiterated Surah An-Naas. Taking anyone other than Allah as a helper only lead to inevitable suffering. The Quran spoke of it endlessly, from the day the rebellion began.

 

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ كَانَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَفَسَقَ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِ ۗ

أَفَتَتَّخِذُونَهُ وَذُرِّيَّتَهُ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِي وَهُمْ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ ۚ بِئْسَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ بَدَلًا

 

And when We said to the Angels, "Prostrate to Adam," so they prostrated except Iblis. (He) was of the Jinn, and he rebelled against the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him and his partners (as) protectors other than Me, while they are to you enemies? Wretched for the wrongdoers is the exchange – Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 50

 

فَلَوْلَا إِذْ جَاءَهُم بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُوا وَلَٰكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

 

Yet when the misfortune decreed by Us befell them, they did not humble themselves. But rather their hearts grew hard, for Satan had made all their doings seem goodly to them – Surah Al-Anam, Verse 43

 

What was bad appeared as good. And the hearts grew hard. Who else but the Prophet (saw) gave the cure.

 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed, the hearts rust like iron rusts.”

 

They said, “So what will polish them?”

 

He replied, “The abundance of remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Quran and remembering death.

 

I used to think when I was reciting the Quran I was remembering Allah. From the hadith I learnt the abundance of remembering God was different and I realized remembrance was about mindfulness. It was about being aware of my deeds, my thoughts, my intentions. The effect they had on others and me. It was about acknowledging wrongfulness as it came about then repenting, praying to be instilled with ability to change. It was living within oneself in a state of truthfulness. For it was the Quran that affirmed that, at all times, I knew what I was doing anyway. Be it right or wrong.

 

So often in life I had heard the explanation given for those who were self absorbed that they “were not self-aware” even though when it came to anything inflicted upon them, the state of sensitivity was sky high. Surah Ash-Shams states that everyone is aware, that the self is programmed to differ between its right and wrongfulness. That meant I was in control of my behaviour at all times. If I relinquished control to Iblis or caved to my own decisions to do wrong, I knew it all times. I had just gotten used to living in a state of self-deceit and blaming others.

 

فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا

وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا

 

And Allah inspired it (to distinguish) between its wickedness and its righteousness. Indeed he succeeds who purifies it. And indeed he fails who buries it – Surah Ash-Shams, Verse 4-5

 

The mindfulness part was true because just this Ramadan I had started the practice of asking for forgiveness every morning and night. Sometimes I felt remorse for my acts, especially my tongue, all day long. I had started asking Nabi Kareem (saw) to pray for me and ask God to forgive me so that He would be the Acceptor of my repentance and grant me ability to be better the next day. The forgiveness came so quickly I felt overwhelmed. Describing it as relief is an understatement. Shedding the unbearable weight of anxiety and disturbance within minutes, that’s nothing short of a miracle. In repeat no less!

 

Even remembering death, I used to think it meant being conscious of the Day of Judgment and therefore my actions in light of that. And I’m sure it is but in this world, that Day was easily forgotten by me most of the time. Everyone takes life for granted and assumes they will live well into their 70s, if not longer. My cousin, who I once, told the hadith to said that beyond the Last Day, she thought it was about not taking others for granted. It was about valuing them and loving them while they are around remembering that death would one day take them away, who knows when. But only those who lose loved ones early in life think like that.

 

“What you have to understand,” says Sheikh Nurjan, “is that you can battle this negative energy and defend yourself… Our life was to copy one reality which is the Prophet (saw), whose one side faces Allah and the other faces humanity. The Auliya Allah, the Friends of God, they want us to connect back to the Prophet (saw) who connects us to God. Those who are fusing with that reality are being blessed by that reality.”

 

حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نُنجِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

 

Thus, it is an obligation upon Us (Allah) that We save the ones who believe in Us – Surah Yunus, Verse 103

 

I felt the deepest sense of reassurance from that verse the first time I heard it. If I had an iota of faith in my heart and only God judges faith, then He was obligated to take care of me. It was a certainty!

 

One thing was crystal clear. Technology was here to stay. It could not be avoided and was no doubt useful. I would not have been able to write this piece without king Jinn Google for one, if for no other reason than the speed with which I can include the Arabic. Like any other addiction however, if it became one, it just had to be admitted. I had read articles about those who had made break-through contributions in terms of innovations in their 20s only to deeply regret them later and admit it publicly.

 

Oct 6th, 2017, The Independent: “The man who invented the Facebook ‘Like’ button has removed the app from his mobile phone. Justin Rosenstein was the engineer who created the ‘awesome’ feature in 2007, but now fears the psychological effects apps are having on people around the world. “It is very common for humans to develop things with the best of intentions and for them to have unintended, negative consequences,” Mr Rosenstein told the paper.”

 

And that wasn’t the worst of it!

 

“As well as making users addicted and effecting their mental health, there is growing concern social media makes people more stupid. Known as ‘continuous partial attention,’ it is feared apps limit the ability to focus and potentially lower IQ.”

But these are lost battles. I have friends who say that being physically away from their phone brings on a panic attack. I don’t think they’re kidding. How can they possibly discipline their children? Nor can they police them. Especially now that many schools require iPads to do assignments. I found unsurprisingly that the elite had mainstreamed a thing for others and then sidestepped it for their own children.

 

Feb 18th, 2018 Business Insider: “The Koduris' life is that of the quintessential Silicon Valley family, except for one thing. The technology developed by Koduri and Shahi's employers (Google) is all but banned at the family's home.

 

There are no video game systems inside the Koduri household, and neither child, 10-year-old Saurav and 12-year-old Roshni, has their own cell phone yet. Saurav and Roshni can play games on their parents' phones, but only for 10 minutes per week. (There are no limits to using the family's vast library of board games.) Awhile back the family bought an iPad 2, but for the last five years it's lived on the highest shelf in a linen closet.

 

“We know at some point they will need to get their own phones,” Koduri, 44, told Business Insider. “But we are prolonging it as long as possible.”

 

Koduri and Shahi represent a new kind of Silicon Valley parent. Instead of tricking out their homes with all the latest technology, many of today's parents working or living in the tech world are limiting — and sometimes outright banning — how much screen time their kids get.

 

“You can't put your face in a device and expect to develop a long-term attention span,” Taewoo Kim, chief AI engineer at the machine-learning startup One Smart Lab. A practicing Buddhist, Kim is teaching his nieces and nephews, ages 4 to 11, to meditate and appreciate screen-free games and puzzles. Once a year he takes them on tech-free silent retreats at nearby Buddhist temples.

 

In 2007, Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, implemented a cap on screen time when his daughter started developing an unhealthy attachment to a video game. Later it became family policy not to allow kids to have their own phones until they turned 14.

 

Jobs, the CEO of Apple until his death in 2012, revealed that he prohibited his kids from using the newly-released iPad. "We limit how much technology our kids use at home," Jobs told reporter Nick Bilton.

 

Around Silicon Valley, a number of low-tech schools have popped up in an effort to reintroduce the basics. At the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, a private school in Los Altos, California, kids use chalkboards and No. 2 pencils. Faculty don't introduce kids to screen-based devices until they reach the eighth grade.”

 

The Eighth Grade! That’s age 13-14. No video games, no

phone, no iPad! But increasingly for most and their infants, the possibility of a life without a chip in it, which for some is already in their fridge and toilet, doesn’t exist. Still, if the cure becomes known, at least a choice presents itself. Then it was about exercising it. The infamous free will that humans possess could finally come into play for some good!

 

Sheikh Nurjan’s words about protecting one’s self, the choice to do so, echoed the sentiment; “The energy you radiate around you becomes your shield of protection. The Sunnah is our insulation. When you make wudu (ablution) you seal this energy. It doesn’t escape. This energy is your safety and it emanates in your home and protects your home and your loved ones around you. If you don’t have the shield, ask the one who has it to come to help you.”

 

The one who has it is the Friend of God. Like Asif Bin Barkhia who was chosen over the Jinn. Many Muslims have difficulty getting their head around this category of chosen ones, the Auliya. Certain influences have programmed them in a way that causes confusion for them if they attach themselves to someone other than God. Even the Prophet (saw). Despite that the Quran specifically instructs to connect with them in order to attain to faith.

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ

 

O you who believe! Consciously revere Allah and be with those who are truthful – Surah At-Tauba, Verse 119

 

Then it illuminates the exact placing of these “truthful ones,” obedient to the Commands of Allah and in strict emulation of the Prophet (saw), as enjoying a status just one under the Prophets, higher than the martyrs.

 

وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا

 

And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger then they will be with those whom Allah has bestowed His Favor - of the Prophets, and the truthful, and the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent (are) those companion(s) – Surah An-Nisa, Verse 69

 

My personal bond with the Auliya Karaam was most strengthened by a single verse in the Quran.

 

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

 

No doubt! Indeed, the Friends of Allah, no fear will be upon them and nor will they grieve – Surah Yunus, Verse 62

No fear, no grief, what a life that would be! If there was a reason to seek them for someone like me who can’t seem to do anything without an ulterior motive, it was for a life devoid of fear and sadness.

 

In my 30’s I started reading the writings of many Auliya Karaam given to me by my Mamu and fell in love with them. Everything about them was imbued in grace and softness. Their reactions to pain and suffering left me bewildered. But nothing about my actions changed until I arrived at the Door of Wisdom, Imam Ali (ratu). For no one enters the City of Knowledge without entering the Door.

 

اَنَا مَدِيْنَةُ الْعِلْمِ وَ عَلِيٌ بَابُهَا فَمَنْ اَرَادَ الْعِلْمَ فَلْیَاْتِهَا مِنْ بَابِهَا

 

Said the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) “I am the City of Knowledge and Ali is the Door to enter it so the one who desires knowledge should come through this door.”

 

Otherwise all of my life I had felt I had a connection to God. Since my teens, on and off, I prayed, I fasted, I even read the Quran. The rituals disciplined me because it inculcated refraining in my sub-conscience but it was rote nonetheless so I didn’t change at all. Not until I loved His Beloved (saw). An excellent example; before him I never paid attention to my zaka’t, the only ritual I conveniently ignored.

 

Till I studied his person, I didn’t understand the exalted status of sadqa (voluntary alms) either, which is much higher than zaka’t because voluntary acts of love far surpass those dutied. Feeding the hungry is the best of those voluntary deeds which today forms a significant focus of my life. It changed me in ways I can barely count. I learnt that from Ghaus Pak (ra) because he said it was one of two things he focused on in his life. The other was excellence in behaviour.

 

God had made clear something I never knew until I wrote my book. Not only did I have to love His Beloved (saw), I had to love him more than everything else that mattered to me in the world. A rule was set.

 

قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ

وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ

 

Say, (O Beloved), "If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses and your clan, and the worldly goods which you have acquired, and the commerce whereof you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you take pleasure – (if all these) are dearer to you than God and His Apostle and the struggle in His cause, then wait until God makes manifest His will; and (know that) God does not grace iniquitous folk with His Guidance.” – Surah At-Tauba, Verse 24

 

The ask is sky high. From a hadith I knew that each person in the world as a rule loves themselves more than anyone else.

 

That is the nature of the nafs, the ego.

 

We were with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he was holding the hand of Hazrat Umar bin Al-Khattab (ratu). Hazrat Umar (ratu) said to Him, "O Allah's Apostle! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self."

 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will not have complete faith till I am dearer to you than your own self."

 

Then Hazrat Umar (ratu) said to him, "Now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self."

 

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Now, O Umar, now you are a Believer."

 

Anybody who has followed any Command of God, any instruction of His Last Prophet (saw) knows it has a guaranteed self-benefit. The asking to follow, to emulate Rasool Allah (saw), begins the journey to explore capacity as a human being in terms of elevating manners and morality, acquire that which does not previously exist.

 

The Order to love him more than myself, however, is something else. Loving ourselves the most means we are naturally inclined to be obedient to our desires and our demons. But when a person loves someone else more than themselves, then the desires of that person become more important. They take precedence over our own and we find ourselves becoming obedient to them, we do things for their sake. In the world, if people don’t experience this with parents, they certainly do in friendship and if not then, at some point in romantic love. In that love comes the sacrifice of one’s own needs and lust, desire and wants, both emotional and physical.

 

So if I wanted to love the Prophet (saw) more than myself, the evidence of that love would lie in my obedience to his wishes over my own.

 

When Hazrat Umar (ra) was asked what he had done to increase his love for the Prophet (saw) in such a short period of time, he said, “I asked myself who did I need more, myself or the Prophet of Allah (saw)? I found that I needed the Prophet (saw) more. I will not intercede for myself on the Day of Judgment, but the Prophet of Allah (saw) will. My deeds will not place me at the highest of levels, but my love for the Prophet (saw) will. I did not take myself from the darkness to the light, but the Prophet of Allah (saw) did. Accordingly, the love of the Prophet (saw) deepened in my heart as compared to my love for myself.”

 

After that love sprouted in my heart, every time I tried to inculcate a rule or a principle of behavior, the Friend of God who taught it to me became my helper. Since they had learnt the practice from Nabi Kareem (saw) I kept getting closer to him. All of them had passed centuries ago which meant that the help always came from the World of the Unseen, Aalim al Ghaib. If I didn’t understand anything, I ask them to help me, to even explain it to me.

 

When I felt distressed they showed me why. They lent me their eyes to see myself because my justifications rendered me blind. Who would have thought actually being in the right could also nail one to the ground? But it wasn’t so surprising when I peeled the layers behind it. There stood either self-pity or judgement and both converged at one point; pride. The cardinal sin! But that too is another story.

 

Imam Ali (ratu), Bibi Fatima (ratu), Imam hassan (ratu), Imam Hussain (ratu), Ghaus Pak (ra), Hazrat Muhuyddin Ibn e Arabi (ra), Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (ra), Hazrat Rabia Basra (ra), Baba Farid Ganj Shakar (ra), Hazrat Bayzaid Bastami (ra), Maulana Rum (ra), the list went on and on. When I regressed in bringing their teaching to action, I found them dislodging me from my stuckness. They rendered my relapses short and infrequent. They had received God’s Love like no one else.

 

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ

وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

 

Say, O Beloved, (peace be upon you), “If you love God, follow me and God will love you and forgive you your sins for God is Much-Forgiving, a Dispenser of Grace.” - Surah Aal e Imran, Verse 31

 

It was an incredible promise; …God will love you…

 

Did He not love me otherwise? Of course He did. One of His Names is Al-Wadood, The Loving One, my favourite of them. My heart was just veiled in darkness so nothing pure reached it.

 

Without a “healer,” as Maulana Rum (ra) calls them, there in once again reliance on the self. The self that even a Prophet declares in only willful of that which is wrong and that which is forbidden. The Prophet Yousuf (as):

 

وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي ۚ إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّي ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

 

And yet, I am not trying to absolve myself. For, indeed, the inner self does incite to evil, and saved are only they upon whom my Sustainer bestows His Mercy. Behold, my Sustainer is much forgiving, a Dispenser of Grace! – Surah Yusuf, Verse 53

 

For someone like me who seems to be a Luddite of the times, I began to realize that the problem was going to be less about Jinn or Iblis. My own likes and dislikes, my biases were so cemented, I was beyond rigid. Perhaps the time for new overtly forbidden sins was behind me but in the end it boiled down to my behaviour, my character, my sense of defining myself as a human being, “the best of Creation.” The most dangerous trap was set my own nafs.

 

أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُ هَوَاهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِ وَقَلْبِهِ

وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ

 

Have you ever considered the one who makes his own desires his deity, and whom God has let go astray, knowing (that his mind is closed to all guidance), and whose hearing and heart He has sealed, and upon whose sight He has placed a veil? Who, then, could guide him after God (has abandoned him)? Will you not, then, reflect upon yourselves? – Surah Al-Jathiya, Verse 23

 

Could I become my own god?

 

In one of his lectures, the Sheikh made an interesting comparison of the lockdown we all experience to the Surah Yousaf. “Allah trains us in many ways and He points to the Surah Yousaf as the path of the seeker. First the Prophet is thrown in a well by his brothers. Then in the second phase of his life to save himself from that which the world wanted him to become, impure, he asked God to send him to prison where he remained for many years.”

 

“Today you are confined to your home. Use this time to contemplate and meditate. Use the apps that are for your benefit instead of being like where do I find this and that prayer, the zikr, the auraad? They are tools for you that are useful, they support you. Hear the talks that motivate you and take you away from the fear. Hear the heavenly channels that are broadcasting. Faith and fear don’t co-exist. Faith conquers fear. Focus on your love for Sayaadna Muhammad (saw).”

 

Then he came to the scary part ringing all kinds of bells in my head from my own past.

 

“Anger is the door in which Iblis will come to kill you. Your anger will be your death. It is the door that Shaitan is coming through. It’s the black spot on your heart. The worst fire of all the fires is anger. When it comes there’s no justification, it just brings disbelief. And when that happens Iblis over-rides the person. Through meditation focus on why you have it. With your wudu the fire goes down.”

 

The Sheikh was recounting the words of the Prophet (saw);

“Anger comes from the devil, the devil was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when one of you becomes angry, they should perform ablution.”

 

On another occasion he told a man who asked him for advice;

 

أَنَّ رَجُلاً، قَالَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَوْصِنِي‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ تَغْضَبْ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَرَدَّدَ مِرَارًا، قَالَ ‏"‏

لاَ تَغْضَبْ ‏"‏‏.

 

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not become angry.” The man asked (the same question) again and again, and each the Prophet ﷺ gave the same answer, “Do not become angry.”

 

Once Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (ratu) was sitting with Nabi Kareem (saw). A man in their midst started attacking Hazrat Abu Bakr (ratu), maligning him. He listened to him quietly and did not react. When the man went overboard, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ratu) gave him a sharp reply. Upon this the Prophet (saw) left.

Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (ratu) went after him.

 

“Ya Rasool Allah!” he said. “When the man was saying things against me you stayed and when I responded to his words, you left. Why?”

 

Nabi Kareem (saw) replied, “When you were silent and exercised patience and restraint, I saw an angel sitting next to you who was responding on your behalf. When you started replying the angel left and a shaitaan, (evil Jinn), came and I don’t sit in the company of shayateen.”

 

“Identify your sickness,” said Sheikh Nurjan, “Because when Shaitan comes he will ravage you and destroy everything about you. We have been thrown into the fire of Sayaadna Ibrahim (as). We are asking God to make the fire cool for us. Who do you think is bardan wa salaman, coolness and safety? Sayyadna Muhammad (saw)! The coolness of Sayyadna Muhammad (saw) came to save Sayyadna Ibrahim (as). His light encompasses his soul to be in a state of ecstasy even in the fire. How will we seek refuge? Sayyadna Muhammad (saw) is the master of that reality. If you were heedless before don’t be heedless now.”

 

From darkness into light or from light into darkness?

 

Everything was a choice. If machines were false deities or my nafs was a god, both were pushing me into an abyss.

 

اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۖ

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ ۗ

 

Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein – Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 257

 

The rightful owners of fire! It was Iqbal who shed a brilliant insight to what the fire of Hell actually is. For unlike whatever people imagine in their heads and then easily dismiss as over the top, it is entirely different for it lies within one’s own self.

 

“Heaven and Hell are states, not localities. Their descriptions in the Qur’an are visual representations of an inner fact, i.e. character. Hell, in the words of the Qur’an, is ‘God’s kindled fire which mounts above the hearts’ - the painful realization of one’s failure as a person. Heaven is the joy of triumph over the forces of disintegration. There is no such thing as eternal damnation in Islam. The word ‘eternity’ used in certain verses, relating to Hell, is explained by the Qur’an itself to mean only a period of time (78:23). Time cannot be wholly irrelevant to the development of personality.

 

Character tends to become permanent; its reshaping must require time. Hell, therefore, as conceived by the Qur’an, is not a pit of everlasting torture inflicted by a revengeful God; it is a corrective experience, which may make a hardened ego once more sensitive to the living breeze of Divine Grace.

 

Nor is heaven a holiday. Life is one and continuous. Man marches always onward to receive ever fresh illuminations from an Infinite Reality in which every moment appears in a new glory. And the recipient of Divine Illumination is not merely a passive recipient. Every act of a free ego creates a new situation and thus offers further opportunities of creative unfolding.”

 

وَمَن جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ

 

And whoever strives then only he strives for himself. Indeed, Allah (is) Free from need of the worlds – Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 6

 

The coming of the Beloved of God (saw) is most beautifully marked in the Quran as the coming of truth. It’s destiny is only one; to prevail.

 

وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

 

And say, "The truth has come and perished the falsehood. Indeed, the falsehood is (bound) to perish." – Surah Al-Isra’, Verse 17

 

Sheikh Nurjan: “The false cannot obliterate the truth but are we on the truth? The best power, the most powerful presence is the presence of Sayyadna Muhammad (saw). The focus is to bring his light on your soul. The Darood shareef, the salawat. As soon as this Haqq enters your heart, your soul, your energies this is what is frightening for devils.”

 

When Iblis vowed to making all things worldly that are in fact harmful appear beautiful and get us hooked on them he himself made an exception himself of those who he would not be able to deceive.

 

قَالَ رَبِّ بِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

 

Iblis said: "O my Sustainer! Since You have mislead me, I shall indeed make (all that is evil) on Earth seem goodly to them and shall most certainly beguile them-into grievous error.

Except, Your slaves among them the ones who are sincere – Surah Al-Hijr, Verse 39-40

 

Those Mukhliseen are the ones God says are the ones on the Straight Path, the Sirat e Mustaqeem. In an extraordinary lecture by Uzair, I had learnt that there are only three beings in the Universe on the Straight Path, ala Sirat e Mustaqeem. Everyone else, be they Prophets, the Auliya Karaam or ordinary individuals ask to be lead to it, ila Sirat e Mustaqeem.

 

The first is God;

 

إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيم

 

Indeed, my Lord (is) on a path straight - Surah Hud, Verse 56

 

The second is Rasool Allah (peace be upon him):

 

فَاسْتَمْسِكْ بِالَّذِي أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

 

So hold fast to that which is revealed to you (O Beloved (peace be upon you)). Indeed, you (are) on a Straight Path - Surah Az-Zukhruf, Verse 43

 

The third, Iblis.

 

قَالَ فَبِمَا أَغْوَيْتَنِي لَأَقْعُدَنَّ لَهُمْ صِرَاطَكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

 

Whereupon Iblis said, "Now that You have thwarted me, I shall most certainly lie in ambush for them all along Your Sirat e Mustaqeem (the Straight Way).” - Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 16

 

It made sense. The Sheikh was saying was that the fastest way to repel Iblis’ efforts was reciting the Darood. “As soon as this Haqq (Truth) enters your heart, your soul, your energies its frightening for devils.”

 

I guess that must be because reciting the prayer of the Darood is not an ordinary thing. It is a Sunnah of Allah, a prayer recited by God;

 

(Begin excerpt “The Softest Heart”)

 

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

 

Indeed Allah sends prayers on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the angels send prayers on him as well. So O ye who believed, send prayers on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and give yourselves up to his guidance in utter self-surrender.” - Surah Al-Ahzaab, Verse 56

 

Uzair once asked me, “Without getting into the double emphasis of the order to “surrender” to his guidance (sallimu tasleeman), let me ask you this. When we do send prayers and blessings upon His Blessed Messenger’s (peace be upon him) being, what exactly do we say?”

 

I started reciting the prayer to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Blessed Family, the Darood Shareef. For in all of its variations, the beginning is the same. He stopped me at the first word:

 

Allahuma!

 

Dear God!

 

“Do you see?” he said smiling, “When we want to send blessings upon the being of His Beloved (saw), in fact in our utterance, we are asking God, in turn, to send the blessing even though He tells us to. Our own tongues are not deemed worthy by Him to send the prayers upon His Beloved (saw) directly. God wants only God to do it! To praise someone you need to realize the merits of the one being praised. We are not capable of comprehending Rasool Allah’s (saw) merits, hence the utterance of the Darood belongs only to God Himself.”

 

The prayer sent upon the Prophet (saw) is unlike the five sala’t which are obligatory for the Muslims. This is an act of love for the would-be Believers. It is not limited to any particular time of the day. Or night. For Himself and the angels, Allah uses the present tense in the Quran: a state of constant continuation in terms of its happening. Never ending! In the same vein, following the instruction becomes a following of Allah Ash-Shaheed, The All Witnessing One’s Sunnah, for it is His Act. How many acts in my life were going to hold such a direct sharing with my God? The thought itself had a dizzying effect.

 

(End excerpt The Softest Heart)

 

In another lecture, Uzair made a different point of the verse, stellar again of course.

 

“(In the verse) why is Allah using the word “an-Nabi”? He could say Muhammad or Abdullah or Ar-Rasool. Why not one of those?”

 

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ

 

Indeed Allah and His Angels send prayers on the Prophet (peace be upon him).

 

“Because,” he said smiling in anticipation of the reaction of the listeners, “Muhammad is his birth name. That would mean Allah is sending the prayers upon him since he was born. And Abdullah is the name he was bestowed on the Night of Ascension. Meaning it would have started then. If He had said Ar-Rasool then it would mean He began sending prayers upon him when he was 40 and announced his prophethood.

 

But He is saying “An-Nabi” and the Prophet (saw) said ‘I was a Nabi (Prophet) when Adam was between clay and water.’ So even when there was nothing, there was Allah’s Darood upon His Beloved (saw). There was no Adam, no earth, no heaven, no hell, no time, no space, no Jinn and no Man.”

 

The Sheikh had said the prayer dispelled demons. I believe it takes care of everything else as well. Whether read out of fear of something or the need of something or purely love, I believe the words take care of everything. No wonder we are asked to recite the Darood in every raka’t of every prayer all day long. It’s a gift of kindness for even the one who doesn’t appreciate it.

 

According to Ghaus Pak (ra), the second prayer that Allah sends upon His Beloved (saw) is the salam, also an utterance in the namaz. Tradition states that it was how the Prophet (saw) was greeted by God on the Night of Ascension.

 

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

 

(As-Salam o alayka ayyoha nabiyyo wa rahmatullah e wa barakata hu)

 

Upon this greeting, God Almighty said to His Prophet (saw), “Peace, the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings be on you, O Prophet!”

 

The effect of the words was intense. It certainly changed my prayer which for many years I performed so quickly it was as if I had a gun to my head. As I learnt the context for each word and each word was so carefully placed, it blew my mind and my pace slowed. The Quran is a book of intense imagery and I was told (by Uzair) to ignite imagery in my head when I said the Darood at least if nothing else. Mine was of a Universe swimming in light!

 

But there was something else. A blessing unlike any other was received each time this second prayer of God was recited. The salam was returned!

 

‏‏‏‏‏‏ ‏‏‏‏‏‏أَنّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏قَالَ:‏‏‏‏

مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يُسَلِّمُ عَلَيَّ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏إِلَّا رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ رُوحِي حَتَّى أَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامَ

 

The Prophet of Allah (saw) said, “No one sends salam upon me without that Allah has returned my soul to me, so that I can return his salam.”

 

Subhan Allah!

 

In writing this piece, I asked Qari Sahib to explain the picking process on Iblis’ end. Who does he target and why?

 

“Let’s ask God,” he said.

 

هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ

تَنَزَّلُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ

يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ

 

Shall I inform you upon whom descend the devils?

They descend upon the slanderer and the sinner.

They pass on (what is) heard, and most of them (are) liars - – Surah Ash-Shu’ra, Verse 221-223

 

Again my mind went to the control of information. What went up and what was taken down. Those who controlled what we read and what we saw and therefore what we thought. Even the billionaires in Pakistan bought a tv channel and a newspaper as soon as they hit it big.

 

For the human being caught in this web the key lay in creating a balance. Or perhaps returning to the balance we were created in originally that made us worthy of “preference” over all else.

 

Uzair explained in one of his lectures that according to wisdom, there are five main motivators of actions for a human being: need, desire, lust, emotion and finally, the soul. They lie in a pyramid-like structure and the layering begins with need forming the base of the pyramid. Then comes desire which dominates need. Then is lust which over-rides desire. Fourth is emotion which prevails over the other three: lust, desire and need. Atop all of them is the soul. If one gains access to it, and it’s a big if, the soul over-rides everything else. That is nirvana!

 

All humans experienced all four states of need, desire, lust and emotion while alive. Suppressing them entirely was not possible. On top of that I read that ending a desire was itself a desire, hence desire could never be gotten rid of entirely by one’s own self! What was needed was for the four variables to be in a state of balance, to exist within limits, a hadd.

 

I was reminded again of the verses in the Quran endlessly pointing to the ones who only indulge every whim and emotion and remain stuck in a perpetual state of darkness. The punishment was severe: obedience of indulgence rendered one undeserving of aid from where it was essential, God.

 

وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَنزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا ۚ

وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُم بَعْدَمَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ

 

Thus have We revealed it, a decisive utterance in Arabic, and if you should follow their desires after that which has come unto you of knowledge, then truly would you have from Allah no protecting friend nor defender - Surah Ar-Ra’d, Verse 37

 

Hence was made clear that the one who made their likes and dislikes their master, their gods, became incapable of receiving guidance.

 

فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَكَ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ

 

If they do not respond to you, O Beloved (peace be upon you), then know that they follow only their own desires – Surah Al-Qassas, Verse 50

 

For anyone who was on a path of spirituality, the dominance of the soul over the rest was the ultimate goal. Listening to the soul, doing what it says, what it wants, that was the way to live in order to be close to Allah Al-Haqq, The One who is the Truth. For the soul was in a permanent state of attachment to Him.

 

I thought about what would become the reason to abandon one’s own will for God’s? Over the years I had discovered that it would be the awareness, the ability, to be informed about the source of one’s own wellbeing. The only sustainable cause to give up that which was a source of pleasure once, despite being harmful, despite being forbidden, was to differentiate between one’s state of peace and calm versus one of anxiety and distress as result of it. Only when the source of the restlessness was known could it be abandoned.

 

إِيَّاكُمْ وَحَزَّازَ الْقُلُوبِ وَمَا حَزَّ فِي قَلْبِكِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَدَعْهُ

 

The Prophet (saw) said, “Beware of what disturbs the hearts. If something unsettles your heart, then abandon it.”

 

A friend of mine asked me if I don’t own a tv and I don’t use a smart phone, if connect to the internet via my laptop twice a day with its camera covered with a piece of paper, why I write a 50 page piece on Jinn. I thought about it. It started out as curiosity of something unknown to me but then it became more about the future. A future that I will not be in and therefore endure but my niece, Sameena, who is only 9 will. I leave it for her like a love letter, an atypical one but still, its inspiration lies in heeding her and perhaps someone else as I have been heeded.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) says the goal of the blessed human being is singular; awaiting a meeting with their Creator. Not going to Heaven and escaping Hell which is fear and need driven but to be worthy of meeting Allah zul Jalal e wal Ikram out of love.

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ

 

O Mankind! Indeed, you are laboring to your Lord with exertion and you will meet Him – Surah Al-Inshiqaq, Verse 6

 

The call is to every human being, insaan! He says it is a warning as well as meant to be an awakening. “You, who is formed in the manner of Allah, are the one chosen from all Creation to be His Vicegerent. You are the one who will be granted recognition of your Lord. So know yourself, your stature and don’t be forgetful of God’s Reality.”

 

“The one who strives for nearness of Allah, the striving ends in the dissolution of your self in His Essence. You are the one who will meet Him as a function of your striving. It is obligated upon you to not separate yourself from that which is the cause of your connection to Him. The longing will come to you from God, the ability will come through Him, and render you of the honoured.”

 

In the absence of that connection darkness prevails.

 

أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُّجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِّن فَوْقِهِ سَحَابٌ ۚ

ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا ۗ

وَمَن لَّمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِن نُّورٍ

 

Or like the depths of darkness upon an abysmal sea, made yet more dark by wave billowing over wave, with clouds above it all, depths of darkness, layer upon layer, (so that) when one holds up his hand, he can hardly see it.

For he to whom God gives no light, no light whatever has he! – Surah An-Nur, Verse 40

 

Tafseer e Jilani: The depths of darkness is a drowning in forgetfulness of God. The waves upon it come from turning away from God in rebellion and self-deceit. The clouds are veils from refuting God’s existence. The blindness is to the signs of the One-ness of God, deliberate ignoring of His Attributes and refusal to see His astonishing Creation, new and ever changing. The problem lies in a deep fixation on one’s worldly self in vanity and conceit. There is no room left for anything else. Therefore there is no possibility of receiving His Light.

 

According to Ghaus Pak (ra) the real tragedy and source of deepening torment for the human being was a state of self-imposed deprivation.

 

وَذَٰلِكُمْ ظَنُّكُمُ الَّذِي ظَنَنتُم بِرَبِّكُمْ أَرْدَاكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

 

And that (was) your assumption which you assumed about your Lord. It has ruined you, and you have become of the lost – Surah Al-Fussilat, Verse 23

 

A state of mahroomi, a state of loss, vis-à-vis God. Not being able to see His Signs in the world and not being able to see Him in the Afterlife. That was the real azaab, the punishment that wreaked havoc in this world and that would last an eternity on the Last of Days. The real darkness was selfishness and adherence to the ego that rendered one unable to alter.

 

In this world, my actions had deprived me of the company of some that I would have liked to have had in my life. Sometimes I prayed for love and then received it within days, only to kick it hard in the face also within days for no reason other than rage and restlessness. I was out of control and I learnt that people aren’t as kind as God. Not as forgiving. Most have a one strike rule. God was different. He gives chance after chance for a return to Him.

 

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ

إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

 

Say, O Beloved (saw), "O those who have transgressed against themselves! Do not despair of the Mercy (of) Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives the sins all. Indeed He, He (is) the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful – Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 53

And Allah says that knowing of course that many will not return except for on that Day of Regret when nothing but remorse will drown them.

 

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلًا

 

And a Day on which the wrongdoer will bite his hands (in despair), exclaiming: “Oh, would that I had followed the path shown to me by the Apostle! – Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 27

 

Sometime I think my favourite word in the Quran is “Qul” (Say). Throughout the Book the word starts a verse. It is a bestowing of honour and the clear indication that the Book was revealed upon one heart. I only see in it an intense expression of love. Even when it came to informing us about even His Own Self, Allah says to the Prophet (saw), “You say, you tell them, O Beloved (saw), because I allowed only you to know Me as no other, tell them that I am One. You tell them what I am and what I am not.”

 

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ - اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ

لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ - وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

 

Say (O Prophet (saw)), "He is Allah, the One (God). Allah, the Eternal, the Absolute. He begets not and neither is He begotten. And there is nothing that can be compared to Him. – Surah Ikhlas, Verses 1-3

 

In a lecture Uzair magnificently highlights the mission and universality of Nabi Kareem’s (saw) distinguished being through just two verses of Surah Juma’.

 

هُوَ الَّذِي بَعَثَ فِي الْأُمِّيِّينَ رَسُولًا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ

وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

 

He it is who has sent unto the unlettered people an apostle from among themselves, to convey unto them His Messages, and to cause them to grow in purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well as wisdom - whereas before that they were indeed, most obviously, lost in error – Surah Juma’, Verse 2

 

وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

 

And others among them who have not yet joined them and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise – Surah Juma’, Verse 3

 

For all peoples of all of the Universes, this Prophet (saw) brings the conveyance of a message. He is the purifier for everyone. He imparts wisdom to all. He discloses the secrets veiled in the Quran. He is marked as a warner for everyone (from everyone and everything that will be harmful) for all times, his era and all the ones to follow till the end of the world. He is the bringer of good news to all of humanity. He releases all to be released of shackles (of society) and burdens (of other people). He knows all societies and the means of enslaving people.

 

He is the light!

 

Tafseer e Tustari; “He (God) made the gushing forth of the wellsprings of the heart of Muhammad (saw) with the lights of knowledge of different kinds, a sign of Mercy for his nation because God, Exalted is He, honoured him with this honour. For the light of the Prophets is from his (Muhammad’s (saw)) light, the light of heavenly dominions is from his light, and the light of the world and the Hereafter is from his light.”

 

Subhan Allah!

 

يَأْمُرُهُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ

وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ۚ ف

الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ ۙ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

 

Who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him - it is those who will be the Successful - Surah Al-A’raaf, Verse 157

 

Then came the revelation from Uzair; “When he ‘who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil,’ it isn’t random. It is in line with the intrinsic fitrat, nature, of all people.” As in each and every individual.

 

وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ

 

Including those who have not been born yet!

 

If he has to guide all of Mankind, then he also is given the knowledge of all people’s natures before him and after him to provide that guidance. What he forbids only contradicts the welfare of the body and makes it diseased. What he prohibits is what corrupts the soul causing it anxiety, anger and despair.”

 

Tradition states that the following revelation came to certain Prophets from God; O Children of Adam! Where is your gratitude for that which I bestowed you? If there is no gratitude then how will there be acceptance and contentment of that which has been destined for you? If you will not surrender and be content, how will you practice patience when troubles befall you? Without patience how will you deny your nafs, your eg0? And if there is no negation of the ego, how will you be able to become one of the faithful?

 

I was struck by how the process began. Gratitude. The first line of the Quran in the first Surah, Fateha, was just that; the expression of gratitude.

 

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

 

Alhamdolillah e Rab il Alameen!

 

All praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds – Surah Fateha, Verse 1

 

A secret became unveiled in more ways than one for in the Quran the order of the verses is also their significance before God. It’s the perfect expression of His Munificence that God starts His Book with gratitude for it is the only source of peace of mind for a human being. The only one!

 

It is also the only thing Iblis is interested in not making humans practice. For on the day he rebelled, throwing down his gauntlet, his parting words to his Creator were;

 

وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ

 

“And You will not find most of them grateful” - Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 17

 

Not, “I will not let them worship you, pray to you, fast for you, perform Umra/Haj for you. Nothing to do with ritual, nothing to do with worship. He doesn’t care about either. Most people miss the fact that Iblis never had a problem with God, in believing in Him. What he did wrong was refuse to accept the one Allah chose to be his His Khalifa on Earth. He denied His Appointees, us. Many don’t realize that when they downplay the significance of Allah’s favoured, especially His Beloved (saw) they follow him inadvertently.

 

But gratitude requisites a unique expression before God. For one, it isn’t about words, thank you for this and that, as Uzair taught me. It was about deed. Allah wants gratitude towards him expressed through an act of kindness for another being. Ghaus Pak (ra) defines it as sharing the blessings which God has bestowed upon one. That act of goodness for another was what counted as the expression of my gratefulness before Him. But even that was only half of it. The other part was even more significant.

 

The gratitude is expressed for taufeeq to do the act, for ability, which is only and only granted by God. There is no “I.” There can be no “me.” Therefore there is no, “Look, I’m so good,” either. I once went through the typical chain of my thoughts behind a benevolent act; if I would look at a needy person, then I would think about whether I would like to give them anything or not, do something for them or not. Then I would likely decide to help them, thus giving them some money or emotional assistance. Then I would think that I did a good thing and feel happy about it for exactly how long that thought

was. I counted the “I”s. In that one act, there were five.

 

Every act of goodness that I was committing was so overly filled with pride it was killing any joy, which is defined by the Greeks as peacefulness, I could receive. My self-glorification was decimating it entirely. Frequency of acts of kindness was not the issue. I learnt through practice that my raising those numbers was pointless. The problem was being supremely conscious of my own self-importance connected to the act and entirely missing The One who made it possible for me to even be generous by giving me wealth yes, which I certainly did absolutely nothing to deserve, but infinitely more important than that, endowing me with the ability to do the right thing, God!

 

I once asked Qari Sahib what is worse, shirk, making another a partner with Allah in one’s worship or being a worshipper of one’s own ego, the nafs. He pointed me to a hadith that surprised me.

 

ما أبغض اله أبغض على الله من الهوى

 

Allah dislikes even more than someone worshipping another than Him is the one who worships his own bias and vain desires.

 

He told me why as well.

 

Tafseer e Jilani. “When Allah says ‘Aqtalu anfosakum – kill yourselves,’ it is meant in the context of your nafs. It was his own prejudice that made Pharoah declare himself as a god not someone else, that made the people of Bani Israel worship the calf. It was his own ego that made Iblis refuse Allah’s Command and become proud.”

 

Bulleh Shah says it most beautifully in verse. Till the “I” dies is there even a beginning?

 

(Recitation by Imran Jafri @the.softest.heart)

 

مکے گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں پاویں سو سو جمعے پڑہائیے

گنگا گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں پاویں سو سو غوطے کھائیے

بلھے شاہ گل تائیوں مکدی جے "میں" نوں منوں مکائیے

 

Visiting Mecca will not give you the final answer,

even if we offer hundreds of Friday prayers.

 

Visiting the Ganges is no culmination,

even if we take hundreds of dives.

 

Bulleh Shah! You will only unveil The Secret,

if, from your heart, you erase the “I.”

 

(End of Part II in link below)

 

www.flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/49918994051/in/datepos...

 

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqb01bB-J3kyiu-HKIX2MKw

Given to me by friends when I carried the mail .

A decent survivor given the tendency for the base models to be run into the ground, in that classic Ford colour of the era, we had a Sierra in the same shade. I rarely see MK3s now, so this was a pleasing sight, especially one of the early ones registered in 1989.... Dealer plates for Plus Cars of West Ruislip pinpoints this as being fairly locally sold, but this is North West London nearish Watford instead.

Given to me as a seedling by a neighbor.

Brockdish is one of three parish churches within about a mile that can be seen from the A143, but only the top of the tower is visible when heading north, and only fleetingly. THe only other clue is the truncated Church Lane which cuts across the main road, the name of which indicates the nearby church.

 

I came here at about eleven in the morning, having visited Oulton in Suffolk earlier, and wasn't expecting to find it open to be honest. But I heard the bells being rung, or at least pealing in intermittent intervals, the reason being some people were being given lessons.

 

Three cars were parked in the lane beside the church, which you reach by traveling up a green lane north out of the village before taking the track to the church.

 

The door to the tower, where the bellringers were being taught was ajar, and I could have gone up, but instead I go to the porch to try the door, and finding it open, I go inside lest someone comes and closes it.

 

Soon I am joined inside by the warden who is surprised, but pleased, to find a visitor: she is there to make teas for the ringers, and would I like one?

 

My breath had already been taken away by the tiles in the chancel, which are of exceptional quality. Tiles are something easily overlooked, and indeed many were clearly bought from catalogues, and so many are similar, but when more attention to detail was given, when extra quality was installed, it shines through.

 

-----------------------------------------

 

When I first visited this church in 2005, it was with something of a sinking heart to arrive at the third church in a row that was locked without a keyholder notice. Today, nothing could be further from the truth. In the south porch there is a large notice now which reads Come in and enjoy your church! Fabulous stuff.

The trim graveyard includes some substantial memorials to the Kay family, including one massive structure with an angel under a spire which would not look out of place opposite the Royal Albert Hall. No expense was spared by the Victorians here at Brockdish. The rebuilding was paid for by the Rector, George France, who also advised architect Frederick Marable on exactly what form this vision of the medieval should take. The tower above is curiously un-East Anglian, looking rather unusual surrounded by Norfolk fields. All around the building headstops are splendid, and fine details like faux-consecration crosses on the porch show that France was generally a man who knew what a medieval church should look like.

 

It will not surprise you to learn that St Peter and St Paul is similarly grand on the inside, if a touch severe. France actually devised a church much more Anglo-catholic than we find it today; it was toned down by the militantly low church Kay family later in the century. They took down the rood and replaced it with a simple cross, painting out the figures on the rood screen as well. When I first visited, the very helpful churchwarden who'd opened up for me observed that Brockdish is the only church in Norfolk that has stained glass in every window, which isn't strictly true (Harleston, three miles away, has as well) but we can be thankful that, thanks to the Reverend France's fortunes, it is of a very good quality. The glass seems to have been an ongoing project, because some of it dates from the 1920s. In keeping with low church tradition, the glass depicts mainly Biblical scenes and sayings of Christ rather than Saints, apart from the church's two patron Saints in the east window of the chancel. There are also some roundels in the east window of the south aisle, which appear to be of continental glass. They depict the Adoration of the Magi, the deposition of Christ, what appears to be Paharoah's daughter with the infant Moses, and the heads of St Matthias, St John the Evangelist, and Christ with a Crown of Thorns. However, I suspect that at least some of them are the work of the King workshop of Norwich, and that only the Deposition and the Old Testament scene are genuinely old.

 

If this is rather a gloomy church on a dark day, it is because of the glass in the south clerestory, a surprisingly un-medieval detail - the whole point of a clerestory was to let light reach the rood. The glass here is partly heraldic, partly symbolic. The stalls in the chancel are another faux-medieval detail - there was never a college of Priests here - but they looked suspiciously as if they might contain old bench ends within the woodwork. Not all is false, because the chancel also contains an unusual survival from the earlier church, a tombchest which may have been intended as an Easter Sepulchre.

 

Above all, the atmosphere is at once homely and devotional, not least because of the exceptional quality of the tiled sanctuary, an increasingly rare beast because they were so often removed in the 1960s and 1970s, when Victorian interiors were unfashionable. Brockdish's is spectacular, a splendid example that has caught the attention of 19th century tile enthusiasts and experts nationally.

 

Also tiled is the area beneath the tower, which France had reordered as a baptistery. The font has recently been moved back into the body of the church; presumably, whoever supplies the church's liability insurance had doubts about godparents standing with their backs to the steps down into the nave.

I liked Brockdish church a lot; I don't suppose it gets a lot of visitors, but it is a fine example of what the Victorians did right.

 

Simon Knott, June 2005, revisited and updated July 2010

 

www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/brockdish/brockdish.htm

 

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Is the next adjoining town eastward, through which the great road passes to Yarmouth; on the left hand of which, stands the church, on a hill by itself, there being no house near it but the parsonage, which joins to the east side of the churchyard. The advowson always belonged to the Earl's manor here, with which it now continues.

 

In Norwich Domesday we read, that the rector had a house and 30 acres of land, that it was then valued at 15 marks, and paid as it now doth for synodals 1s. 9d. procurations 6s. 8d. and 12d. Peter-pence. It stands in the King's Books thus:

 

10l. Brokedish rectory. 1l. yearly tenths.

 

And consequently pays first-fruits, and is incapable of augmentation. The church stands included in the glebe, which is much the same in quantity as it was when the aforesaid survey was taken. It is in Norfolk archdeaconry, Redenhall deanery, and Duke of Norfolk's liberty, though he hath no lete, warren, paramountship, or superiour jurisdiction at all in this town, the whole being sold by the family along with the manors of the town.

 

In 1603, there were 103 communicants here, and now there are 50 families, and about 300 inhabitants; it was laid to the ancient tenths at 4l. but had a constant deduction of 14s. on account of lands belonging to the religious, so that the certain payment to each tenth, was 3l. 6s.

 

The Prior of St. Faith at Horsham owned lands here, which were taxed at 2s. 6d. in 1428.

 

The Prior of Thetford monks had lands here of the gift of Richard de Cadomo or Caam, (fn. 1) who gave them his land in Brokedis, and a wood sufficient to maintain 20 swine, in the time of King Henry I. when William Bigot, sewer to that King, gave to this priory all the land of Sileham, which from those monks is now called Monks-hall manor, and the water-mill there; all which Herbert Bishop of Norwich conveyed to his father, in exchange for other lands, he being to hold it in as ample a manner as ever Herbert the chaplain did; and in Ric. the Second's time, the monks bought a piece of marsh ground in Brokedis, to make a way to their mill, which being not contained in the grant of Monks-hall manor from Hen. VIII. to the Duke of Norfolk, William Grice, Esq. and Charles Newcomen, who had a grant of such lands as they could find concealed from the Crown, seized on this as such; and upon their so doing, the owner of the mill was obliged to purchase it of them, by the name of Thetford-Mill-Way, and it hath ever since belonged to, and is constantly repaired by the owner thereof.

 

Rectors of Brockidish.

 

12 - - Robert

 

12 - - Sir Ralf de Creping, rector.

 

1313, Sir Stephen Bygod. The King, for this turn.

 

1324, Nic. le Mareschal. Tho. Earl of Norfolk and Marshal.

 

1326, Mathew Paumer, or Palmer. Ditto. He changed for Canefield-Parva in London diocese with

 

Master Robert de Hales. Ditto.

 

1333, John de Melburn. Ditto.

 

1355, Roger de Wombwell. Lady Eleanor and Thomas de Wingfield, attorneys to Sir John Wingfield, Knt.

 

1356, John Knyght of Exeter. Mary Countess-Marshal, widow of Tho. de Brotherton, who recovered the advowson by the King's writ, against Sir J. Wingfield, Knt. and Thomas his brother, William de Lampet and Alice his wife, and Catherine her sister, and so Wombwell was ejected.

 

1357, John de Esterford. Mary Countess-Marshal. He resigned in

 

1367, to John son of Catherine de Frenge, and he in

 

1368, to John Syward. Sir Walter Lord Manney.

 

1382, John de Balsham, who changed for Stowe St. Michael in Exeter diocese, with

 

Bartholomew Porter. Margaret Marshal, Countess of Norfolk.

 

1405, Sir John Dalyngho of Redcnhall. Eliz. Dutchess of Norf. in right of her dower.

 

1417, he exchanged with Thomes Barry, priest, for the vicarage of Berkyng church in London. John Lancaster, Ric. Sterisacre, and Rob. Southwell, attorneys to John Duke of Norfolk, EarlMarshal and Notyngham, who was beyond the seas. Barry resigned in

 

1422, to Sir Thomas Briggs, priest, who died rector. Ditto.

 

1454, Sir Hen. White, priest. John Duke of Norf. Earl-Marshal and Notingham, Marshal of England, Lord Mowbray, Segrave, and Gower. He resigned in

 

1455, to Sir Thomas Holm, priest. Ditto. And he in

 

1478, to John Nun. The King, as guardian to Richard Duke of York and Norfolk, and Lady Ann his wife, daughter and heir of John late Duke of Norfolk.

 

1491, John Mene; he had a union to hold another benefice.

 

1497, John Rogers, A. M. Eliz. Dutchess of Norfolk. He resigned in

 

1498, to Sir John Fisk, priest, chaplain to the Dutchess. Ditto. At whose death in

 

1511, Sir Robert Gyrlyng, chaplain to Thomas Earl of Surrey, had it of that Earl's gift: he was succeeded by

 

Sir William Flatberry, chaplain to Thomas Duke of Norfolk, who presented him; he resigned in

 

1540, to Sir Nic. Stanton, chaplain to his patron, Tho. Duke of Norf. Lord Treasurer and Earl-Marshal, and was succeeded by

 

William Hide, priest. Ditto. He resigned, and the Duke presented it in

 

1561, to Sir John Inman, priest, who was buried here Aug. 1, 1586.

 

1586, Aug. 4, Master Richard Gibson was instituted, who was buried Oct. 1, 1625; he was presented by Robert Nichols of Cambridge, by purchase of the turn from William le Grice, Gent. and Hester le Grice, wife of Charles le Grice, Gent. true patrons.

 

1625, William Owles, who held it united to Billingford. John Knapp of Brockdish, by grant of this turn. He was succeeded in

 

1645, by Brian Witherel, and he by

 

Mr. James Aldrich, who died rector Nov. 10, 1657, from which time somebody held it without institution, till the Restoration, and then receded, for in

 

1663, May 14, Sir Augustine Palgrave, patron of this turn, in right of Catherine his wife, presented George Fish, on the cession of the last incumbent; he was buried here Oct. 29, 1686.

 

1686, Thomas Palgrave, A.M. buried here March 24, 1724. Fran. Laurence, Gent.

 

1724, Abel Hodges, A.B. he held it united to Tharston, and died in 1729. Richard Meen, apothecary, for this turn.

 

1729, Richard Clark, LL. B. was instituted Dec. 3, and died about six weeks after. Mrs. Ellen Laurence of Castleacre, widow.

 

1730, Alan Fisher. Ditto. He resigned in

 

1738, and was succeeded by Robert Laurence, A. B. of Caius college, who lies buried at the south-east corner of the chancel, and was succeeded in

 

1739, by Francis Blomefield, clerk, the present rector, who holds it united to Fresfield rectory, being presented by Mrs. Ellen Laurence aforesaid.

 

The church is dedicated to the honour of the apostles St. Peter and Paul, and hath a square tower about 16 yards high, part of which was rebuilt with brick in 1714; there are five bells; the third, which is said to have been brought from Pulham in exchange, hath this on it;

 

Sancta Maria ora pro nobis.

 

and on the fourth is this,

 

Uirgo Coronata duc nos ad Regna beata.

 

The nave, chancel, and south isle are leaded, the south porch tiled, and the north porch is ruinated. The roof of this chancel is remarkable for its principals, which are whole trees without any joint, from side to side, and bent in such a rising manner, as to be agreeable to the roof. The chancel is 30 feet long and 20 broad, the nave is 54 feet long and 32 broad, and the south isle is of the same length, and 10 feet broad.

 

At the west end of the nave is a black marble thus inscribed,

 

Here lyeth buried the Body of Richard Wythe Gent. who departed this Life the 6 of Sept. 1671, who lived 64 Years and 4 Months and 9 Days.

 

This family have resided here till lately, ever since Edw. the Third's time, and had a considerable estate here, and the adjacent villages. See their arms, vol. iv. p. 135.

 

Another marble near the desk hath this,

 

Near this Place lays Elizabeth Wife of John Moulton Gent. who died Oct. 31, 1716, aged 32 Years. And here lieth Mary the late Wife of John Moulton, who died March 20, 1717, aged 27 Years. And also here lyeth the Body of John Moulton Gent. who died June 12, 1718, aged 38 Years.

 

Moulton's arms and crest as at vol. iv. p. 501.

 

In a north window are the arms of De la Pole quartering Wingfield.

 

In 1465, Jeffry Wurliche of Brockdish was buried here, and in 1469 John Wurliche was interred in the nave, and left a legacy to pave the bottom of the steeple. In 1518, Henry Bokenham of Brockdish was buried in the church, as were many of the Spaldings, (fn. 2) Withes, Howards, Grices, Tendrings, and Laurences; who were all considerable owners and families of distinction in this town.

 

The chapel at the east end of the south isle was made by Sir Ralf Tendring of Brockdish, Knt. whose arms remain in its east window at this day, once with, and once without, a crescent az. on the fess, viz. az. a fess between two chevrons arg.

 

His altar monument stands against the east wall, north and south, and hath a sort of cupola over it, with a holy-water stope by it, and a pedestal for the image of the saint to which it was dedicated, to stand on, so that it served both for a tomb and an altar; the brass plates of arms and circumscription are lost.

 

On the north side, between the chapel and nave, stands another altar tomb, covered with a most curious marble disrobed of many brass plates of arms and its circumscription, as are several other stones in the nave, isle, and chancel. This is the tomb of John Tendring of Brockdish-hall, Esq. who lived there in 1403, and died in 1436, leaving five daughters his heirs, so that he was the last male of this branch of the Tendrings. Cecily his wife is buried by him.

 

On the east chancel wall, on the south side of the altar, is a white marble monument with this,

 

Obdormit hìc in Domino, lætam in Christo expectans Resurrectionem, Robertus, Roberti Laurence, ac Annæ Uxoris ejus, Filius, hujusce Ecclesiæ de Brockdish in Comitatû Norfolciensi Rector, ejusdem Villæ Dominus, ac Ecclesiæ Patronus, jure hereditario (si vixîsset) Futurus; Sed ah! Fato nimium immaturo abreptus; Cœlestia per Salvatoris merita sperans, Terrestria omnia, Juvenis reliquit. Dec. 31°. Anno æræ Christianæ mdccxxxixo. Ætatis xxvo. Maria, unica Soror et Hæres, Roberti Frankling Generosi Uxor, Fraterni Amoris hoc Testimonium animo grato, Memoriæ Sacrum posuit.

 

1. Laurence, arg. a cross raguled gul. on a chief gul. a lion passant guardant or.

 

2. Aslack, sab. a chevron erm. between three catherine-wheels arg.

 

3. Lany, arg. on a bend between two de-lises gul. a mullet of the field for difference.

 

4. Cooke, or, on a chevron ingrailed gul. a crescent of the field for difference, between three cinquefoils az. on a chief of the second, a lion passant guardant of the first.

 

5. Bohun, gul. a crescent erm. in an orle of martlets or.

 

6. Bardolf, az. three cinquefoils or.

 

7. Ramsey, gul. a chevron between three rams heads caboshed arg.

 

8. as 1.

 

Crest, a griffin seiant proper.

 

Motto, Floreat ut Laurus.

 

On a flat stone under this monument, is a brass plate thus inscribed,

 

Sacrum hoc Memoriæ Roberti Laurence Armigeri, qui obijt xxviijo die Julij 1637, Elizabeth Uxor ejus, Filia Aslak Lany Armigeri posuit.

 

Arms on a brass plate are,

 

Lawrence impaling Lany and his quarterings, viz. 1, Lany. 2, Aslack. 3, Cooke. 4, Bohun. 5, nine de-lises, 3, 3, and 3. 6, Bardolf. 7, Charles. 8, on a chevron three de-lises. 9, Ramsey. 10, Tendring. 11, on a fess two coronets. 12, Wachesam, arg. a fess, in chief two crescents gul. 13, a lion rampant. 14, Lany.

 

There is a picture of this Robert drawn in 1629, æt. 36. He built the hall in 1634; it stands near half a mile north-east of the church, and was placed near the old site of Brockdishe's-hall; the seat of the Tendrings, whose arms, taken out of the old hall when this was built, were fixed in the windows. The arms of this man and his wife, and several of their quarterings, are carved on the wainscot in the rooms.

 

On the south side of the churchyard is an altar tomb covered with a black marble, with the crest and arms of

 

Sayer, or Sawyer, gul. a chief erm. and a chevron between three seamews proper.

 

Crest, a hand holding a dragon's head erased proper.

 

To the Memory of Frances late the wife of Richard Tubby Esq. who departed this Life Dec. 22, 1728, in the 60th Year of her Age.

 

And adjoining is another altar tomb,

 

In Memory of Richard Tubby Esq. (fn. 3) who died Dec. 10th. 1741, in the 80th Year of his Age.

 

There are two other altar tombs in the churchyard, one for Mr. Rich. Chatton, and another for Eliz. daughter of Robert and Eliz. Harper, who died in 1719, aged 8 years.

 

The town takes its name from its situation on the Waveney or Wagheneye, which divides this county from that of Suffolk; the channel of which is now deep and broad, though nothing to what it was at that time, as is evident from the names of places upon this river, as the opposite vill, now called Sileham, (oftentimes wrote Sayl-holm, even to Edw. the Third's time) shows; for I make no doubt, but it was then navigable for large boats and barges to sail up hither, and continued so, till the sea by retiring at Yarmouth, and its course being stopt near Lowestoft, had not that influence on the river so far up, as it had before; which occasioned the water to retire, and leave much land dry on either side of the channel; though it is so good a stream, that it might with ease, even now, be made navigable hither; and it would be a good work, and very advantageous to all the adjacent country. That [Brod-dic] signifies no more than the broad-ditch, is very plain, and that the termination of ò, eau, or water, added to it, makes it the broad ditch of water, is as evident.

 

Before the Confessor's time, this town was in two parts; Bishop Stigand owned one, and the Abbot of Bury the other; the former afterwards was called the Earl's Manor, from the Earls of Norfolk; and the other Brockdishe's-hall, from its ancient lords, who were sirnamed from the town.

 

The superiour jurisdiction, lete, and all royalties, belonged to the Earl's manor, which was always held of the hundred of Earsham, except that part of it which belonged to Bury abbey, and that belonged to the lords of Brockdishe's-hall; but when the Earl's manor was sold by the Duke of Norfolk, with all royalties of gaming, fishing, &c. together with the letes, view of frankpledge, &c. free and exempt from his hundred of Earsham, and the two manors became joined as they now are, the whole centered in the lord of the town, who hath now the sole jurisdiction with the lete, belonging to it; and the whole parish being freehold, on every death or alienation, the new tenant pays a relief of a year's freehold rent, added to the current year: The annual free-rent, without such reliefs, amounting to above 3l. per annum. At the Conqueror's survey the town was seven furlongs long, and five furlongs and four perches broad, and paid 6d. to the geld or tax. At the Confessor's survey, there were 28 freemen here, six of which held half a carucate of land of Bishop Stigand, and the others held 143 acres under the Abbot of Bury, and the Abbot held the whole of Stigand, without whose consent the freemen could neither give away, nor sell their land, but were obliged to pay him 40s. a year free-rent; (fn. 4) and if they omitted paying at the year's end, they forfeited their lands, or paid their rent double; but in the Conqueror's time they paid 16l. per annum by tale. There were two socmen with a carucate of land, two villeins and two bordars here, which were given to Bury abbey along with the adjacent manor of Thorp-Abbots, but were after severed from that manor, and infeoffed by the Abbot of Bury in the lord of Brockdishe's-hall manor, with which it passed ever after. (fn. 5)

 

Brockdish-Earl's Manor, or Brockdish Comitis.

 

This manor always attended the manor of Forncet after it was granted from the Crown to the Bygods, along with the half hundred of Earsham, for which reason I shall refer you to my account of that manor at p. 223, 4. It was mostly part of the dower of the ladies of the several noble families that it passed through, and the living was generally given to their domestick chaplains. In 3 Edward I. the Abbot of Bury tried an action with Roger Bigod, then lord and patron, for the patronage; (fn. 6) pleading that a part of the town belonged to his house, and though they had infeoffed their manor here in the family of the Brockdishes, yet the right in the advowson remained in him; but it appearing that the advowson never belonged to the Abbot's manor, before the feofment was made, but that it wholly was appendant ever since the Confessor's time, to the Earl's manor, the Abbot was cast: notwithstanding which in 1335, Sir John Wingfield, Knt. and Thomas his brother, William de Lampet and Alice his wife, and Catherine her sister, owners of Brockdishe's manor, revived the claim to the advowson; and Thomas de Wingfield, and lady Eleanor wife of Sir John Wingfield, presented here, and put up their arms in the church windows, as patrons, which still remain; but Mary Countess Marshal, who then held this manor in dower, brought her quare impedit, and ejected their clerk; since which time, it constantly attended this manor, being always appendant thereto. In 15 Edw. I. Roger Bigot, then lord, had free-warren in all this town, as belonging to this manor, having not only all the royalties of the town, but also the assise of bread and ale, and amerciaments of all the tenants of his own manor, and of the tenants of Reginald de Brockdish, who were all obliged to do suit once a year at the Earl's view of frankpledge and lete in Brockdish; and it continued in the Norfolk family till 1570, and then Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, obtained license from Queen Elizabeth to sell it; it being held in capite or in chief of the Crown, as part of the barony and honour of the said Duke, who accordingly sold the manor, advowson, free-fishery, and all the place or manor-house, and demean lands; together with the lete, view of frankpledge, liberty of free warren, and all other royalties whatsoever, free and exempt from any jurisdiction or payment to his half hundred of Earsham, to

 

Charles le Grice, Esq. of Brockdish, and his heirs, who was descended from Sir Rorert le Grys of Langley in Norfolk, Knt. equerry to Ric. I. and Oliva his wife, whose son, Sir Simon le Grys, Knt. of Thurveton, was alive in 1238, and married Agnes daughter and coheir to Augustine son of Richard de Waxtenesham or Waxham, of Waxham in Norfolk, by whom he had Roger le Grys of Thurton, Esq. who lived in the time of Edward I. whose son Thomas le Grice of Thurton, had Roger le Grice of Brockdish, who lived here in 1392; whose son Thomas left John le Grice his eldest son and heir, who married a Bateman, and lies buried in St. John Baptist's church in Norwich; (see vol. iv. p. 127;) but having no male issue, William le Grice of Brockdish, Esq. son of Robert le Grice of Brockdish, his uncle, inherited; he married Sibill, daughter and sole heir of Edmund Singleton of Wingfield in Suffolk, and had

 

Anthony le Grice of Brockdish, Esq. (fn. 7) who married Margaret, daughter of John Wingfield, Esq. of Dunham, who lived in the place, and died there in 1553, and lies buried in the church, by whom his wife also was interred in 1562. His brother Gilbert Grice of Yarmouth, Gent. (fn. 8) first agreed with the Duke for Brockdish, but died before it was completed; so that Anthony, who was bound with him for performance of the covenants, went on with the purchase for his son,

 

Charles le Grice aforesaid, (fn. 9) to whom it was conveyed: he married two wives; the first was Susan, daughter and heir of Andrew Manfield, Gent. and Jane his wife, who was buried here in 1564; the second was Hester, daughter of Sir George Blagge, Knt. who held the manor for life; and from these two wives descended the numerous branches of the Grices of Brockdish, Norwich, Wakefield in Yorkshire, &c. He was buried in this church April 12, 1575, and was found to hold his manor of the hundred of Earsham, in free soccage, without any rent or service, and not in capite; and Brockdishe's-hall manor of the King, as of his barony of Bury St. Edmund in Suffolk, which lately belonged to the abbey there, in free soccage, without any rent or service, and not in capite, and

 

William le Grice, Esq. was his eldest son and heir, who at the death of his mother-in-law, was possessed of the whole estate; for in 1585, William Howard, then lord of Brockdishe's-hall manor, agreed and sold it to this William, and Henry le Grice his brother, and their heirs; but Howard dying the next year, the purchase was not completed till 1598, when Edw. Coppledick, Gent. and other trustees, brought a writ of entry against John son of the said William Howard, Gent. and had it settled absolutely in the Grices, from which time the two manors have continued joined as they are at this day; by Alice, daughter and heiress of Mr. Eyre of Yarmouth; he left

 

Francis le Grice, Esq. his son and heir, who sold the whole estate, manors, and advowson, to

 

Robert Laurence of Brockdish, Esq. (fn. 10) who married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard, son of Edmund Anguish of Great-Melton, by whom he had

 

Robert Laurence, Esq. his son and heir, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Aslack Lany, who survived him, and remarried in 1640, to Richard Smith, Gent. by whom she had one child, Eliz. buried here in 1641: he died July 24, 1637, and lies buried by the altar as aforesaid: he built the present hall, and had divers children, as Aslak Laurence, Robert, born in 1633, buried in 1635, Samuel Laurence, born in 1635, Ellen, born in 1635, Elizabeth, who married William Reynolds of Great-Massingham, Gent. and

 

Francis Laurence of Brockdish, Esq. his eldest son and heir, who married Ellen, daughter of Thomas Patrick of Castle-acre, Gent. widow of Mathew Halcote of Litcham, Gent. who survived him, and held Brockdish in jointure to her death, which happened Jan. 6, 1741, when she was buried in the nave of Litcham church: they had Frances, and Elizabeth, who died infants; Mary, who died single about 1736, and was buried in the vestry belonging to Castleacre church; Jane, married to Mr. Thomas Shin of Great Dunham, by whom a Thomas, a son, &c. she being dead; Ellen, now widow of Thomas Young of Oxboro, Gent. who died Oct. 1743, leaving issue, the Rev. Mr. Thomas-Patrick Young of Caius college in Cambridge, Benjamin and Mary, and

 

Samuel Lawrence, Gent. their second son, is now alive and single; and

 

Robert Lawrence, Esq. their eldest son and heir, is long since dead, but by Anne daughter of John Meriton, late rector of Oxburgh, his wife, he left one son,

 

Robert Laurence, late rector of Brockdish, who died single, and

 

Mrs. Mary Laurence, his only sister, who is now living, and married to Robert Frankling, Gent. of Lynn in Norfolk, is the present lord in her right, but they have no issue.

 

Brockdishe's-Hall Manor,

 

Belonged to Bury abbey as aforesaid, till the time of Henry I. and then the Abbot infeoffed

 

Sir Stephen de Brockdish in it, from whom it took its present name; he was to hold it at the 4th part of a knight's fee of that abbey: it contained a capital messuage or manor-house, called now Brockdishe's-hall; 105 acres of land in demean, 12 acres of wood, 8 of meadow, and 4l. 13s. 10d. rents of assise; he left it to

 

Jeffery de Brockdish his son, and he to

 

William, his son and heir, who in 1267, by the name of William de Hallehe de Brokedis, or Will. of Brockdish-hall, was found to owe suit and service once in a year with all his tenants, to the lete of the Earl of Norfolk, held here. He left this manor, and the greatest part of his estate in Norwich-Carleton (which he had with Alice Curson his wife) to

 

Thomas, his son and heir, and the rest of it to Nigel de Brockdish, his younger son; (see p. 102;) Thomas left it to

 

Reginald, his eldest son and heir, and he to

 

Sir Stephen de Brockdish, Knt. his son and heir, who was capital bailiff of all the Earl of Norfolk's manors in this county; he was lord about 1329, being succeeded by his son,

 

Stephen, who by Mary Wingfield his wife, had

 

Reginald de Brockdish, his son and heir, (fn. 11) to whom he gave Brockdish-hall manor in Burston, (see vol. i. p. 127, vol. ii. p. 506,) but he dying before his father, was never lord here; his two daughters and heiresses inheriting at his father's death, viz.

 

Alice, married to William de Lampet about 1355, and Catherine some time after, to William son of John de Herdeshull, lord of North Kellesey and Saleby in Lincolnshire, who inherited each a moiety, according to the settlement made by their grandfather, who infeoffed Sir John de Wingfield, Knt. and Eleanor his wife, and Thomas his brother, in trust for them; (fn. 12) soon after, one moiety was settled on Robert Mortimer and Catherine his wife, by John Hemenhale, clerk, and John de Lantony, their trustees; and not long after the whole was united, and belonged to

 

Sir William Tendring of Stokeneyland, Knt. and Margaret his wife, daughter and coheir of Sir Will. Kerdeston of Claxton in Norfolk, Knt. who were succeeded by their son and heir

 

Sir John Tendring of Stokeneyland, Knt. who jointly with Agnes his wife, settled it on

 

Sir Ralf Tendring of Brockdish, Knt. one of their younger sons, who built the old hall (which was pulled down by Robert Lawrence, Esq. when he erected the present house) and the south isle chapel, in which he and Alice his wife are interred; his son,

 

John Tendring of Brockdish, Esq. who was lord here and of Westhall in Colney, (see p. 5,) and was buried in the said chapel, with Cecily his wife, died in 1436, and left five daughrers, coheiresses, viz.

 

Cecily, married to Robert Ashfield of Stowlangetot in Suffolk, Esq.

 

Elizabeth, to Simeon Fincham of Fincham in Norfolk, Esq.

 

Alice, to Robert Morton.

 

Joan, to Henry Hall of Helwinton.

 

Anne, to John Braham of Colney.

 

Who joined and levied a fine and sold it to

 

Thomas Fastolff, Esq. and his heirs; and the year following, they conveyed all their lands, &c. in Wigenhall, Tilney, and Islington, to

 

Sir John Howard, Knt. and his heirs; and vested them in his trustees, who, the year following, purchased the manor of Fastolff to himself and heirs; this Sir John left Brockdish to a younger son,

 

Robert Howard, Esq. who settled here, and by Isabel his wife had

 

William Howard of Brockdish, Esq. who was lord in 1469; he had two wives, Alice and Margaret, from whom came a very numerous issue, but

 

Robert, his son and heir, had this manor, who by Joan his wife had

 

William Howard, his eldest son and heir, who died in 1566, seized of many lands in Cratfield, Huntingfield, Ubbeston, and Bradfield in Suffolk; and of many lands and tenements here, and in Sileham, &c. having sold this manor the year before his death, to the Grices as aforesaid; but upon the sale, he reserved, all other his estate in Brockdish, in which he dwelt, called Howard's Place, situate on the south side of the entrance of Brockdish-street; which house and farm went to

 

John Howard, his son and heir, the issue of whose three daughters, Grace, Margaret, and Elizabeth, failing, it reverted to

 

Mathew, son of William Howard, second brother to the said John Howard their father, whose second son,

 

Mathew Howard, afterwards owned it; and in 1711, it was owned by a Mathew Howard, and now by

 

Mr. Bucknall Howard of London, his kinsman (as I am informed.)

 

The site and demeans of the Earl's manor, now called the place, was sold from the manor by the Grices some time since, and after belonged to Sir Isaac Pennington, alderman of London, (see vol. i. p. 159,) and one of those who sat in judgment on the royal martyr, for which his estate was forfeited at the Restoration, and was given by Car. II. to the Duke of Grafton; and his Grace the present Duke of Grafton, now owns it.

 

the benefactions to this parish are,

 

One close called Algorshegge, containing three acres, (fn. 13) and a grove and dove-house formerly built thereon containing about one acre, at the east end thereof; the whole abutting on the King's highway north, and the glebe of Brockdish rectory west: and one tenement abutting on Brockdish-street south, called Seriches, (fn. 14) with a yard on the north side thereof, were given by John Bakon the younger, of Brockdish, son of John Bakon the elder, of Thorp-Abbots; the clear profits to go yearly to pay the tenths and fifteenths for the parish of Brockdish when laid, and when they are not laid, to repair and adorn the parish church there for ever: his will is proved in 1433. There are always to be 12 feoffees, of such as dwell, or are owners in the parish, and when the majority of them are dead, the survivors are to fill up the vacancies.

 

In 1590, 1 Jan. John Howard, Gent. John Wythe, Gent. William Crickmere and Daniel Spalding, yeomen, officers of Brockdish, with a legacy left to their parish in 1572, by John Sherwood, late of Brokdish, deceased, purchased of John Thruston of Hoxne, Gent. John Thruston his nephew, Thomas Barker, and the inhabitants of Hoxne in Suffolk, one annuity or clear yearly rent-charge of 6s. 8d. issuing out of six acres of land and pasture in Hoxne, in a close called Calston's-close, one head abutting on a way leading from Heckfield-Green to Moles-Cross, towards the east; to the only use and behoof of the poor of Brockdish, to be paid on the first of November in Hoxne church-porch, between 12 and 4 in the afternoon of the same day, with power to distrain and enter immediately for non-payment; the said six acres are warranted to be freehold, and clear of all incumbrances, except another rentcharge of 13s. 4d. granted to Hoxne poor, to be paid at the same day and place

 

In 1592, John Howard of Brockdish sold to the inhabitants there, a cottage called Laune's, lying between the glebes on all parts; this hath been dilapidated many years, but the site still belongs to the parish.

 

From the old Town Book.

 

1553, 1st Queen Mary, paid for a book called a manuel 2s. 6d.; for two days making the altar and the holy-water stope, and for a lock for the font. 1554, paid for the rood 9d. 1555, paid for painting the rood-loft 14d. At the visitation of my Lord Legate 16d. To the organs maker 4d. and for the chalice 26s. 1557, paid for carriage of the Bible to Bocnam 12d. for deliverance of the small books at Harlstone 15d.; the English Bibles and all religious Protestant tracts usually at this time left in the churches for the information and instruction of the common people, being now called in by the Papist Queen. Paid for two images making 5s.; for painting them 16d. for irons for them 8d. But in 1558, as soon as Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne, all these Popish, images, &c. were removed out of the church. Paid for sinking the altar 4d.; carrying out the altar 5d.; mending the communion table 3d.; 1561, paid for the X. Commandments 18d.; for pulling down the rood-loft 14d.; paid Roger Colby repairing the crosse in the street 26s. 8d.; for a lock to the crosse-house, &c.; 1565, for digging the ground and levelling the low altar, (viz. in the south chapel,) and mending the pavement. For makyng the communion cup at Harlston 5s. 4d. besides 6s. 2d. worth of silver more than the old chalice weyed. 1569, paid to Belward the Dean for certifying there is no cover to the cup, 8d. 1657, layd out 19s. 4d. for the relief of Attleburgh, visited with the plague. Laid out 17s. for the repair of the Brockdish part of Sileham bridge, leading over the river to Sileham church. This bridge is now down, through the negligence of both the parishes, though it was of equal service to both, and half of it repaired by each of them. In 1618, the church was wholly new paved and repaired; and in 1619, the pulpit and desk new made, new books, pulpit-cloth, altar-cloth, &c. bought.

 

From the Register:

 

1593, Daniel son of Robert Pennington, Gent. bapt. 13 July. 1626, John Brame, Gent. and Anne Shardelowe, widow, married Sept. 2. 1631, John Blomefield and Elizabeth Briges married May 30. 1666, Roger Rosier, Gent. buried. 1735, Henry Blomefield of Fersfield, Gent. single man, and Elizabeth Bateman of Mendham, single woman, married Feb. 27.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-hist-norfolk/vol5...

The Museum of the Moon was still supposed to be on. Or, to be more accurate, I had not checked that it was still on, but would be a good excuse to return to Rochester for the first time in over a decade.

 

Last time here I took seven or so shots, I was hoping to improve on that.

 

But, as I was to find, the Moon moved out on Wednesday, so there was just the cathedral to look at and record, and I pretty much had the cathedral to myself.

 

There was a service in the chancel, so that and the Quire were out of bounds for a while, but once over I was given the nod I could go in.

 

How do you describe a cathedral? Especially one as grand and old as Rochester?

 

From the west, the cathedral doesn't look too big, but there is a viewing place from the High Street that shows the cathedral to be a large and complicated building.

 

Inside the nave is huge, with the organ towering over the altar. Through the doorway into the quire and the sanctuary beyond, and all the while, above the white vaulted ceiling reached from the high walls and columns.

 

All around the walls are memorials to the great and good of Kent, some tombs too. The step leading from the aisles to the sanctuary are worn down by the millions of feet that have climbed them over the centuries.

 

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The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rochester in the Church of England and the seat (cathedra) of the Bishop of Rochester, the second oldest bishopric in England after that of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The edifice is a Grade I listed building (number 1086423)

 

The Rochester diocese was founded by Justus, one of the missionaries who accompanied Augustine of Canterbury to convert the pagan southern English to Christianity in the early 7th century. As the first Bishop of Rochester, Justus was granted permission by King Æthelberht of Kent to establish a church dedicated to Andrew the Apostle (like the monastery at Rome where Augustine and Justus had set out for England) on the site of the present cathedral, which was made the seat of a bishopric. The cathedral was to be served by a college of secular priests and was endowed with land near the city called Priestfields.[3][a][b]

 

Under the Roman system, a bishop was required to establish a school for the training of priests.[4] To provide the upper parts for music in the services a choir school was required.[5] Together these formed the genesis of the cathedral school which today is represented by the King's School, Rochester. The quality of chorister training was praised by Bede.

 

The original cathedral was 42 feet (13 m) high and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide. The apse is marked in the current cathedral on the floor and setts outside show the line of the walls. Credit for the construction of the building goes to King Æthelberht rather than St Justus. Bede describes St Paulinus' burial as "in the sanctuary of the Blessed Apostle Andrew which Æthelberht founded likewise he built the city of Rochester."[c][7]

 

Æthelberht died in 617 and his successor, Eadbald of Kent, was not a Christian. Justus fled to Francia and remained there for a year before he was recalled by the king.[8]

 

In 644 Ithamar, the first English-born bishop, was consecrated at the cathedral.[d] Ithamar consecrated Deusdedit as the first Saxon Archbishop of Canterbury on 26 March 655.[9]

 

The cathedral suffered much from the ravaging of Kent by King Æthelred of Mercia in 676. So great was the damage that Putta retired from the diocese and his appointed successor, Cwichelm, gave up the see "because of its poverty".[10]

 

In 762, the local overlord, Sigerd, granted land to the bishop, as did his successor Egbert.[e][11] The charter is notable as it is confirmed by Offa of Mercia as overlord of the local kingdom.

 

Following the invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror granted the cathedral and its estates to his half-brother, Odo of Bayeux. Odo misappropriated the resources and reduced the cathedral to near-destitution. The building itself was ancient and decayed. During the episcopate of Siward (1058–1075) it was served by four or five canons "living in squalor and poverty".[12] One of the canons became vicar of Chatham and raised sufficient money to make a gift to the cathedral for the soul and burial of his

 

Gundulf's church

 

Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, amongst others, brought Odo to account at the trial of Penenden Heath c. 1072. Following Odo's final fall, Gundulf was appointed as the first Norman bishop of Rochester in 1077. The cathedral and its lands were restored to the bishop.

 

Gundulf's first undertaking in the construction of the new cathedral seems to have been the construction of the tower which today bears his name. In about 1080 he began construction of a new cathedral to replace Justus' church. He was a talented architect who probably played a major part in the design or the works he commissioned. The original cathedral had a presbytery of six bays with aisles of the same length. The four easternmost bays stood over an undercroft which forms part of the present crypt. To the east was a small projection, probably for the silver shrine of Paulinus which was translated there from the old cathedral.[f] The transepts were 120 feet long, but only 14 feet wide. With such narrow transepts it is thought that the eastern arches of the nave abuted the quire arch.[14] To the south another tower (of which nothing visible remains) was built. There was no crossing tower.[15] The nave was not completed at first. Apparently designed to be nine bays long, most of the south side but only five bays to the north were completed by Gundulf. The quire was required by the priory and the south wall formed part of its buildings. It has been speculated that Gundulf simply left the citizens to complete the parochial part of the building.[16] Gundulf did not stop with the fabric, he also replaced the secular chaplains with Benedictine monks, obtained several royal grants of land and proved a great benefactor to his cathedral city.

 

In 1078 Gudulf founded St Bartholomew's Hospital just outside the city of Rochester. The Priory of St Andrew contributed daily and weekly provisions to the hospital which also received the offerings from the two altars of St James and of St Giles.[17]

 

During the episcopates of Ernulf (1115–1124) and John (I) (1125–1137) the cathedral was completed. The quire was rearranged, the nave partly rebuilt, Gundulf's nave piers were cased and the west end built. Ernulf is also credited with building the refectory, dormitory and chapter house, only portions of which remain. Finally John translated the body of Ithamar from the old Saxon cathedral to the new Norman one, the whole being dedicated in 1130 (or possibly 1133) by the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by 13 bishops in the presence of Henry I, but the occasion was marred by a great fire which nearly destroyed the whole city and damaged the new cathedral. It was badly damaged by fires again in 1137 and 1179. One or other of these fires was sufficiently severe to badly damage or destroy the eastern arm and the transepts. Ernulf's monastic buildings were also damaged.

 

Probably from about 1190, Gilbert de Glanville (bishop 1185–1214) commenced the rebuilding of the east end and the replacement on the monastic buildings. The north quire transept may have been sufficiently advanced to allow the burial of St William of Perth in 1201, alternatively the coffin may have lain in the north quire aisle until the transept was ready. It was then looted in 1215 by the forces of King John during siege of Rochester Castle. Edmund de Hadenham recounts that there was not a pyx left "in which the body of the Lord might rest upon the altar".[14] However, by 1227, the quire was again in use when the monks made their solemn entry into it. The cathedral was rededicated in 1240 by Richard Wendene (also known as Richard de Wendover) who had been translated from Bangor.[14][18]

 

The shrines of Ss Paulinus and William of Perth, along with the relics of St Ithamar, drew pilgrims to the cathedral. Their offerings were so great that both the work mentioned above and the ensuing work could be funded.

 

Unlike the abbeys of the period (which were led by an abbot) the monastic cathedrals were priories ruled over by a prior with further support from the bishop.[19] Rochester and Carlisle (the other impoverished see) were unusual in securing the promotion of a number of monks to be bishop. Seven bishops of Rochester were originally regular monks between 1215 and the Dissolution.[20] A consequence of the monastic attachment was a lack of patronage at the bishop's disposal. By the early 16th century only 4% of the bishop's patronage came from non-parochial sources.[21] The bishop was therefore chronically limited in funds to spend on the non-monastic part of the cathedral.

 

The next phase of the development was begun by Richard de Eastgate, the sacrist. The two eastern bays of the nave were cleared and the four large piers to support the tower were built. The north nave transept was then constructed. The work was nearly completed by Thomas de Mepeham who became sacrist in 1255. Not long after the south transept was completed and the two bays of the nave nearest the crossing rebuilt to their current form. The intention seems to have been to rebuild the whole nave, but probably lack of funds saved the late Norman work.

 

The cathedral was desecrated in 1264 by the troops of Simon de Montfort, during sieges of the city and castle. It is recorded that armed knights rode into the church and dragged away some refugees. Gold and silver were stolen and documents destroyed. Some of the monastic buildings were turned into stables.[22] Just over a year later De Montfort fell at the Battle of Evesham to the forces of Edward I. Later, in 1300, Edward passed through Rochester on his way to Canterbury and is recorded as having given seven shillings (35p) at the shrine of St William, and the same again the following day. During his return he again visited the cathedral and gave a further seven shillings at each of the shrines of Ss Paulinus and Ithamar.

 

The new century saw the completion of the new Decorated work with the original Norman architecture. The rebuilding of the nave being finally abandoned. Around 1320 the south transept was altered to accommodate the altar of the Virgin Mary.

 

There appears to have been a rood screen thrown between the two western piers of the crossing. A rood loft may have surmounted it.[23] Against this screen was placed the altar of St Nicholas, the parochial altar of the city. The citizens demanded the right of entrance by day or night to what was after all their altar. There were also crowds of strangers passing through the city. The friction broke out as a riot in 1327 after which the strong stone screens and doors which wall off the eastern end of the church from the nave were built.[24] The priory itself was walled off from the town at this period. An oratory was established in angulo navis ("in the corner of the nave") for the reserved sacrament; it is not clear which corner was being referred to, but Dr Palmer[25] argues that the buttress against the north-west tower pier is the most likely setting. He notes the arch filled in with rubble on the aisle side; and on nave side there is a scar line with lower quality stonework below. The buttress is about 4 feet (1.2 m) thick, enough for an oratory. Palmer notes that provision for reservation of consecrated hosts was often made to the north of the altar which would be the case here.

 

The central tower was at last raised by Hamo de Hythe in 1343, thus essentially completing the cathedral. Bells were placed in the central tower (see Bells section below). The chapter room doorway was constructed at around this time. The Black Death struck England in 1347–49. From then on there were probably considerably more than twenty monks in the priory.

 

The modern paintwork of the quire walls is modelled on artwork from the Middle Ages. Gilbert Scott found remains of painting behind the wooden stalls during his restoration work in the 1870s. The painting is therefore part original and part authentic. The alternate lions and fleurs-de-lis reflect Edward III's victories, and assumed sovereignty over the French. In 1356 the Black Prince had defeated John II of France at Poitiers and took him prisoner. On 2 July 1360 John passed through Rochester on his way home and made an offering of 60 crowns (£15) at the Church of St Andrew.[27]

 

The Oratory provided for the citizens of Rochester did not settle the differences between the monks and the city. The eventual solution was the construction of St Nicholas' Church by the north side of the cathedral. A doorway was knocked through the western end of the north aisle (since walled up) to allow processions to pass along the north aisle of the cathedral before leaving by the west door.[27][28]

 

In the mid-15th century the clerestory and vaulting of the north quire aisle was completed and new Perpendicular Period windows inserted into the nave aisles. Possible preparatory work for this is indicated in 1410–11 by the Bridge Wardens of Rochester who recorded a gift of lead from the Lord Prior. The lead was sold on for 41 shillings.[g][29] In 1470 the great west window at the cathedral was completed and finally, in around 1490, what is now the Lady Chapel was built.[27] Rochester Cathedral, although one of England's smaller cathedrals, thus demonstrates all styles of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.[30]

 

In 1504 John Fisher was appointed Bishop of Rochester. Although Rochester was by then an impoverished see, Fisher elected to remain as bishop for the remainder of his life. He had been tutor to the young Prince Henry and on the prince's accession as Henry VIII, Fisher remained his staunch supporter and mentor. He figured in the anti-Lutheran policies of Henry right up until the divorce issue and split from Rome in the early 1530s. Fisher remained true to Rome and for his defence of the Pope was elevated as a cardinal in May 1535. Henry was angered by these moves and, on 22 June 1535, Cardinal Fisher was beheaded on Tower Green.

 

Henry VIII visited Rochester on 1 January 1540 when he met Ann of Cleves for the first time and was "greatly disappointed".[31] Whether connected or not, the old Priory of St Andrew was dissolved by royal command later in the year, one of the last monasteries to be dissolved.

 

The west front is dominated by the central perpendicular great west window. Above the window the dripstone terminates in a small carved head at each side. The line of the nave roof is delineated by a string course above which rises the crenelated parapet. Below the window is a blind arcade interrupted by the top of the Great West Door. Some of the niches in the arcade are filled with statuary. Below the arcade the door is flanked with Norman recesses. The door itself is of Norman work with concentric patterned arches. The semicircular tympanum depicts Christ sitting in glory in the centre, with Saints Justus and Ethelbert flanking him on either side of the doorway. Supporting the saints are angels and surrounding them are the symbols of the Four Evangelists: Ss Matthew (a winged man), Mark (a lion), Luke (an ox) and John (an eagle).[52] On the lintel below are the Twelve Apostles and on the shafts supporting it King Soloman and the Queen of Sheba.[53] Within the Great West Door there is a glass porch which allows the doors themselves to be kept open throughout the day.

 

Either side of the nave end rises a tower which forms the junction of the front and the nave walls. The towers are decorated with blind arcading and are carried up a further two stories above the roof and surmounted with pyramidal spires. The aisle ends are Norman. Each has a large round headed arch containing a window and in the northern recess is a small door. Above each arch is plain wall surmounted by a blind arcade, string course at the roof line and plain parapet. The flanking towers are Norman in the lower part with the style being maintained in the later work. Above the plain bases there are four stories of blind arcading topped with an octagonal spire.[54]

 

The outside of the nave and its aisles is undistinguished, apart from the walled up north-west door which allowed access from the cathedral to the adjacent St Nicholas' Church.[28] The north transept is reached from the High Street via Black Boy Alley, a medieval pilgrimage route. The decoration is Early English, but reworked by Gilbert Scott. Scott rebuilt the gable ends to the original high pitch from the lower one adopted at the start of the 19th century. The gable itself is set back from the main wall behind a parapet with walkway. He also restored the pilgrim entrance and opened up the blind arcade in the northern end of the west wall.[55]

 

To the east of the north transept is the Sextry Gate. It dates from Edward III's reign and has wooden domestic premises above. The area beyond was originally enclosed, but is now open to the High Street through the memorial garden and gates. Beyond the Sextry Gate is the entrance to Gundulf's Tower, used as a private back door to the cathedral.

 

The north quire transept and east end are all executed in Early English style, the lower windows light the crypt which is earlier. Adjoining the east end of the cathedral is the east end of the Chapter Room which is in the same style. The exact form of the east end is more modern than it appears, being largely due to the work of Scott in the 19th century. Scott raised the gable ends to the original high pitch, but for lack of funds the roofs have not been raised; writing in 1897 Palmer noted: "they still require roofs of corresponding pitch, a need both great and conspicuous".[56]

 

On the south side of the cathedral the nave reaches the main transept and beyond a modern porch. The aisle between the transepts is itself a buttress to the older wall behind and supported by a flying buttress. The unusual position of this wall is best explained when considering the interior, below. The southern wall of the presbytery is hidden by the chapter room, an 18th-century structure.

 

he western part of the nave is substantially as Gundulf designed it. According to George H. Palmer (who substantially follows St John Hope) "Rochester and Peterborough possess probably the best examples of the Norman nave in the country".[60] The main arcade is topped by a string course below a triforium. The triforium is Norman with a further string course above. The clerestory above is of perpendicular style. From the capitals pilasters rise to the first string course but appear to have been removed from the triforium stage. Originally they might have supported the roof timbers, or even been the springing of a vault.[61]

 

The easternmost bay of the triforium appears to be Norman, but is the work of 14th-century masons. The final bay of the nave is Decorated in style and leads to the tower piers. Of note is the north pier which possibly contains the Oratory Chapel mentioned above.[62]

 

The aisles are plain with flat pilasters. The eastern two bays are Decorated with springing for vaulting. Whether the vault was ever constructed is unknown, the present wooden roof extends the full length of the aisles.

 

The crossing is bounded to the east by the quire screen with the organ above. This is of 19th-century work and shows figures associated with the early cathedral. Above the crossing is the central tower, housing the bells and above that the spire. The ceiling of the crossing is notable for the four Green Men carved on the bosses. Visible from the ground is the outline of the trapdoor through which bells can be raised and lowered when required. The floor is stepped up to the pulpitum and gives access to the quire through the organ screen.

 

The north transept is from 1235 in Early English style. The Victorian insertion of windows has been mentioned above in the external description. Dominating the transept is the baptistery fresco. The fresco by Russian artist Sergei Fyodorov is displayed on the eastern wall. It is located within an arched recess. The recess may have been a former site of the altar of St Nicholas from the time of its construction in 1235 until it was moved to the screen before the pulpitum in 1322. A will suggests that "an altar of Jesu" also stood here at some point, an altar of some sort must have existed as evidenced by the piscina to the right of the recess.[64] The vaulting is unusual in being octpartite, a development of the more common sexpartite. The Pilgrim Door is now the main visitor entrance and is level for disabled access.

 

he original Lady Chapel was formed in the south transept by screening it off from the crossing. The altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary was housed in the eastern arch of the transept. There are traces of painting both on the east wall and under the arch. The painting delineates the location of the mediaeval north screen of the Lady Chapel. Around 1490 this chapel was extended westwards by piercing the western wall with a large arch and building the chapel's nave against the existing south aisle of cathedral. From within the Lady Chapel the upper parts of two smaller clerestory windows may be seen above the chapel's chancel arch. Subsequently, a screen was placed under the arch and the modern Lady Chapel formed in the 1490 extension.

 

The south transept is of early Decorated style. The eastern wall of it is a single wide arch at the arcade level. There are two doorways in the arch, neither of which is used, the northern one being hidden by the memorial to Dr William Franklin. The south wall starts plain but part way up is a notable monument to Richard Watts, a "coloured bust, with long gray beard".[65] According to Palmer there used to be a brass plaque to Charles Dickens below this but only the outline exists, the plaque having been moved to the east wall of the quire transept.[66] The west wall is filled by the large arch mentioned above with the screen below dividing it from the present Lady Chapel.

 

The Lady Chapel as it now exists is of Decorated style with three lights along southern wall and two in the west wall. The style is a light and airy counterpart to the stolid Norman work of the nave. The altar has been placed against the southern wall resulting in a chapel where the congregation wraps around the altar. The window stained glass is modern and tells the gospel story.

 

The first, easternmost, window has the Annunciation in the upper light: Gabriel speaking to Mary (both crowned) with the Holy Spirit as a dove descending. The lower light shows the Nativity with the Holy Family, three angels and shepherds. The next window shows St Elizabeth in the upper light surrounded by stars and the sun in splendour device. The lower light shows the Adoration of the Magi with Mary enthroned with the Infant. The final window of the south wall has St Mary Magdelene with her ointment surrounded by Tudor roses and fleurs-de-lis in the upper light with the lower light showing the Presentation in the Temple. The west wall continues with St. Margaret of Scotland in the upper light surrounded by fouled anchor and thistle roundels. The reference is to the original dedication of the cathedral as the Priory of St Andrew. The lower light shows the Crucifixion with Mary and St Peter. The final window is unusual, the upper light is divided in three and shows King Arthur with the royal arms flanked by St George on the left and St Michael on the right. The lower light shows the Ascension: two disciples to the left, three women with unguents to the right and three bare crosses top right.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochester_Cathedral